Thinking out loud, while wondering if procrastination was an Olympic sport, would I compete in it later?
The Massachusetts Senate finally debated, and passed, a sports betting bill. Governor Charlie Baker has said he'll sign it, but in its' present form the bill has no shot of passing the House, weakened with too many differences from their version - 69 different amendments (that I counted) attached to it!
As such, it will still send many who wish to place their bets across the borders into neighboring states (Rhode Island, hello!) which means the tax coffers will come up well short of the political estimates of $35 million annually.
The senate version differs from the house version with college sports as the central issue. I get the reluctance for in-state collegiate bets, what with the point-shaving scandal of the late-70's at BC, but, um, ladies and gentlemen of the Mass. legislature?
That was more than 40 years ago. Never say 'never,' but it's more likely a college athlete these days is interested in cutting an NIL deal rather than dealing with gamblers to make a buck. And is anyone aware that you can already place 'wagers' in the Commonwealth under the guise of "fantasy" sports?
DraftKings' HQ is in Boston. I mean, stupid is as stupid does, but this debate is inane, as is the proposed watered-down legislation. Sports wagering is legal in 32 states and the District of Columbia. Pro sports (especially the NFL) have embraced gambling dollars and support. They even have a team in Las Vegas, don't they?
Colleges are also seeking (and gaining) sponsorships from fantasy sports (and gambling/wagering) companies these days.
Either you want it, or you don't. Massachusetts lawmakers don't. Meanwhile, millions of tax dollars continue to pour into neighboring states. And RI, NH, and CT especially, say thanks.
Speaking of NIL, have you heard about these investors' societies popping up around the country? Schools are now actively marketing name, image, and likeness opportunities for their athletes through these "investor" societies, encouraging fans and donors to "invest" in program improvements and their athletes.
In other words, give us a check for our facilities and/or our players, we'll give you a return on your investment in on-field success and off-field perks. These societies allow the school to decide on the exact function of donor dollars. It's a clever marketing gimmick.
For instance, TCU in Fort Worth, TX recently required a $50K or more commitment over a five-year period to join their exclusive "society." LSU, Ole Miss and Tennessee have also recently launched similar clubs, with proceeds assisting all varsity sports at a particular school in return for VIP experiences.
And wins, of course. Just sayin'.
Miami's Isaiah Wong might as well hold a gun to Jim Larranaga's head with his agent's proclamation he'll transfer if his NIL compensation isn't increased. His agent, Adam Papas, also just negotiated $800K and a car over two years for Nijel Pack – headed for South Beach from Kansas State.
Our first collegiate contract holdout. Two words: Buh. Bye.
Dumb jock? Former NBA player-turned-varsity-golfer JR Smith was named North Carolina A&T's Academic Athlete of the Year after posting a 4.0 GPA for the 2021-22 school year. Smith enrolled at NCA&T last year after retiring from the league in 2020.
He also, ahem, signed an NIL deal with Lululemon…the first male golfer to sign a brand ambassador deal with the company. He has more than six million followers on Instagram.
Rebuild? Reload? Remarkable, really. Ed Cooley and his staff have turned the college recruiting game on its' ear for a second straight year, with the transfer portal door swinging wide open again this week.
There's no real secret to their success. It's all in the relationship-building they've done with the athletes they've recruited, past and present. Some may choose to go elsewhere, but when that doesn't work out, the relationship still stands. It appears, at least in a few cases, it's better to finish second for a player than winning his services at the start of his career.
As such, with ex-Kentucky forward Bryce Hopkins joining the fold this week, along with ex-UConn guard Corey Floyd, Jr. (and son of ex-PC guard Corey Floyd), Providence has remade itself from the Sweet 16 team this past season.
With redshirt freshman Legend Geeter entering the portal, this leaves the Friars with two potential scholarships to fill for next fall. But with transfers raining from the skies, is it wise to use them all? And with a full 13-man roster, how do you possibly keep everyone happy with playing time?
You don't. That's the game these days, and a price student-athletes must pay for their ability to move more freely than they ever have before. Less opportunity, especially for those who are younger. Experience drives the bus. Sound familiar?
It's a good life lesson if nothing else…because there are no guarantees in life. Or in basketball.
That said, PC's Jared Bynum is dipping his toes into the NBA Draft waters, ostensibly to learn what he needs to work on for next season. Friar fans hope it isn't his bank account.
Villanova got a big lift toward next season with Brandon Slater's decision to return to the 'Cats, even with Brian Antoine portaling. Based on what is known today – and the transfer deadline is here (need to be in the portal by May 1 for next year) – Creighton still has a slight lead in the Big East clubhouse with their returning roster.
