Thinking out loud, while wondering if running a half marathon is better than saying "I quit" halfway through a full marathon?
• Whining. Moaning. Complaining. Name three things a New England sports fan loves to do with nauseating regularity.
• Fess up. We all do it.
• Whether it's through a misguided sense of entitlement, or through uneducated reasoning, or perhaps just because we HATE the competition and/or the opponent ... bitching about something remains the undisputed champion in New England.
• Exhibit (A): The Celtics will face the Brooklyn Nets and (gulp!) Kyrie Irving in their first-round playoff series.
• Sports talk radio of late has been as whiny as ever. We might have to face Kyrie? And what about Kevin Durant? Ben Simmons has fresh legs? Puh-leeze.
• You are aware, of course, that even with the two-seed in the East, the Celtics aren't really a two-seed. Improved play over the second half of the season, absolutely. But the team is still flawed, through various means, and just because they're well-paced in the standings doesn't mean they have a ticket to the finals.
• Additionally, the Nets are more flawed than the Celtics are. Not a good defensive team. Their primary modus operandi is a motivated Kyrie Irving, and Celtics' fans are giving him exactly what he wants – their fear.
• You can't beat the seventh seed? You ain't a real "two."
• Exhibit (B): It isn't a surprise that Providence senior and Roxbury's AJ Reeves decided to forego his extra year of eligibility. There comes a time when all of us realize it's time to move on and do something different.
• Could he have used an extra year to improve? We all could use that. AJ gave PC something few athletes seem to be able to do, or want to do, these days. He gave his heart. He gave his loyalty. He gave his commitment.
• He was a part of the first Big East regular season championship. We should say "thanks, AJ." Not "why, AJ?"
• This being said, it was pointed out by our buddy KMac this week the Friars are losing more production (their entire starting five, and five of their top six scorers) than any other team in the Big East for next season.
• The portal doors are wide open in Friartown.
• Exhibit (C): You won't want to hear this – but anyone who doesn't see the Patriots moving back in the draft in a couple of weeks just ain't lookin'.
• BB has, in his tenure, made 82 Draft Day trades. That's more than anyone else. I know what you WANT him to do…but the odds are stacked against it.
• Thought it was curious this week to see what new arrival Jabrill Peppers said about playing for BB. That "his understanding of the game, what he's done for the game, the moment I had an opportunity to come learn from him I definitely wanted to jump at it."
• But the guy is 70 years old, can't draft a receiver, can't or won't hire a coordinator, surrounds himself with former assistants who failed as head coaches and doesn't really know what he's doing anymore, does he?
• At least, that's the narrative out there within talk radio and social media. Just sayin'.
• And Peppers signed a one-year 'prove it' deal coming off an injury because no one else wanted him, so what is he supposed to say? #SMH
• Brown's E.J. Perry visited with the Patriots this week, after claiming offensive MVP honors at the East-West Shrine Bowl in December and shining as one of the most athletic QB's at the NFL Combine. Could be a 6th or 7th round flyer taken right there…if he's available.
• Did you see where Patriots' Hall of Famer Matt Light is running for the Foxboro School Committee? He told NBC Boston he 'felt a little tap' on his shoulder, telling him it was time to serve.
• He sez he's not running as a Republican or as a Democrat. Which is probably his best move thus far.
• My buddy "Big E" sez a police officer knocked on his door this week, telling him that his dogs were out of the yard chasing people on bikes.
• To which "Big E" promptly replied, "My dogs don't own bikes."
• Back to hoops and the clearing house…listen up Auburn, Louisville, and Kansas…all awaiting the not-so-swift hand of NCAA justice. LSU's beleaguered program has cleaned house, literally.
• Ten players have opted to transfer elsewhere, including eight freshmen, following the tarnish left behind from the investigation into program corruption and the firing of Will Wade. In any other era of this sport, a do-over like this would be akin to serving a death penalty.
• In effect, they are doing just that. Georgetown and their own embattled coach, Patrick Ewing, stand to benefit with ex-LSU guard Brandon Murray headed to their campus.
• UConn may rival the Friars for production escaping the friendly confines, with freshman redshirt guard Corey Floyd, Jr. (son of the former Friar) and forward Akok Akok leaving the program. But high scoring East Carolina transfer guard Tristen Newton is coming in.
