Author: Jack

The college basketball season is coming to the end of its “silly season”.  Many of the games to date have been glorified scrimmages – despite the Wofford upset of UNC – or they have been interesting matchups made possible only by made-for-TV concocted “tournaments”.  It is too early to draw any conclusions about teams yet, but conference games are just about to start.  Nonetheless, there are 4 things associated with college basketball now that have caught my attention:

1. Can you imagine anyone happier than Steve Alford the moment LiAngelo Ball and his younger brother LaMelo Ball signed with that pro team in Lithuania?
2. Bobby Hurley has Arizona St. on the map in college basketball.  Arizona was supposed to be “the big guy” in that part of the country this year but Hurley has the Sun Devils at 12-0 and ranked 3^rd in the country.  This Saturday, Arizona and Arizona St. meet for the first time this season.
3. Bruce Pearl has Auburn at 12-0 despite all the “distractions” at work there considering the FBI investigations into recruiting scandals and Federal criminal charges.  Granted, Auburn has not played any college basketball “bluebloods” yet, but 12-0 is still impressive.
4. Trae Young at Oklahoma is getting a ton of attention as the best freshman player in the country.  I have not yet seen him play a real game; I have seen lots of ESPN highlights, but I do not consider those things to be reliable indications of a player’s skill or prowess.  This Saturday, the 12^th ranked Sooners host the 10^th ranked Horned Frogs of TCU.  If that game is on in my area, I will be tuned in.

Often, the most difficult questions to answer begin with the word, “Why…?”  Let me pose a few of them here:

• Why do fans attend NFL Exhibition Games?  The regulars see little to no action; the most important outcome for a game is to avoid any sort of injury to one of the team’s regulars; the tickets cost as much as real game tickets.  I don’t get it…
• Why do The ESPYs exist?  This programming is rampant network narcissism and various other media outlets report on it.
• Why do NFL teams have cheerleaders?  No one ever said that he/she would stop going to games if the teams ditched the cheerleading team.
• Why is the NFL Combine televised?  I realize that NFL Network needs programming to fill time on the air, but still…
• Why does the NCAA continue to pretend that making a school “vacate wins” or “vacate championships” is a meaningful punishment?  At some point, the folks who cover collegiate athletics have to call the NCAA pooh-bahs on this nonsense.
• Why aren’t the stupid bets between mayors or governors on games like the Super Bowl not prosecuted as illegal sports gambling?  Tell the truth; you would love to see FBI agents in dark sunglasses leading Gov. Frick and Gov. Frack out of their statehouses in cuffs as part of a perp walk.  You know you would.

Bob Molinaro had this in a recent column in the Hampton Roads Virginian-Pilot:

“Teeing off:  In an interview with Golfweek, Jack Nicklaus said he doesn’t follow the PGA Tour and won’t when Tiger Woods returns. ‘Do I wish (Tiger) well? Yeah, but I’m not interested in watching him,’ said Nicklaus. ‘I’ve watched him play golf for 20 years; why would I want to go watch more?’ He added, ‘I don’t watch anybody play golf.’ I’ve never felt so connected to Jack.

I too feel very connected to Jack Nicklaus at this moment – – but I would have missed the opportunity for this connection had not Professor Molinaro made me aware of this comment.  Many thanks, good sir…

Bob Molinaro had another cogent observation regarding the catch-that-wasn’t-a-catch in the Steelers/Patriots game about 10 days ago:

“Reversal of fortune: If you think the replay official cheated the Steelers out of the game-winning touchdown pass against the Patriots, maybe you can appreciate the irony of somebody named Jesse James being robbed.”

Wish I had thought of that line first…

The Miami Marlins are openly and unabashedly dumping salary; new baseball honcho, Derek Jeter has not even tried to hide that fact.  Meanwhile, about 250 miles northwest of Miami, there might be another “salary dump” in its early stages.  The Tampa Bay Rays just sent Evan Longoria to the Giants for a bunch of players who do not make nearly as much as Longoria does.  Let’s be clear; Evan Longoria in 2018 is not the same stud infielder that the Rays put on the field 5 years ago; his career is on a downward arc.  That is why I said the Rays might be in the early stages of a salary dump.  The key indicator for me will be the fates of starting pitcher Chris Archer and closer Alex Colome.  If either or both of those guys go somewhere else for prospects, then the Rays are dumping salary.

Finally, since I started today with commentary about college basketball, let me close with this comment from Brad Rock of the Deseret News on the same subject:

“A 2,300-year-old gymnasium has been discovered in Egypt. “Found inside were papyrus scrolls, copper carving tools, and Jim Boeheim’s clipboard.”

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

 

 

CBSSports.com has a report this morning that Terrell Owens asserts that he has been blackballed from the NFL just as Colin Kaepernick has.  T.O. says that the league knows he can still play – at age 44 – but he cannot get a job because he is blacklisted.  Owens’ last NFL game was in 2010.  You can read all about it here.

I do believe that Owens and Kaepernick are “out of a job” in the NFL for the same reason but the reason is not blackballing; I believe the reason is a cost/benefit calculation.  Here are the benefits:

• Colin Kaepernick is a capable QB; he is not a star QB or even a “Top Ten” QB, but he is capable, and he would win the starting job on more than a few NFL teams if he were on the roster.
• Terrell Owens ranks 8^th on the list of NFL pass-catchers in passes caught; he says he can still run a 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds; he may not be a lead receiver at his age, but he could certainly make a team on physical ability alone.

And it is those last words about Terrell Owens – “on physical ability alone” – that changes the equation because neither Kaepernick nor Owens would be on a team as an anonymous presence save for physical football acts every Sunday.  Kaepernick would bring with him the whole “anthem-protest thing”; Owens has been known to be a “less-than-perfect teammate” in previous stops along the way.  Thus, you have the cost/benefit calculation that seems to say that while both could make the team, neither one would make the team sufficiently better to warrant taking on the “other stuff” that comes along with Kaepernick or Owens.   Hi ho…

Given the NFL standings this morning, there is a possibility that the LA Chargers and the Buffalo Bills could wind up with the same record and with only one wild card slot available to the team holding the tie-breaker.  That team would be the Chargers based on the Chargers beating the Bills 54-24 on Nov.19.  That was the game when Sean McDermott decided to start Nathan Peterman at QB only to watch Peterman throw 5 INTs in the first half of the game.  The Chargers took advantage of that largesse and led the game 37-7 at halftime.  And that game might turn out to be the reason the Chargers make the playoffs and the Bills do not.  It is not likely, but it is possible…

A couple of quick remarks about six of NFL games over the weekend:

