The 12 issues we leaned or relearned in the course of the NCAA Event:
1) This 12 months, for the primary time, being freshly implicated in a homicide — allegedly delivering the homicide weapon, a gun, to the crime scene — is not grounds for ineligibility supplied you’re the star of a top-seeded workforce.
However with Alabama dropping to San Diego State, Louisville turned the newest city for Bama coach Nate Oats to excuse his workforce for being “within the mistaken place on the mistaken time,” as if there’s a superb place and time to ship a homicide weapon or lose a Event sport.
2) Div. I coaches stay on the planet’s second oldest career.
3) Div. I faculty presidents proceed to attract massive salaries — however not as a lot as coaches — to entrance for basketball packages as logics, design and time invested supplied no affordable alternative to coach recruited student-athletes.
4) No matter flake or pretense of a flake of integrity St. John’s basketball radiated has been eradicated. It’s as a lot a bottom-feeder basketball faculty because the worst of them, administration, to teach, to recruits.
5) Capital One commercials stay the worst TV sitcom collection since “Mama’s Household.”
6) Provided that no seed increased than No. 4 made the Closing 4, the newly concocted measuring stick that features “Quads” one by 4, ought to get misplaced and keep there.
7) Charles Barkley, this 12 months used as CBS “60 Minutes” NCAA Event bait in what was pitched as a no-holds-barred Q&A, was simply one other promote of community items as Barkley once more wastes everybody’s time as a nothing-to-add, platitudinal studio commentator.
Right here’s a query “60 Minutes” may need requested:
When ex-Knick and CBS basketball analyst Greg Anthony was busted for soliciting a hooker he was fired. So how has Barkley, responsible of the identical, not solely escaped such punishment however turn out to be an all-media go-to-guy, particularly on social points?
8) It stays simpler for TV commentators guilty referees than coaches.
9) The NCAA Event stays a House Buying Community for beforehand unknown coaches to bolt for extra money.
10) Courtside analyst Jim Spanarkel continues to remind native people that YES dumped him as a Nets shade man for no suspected motive than that he’s a white male, thus clogging YES’s feckless, misguided range motion.
11) It’s nonetheless an inexcusable crapshoot as as to whether NCAA Event TV administrators will select to firstly keep targeted on the sport fairly than the group. Unimaginable that in 2023, that the logical and simply cured are uncared for.
12) If Jim Nantz, at this stage of his profession, shouldn’t be assured or safe sufficient to inform just a few ugly truths — say, a coach’s suspension for dishonest or the inevitability of NIL cash turning into above-board recruitment payola — the dangerous guys will proceed to win.
Giants’ Mara, Jets’ Johnson are examine in distinction
This week, at about the identical time Giants’ co-owner John Mara confirmed his welcomed noblesse oblige facet by panning Roger “It’s All About Our Followers” Goodell’s newest dive for TV cash — in-season “flexing” of Sunday NFL video games to Thursday nights that would go away followers, particularly Goodell’s VIP PSL homeowners to additional go to hell — Jets’ proprietor Woody Johnson had the stage elsewhere:
In what can solely be described as a lie, whole, indifferent ignorance or pandering above and past (under and beneath) NFL requirements, Johnson stated of free agent WR and profession reprobate Odell Beckham Jr:
“It’s thrilling {that a} participant and individual of his caliber would even think about the Jets. That’s actually cool.”
Extra: “The truth that Odell Beckham, a person of his character and high quality of his means, would think about us and wish to be with us — if that’s what he need is just about a praise.”
Good grief! Maybe Johnson didn’t cite any proof of Beckham’s excellent character as a result of proof exists solely to the acute opposite.
Is Johnson conscious that Beckham, as each a bodily and social threat, is working low on choices?
Or does he suppose we’re all a bunch of fools?
It may be the latter. Think about: On the daybreak of PSL gross sales in New York, the Jets advised lie after mislead induce suckers.
In a single case, a fellow recognized to the Jets entrance workplace and gamers because the workforce’s mortgage dealer, “gained” the competition as to who would bid probably the most for Jets PSLs. David Findel, the media blindly reported in 2009, bid a preposterous $400,000, earlier than ticket costs, for 2 PSLs.
However there was a small downside: Findel didn’t have a pot to PSL in. The complete plan was a crooked gross sales ploy, absolutely enabled by the Jets and Roger “PSLs Are Good Investments” Goodell’s silence.
Even after Findel was despatched to jail for mortgage fraud, neither Johnson nor Goodell addressed this rip-off although the Jets stated they’re not related to Findel.
Meantime, this week in a single assertion — cease treating the NFL’s greatest prospects, ticket-buyers, like cash-stuffed piñatas tethered to a different bait-and-switch — Mara did extra on behalf of the NFL’s followers than Goodell has performed since 2006, when he turned commissioner of the NFL.
All aboard Yankees’ hype prepare
One sport in and I already really feel smothered in illogical, pointless hype.
Thursday’s Yankees’ Opening Day pregame on YES was loaded with prompts and advertisements to observe the Yanks on YES, together with a protracted, taped promo spoken by Michael Kay to remind us to observe Opening Day. Carry again Giuseppe Franco!
Previous to Anthony Volpe’s first at-bat, a stroll, Kay appeared affected by the maudlin, declaring, “This is step one of the remainder of his life.” Geez, first Yankee on the moon!
That Walt “Clyde” Frazier (or by now could be it Clyde “Walt” Frazier nonetheless throws some old fashioned widespread sense our manner.
Wednesday over MSG, the Knicks’ Jalen Brunson scored inside then wound up on his again, from the place he stayed to complain that he was fouled.
Frazier scolded Brunson for not getting again on protection. And simply as he completed saying that the Warmth scored on a simple, barely-contested layup.
By now we all know that Buck Showalter is ready to loophole one in all MLB’s new, baseball demolishing guidelines. Only a matter of when.
Even soccer followers equivalent to I typically can perceive those that don’t perceive. The final two MLS Saturday matches on Fox ended 0-0.
Unsure why YES so typically relegates John Flaherty to studio work, however I’d place Flaherty on video games and know he’d always be strong.
So Wednesday on Islanders-Caps, TNT launched its new “NHL Guidelines Analyst,” ex-ref Brad Meier. So what occurs? Nothing. Not a penalty referred to as till six minutes left in regulation!
