Thinking out loud…while wondering if TB12 gave up football just for Lent…
-- C’mon, Tom. It might be one of the most selfish, self-centered, obtuse decisions he could have made. I know he’s revered in New England. Tampa loves him, too. And as a fan, I certainly appreciate everything he’s done for our sports – and our collective – psyche around here.
But I’m done. You can worship him from afar. TB12 doesn’t play here anymore. And for his narcissistic ‘pronouncement’ Sunday that he’s decided to grace us with his presence for one more year?
That’s cool, because we know he can still play at a high level. But Tom, the planets in the solar system don’t revolve around you. You couldn’t have waited AN HOUR to make your “I’m BACK!” declaration, so thousands of athletes around the country could have had their March Madness moments to themselves, instead of sharing the TV news bulletins with you?
Oh, you didn’t know that? Your PR team stinks. Or, let’s just put it this way…your ability to call a game on the field is waaayyy better than calling it off the field.
It was ignorant. And stupid is as stupid does.
-- On top of this, he keeps deflating footballs. Did you see where an auction bidder paid a little more than half a mil for the last touchdown pass he threw? Guess the value of that thing will never be inflated higher than what it was last Saturday…before his proclamation. And the funniest quip/tweet came from @jalenramsey: “THANK YOU! Throw that last touchdown on somebody else.”
-- Happy to see Devin McCourty returning, along with Nick Folk, Matt Slater, and James White. Deserved, and still capable. But each will be a year older. It would be nice to see some new teammates come along for the ride, wouldn’t it?
-- JC Jackson is gone, but methinks he sunk his own ship when he intoned he wanted to ‘be paid’ at the end of last season. Thanks, JC, for the fun. But you know who decides the payroll.
-- Shaq Mason for a fifth-round pick. Find that stunning. Mason wasn’t worth keeping around, at least for more than a fifth rounder?
-- Chase Winovich’s trade to Cleveland for fellow linebacker Mack Wilson is a bit of a head scratcher. Did he really have the chance to be a full-time contributor? Or could he not perform to the coaching staff’s instructions? I’ll say both. Which is why he’s moved on.
-- The biggest move or trade of the week may have come from the TV booth. Troy Aikman and Joe Buck from Fox to ESPN’s Monday Night Football – for an announce team to be named later. MNF may have just become watchable again.
And how about this nugget from our friends at Front Office Sports this week: Aikman, you might recall, was the No. 1 pick in the 1989 NFL Draft. He made $55.5 million in 12 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. The three-time Super Bowl winner is reportedly signing a five-year, $90 million deal with ESPN to call those MNF games.
Half the time, double the dough. Count me in.
-- The biggest news in Buffalo this week may not have been the NCAA Tournament taking place in the city, but the Bills getting $1 billion in public funding for a new stadium according to a published report. If this happens – and NY Governor Kathy Hochul is a Buffalonian – it would be a record amount of public funding for an American sports stadium.
-- Oh, and Von Miller to the Bills? That ought to help with public sentiment, if not public money.
-- Josh McDaniels might just have something going for him in Vegas with Davante Adams now, no?
-- The NFL, and other sports entities, aren’t shying away from gambling. Not only are they holding out their hands in ‘partnership’ for sponsor dollars, now the league wants to hire a VP of Sports Betting. Part of this person’s job will be to ensure the integrity of the game. Cue the eye roll here.
-- My buddy “Big E” sez if procrastination was an Olympic sport, he’d compete in it next year.
-- The NCAA is giving out a record $625 million amount to DI schools and conferences this year, according to their revenue distribution plan. That’s up from $614 million last year, and up from $246 million from pandemic-plagued 2020.
By 2032, projected growth sez these same schools and leagues will be raking in more than $826 million from the NCAA – hence a reluctance to completely tell the organization to pound sand…even though so many (especially major football schools) would like to.
Media rights for the NCAA and its properties will be approaching $1 billion annually by 2026. Nothing amateur about that.
-- PlayUSA this week sez March Madness usually draws more betting activity – legal and otherwise – than the Super Bowl. Some estimates this week suggest more than $3 billion will be wagered on the NCAA Tournament.
This year’s tournament is expected to shatter the record for legal wagering on a sports event, largely because more states have legalized it. And the Commonwealth of Massachusetts still can’t figure out a way to claim a slice of this pie…even though their New England neighbors sure can.
And have.
-- It’s one thing to be underestimated. But when you add a touch of disrespect to the mix, the combo can be lethal. The Friars are pretty much thanking the national media for loving up the South Dakota State Jackrabbits this week. Especially since they have that rabbit’s foot still in their pockets.
No question, South Dakota State can shoot and score with the best of ‘em. But they had never been punched in the mouth like they were Thursday. It’s a good team – but SDSU might win 6-7 games in the Big East. Maybe eight.
#1 shooting team, #1 3-point shooting team, #2 scoring team (behind Gonzaga) nationally. And Providence’s defense held the Jacks 30 points under their average.
-- But URI fans know what kind of team Richmond has, and the Spiders’ 12 vs. 5 upset of Big 10 champ Iowa gives both teams an opportunity to springboard into the Sweet 16. Richmond has a son of a former Friar – Trey Burton, whose Dad Quinton played on PC’s NCAA teams of 1989 and ’90. Dude can play, just like his papa.
