Category: Uncategorized

With the start of the NFL regular season less than a month away, I want to spend time today taking a synoptic view of the league and the upcoming season.  I will try to highlight things to look for as the season unfolds and to look at some ongoing issues I have with the universally acknowledged behemoth of US sports.  And I want to begin with the demise of the “Rooney Rule”.

This rule was well-intentioned from the start even if it had no enforcement mechanism.  The idea was to give minority coaching candidates a better chance to get one of the 32 head coaching jobs in the NFL than had been the case over most of the history of the league.  Some critics said that the rule was not about “minorities”; it was about Black head coaches, and it seems that there is a basis for that criticism.  Lots of commentators today say that there are only 3 minority coaches in the NFL, but actually, there are 3 Black, head coaches and a Hispanic head coach and a Muslim head coach of Lebanese extraction.  Put all of that aside …

Last year, the league turned over about 25% of its head coaches.  No Black men were elevated to those jobs; Robert Saleh was the only minority hired in the process.  And that happened even though the original “Rooney Rule” that required every owner/GM to interview one minority candidate for the job had been expanded to two mandatory interviews and expanded to coordinator and GM positions.  It is time to deal with reality.

NFL owners are going to hire whomever they damned well please to coach the teams they own.  If that means they must conduct a sham interview or three along the way, they will do that to abide by the rule and not incur the wrath of The Commish.  So, what started out as a well-intentioned step toward “social justice” has become feckless and demeaning to some of the people the rule intended to benefit.  Put the Rooney Rule out to pasture.

When Adam Vinatieri entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame this summer, he did so before Tom Brady, Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick.  Raise your hand if you said 15 years ago that would be the case …

There will be a couple of minor rule changes this season but a rule change that I would favor was not under consideration.  I want to get rid of Overtime Games in the regular season and give both teams involved a “half-win” and a “half loss”.  Here’s why:

• Having tied games in the standings cannot be anathema because they are tolerated after 10 extra minutes of play without complaint.
• The fact that the league cut the OT limit from 15 minutes to 10 minutes as a “player health and safety” advancement raises the question of why play even a minute of OT if it is dangerous to player safety and health.

Opposition to this idea could come from the sportsbooks who offer win total bets in half-game increments; having teams with “half wins” on their record could create push bets there.

I said there would be some minor rule changes this year.

• Probably the most significant rule change is one that won’t happen very often.  Starting in 2025 a team can declare an onside kick at any point in the game.  Before now, it could only be in the 4^th quarter by a team trailing on the scoreboard.   An onside kick cannot be a surprise; it still must be declared.
• The second minor rule change could become a major change if indeed it is invoked.  Starting in 2026, “league personnel” may consult with on-field officials when considering disqualifications for both flagrant football acts and non-football acts without any infraction being called on the field.   For the record, “league personnel” translates to the good folks manning the replay apparatus.  And if they do this correctly and use replay to find out who initiated an “unsportsmanlike display” instead of who merely retaliated, it could be very valuable in cutting out some of the nonsensical fracases that happen periodically.

The resignation of Mike Tomlin as the Steelers’ head coach was a boon to the sports broadcasting industry.  Tomlin made his debut on the set of Football Night In America in the Hall of Fame game and looked like a seasoned pro who had been doing that for years.  He conducted player interviews and actually asked some follow-up questions in the session; how refreshing is that?

Tomlin’s resignation also removed a Super Bowl winning coach from the sidelines, but it also allowed for another Super Bowl winning coach to return to the sidelines.  Mike McCarthy replaced Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh.  Interestingly, McCarthy’s presence in Pittsburgh sets up an interesting comparison:

• There are only 4 Super Bowl winning head coaches who are still with the team where the coach won the Super Bowl.  They are Andy Reid (Chiefs), Sean McVay (Rams), Nick Siriani (Eagles) and Mike MacDonald (Seahawks).
• Meanwhile there are 3 Super Bowl winning coaches who now coach a team different from the one where they won the Super Bowl.  They are Mike McCarthy (Steelers), John Harbaugh (Giants) and Sean Payton (Saints).
• This tells me that winning a Super Bowl does not necessarily guarantee a coach a position for life within an organization – – as Bill Belichick found out about 2 seasons ago.

While I am on the subject of “Super Bowls” – at least tangentially – there are still four NFL teams that have never participated in the game.  Only one of those teams is in the NFC (Detroit Lions) and three are in the AFC (Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans and Jax Jags).  In one of his football novels, Dan Jenkins had the Lions in the Super Bowl game – -as the loser naturally – and in the movie Draft Day, the Browns’ GM’s brilliance in the draft has convinced Clevelanders that this is their year for the Super Bowl.  It won’t happen, but wouldn’t it be a great storyline of the Lions met the Browns in the Super Bowl in February 2027?

In order to be able to play in the Super Bowl a team must first make it to the playoffs.  I ran across this stat about playoff absences:

• If the Jets miss the playoffs again this year (as surely looks likely) it will be the 16^th consecutive season for the Jets’ team to be sitting at home watching the playoffs on TV.
• That 16-year absence would be the longest playoff drought in all the major US sports – – MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL.
• J – E – T – S … JETS, JETS, JETS !

Speaking of the Jets, do you remember that the Jets went through the entire regular season in 2025 – – all 17 games – – without intercepting a pass thrown by an opposing QB?  Opponents threw the ball 515 times against the Jets’ defense in 2025 and suffered ZERO INTs.

I mentioned the Hall of Fame game above.  I rarely watch that game because it is usually an ugly contest where only very few of the players have a realistic shot at sticking with their team in September.  This year’s game was different; there were two QBs on the field who looked as if they were indeed going to spend time in the NFL.  Carson Beck and Haynes King both looked like “real QBs” in the game.

