Thinking out loud…while wondering if it’s time for those trading cards in my basement to see the light of day again…
• I gotta tell ya…it’s not easy to tell the difference between right and wrong these days. Do what your heart – or your gut – tell you to do? Still get slammed, lambasted, criticized, ostracized, and scrutinized over what you THINK is the right thing to do.
• And social media? The worst, really. Keyboard Cowboys rule the roost as the 21st century version of the playground bully.
• I say this with MLB’s decision in mind to pull the All-Star game from Atlanta over the State of Georgia’s controversial voting rights laws. This decision was probably not vetted as thoroughly as it should have been.
• No matter what side of the fence you come down on in this issue, the mere fact baseball has allowed politics and policy to play a factor in their decision-making is bothersome at best, revolting at worst.
• Having sports and athletes become politically active as we have in the past year-plus, should be a good thing. But it isn’t, and few can argue otherwise. We are opinionated. We are angry. We are divided.
• Sports used to bring us together. Feels like we need to remind sports sometimes to “stick to sports.” Ironic, isn’t it?
• The sport of baseball needs help, gang…if you haven’t figured that part out. Rob Manfred is not helping.
• Interesting that he has a membership at August National Golf Club, site of this week’s Masters. Civil rights groups have been calling for a boycott of the tournament because of the recent Georgia voting laws enacted.
• Well, exaulted Grand Poobah of the Game? What say you – out of both sides of your mouth?
• Pulling the All-Star game out of Georgia is for the good of the game? The future of the game? What happens when other states (like Texas) enact similar legislation that some at either end of the political spectrum feel are wrong?
• At the present rate, baseball may not remain a competitive commodity for fans or owners in the marketplace, especially if baseball’s federal antitrust exemption is repealed by Congress because of this ‘wokeness.’ And it might be.
• The sport has bored a younger generation, and p***ed off an older generation. Not exactly the way to do bidness if you ask me.
• Sure, be politically correct. Be socially active or involved. That’s great. But as a baseball fan, you had best also be prepared to be a football fan. Or basketball. Or hockey. Or NASCAR. Or soccer.
• Or a gardener.
• Losing the All-Star game will cost the City of Atlanta at least $100 million in economic activity. Steep price to pay for controversy, isn’t it?
• What is ‘being woke’ going to cost the sport over the long haul? Riddle me that, Mr. Commish.
• Sorry. The Red Sox have still lost me. Losing three straight out of the gate to ostensibly the worst team in the sport – Baltimore – tells me two things about these guys.
• 1) That my initial instincts about 2021 are, so far, accurate. They’ll be up and down like a thermometer, .500 at best. 2) Don’t believe the hype. Any hype.
• The proof needs to come from consistent performance, and over more than a week. It’s still early. The Sox jumped right back and swept three from the defending AL champ Tampa Bay Rays after three embarrassing performances and made it four straight wins by finally figuring out the O’s Thursday.
• But hey, if you’re a winner, you don’t get swept by Baltimore especially at home – a team whose payroll is nearly $100 million LESS than yours is. C’mon man.
• J.D. Martinez is the first player in the history of the franchise to record an extra base hit in the team’s first six games of the year. Can’t just hate here.
• Hope someone doesn’t take his video monitor away again.
• Zen question: What was worse? More than 38,000 fans in attendance at the Texas Rangers’ home opener with no crowd restrictions, or the fact 38,000 fans sat there in that petri dish of a stadium, many without masks, and watched the Rangers lose to Toronto?
• I’m all for getting back to normal. I’m also all for staying healthy until enough people get vaccinated so “normal” is a real thing again.
• Count me as a fan of any rule that speeds up the game of baseball…but I’m having a very hard time with the extra-innings rule of starting with a runner on 2nd base. Even if the Sox won a game like that this week against the Rays.
• What I’m also having a hard time with – is the VERY apparent need to teach players, coaches and just about everyone else how to play ‘small ball’ in order to win these games with well-placed sacrifices.
• Guys don’t appear to want to win – they appear to only care about stats. File this one under “What’s Also Wrong with Baseball.”
