Thinking out loud…while wondering what my old Atari game of “Pong” might go for these days…
• Just when it looked as if we’d found a pathway back to something near ‘normal,’ our yellow brick road to Oz has developed a speed bump to slow us down.
• And unfortunately for some, this bump in the road is doing more than just slowing them down.
• Today’s plea to your common sense – just get the vax. Your friends, your family…and maybe the New York Yankees…should thank you.
• I’m old enough to remember taking the polio vaccine when I was a kid. The MMR vaccine has been around protecting us for what, 50+ years? There were more than two million global deaths per year prior to the Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccine’s implementation.
• Now – there are just over 100K global deaths per year, mostly from low-income countries, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Feeling any similarities here?
• We’re lucky to live where we do – where we can be protected…and also bite the hand trying to feed us at the same time.
• If, for whatever reason you cannot get vax’d – then have some decency. Protect others, while protecting yourself. In the sports world, as an athlete, your team will be at a decided competitive disadvantage without it.
• This is the ‘new normal.’ And If this sounds preachy, sorry. But not sorry.
• Not for nuthin’, but pretty soon the new Scarlet Letter will be a “V,” for vaccinated. Except we shouldn’t be embarrassed to wear it.
• Hey, I read all kinds of books. You remember books, don’t you?
• A personal ‘about face’ here: Why NIL rules and regs might be a good thing for college athletes, rather than creating a Collegiate Armageddon as some fear.
• Kids need to grow up. Isn’t that at least partly the point of going to college, anyway?
• To grow up. To learn. Allowing college athletes an opportunity to create something for themselves from the use of their OWN name, image or likeness is the right thing to do…today.
• I have always believed an athletic scholarship has great value – and if you ask many of the athletes, they’ll agree. It still does. But this isn’t the 1970’s, when there was very little TV revenue coming in compared to today’s billion-dollar stash.
• The money is mind-boggling…much of it earned off athletes’ exploits on a playing field, and much of it is used in building some palatial campus shrines across our country.
• Make no mistake about this – college presidents don’t want this gravy train slowing down. Why else is a guy like Mark Emmert still the Grand Poobah with the NCAA?
• The presidents are his bosses. Just like NFL owners are Roger Goodell’s bosses. Let the good times roll.
• So, this isn’t amateurism ‘going pro,’ per se. It is simply an attempt at being fair in a different day. It is allowing today’s student-athlete to understand value, worth…and hey, they want to be treated as adults, amiright?
• A visit from the tax man in April should take care of that, too.
• And while most schools will prohibit their athletes from signing deals in competition with school sponsors, or other sponsors deemed inappropriate (gambling, alcohol, tobacco, etc)…UConn announced its’ NIL details this week that did include a “conflict with institutional sponsors” clause.
• Expect that to be a rule, rather than an exception, at almost every school. Also, boosters and university employers are not allowed to create or facilitate compensation opportunities. That may not necessarily be the case at all schools, however.
• But perhaps the days of no-show jobs for some athletes are slowly coming to an end…because of the new NIL rules.
• 27 states now have some sort of NIL laws on the books. In the other 23 states, the NCAA sez the schools can set their own rules. But the new standards almost all include restrictions on certain industries and require athletes to disclose their deals before signing them.
• But what happens if an athlete fails to disclose something? Or agrees, in writing, to a deal with a gambling outlet? There are few penalties document, and in many cases enforcement is pushed upon a state agency in places where laws exist.
• The NCAA won’t enforce here. State agencies shouldn’t either. This is up to schools to self-police and enforce.
• Ok, stop LOL’ing. Which school is going to step up and self-report an infraction when there’s no central policy…or when they could face possible litigation from the athlete?
• Like I’ve said previously – welcome to the wild, wild west on campus.
• Quietly, and unnoticed by many…the college basketball Transfer Portal topped 1700 for this year a week ago. A third of these players still have no place (yet) to transfer for next season.
• Brown QB coach Heather Marini will be a part of Bruce Arians’ staff in Tampa Bay this season as a Bill Walsh Coaching Fellow. Which means, of course, she’ll be teaching/coaching/learning with TB12.
• ICYMI – University of Hartford athletes are suing the school to remain Division I athletes. Full reclassification to DIII would not take effect until 2025, even though the school hopes to end athletic scholarships before the 2023-24 school year.
• Of course – few, if any, expected the Red Sox to be in first place in the AL East at the break...even after losing four of five. To that end, this has already been a successful season – but only to a point.
