Month: August 2024

Due to family and travel events over the next eight weeks, my football analyses will come in dribs and drabs instead of in long-format rants.  Today, I want to start with NFL Win Total Lines with some picks against the numbers.  Win total bets are very simple; the oddsmaker sets a number representing the number of wins an NFL team will have at the end of the regular season; the bettor selects OVER or UNDER.  This has all the complexity of a PB&J sandwich.

Each sportsbook wants to have a “balanced book” meaning they have the same amount bet OVER as is bet UNDER; that would lead one to believe that there could be different lines at different sportsbooks.  In fact, the betting market for Win Totals is particularly efficient; this weekend and this morning as I was checking around at different sportsbooks, I only found a handful of different numbers to play and the difference from book to book was never greater than half-a-game.

Let me start with my four OVERs:

1. Vikes OVER 6.5 wins:  The Vikes were playoff eligible in Week 18 last year despite losing their starting QB in Week 8.  They will start Sam Darnold at QB this season and – – believe it or not – – he is an upgrade over what finished out the season for the Viles in 2023.
2. Commanders OVER 6.5 wins:  They have an easy schedule in 2024 combined with a new coaching staff, a new starting QB and a solid but not spectacular defense.
3. Texans OVER 10.5 wins:  The Texans won 10 games last year; unless CJ Stroud suffers a severe sophomore slump, the Texans should be better in 2024.
4. Bears OVER 8.5 wins:  The Bears won 7 games last year and added Caleb Williams.  Unless he is a bust, he should be worth 2 wins this season…

These are “temptations” as OVERs but I will not make them as “official picks”:

• Broncos OVER 5.5 wins:  With Russell Wilson gone, the drama coefficient facing the team is reduced significantly.
• Jets OVER 9.5 wins:  With Aaron Rodgers in the building the drama coefficient facing the team is increased – – but so is the offensive potential for a team that won 7 games in 2023.

Now for two UNDERs:

1. Cards UNDER 7.5 wins:  They are in a difficult division and have a difficult schedule against teams outside the division.
2. Giants UNDER 6.5 wins:  I think the Giants could go 0-6 in their division…

Here are some “temptations” as UNDERs:

• Pats UNDER 4.5 wins:  The Pats will be bad in 2024; can they be that bad?
• Titans UNDER 6.5 wins:  If Will Levis is healthy and for real, they might win 7 games against an easy schedule – – but if not…
• Raiders UNDER 6.5 wins:  The Raiders’ schedule is brutal…
• Bills UNDER 10.5 wins:  The Bills’ schedule is as tough as the Raiders’ schedule.  The Bills won 11 games last year, but their division has improved overall from last year.

Let me stay with NFL stuff for the rest of today…  I now want to make a strong suggestion to the sports writers and commentators who touch on NFL matters:

• It is time to give the Brandon Aiyuk storyline a rest.  Until he is either traded somewhere, given an extension by the Niners or simply reports to Niners camp ready to play in the 2024 regular season, there is no more “news” to be gleaned here.

Please, no more breathless reporting by beat reporters or by “insiders” who have “sources with direct knowledge of the negotiations” about anything other than the events outlined above.  Those “sources” are either the player, his agent(s), or a team functionary who is leaking something they want “out there” for the public to see.  We have seen enough to know what the problem is:

• Brandon Aiyuk has staked out his claim on some territory in “Wide Receiver Diva-Land”.
• He thinks – – correctly by the way – – that he would be underpaid for the 2024 season with his current deal.
• He wants a hefty contract extension or a trade; the Niners have yet to agree to either condition.
• Aiyuk”s “Diva-ness” compels him to keep his name in the news at least three times a week.
• The public only cares about the end-state now; this storyline is well past its “sell-by date”.

Finally, I’ll close today with this from Cooper Kupp about playing the WR position:

“When the ball’s in the air, as a receiver, it’s just you want to be a Frisbee-catching dog out there.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

Chi Chi Rodriguez died yesterday at the age of 88.  He is enshrined in the World Golf Hall of Fame and was known for his flamboyance on the golf course.  Possibly his most famous “antic” was brandishing his putter as a sword and then placing it in an imaginary sheath around his waist after sinking a birdie putt.  He was a major figure in golf when most players were very aloof and businesslike on the course; it was easy to spot and to root for Chi Chi Rodriguez.

