Thinking out loud…while wondering how much this year's spelling bee champ goes outside to play?
• The Scripps National Spelling Bee is underway, with a champion to be crowned next week. Somehow, I'm always fascinated by this tournament. Maybe because I've always wanted to compete in it.
• That elementary school championship I won back in 4th grade always left me wondering.
• P-E-R-S-E-V-E-R-A-N-C-E. Providence College's Emily Sisson wanted to be in the Olympics, fell short last year during the 2020 Olympic marathon trials…but bounced back in a major way this past week – reaching Tokyo with a US Olympic record time in the 10K meter run.
• As her PC head coach Ray Treacy said to the media, "her strength is her strength." Sisson's training in the heat of Phoenix, AZ, and her faith in Treacy's ultimate words of wisdom, likely paid big dividends.
• U-N-S-Y-M-P-A-T-H-E-T-I-C. It's tough, really. But there's no sympathy here for the North Carolina State baseball team, booted from the College World Series in Omaha this past week due to Covid protocol.
• Two simple words would have saved their season, provided an opportunity to win a natty, and give coaches and players the chance to compete for a lifetime achievement and memory.
• Vaccinate. Everyone.
• Instead, the Wolfpack baseball program joins VCU's basketball team and Notre Dame's hockey team as early exits from their respective NCAA Tournaments thanks to positive Covid tests.
• One thing the NCAA DID do right – was make it clear that teams not fully vaccinated would be tested regularly and disqualified if testing positive. It's a minor miracle there weren't more forced departures from winter and spring sports competition.
• A-S-I-N-I-N-E. The silly thing here – is NC State's was very much preventable. The other exits occurred before vaccines became widely available. Stupid is as stupid does.
• S-T-U-P-E-F-A-C-T-I-O-N. How do you ditch a former McDonald's all-American in your program? Marquette's Dawson Garcia appears to be a one-and-done, even if he hasn't yet signed with an agent. Garcia has entered the transfer portal and sez he'll stay in the NBA pre-draft process.
• But it isn't all bad news within the Golden Eagles' program for new coach Shaka Smart…picking up a Big 10 biggie in 6-5 Maryland transfer Darryl Morsell, only the reigning Big 10 Defensive Player of the Year. He'll be a 'super senior' for MU.
• THAT'S an A-C-Q-U-I-S-I-T-I-O-N.
• Ex-Georgetown and Big East all-rookie guard James Akinjo is on the move again after one season at Arizona. He received a waiver this week to transfer to defending national champ Baylor. Akinjo averaged 15.6 points and 5.4 assists last season for the Wildcats.
• We're past July 1, and the world hasn't (yet) ended for college athletics. It isn't (yet) playing for pay, but it is earning a buck off your back, or your back's likeness for today's student-athletes…at the least.
• NIL deals are legally governed in six states, but ALL athletes, no matter the state, are eligible to begin reaping Name, Image and/or Likeness rewards.
• The NCAA put in place an interim policy this week until federal legislation or new NCAA rules are adopted, basically leaving schools outside of those states to figure it out for themselves…at all levels, DI, DII and DIII.
• This includes all NCAA-affiliated schools in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut, although expected legislation should be in effect (as previously reported) by January 1, 2022. Those schools asleep at the wheel on this issue may have a difficult time recovering from recruiting mistakes and missteps sure to occur…without having a plan in place.
• The biggest issues are likely to come about from smaller schools who can't afford to bring in the infrastructure necessary to guide athletes toward building their brands or creating income streams...while keeping them within the nu roolz of competition.
• All's fair in love, war and recruiting…but the playing field is now decidedly uneven…
outside of the six states where it is law.
• Miami quarterback D'Eriq King struck one of the first deals post-midnight July 1, reportedly signing a $20K contract with a moving company called "College Hunks Hauling Junk." Really.
• Front Office Sports reports GoPuff has offered EVERY college athlete a sponsorship deal, and has reportedly already signed more than 200 athletes from throughout the country to contracts.
• What happens to college athletic departments when they suddenly find out advertisers and businesses would rather spend their marketing dollars on the athletes themselves, rather than support a schools' teams?
• If you always wanted to live in the wild, wild west…welcome to the Dollah Bill Corral, pahdnuh. You have arrived. At least in the world of collegiate athletics.
• Brown football released its' schedule for the fall season, number 143 overall if you're counting. The home and season opener, after missing the entirety of last year due to the pandemic, is Sept. 18th in the renewal of the Governor's Cup rivalry against URI.