• While we’ve no doubt been spoiled by success since 2004, facts are facts. And with a payroll that still ranks among the largest (7th) in the major leagues, more should be expected of the team and ownership.
• This ain’t Cleveland, or Miami…or even Tampa – which, despite a payroll that ranks 26th out of 30 teams, continues to harass the Sox, Yankees and Blue Jays.
• Sticking to whatever ‘plan’ Chaim Bloom and company have…won’t be easy. Natives are already restless and will get restless-er. The defense is poor, pitching is inconsistent at best.
• There are also a couple of overachievers on that roster thrown in there with a couple of mistakes, to be sure.
• Staying relevant into September should be the goal, and it appears to be realistic. But expecting Chris Sale to return to savant status is unrealistic. Ridiculous, even. Coming off TJ surgery?
• Hope, however, does exist – which is part of staying relevant after football season arrives.
• Chicks still dig the long ball? So does the Mets’ Pete Alonso.
• Not only did he Re-Pete as Home Run derby champ this year, Alonso looked like he was having a ton of fun bee-bopping up and down in the Rocky Mountains. He also made $1 million…which is more than his base salary with the Mets.
• In three seasons with NY, Alonso has earned $1.47 million. Winning the past two Derbies (including 2019) has earned him a cool $2 mil. But he’ll need to keep it up to get the really, big bucks.
• He has three more years of arbitration before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2025.
• The way to keep the Derby relevant and interesting is to do what this years’ contest did – seed the contestants…and bring them in from the ranks of the young-and-hungrier.
• Anyone else notice Big Papi made an all-star appearance? David Ortiz was on hand for Fox’s postgame coverage, and also reppin’ for the Papa John’s pizza chain. Guess that means he was working for Shaq. Does he deliver?
• As for the game itself, completed in a tidy three hours (whoa!), the AL extended its’ dominance for an 8th straight year…and incredibly, 27 of the last 33. All five Sox repped, with perhaps JD Martinez and Matt Barnes wishing they hadn’t.
• But the game uniforms were straight out of a slow-pitch softball/beer league.
• Tweet of the Week I, from @JerryTrupiano: “MLB must have had store credit at Dick’s Sporting Goods to get those uniforms.”
• In the MLB Draft this week, the Sox drafted 20 players total, 15 from college and five from high school, including first-rounder SS Marcelo Mayer from Chula Vista, CA. Eight draftees are pitchers.
• But somewhat disappointingly, no Sox picks were from New England.
• The 20 players selected by the Angels were all pitchers, 19 from college. First time that’s ever happened in draft history. No one else sees that need around here?
• Bryant’s Tyler Mattison (a pitcher) was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 4th round, 104th overall – the highest-ever selection for a player in the Bulldogs’ program.
• Jarren Duran’s week has been crazy, no doubt. His callup from Worcester was preceded by an Olympic roster spot on Team USA also opening. And then, of course, his debut was postponed by the Yankees’ Covid breakout.
• A word about baseball returning to ‘old school’ rules, perhaps by next season. Don’t.
• At least, not yet. Admittedly, starting extra innings with a runner on second is grade-schoolish…7-inning doubleheaders are non-traditional and weak sauce…but banning the shift?
• Always been of the opinion the idea of the game is to hit the ball where the fielders ain’t. Stop being stubborn. Hit it where they aren’t playing…fielders will come out of a shift soon enough.
• Shhh, don’t tell anyone. I’ve actually become a fan of runners on second to start extra innings. Games are still long enough. Anything to increase excitement and anticipation in later innings should be welcomed, not banned.
• But I’d settle for a compromise here and play normally until the 12th inning. Then – put a runner on and let’s get on with it. Just sayin’.
• Crowds are returning…but announcing teams are still in studios? It’s hard to argue safety here. It can only be cost control. And a HUGE disservice to fans who pay the freight and deserve better.
• Team USA is struggling in pre-Olympic hoop exhibitions…only two exhibition losses in 29 years since the original Dream Team played in 1992, then they lost two in a row to start this year…to Nigeria and Australia…before breaking through.
• Perhaps it’s because the NBA doesn’t preach defense (Celtics, hello!) like other teams/countries do? There’s also the familiarity factor – with Team USA ‘thrown together’ every time a major tournament comes up on the schedule.
• This is the part that has been talked about for years, coming to fruition. The world has caught up.
• Hate saying this – but Kevin Durant is no LBJ or Steph Curry. Where oh where have you gone, Larry, Magic and Michael?