Rest in peace, Chi Chi Rodriguez.

Moving on …  Let me return for a moment to offer one more observation on the futility of the Chicago White Sox.  After they snapped their historic 21-game losing streak earlier this week, the GM celebrated that achievement by firing the manager and three of the coaches.  I am not going to try to suggest that Pedro Grifol was a good manager – – or even a competent manager – – but he is not the reason for the White Sox ineptitude this year.  The roster stinks top to bottom and that stink belongs on the GM more than it does on the manager.  The GM has been with the Sox Front Office since 2021, so it is difficult to find a way to leave him blameless for what exists today.

For the record, Grifol’s record in almost two years at the helm of the White Sox was a miserable 89-190 – – winning percentage of .319.

Next up …  Once again, I do not understand the mechanics that operate the US judicial system.  Recently, I said that the entirety of the lawsuit against the NFL for monopolistic practices involving “Sunday Ticket” was opaque to me.  However, a jury verdict went against the NFL and that jury awarded the plaintiffs $4.7B in damages which could be subject to tripling under US anti-trust laws.  Such an award of about $14B is substantial even to a financial behemoth like the NFL.  And of course, the NFL was going to appeal that verdict and that award.

However, now it seems that will not be necessary.  After all the legal wrangling and the all the backing-and-forthing at trial and all the jury deliberations, the judge threw the case out.  The judge said that the jury did not follow instructions when it came to calculating the amount of the award, but the ruling did not stop with a re-calculation of the award; the judge threw the entire case out.  One report I read said that the judge found the testimony of two expert witnesses for the plaintiffs to be “based on flawed methodologies” and that their testimony should be excluded; and from that basis the judge ruled that there was no other basis for the broad claim of damages borne by the plaintiffs.

For the record, I have no dog in this fight; I have never bought “Sunday Ticket”, nor have I ever thought to do so.  So, this turn of events – – I can only imagine the enthusiastic high-fiving going on in NFL HQs – – leaves me with several misunderstandings:

• If the judge thought the expert witnesses had “flawed methodologies” as the basis for their testimony, why did the judge allow it in the first place?  If I were to sue the NFL for damages I suffered and based my claim on the moon being made of green cheese, I suspect my assertion would not be sent to a jury for their thoughts on the matter.  So, why did the jury ever get the case for consideration?
• Why throw the entire case out?  If the expert witnesses have a flawed methodology for calculating damages, why not order a new trial without those expert witnesses to see if in fact there is a violation of anti-trust laws going on?  It seems to me there are two different matters at hand here:

1. 1. 1. 1. Did the NFL violate anti-trust laws?
         2. How much did it cost consumers if indeed such violations happened?

This matter is likely not over.  Now it is the plaintiffs who will probably appeal the trial court judge’s decision to throw the case out and there is always the possibility that the plaintiffs can file a new lawsuit claiming the same anti-trust violations but presenting completely different evidence that is not related to the testimony of the two expert witnesses used in the previous case.  And the beat goes on …

Switching gears …  The Paris Olympics closing ceremony will be on Sunday.  I said before the Olympics that I was most interested in seeing Simone Biles compete in these games; her performances were absolutely stunning.  The other woman who was outstanding in the game was Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone who broke the world record – – and obviously the Olympic record too – – in the 400-meter hurdles.  Her time of 50.37 seconds was the first time a woman had run that event in under 51 seconds.

Finally, an observation by Bob Molinaro in the Hampton Roads Virginian-Pilot:

“Idle thought: Commanders can’t be the worst name along a pro sports landscape that includes the Cleveland Guardians.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

After Michigan won the football national championship last year, it did not take a whole lot of time for coach Jim Harbaugh to leave Ann Arbor to take the job as the head coach of the LA Chargers.  One of the interpretations for that activity was that Harbaugh had “unfinished business” in the NFL having taken a team to the Super Bowl but not winning that game.  He had shown how to beat Ohio State, and he had won a national championship at his alma mater so what more was there for him to accomplish at the collegiate level.

Well based on reports yesterday, there may have been some other impetus for Harbaugh’s decision; maybe he was high tailing it out of town as a US Marshall was coming to town.