• In eight of the past 16 seasons, Villanova has either lost to the eventual national champ in the NCAA Tournament, or won it themselves. Blue blood?
• Baylor’s dominating win over Gonzaga tells me two things: 1) If Covid had not been a bench-warmer for most schools this season, the Bears may have been undefeated going into the championship game – not the Bulldogs. 2) Scheduling up is like working out – the heavier the weights lifted, the stronger you may become.
• Oh, and Big 12 > WCC. By a mile.
• Won my pool bracket. Top 4.4% out of 14.7 million entries on ESPN.com…so, I’m in the Top 65K or so. How’s that old saying go – it ain’t braggin’ if it’s true?
• Laettner, Jenkins or Suggs’ last-second shot best ever? It’s not even close. Which of the three game winners WON a walk-off national title? Just sayin’.
• But was Gonzaga’s semifinal win over UCLA one of the greatest tournament games ever? You might have something there. Ranks right up there with Villanova’s 1985 conquest of Georgetown for the natty…aka “The Perfect Game.”
• And yet, UCLA might have missed their assist to one of the greatest moments in NCAA Tournament history if Alabama could have HIT SOME FREE THROWS in the Sweet 16.
• 14-of-25? Right now, at my age, I can shoot that blindfolded.
• And UCLA re-defined the ‘mid-range’ jump shot…by taking and making them. Baylor did that too, in the final. 2 > 3? Who knew?
• Tweet of the Week I, from @JoeGiza: “Do the 1975-76 Indiana Hoosiers do the whole Mercury Morris routine now?”
• Dan Gavitt, you pulled it off. We had a tournament; we crowned a champ. Covid was a strong opponent, but the game plan to beat it was a good one. Somehow, it always circles back to a Friar at the end of something great, doesn’t it?
• Your Dad, I’m certain, is very proud of you.
• Gavitt told the Associated Press this week a single-site tournament like this one is not likely to happen again, short of another pandemic plaguing our planet. But they may consider site consolidation for, say, the Sweet 16-into-the-Final Four.
• There were only 15 positive Covid tests out of the 28,311 tests administered in Indianapolis, even with VCU’s early dismissal and six referees being sent home. Something worked, didn’t it?
• TV ratings for the Final Four were down 14% from 2019. Why? Fewer TV viewers overall since the pandemic began. And perhaps because this year was the first year since 1995 (!) that two teams west of the Mississippi River were in the final.
• Not for nuthin’, CBS and Turner won the nights they had games contested in prime time (11 different occasions) and outpaced the competition those nights in total viewers by 137%.
• East coast bias? Nah. Just the facts. A perfect end to an imperfect season.
• On the women’s side - the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship game had 4.1 million viewers, making it the most-watched since 2014. The tournament also featured the most-watched Final Four since 2012 and the most-watched Sweet 16 since 2013.
• Transfer portal updates: Former Villanova Wildcat and Portsmouth’s Cole Swider sez hello to the ‘Cuse; URI’s Fatts Russell is now a Maryland Terrapin in the Big 10, along with former Georgetown big man Qudus Wahab; ex-Friar Greg Gantt is moving closer to home and will play at NC State; he’s not in the portal, but Big East co-Player of the Year Jeremiah Robinson-Earl has opted into the NBA Draft and will hire an agent.
• The Friars like Cumberland’s Tyler Kolek, the A-10 Rookie of the Year at George Mason, but word has it Shaka Smart has offered him at Marquette – and the Golden Eagles could be the leader in the clubhouse for his services.
• Florida transfer Noah Locke is still high on the PC radar, and the feeling is mutual. But the competition for his services may primarily come from Dan Hurley and UConn.
• And Providence has eyes on another big – 6-9 North Dakota transfer Filip Rebraca, a Serbian native who averaged 16.8 points and 7.6 rebounds last season. He will have three seasons of eligibility, wherever he lands…and he has a lot of attention. Virginia Tech, Arizona, Colorado, Wake Forest, Minnesota, Boise State, Duquesne and Northeastern are on the list.