I have a theory about why that was the case:

• Carson Beck played all or part of 6 seasons of college football.  [Aside: Don’t get me started on that …]  He appeared in 55 games including 43 games over the last 3 seasons.
• Haynes King also played all or part of 6 seasons of college football.  He appeared in 46 games including 36 games over the last 3 seasons.
• Both Beck and Haynes have had time to “mature” and “develop their craft”.  Some top-shelf college QBs declare for the NFL with twenty or fewer game appearances and lots less practice time and coaching instruction.  Those “greener QBs” may have more athletic skill that either Beck or King, but they often have a lot to learn about the game itself – – and it looked to me as if both King and Beck have figured a lot of that stuff out already.

There are some new/interesting features on the NFL regular season schedule and calendar this year.  The international game schedule will expand to include Australia in Week 1 involving the Rams and the Niners.  All in all, there will be nine regular season games played in overseas venues in 2026 with stops in Rio de Janeiro, London (3 games), Madrid, Mexico City, Munich and Paris in addition to the game in Melbourne, Australia.  The game in Paris (Saints/Steelers) will be the first one in France too.

Also, for the first time ever, there will be an NFL game on “Thanksgiving Eve”.  That game will feature the Rams and the Packers and will be available on Netflix.  And there will be one other Wednesday game on the docket this season.  Because of the travel time and the time change involved in that Week 1 game in Australia, the league needed to slot it in on Thursday of Week 1.  That schedule slot is normally reserved for the reigning Super Bowl champs to kick off the season and so the league stuck with that “season opening tradition” and moved the Seahawks/Pats Super Bowl rematch to Wednesday night of Week 1.

That “Super Bowl rematch” has an interesting wrinkle.  The Super Bowl MVP was Kenneth Walker II, and the Seahawks lost him in free agency.  The other main RB for the Seahawks last season was Zach Charbonneau who will not be available until mid-season as he recovers/rehabs from surgery.  Super Bowl champions usually lose players in free agency; that is not particularly noteworthy; but the Seahawks will either have to sign an experienced RB late in the Training Camp cycle or go with a tandem of rookies at the position.

Off-season trades involving top-shelf players are not a staple of your typical NFL off-seasons.  However, this year Myles Garrett, Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Waddle, Maxx Crosby and DJ Moore were traded from one team to another.  [Aside:  Yes, I know; the Crosby trade was reneged, and he is still with the Raiders – – but they tried to trade him this summer.]  And probably the most anticipated trade and the one that inspired the most commentary was the one that sent AJ Brown from the Eagles to the Pats.  When you add up all the “inside info” and the “remote mind reading” that preceded that swap, it almost equaled the hoopla associated with the Travis Kelce/Taylor Swift relationship/marriage.

The removal of Brown from the Eagles’ roster makes the Eagles an interesting focal point for the season.  As has been the case for every year of the Nick Siriani regime, the Eagles have a new offensive coordinator; Sean Mannion will scheme their offense and call the plays in 2026.  The Eagles’ offense in 2025 was far too predictable; this is Mannion’s first coaching position where he will call plays; so, even if he too is predictable, it might take defensive coordinators a while to figure out his tendencies.

One of Sean Mannion’s unwritten responsibilities is to rejuvenate the career of Jalen Hurts who took a lot of the blame for a stagnant Eagles’ offense in 2025.  In addition, a lot of the remote mindreading involving the AJ Brown trade focused on Hurts and his purported relationship rupture with Brown.  Good luck to Sean Mannion on his multi-faceted set of responsibilities; Philly fans are so patient that they will surely give him the benefit of the doubt for at least the first two games of the season.

Many people think the Eagles’ QB needs a new incarnation.  Such is not the case in Miami; Malik Willis is the starter there and is not in danger of losing that job unless he is injured.  Here are two disturbing stats for Dolphins’ fans:

• Malik Willis has never thrown more than 40 completions in an NFL season in his career.
• Unless I missed someone on the Dolphins’ depth chart, Malik Washington caught the most passes last season; he snagged all of 46 of them.
• Stats aren’t everything to be sure, but those are foreboding omens…

Another interesting QB situation came out of the blue just this week.  Teddy Bridgewater was in the Lions’ Training Camp as the backup to Jared Goff; then he announced that he was retiring from football and that left the Lions with only 2 QBs on the roster – – Jared Goff and Luke Altmyer.  You will be excused if you do not immediately identify Luke Altmyer from your memory; he is an undrafted free agent this year out of Illinois.  So, the translation of that situation is:

• The Lions needed a backup QB in case Jared Goff has to miss time in 2026.

The Lions addressed that need quickly signing Joshua Dobbs to a 1-year deal.  Dobbs has been in and around the NFL since 2017 and the Lions will be his seventh stop along the way.  In his career, Dobbs has started a total of 15 games; that is a classic background for a backup QB and the fact that Dobbs has been around in that sort of role for so long and with so many teams speaks to the fact that he is unlikely to be a royal pain in the ass in the locker room.

The NFL as a whole continued seemingly to print money last year.  Since the Packers are a public corporation, the Packers must open their books to meet legal requirements and from that one can deduce something about NFL finances.  One thing in those Packers’ filings is that the team received $453M from the league as its share of the national revenue for 2025.  Since that national revenue is shared equally among the teams the math here says:

• $453M per team X 32 teams = $14.5B for the league

And that league revenue number is probably a tad smaller than reality because the NFL Front Office has to take a piece of the action – – sort of like “League Overhead” before the teams get their share of the bounty.  And with expanded TV options continuing to surface – – see the Wednesday Night Games discussed above as one example – – that revenue is not going to dry up and blow away any time soon.