• Recall that Michigan was in the midst of a large NCAA investigation about a “sign-stealing operation” allegedly organized and operated by a grad assistant on Harbaugh’s coaching staff.  That investigation continues to this day, and it threatens the program there – – and some coaches – – with serious sanctions.
• And on top of that, there was that old NCAA investigation dealing with Harbaugh himself improperly recruiting players during a “dark period” imposed by the NCAA during the COVID times.  And yesterday, the NCAA levied a 4-year “show cause penalty” on Jim Harbaugh.  That means if any college wants to hire him for their football program in the next 4 years, they need to show why that hiring decision is in line with approved NCAA policies and practices PLUS there is a suspension subsumed in the penalty that would make Harbaugh ineligible to be involved in any way with a team for 1 full year after his employment began.

So, perhaps the coaching offer from the Chargers was more than an enticement for Harbaugh to leave Ann Arbor for LA.  Maybe it was also an escape hatch allowing him to dodge the gendarmes who were closing in on the football program…

Moving on …  I was reading a couple of reports about Sean Payton and his measured coach-speak with regard to the Broncos’ QB situation in their Training Camp.  Payton had nice things to say about all the QBs in camp as is to be expected when the team has no clear #1 QB holding down the position.  All coaches speak positively about the players on the roster but – – as an example – – there is no doubt who the #1 QB for the Chiefs happens to be on any given Tuesday.  But as I read reports of Payton’s remarks, something dawned on me:

• John Elway has been a loud voice – – if not the loudest voice – – in the choir of folks who have tried to build the Bronco’s roster over the years.
• John Elway was a stone-cold great QB in his playing days.
• John Elway has been remarkably unsuccessful in identifying the elements of a “great QB” that he had brought to Denver.

[Aside:  Yes, he did ”identify” Peyton Manning as having the elements of a “great QB” but so did just about everyone who watched NFL games on TV between the late ‘90s and 2012 when he arrived in Denver.]

Peyton Manning led the Broncos to the Super Bowl twice – – in 2013 and 2015 – – and the Broncos won the game in 2015 whereupon Manning retired.  Since that retirement event, the Broncos have floundered at the QB position; and while all that floundering is not directly the fault of John Elway, it is interesting to see how many folks have traversed the starting QB job in Denver.

• The “succession plan” was for Brock Osweiler to take over for Payton Manning in 2016 but Osweiler signed on with the Texans and the Broncos had to scramble a bit.
• The first trio to seek the starting job for the Broncos was Trevor Siemian, Paxton Lynch and Mark Sanchez.  Ooof …
• Next, Brock Osweiler returned to Denver – – and that solved nothing.
• Case Keenum and Joe Flacco came to town seeking the starting job and nothing positive came of those efforts.
• Next came Brandon Allen who aspired to mediocrity and then there was a glimmer of hope when Drew Lock looked as if he might – – I said might – – develop into a real NFL QB.  That glimmer of hope went out in 2020.
• Teddy Bridgewater was the next guy up but injuries that had plagued Bridgewater’s career from the start returned and rendered him unavailable.
• And then the Broncos traded for Russell Wilson sending Lock and a bunch of draft picks and three NFL players to Seattle allowing the Broncos to sign Wilson to a huge contract.  After two seasons the Broncos have chosen to eat the salary cap hit from that contract and they released Wilson outright making him a free agent.

That is a rather bleak summary of the Denver franchise and its shots in the dark to find a real #1 QB, and it is all the more bleak when you think about the amount of QB-savvy that appears to reside in the Broncos’ front office.  And what is the prognosis for the Broncos in 2024 and in the foreseeable future?

Well, the team now has a certified top-shelf QB-whisperer as the head coach in Sean Payton.  The Russell Wilson Era in Denver was mercifully brief and is now in the rearview mirror and no attention has been paid to the squandering of draft capital and players that it took for the Broncos to experience the Russell Wilson Era in the first place.  And here is the team’s roster situation at the QB position as of this morning:

• Bo Nix:  12^th overall Draft pick in 2024; has had lots of college starts
• Jarrett Stidham: 5^th year in the NFL, 4 starts, 1 victory in those 4 starts
• Zach Wilson:  4^th year in the NFL, 33 starts, 12-21 record in those starts.