1. The Jags lost to the Niners and gave up 44 points to the Niners.  The Jags had the NFL’s top-rated defense at kickoff; how did they give up 44 points to the Niners?
2. The Lions lost to the Bengals eliminating themselves from playoff contention.  Granted, the Lions needed a lot of things to fall just right for them to get in, but in addition to having all those things fall right, the Lions needed to win out.  And so, on Sunday, the Lions lost to a Bengals team that had lost its last two games by a combined score of 67-14.  How Lionesque..
3. The Seahawks remain alive in the playoff race after eliminating the Cowboys over the weekend.  The Cowboys’ offense was a complete no-show in the game despite the return of Ezekiel Elliott.
4. The Giants were shut out in Arizona.  The Giants leading rusher in the game carried the ball 10 times for 18 yards.
5. The Rams beat the Titans and Todd Gurley had another great game.  He for 118 yards on 22 carries and he caught 10 passes for 158 yards and 2 TDs.  Not a bad day at the office…
6. The Browns lost to the Bears in a “snow-game”.  The Browns held the Bears’ rushing attack in check; Jordan Howard gained only 44 yards on 22 carries but DeShone Kizer threw 2 INTs and the Browns turned the ball over twice in the red zone.  How Brownsesque …

I was checking out some of the NBA action on Christmas Day waiting to see the NFL games in the late afternoon time slot.  As I turned over to the NFL game, the juxtaposition of basketball and football put a bizarre thought in my head.  Imagine for a moment that the rumors about Vince McMahon breathing a second existence into the XFL are correct.  Obviously, if the XFL is going to compete with the NFL and college football in a meaningful way, it will have to distinguish itself from either of those rivals and it will need lots of publicity and hype in the early stages of its existence.  So here is the bizarre idea:

• How about Vince McMahon as the “head guy” with LaVar Ball as his “second-in-command” where Ball has the responsibility for doing sufficiently outrageous things to keep the XFL in the sports section of the papers around the country on a twice-a-week basis?  Oh, and the players could wear Big Baller Brand shoes in the games as a “cross-promotion”.

A McMahon/Ball tandem might just put P.T. Barnum to shame…

Finally, here is a snarky football comment from Dwight Perry in the Seattle Times last weekend:

“This just in: Raiders wideout Amari Cooper chosen to drop the ball in Times Square on New Year’s Eve.”

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

 

 

Dick Enberg died yesterday.  His broadcasting career spanned 6 decades and had him at the mic for a variety of sports including the NFL, Wimbledon, March Madness and MLB.  At the Pearly Gates, I can see St. Peter looking down at the list of new arrivals and exclaiming, “Oh my!”

Rest in peace, Dick Enberg.

Before I get to the NFL games for the weekend, I want to comment on the “punishment” the NFL handed down to the Seattle Seahawks for its flagrant disregard for the existing concussion protocol a couple of weeks ago.  Russell Wilson was sent off for “examination”; he went into the blue tent for about 2 seconds; he burst out refusing to talk to anyone in the tent, grabbed his helmet and went back into the game.  The “punishment” is that the Seattle Seahawks as a team was fined $100K.

Forget for a moment if the protocol is a good idea; forget if it works; forget if it would work with minor tweaking of the elements within the protocol.  None of that matters now; the fact is that there is a protocol in place and a protocol in this case is a rule.  For flagrantly violating that rule, the team is fined $100K.

Punishment is nominally supposed to serve as a warning to others not to repeat such offending behavior.  Let me analyze that for just a moment.

• Forbes estimates that the Seahawks franchise is worth $2.45B.
• Forbes estimates that the Seahawks operating income last year was $85M
• Paul Allen owns the Seahawks; Forbes estimates his total worth at $20.7B

Fining the team or the owner $100K is meaningless.  There is no deterrent value there; this fine is pure nonsense.  If the league wants this protocol enforced, they need the cooperation of the coaches and the team staff.  So, maybe the punishment should have been the loss of a first-round draft pick for the first offense with the announcement that any future offense by the Seahawks would result in loss of all draft picks for a year.  Even that would not guarantee that a team would obey the protocol completely, but it would be a lot more of a deterrent than a fine of $100K.

As I look at the NFL games for the weekend, there are still a few enticing matchups on the card even though the number of teams with playoff aspirations continues to dwindle.  There was no Thursday Night Football this week but there are two games on Saturday.

• The Colts visit the Ravens and the Ravens are 13.5-point favorites in this game.  If the Ravens win out, they make the playoffs – – if my calculations are correct.  The Colts just plain stink.  The Ravens’ offense has had a sort of renaissance in the past couple of weeks emerging from a dormant period.  Against the Colts’ defense, that renaissance ought to flourish.
• The Vikes are 9-point favorites on the road at Green Bay.  The Packers were eliminated from the playoffs last week when they lost to the Panthers and the team – smartly – put Aaron Rodgers on IR so that he cannot play in this season’s final two meaningless games.  The Vikes can still have home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs; that would require them to win out.  The Vikes can still miss out on a BYE Week in the NFC playoffs; that would require them to lose out.  The fundamental difference between the Vikes and the Packers is this.  The Vikes have a very good defense.  The Packers have players who purport to play defense.

