Thinking out loud…while wondering if there's any space available on one of those future trips to Mars…
· One of Rhode Island's signature annual events – a game that usually brings out the passion in almost everyone – is taking the year off from the calendar.
· As predicted…2020 will be the first season since 1944 (during WW II) PC and URI won't meet each other on a basketball floor. Thanks, Covid.
· 76 consecutive years of local sports history is taking a sabbatical. That's a reality of this bizarre, stressful, and strange new normal we've entered. Both teams have been left with scheduling issues largely due to their conference affiliations.
· The plan is to resume the rivalry where it left off – at the Dunk again for 2021 and continue with a home-and-away series every year thereafter.
· You can argue the merit, or the demerit, of the usefulness of this game for each school in the current collegiate landscape. For PC, it's all about the Big East and scheduling power teams for a worthy NCAA tournament resume.
· And somewhere in the mix with that loaded league slate now at 20 games, you need a cupcake. Even when they're down, Rhody is no cupcake.
· For URI, you can make the argument the game with the Friars is bigger than it really needs to be. Occasionally, we've seen the Rams fall victim to a Friar-hangover.
· But it is also an important piece of the Rams' schedule with fewer chances to take on power programs every year.
· Predictably, conspiracy theories on the game cancellation abound. Maybe Providence was hoping to play this game at home with fans – which they were scheduled to do this season and most likely cannot – and asked for that chance again next year under more normal circumstances?
· It's a money-maker, you know. Maybe Rhode Island told them to pound sand on that idea.
· The rivalry between these two schools runs deeper than you may think.
· Likely, because of the push-back in scheduling the Maui games from Nov. 30-Dec. 2…with URI tentatively slated for Dec. 4…and the addition of earlier Big East games, plus the Big 12 (@ TCU) matchup…that became a tough scheduling nut to crack.
· We know that, once upon a time, these schools met multiple times during a single season. The realities of present-day scheduling and TV contracts rendered that possibility moot forty years ago, as the Big East entered the landscape.
· So maybe this is just another sign of our changing times? An inevitability. Throwing a pandemic into the equation just made life, and a basketball game, that much tougher to schedule.
· But…we'll miss The Passion. The Energy. The Rivalry. In other words – we'll miss The Normal.
· And The Opportunity. We'll miss that, too…which is strange, since you'd think regional games would be getting priority on anyone's schedule during a pandemic.
· But for now, we wait in the Ocean State. Until next year, at least on the basketball court.
· PC athletic director Bob Driscoll told WJAR Channel 10 this week it's likely the Friars will play their entire home schedule at Alumni Hall this year for the first time in 49 years, to better manage restrictions and potential crowd flow.
· The good news is – there may be an actual 'flow' at some point. But with social distancing involved, it's unlikely you would find more than 300-500 people in the gym at any time.
· PC hasn't played a full schedule at Alumni Hall, of course, since the Providence Civic Center/Dunkin Donuts Center opened in 1972. The Friars have played two regular season games at Alumni in recent seasons – Houston Baptist in 2017 and the continuation of the wet-floor Seton Hall game in 2018.
· What this potentially means for next years' March Madness, with 1st and 2nd round games scheduled for the Dunk, is anyone's guess at this point.
· URI is still scheduled to face Marquette (at Mohegan) and Seton Hall (at the Ryan Center) this season, even if they won't/can't play PC. Plenty of opportunity remains for the Rams to leave lasting impressions.
· UCF has pulled out of the Hall of Fame Tip-Off at Mohegan with Rhody, Minnesota and Marquette.
· Ex-Ram and Hendricken guard Jimmy Baron's retirement from the pros takes him into coaching, as he has joined the staff at IMG Academy in Florida as Head Skills Coach.
· The Big East-Big 12 Challenge does have some dates tentatively scheduled, including PC playing at TCU on December 9th. Baylor at Seton Hall, Creighton at Kansas and Villanova at Texas highlight the slate.
