Thinking out loud…while wondering if talk is cheap only because supply exceeds demand…
• Few things in sports resonate with athletes, coaches, and fans all at one time…than a road win. The "us against the world" attitude is a challenge and a thrill that never gets old.
• And when your team takes that exciting, hard earned road dub, it's also quite natural to have a bit of a mental letdown afterward. The intensity for what follows just can't stay at the same level.
• It's one of the hardest jobs a coach has – to keep your team focused on the next task ahead, after you've just climbed that last hill.
• After the Friars managed to hang on and win at Wisconsin, every opportunity existed for one of those 'letdown' moments against New Hampshire Thursday.
• Which didn't happen, but this UNH is not your Daddy's UNH. Bill Herrion (brother of ex-Friar assistant Tom Herrion) has an older, experienced team that should win games in America East.
• Four and Oh for the first time in six seasons. Next, Northwestern Monday at the Legends Classic in Newark, and another Big 10 encounter on the agenda.
• Great to see ex-Friar guard Kyron Cartwright while in Madison, WI this week. Kyron is now coaching at a prep school in Minnesota (St. Thomas Academy) for ex-UConn star Khalid El-Amin.
• Whose son, you probably know, now plays at URI. Yeah, it's a strange world sometimes.
• I suppose it's only natural that a religious-based school that at one time had God (Shammgod) as a student should also have Christ (Essandoko) follow in his footsteps?
• That's what the Friars have, with the 6-11 Essandoko's signed letter of intent this week – along with two guards in Jayden Pierre and Quante Berry. Essandoko's first name, so I've been informed, is pronounced "Creest."
• Pretty good start and end to the Gavitt Games for the Big East, wouldn't you say? A 6-2 series victory. Four wins against nationally ranked Big 10 teams? Hard to understand the national hype for the B1G when unranked Big East teams whip them on the road.
• A little respect, please, for the league Dave Gavitt built. One that continues, to this day, to be as competitive a conference as exists on the planet.
• And not driven by the national obsession that is football. Unique, certainly today. And originally, that's exactly what Gavitt hoped for.
• Hey Sonar, did you see where Texas Tech's football broadcasters were suspended this week by the Big 12 for criticizing game officials? Good thing no one pays attention around here. Or disagrees with you. Just sayin'.
• URI used a better-than-advertised defensive effort in pushing past Boston College this week, 57-49. 25% shooting by the Eagles and a strong inside presence from the Mitchell twins got it done as the Rams move to 3-0.
• Such a sad story this week about former Ram Ryan Preston, who graduated from URI in 2019. He died from injuries sustained in an auto accident while playing professionally in Bahrain. Preston was a member of the team that won the Atlantic-10 title in 2018.
• Bryant hoop had their moment in the spotlight this week, playing at Clemson Monday night and falling, 93-70. Peter Kiss played in his first game of the year and didn't disappoint, leading the Bulldogs with 24 points. Bryant plays in the Sunshine Slam this weekend at Daytona Beach, FL.
• How 'bout those Brown Bears? They played nationally ranked North Carolina very tough last week…leading the game late in the first half…before falling by just seven at the Dean Dome.
• Since then, the Bears returned home to beat both Central Connecticut and Johnson & Wales, and Kino Lilly was named Ivy League Rookie of the Week, shooting 56% from three. Brown gets to test Creighton Friday night at the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands.
• Kudos to ex-UConn and Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun, who is (apparently) finally retiring at age 79 after starting the program at DIII St. Joseph's in West Hartford. He sez he's going to enjoy his life, and he certainly should. He's given us so much through the years.
• Notice I didn't use the term 'enjoyment.' For some, 'agita' is more appropriate.
• One-time Brown coach and long-time Calhoun right hand man Glen Miller takes over the program, which is (naturally) undefeated this season and ranked ninth nationally in Division III.
• PC Soccer rolls on in the NCAA men's tournament after a 2-0 shutout of Marist in the first round on campus Thursday night. The Friars will next face 14th seeded Marshall…the defending national champions…Sunday. At Marshall.