Moving on to the Sunday games…

• The Lions are 4-point favorites on the road against the Bengals.  That spread tells me that the oddsmaker believes the Bengals will put forth substantial effort in this game; I am not sure I agree.  The Lions can still make the playoffs, but it will require them to win out and to find some pixie dust to sprinkle on a few other games this weekend and next.  For that reason, this game is worth the time it takes to follow the score as you are doing something else.
• The Chargers are 7-point favorites on the road at the Jets.  The Chargers’ loss last week to the Chiefs makes the Chargers a playoff longshot; the Jets are out of it.  This is a long trip for the Chargers and an early time slot game.  The Jets have a winning record at home and are getting a TD’s worth of points.  The Jets are a tempting home dog…
• The Bucs visit the Panthers and the Panthers are 10-point favorites at home.  The Panthers, Saints and Falcons are all in contention in the NFC South so none of those teams can afford to lose.  The fact is that either the Saints or the Falcons are going to lose this week because they play one another (see the next game on the list).  The Panthers must avoid/minimize those dreaded “distractions” caused by the revelations about their skeezy team owner; the Bucs are huge disappointments and have no real reason to play hard.
• The Falcons visit the Saints and the Saints are 6-point favorites at home.  This game is the most meaningful game of the week – unless you live in Seattle or Dallas and think the Seahawks/Cowboys game deserves that label.  The Saints lead the NFC South this morning based on tie-breakers with the Panthers; if the Falcons win out, they will be the NFC South champions – – if my schedule calculations are correct.  For me, this is the Game of the Week.
• The Broncos visit the Skins and the Skins are 3.5-point favorites at home.  There are two games that are strong contenders for the Dog-Breath Game of the Week and this is clearly one of them.  Neither team has anything to play for; neither team is any good.  The Skins’ home stadium will be about half empty at kickoff and will be 75% empty at the end of the game; no one cares about this game on Christmas Eve.  I will confer the Dog-Breath label on this game and attach another label to the other stinkeroo game later.
• The Dolphins visit the Chiefs and the Chiefs are 10-point favorites at home.  I believe that the Chiefs will clinch the AFC West with a win here; the Dolphins are not mathematically eliminated from the playoffs – – but I think we all know they will not make it there.  I have no idea what put the Chiefs to sleep for abut a month in the middle of this season or what woke them up about 2 weeks ago, but the Chiefs are the better team here.
• The Bills visit the Pats and the Pats are 12-point favorites at home.  The Pats need to win to maintain home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs; the Bills need a win to continue to have a shot at the playoffs; you can see where the oddsmaker is leaning here.  Tom Brady’s record against the Bills for his career is 27-3.  That is the most wins by a starting QB over any opposing team in NFL history.  There is an interesting matchup here.  The Bills are 6^th in the NFL in pass yards allowed per attempt; meanwhile, the Pats lead the NFL in pass yards gained per pass attempt.
• There is one other early time slot game this weekend, but I will save it for the end today.  I have my reasons…
• The Jags are 4-point favorites on the road against the Niners.  The Jags are 10-4 while the Niners are 4-10; and the spread is only 4 points…?  Call this “the Jimmy G Effect” or call it “Garoppolomania”.  Back in August if you scanned this week’s schedule, you would likely have thought this was a dog-breath game; , it  is one of the intriguing games for the week even though it is not a life and death game for either team.
• The Giants visit the Cards and the Cards are 3.5-point favorites at home.  Since I put the Dog-Breath label on the Broncos/Skins game above, let me call this one a WAGARA Game where “WAGARA” is an acronym for Who Gives A Rat’s Ass?  The only thing marginally interesting here will be if the Cards score a TD.  In their last two games, the Cards have kicked 10 field goals and scored no TDs.  Other than that, these are two teams going through the motions…
• The Seahawks visit the Cowboys and the Cowboys are 5-point favorites at home.  Both teams can still make the playoffs but both teams must win out and both teams need other cards to fall correctly to make that happen.  The loser here will stay home in January.  Ezekiel Elliott is back; he announced that he intends to gain 200 yards in his first game back; the Seahawks were gashed by Todd Gurley last week to the point that a 200-yard game from Elliott is not unimaginable.  The question for this game is simple; does Russell Wilson have yet one more unworldly performance in him for Sunday afternoon?
• The Steelers visit the Texans and the Steelers are 9.5-point favorites on the road.  If this game were in Pittsburgh, this would be a “squash-game”; the Steelers are the better team and they are far and away the healthier team.  The fact is that the Steelers are not nearly as good on the road as they are at home.

There is no Sunday Night Football this week.  Even the NFL makes way for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve…

• On Monday Night – Christmas Night – the Raiders visit the Eagles and the Eagles are 9-point favorites at home.  The Eagles can clinch home field advantage in the NFC playoffs with a win here – or with a loss by the Vikes on Saturday to the Packers (not likely).  The Raiders’ playoff chances come down to them winning out AND having a bunch of other games turning out in a way that only a Disney screenwriter might imagine.

I left out an “early game” on Sunday because it needs special mention this week.  The game has no bearing on the playoffs or the standings; both teams are awful.  Absent “special considerations” this would be the worst game of the week without a doubt.  This game requires the Cleveland Browns to pay a visit to the Chicago Bears and on Christmas Eve no less.  The Bears are 6.5-point favorites in the game.

The Browns are 1-29 in their last 30 games; the Bears are 7-23 in their last 30 games.  How can this game have any “special considerations”?  Well, here goes:

1. The Browns are 0-14 this year.  Last year their victory came in their 15^th game of the season.
2. Browns’ coach, Hue Jackson, is 2-0 in games played on Christmas Eve.  Last year his Browns beat the Chargers; in 2011, his Oakland Raiders team beat the Chiefs on Christmas Eve.
3. The Bears are favored in this game; the Bears are 0-7 straight up as favorites in the John Fox Era.
4. Speaking of John Fox, he has a record of 0-2 on Christmas Eve.
5. These “trends” point to the Browns getting off the schneid and winning their first game of the year.  However, there is one strong countervailing trend at work here.  The last time the Browns won a game in Chicago was in 1969.  The Bears were 1-13 that year and they started 3 QBs over the season.  Those three stalwarts were Jack Concannon, Bobby Douglass and Virgil Carter.

I believe the Browns can win this game and not based on any of the “trends” listed above.  The Bears win by running the football and controlling the tempo and field position.  The Browns’ run defense is the team’s strong suit; the Browns only give up 3.3 yards per carry.  As of this morning, the Money Line odds on the Browns is +240.  If I were in Las Vegas…

Finally, this is a season of celebration for people of different religions and different cultures and different ethnicities.  Here in Curmudgeon Central, the celebration is Christmas but that does not mean that other holidays or festivals are denigrated in any way.  I am looking forward to a holiday focused on family and good friends; I hope that everyone has the same sort of happy time with whatever their celebration may be.  Stay well, everyone…

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

Last Saturday, there was a report at CBSSports.com saying that Vince McMahon was considering resurrecting the XFL.  Actually, what the report said was that there were rumors that this idea was under consideration and that Vince McMahon was not denying those rumors.  You can read that report here.

There is a segment of US society that thinks the game of football is becoming “wussified” with all the rules about how players can be hit/tackled, and the ground cannot cause a fumble – but can negate a pass reception.  That segment of the population might welcome a return of the XFL and its “caveman rules”.

There is a segment of society that thinks the “#MeeToo” movement has gotten out of hand and that the scales have tipped against men in leadership/supervisory positions.  That segment of the population might welcome a return of the XFL where players and cheerleaders were encouraged to date one another, and the cheerleaders were encouraged to maximize their level of “eye-candiness”.

There is a segment of society that thinks pro ‘rasslin is real.  Vince McMahon knows that segment of society well and has been providing it with exhibitions that satisfy its tastes for at least 30 years.  Here is the question I want answered:

• If the XFL makes a return, will they bring back Jesse “The Body” Ventura as one of the game announcers?

Here how Brad Rock reacted to news of these rumors in the Deseret News:

“Rumors say Vince McMahon is considering resurrecting the XFL.

“Because, you know, there has to be some other high-end entertainment to compete with ‘Battle of the Network Stars’.”

A recent announcement from the NFL is not a rumor; it is a fact.  The NFL will schedule another game in Mexico City next year as well as 4 games in London.  I can understand why teams that do not draw well at home – Chargers, Bengals, Titans, Bucs – might agree to giving up a home game to get the benefit of the draw from an overseas game.  I cannot figure out why any team would willingly make one of their 8 road trips have London or Mexico City as the destination.  So, maybe the NFL needs to incentivize this

Teams can “volunteer” to have one of their home games at a venue outside the US.  Those “volunteer teams” get to choose the date of their overseas excursion.