Earlier, when speaking about the actual demise of the Rooney Rule, I said that owners looked to evade the wrath of The Commish.  However, a recent comment by one of the owners, Jimmy Haslam, is likely to have gotten some scrutiny from The Commish in camera.  In an interview, Haslam did what owners often do around this time of the year; he expressed hope and optimism for his team.  But Haslam took that sort of upbeat posture to a different level.  He said that his team – the Browns – were going to beat the Las Vegas estimate of 5.5 wins for the season and went so far as to say he would take the OVER.

With all the issues and problems involving gambling on sports and the integrity of the games and all that stuff, I cannot believe that Roger Goodell needed one of the owners to be giving out “betting advice”.  Agreed, it is better that Haslam took the position that he did in lieu of saying that his team would suck rocks this season and be lucky to win even a game or two; but “taking the OVER” is stretching a point.

Finally, I’ll end this synoptic view of the NFL prior to the 2026 season with these words from Vince Lombardi”

“Leaders are made, they are not born.  They are made by hard effort which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.”

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

 

 

With the NFL teams reporting to Training Camp as the prelude to the 2026 season, it is only proper to rant today on matters related to the NFL.  However, the storylines of interest this morning have little to do with which teams will be contenders in 2026 and with teams will be laggards.  Today is about a whole lot of off-field stuff.

First up is the news out of Wisconsin saying that Tony Romo was pulled over by the gendarmes and failed to perform well in “standard field sobriety tests”.  Romo was arrested on charges of OWI – – Operating While Impaired – – which is the Wisconsin version of DWI just about anywhere else and he was subsequently released.  From reading reports on this situation, this matter is not a criminal charge because it is the first count of OWI facing Romo; that means this is a civil infringement of the law and that means the potential punishments are administrative and not time in the hoosegow.

One civil action that could happen in the case is the suspension of Tony Romo’s drivers’ license; according to one report I read, Romo has been notified of the State’s intent to suspend his license and that means he is prohibited from driving himself around until the pending matter is resolved.  There are also traffic citations involved that could result in fines of several hundreds of dollars – – none of those details should be of major concern to Romo.

There is an interesting calendar aspect to this matter.  When he was released, Romo was given a court date of September 21^st; that is a mandatory appearance order of the court.  The NFL season begins on September 9^th and there will be two CBS game telecasts which should involve Tony Romo as the prime football color analyst for CBS games.  The second week CBS games for the late afternoon time slot – – usually where the #1 announcing team is assigned – – are:

• Jags at Broncos in Denver at 4:05 ET on Sept 20
• Raiders at Chargers in LA at 4:05 ET on Sept 20.
• His mandatory court date is in Wisconsin at 8:30 local time on Sept 21.

I suggest that the best word to describe this matter is Awkward.

Dean Martin had an interesting piece of advice that Tony Romo should consider:

“If you drink, don’t drive.  Don’t even putt.”

Moving on …A second NFL-related story from last weekend also involves the nation’s highways.  About two weeks ago, Niners’ head coach, Kyle Shanahan, was involved in serious collision on the road which went unreported until last weekend when it was announced that Shanahan would not be able to perform his “head coach duties” at the start of Training Camp.  Once the cause for that absence was revealed, the extent of Shanahan’s injuries became known, and they are not trivial According to reports he suffered:

• A broken nose
• Three broken ribs
• A broken hand
• A severe concussion – – AND – –
• He required 40 stitches to his face

All the reporting here points to a full recovery which is obviously the most important aspect of the matter.  However, there have been more than a couple of insinuations that the reporters who cover the Niners sat on the release of the story for more than a week and some folks are wondering how or why that happened.  That is an interesting perspective on the story because it seems to me that one of two conditions obtained here:

• For a two week period, the beat reporters – – and the “Insiders” – – never noticed that Shanahan was not “on duty” or if he were on duty he looked like he had been worked over by a half dozen bouncers.  That does not speak well to those reporters and their ability to “break stories” related to the Niners.

OR…

• Those reporters knew something about the accident and Shanahan’s injuries and either chose to sit on it or sat on it at the urging of team officials.  That does not speak well to those reporters who assert that they are “journalists”.

Neither of those conditions above is flattering to the folks who cover the Niners – – but I can’t think of too many other scenarios that explain the multi-week lag in reporting there.

Finally, the close-out line today comes from a sign that hung in the classroom where I took Driver’s Ed back in high school; the message was simple:

“Know Safety – – No Pain

“No Safety – – Know Pain”

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

 

 

Sometimes, you read a report and think there is something strange going on – – and then the story takes a turn into something even stranger.  Such seems to be the case involving Ryan Gold who is/was the Arizona Cardinals’ director of college scouting and who has been suspended by the NFL league office for violating the league rules on gambling.  According to the first report I read about this, the NFL carried out an investigation and concluded that Gold “provided confidential, non-public inside information regarding 2026 draft selections by the Cardinals before the picks were announced” and that he had also “participated in parlay bets on NFL and college games.”  The report also said that in its investigation, the NFL examined pertinent “electronic records”.

First, I was surprised to learn that people were betting on who the Arizona Cardinals might or might not take with their various draft picks back in April.  [Aside:  Note, I assume that this “gambling violation” involved only the 2026 Draft and not previous Drafts.]  And then I noted that Gold has been with the Cardinals in various capacities for 13 years meaning he had to have been briefed on the nature and the scope of the Gambling Policy more than a couple of times.  Here is how the NFL characterizes its Gambling Policy:

“The Gambling Policy, which is annually reviewed with all NFL personnel, strictly prohibits anyone in the NFL from participating in or facilitating any form of sports gambling, and from providing third parties non-public information.  Although there is no reason to believe the integrity of any NFL game was affected, the League takes any violation of the Gambling Policy with the utmost seriousness.”