Finally, since I mentioned Peyton Manning above, let me close with his description of an ideal QB:

“I think I could describe the perfect quarterback. Take a little piece of everybody. Take John Elway’s arm, Dan Marino’s release, maybe Troy Aikman’s drop-back, Brett Favre’s scrambling ability, Joe Montana’s two-minute poise and, naturally, my speed.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

I am going to step well outside the boundaries of my expertise today; I am not a biologist; the last time I took a biology course was in my senior year of high school – – soon after the completion of Stonehenge.  What follows here is opinion based on a flimsy and time-worn basis of understanding.

In the Paris Olympics, there is an Algerian woman boxer, Imane Khelif, and she is causing a controversy.  I could have put the word “she” in the previous sentence within quotation marks because it is her gender that came under question.  In her opening bout, Khelif won by a TKO in less than a minute when her opponent gave up.  Here is a thumbnail of the backstory:

• Khelif has participated in international boxing competitions in the past.  She competed in the women’s division and was assigned “female gender” at birth.
• Khelif has been banned from competition sanctioned by the International Boxing Association (IBA) for having failed a “gender test.”  That test has been characterized as a “DNA test” which sounds authoritative to someone like me who has no background in biology.
• The IOC ruled that she was eligible to compete in women’s boxing this year because her birth certificate and her passport say that she is a female.  That seems fair enough – – until you recall some of the Bulgarian and East German “female competitors” whose documents said the same thing about 50 years ago.
• Normally, the IOC defers to the sanctioning bodies of individual sports on questions of rules and eligibility and matters of that sort.  However, there seems to be a longstanding and simmering “feud” between the IOC and the IBA that could play a part here.  Boxing as a sport is a hotbed of corruption; the IOC is hardly a paragon of virtue as an institution; it seems to me that the situation at hand is “Corruption-squared”.

My bottom line here is simple and straightforward:

• I do not know if Imane Khelif is a female or a male – – but it is important for someone somewhere to make that determination based on scientific evidence.

Months ago, when I ranted about Lia Thomas dominating women’s college swimming after transitioning from a male to a female post-puberty, I explained that there is a biological anisotropy that exists between mature men and mature women.  Men – on average – are larger, stronger and faster than women.  There is no bias or profiling in that statement; that is simply based on observations and data.  Consider athletic achievements at the top level of sports for men and for women.

• Men run faster.  The men’s 100-meter dash record is 9.58 seconds.  The women’s 100-meter dash record is 10.49 seconds.
• Men run faster longer.  The men’s marathon record is 2 hours and 35 seconds.  The women’s marathon record is 2 hours 11 minutes and 53 seconds.
• Men are stronger.  The men’s shotput record (16 lb. lead ball) is 77 feet, 3.5 inches.  The women’s shotput record (8.9 lb. lead ball) is 74 feet, 2.75 inches.
• Men are stronger.  The men’s javelin record (800 grams or heavier) is 98.48 meters.  The women’s javelin record (600 grams or heavier) is 72.28 meters.

Here’s the point.  If a male who has gone through puberty and then trained to become an elite athlete is allowed to compete against females who have gone through puberty, the male will have a clear and distinct advantage.  In the case of swimming or running or field events as noted above, the “injury” to the women competitors is that they are trying to beat someone who has an advantage not available to them.  We can acknowledge that is unfair and that it conveys frustration upon the women, but that is the extent of the injury.

In boxing, the stakes are higher.  Boxing is properly characterized as a “combat sport”; the entire objective is for each competitor to try to render the opponent senseless for a period of 10 seconds or more.  There have been some famous Olympic boxers in the past whose names will ring bells with sports fans even if they are not boxing fans:

• Muhammad Ali
• Oscar de la Hoya
• George Foreman
• Joe Frasier
• Sugar Ray Leonard

The thought of watching any of those men in a serious boxing match against a woman is frightening and repulsive.  That is why someone, somewhere needs to determine if Imane Khelif is a man or a woman and then that someone somewhere needs to apply that standard to every person who seeks to compete in boxing.  I would prefer it if that same determination based on that same evidence applied to other sports such as swimming or track and field, but it seriously needs to apply to boxing.

Recall my description of this situation as “Corruption-squared”.  Even if I had in hand the definitive test that was accepted by biologists, medical practitioners, feminist groups and sports fans everywhere, I think there would still be reluctance at best and refusal most likely by one or both of the IBA and/or the IOC.