• If the NFL does not get 5 “volunteers”, then the team with the worst record from last year will host one of the remaining games – and if they need 2 “directed assignments” then it will be the teams with the two worst records from last year and so on.
• As for the visitors, the league will look at the scheduled opponents for all 5 teams and put the team with the worst record from last year as the visiting team in an overseas game – – with the proviso that no team can be sent there twice in a season.

Teams tank to get better positioning in the upcoming draft.  Maybe there needs to be a sort of “negative incentive” to tanking…?

The NFL has sent teams abroad that draw well at home – and on the road – here in the US.  That deprives hone-grown fans the opportunity to see those teams here and that makes no marketing sense to me at all.  If the league wants to showcase those popular teams, have them play Exhibition Games overseas – since the NFL is hellbent to keep 4 Exhibition Games on the schedule.

There are 33 players on the MLB Hall of Fame ballot for 2018.  Obviously, I do not have a vote, but here is how I would vote – in alphabetical order – if I did:

1. Vlad Guerrero:  Second year on the ballot; lifetime batting average of .318 and lifetime OPS of .931.
2. Trevor Hoffman:  Third year on the ballot; 601 lifetime saves.
3. Chipper Jones:  First year on the ballot; lifetime batting average of .303 and lifetime OPS of .930.
4. Edgar Martinez: Ninth year on the ballot; lifetime batting average of .312 and lifetime OPS of .933.
5. Jim Thome:  First year on the ballot; 612 career home runs and a lifetime OPS of .956.

That’s it; that’s my list…

Wagering has opened on the FIFA World Cup to be held next year.  At the opening the three favorites are:

• Germany at 9 to 2
• Brazil at 5 to 1
• France at 11 to 2.

At the other end of the spectrum, you can get 1000 to 1 odds on Panama or Saudi Arabia to win the World Cup.  Just remember, it was not so long ago that Leicester City won the English Premier League and the opening odds on that happening were 500 to 1.

Finally, since I started off today with an item tied to Vince McMahon, let me close with this comment from Brad Dickson of the Omaha World-Herald regarding WWE:

“The WWE is coming to Lincoln on Feb. 3. It’ll likely feature good guys being defeated by villains. Didn’t we see enough of that with Mike Riley teams losing to Urban Meyer?”

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

 

 

Low probability events happen every day.  Yesterday was one of those days when the low probability event was in the sports world.  There are not a lot of basketball coaches at the collegiate level who can say that their teams have won 1000 games.   I believe there are only 4 coaches on the men’s side of the game over the 1000 mark; as of this morning, there are indeed 4 coaches in the women’s ranks with 1000 victories.  However, as of yesterday morning, there were only two.  Yesterday, both Sylvia Hatchell (UNC) and Geno Auriemma (UConn) won their 1,000^th game.  It would have been tough to script that.

Both Hatchell and Auriemma are chasing the all-time leader in women’s coaching victories, Pat Summitt (Tennessee).  Summitt recorded 1098 wins in her career.  Sylvia Hatchell is 65 years old; she could well be around long enough to eclipse Summitt’s record.  Geno Auriemma is 63 years old and should also threaten Summitt’s mark

Back in early September, I did my annual NFL Predictions Rant and included the standard list of “Coaches on a Hot Seat”.  Here is what I said then about Marvin Lewis and the Bengals:

“This will be Lewis’ 15^th season as coach of the Bengals; the franchise he took over was a laughingstock; in the last 14 seasons, Lewis has had the team in the playoffs 7 times.  That is the good news; here is the bad news.  The Bengals have yet to win a playoff game under Lewis.  In 2015, they had the game in their hands and then a total meltdown in focus and discipline cost them their first playoff win of the Marvin Lewis Era.  You would have expected improvement in that area in 2016 and that Lewis would have made it a team objective.  Well, that did not happen and the team finished a dispirited 6-9-1.  One other factor working against him is that he only has 1 year left on his contract.  Ownership in Cincy does not like to pay coaches not to coach …  I think the Bengals have to make the playoffs for him to keep his job – – and if they do not win their first playoff game, they have to lose respectably.”

This week word spread that Marvin Lewis will “step away” from the Bengals and the word is that he is doing so with the intention of being a coach or a GM elsewhere in the league.  That situation could make for some interesting “stuff” in the offseason.  Lewis had talent in Cincy and he coached ‘em up pretty well during the regular season.  In his tenure there, his record is 123-111-3 in a division where he had to play the Steelers and Ravens twice every year.  Moreover, he won the AFC North title 4 times.

At the same time, his Cincy teams were undisciplined – to say the least – and many folks think he was complicit in allowing them to be undisciplined.  The other thing that critics will point to is this; of all the NFL coaches who have been in 5 or more playoff games, Lewis has the worst record of them all:

• Marvin Lewis:  0-7 in playoff games
• Jim Mora:  0-6 in playoff games
• They are the only coaches on this list…

The injury to Antonio Brown in last week’s game will keep him out of the Steelers’ game this weekend.  That has seemingly amplified the volume on the “debate” about Antonio Brown being the NFL’s MVP this year.  I do not have a vote in that selection process and I usually ignore most of the hootdoodle that surrounds those selections, but I find the case of Antonio Brown interesting.

This situation is the latest example of the “situation without a resolution”:

• Should the award go to the “Most Outstanding Player” or should the award go to the “Most Valuable Player”?

In terms of on-field accomplishments, I would probably give the “Most Outstanding Player” award to Antonio Brown.  In 14 games this year here are some stats:

• 101 receptions (7.2 catches per game)
• 163 targets (62% of the targets are receptions)
• 1533 yards gained (15.2 yards per catch)
• 9 TDs

Having laid all that out and acknowledging that those stats are outrageously good, I wonder about “Most Valuable Player” in the following sense:

• Is Antonio Brown the “Most Valuable Player” on the Pittsburgh Steelers – let alone in the NFL?

Obviously, this is intended only to be a gedanken experiment; which situation would be more perilous for the Pitts burgh Steelers:

• Antonio Brown misses the playoffs this year and is replaced by the clearly inferior Eli Rogers or Justin Hunter – – OR – –
• Ben Roethlisberger misses the playoffs this year and is replaced by the clearly inferior Landry Jones or Joshua Dobbs?

I am not sure that the loss of Brown would be as harmful as the loss of Roethlisberger – and have no real desire to do the on-field test.  However, this thought experiment does highlight the “Most Outstanding Player” versus the “Most Valuable Player” dichotomy that often arises.

Finally, consider these two comments from Brad Dickson of the Omaha World-Herald that relate to NASCAR:

“Danica Patrick announced her upcoming retirement. She certainly changed the sport. Young people may not remember this but there was a time when auto racing announcers didn’t focus on the driver in 48th place.”

