Thinking out loud…while wondering if this Covid train of thought has a caboose…
• This is too much, really. I'm sick about it.
• But being sick about it is better than being sick with it.
• In case you thought Covid has gone away…it hasn't. Or have you not been paying attention?
• Just this week alone, the Chicago Bulls had to postpone two games with 10 players in health and safety protocols – the first NBA postponements this season. Brooklyn placed five players in protocol, the Celtics were hit, and the Lakers cancelled practices.
• The NFL had more than 120 players test positive this week with 20 Cleveland Browns (Baker Mayfield, too) – included in the middle of a playoff push. The league issued a memo instructing ALL 32 teams to mandate all Tier-1 and Tier-2 personnel receive booster shots.
• The players? Negotiating their terms, naturally. Hey fellas, ever heard of 'taking one for the team?'
• Not for nuthin', but Mayfield should have plenty of room to quarantine living in that stadium, huh?
• The NHL has had Covid issues most of its' season thus far. Calgary postponed three games just this week, Montreal will host Philly with no fans, Carolina is getting hit with personnel going into protocol and the Bruins have also had seven players (plus coaches) in and out of protocol.
• The good news? Because 97% of NBA players and 94% of NFL players are vaxxed (according to the Wall Street Journal), most of those testing positive have few or no symptoms.
• College athletics have been hit this week, too. Seton Hall's game with Iona at Madison Square Garden was cancelled for this weekend. Several other games around the country are also cancelled, including Kentucky and Ohio State. Some programs have temporarily shut down with Covid positives.
• We should expect bumps in the road ahead. Game forfeits are a possibility.
• Rules and regs are changing in many places, and in athletic venues, especially with the onset of winter weather. The science is changing as variants emerge, and testing and vaccination increase. You shouldn't be surprised you're asked to mask-up…whether you believe in mask effectiveness or not.
• That ain't the point. They aren't protecting you. They're to help protect others. You'll need to wear them to get into the Dunk for the foreseeable future. Could'a told ya' that was coming.
• And yes, we need to learn to live with this. Do it for the sake of others – those more vulnerable, if not yourself.
• Don't want to? Fine. Then don't go. And stop whining about it. Your right to be maskless isn't inalienable.
• We'll see you on the other side. Hopefully.
• Brooklyn's Covid issues provided a great opportunity for former Friar David Duke – moving into a starting role Tuesday against Toronto. He responded with a double-double (10 points, 13 rebounds) and two big FT's in an OT win.
• One man's pain is another man's gain. And timing is everything.
• Fenway Park is becoming a mass vaccination center again for booster shots. You always wanted to do Fenway in the winter, amiright?
• Shock and surprise? Or no big deal? NHL attendance is down 6% from pre-Covid levels compared to the same time in the '19-'20 seasons. Nine teams have seen a drop of at least 10% compared to their average attendance of two years ago.
• The Bruins, however, are one of seven teams showing a slight increase in ticket sales compared to two years ago…up 1.9%.
• Tweet of the Week, from @MikeGiardi: "The last time the Patriots and Colts played without either Tom Brady or Peyton Manning was Week 14, 1997 (NE won 20-17). Starting QBs: Drew Bledsoe & IND Jim Harbaugh (both had 2 pass TD). Head coaches: NE Pete Carroll & IND Lindy Infante."
• The Patriots may have (finally) had their bye week last week, but their chances to reach the postseason still improved – even without playing a game.
• Thanks, TB12. Buffalo, he owns you.
• But the Bills may have shown more heart – and smahts – in losing to Tampa Bay in OT last week than they did in getting bullied by the Patriots. Rumors of their impending demise were greatly exaggerated.
• Yet, the Bills sure look to be on the ropes. Question is, who can finish them off?
• Answer: New England, next week.
• There's a date in Indianapolis with the Colts Saturday night, however, to deal with first. Indy's run game is strong. Carson Wentz hasn't tripped and broken anything recently. They've won six of their last eight, including a shutout of Houston and a 41-15 demolition of Buffalo.
• The Colts have allowed less than 100 yards rushing in four of their past six games. They also gave up 38 points to the Bucs and TB12 in a loss.
• Seems to me, Air Mac might be something they're not quite ready for? Just sayin'.
• And God love 'em…they gave us bulletin board stuff this week. How exciting. Linebacker Bobby Okereke told The Athletic "we're really gonna try to make the game one dimensional and see what (Jones) can do."
• Uh huh. I've got swamp land in Florida to sell you if you didn't think BB already knew that one. But hey, we can always use another boulder for the shoulder.
• Patriots' fans are the 4th most likely to start a fight according to a recent survey of NFL fans from USBets? Slackers.