Finally, these words from author Robert Kiyosaki:

“Life isn’t fair.  It never will be.  Quit trying to make it fair.  You don’t need it to be fair.  Go make life unfair to your advantages.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

As the NFL Exhibition Season revs itself up, I want to take a moment to look at seven head coaches who enter the 2024 season on a hot seat.  In a “high-turnover year”, the league might see as many as 8 coaches get fired (25% of the guys in that head coaching fraternity); this year there are indeed 8 new head coaches – – counting Antonio Pierce who was held over after taking over the team in mid-season last year – – meaning that 25% of the coaches in the league pretty much get a pass for a year.  Nevertheless, there are coaches who need to have their teams perform well to assure they remain in position in 2025.

Let me be clear; I am not “rooting for” anyone to lose their job.  This is just an attempt to “take the temperature” of the environment for several NFL teams.  My list is in alphabetical order and not as a prioritization of any kind.

• Dennis Allen has been the head coach of the Saints for 2 years; his record with the team is 16-18-0 with no playoff appearances.  This is Allen’s second go-round as a head coach in the NFL; previously he was the head coach for the Raiders where his record was 8-22-0 meaning he does not have a glorious past to help him maintain his position.  The NFC South has been one of the weaker divisions in the league the past two years and the Saints have not been able to cash in on that weakness.  I think the Saints need to make the playoffs this year – – which probably equates with winning the division – – in order to retain Dennis Allen in the job.
• Todd Bowles has been the head coach of the Bucs for 2 years; his record with the team is 17-17-0 but the Bucs have made the playoffs in both of those two seasons and advanced out of the wild-card round with a playoff win last year.  On one hand, his record is one game better than Dennis Allen’s; on the other hand, his teams have been in the playoffs every year that he has been in charge.  Like the situation with the Saints, Bowles may be in a position of being judged as not accumulating a winning record in a weak division thereby generating agita in the owner’s suite.  I think the Bucs need to make the playoffs again this year – – which probably equates with winning the division – – in order to retain Tod Bowles in the job.
• Brian Daboll has been the head coach of the Giants for 2 years; his record with the team is 15-18-1 with one playoff appearance.  In his first year in NY, Daboll made the playoffs, won a wild-card game and was named the NFL Coach of the Year.  Last year, the wheels fell off the wagon; the Giants were 6-11 and were not competitive in more than a couple of those losses.  Indeed, there were injuries last year including an injury to starting QB, Daniel Jones, that had him miss more than half the year.  There were some rough interactions between Daboll and defensive coordinator Wink Martindale last year, but that problem has been eliminated with Martindale being fired and replaced with Shane Bowen late of the Tennessee Titans’ defense.  I think there are 3 dimensions to Brian Daboll keeping his job in NYC:

1. 1. 1. The team needs a break-even record or better.  That may not be enough to get to the playoffs, but it will show improvement over last season.
      2. Every team has a bad game here and there, but the Giants cannot be “uncompetitive” in more than one of their losses.
      3. There needs to be “coaching harmony” within the staff; no more sniping at one another among the coaches and the assistants.