We might quibble about the need for the NFL to prohibit “any form of sports gambling”; there seems to be a tenuous connection between “integrity of NFL games” and wagers on the World Cup contests or perhaps some action on a women’s college softball game.  But the rule is the rule and after 13 years working for a team in the NFL, you would think that would be “crystal clear”.  At this point in the story, I just figured that one of two things applied to Ryan Gold:

1. He really thought those rules did not apply to him  – – OR – –
2. He is so consumed by the rigors of scouting college football players that he is not aware of the world outside that realm.

And then the story got stranger …  Through his lawyer, Gold plans to appeal the suspension and proclaims his innocence.  There is nothing new about that but the basis for his declaration of innocence is that it was his wife – – not him – – who placed the parlay bets and that those bets were of the $10 magnitude and that they were done in conjunction with some of his wife’s high school friends.  I have to admit that I never saw that coming but even if that all turns out to be true, how might that explain the alleged provision of non-public information about Draft picks?

Next up in this story could well be a white rabbit proclaiming that he is late for an important date …

Moving on …  The wave of firings at ESPN creates openings/opportunities on the network.  The loss of Ryan Clark as a participant on First Take would seem to be something that needs to be considered.  My first thought was that it would be an opportunity to have a reunion or a rapprochement between Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless; that would create an interesting dynamic on the program.  But then I thought of an even better pairing with Stephen A. Smith, and it is someone who has a history with ESPN and who – – I believe – – is not encumbered by any current ties in the sports media business.

• Ryan Clark should be replaced on First Take by Jay Mariotti.

We have heard the Stephen A./Skip Bayless product before; maybe some folks have a degree of nostalgia for that; I don’t.  Mariotti would be a combative “opponent” for Stephen A. Smith – – and for Chris Russo too – – and the dynamic would be new/fresh.

You heard it here first…

Finally, this observation by Oscar Wilde:

“Morality is simply the attitude we adopt towards people whom we personally dislike.”

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

Last week, I mentioned Warren Spahn and some of his career achievements.  That mention resulted in two emails – – separated by about 15 minutes – – from the “reader in Houston” that I want to share this morning.

• “Spahnie also was never on the MLB disabled/injury list and missed three prime-age seasons from ages 22-24 due to military service.
• “However, his only time on any injury list was when he was wounded at the famous bridge at Remagen over the Rhine River.
• “My uncle and he were combat engineers with the 276th Combat Engineers who worked on bridges/pontoons for Patton’s troops during the Battle of the Bulge and later at Remagen.
• “I’m not sure of the exact details, but when I was the visiting team’s bat boy at Ebbets Field in the mid-1950s, my uncle met Spahnie after a game and they talked about the good old days.
• “Spahnie was wounded in the foot during the winter of 1945, while they were working to repair and maintain the crossing for the 1st Army tanks, Army troops, artillery pieces, and trucks. He was helped off the bridge by some fellow engineers, and a little while later, the bridge collapsed into the river, resulting in a lot of engineers either getting killed, injured, or missing, as their bodies flowed down the river. My uncle, who was injured, ended up with a case of frostbite, as someone saved his life when the bridge collapsed, as he couldn’t swim. Both were later given purple hearts and bronze stars, as were many others also awarded for their heroism.
• “Also, when Spahnie came up with the Braves as a rookie, he came in relief for the Braves vs. the Dodgers at Ebbets Field and manager Casey told him to throw at Pee Wee Reese, which he did not do. As a result, the next day he was sent back down to the Eastern League because Casey said he had no guts. The Braves ended up in seventh place that season and Casey was fired after it.
• “Spahnie and Casey reunited over two decades later in 1965 with the Mets. Spahnie is the only player who played for Casey before and after he was considered a genius manager.
• “When with the Mets in 1965, Yogi who was a Mets coach at the time, temporarily came out of retirement and caught a few games, including one for Spahnie. Yogi said it may not have been the oldest battery ever at the time (Spahnie was 44 and Yogi 40), but it was probably the ugliest with Yogi’s face characterized by pockmarks, heavy-lidded eyes, and wide nose and Spahnie’s hooked (“Hooks” was his nickname) broken nose.
• “Now you know the rest of the story.”

And then, 15 minutes later came a clarification:

• “I stand corrected. Spahnie was placed on the DL list twice during the 1963 season at age 42, marking the only time in his career he had to go on the DL. Both instances occurred due to elbow soreness and irritation. He missed two starts in July and two starts in August. Despite these setbacks, he started 33 games, led the National League with 22 complete games, and finished the year with a 23-7 record.”

Moving on …  Earlier, I mentioned some NFL free agents who have still not decided where to play in 2026, but who are still good enough that it would be surprising if they did not find a home.  As teams open their training camps, there are three players that are on rosters for now, but who just might wind up being traded or released based on off-season actions by their teams.  In alphabetical order they are:

• Maxx Crosby:  The Raiders actually traded him to the Ravens, but the Ravens voided the deal based on their physical exam of Crosby.  If the Raiders were willing to trade Crosby in March, why would it be outrageous to think they might do so in August?
• Anthony Richardson:  He sought permission to seek a trade back in February/March and the Colts gave his agent the green light.  Richardson is still on the Colts’ roster this morning meaning the Colts are lukewarm on him at best and there is not going to be a bidding war for his services elsewhere.  In addition to recurring injuries, Richardson has been “less than fully satisfactory” when starting at QB for the Colts.
• Kayvon Thibodeaux/Brian Burns/Abdul Carter/Arvell Reese:  The Giants have used top draft picks on edge-rushing linebackers in the past couple of seasons such that they have an embarrassment of riches at that position and needs elsewhere on the roster.  I would not be surprised to see one of them traded away to a team that needs help at that position.  My guess is that Thibodeaux would be the one on the market but any of the four would bring a nice return to the Giants.