And …

“And finally: Russia has been banned from the Winter Olympics because of suspected state-sanctioned doping. The IOC got suspicious after a Russian luger won pole position at the Daytona 500.”

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

 

 

Before I do the typical early-week rundown of last weekend’s on-field football happenings, I need to say a few things about Jerry Richardson’s decision to sell the Carolina Panthers after this season is over.  Last week, ESPN and Sports Illustrated reported that there were allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct in the Panthers’ organization and that Richardson was the tone-setter/perpetrator.  In another report, SI said that several former employees of the Panthers had been paid off regarding the resolution of prior complaints.  There are also racial overtones to the complaints within the organization with Richardson once again central to the problematic actions.  You can read some of the SI reporting here and here.

Over the weekend, Richardson announced that he will sell the Panthers and that he has relinquished any day-to-day management of the organization.  As the NBA learned a couple of years ago, a “bad owner” can put a stain on the league and the way the NBA sought to cauterize that wound was to force that owner to sell his franchise.  If Richardson made the decision to sell on his own, he probably did the NFL one final service; if he was nudged to that decision from behind closed doors, the NFL had best hope that similar accusations do not spring up in other franchises.  That would put the NFL into crisis management mode and the NFL has shown that it is less than competent when in crisis management mode.

Forbes estimated that the Panthers are worth $2.3B in September 2017 and estimated that their operating income for 2016 at $102M.

I wonder if this story is over yet…

Let me just do a bunch of short comments on last weekend’s NFL action:

• The Lions beat the Bears in a game that gave new meaning to the word “tedious”.  The two QBs combined to throw 5 INTs.
• The Chiefs have seemingly come back to life in the last two games; they dominated the Chargers with a powerful running game and intercepted Phillip Rivers 3 times.
• Aaron Rodgers had some rust on him after 8 weeks on the sidelines; he threw 3 INTs in the Packers’ loss to the Panthers.
• The Dolphins reverted to mediocrity with Jay Cutler also throwing 3 INTs in a loss to the Bills.
• The Jags locked up a playoff spot smashing the Texans.  TJ Yates versus the NFL’s #1 defense was a mismatch.
• The Skins beat the Cards making them 4-0 against the NFC West and 2-8 against the rest of the league.
• The Bengals just mailed it in against the Vikes.
• The Eagles beat the Giants playing their third consecutive road game – the first two being on the West Coast – and they did it with their backup QB.  That is not easy to do.
• The Rams RAN for 244 yards and sacked Russell Wilson 7 times.  That is the basis of the 42-7 score beating the Seahawks in Seattle.  Losing by 5 TDs at home is worst home loss for Seattle since 1997 when they lost at home to the Jets 41-3.
• The Jets played the Saints closer than 31-19 final score might look.  Score was 24-19 in the middle of the 4^th quarter.  Bryce Petty threw for 170 yards and he threw 2 INTs.  Can the Jets ever find a real QB?
• The Raiders lost to the Cowboys despite the Cowboys committing 14 penalties and converting only 2 of 10 third-down attempts.  It was an ugly game all around.
• The Niners beat the Titans with a field goal as the clock ran out.  The “Jimmy G Era” has begun in SF with 3 straight wins.  Remember, Jimmy G won his first two starts with the Pats too.
• The Browns lost – again – to the Ravens.  The Browns’ passing stats were 20 for 37 with 0 TDs and 2 INTs for 136 yards.  No wonder they are 0-14.
• The Pats/Steelers game had a final four minutes that had to be seen to be believed.  Even if you saw it and even if you watch it again on your DVR, you might come away shaking your head wondering what happened and how.
• The Falcons eked out a win over the Bucs keeping them in the last wildcard slot in the NFC playoffs.  However, it was not a convincing win over a mediocre-at-best Bucs’ squad.

There is an adage that says predictions are hard – – especially when they pertain to the future.  Nonetheless, Bob Molinaro made a prediction in the Hampton Roads Virginian-Pilot prior to the Heisman Trophy presentation show a week ago – – and he was spot on:

“If form holds, Saturday night’s ESPN Heisman Trophy presentation will be a molasses-paced ceremony that makes the presentation of the Masters green jacket look like a Bruce Springsteen concert.”

Finally, there has been a lot of attention paid to the “conversation” between LeBron James and Lonzo Ball after a Cavs/Lakers game.  The two met on the court and spoke to each other with their mouths obscured so there would be no lip reading.  There were various reports about what was said and there is supposedly a “hot mic” recording of the interchange.  Frankly, I prefer Dwight Perry’s pure speculation in the Seattle Times about what was said to whatever the reality is:

“One guess on what LeBron James whispered to Lonzo Ball after their first NBA meeting: ‘Why’d they take their talents to Lithuania?’”

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

 

 

Last week ended the radio run of Mike Francessa in NYC.  He and Chris Russo were “Mike and the Mad Dog” on WFAN in NYC from about 1990 until that team dissolved about 10 years ago.  Francessa continued to do the afternoon slot on WFAN until last week.  There were “sports radio” programs in various cities before Mike and the Mad Dog but the popularity of that show topped any of its predecessors and basically led to the “experiment” in the early 90s of “All-Sports Stations” around the country.  Russo continues his career on satellite radio and with a short program on MLB Network TV; Francessa has not revealed what he might do next.  In any event, last week was the end of an era.

In a way, Mike Francessa is a latter-day Howard Cosell.  If you did a poll and asked people in NYC who their favorite sports broadcaster is and in the same poll asked them who their least favorite sports broadcaster is, Francessa might top both lists.  Howard Cosell did that once back in the 1970s.  This situation may help you to understand how and why Mike Francessa has been part of a highly rated radio program for more than 25 years.

Bonne chance, Mike Francessa.

Last week, on Saturday to be specific, there was another “media milestone”.  I saw the first “Bracketology” column on CBSSports.com.  No, I did not click on it and read it; bracketology columns in mid-December are about as interesting as football’s “Mock Draft” columns are in July.  I am a staunch defender of the First Amendment, but I might make an exception if someone passed a law to prevent those types of “journalism” to exist more than 2 weeks before the decisions involving tournament selection or drafting happen.

When Jeffrey Loria sold the Marlins’ franchise to an ownership group fronted by Derek Jeter, the narrative was that baseball fans in Miami would finally get an organization run by “baseball people” who would put a solid product on the field for fans to get behind.  The latent love of baseball inherent in all those South Floridians would erupt and the Marlins would be relevant on a consistent basis.  Let’s just say that nothing akin to that environment has emerged.