• The Bears will play at Harvard the following week on Sept. 25th. It will have been 671 days between Ivy League games for the program. Brown will then travel to Smithfield, RI to face Bryant on Oct. 2nd.
• Did anyone else notice? Boston College was the one team left out of next season's ACC/Big 10 Challenge. 15 ACC schools > 14 Big 10 schools.
• I-R-R-E-L-E-V-A-N-T. That's what the BC basketball program has become in the ACC since former athletic director Gene DeFilippo fired Al Skinner in 2010. It's up to new coach Earl Grant to continue cleaning up the mess left behind through the Steve Donahue and Jim Christian lab experiments.
• The Olympic hoop team competing in Tokyo not only includes the Celtics' Jayson Tatum, but also Villanova's Jay Wright, who will serve on the staff as an assistant with San Antonio Spurs' coach Gregg Popovich.
• First impression of Ime Udoka. V-I-G-O-R-O-U-S. Or perhaps, I-N-D-U-S-T-R-I-O-U-S.
• Anyone else not surprised Danny Ainge is suddenly back in the NBA as an 'advisor' to the Utah Jazz? Man, that retirement lasted all of what, a couple of weeks?
• The NBA really wants a midseason tourney. Do you? Seems to me the league might need to provide more than 'a mil' per player on the winning team to incentivize these guys.
• NBA games today are largely interesting only with "something" on the line. That usually means the last five minutes of a playoff game.
• The WNBA is trying out a "Commissioner's Cup" idea for an in-season tourney and the NBA will be taking notes. Will you?
• My buddy "Big E" sez he's trying out a new title from his boss at work – Vice President of Corporate Research and Planning. But then he told me he went to see the boss to request a new title after a few days and having cards printed…to Vice President of Corporate Planning and Research.
• His boss asked, "Ok, but why?" "Because," Big E told him, "we all use abbreviations these days, and I really don't want to be known as the Vice President of CRAP around here."
• Training camp dates have been announced, with veteran Patriots reporting to Foxboro July 27th, and the first practices to start July 28th – in front of fans for the first time in nearly two years. Another sign of normalcy making a comeback.
• Two dates to note: Aug. 6th is the first in-stadium practice, for season ticket holders and Foxboro residents…and Aug. 10th for an in-stadium practice open to the public.
• The theme song from the '70's TV classic "Welcome Back Kotter" is now present and persistent in my frontal lobes.
• The new videoboard installed at Gillette Stadium this week is H-U-M-O-N-G-O-U-S. The
stadium version of a brand new, 65" flat screen in your living room. Which means, it's pretty big, spanning the length of the south end zone.
• High def, and huge…of course. Make sure you shave and cover those blemishes when you come to the stadium.
• But does this mean the banners situated above Humong-o-tron will now be oversized, too?
• Stephon Gilmore's holdout during minicamp was thought to be 'jus' bidness.' Along with sending a message, maybe?
• Based on a couple of social media posts this week from Gilmore, the Patriots may have had a message sent back to them. With emphasis. Getcha' popcorn ready.
• Still think he'll be around for training camp at some point next month. Just hope it's New England's.
• Don't think Washington can afford him. The WFT was fined $10 million this week as a result of the league's investigation into workplace culture.
• "Bullying,' 'unprofessional,' 'intimidating.' Three words used most often to describe the WFT's workplace. Just a guess here – but culture is pervasive, especially within sports. If the NFL is serious, they should investigate a few other workplaces around the league, too.
• While the NFL is still the end-all, be-all in American sports and finances, the NBA looks like it's giving football a run for its money.
• The NBA is estimated to bring in $1.46 billion in advertising revenue for this season, up 6% year over year. And that's just less than the $1.62 billion the NFL brought in during the pandemic 2020 season.
• One big reason for the catch up? Jersey patches. Only three of the 30 NBA teams don't have them.
• WEEI and the Patriots announced their renewed partnership for exclusive coverage next season – which will include a programming switcheroo: Head coach Bill Belichick will hit morning drive with Greg Hill and his crew, while the starting QB (TBD, for now) will be a guest for afternoon drive time.
• Throwing a changeup is good, occasionally. Not sure what else Christian Fauria and Lou Merloni could ask BB that they haven't already tried.
• Speaking of afternoon drive – Glenn Ordway's departure from fulltime on-air duties announced this week surely signals the end of an era in sports radio…as well as the start of a new one for the station.