            Finally, this from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle:

“Depend upon it there comes a time when for every addition of knowledge, you forget something that you knew before. It is of the highest importance, therefore, not to have useless facts elbowing out the useful ones.”

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

 

 

I spent yesterday considering the MLB standings near the halfway point in the regular season; with the All-Star break upcoming there are only about 3 weeks of play until the trade deadline, so let me offer some thoughts about that upcoming event.

• The biggest question mark out there is Tarik Skubal.  The Cy Young winner is on a team that is 10 games under .500 despite having a run differential of +11.  He is on a one-year contract and will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2026 season.  So, will the Tigers keep him and try to get into a wildcard slot this year or will the Tigers use him to gather up prospects?
• Three teams that could go either way at the trade deadline are the Pirates, the Nationals and the White Sox.  All three are in “rebuild mode” but they are better in 2026 than just about anyone thought they would be.  Just that dynamic would make it interesting to follow the actions of the three front offices over the next several weeks, but there is another  overhang here.  All these teams have owners whose history is to choose not to pay top dollar for players.  The trade deadline often involves some hefty contracts.  Ergo …
• What has happened to the Orioles and where do they go from here?  Three years ago, the O’s won more than 100 games with a young and upcoming roster.  Two years ago, they won 91 games and made the playoffs.  Last year they won 75 games and this year they will have to rally significantly to get near .500 for the season.  So, what might they do at the deadline?  Their record over the next several weeks could have long-range implications for the team.
• Similarly, what happened to the Red Sox this year?  They were considered “dark horses” in the AL East back in March; they have played like donkeys and not horses in 2026.  Demonstrating their inconsistency, they recently swept a 4-game series with the Yankees only to turn around and get blown out by the Nationals twice.  Maddening …  If the Red Sox decide to go full throttle on the sell side at the trade deadline, that could make a couple of quality starting pitchers available in Sonny Gray and Brayan Bello.

The next month will be a time where the various “Baseball Insiders” earn their keep.  MLB fans will be watching closely and will want to be informed …

Moving on …  The USMNT lost to Belgium last night 4-1 ending the Americans’ run to make the “Elite Eight” in the World Cup tournament.  The decisive score of the game obviated any more commentary on just how or why FIFA changed the punishment for US striker, Folarin Balogun; the bottom line is that it did not matter even a little bit.  Some of the comments after the game focused on the lack of energy or intensity by the Americans in the game.  Maybe I am not sophisticated enough to discern such fine points; what stood out to me in the game was that the Belgians had more skillful players than the US did and to me, that explains the outcome.

A much more surprising World Cup outcome was England beating Mexico 3-2 to advance to the quarterfinals of the tournament.  The game was played in Azteca Stadium in Mexico City where the Mexican team took the field with a record of 70-17-2 which would qualify as a “home field advantage”; the last time the Mexican national team lost there was in 2013.  Moreover, Azteca Stadium sits at an altitude of 7,350 feet above sea level.  Forget “Mile High Stadum” this place is almost a mile and half high.

In England, the highest elevation is 3209 feet above sea level.  So, even if there were a soccer pitch atop Scafell Pike – – there is not – – the English could not have trained at even half the elevation of this contest.  And to add to the intrigue there, the English team played with only ten men for the last 40 minutes of the game and scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal while playing a man short.

Amazing …

Finally, this from George Carlin:

“If you can’t beat them, arrange to have them beaten.”

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

 

 

Since this idea crossed my mind, I assume it also impacted others; might Brandon Sorsby spend the 2026 football season in the CFL as he prepares for draft eligibility in April 2027?  Well, the answer is a resounding “NO!” from the folks in charge of the CFL.  In a statement by the league, they did not leave a whole lot of wiggle room:

“Upholding the integrity of the league and ensuring fair competition are paramount to the CFL.  The allegations involving Brendan Sorsby are serious and concerning. At this time, the CFL will not register a contract for him, and no team will be permitted to add him to its negotiation list.”

The CFL season is about month old now and as of this morning there are two winless teams in the standings – – the Lions and the Redblacks.  Even if either team were tempted to make a run at Brendon Sorsby, that avenue has been cut off.

Moving on …   This item has been hanging around on my clipboard for several weeks now.  Back in April, the folks at Churchill Downs announced that they were going to buy the branding rights for the Preakness Stakes and for the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes, the sister race that happens on the day before the Preakness.  Evidently, the idea was that Churchill Downs would lease back the rights to the Maryland horse racing officials to stage the two races each year.  Before you ask, I don’t understand the subtleties of that transaction but that is what has been widely reported.

Well, the State of Maryland must understand something in that proposition that it does not like because Maryland governor, Wes Moore, announced that the State of Maryland would “exercise its right of first refusal to match the Churchill Downs offer of $85M” for those branding rights.  Don’t ask me to explain the nuances here but the Governor’s remarks make it clear that something important was contained in the original offer by Churchill Downs:

“The Preakness Stakes is more than just a race.  It is a cornerstone of Maryland’s history, culture and economy.  This decision (to match the Churchill Downs bid) secures a vital asset for our state allowing Maryland to shape its horse racing destiny and by leveraging the Preakness’s iconic status and partnering with industry experts to enhance the fan experience  and preserve Maryland’s position as a key power player in the Triple Crown for generations to come.”

Who knew?  Certainly not I …

Switching gears …  The MLBPA presented some of its ideas to the baseball owners as the early stages of negotiations for a new CBA chug along.  The union suggested that the trade deadline to be moved to a window between July 21-27. Currently, the Commissioner’s office chooses a date annually between July 28 and Aug. 3. This year’s trade deadline is Aug. 3.

The players are onto something here; the trade deadline was in mid-June once upon a time and rosters after that time were more firmly set than is the case today.  I like the idea of an earlier trade deadline, and I would like to see it moved a lot more than a week or so; make the trade deadline July 1 every season and deal with it.