• Shout out to the entire Providence College futbol program, really, with the women's team reaching the NCAA's for the first time in 28 years. The Friars lost their first round game to Hofstra, 3-0.
• Can't leave out Ray Treacy's harriers. Women's cross country has reached the NCAA's for a 29th time in program history, and first since 2017. They finished third at the Northeast Regionals held in Boston, and the ladies run this weekend in Tallahassee, FL.
• On the men's side, Marcelo Rocha earned an individual spot at the NCAA Championships, the first Friar to qualify for the race since 2016.
• Rhody struck a blow for the Blue and White in their rivalry with PC…as women's hoop beat Providence 66-53 Wednesday. Defense may be the key for both men's and women's teams in Kingston – the ladies held the Friars to 2-14 shooting from deep as they improve to 4-0.
• URI football is back in the FCS Top 25 this week after a 28-3 win over New Hampshire. The Rams are 7-3 going into their finale at Elon this weekend – and still have an outside shot of reaching the postseason.
• Did you see that UConn played at perennial national powerhouse Clemson last weekend, and that they held a 7-0 lead after Brian Brewton returned a kickoff 99 yards for a score? It was downhill from there, as expected, in a 44-7 final.
• But what a moment for a snapshot of the scoreboard with a lead in Death Valley, amiright?
• The recent trickle-down (trickle-up?) effect of conference realignment has finally hit our neck of the woods. The Atlantic-10 Presidents' Council has voted to accept Loyola-Chicago as a 15th member, joining the league for the 2022-23 academic year.
• The Ramblers will leave the Missouri Valley after reaching the Final Four and the Sweet 16 in the past three seasons. A solid hoop addition now gives the A-10 a Chicago deep-dish flavor.
• How about the list of former MVC schools now playing in other leagues? Butler and Creighton in the Big East, Saint Louis in the A-10, Wichita State in the American…Cincinnati, Houston, Iowa, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Kansas, Kansas State, Louisville, Memphis, Missouri, and Nebraska are all one-time members of The Valley.
• Not for nuthin', but The Valley sez they're ready to re-tool once again – inviting Belmont for next year and considering Murray State, UMKC and Texas-Arlington.
• Former PC Associate Athletic Director Blake James is out as AD at Miami. He spent 17 years at "The U," the last eight as AD…but the football program is still floundering. And let's be real – it is all about football at "The U."
• Tweet of the Week I, from @CollinsworthPFF: "I have called 4 Super Bowls, this one will be my 5th. The Patriots have been in every one. Just saying…"
• Who's ready for the season to start? It will be after Thanksgiving the next time out – and against the AFC's current top seed, Tennessee. At Gillette.
• Bill Belichick earns $18 million? Think he needs or wants to adopt a 62-year-old kid?
• Astonishing, perhaps. But when you consider he has 11 more playoff wins than any other NFL coach in history, and he's likely to break Don Shula's all time win record, he probably earns it.
• I mean, you're worth what the market will pay you…and that's $4 million more than Pete Carroll or Sean Payton. Would you trade him for one of those guys at a discount?
• Wait, wut? Didn't we already try Pete Carroll around here? The memory bank gets a little fuzzy from time to time.
• The list of Top 10 paid coaches in the US from Sportico this week includes six from the NFL and two from college football (Nick Saban and Jimbo Fisher). The two non-football coaches are San Antonio's Gregg Popovich and Golden State's Steve Kerr.
• Which leaves me SMH as a former Spurs employee…who once doubled down as a broadcaster and ticket office/marketing assistant. But hey, that was a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.
• You know, few Pats fans seem to have a problem with BB the coach. The problem has come from BB the GM. But I'd say the early returns on the last couple of drafts, plus the recent crop of free agents, is solid.
• About time, right? Or no? Go ahead, tell me I'm wrong.
• Judon, Henry, and Bourne have all had shining moments in their new digs. Jones, Barmore, and Stephenson are certainly trending upward for the young guys and sure look like they belong in the NFL.