• How about this from Xavier? They’ve got players coming and going – Paul Scruggs is back for an extra year, and he’ll be the first Musketeer to play five full seasons at the school. Forward Jason Carter, who transferred to XU from Ohio University, is going BACK to Ohio for a sixth year.
• Seton Hall picked up sought-after Syracuse transfer Kadary Richmond, and American University transfer Jamir Harris, who led the nation in made three’s (3.9) per game. They also took in South Florida transfer Alexis Yetna. Big plugs into the Pirates’ lineup.
• 6-9 forward Isaiah Whaley says he’s coming back to play at UConn for another season.
• DePaul hired their new coach this week, Tony Stubblefield, an assistant at Oregon and a noted strong recruiting assistant for several years. He led the Ducks to national Top 12 recruiting classes five times in the past six seasons. Stubblefield also has Big East experience, having spent four years at Cincinnati in the mid-2000’s.
• The Blue Demons’ 6-8 Pauly Paulicap – who transferred from Manhattan and played one season in Chicago, has West Virginia and Rutgers as potential suitors for his services next season.
• Way too early Big East predictions for 2021-22 – and undoubtedly this will change once the transfer landscape has settled down, and professional destinations are decided. But as of April 10, here’s a guess: 1) Creighton 2) Marquette 3) Xavier 4) Providence 5) UConn 6) Villanova 7) Butler 8) St. John’s 9) Seton Hall 10) Georgetown 11) DePaul.
• Throw the first three in a hat and pick one. Villanova won’t finish 6th. Georgetown will be better than 10th, Seton Hall better than 9th. St. John’s, with Posh Alexander returning, could be NCAA-caliber with the right transfers. Still too much up in the air…but the league will have big time depth, again.
• Providence could have been a preseason #1 – had David Duke returned. The waters on this shoreline are still a bit too muddy to get a clear picture.
• One-time Friar coach Keno Davis was let go at Central Michigan this past week, after nine seasons and a 142-143 overall record, 7-16 this past year. There were games late this season where the Chippewas could only suit up seven players due to Covid contact-tracing.
• A report from Hartford’s WTNH says a consulting company – run by ex-UConn AD Jeff Hathaway – has recommended the University of Hartford consider downgrading athletics to Division III because they lose $13 million a year on sports.
• The study was done over the winter, but the report comes in the aftermath of men’s basketball winning America East and reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time, where the Hawks lost to eventual national champ Baylor. Gee, thanks guys.
• What took so long for Arizona to ditch Sean Miller? Facing impending doom from the NCAA for the FBI probe into the program – there were big-monied boosters that didn’t want to let him go. Until the school finally decided they had to cut bait. Sez tons right there, doesn’t it?
• UMass carried the banner for East Coast hockey into the Frozen Four this week in Pittsburgh and were promptly spanked by Covid and contact tracing – losing four players, including their top goaltender and leading scorer.
• But their semifinal rematch of the 2019 natty against two-time defending champ Minnesota-Duluth…was a smashing success, a 3-2 OT win that puts them in this year’s natty against St. Cloud State Saturday.
• That’s a success story and the definition of “team,” certainly.
• And PC’s Nate Leaman will lead the US Junior National Team again in 2022 after leading the team to a gold medal this past season…continuing another success story.
• Bryant baseball had UConn down 8-3 going into the 7th inning this week, but the Bulldogs couldn’t hold that lead and the Huskies came back to win, 9-8. Then, Wednesday against URI, the Bulldogs held on to beat the Rams for a little state supremacy, 10-7.
• URI football had its’ game with UNH cancelled last week due to Covid, and then ran into Covid troubles of their own. A home game with Maine and a roadie at Stony Brook have been cancelled, effectively ending the Rams’ shortened-spring season at 2-1 and ranked 24th in the FCS coaches’ poll.
• UNH also had the remainder of its’ football season cancelled this week. We may be feeling better about things, but the coronavirus is still out there, running its own version of spring two-a-days.