The union went off the reservation with the addendum to that original proposal.  They want to make some trades available after the trade deadline.  That sort of negates the idea of a “deadline” but that seems not have bothered the authors here.

The union wants to expand major league rosters from 26 players to 28 players for the first two weeks of the regular season.  Owners will reflexively oppose that idea since that adds two more “major league level salaries” to their books even for only a couple of weeks.  My sense is that the union put this on the table as a bargaining chip somewhere down the line.

The union also set forth a slew of proposals to regulate – – and presumably to reduce – – the back and forth for players with the parent club and the minor leagues.  As with the roster expansion idea noted above, this is a mere ripple in the negotiations where a salary cap and salary floor are out there for discussion.  All these ideas being floated now are ancillary to the big-ticket issue in reaching a new CBA.  There are still more than four months to go before the current CBA expires so there is no real urgency to get moving on any “big stuff” so this is the phase where each side will offer up “wish list items”.

Significant action in situations like this demand urgency and urgency is related to deadlines.  The big deadline here is December 1, 2026; that is when the current CBA expires; it will probably be until the month of November before serious give-and-take talks take place.  Nothing will happen now because the next scheduled meeting of the negotiators is not until the All-Star break in mid-July.

Finally, keep this sports-themed thought with you over the Holiday weekend:

“The British blew a 13-colony lead …”

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

 

 

There are some big names on the move in the NBA so far in this offseason.  And of course, the biggest name of all – – LeBron James – – will ponder his options for a while before selecting the fan base who will then be expected to adore him for the next year or two.  [Aside:  Is LeBron James the Aaron Rodgers of the NBA or is Aaron Rodgers the LeBron James of the NFL?]  Let’s review the bidding:

• Bucks traded Giannis to the Heat for 4 players and 4 first-round picks.  On the assumption that Giannis’ injury from last season was an aberration and that he can mesh well with Bam Adebayo and Tyler Hero, that trade should make the Heat a serious contender in the NBA East.
• Grizzlies traded Ja Morant to the Blazers for Kris Murray and Jerami Grant.  Morant looked at one time to be a rising superstar in the league; off-court behaviors and injuries changed that perception.  From the Grizzlies perspective, this trade looks as if they have given up having to deal with an infant terrible.
• Hornets traded LaMelo Ball to the Timberwolves for Naz Reed and a basketful of picks and pick swaps that extend all the way out to 2033.  My sense is that the Hornets have decided to rebuild and that made this trade thinkable.
• Hornets traded Miles Bridges to the Suns along with a 2029 first round pick and got back Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale plus a first round pick in 2033.  This solidifies my sense that the Hornets are in rebuilding mode.
• Celtics traded Jaylen Brown to the Sixers in exchange for Paul George and two first round picks plus two second round picks.  I have no idea how or why the Celtics made this trade, but I have learned not to second-guess Celtics’ GM, Brad Stevens.

These big name moves – along with several much less dramatic roster alterations – have created a lot of buzz around the NBA for the last week or two.  And there is one other story floating around out there that could create more hyperactivity on the Internet.

• Ben Simmons says he is ready to return to the NBA.

In case you have forgotten, Simmons was the overall #1 pick in the NBA Draft by the Sixers in 2016.  Let’s just say that his time in Philly was tumultuous and that he was traded to the Net and then to the Clippers without coming close to the star status that one might expect from an overall #1 pick.  Simmons showed defensive skills and excellent passing skills in his previous encounter with the NBA, but he almost refused to shoot the basketball, and offense is a critical element of NBA basketball.

Simmons asserts that he has exorcised the demons that clouded his previous times in the league and sort of like Richard Nixon during his return to politics in the 1960s, Simmons has pronounced himself as rested and ready.   Here is what he said in an interview with Men’s Health magazine:

“I plan on getting as strong as I can physically, getting my ass on the court, and then the team realizing that my abilities will be needed.  …  You can’t teach 6’ 10” and IQ.”

He’s right, you know.  Neither size nor intellect can be taught.  And in that final statement, Simmons plants the seeds of doubt for his return.  When he was previously in the league and disappointing coaches and fans from Philly to LA, he was then 6’ 10” and had his same IQ.  It didn’t all work out for the best then; might it work out better now?  Teams will have to decide on the likelihood of  that outcome in 2026 and going forward.

My assessment of Ben Simmons is that he had/has some prodigious talents that he wasted in his early years by spending way too much time cultivating celebrity status and not working on the deficiencies in his basketball game.  Simmons can declare himself a changed person, but it will be the assessment(s) of various NBA GMs and coaches that decide if a team will be willing to give him a landing spot for his return to the league.

Moving on …  I want to pose a question here.  The NBA has had a problem with teams tanking seasons as a strategy for becoming a contending team down the road.  The league has wrestled with “fixes” for that strategic behavior over the years; while nothing has been a perfect cure for the “tanking problem”, the NBA has acknowledged it and tried to make it better.  With that as a backdrop, think about this:

• When MLB teams “sell off” their best players at the trade deadline, isn’t that a “tanking strategy” that could cast doubt on the integrity of MLB games?

You make the call …

Finally, this from Mel Brooks:

“Bad taste is simply saying the truth before it should be said.”

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

 

 

I previously noted here that the Tunisians fired their coach in the middle of the World Cup tournament games to no avail; Tunisia is not in the Knockout Round.  That may be a step below the aftermath of the South Korean’s team failure to make the Knockout Round; you make the call:

• Granted, the South Koreans waited until after the team was eliminated from the tournament to do whatever they felt it necessary to do.
• The South Korean President – Lee Jae Myung – – said he was “utterly baffled” by the team’s quick elimination and he immediately accepted the resignation of the team’s coach – Hong Myong-bo.  [Not so outrageous here.]
• Then President Lee ordered an investigation into all the country’s sports entities that received government assistance.  [Really?]
• Specifically, President Lee wants the investigation to see if “favoritism, incompetence, and improper use of taxpayer funds contributed to the team’s failure.”  [The Tunisian action seems quite measured by comparison.]