• That's behind the Eagles, Raiders and Steelers. Colts' fans were voted most likely to lose a fight. Is that bulletin board material?
• Did you get a look at the Gillette Stadium renovations planned for 2023? $225 million worth of changes, primarily to the North end of the stadium, will get started in the New Year.
• All of it privately financed. Won't cost you a cent – in taxes, at least.
• The obvious changes will be a bigger lighthouse, a larger HD video scoreboard and a glassed-in walkway connecting the east and west stands and "closing" the open end of the stadium.
• So, size matters. A clear case of scoreboard-envy in Foxboro.
• Which is better than what the Giants and Jets have in New York. They have win-envy. Again.
• They're a combined 7-19 going into this weekend; the Jets may have blown the #2 pick in the draft this year and the Giants are one loss away from their fifth straight season with at least 10 losses.
• That's worse than the J-E-T-S.
• Speaking of disasters: Urban Meyer in the NFL. He didn't want to be in Jacksonville. He wanted their money. Stupid is as stupid does, on both sides of this deal.
• Such a sad story surrounding the death of one-time Patriots' camper and Pro Bowl receiver Demaryius Thomas. His family says he had been suffering from seizures for the past year, and apparently had the one that killed him while taking a shower. Thomas would have turned 34 on Christmas Day.
• Did you know that the final score of 48-9 in the Chiefs-Raiders game last week was another "Scorigami?" Meaning – that final score had NEVER occurred in the history of the NFL over 102 years.
• There have been five scorigami's this season – two of them with the Colts involved. But there were 12 first-time final scores last season.
• Don't look now, but the LA Rams are good again. Rookestradamus' preseason Super Bowl pick has life in the NFC matrix after whipping Arizona Monday night.
• And LA's other team, the Chargers, has a QB who became the first QB in league history to throw for more than 30 TD's in his first two seasons – Justin Herbert. He joins Dan Marino as they only two to throw for 60+ total in their first two years.
• More evidence that Amazon wants to rule the world. They want to take the Manningcast away from ESPN 2 and Monday Night Football.
• My buddy "Big E" sez it takes patience to listen to people. But it takes real skill to pretend you're listening to people.
• Wait, wut?
• Saturday, for the first time since 2013, there will be fans in attendance at a Big East basketball game in Connecticut.
• Old days, good times I remember. Fun days, filled with simple pleasure.
• Those were lyrics to a hit Chicago song. Who are we kidding? This is stressful.
• UConn's present injury situation clouds the picture somewhat for Saturday at the XL Center. Adama Sanogo has been beastly in the middle for the Huskies – but the real pain for the Friars might come from ex-Rhody star Tyrese Martin…who has had pain of his own with a wrist injury.
• A.J. Reeves could stand to be more of a pain for Friar opponents, if he continues to shoot it like he did last week. 20.5 points per game as the Friars moved to 10-1 overall, and he was named to the Big East Honor Roll.
• Four Top 25's for the Big East this week, with PC and Creighton in the ARV category. It's cool and all to be ranked. But it's not the end-all.
• What we need is a makeover of the voting system. Half of the Associated Press voters don't even see the teams they vote (or don't vote) for. Or at least, AP, put the votes in the hands of the media people who WATCH games.
• Reputation carries far too large a slice of the college hoop pie. So…just win, baby.
• Creighton has beaten at least one ranked team in each of the past nine seasons. Beat a ranked BYU last weekend, then lost at home to Arizona State this week.
• If Aaron Thompson stays healthy, Butler will be a factor in the conference race. Marquette has athletes but will go as far as their spotty shooting will take them. Georgetown may be the youngest team in the league, but they also won the Big East Tournament last March and they have one of the league's best freshmen in Aminu Mohammed.
• And outside of the upper crust, no one really knows what we have in DePaul with a first-year coach in Tony Stubblefield. Except two of the top five scorers in the league, Javon Freeman-Liberty and David Jones. Beware the Blue Demons.
• With six games still to play, the Big East is 91-24 against non-league opponents, for a .791 batting average. Providence and Xavier lead the way at 10-1. DePaul and Seton Hall only have one loss thus far as well.
• Buckle up – conference play gets real. But will it be spectacular?
• How the once mighty have fallen. Can anyone say Syracuse's basketball program is better off than what it was a decade ago? Financially, maybe. But that's not translating to the court.
• The ex-Big East basketball programs in the ACC have all been less-than-stellar, to put it mildly. The rest of the league seems to have joined them in mediocrity this season, too.
• Rhody is approaching the start of A-10 play at 8-3 after winning at Milwaukee this week. The Rams play in DC against the College of Charleston (no slouch, right Friar fans?) Sunday.
