BoomerJam

Lots of nice suggestions here already. Below are a few options that I've tried and enjoyed. In addition, they are also bottles that I've gotten as gifts for folks. Whether they are into wine or not, they have always enjoyed them. I've tried to stick with wines that are going to at least be at Total Wine and included at least one option for red and white that I often see at Costco. If you go to a dedicated wine shop, they can provide some more hard to find options that are probably great.

Whites:

Merry Edwards Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc - Available at most Total Wine locations for right at $50 (will be a little cheaper if you buy more than 6). Expensive for a Sauvignon Blanc, but it really is fantastic.

Cakebread Napa Valley Chardonnay - Will be available at Total Wine and places with a decent wine selection. Between $40-45. Aged in oak but not overpowering. Some people are snobby about Cakebread, but I think this is a nice simple Chardonnay that people will enjoy and appreciate as a gift.

Veuve Clicquot Brut Champage - You will almost always find this at Costco for between $50-55. I'm a little snobby about champagne, but this isn't bad and lots of people like it. Plus, getting a decent bottle of champagne is always fun. It's one of those bottles that everyone has seen before and know is a nice gift.

Reds:

Abstract Red Blend - Available at Total Wine and lots of other spots. This red blend is one that people always seem to enjoy. Usual price is between $35-40.

Prisoner Red Blend - If you want another red blend made created by the same winemaker as Abstract that is often available at Costco then check this out. It's not my personal favorite, but lots of people enjoy it. Should be sub $50 at Costco.

Ridge Three Valleys Red Blend - Available at Total Wine for between $30-35.
Blend Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Carignane and Grenache. Ridge always makes quality stuff.

Goldeneye Anderson Valley Pinot - Available at Total Wine for right around 50 bucks. From the makers of Duckhorn wine. This has always been a favorite when given as a gift.

Below are two higher end options in case you want to get something a little nicer for a special client or employee:

Double Diamond Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon - One of my personal favorites, and really a stellar bottle of wine. Can be found at Total Wine for about $75 for the 2023 vintage. Other vintages can get expensive.

Pierre Peters Cuvee de Reserve, Grand Cru, Brut Champagne - Really great bottle of champagne that got me started down a path into trying higher end champagne. Will be between $80-$100 a bottle. It can be somewhat hard to find, and it usually is only available at wine shops.

Ultimately, I think a really nice bottle of wine to say thank you at the end of the year is a great gift, and you have lots of good suggestions here. Let us know what you pick up!

One of boxing's biggest issues will always be the fractured nature of its governing bodies and promotors. With leagues like the NFL, NBA, MLB, PGA Tour, the UFC portion of MMA, you largely have promotion and governance under a single roof. By doing that, you can guarantee that the top athletes in a sport will usually compete with one another and there will be consistent and unified promotion behind a particular event.

With boxing, it's totally different. First, you have multiple boxing governance organizations (WBO, WBC, WBA, and IBF) competing with one another and requiring different things of each of its particular champions. At the same time, you have multiple promotors often fighting with one another for their cut as well such as Top Rank, Golden Boy, Matchroom, etc.

All of these things lead to fractured TV rights where a fan really doesn't know when and where they can see a particular fight unless they truly follow the sport. For example, a fighter could fight on an Amazon or Netflix undercard and then six months later, his next fight is on DAZN. Almost all of your fights nowadays require some sort of streaming subscription to watch if not a PPV purchase. Gone are the days of Friday Night Fights on ESPN where you could see up and coming fighters and the occasional title fight or HBO and Showtime Boxing having good fight cards on a subscription service that a wider segment of society pays to have. Through all of this, boxing has ended up being a sport that is hard to follow casually. Instead, you mostly have your diehard fans following.

Further frustrating this problem is really the lack of any super marketable stars in the American market. For example, Terrence Crawford could arguably be considered one of the boxing GOATs. However, the average sports fan has no clue who he is.

All of these things just contribute to a sport that can seem like it's sucking wind or dying at times.

Prayers for that little fella and all of his family.

Everyone that has said only go to LSU if she wants to be in LA is correct. Also, just know that she will need to be top 20% at LSU to have a shot at most of the jobs that pay low six figures starting out. There is no guarantee she will rank that high, and it’s much more likely she won’t.

If keeping costs under control is a concern, I would look at Georgia State. In addition, if she’s getting that kind of scholarship money at UT, she could have an outside shot at getting into UGA. As others have noted, LSAT and GPA would be good to know here to assess this and other options. With in state tuition and proximity to the ATL legal market, I think these would be better options even without scholarships.

Another idea is that if she really likes UT or USC, there’s nothing wrong with contacting the admissions office and letting them know about your scholarship offers elsewhere. Some schools will play ball and up the scholarships, some won’t. The worst they can say is no. However, one of them could bite and up her to a full ride.

It’s smart to think about the cost savings at this point, but your daughter has already passed the biggest hurdle by not having to resort to a law school that will require 100k+ in debt. 35k in loans at the end of the day is not a killer even if she’s making somewhat of a modest 75K salary coming out.

Your'e a good dude man. Given how much you like to tinker around with different clubs, this will probably be a fun project for you. Will be interesting to see what the full setup looks like.

Agreed. The 116-112 score is bad. With that said, could have scored that fight 115-113 for either guy. Judges simply gave the swing rounds (including 12) to Haney.

Loma had such a great opportunity to finish Haney off in the 12th after rocking him in the 11th. Felt like he wasn’t aggressive enough in that round.

Srixon Soft Feel is a decent ball at an affordable price point if you are just starting out. They are available in a variety of colors as well.

Great W! Nice to see Mike White having this team surpass Crean's last year already considering the mess he inherited.

I’d say Georgia Tech.

Georgia Tech’s administration is willing to play ball when it comes to getting kids admitted initially whereas Stanford makes it much harder to get in. This difference between the two is even more stark when it comes to transfers. In an era where non-top tier programs like Stanford and Tech would benefit from being able to bring in guys out of the portal, Stanford makes it much harder to get transfers admitted than Tech.

Another problem you encounter is with kids that graduate with an extra year of eligibility. Tech’s administration works with the athletic department to get kids into a grad program whereas Stanford grad schools are much more unwilling to play ball.

When it comes to college football, so much of your success depends on talent acquisition and retention. Tech beats Stanford on all fronts from a pure working with the administration perspective.

Agreed that both programs can pull from good recruiting grounds, but both are second fiddle to other big programs in the region. I can’t speak to facilities at Stanford (although tech’s facilities stink). Now if you’re a coach and money is your main concern, my assumption would be that Stanford can pony up a lot more money for you and your staff than a place like Tech.

I thought that as well, but I guess not.

Sorry for your loss bud. Cavaliers a great dogs, and from what I can tell, he was lucky to have you in his life.