• Matt Eberflus has been the coach of the Bears for 2 years; his record with the team is 10-24-0 with no playoff appearances.  The Bears were 7-10-0 in 2023 which is a marked improvement over the 3-14-0 record posted in Eberflus’ first season in Chicago.  Moreover, the Bears have added Caleb Williams to the roster for 2024 and the expectation is that Williams will be the Bears’ best QB since Sid Luckman hung up his jockstrap in 1950.  The Bears have three strong division opponents making their schedule a lot dicier than is the situation in either New Orleans or Tampa Bay; so, I don’t think a playoff appearance is mandatory for Eberflus to keep his job.  I think he needs a break-even year with competitive losses plus observable growth on the part of Caleb Williams into the job of “franchise QB”.
• Mike McCarthy has been the coach of the Cowboys for 4 years; his record with the team is 42-25-0 with 3 playoff appearances and 2 NFC East championships.  Why is that a hot seat?  Well, it is the Cowboys – – where unrealistic expectations are born and raised; plus, this is the final year of McCarthy’s contract with the club.  As noted here, McCarthy’s teams have been in the playoffs 3 times in the last 4 seasons, but they have been unceremoniously dismissed from the playoffs without winning any games there.  I think the Cowboys need a playoff win in January 2025 for McCarthy to keep his job.
• Nick Sirianni has been the coach of the Eagles for 3 years; his record with the team is 34-17-0 with 3 playoff slots, 1 NFC East championship and 1 Super Bowl appearance.  Why is that a hot seat?  Well, the Eagles as a franchise are not averse to changing coaches and “changing cultures”.  Remember they fired Andy Reid after a couple of sub-par seasons; they hired and fired Chip Kelly when it was pretty clear that was not working out; they fired Doug Pedersen two years after a Super Bowl victory; the Eagles are not afraid of coaching changes.  So, here are Nick Sirianni’s parameters for 2024:
  • • The Eagles started the season 10-1 last year and then lost five of their last six games in an epic collapse.  Nothing close to that sort of performance is permissible; in fact, if the team looks like they are in a funk during the season, there could easily be a coaching change in mid-year.
    • I dismiss the “stories” about friction between Sirianni and QB, Jalen Hurts; but the fact is that Hurts did not play well during “the collapse”.  Jalen Hurts cannot continue to regress in his performance this season.
    • Sirianni had hired two new coordinators last year; both were fired after that dismal collapse; he has played the “fire the coordinators card” already.
    • The new coordinators in Philly have solid NFL reputations and that sets the expectations at a high level in a city where failing to meet expectations is not a pleasant experience.
    • The Eagles need to make the playoffs as a minimum in 2024.
• Robert Saleh has been the coach of the Jets for 3 years; his record with the team is 18-33-0.  Last year was supposed to be a “turnaround” year for the Jets with the acquisition of Aaron Rodgers to play QB for a franchise that has not had an above average starting QB since Joe Namath left town in 1976.  Unfortunately, Rodgers played 4 snaps before his Achilles tendon snapped and the Jets were back to square one trying to win without a reliable passing game.  Rodgers is back at age 41 and expectations among Jets’ fans are lofty.  But I sense that all is not peaches and cream between Rodgers and Saleh.
  • • When Rodgers missed the Jets’ “mandatory mini-camp”, Saleh said that the absence was “unexcused” and left it at that.  I interpret that as a message to Rodgers that the coach is not happy and that the coach is the one in charge not the player.
    • Rodgers explained that he misunderstood the Jets’ schedule and that things had been different during all his time with the Packers.  Maybe so … but everyone else on the roster understood the schedule and showed up.  I interpret that as the star QB challenging the coach to do something about it.  Aaron Rodgers is an intelligent man; how might he have misunderstood the meaning of the word, “mandatory”?
    • Saleh held a press conference last week and said that even though Rodgers is not limited in what he does in practice, the Jets will not be playing him in the opening Exhibition Game.  No big deal there; that is standard stuff.
    • Rodgers told the press that it was news to him and that he and Saleh had not had any conversation about him playing or sitting and that he was happy to do whatever he was told to do.  Passive-aggressive behavior is not a good look during NFL Training Camp times…
    • I think the Jets need a winning record in 2024 for Robers Saleh to keep his job.

I have listed 7 coaches here who face challenges in 2024 that their teams need to overcome if the coaches are to be in the same position in 2025.  Every year, a situation develops during the season that is totally unexpected and so I want to mention one other name who might feel some heat during the season:

• Dave Canales is the new head coach in Carolina; it is his first time as a head coach in the NFL; he takes over a team that was 2-15-0 in 2023 so it would not take a Herculean effort to “show improvement” there.  Why am I mentioning his name?  The Panthers’ owner is David Tepper who had owned the team since 2018; in those 6 NFL seasons, the Panthers have already had 6 head coaches counting interim head coaches who took over in mid-season.

Finally, here is an observation about coaching and getting fired from Lou Holtz:

“Coaching is nothing more than eliminating mistakes before you get fired.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

When I was a kid, one of the must-see TV shows was Perry Mason; I loved it when Perry got to cross examine Lieutenant Tragg.  I also got to the point where I thought every murder case could be handled in about 50 minutes with a couple of minutes left over so that the victors – – Mason and his team of course – – could celebrate.  Such is not the case in reality as we shall see today in three lawsuits involving the NFL.