It appears that the new ownership group may not have pockets deep enough to maintain relevancy – at least for the moment.  The new guys – not the hated Jeffrey Loria – are orchestrating a deconstruction that resembles the act of taking a wrecking ball to the major league roster.  It is a prototypical salary dump situation.  The suggestion is that the team will get the payroll down below $90M and use shared revenues to pay down ownership debt for several years and then – maybe – become relevant players in MLB.  That is not what fans were led to believe would happen; the fans are not happy.

Here is how Greg Cote summarized the ongoing situation in the Miami Herald:

“Remember 10 weeks ago when we all loved Jeter?: Ah, the good old days!  It was the month before last.  Derek Jeter arrived as a knight on a white steed to save the Marlins and be everything for South Florida that Jeffrey Loria was not.  Then he traded Dee Gordon, Giancarlo Stanton and Marcell Ozuna in a flurry — a murder-us row.  Loria 2.0.”

I think there is an interesting/ironic element to the Stanton trade with the Yankees that has not received a lot of attention.  The only player with MLB experience the Marlins got back from the Yankees in the exchange is named “Castro” – as in Starlin Castro.  Given the large Cuban-American community in Miami, that name is not going to be one to put on the marquee.

I think this unfolding story in Miami should get some folks in the mahogany suites in MLB to think about strategic direction.  It would appear that the new owners in Miami are overly leveraged or without sufficient asset-backing to run the club as if they are wearing big-boy pants.  Nonetheless, this ownership group was “vetted” and “approved” by MLB only months ago.  Might MLB need to be a bit more stringent in whatever it does in terms of “vetting”?

In an even larger sense, perhaps MLB needs to start thinking about what Bernie Sanders rails about – income inequality.  There will always be teams with owners richer than the owners of other teams; there will always be teams that generate higher revenues than competing teams; those things are unavoidable.  However, MLB might want to take the extreme highs and the extreme lows on the scale and bring them a bit closer together.

If the Marlins continue their trajectory for a couple of years, the Marlins can join the A’s and the Rays as Quadruple-A teams who further develop young players for other MLB franchises.  If the Marlins’ real objective is get their payroll under $90M for next year, they would join only 4 other teams who “enjoyed” that economic stature in 2017.  Those teams were:

• Oakland A’s:  $81.7M
• San Diego Padres:  $71.6M
• Tampa Bay Rays:  $69.9M
• Milwaukee Brewers:  $63.1M

The A’s and the Rays are almost always in the bottom quartile of MLB in terms of salary; the Marlins have joined them in that status on frequent occasions.  Given that the top teams put lineups on the field that cost more than $200M every year since 2008, there seems to be a caste system built into MLB that need not be there.  I doubt this sort of thing gets much attention in the MLB Front Office – – but it should.

Finally, I try to keep political commentary out of these rants as best I can.  However, consider this observation from Bob Molinaro in the Hampton Roads Virginian-Pilot from last week:

“Political football: It’s being reported that when all the write-in votes in the controversial Alabama Senate race are accounted for that Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban will finish third. Is there something in Saban’s contract that provides a bonus for that?”

By the way folks, would you be shocked to learn that “Bear” Bryant finished fourth?

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

 

 

The NFL schedule-maker has been kind to us fans this year.  Often in mid-December, the weekend card has 2 or possibly 3 “important games” with regard to the playoffs.  Last week there were about 8 or 10 games that were important; this week there are at least 5; the schedule this year is a bonanza.  Of course, last night’s Matchup of Misery between the Colts and the Broncos was nowhere near important; in fact, it could not claim even to be relevant.

Before getting to the games, I found it interesting that the Browns’ new GM, John Dorsey, gave voice to a rather obvious shortcoming in Cleveland.  Most fans there recognize that the roster playing as the Browns in 2017 is significantly talent-deficient.  Yes, they have torn down the team and accumulated draft picks, but the drafting process in the past couple of years has had a couple of wild misses.  The Browns could have had Carson Wentz two years ago and they traded down; they could have had Deshaun Watson last year and they traded down; given that the Browns in 2017 played most of the time with DeShone Kizer at QB, one might conclude that the analytics gurus in the Browns’ Front Office would not know a QB prospect from Yosemite Sam.

Basically, John Dorsey came out and said that.  In fact, this is what he said in a radio interview:

“You know what?  You’ve got to get a guy like [Coach Hue Jackson] players and you know what?  I’ll come straight out with it.  The guys who were here before, that system, they didn’t get real players.”

John Dorsey will never be a UN Ambassador or an empathetic counsellor for people with low self-esteem.  However, he spake the truth there…

The Jets must go to the bullpen for their QB for the rest of the season.  Josh McCown had surgery on his hand last week and so the Jets will turn to Bryce Petty this week.  The Jets are not going to be in the playoffs and they are also not going to be taking a look at Christian Hackenberg – their 2^nd round pick in 2016 – to see if he is near ready to play NFL football.  To use John Dorsey’s phraseology, I wonder if Hackenberg is a “real player” …

RG3 has not taken a snap in an NFL game for about a year now; absent his outstanding rookie season in Washington in 2012, he has not had much success in NFL games in his career.  RG3 is an engaging person and I suppose that is why he was a guest on ESPN’s First Take this week where he said that he would be an addition to the Philadelphia Eagles right now because he can do “Carson Wentz-type things”.  When I read his remarks, I shook my head wondering what sort of hallucinogen he was on and if he could pass the NFL drug screening should the Eagles place a call.  Then I started to make a list of the things that Carson Wentz and RG3 have in common.  See if you notice a trend here:

• They are both bipeds.
• Neither one plays the bassoon.
• They both exchange oxygen in the biosphere.
• Neither one has won the Nobel Prize.

What is the trend?  The trend is that the similarities between RG3 and Carson Wentz are the same similarities between RG3 and Tom Brady or John Elway or John Unitas; none of the similarities has much to do with playing QB in the NFL.

One last item before getting to the weekend games, a New Orleans Saints’ fan is suing the Saints over the national anthem protests.  The plaintiff wants the cost of his season tix refunded (plus his attorney fees) because – he says – he would never have bought the tickets if he had known that the team would protest the national anthem.  According to reports, the plaintiff bought season tickets worth about $8000; and in his lawsuit, he names Coach Sean Payton and Saint’s owner Tom Benson as being complicit in the anthem protests.

There is actually a bright spot in that story.  The plaintiff wants his attorney fees refunded as part of his petition to the court.  That means that his attorney was smart enough not to take this case on a contingency fee basis.  Hey, sometimes you have to look hard to find a “bright spot”.

The Lions host the Bears on Saturday Afternoon (4:30 EST); the Lions are 5-point favorites at home.  The Lions are still alive for a playoff slot but lots of things have to fall just right for them to make it.  The Bears are toast.  Matthew Stafford continues to play with an injured throwing hand; last week, the Bears offense erupted to score 33 points in a win over the Bengals.  That offensive eruption is indeed unusual because the Bears are only averaging 17.5 points per game this year.  What the Bears need to do is to get the NFL to put them in the AFC.  The Bears are 1-9 against NFC opponents and they are 3-0 against AFC opponents in 2017.