• Good thing no one plays a game that counts for another seven months.
• Seton Hall's all-Big East swingman Jared Rhoden has decided to go pro, which doesn't come as much of a surprise. He's also one of at least nine former Big East players taking part in the Portsmouth Invitational (aka NBA evaluation camp) this week in Virginia.
• Others who received Portsmouth invites: PC's Nate Watson, UConn's RJ Cole, Isaiah Whaley and Tyrese Martin, Creighton's Alex O'Connell and Ryan Hawkins, Marquette's Darryl Morsell and ex-Villanova, Syracuse and St. Andrews' product Cole Swider.
• Xavier's Adam Kunkel is returning for an extra year with the Musketeers. If they solve their current point guard issues, X is as good as anyone heading into 2022-23. Right now, anyway.
• DePaul picks up 6-8 Da'Sean Nelson from Kilgore College in Texas, one of the top available junior college players in the country, for next season. Butler's Simas Lukosius has decided to return to his Bulldogs. And Marquette's Justin Lewis – potentially the preseason Player of the Year in the Big East next year – is testing the NBA Draft waters.
• CBSSports.com's Matt Norlander wrote this week about Gonzaga and the Big East again. But this idea makes sense and could potentially make more cents for the conference in the next TV go-round. Treating the Zags like Notre Dame in ACC football as a scheduling 'partner' with 3 or 4 Big East games per season?
• That could happen. And it probably should…if it ups the ante at Fox.
• Bryant's Jared Grasso celebrated his contract extension by picking up a March Madness star – St. Peter's Doug Edert announced his transfer to Smithfield, RI. And while national scoring leader Peter Kiss has decided to enter the professional ranks, the Bulldogs stand to remain a handful for everyone they will play in their first year within America East.
• Speaking of St. Peter's, they've hired Bulldog nemesis Bashir Mason from Wagner as their new head coach, replacing Shaheen Holloway.
• Looks like Scottie Scheffler is the new 'flavor du jour' on the pro golf tour. After his Masters' win last week, Scheffler has now earned more than $10 million this season alone – after earning $8.7 million in his career before this year began.
• Last four starts? $8.6 million in earnings. His rise to the world #1 ranking in 42 days is the shortest period between a first career win and a rise to #1 in golf history.
• And we're still fixated on Tiger. Why?
• I cringed as he walked Augusta last week, as I'm certain many did, and the story of his struggle was worth chronicling. But let's not forget his condition is self-inflicted. He doesn't suffer from some debilitating disease…unless you count lifelong conceit and arrogance as diseases.
• Oh, and poor decision-making, too. We should celebrate that? Because he can swing a golf club?
• Just when you think baseball might have a clue again comes the Clayton Kershaw caper this week. He was pulled after throwing 80 pitches in seven PERFECT innings against Minnesota. Spare me the arm injury stuff from last year here…he wouldn't be pitching if he weren't healthy enough to pitch.
• This is precisely what's wrong with this sport. The fun is being sucked right out of the game. Stupid is as stupid does.
• Losing three of four to start the season, the Red Sox were threatening to suck, period, on opening week. But the bats magically appeared and teed off on old 'friend' E-Rod and Detroit.
• The more we hear from Kike Hernandez (and those mic'd up segments from ESPN) the better. He's energetic, engaging and a good athlete. He also might keep us from remembering just how bad the pitching really is.
• Although, it's tough to point the finger at the bullpen overall right now, 5th best in the AL (by the numbers) after the first week. You want to point fingers?
• Let's start with the lower half of the batting order. Or at Jackie Bradley, despite his first hits this season coming against the Tigers in Game Six. Or at the decision to bring his .150 average (hah!) back to Boston.
• Hope you'll be all warm and fuzzy with the gaping hole in his bat, and his diminishing outfield skills this summer. The analytics gurus swung and missed at this one.
• How about the start for Houston Astros' rookie Jeremy Pena, a product of Providence's Classical High School and the University of Maine? Need a guy to follow and pull for this year? I've jumped on the bandwagon.