For the last several months the NFL has been sued over some arrangements it had with a TV provider for “Sunday Ticket”.  I never subscribed to that service nor had any interest in it so I never began to understand what the lawsuit was about; I might read the lead paragraph of a story about it and then move on; that is why I have not mentioned it in these rants until now.

Ignoring the underlying issues in the case, the NFL lost Round One when a jury ruled for the plaintiff and assessed damages to be paid to the plaintiffs of $4.7B – – clearly not an award of “chump change”.  Reports said that at least some of the plaintiff’s allegations involved anti-trust violations; I know that in some situations anti-trust cases can involve treble damages; I do now know if any or all that $4.7B judgement might be subject to tripling because the detailed reporting is well beyond my level of understanding.

The bottom line is that the NFL lost big-time at the trial level and vowed to appeal the situation but before they even did that, the NFL petitioned the judge to set aside the assessment of damages.  And earlier this week, the judge did just that.  As I understand it, he did so because the jury did not follow his instructions in calculating the damage assessment.  So, the status of this case raises several questions to this legal illiterate:

• If the judge has a method of calculating the damage award that he communicates to the jury, why have the jury do it in the first place?  Why doesn’t the judge thank the jury for its verdict and announce the damage assessment by himself if he knows what the calculation should be?
• When he sets aside the damages in the case, does that set aside the verdict too? 
• Can the plaintiffs here appeal the part of the ruling that set aside the damages and leave the verdict intact so the judge can do the calculation himself?

Perry Mason would have this one solved by recalling one witness – – if it please the court…

I had no dog in the fight over “Sunday Ticket”, but I do have at least a “rooting interest” in the other two cases involving the NFL that I want to discuss today.  The first one involves Brian Flores and a couple of other plaintiffs who are suing the NFL and a couple of specific teams alleging racial discrimination in hiring.  The status of the lawsuit is that a Federal judge has ruled that this case must go to trial and the NFL has appealed that ruling saying the dispute should be handled by arbitration which is controlled by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.  In this case, I am rooting hard for Flores et. al. to have their case proceed in Federal Court with evidence presented for everyone to see.

Obviously, a claim of racial discrimination in hiring by the NFL and/or some of its teams should not be heard in a secret tribunal controlled by the NFL if the outcome of that trial is to be considered fair and equitable to all the parties.  But over and above that issue, the evidence presented by the parties in the arbitration process is not available for public view and that presents two “problems” for me:

1. No matter the ruling, there is no way anyone outside the people who heard the evidence presented in the case can possibly assess the fairness or the righteousness of the decision.  Any such conclusion by anyone from a legal ignoramus like me to the Dean of the Law School at a prestigious university is nothing but speculation.
2. If the outcome of the arbitration process is in favor of the NFL and its teams, there is no way to dispose of the reality that the NFL is the defendant AND the judge with no jury involved in the arbitration process.  Caesar’s wife had to be above suspicion; this arbitration process should adhere to that standard and the way it is set up it cannot.

Moreover, racial discrimination accusations are serious business – – far more serious than any sort of suspension or fine might be.  If indeed Flores and his co-plaintiffs can make a case to prove racial discrimination, they should be given a level playing field to try to do so.  If they have such a level playing field – – trial in a Federal Court – – and they lose the case, so be it.  Of course, if Flores et. al. have hired a real-life Perry Mason, they won’t lose their case…

The third case involving the NFL for today is the Jon Gruden suit against the NFL who alleges “tortious interference” with his contract to be the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.  Gruden alleges that Roger Goodell or someone aligned with Goodell leaked copies of racist, misogynistic and homophobic emails to the Wall Street Journal and the NY Times that Gruden had written long before he was the coach of the Raiders and was a football analyst for ESPN.   Gruden’s suit alleges that such “tortious interference” cost him about $60M in lost wages from the Raiders plus endorsement deals that he may have had as a result of his position with the team.

Once again, the league wants the case to go to arbitration which it controls.  Gruden won the right to an open trial at the Nevada District Court level but lost on appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court where the judges said that he had accepted the settlement of disputes via arbitration as part of his contract with the Raiders.  That ruling was a 2-1 decision in favor of the NFL; Gruden has now appealed to the Nevada Supreme Court for an en banc hearing of his appeal meaning the whole Nevada Supreme Court would hear the case.  Reports say this is quite a longshot on the part of Gruden’s lawyers, but any port in a storm, I guess.