• If the Mitchell twins can keep their heads in a game, rather than their butts on the bench, URI is an awfully tough matchup for just about every team left on their schedule.
• There were 30 NBA scouts representing 18 different teams at their game against Milwaukee.
• Richmond's Jacob Gilyard surpassed the NCAA career record for steals last week, topping former Friar guard John Linehan's career total and a record he had held for 20 years. Gilyard is 5-9, which is about Linehan's size. Cut from similar molds, those two.
• Brown freshman guard Kino Lilly was again named Ivy Rookie of the Week this past week, as the Bears are off for finals until the 22nd against URI. Bryant junior guard Charles Pride was the NEC Player of the Week, averaging 21.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in a win and a loss for the Bulldogs.
• And Bryant freshman QB Zevi Eckhaus finished 4th in the Jerry Rice voting for the top player in FCS football. A freshman? Might be worth watching at some point over the remainder of his career, no?
• Just wondering here, but based on the whirlwind activity of college quarterbacks transferring of late…is the position of "backup" quarterback in the college game in danger of extinction?
• Or are there some QB's still out there who have the guts (if not the glory) to stick it out with the original decision they made when choosing a school? Or team? Or coach to play for?
• Hmmm. Personal integrity, or a (long) shot at stardom and cash? Right. Tough call.
• This isn't the Age of Aquarius. Or the Age of Coronavirus. Or the Age of a New Millennium. It's the Age of Entitlement…and has been for some time.
• We all continue to feed the frenzy.
• Speaking of frenzy…you heard the latest on the NIL front? Millions of dollars are now being pledged to student athletes from wealthy alumni groups at schools across the country. The Associated Press reported one group has already pledged $10 million to University of Texas athletes.
• And TB12 has signed 10 college athletes (BC hockey player Jack St. Ivany among them) to rep his new clothing brand, including the son of Jackson State coach Deion Sanders, who just signed the top college recruit in the country this week. Yep, Coach Prime.
• Yeah, if you believe 'paying' these student athletes will stop the cheating and even out the playing field between collegiate haves and have nots, you're on the wrong boat. The water will only get murkier from here.
• NYCFC, the team that eliminated the Revs from the playoffs, won the MLS Cup in a 1-1 tie with Portland. Outscored 'em 4-2 on penalty kicks. Ridiculous.
• If you're OK with PK's deciding games so they don't drone on, fine. But championships? What would you say if the NFL someday decides to crown its' champ with field goal attempts?
• Soccer, or at least MLS, continues to grow in popularity, however. The league moved from the 13th most popular worldwide league in 2019 to the seventh-most popular this year, sez a survey from Moffett Nathanson.
• A baseball legend passed away this week, with Central Falls, RI native and longtime baseball exec Roland Hemond leaving us at age 92. His career spanned an incredible 70 years, with three Executive of the Year awards as a GM in Chicago and Baltimore.
• His last Exec of the Year honor came in 1989 when Baltimore nearly won the AL East. That was one season after the O's had lost 107 games. Hemond is considered the architect of the Arizona Fall League and he was the last living employee of the former Boston Braves.
• The Worcester Red Sox have a new manager in place – Chad Tracy, a former minor league field coordinator for the Angels. His father, grandfather and two brothers all played pro ball…so it sounds as if he qualifies as a baseball "lifer." Tracy spent nine seasons in the minors himself after being drafted by Texas in 2006.
• The WooSox also opened the first completely autonomous retail store in the region this past weekend inside Polar Park. No cashiers, no standing in line, no scanning, no cash. Snack up, gear up, tap on an app and go.
• Online sports betting is expected to arrive in Ohio by next year. We may have in-person sports betting at pro sports venues in Chicago before too long. But Massachusetts? Crickets.
• RIP to Mike Nesmith of the Monkees, who passed away last week at age 78. Loved the Monkees, the made-for-TV band in the late '60's that was better than many gave them credit for. Mickey Dolenz is now the sole surviving band member.
• Cheer up, Sleepy Jean. I'm a Believer.
• And our condolences to the family and friends of Joe McDonald, who gave us all such a kick at the Providence Civic Center as part of the "Blues Brothers" act during the PC basketball-Rick Pitino era into the '90's. Sadly, Joe Mac passed away last weekend.
• With his brother-in-law Anthony Manzo by his side as stunt-double lookalikes for Jake and Elwood Blues, and Duffy "Phantom Friar" Dwyer running his flags around the floor in his Darth Vader-like costume, we sure had our share of characters in the stands...almost as much fun to watch as the games themselves.
• We laughed, we cheered (and booed) right beside them. They knew how to get on opposing teams and officials – growing the reputation the Dunk still has today as a tough place for outsiders to play.
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 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.