The Chiefs host the Chargers on Saturday Nite (8:30 EST); the Chargers are 1-point favorites on the road. (You can find the game as a “pick ‘em” game at two Internet sportsbooks this morning.)  This game means a lot; the winner will be in sole possession of first place in the AFC West.  If the Chiefs win, they would essentially have a 2-game lead over the Chargers since the Chiefs prevailed in their first meeting this season.  I ran across this stat and forgot to note where I got it, so I cannot cite it properly:

• Phillip Rivers is only the 3^rd QB in NFL history to throw for more than 3500 yards in 10 consecutive seasons.  The other two are Drew Brees and Peyton Manning.

The last time the Chargers beat the Chiefs was in 2013; since then the Chiefs have won 7 in a row in this series.  Another trend is that the Chiefs are 8-1 against the spread in their last 9 games against AFC West opponents.  I will be checking this game out on Saturday night; you can count on that…

The Eagles pay a visit to the Giants on Sunday; the Eagles are 7.5-point favorites in the game.  The Eagles have clinched the NFC East and are in the playoffs; I believe my schedule analysis is correct in saying that if the Eagles win this game, they are assured a Bye Week in the NFC playoffs.  As of this morning, the Giants would have the second pick overall in the NFL Draft next Spring.  Like the Bears, the Giants need to find a way to migrate to the AFC.  In 2017, the Giants are 0-9 against NFC opponents and 2-2 against the AFC.  Wagering on this game presents a pair of less-than wonderful options:

1. Take the Eagles with Nick Foles at QB and lay more than a TD’s worth of points
2. Take the calamitous/dreadful/lousy/woeful Giants.

[shudder…]

The Packers go to Carolina to play the Panthers on Sunday; the Panthers are 2.5-point favorites.  I am sure you have heard that this game marks the return of Aaron Rodgers from his clavicle fracture a little more than 2 months ago.  Here is the problem for the Packers; Aaron Rodgers does not play defense.  If the Packers are to make the playoffs, they need to win out AND they need some other games to fall their way.  The Panthers are tied with New Orleans atop the NFC South, but they are only a game ahead of the Falcons in that division race.  This is an important game for both teams.

The Vikings host the Bengals on Sunday; the Vikes are 11-point favorites.  The Vikings can wrap up the NFC North title with a win here.  The Bengals lost to the lowly Bears last week by 26 points; I have a suspicion that Marvin Lewis’ tenure with the Bengals is about to end but if the team lays another egg like last week, you can change “have a suspicion” to “am confident”.  By the way, I hate double-digit spreads in NFL games…

The Bills host the Dolphins on Sunday; the Bills are 3-point favorites at home.  The Bills hold the 6^th and final slot in the AFC playoffs for the moment; they need to win this game to maintain that position and make the playoffs for the first time in this century.  Meanwhile, the Dolphins come to the field off their dominating victory over the Pats last week.  The Total Line for the game is 39 and there are some interesting trends related to that Total Line:

• Dolphins are 7-1 to go OVER in their last 8 games
• Bills are 12-3 to go OVER in their last 15 games at home
• Bills are 7-2 to go OVER in their last 9 games as a home favorite.

By the way, these two teams will meet again on New Year’s Eve.

The Texans visit the Jags on Sunday; the Jags are 11.5-point favorites at home.  The Jags lead the AFC South over the Titans by a game, but those two teams will meet on New Year’s Eve and the Jags have lost to the Titans earlier this season.  That makes this an important game for the Jags.  The Texans season ended early this year when they lost JJ Watt and Whitney Mercilus in the same game in early October; a later injury to Deshaun Watson put the nail in the icing – – to mix metaphors here.  TJ Yates will be under center for the Texans this week.  Oh, did I tell you that I hate double-digit spreads in NFL games.

The Saints host the Jets on Sunday; the Saints are 15.5-point favorites.  The Saints need the game to say in front in the NFC South; the Jets have already exceeded expectations for the 2017 season.  Say, do you know what I think about double-digit spreads in NFL games?

The Cards travel east to play the Skins on Sunday; the Skins are 4-point favorites at home.  This game is as meaningful as a single snowflake in a blizzard.  This game will be on my cable channel this week because of where I live; unless you too live in the DC area or in Arizona, you will be fortunate to have the opportunity to see something more interesting – like an infomercial for a new device that trims nose hairs.

The Browns host the Ravens on Sunday; the Ravens are 7-point favorites on the road.  The Ravens are just outside the playoff structure at the moment; they need to win to stay relevant.  The Browns have scored only 197 points in 13 games (15.1 points per game); that is last in the league.  The Ravens have allowed 246 points in 13 games (18.9 points per game; that is the 4^th best scoring defense in the league.

The Seahawks host the Rams on Sunday; the Seahawks are 2.5-point favorites at home.  This is a big game for both teams.  A win for the Rams puts them 2 games up on the Seahawks in the NFC West; a win for the Seahawks gives them the lead over the Rams in that race based on tie-breakers.  Just so you know, the last time the Rams made the playoffs was in 2004.  Marshall Faulk, Tory Holt and Isaac Bruce were part of that Rams’ roster.  The Seahawks’ defense will have unfamiliar names on the field this week; as many as 5 normal starters could miss the action.  The Total Line for the game is 47.5; I think that is low…

The Patriots visit the Steelers on Sunday; the Pats are 2.5-point favorites on the road.  Almost assuredly, the winner of this game will have home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.  Other than that, this game is no big deal.  The Total Line for this game is 54; if you believe The Weather Channel, there is a 50% chance of rain on Sunday afternoon with temperatures in the mid-30s.  Fifty-four points in those conditions …?

The Niners host the Titans on Sunday; the Niners are 1.5-point favorites at home.  Yes, I checked to be sure; the Niners are the favorites here.  In fact, you can find the line at 2 points at a couple of Internet sportsbooks this morning.  The Niners are riding a 2-game win streak as they start the “Jimmy G Era” in northern California.  The Titans are still in playoff contention despite their dismal performance last week in a loss to the Cardinals.  The Titans need this game because their last two games are against the Rams and the Jags; neither of those games will be a cakewalk.  There are two opposing trends at work in this game:

• Titans are 7-20 against the spread in their last 27 road games.
• Niners are 3-10 against the spread in their last 13 home games.