Villanova is probably No. 2, with a slight edge over Xavier and the hard-charging, reloading Friars. If South Dakota State's Baylor Scheierman opts not to stay in the draft (June 1 deadline) and transfers to a high major program like Creighton, they're instantly a Final Four contender.
PC fans saw him up close in the NCAA first round – a fabulous shooting talent with a sweet stroke. A some-day pro, for sure. But he's also had Kentucky, Louisville, Duke, Gonzaga, and Kansas reach out among others, with more than 20 teams inquiring.
And yes, the Friars did too. But Creighton, Duke, Kansas and Kentucky are among his finalists.
ICYMI – ex-Friar and St. Andrew's product Brycen Goodine announced this week he's headed to Fairfield. Georgetown lost two more players to the portal this week in Donald Carey and Collin Holloway, the 5th and 6th players to depart the Hoyas in the past month.
ESPN has reported Mount St. Mary's, a perennial NCAA hoop contender in the NEC, is moving to the MAAC this summer to compete in all sports. A formal announcement should come next week, as the Mount would join Bryant in departing the NEC this year…and replace Monmouth, which left for the Colonial.
And Houston, Cincinnati, BYU and UCF announced they'll join the Big 12 for 2023-24, while Texas and Oklahoma won't join the SEC until 2025. That league gets stacked for two years, apparently, with 14 schools. Make some elbow room.
Mark Emmert announced this week he is stepping down as President of the NCAA in the next year. Cue the cheers. The oft-maligned collegiate governing body could do much worse than ask one-time Friar coach, Bryant athletic director and current NCAA VP for Basketball Dan Gavitt to step into the breach.
But why would he? The constantly shifting landscape would be a nightmare to govern, rules seem to rarely be enforced, and the entire organization is liable to break up by the time the next TV contracts have concluded – in the 2030's.
He did, however, lead the way in creating the pandemic March Madness event a year ago from scratch.
Nah. No pressure on the new prez. If Coach Gavitt is asked…just show him the money.
Penn State is pilfering Boston College AD Pat Kraft to replace Sandy Barbour in State College, PA. Kraft has only been at BC for two years. He'll report to his new gig July 1.
Please tell me. What the **** were you worried about before the Celtics' series with the Nets began, exactly?
I almost – almost – felt sorry for Kevin Durant, saddled with Kyrie "I selfishly missed 53 games" Irving and Ben "soft as Charmin" Simmons on his team. And coach Steve Nash?
Who, or what, or when exactly, did he coach?
Simmons simply didn't want to play this week. Or any week. And if you want an example of anyone getting fleeced in American sports, look no further than the Brooklyn Nets – who traded James Harden away for Simmons and the now-$114 million over three years left on his contract.
Dude cashed in and cashed out. What a country.
This whole NBA "super team" model once famously launched by LeBron James in Miami ("not one, not two, not three") isn't working out too well these days.
And it's not just the Nets' miserable flop this season as evidence…although that's a major one. Of teams Number Two, Three and Four in NBA payroll (Nets, Clippers, Lakers), only one made the postseason – Brooklyn. The Clippers lost a play-in game and the Lakers?
Missed the play-in and fired their coach. But LBJ still gets his. So do the other teams' stars, and that's a big part of the issue. Not enough quality depth behind them, because they can't afford it. As such, the Celtics, Heat, Suns and Grizzles with lower payrolls are succeeding.
Got this tidbit from the folks at Front Office Sports this week – this is the FIRST season in NBA history that the odds-on top two Finals' contenders in the preseason (the Lakers and Nets) did not at least reach the second round of the postseason.
As for the Celtics, maybe they are the best defensive team in the NBA today. Perhaps that will carry them past the defending champ Bucks and the Greek Freak in the next round and eventually into the NBA Finals for a shot at Banner 18.
But as disjointed as they were earlier in the year, with fans and media banging on their every (wrong) move, Ime Udoka deserves heaps of praise for getting this team and its' disparate parts to play together – and play for each other. A major accomplishment.
They're as much fun to watch as they were cringe-worthy in the fall. Jayson Tatum is not only playing like a Top 5 guy in the league, but also making his teammates better. Jaylen Brown is a perfect accoutrement, and everyone else appears to embrace a role.
Egos and "I gotta get mine" will undoubtedly get in the way. But might this at least last until June?