• Tweet of the Week II, from @thorrbjorn: “Great win for @RhodySoftball over Boston College!! First win over BC in 28 years!!!!”
• The Celtics are a bowl of cold oatmeal. Not pretty to look at, not terribly appetizing, and generally uninteresting.
• Hey Truth? You’re a grown man, and you certainly can do whatever pleases you…but man, you really must not give a **** about working in the media any longer, amiright?
• That IG video of him playing poker with exotic dancers…cost him the reported $1.5 million annual salary he was earning with ESPN when they fired him this week.
• He then answered that with another video of him smoking…looked like hookah…and his eyes, let’s say, weren’t exactly focused. Except on the smoking. Stupid is as stupid does.
• $1.5 mil might be chump change for him, but could the real cost come when voting is tabulated for the Hall of Fame Class of 2021…as a first-time nominee? Do character and integrity matter?
• Should they?
• Speaking of character…still want Deshaun Watson on your team? Nike doesn’t. Dumped him as a client this week.
• We have to wait how many more days until the NFL Draft? One can only take so much pre-draft ‘should-they-move-up-should-they-give-up-picks talk.’ Gonna make April 29th a bit on the anti-climactic side if you ask me – and suck all the fun right out of it.
• Rookestradamus sez there is NO way the Patriots give up three one’s to move up to the 4th spot. My lady buddy Bobbie also said that this week, so it ain’t gonna happen. Two strong sources right there.
• And the fact that local talk shows are still teeming with Patriots’ draft talk three weeks before it begins should tell you all you need to know about the state of other sports in the Hub o’ the Universe.
• Is Jeremy Swayman’s ability between the pipes surprising to you? Shouldn’t be, if you’ve followed the Providence Bruins at all. He’s been one of the primary reasons the PB’s have so far had a successful Covid comeback this year with one of the best records in the AHL.
• So, Canada is supposed to have the superior attitude and action when it comes to Covid prevention, right? Keep everybody out, including our pro sports teams. So why are the Vancouver Canucks having so much difficulty – with 25 players out this week – that they may not be able to resume their season?
• My buddy Edward in East Providence might be concerned with this – the French Tennis Federation is pushing back the French Open one week because of the Covid pandemic rejuvenating itself throughout Europe.
• I’ll say it – third high-profile, high-speed collision in 11 years for Tiger Woods. He was doing 80+ in a 45 mph zone this time before he rolled over and could have killed himself…and maybe others. But he wasn’t even issued a ticket for speeding. What happens the next time?
• Favorite Masters stat leading into the tournament this week: Justin Thomas has improved his finish every year in which he has played Augusta…from a tie for 39th, to T-22, to T-17, to T-12th to 4th last year. Might be tough to keep improving on this?
• Hey Massachusetts? New York is launching legal mobile sports betting. Just thought you might want to know. Wyoming also joined the sports-betting crowd this week.
• Like many others I know, I have boxes of old magazine covers and trading cards stuffed away in my basement. Years of collecting have caused my cup to runneth over. Whether in your attic or your basement, it might be time to pull those things out for another long look at them.
• Not just to remember the old players you used to trade for, but to potentially make $$$. Trading card company Topps is going public, as the companies’ net sales in 2020 – during the pandemic – rose 23%, thanks in part to their shift to digital apps and distribution.
• Topps has been in the trading card biz since 1949. My personal collection, and that of my sons (and Miss Robin, too) dates to the 1960’s. A Tom Brady rookie card recently sold for $2.25 million, and a Mickey Mantle rookie card went for $5.2 million in January.
• Wish they were mine. Yeah, time to get those things out of the spokes of my bike, even if it still sounds cool.
• Gerry emailed this week: “I can’t believe I’m saying or thinking this, as players certainly have the same rights as everyone else, the crazy numbers (in the college transfer portal) we are seeing make me think that this rule change will end up being the goose that kills the golden egg.”
• Always thought, Gerry, it was the goose that LAID the golden egg? But you may be right. Maybe in this instance, the goose (our metaphor for college basketball) first gets cooked?
• 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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