I have neither animus nor admiration for Jon Gruden, but I have a voyeuristic interest in this matter.  There were reports that the “leaked emails” were culled from a mass of about 600,000 emails that were exchanged with Gruden and various NFL folks at various levels in the league.  Totally unrelated to the outcome of Jon Gruden’s case, I would love to see – and download – that body of emails to get a peek behind the curtain that hides from view some of the NFL’s inner workings.  Gruden needs Perry Mason here to be allowed to “recall a witness” for the en banc Court to hear…

Finally, the obvious person to quote at the end of today’s rant is Erle Stanley Gardner – – the creator of Perry Mason:

“After you’ve written a story, the thing to do is sell it. Sounds simple, and it is, if one will follow certain basic principles of salesmanship.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

Remember that “warm-up game” between the US men’s Olympic team and the South Sudan men’s Olympic team?  The one where the US team needed a basket in the final 20 seconds of play to eke out a 101-100 victory?  Well, the two teams happened to be in the same Group in the Olympic competition meaning that they would necessarily play each other at least one more time – – and that mandatory meeting took place yesterday with the outcome being more in line with “basketball normalcy”.  The US won convincingly 103-86.

Bam Adebayo had himself quite a game for the US side:

• 18 points
• 8 for 10 shooting from the field
• 7 rebounds
• 2 blocked shots
• 1 steal.

Moreover, Adebayo did all that in less than 21 minutes of playing time…

Two other team stats from this game stood out to me relating to how the US team can play together dominantly:

1. The US team made 37 field goals in the game and 29 of those field goals came off an assist.
2. The US team recorded 13 steals and 7 blocked shots in the game; they were playing aggressive defense in addition to efficient offense.

Moving on …  I read a report that I would hope is completely wrong.  According to this report, the NFL – as part of its deal with its “broadcast partners” – will require each team to provide its head coach for an in-game interview with the sideline reporter in every game.  The report said there would be one interview in each half.  What a humongous waste of time, energy and neurological connections those interviews will be!

Sample interview:

• Q:  Coach, what did you tell the team they needed to do at halftime to overcome the 21-point deficit you faced?
• A:  I told them to make plays and score more points.  *grunt*
• Thanks, Coach…

Other than reporting on injuries that occur during a game, sideline reporters generally offer unadulterated banality over the airwaves.  So, now the NFL and the networks have concluded that it would be a good idea to make unadulterated banality a mandatory part of every telecast.  It’s no wonder those folks make the big bucks…

Switching gears …  One of the recurring storylines of this NFL offseason has been about the Cowboys’ needing to deal with Dak Prescott on a contract extension.  Here is a quick reset of the situation:

• Prescott’s contract is up at the end of this season.
• His existing contract has a no-trade clause.
• His existing contract forbids the Cowboys from using the franchise tag or a transition tag on Prescott at the end of this deal.
• Due to several “restructuring actions” on the contract, IF Prescott plays out the deal and becomes a free agent, the Cowboys will have to accommodate a $40M salary cap charge in 2025.

There are three other factors involved in this situation:

1. There is no other QB on the Cowboys’ roster who is a threat to be a starting QB in the NFL.
2. The “market price” for starting QBs has exploded with a half dozen QBs now earning an average of more than $50M per year – – with $60M per year in plain view.
3. The Cowboys also need to reach agreement on contract extensions with two other star players – – WR, CeeDee Lamb and LB, Micah Parsons.

In any situation like this one where two sides are in contentious negotiations, there is always the possibility that one side will overplay the hand dealt to them.  Right now, it sure seems to me to be that Prescott has the upper hand and I think he recognizes that to be the case because he said this to a reporter from ESPN:

“I have an obligation to the NFL, to other quarterbacks and to my teammates when it comes to what I get paid and what I accept. That’s where sometimes I leave it to my agents.”

So, maybe Dak Prescott will be the guy who breaks the $60M per year average salary in his next contract.  And if that is the case, let me say this before the fact:

• In 2020, Patrick Mahomes signed a 10-year contract worth $450M – – an average annual salary of $45M.
• If Dak Prescott is deemed to be worth $60M per year by the Cowboys or any other team in the NFL, Patrick Mahomes deserves at least $70M per year.

Finally, an observation by Albert Einstein:

“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………