Floyd Mayweather has been charged with a criminal complaint in Las Vegas and at the center of the complaint is the assertion that he passed a bad check.  When I read that sub-headline, I experienced cognitive dissonance.  Floyd Mayweather earned more than $1B as a boxer and a showman; and now he is writing bad checks?  Mayweather even gave himself the nickname “Money” which makes such assertions a bit ironic.

Here is the background according to the authorities …  In December 2024, Mayweather went to a Las Vegas jeweler with whom he had done business in the past and purchased an Audemars Piguet watch for $200K writing a check to the jeweler for the transaction..  [Aside:  A cursory search on Google would lead me to conclude that $200K is a mid-range price for watches of this heritage.]

The check bounced.  Efforts by the jeweler to complete the sale have not worked and so now Mayweather faces charges that include felony theft and in Nevada the penalty for felony theft can be as much as 20 years in the hoosegow.

In addition to my confusion about how someone ho had earned more than $1B in his lifetime could be charged with floating bad checks, there was something else that made me shake my head:

• Do people still wear wrist watches?
• The date and time are prominently displayed on my cell phone’s “front page”.

Moving on but sticking with criminal charges involving athletes …  Two former NBA players, Malik Beasley and Ed Davis, have been indicted for illegal gambling and point shaving.  According to a Federal indictment, the charges focus on four specific games in the 2023-24 NBA season.  In the indictment, the allegation is that Beasley had lost millions of dollars gambling during his NBA career and that he then agreed to manipulate his statistics ahead of four games during the 2023-24 season while he was with the Bucks so that his co-conspirators could wager on the stats.  Beasley used his “earnings” from these manipulations to pay off his debts to West and others.

Obviously, Beasley and his attorney deny the charges and the process has a long way to go.  Interestingly, both the NBA and the NBPA have taken the stance that this is a matter they will monitor closely because it affects the “integrity of the game”, but both sides seem to wish that all this would dry up and blow away quickly and quietly.

And the beat goes on …  The Detroit Lions have released starting CB Terrion Arnold; this is not the time of year for such personnel moves; and once again, it is the long arm of the law that is involved here.  Arnold was arrested a few days ago and faces 8 felony charges including 3 counts of armed robbery and 3 counts of kidnapping.  Arnold was released with a bond of $1M and two conditions:

1. Home confinement save for “NFL travel” or “legal appointments”.  His passport was confiscated.  [With his release by the Lions, “NFL travel” is unnecessary.]
2. He is under a no-contact order with any of the witnesses, victims nor with any of his co-defendants.

Here is a link to the judicial procedure that led to Arnold’s home confinement.  Less than a week transpired between Arnold’s arrest and the Lions’ decision to release him.

One note from this matter – – which still has a long way to go in the justice system – – is that even one charge of kidnapping could result in a maximum penalty of life in prison.  Terrion Arnold is only 23  years old and faces three such counts.

Finally, a fitting close for today seems to be this from Oscar Wilde:

“I can resist anything but temptation.”

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

 

 

NFL teams are in the midst of OTAs – – Organized Team Activities – – which are voluntary activities for players.  When OTAs end around mid-June, the next thing on the calendar will be “Mandatory Minicamp” which in theory has all players involved.  There are always holdouts and excused absences, but minicamps have just about everyone participating or rehabbing.  But as of now, most teams have young players and roster aspirants in attendance and working for a spot on the team come September.

There are some teams that have an overlay on the general structure of OTAs; there are four teams in the league that have question marks around the starting QB position, and those teams have some veterans/recognizable names in full participation at their OTAs.

1. Browns:  They have 4 QBs trying to impress coaches and according to reports it appears that Deshaun Watson has the inside track to start on opening day.  Trying to nudge Watson to the bench are Dillon Gabriel, Shedeur Sanders and Taylen Green.  If Taylen Green is not a familiar name, he was drafted in the 6^th round back in April; he played collegiately at Boise St. and Arkansas.
2. Cards:  Kyler Murray was sent off to the Vikes and last year’s main starter – – Jacoby Brisset – – wants a new contract/contract extension that would pay him “a starter’s wage”.  He has not participated in any OTAs and there seems to be a gulf between his desires and the team’s willingness to cough up the cheese so to speak.  That leaves the Cards with Gardner Minshew and Kedon Slovis as the competitors for starting QB.
3. Falcons:  The “QB competition” in Atlanta might be a real competition.  The team acquired Tua Tagovailoa in the offseason and they have Michael Penix returning from an ACL injury last season.  Both have starting experience; both have shown times of competence and times of ineptitude; both are in their mid-20s; one of them should be the starter come September.  Also taking part in OTAs hoping for a shot as the emergency QB are Trevor Siemian (yes, he’s still an active player) and Jack Strand – – a rookie from Minnesota State.
4. Raiders:  If you believe the reporting from Raider-land, the sun is shining and the birds are chirping and all is well in the cosmos.  Kirk Cousins has taken rookie wunderkind, Fernando Menzdoza as his personal charge and is imparting QB-wisdom to the youngster by the hour.  Coach Kubiak says that Mendoza is “working his tail off” and that the rookie QB is “all ball” and “no B.S.”.  In addition, the Raiders have their eye on Aiden O’Connell and Jacob Clark as the scout-team QB for the season.