• It’s still the NBA Finals. Didn’t think I’d watch Bucks-Suns, but I’m amazingly drawn to it. Like a bug drawn to a zapper.
• The Finals’ TV ratings through the first two games were up 26% over the first two games from last year. So much for the theory small markets can’t draw a big audience.
• A true futbol legend, and a great guy. Paul Mariner passed away this week at age 68 after battling brain cancer, and after serving the Revolution in capacities as assistant coach and TV analyst the last few years.
• And while Mariner’s career is well known within the UK (Arsenal was one of his stops), those who had the pleasure of knowing him also knew – he had a sense of good humor and kindness that was tough to match.
• Those who knew him best say Paul was one of those rare people who, even though you just met him, made you feel as if you’d known him forever. That’s quite the epitaph.
• I stream, you stream, we all stream for…the NFL’s new media partnership with Twitter. It’s expanding, which means Twitter will offer fans more content.
• Guess what’s not getting cheaper in the streaming world? ESPN+ is raising prices for a 2nd time in 2021…up about $20 this year alone. The annual cost, starting next month, will be about $70.
• Apple appears to be moving in on the NFL Sunday Ticket, which stays with DirecTV for this season. After that…looks like the Apple+ streaming service is in the lead for the Ticket’s new home.
• Tweet of the Week II, from @ProFootballTalk: “Adrian Peterson, Frank Gore and LeSean McCoy are all unsigned. So who’s the NFL’s active leader in rushing touchdowns? Cam Newton.”
• Ready for Pats camp? Mark your calendar for July 28th as another big step forward toward ‘normal,’ whatever that is these days.
• Joint practices with the Eagles next month are great – and another sign of some sense of normalcy returning to our sports lives. Doesn’t do much for us around here, as these practices will be on the road…as will this preseason game.
• But perhaps the media, or at least some of it, will get the chance to play traveling reporter again after so many quarantines and restrictions placed on coverage.
• Ex-Patriot Jake Bequette is decidedly Patriotic these days, as the one-time football player has announced he’s running for the US Senate in Arkansas.
• Cassius who?
• Hey Richard Sherman – you mad now, bro?
• Remember those Putt-Putt minigolf courses you played when you were a kid? Looks as if the sport is headed back to the future…more golf related entertainment is on the way with “Puttery.” Rory McIlroy is an investor in the new “Food and Fun” golf concept.
• Seven of the Top 75 golfers in the world are missing the British Open – the only major not to play last year. 16 golfers total have withdrawn because they’ve tested positive or through contact tracing.
• It is good to see the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport back after a year off. But I gotta ask – did you go? Did you even know it was taking place? You’re not eligible to answer this, Edward in East Providence.
• Making the best of a bad sitch…with still-plummeting attendance in movie theaters, AMC theaters have forged a marriage with UFC, airing this past weekend’s big Poirier-MacGregor bout in theaters across the country.
• Trading out sometimes wholesome family entertainment for the blood-and-guts UFC? Inspiration (or desperation) can certainly create strange bedfellows…and bidness partners.
• You think you have it bad? Stop complaining. Death Valley, CA recorded the hottest temperature on Planet Earth this week – a sizzling 130 degrees Fahrenheit. The highest ever ‘low’ temp was also recorded – at 107.7.
• The actual stated record high of 134 degrees was recorded with less-accurate equipment in 1913…but also in the same place. Looks like we’ve actually found Hell on Earth.
• A copy of the Super Mario 64 video game – remember that one? – sold for $1.56 million two days after a Nintendo “Legend of Zelda” sold for $870K at an auction in Dallas, TX last week.
• My first reaction – wait, wut? My second reaction – wish I had kept a few of those old games around myself.
• It turns out that newer collectors to the video game scene prefer mint condition older games, rather than games that might complete a set from a particular manufacturer. And this copy of Super Mario 64 – the first “3D” game unveiled – had that kind of appeal.
• The comic books, trading cards and old copies of Sports Illustrated magazine covers collected by Boomers have firmly migrated to video games from the millennial generation. But here’s the conundrum with this particular purchase – you can download Super Mario 64 from the internet or buy a cartridge for about $20 in several places.
• There’s no generation gap when it comes to a few sheckles burning holes in our pockets. And that no cost should be spared when it comes to bringing back a cherished piece of childhood.
• But $1.5 million – for a video game? C’mon, man. You nuts, bro?
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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