· St. John's is not going to Orlando for the NIT Preseason Tip Off.
· CBS' Jon Rothstein reported UMass will take a slot at Mohegan Sun, after cancelling on Jamaica. Cayman Islands' Classic and the Emerald Coast Classic (Destin, FL) have also been cancelled for this year.
· Boston College is checking into Mohegan as well for one of their events, ostensibly replacing NC State in the Empire Classic.
· LaSalle University is dropping seven sports due to the coronavirus. Purdue suspended 13 athletes this week for holding an on-campus party. Providence, Northeastern and Boston University have also had students ignoring pandemic protocols and facing restrictions and repercussions.
· Not for nuthin', but it seems some lessons are harder to learn than others.
· Oh yeah, and college football – the MAC is back, and they were the first FBS conference to bail on 2020. Only three of 130 FBS programs won't play this year – New Mexico State, Old Dominion and UConn.
· What this means: Get ready for more midweek football. If you haven't had enough already.
· URI football in the FCS Colonial Athletic Association will kick off in the spring, early March to mid-April. Six league games in a 7-week stretch, teams divvied up into North and South divisions.
· The plethora of sports on TV, as some of us figured, is driving ratings downward…compared to last year. NFL Thursday Night Football is down about a million viewers per week from a year ago.
· But the NFL is still the most-watched, highest-rated TV property this year. Monday Night Football is up from a year ago.
· When the NHL returned in early August, initially numbers were up 39% over pre-pandemic figures. But when other sports jumped into the fray…
· …hockey flattened out. Down about 60% compared to last season.
· Perhaps…just maybe…there is such a thing as having too much of a good thing?
· Speaking of too much of a good thing – my buddy "Big E" sez he can't eat enough gummy bears. His hope is that when he dies from choking on them, they'll just say he was killed by bears and leave it at that.
· NBA TV ratings have also been down compared to a year ago – as much as 60%. Of course, this isn't traditionally basketball season…which might have something to do with it.
· Lakers-Nuggets Game Two set a 17-year ratings' low, however. Whoa.
· Baseball? While the numbers and interest in New England are lagging – and the Red Sox certainly have had a lot to do with that – initially, national ratings were up.
· But the glut of sports in the marketplace, coupled with much of the social unrest and protest that has dominated our late summer have whipped the initial attention right back into the shadows.
· Got hoops? Had hoops. The Celtics' run to the Eastern Conference Finals ended, ultimately, because they simply couldn't take care of the ball well enough.
· And, there's too much me, not enough we. Just sayin.'
· They also depended WAY too much on the three – and allowed Miami to dictate much of their play with a zone defense. It took Boston too long to figure out, with consistency, how to beat the Heat in that zone.
· There were also untimely defensive lapses from the Celtics, who turned Tyler Herro into a much better player than he really is. Duncan Robinson? Bam Adebayo? All-pros with the Celtics defending them.
· And they're not all-pros.
· For all the obvious talent Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum possess, they cannot take the game over night-in and night-out. Few players can. And Marcus Smart shouldn't be allowed to try, either.
· Tatum hasn't yet met a shot he doesn't like. Walker needs to figure out a way to stay away from defensive mismatches…because almost everyone, is. Worst thing for Smart is hitting his first few jumpers. Then he thinks he can hit 'em all.
· Biggest need for next year? I'll take rebounding and rim-protecting for $400, Alex.
· Oh, and toughness. Mental toughness. I got the distinct impression the NBA bubble simply wore them out at the end. They were the more talented team against the Heat – and lost.
· The Red Sox didn't have that problem. They were less talented, and still lost.
· Much, if not all, of that is on management taking the dive this season. Good thing there were no fans allowed at Fenway – they could have all sued for fraudulent business practice.
· Ron Roenicke never stood a chance. If Alex Cora comes back – is it possible we've simply been put into a massive vacuum and the last year never really happened?