Still hearing there may be some Friar interest if he enters the transfer portal, which has been rumored. But now, who knows?
Right now, it’s about advancing. And Providence can move into the Sweet 16 for the first time in 25 years with a Saturday extermination of the Spiders.
One more thing. The national TV talking heads know nothing if you haven’t figured it out yet. They don’t spend enough time in the sport to know – other than the month of March. You want national guys who know their stuff?
There are two. Dana O’Neil (The Athletic) and Seth Davis (The Athletic/CBS). But don’t tell them I said that. Always reserve the right to hold the hammer. The Sporting News’ and Fox bracketologist Mike DeCourcy, SI’s Pete Thamel and Fox/Big 10/NCAA reporter Andy Katz are also on-point and ultra-observant.
-- Hey Marquette? Thanks for playing the game. Not very well, against a middling North Carolina, either. UConn? New Mexico State’s Aggies are a smudge on your rapidly aging resume. And how the Huskies don’t know – and will never know, now – that Tyrese Martin is/was their best player is why they’re now home, instead of preparing to play on.
-- Creighton will likely play on without Big East defensive player of the year in Ryan Kalkbrenner. He suffered a knee injury in the second half of their OT win over San Diego State. And the Jays get #1 Kansas Saturday.
-- Bryant’s first-ever trip to the NCAA’s in Dayton’s First Four was short-lived, with the loss to a veritable home team in Wright State. Expect head coach Jared Grasso to get mucho attencion from openings across the country after leading the program from 3-28 in 2018 to 22 wins this season.
-- URI’s women weren’t left in the dust after an early loss in the Atlantic-10 tournament, gaining their first-ever WNIT bid Friday night against Quinnipiac. The field is back to a full 64-team bracket after a reduced field last year – and no field at all during the Covid pandemic of 2020.
-- URI’s men are facing several transfers out of the program by players after David Cox’ firing this past week. But is Archie Miller’s arrival enough to keep them – or any others – around? Miller had great success at Dayton (didn’t he, Friar fans?) and was only mediocre at Indiana. The pressure to resume relevancy in the Ocean State is real – especially with the Friars’ and Bryant Bulldogs’ current success.
Good for Rhody in picking up a ‘name’ hire this quickly. But Miller has a major rebuild on his hands. The transfer portal will probably be the first stop.
-- Fired South Carolina coach Frank Martin to UMass? It was a hot rumor among media in Buffalo this week.
-- Thought that Xavier’s Travis Steele might be out after the Musketeers’ fall from grace – and the polls, and the NCAA’s – over the last half of the season. But he was let go this week AFTER Xavier beat Cleveland State in the NIT. This couldn’t have waited, what, a couple of days until the season was over? Such is the pressure, and the reality, of winning now. To remain relevant.
-- St. John’s Mike Anderson, last year’s Big East Coach of the Year, is staying in Queens after being linked to the job at Tulsa – his alma mater. The Red Storm was 17-15 this season and underachieved…not reaching the NCAA’s or playing in the NIT.
-- This week’s Ed Cooley mention as a fantasy hire? Florida, to replace Mike White who took the job at Georgia. It ain’t happenin’.
-- Former Tom Crean Georgia assistant John Linehan is out of a job with that move. He could do worse (and so could the Friars) than look this way if one of the PC assistants gets involved in a head coaching search, and takes a new gig.
-- How do you salve the wounds of a rare season that came up short of the NCAA Tournament? If you’re Hockey Friar senior defenseman Michael Callahan, you sign a contract with the Boston Bruins. He did that this week, for two years, beginning next season.
-- Wake me when the real games start. Did the Red Sox have spring training? Get anybody worth a plugged nickel with a smidge of extra salary cap room? No?
But I’ll bet you can’t wait to get to your cramped seat at overpriced Fenway, pay $15 for your beer in your pink hat and sing “Sweet Caroline” again, amiright?
Great that Xander Bogaerts decided apparently to smarten up, play adult and vax up…probably because he wouldn’t be allowed to play in Canada without it. Who else would like to belly up to the adult table when the dinner bell rings in a few weeks?
The Sox could find themselves in trouble here. Several Yankees’ and Mets players are also now facing the same restrictions that Kyrie Irving faced with the Brooklyn Nets…they wouldn’t be able to play at home as things presently stand. And you know how most of the free world feels about Kyrie’s attitude.
I didn’t think the Sox would get into the Freddie Freeman derby. But the Dodgers? They aren’t playing fair with all that quid. But they don’t mind spending to win – like Boston did once upon a time.
Baseball has a lot of problems, still, and will always have problems when the same 5 or 6 teams seem to bid on the best players.
-- Not for nuthin’, but Kevin Garnett’s Number Retirement Ceremony was trite. And rated PG-17. I’m no prude, but KG is no David Ortiz, either. The Celtics boxed themselves into this corner by retiring every number of every good player that has ever played for them. Or so it seems.
We often throw jersey/number retirements around like Hall of Fame nominations and elections. Pretty soon, players will need to begin wearing triple-digits. Call it the homogenization of sports excellence and elitism.
Just sayin’.
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