• Kudos to Bill Koch of the ProJo bringing this to light this week – but a week back a first happened at Brown that had never happened previously. Not in nearly 260 years of existence, or in the 160 years that baseball has been played on the Providence campus.
• The Bears threw a no-hitter. Four pitchers – Bobby Olsen, Charlie Beilenson, Paxton Meyers and Jack Seppings combined on a 3-0 no-no in beating Holy Cross. It was the 3485th game in the history of the program.
• Qualifies as a 'whoa' in my book.
• Jerry York's 50-year career as a college hockey coach qualifies as a 'wow' in my book, too. York told his Boston College team he was hanging up his skates this week, after 28 years and four natty's with the Eagles.
• He's the winningest coach in NCAA hockey history with more than 1000 wins, and one of three coaches to win titles at two different schools…he also won at Bowling Green in 1984.
• NHL players? Dozens of them. Approachable. Humble. Classy. Legendary. York was inducted into the US Hockey Hall of Fame in 2020. But he's been a Hall of Fame person for years.
• I was saddened to hear the news of 67-year-old comedian and voice actor Gilbert Gottfried's passing this week. Gottfried's voice and comedic character was as recognizable as anyone's, and not always in the most aesthetically pleasing way. But that's what made him funny.
• His was the first character "voice" of the Aflac duck, if you didn't know. I know because I auditioned for the same gig.
• In a "brush with greatness" moment in life, Gottfried and I once shared the same agent from the William Morris Agency in New York in the early '90's. As I walked into a meeting with her in midtown Manhattan, there was a guy in the back of her office hovering over two TV monitors hooked up to video playback machines, paying no attention to the meeting about to commence in front of him.
• It was Gottfried. My agent said "Gilbert, could you please excuse us?" As I stood there with my own videotape in hand and jaw on the floor, he couldn't have been more apologetic. "Sorry! Sorry! So sorry!" was his response, as he pumped my hand up and down on the way out. "Here, let me put your tape in the machine for you," as he took my demo reel.
• He hit the "play" button with my agent rolling her eyes, put his hand on his chin and said (in character voice) "hmm, sports guy, huh? Let me know if you ever need to punch up your scripts." I think he meant it.
• And with that, he walked out. Wish I had taken him up on his offer.
• In today's "no matter how bad you think you have it" department: The LA Lakers will be hiring their sixth coach in the past decade after Frank Vogel was released this week. Showtime was a long, long time ago in an NBA far, far away from today.
• The story surrounding the stunning death of Pittsburgh QB Dwayne Haskins this week continues to confound. Why was he trying to cross a highway in the first place? And why did some NFL insiders (notably Adam Schefter and Gil Brandt) treat his accident in such a profoundly insensitive manner?
• The need for speed within social media these days is just as much a culprit here as any momentary lapse in judgment.
• If you believe the stories out there about TB12 potentially becoming a player/owner with the Miami Dolphins, fine. I root for laundry. And if he ever put on the Aqua and Orange of the 'Fins, two decades of history in my head gets erased quicker than algebra homework on a blackboard.
• And if the reporting on this story is accurate – not casting aspersions, here – it tells me TB12's ego has finally won the tug o' war with his brain. And with his wife.
• The leader in the clubhouse to buy the Denver Broncos may just be Rob Walton – the son of late Walmart founder Sam Walton. His bid for the team has exceeded $4 billion, and he's personally worth around $70 billion…so it looks as if he's got change to spare.
• Not for nuthin', but Walton's brother-in-law is none other than Stan Kroenke, owner of the Super Bowl champ LA Rams and former owner of the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche. Now THAT'S a family with some financial influence.
• I'm available for adoption, fellas.
Don't forget to tune into Providence's 103.7 FM, every Saturday from 7:00-9:00 am for Cordischi and Coit! Call in at 401-737-1287 or text at 37937.
Interested in having your questions on local Rhode Island sports (and yes, that includes the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics) answered in a somewhat timely fashion? It's your chance to "think out loud," so send your questions, comments and local stories to jrbroadcaster@gmail.com. We'll share mailbag comments/Facebook posts/Tweets right here! Would appreciate the follow on Twitter, @JRbroadcaster…and join in on Facebook, www.facebook.com/john.rooke ...