· There is intrigue over the potential rotation for next season – provided Chris Sale can return to near his previous abilities – but there's a ton left to do for any overall improvement.
· Let's start with 3rd base. Error City. Who, or what, is on 2nd? And in the outfield?
· Not sorry to see Jackie Bradley go, if he does depart. Made some great defensive plays, sure. Also swung his bat like it was a piece of swiss cheese for much of his tenure here. Offensive, without being offensive. Amiright?
· Speaking of offensive…the Patriots have not committed a single offensive penalty – that has been accepted – through three weeks. That should win you a few games, if you can keep up that pace, late in the year.
· Patriots-Broncos on Oct. 11th has shifted from 1:00 to 4:25. Guess we're all back to being popular again.
· As a fan of smashmouth football, the two Patriot wins this season have been something to see. It will take a strong dose of that to keep the ball out of the Chiefs' hands this week, to have a chance at a stone-cold stunner.
· Ex-Patriot LB and special teams player Matt Chatham hit the nail on the head this week when he tweeted: "…ya couldn't ask for a more perfect preparation scenario than a reveal of the #Chiefs plan & performance vs Lamar Jackson 6 days before facing Cam. If you wrote the schedule yourself, you'd do exactly this."
· Does this mean New England can win the game against Kansas City? Let's put it this way. Rookestradamus sez there's a punchers' chance…provided the Patriots throw the first punch.
· Is there any difference between a "moral victory" and "encouraging loss?" Hate both. Just sayin'.
· That the Titans and Vikings had to shut it down this week with a virus outbreak in Nashville – postponing Tennessee and Pittsburgh Sunday – isn't the surprise. The surprise comes from anyone thinking this virus thing is over.
· Right, POTUS?
· And, from thinking that a group of 53+ football players, coaches and staffers could go 17 weeks without so much as one person not washing hands, or wearing a mask, or going to a bar or restaurant, or otherwise engaging in selfish behavior that isn't exactly team-friendly. Crazy.
· Speaking of bars and restaurants – this ain't good news. Despite Florida and a few other states opening them up…nearly one-third of all sports bars and restaurants across the U.S. (95,000 in 2019) could close by the end of this year. Like The Fours closing in Boston, 30,000 of these businesses are likely to cease operations and never return.
· I like to bag on baseball these days but interested to see MLB's version of "NFL Red Zone" during ESPN's coverage of the playoffs. It's called "Squeeze Play," which sounds great. But it's only streamed on ESPN+, so…that's another backwards "K" in the scorebook, baseball.
· The Patriots are preparing for their fans at Gillette, just as baseball has announced limited ticket sales for the playoffs in Arlington, TX. Lines have been painted to guide fans; protocols are up throughout the stadium. They're ready to go. Just waiting on Governor Baker's OK, ok?
· After the first two home games of this season – which were eerily strange with no fans in the stands – there's a safe, secure feel to Gillette Stadium. Foxboro and Wrentham are not presently high-risk towns. The Patriots (and the rest of us) can pull this off if given the chance.
· This week's Sign of the Apocalypse – love Twitter, mostly, for the entertainment factor (and a little bit of information, too) that it brings. But it can get nasty, too. Rookestradamus has, apparently, decided to jump into the morass with his own, um, *ss. Shoulda thought of this myself.
· In the history of modern mankind, have we ever seen such discomfiture from our political leaders as we witnessed this week? Pure tumult. Tempestuousness. And good, old-fashioned turmoil, too. The three "T's" of presidential politics today.
· Calling the first presidential debate a (bleep) show would be discrediting (bleep). There was absolutely nothing presidential about it, no matter which side of the aisle you lean on.
· What's the truth? We're all doomed. One ticket to Mars, please. I just bought some prime real estate this week.
· 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? Send 'em to me! It's your chance to "think out loud," so send your questions, comments and local stories to jrooke@weei.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 ...
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.