• As someone who has earned a good portion of his living from talk radio in past (and present) years, Glenn is one of the rare individuals who has not only withstood the test of patience from listeners, of course, but also the test of time.
• And that's not an 'old' joke, either. Takes one to know one.
• Rather, Glenn has R-E-C-O-N-S-T-I-T-U-T-E-D himself several times over to become whatever he needed to be, to whoever his audience might have been. A pro's pro. I-N-F-L-U-E-N-T-I-A-L. And not just on the air, either.
• WEEI's brand is still one of the best-known and has been one of the most influential in the radio business since the format launched in Boston 30 years ago…thanks in large part to Ordway.
• And that's not a fat joke, either. See ya' around, Big O.
• First met Ordway while I was in San Antonio back in the '80's calling games for the Spurs, and he was on the radio for the Celtics…trying to avoid getting burned by Johnny Most's cigarette ashes.
• Gotta admit. The Red Sox have me F-L-U-M-M-O-X-E-D. Their defense is still lousy, more errors than anyone else in the majors…and they sure don't mind playing from behind. 24 come-from-behind wins as of midweek this week?
• 50 wins, most in the American League at the midway point. On track for a hunnerd?
• P-E-R-P-L-E-X-I-N-G. To say the least. P-A-R-A-D-O-X-I-C-A-L, to say the most.
• The last two times the Red Sox won 50 of their first 81 games was in 2007 and 2018. They've done it 15 times. They won the World Series in '07 and '18.
• Two reasons why the Sox continue to hang in there (I know, they're in first place), when all other signs point to also-random: 1) Josh Taylor. Quietly does his job. Like an assassin. 25 straight scoreless appearances are machine-like.
• 2) Hunter Renfroe. He was an afterthought, a platoon guy in the outfield at best when plucked away from Tampa Bay. Now? Hits bombs and plays "D." Deserves his everyday spot in right.
• There is a third, not quite as obvious reason the Sox are hanging in there – the Yankees suck.
• Even the die-hards know this. But does Hal Steinbrenner? Or Brian Cashman? Aaron Boone? With a lineup like they have, whoa.
• There's still plenty of time to ruin a summah. But it's been E-N-G-R-O-S-S-I-N-G nonetheless.
• As minor league teams struggle to recover from pandemic losses, they could get some relief from Congress. Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal introduced a measure this past week to allow teams to draw from $550 million in unused pandemic relief funds.
• Teams could draw up to $15 million…and normally earn between $3 million and $25 million in annual revenue. They lost 90% of their revenue in 2020.
• Love to bang on P-U-E-R-I-L-E things MLB does, but they did raise minor league minimum weekly salaries this year by $400 to $700, depending on a players' level.
• The tragic story of the condo building collapse in Florida did have a silver lining – UConn pitcher Justin Willis narrowly avoided the tragedy after he felt a shake, then saw the building next to where he was collapse to the ground.
• He and his family made it safely down 11 floors of stairs, unaware part of the building they were in had already collapsed.
• God bless Viggo Pastrnak.
• The Maine House of Representatives this week took another step towards bringing sports betting to the state. The bill needs approval from the senate before it gets to the governor.
• Massachusetts, meanwhile, continues to watch tax revenue leave the state…even with an extended sales tax holiday this summer. Rhode Island, New Hampshire and now Maine (apparently) thank you.
• I don't get some friends of mine actually rooting for the Montreal Canadiens in the Stanley Cup finals. Really? WTH is wrong with you?
• Rivalries die hard in my world. Also, $35,540 for a pair of Game 3 tix in Montreal…is a little too pricey for my pocket.
• Naomi Osaka never showed, Serena Williams was injured, as was defending champ Simona Halep. No Rafael Nadal on the men's side, either. Wimbledon has felt a pandemic pinch, but also has provided an opportunity for new names to arise – something the sport of tennis can use.
• This years' Spelling Bee finals will be held July 8th. Because it's the first such competition since prior to the pandemic's start, there have been some modifications to the rules…such as adding vocabulary questions…and a tiebreaker round.
• In between the usual spelling rounds, "word meaning" will ask a speller to answer a multiple-choice question during the second round of each competition level, all the way to the finals. And, a 'lightning round' spell-off may also be put into play.
• This should keep a repeat of 2019 from happening again, when a record EIGHT young people had to share a co-championship.
• Kids, your new word now, is "*-*-*-*-S-H-O-W." Can you please provide a definition?
• An event or situation that takes an unexpected turn and is thrown into chaos – perhaps today's competitors understand this better than we mere mortals do?
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 ...
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