• Rookestradamus called it last spring. Matt Judon would end up becoming the most impactful FA signing of the year. Go ahead, tell him he's wrong.
• As for the top of the rookie draft class, Mac Jones is dropping McDimes on his receivers. And Pro Football Guru Russell Baxter thought the Patriots might take Christian Barmore in the first round, they liked him so much.
• Sometimes, you need a little motivation to get you going in the right direction. To this point in time, it appears 7-9 last season was all the motivation needed to get things on the right track.
• Or was it desperation?
• The 45-7 win over Cleveland may have been the most complete game, in all three phases, the Patriots have played in some time. Certainly, at home – where the record (2-4) sez they're now rather pedestrian.
• As for the Falcons…who certainly play like Dirty Birds…the Patriots' defense was stifling. The offense, on a short work week, was efficiently unspectacular. But earlier this season, we lamented the lack of showstoppers and playmakers in the lineup.
• Now? Four picks and four sacks by the D against the Atlanta offense, and another pick six, screams "look at us!" We are.
• Tweet of the Week II, from @AtlantaFalcons, in response to falling behind 28-3 to the Dallas Cowboys last weekend and the thousands of tweets that followed: "Yeah, yeah. We know."
• Look at it this way. This was one 28-3 lead Dan Quinn, the former Falcons' head coach and now Dallas' defensive coordinator, didn't blow.
• Sign of the times I: The NFL is requiring all teams to have all players and staff wear masks indoors in their facilities next week after Thanksgiving, and to be tested twice for Covid following their return from family holiday gatherings.
• My buddy "Big E" sez he's in the process of looking for a new dry cleaner. He had a particularly tough soy stain on a favorite shirt he was hoping would come out, and it did come out…all the way. It was replaced by a hole where the stain was.
• Included with his shirt – all nice, neat, pressed and starched, with a hole – was a note: "Wear black shirt next time. Make soy stain invisible."
• If manager of the year were an honor for just the postseason, I can understand Sox fans being upset that Alex Cora was left out. And, I can understand that in the bigger picture, having the Red Sox in the postseason in the first place was a major victory this year.
• But I have no issue with Kevin Cash winning the award in the AL. Start to finish, the Rays won 100 games. They were the better team over the long haul. If you want to be upset with someone, be upset with management's decision not to supply Cora with better players.
• So, ERod heads to Detroit. I haven't yet shed a tear, and doubt that I will.
• What is sad, however, is the story of Julio Lugo's passing this week at age 45. Lugo was a big part of the Sox' World Series win in '07, and the best memories I have of him are the years he spent in Tampa (2003-06) – playing pain in the *** to the Red Sox.
• He was a 43rd round draft pick, who ended up with more than 5300 Major League plate appearances. That doesn't happen often.
• Did you see where Cleveland's baseball team (the new Guardians) reached a deal with Cleveland's roller derby team (the old Guardians) and they're both going to be called "Guardians?"
• How did they handle that in New York, once upon a time when there were the New York Football Giants and the baseball Giants? Will they be the Cleveland Baseball Guardians? Inquiring minds need to know.
• The Fenway Sports Group – John Henry's deal, yes, and the parent company of the Red Sox – is in position to purchase the Pittsburgh Penguins.
• FSG has been talking about expanding its sports holdings for some time now. Is there a way we can say Boston now owns Sidney Crosby, or does that not apply here?
• Anyone else kinda bugged by John Henry's group owning a chief rival of the Bruins? And does this mean fewer resources for our own Old Towne Team when it comes to free agents for Fenway?
• Inquiring minds – and paying customers – have a right to know.
• Soccer, auto racing, baseball, and now hockey. Don't be surprised to see FSG next set its' sights on football and hoop ownership next.
• Sign of the times II: Staples Center, home to the Lakers, Clippers, Kings and WNBA Sparks, is getting a new name. The Crypto.com Arena. For $700 million large, over 20 years. Are they paying in cash?
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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