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In this issue of Emptying the Notebook: Caitlin Clark is on the struggle bus … Spencer Pratt and Republicans are predictably melting down now that Pratt appears out of the LA mayoral race … Scott Pelley drops some much needed truth serum about the state of journalism … My weekened in my hometown in Detroit, which included hanging out with a very famous artist.

I hate discussing Caitlin Clark.

People are so overly-invested in her success and/or her failure that even the most reasonable critiques of her game are met with a level of vitriol that is alarming. Whenever I’ve given honest critiques of Clark, I’ve been called racial slurs and harrassed online by some of her “fans.” And when I’ve defended or praised her, I’ve been called everything from a race traitor to a bed wench.

It’s too extreme. I should be able to say that Clark is an elite passer with truly special floor vision. I should also be able to say she turns the ball over entirely too much (she’s third in the league in turnovers, just one behind co-leaders Natasha Howard and Angel Reese). I should be able to say that Clark is young, inexperienced and some of her growing pains are normal because it’s not easy being a budding superstar. I should also be able to say that her body language, flopping and constant bitching at officials, aren’t conducive to her being an effective team leader or a better player.

Unlike what some of her racist fans may think, my criticism of Clark is not rooted in a disdain for white people or some jealousy of white women. Some of them act like Clark is breaking a barrier as the first white girl in WNBA history, when there have been plenty of white girls who have come and made their own stamp on the game. Breanna Stewart. Sabrina Ionescu. Kelsey Plum. Lauren Jackson. Paige Bueckers. Sue Bird. Diana Taurasi. These are all white players who have thrived in the league, so this idea that the league doesn’t accept white players is just a straight up lie. Ball is ball.

It’s obvious Clark isn’t having a good season. Yes, it’s true that she ranks in the top-10 in scoring and is leading the W in assists, but let’s look inside the numbers: She’s shooting 37 percent from the field, and 32 percent from three-point range. In the last five games, she’s only eclipsed 20 points once. She’s never been a good defender, but now that she’s playing against superior players on a nightly basis, they’re exploiting her on defense and embarrassing her. That’s why she’s averaging four personal fouls a game. The players know BBQ chicken when they see it.

Her fans believe this is all part of some league-wide conspiracy to keep Sista Clark down. They think she’s being unfairly targeted when this is just competition. They expected Clark to dominate like she did in college, but the W ain’t college. Every player there also was a star in college. The league is more physical, and the players she’s playing with and against are the best in the world. Some of her fans had no concept of how good the league is because they didn’t pay attention or were so enamored with Clark they refused to see reason. But Diana Taurasi called it. So did Geno Auriemma, and Sheryl Swoopes. They said the transition wasn’t going to be easy for her and they were blasted for it. It seems a lot of their analysis aged pretty well.

That said, all of Clark’s mistakes are correctable. But she needs to grow up, both with her game and with her leadership. She carried over these bad habits from Iowa. The difference is back then she also was dropping 30 points a game so her mistakes were easy to excuse. You can’t be a problem and not be productive.

It is interesting to watch people conveniently weaponizing her gender, blaming that for why people are side-eyeing some of her recent behavior. I generally like the way Clark competes. I don’t mind that she talks shit, or is demonstrative. I expect players to argue with officials .. to a point. But if a male player of Clark’s caliber and status were playing as poorly as Clark and also, at times, melting down on the court, there would be endless conversation and criticism about it.

Every superstar has been through some version of what Clark is going through now — a period of adversity where everything about them is being questioned and people are wondering if they can rise up to meet expectations. Magic Johnson was once referred to as “Tragic Johnson” because of some of the critical errors he made when the Lakers lost to the Celtics in the 1984 NBA Finals. Earlier in his career, the rap on Michael Jordan was that he was a selfish player who was never going to win a championship. LeBron was branded as a choke artist who didn’t possess the same competitve instincts as other great. I mean, they burned his jersey because he changed teams.

I don’t remember which coach it was but a coach told me a long time ago that there are two types of players — players who want to win and players who only want to win their way. Clark has to decide which of those categories she fits in. She clearly needs to make some adjustments to her game. She can’t win in the W like she won in Iowa. She can still be electrifyng and a great player, but she’s got to be in better control of her emotions and look to contribute in other ways if her offense isn’t where it needs to be.

Clark will be fine, but she’s now she’s being presented with a choice: Am I going to keep being BBQ chicken or am I going to start frying people?

My friend Kevin Fredericks, a comendian, actor, producer and content creator popularly known as Kev On Stage, posted a video of a discussion he had with television personality Scott Evans about the Hailey Bieber smoothie at Erewhon. For those who aren’t familiar, Erewhon is one of the most bougiest eateries here in Los Angeles. It’s Whole Foods on steroids. It’s the type of place where you spend $50 just breathing. In fairness, the air is different in there.

But I ain’t gonna lie that Hailey Bieber smoothie is the most divine smoothie I’ve ever tasted. It’s also $27. I feel like an asshole every time I order it, but that smoothie has me in a chokehold. Every sip feels spiritual.

So that made curious: What’s the most you’ve spent on a single food item? Drop me an email at [email protected] and let me know. I’ll post some of the best responses here.