My buddy "Big E" sez he caught his grandson in the liquor cabinet recently. To teach him a lesson, he produced a glass of water, a glass of whiskey and two worms. He told his grandson to watch what happened to those worms when he dropped them into the glasses.
The one in the water wiggled about, but the one in the whiskey sank to the bottom and died. He asked his grandson, "what did we learn from this little experiment?"
And his grandson replied, "drink whiskey and you won't get worms?"
There are three certainties in life: Death, taxes…and the Patriots moving back in the draft.
But the 1st round pick this year, after moving back from 21 to 29 for another two picks down the line…was certainly Strange. Yeah, I know. Bad pun.
But it's true. Every draft board published (seen by these eyes) had Cole Strange, a 6-5 offensive lineman from Chattanooga, as a Day Two or Three selection. The reaction around the league was largely one of disbelief – even derisively laughed at by the Rams' Sean McVay and GM Les Snead.
Ouch. Peak BB, however. He told the media, "he wouldn't have lasted much longer" had they not taken him at 29. Maybe, but we'll never know. What we do know – the scrutiny of this selection will last well into next season, and probably beyond.
For an organization that doesn't like it when the spotlight shines too brightly on the performers in the circus tent, that's definitely strange.
But all is forgiven if you trade for Deebo. Amiright?
Talked last week about the USFL getting eyeballs. The league announced they've surpassed a million followers on social media this week, so maybe that's something. And what are these players making? $600 per week during training camp, $4500 per week for being active on a roster, plus performance bonuses.
That's nowhere near NFL money, but it ain't chump change as far as a side hustle goes.
Did the Bruins make a Stanley Cup statement with their win this week over league-leading Florida? First up, a potential first-round series with Carolina again – for the 3rd time in four years.
It's a quick turnaround for the Providence Bruins this weekend from finishing the regular season and beginning the playoffs. The regular season schedule ends Saturday night at the Dunk…and the postseason begins two nights later – on Monday – at the Dunk against the Bridgeport Islanders.
The schedule finishes with 15 games in 30 days, with only a single night off before jumping into the playoffs. Time for the young 'uns to step up while the regulars find their sea legs.
The Atlantic Division 1st round is a best-of-three series…Game 2 is Wednesday in Bridgeport, Game 3 if necessary returns to the Dunk next Friday night.
Speaking of young 'uns – former Friar, LaSalle Academy and East Providence resident Bryan Lemos has signed with the PBruins for the weekend and potential playoff push. Mark Divver and Austin Rooke report he finished strong for Indianapolis in the ECHL this season.
Is the Dead Ball Era back in baseball? Some pundits are claiming it is. And the Red Sox are certainly playing like it is.
The Red Sox traveled to Toronto without…any offense. And a couple of pitchers in Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford (with Chris Sale lurking in the shadows) who wouldn't know how to spell "TEAM" if you spotted them the T, E, and A.
I know, I know. The saying is, there's no "I" in TEAM. But there ain't no "WE" either, right Tanner?
Trust the process? It's early? Two cliches beginning to show more holes than the socks in my drawer. A more aggressive approach at the plate has resulted in chasing more pitches out of the strike zone than any other major league team.
And the pitchers, at the most inopportune moments, can't seem to find the strike zone. Unless your name is Jake Diekman, who likes to leave pitches over the middle of the plate to be crushed. Yeah, not exactly a winning formula.
Trevor Story should not be having the difficulty he's having at second base. But he's making costly mistakes behind a fragile pitching staff.
Yankee fans – some, but not all – are insufferable. Pelting Cleveland players last week with debris from the stands is a primary reason why it's so enjoyable to see the Yankees lose.
Miggy appreciation post: Miguel Cabrera may be the last big leaguer to reach 3000 career hits for some time. Robinson Cano is the only active player within earshot of the mark (about 370 hits shy), but he's 39 and currently can't hit his weight (.184) with the Mets.
Not for nuthin', but MLB's Jon Heyman sez home runs are down by a whopping 27 percent over last season and runs scored are down to exactly eight per game, from 9.19 per game last year.
I don't know about you…but the game could use a shot in the *** again.
My buddy George must be in pain. And probably shock. A big EPL follower, his Everton 11 may be relegated to the second division of the Premiership for the first time since 1951. Wow.
Not sure if you saw it, but the world's oldest person, a woman who lived in Japan, passed away this week at 119. God bless her. One hundred and nineteen? Definitely a 'whoa.'
I've discovered my present age to be an age of transition. It's harder to make up my mind. For instance, when it gets hot outside, I can't decide if I want ice cream or beer.
Or both.
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