The Raiders host the Cowboys on Sunday Nite; the Cowboys are 3-point favorites on the road.  Both teams are on the outside looking in regarding the playoffs; the loser of this game might need the intervention of St. Jude to make the playoffs this year.  Interestingly, back in August, lots of folks picked both teams to win their division this year.  The Cowboys cannot do that; the Raiders are highly unlikely to do that.  The Cowboys scored 30+ points in their last two games.  Granted, those games were against the Giants and the Skins but that might be significant here because the Raiders defense in 2017 does not keep offensive coordinators awake at night.  The Total Line for this game is 46; I think that is low…

The Bucs host the Falcons on Monday Nite; the Falcons are 6-point favorites on the road.  The Falcons are in the playoffs as of this morning, but they are only a game ahead of the Cowboys, Lions and Packers in the NFC.  The Bucs have been disappointing on offense this year; Jameis Winston did not “take the next step” in terms of his quarterbacking as folks projected he would.  However, the Bucs defense has been even more disappointing giving up 24 points per game on average.  No wonder the Buds are mired at 4-9 in the standings.  There are some powerful trends at work here:

• Bucs are 1-10 against the spread in their last 11 games against NFC teams
• Bucs are 2-9-1 against the spread in their last 12 games.
• Bucs are 2-7 against the spread in their last 9 games on grass.
• Head-to-head with the Falcons, the favorite (Falcons) covered in 7 of their last 9 meetings.

Finally, Dwight Perry had this observation in the Seattle Times:

“An asteroid 3 miles in diameter is expected to miss Earth by 2 million miles this month.

“Not that we’ve been watching too much football or anything, but … wide left or wide right?”

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

 

 

Let me dispense with one item quickly; tonight’s Thursday Night Football game is a toxic waste dump.  The Colts are dead last in the AFC South; the Broncos are dead last in the AFC West; the combined record of these two teams is 7-19.  You absolutely must have something better to do with your time this evening…

The NFL’s concussion protocol seems to be taking a mandatory 8-count for the moment.  It just is not working nearly the way it is purported to work in the name of player safety.  Two events caught on video in the last couple of weeks demonstrate that the concussion protocol is honored sporadically at best.

1. Russell Wilson took a big hit and was sent to the sidelines for examination.  They put the blue tent over him – partially – wherein he bolted out of the tent having had no examination at all, grabbed his helmet and returned to the game.
2. Tom Savage took a big hit such that his arms seemed to convulse while he was on the ground and then returned to the huddle looking dazed.

In what seems to be a PR move, the NFL and the NFLPA pay an homage to “player safety” now; curmudgeons tend to think that the various lawsuits pending and settled against the league regarding CTE are the motivating force behind that concern.  No matter the motivation, the protocol in place is not working because it is not enforced.  Supposedly, there are “observers” who are supposed to be able to identify players who need a neurological screen; in the two cases cited above, it is not clear what the “observers” were observing.

Let me be clear.  I realize that this is a crass position to take; but at the bottom line:

1. I do not really care if a player with a concussion finds the resources to hide that concussion from coaches or “neurological specialists” and continues to play in a game.
2. That player is an adult; if he makes the choice to behave in that way, then I do not care if he puts himself and his future cognitive prowess in jeopardy.
3. Adults make choices and choices have consequences.

My problem is that the NFL has this “protocol” in place and is not enforcing it.  They have a rule book and officials are there to enforce those rules – despite the arcane nature of some of those rules.  When you have a rule – and a “protocol” is nothing more than a rule with a fancy name – then it is a sham unless and until it is enforced.  Imagine for a moment if officials did not enforce the offsides rule…

Here is the obstacle that is going to prevent anything meaningful from happening here:

• The NFL and the NFLPA will have to agree on whatever sort of enforcement steps will be taken in these matters.
• The fact is that those two entities cannot agree that Tuesday came after Monday this week.

Sometime during the offseason, there will be a joint announcement of a new and more rigid concussion protocol for next year.  That will involve genuflecting in the direction of “player safety”, “truth”, “justice” and “the American Way”.  And if the new more rigid concussion protocol is enforced with the same laxity as the current one, it will not amount to a pinch of pigeon poop.

Earlier this week, Kareem Abdul Jabbar pronounced that the NBA would overtake the NFL in popularity sometime in the next 10 years.  Perhaps, he is correct; let me suggest, however, that he may not be the most unbiased interpreter of data in this matter.  Jabbar cites the fact that surveys show a decline in NFL popularity over the last decade and a smaller decline in popularity for MLB over the same decade.  However, NBA popularity is up in that same time period.  Moreover, TV ratings for NBA games are up while TV ratings for the NFL and MLB are down.  Here are some reasons why I doubt that the NBA can eclipse the NFL in the next 10 years:

• In 2017, the NBA revenues are approximately $8B; the NFL revenues are approximately $15B.  That is a huge gap to make up in 10 years – unless you suspect that the NFL revenues will decline significantly over the next 10 years.
• The TV ratings analysis needs some perspective.  Here in the DC area, NBA games get ratings in the range of 3.0 to 4.5 depending on the “juice” surrounding the game.  That is a major improvement over about 5 years ago when NBA games here got ratings near 1.0.  However, last Sunday the Skins played in the late afternoon time slot and the Eagles/Rams game was on the other network in the same time slot.  Not surprisingly, the Skins/Chargers game drew a rating of 11.8.  What is surprising is that the Eagles Rams game – in the same time slot, remember – drew a rating of 11.6.
• The early Sunday afternoon NFL game here – Giants/Cowboys – had a 14.4 rating and the Sunday Night game – Ravens/Steelers – had a 16.5 rating.  On Monday night, the Pats/Dolphins had an 11.1 rating.

Yes, the NBA numbers are up over the past two years and the NFL numbers are down over the last two years.  Nonetheless, the TV ratings for the two leagues are not remotely close.

Jabbar’s prognostication sounds good and he puts a lot of emphasis on the fact – undisputed – that youth participation in football has declined over the past decade and there has been no such decline noted for basketball.  I will stipulate all those stats and, at the same time, point out that I have heard that argument before.

• Soccer was going to be the “next big thing” because of the exponential growth in youth soccer programs.  The growth was there; the growth continues; soccer is not the “next big thing” today and is not going to be the “next big thing” in my lifetime.  [Aside:  Of course it will not be; Jabbar says it will be NBA basketball.]
• More specifically, pundits proclaimed that the success of the US Women’s National Team in World Cup competition would generate interest in girls’ soccer that would translate into an economically viable women’s pro league in the US.  There is indeed a professional women’s soccer league – and a tiered system of leagues – in 2017.  Few, however, would allege that professional women’s soccer is the “next big thing” despite the numbers of young girls playing soccer.

Mark your calendars for December 2027 with a reminder to compare the status and economics of the NBA vis a vis the NFL.  I hope I am alive then to see how this prediction turns out.

Finally, if you want to think about sports that might have great growth potential, consider this observation by Brad Rock in the Deseret News recently:

“Poker, pole dancing and foosball are taking steps toward becoming Olympic sports.

“In other words, at some point synchronized swimming is going to look totally normal.”

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