These four teams above have real questions about their starting QB.  To be sure, they are not the only teams that have to deal with some uncertainty surrounding the position; but those four teams above seem to me to be different from the four teams below:

1. Colts:  On the assumption that Daniel Jones’ recovery is complete by early September and also assuming that his emergence as a competent starting QB as shown “pre-injury” last year is for real, the Colts are set at QB.  However, if either condition does not obtain as of early September, the rest of the QBs on the Colts roster is “shaly”.  Anthony Richardson Jr. is the “veteran of the group” along with Seth Henigan and Riley Leonard.
2. Jets:  The Jets decided about their starting QB for 2026 back in March when they traded to acquire Geno Smith.  At age 35, Smith is not the long-term answer at QB for the Jets, but he should be the guy to get the team to the point where it might identify its next QB-wannabe.  Joining Smith on the Jets’ roster this morning are Brady Cook, Clint Klubnik and Bailey Zappe.
3. Steelers:  When Aaron Rodgers agreed to return to the Steelers for 2026, their decision about who will be the starting QB fell into place.  Rodgers even attended some of the OTAs, which is not something he has always done in previous years.  Like the Jets, they need to find a longer-term answer for the starting QB  position, but the Steelers are set for 2026 absent the injury bug.
4. Vikes:  The team signed Kyler Murray to a one-year deal back in March after the Cards released him one day earlier.  Presumably, that gives him the pole position in the race to be the starting QB in Minnesota.  If that is the case, one might begin to wonder what the future holds for JJ McCarthy with the Vikes and/or the rest of the NFL.  The other two QBs vying for attention from the Vikes’ coaching staff are Max Brosmer and Carson Wentz.

            Finally, the eight NFL teams referenced here have “uncertainty” involved with their QB  position for this year or next.  Football teams and their fans prefer certainty when it comes to something so important and thus may not agree with this thought from author, Dan Millman:

“Faith means living with uncertainty – feeling your way through life, letting your heart guide you like a lantern in the dark.”

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

 

 

Earlier this week, the rant focused on players taken Overall #1 in the NBA Draft over the last 30 years and how they performed at the pro level.  A reader whose screen name is “Harboiled”, posted this comment:

“Really enjoyed your analysis of the number one draft picks. It would be really interesting to see something similar involving all the quarterbacks taken number one and how they faired. But, that’s for another day. And yes, I can now sleep peacefully at night knowing that Aaron Rodgers will be coming back for yet another year.”

Well, “another day” has arrived.  The idea was tempting as soon as I read it, but I figured I would need a weekend to compile the data.  I started Wednesday evening just to get an idea of how long it might take and then last evening after watching a Smithsonian Associates lecture via Zoom, I took up the “research” again.  Talk about getting on a roll; the next thing I knew, it was 3:30 AM and the data was compiled.  So, here is my response to Harboiled’s suggestion from earlier this week.

The NFL Draft began in 1936; Bert Bell who then owned the Eagles – and who would later become NFL Commissioner – thought up the idea and sold it to his fellow owners.  Bell obviously had some enlightened self-interest going on; the Eagles were the worst team in the league at that time, and he would get the first pick.  Whatever; the owners agreed; there was no players’ union; the Draft came to be.

Looking back, it was not common in the early portions of the Draft for a QB to go Overall #1; that may seem very strange given the current trend but between 1936 and 2000 – – 65 annual NFL Drafts – – only 18 players taken Overall #1 were QBs.  Since 2000, there have been 20 QBs taken Overall #1 in 26 Drafts.

As with the NBA draft picks, I have assigned each pick to one of six categories:

• Hall of Fame – – either inducted or someone I think deserves to be there
• Star – – Not ready to put him in the HoF but  better than the next category down
• Good Not Great – – self explanatory
• Meh! – – self explanatory
• Bust – – self-explanatory
• TBD – – Not enough data yet to categorize these players

            And now without further ado, here are the QBs taken Overall #1 in the NFL:

1944  Angelo Bertelli             Bust – – 3 years in pro football

1946  Frank Dancewiz             Bust – – No pro football stats at all

1952  Bill Wade                       Meh! – – Bounced around for 13 years

1954  Bobby Garrett                Bust – – One year in the NFL

1955  George Shaw                Meh! – – Eight seasons in the NFL

1956  Gary Glick                     Bust – – 7 years in NFL as a DB and Kicker

1958  King Hill                         Meh! – – 12 years in NFL

1959  Randy Duncan              Bust – – 1 year in the NFL

1963  Terry Baker                    Bust – – 3 seasons and a total of 4 starts

1970  Terry Bradshaw             HoF – – Obviously

1971  Jim Plunkett                  GNG – – Yes, I know he won 2 Super Bowls …

1975  Steve Bartkowski          GNG – – 12 years in NFL

1983  John Elway                    HoF – – Obviously

1987  Vinny Testaverde           GNG – – 21 years in the NFL

1989  Troy Aikman                  HoF – – Obviously

1990  Jeff George                   Meh! – – Maybe biggest squandered talent ever

1993  Drew Bledsoe                GNG – – Never got his job back from Tom Brady

1998  Peyton Manning            HoF – – Obviously

1999  Tim Couch                     Bust – – 5 undistinguished seasons in the NFL

2001  Michael Vick                  GND – – Missed several years while incarcerated

2002  David Carr                     Meh! – – In 94 games he was sacked 267 times

2003  Carson Palmer              GNG – – 14 credible seasons in the NFL

2004  Eli Manning                   HoF – –  He should be there already

2005  Alex Smith                     GNG – – 14 seasons in the NFL and horrific injuries

2007  JaMarcus Russell          Bust – – Let there be no doubt …

2009  Matthew Stafford           HoF – – I project him in the HoF when eligible

2010  Sam Bradford                Bust – – 8 mediocre seasons in the NFL

2011  Cam Newton                 GNG – – Had one GREAT year and 10 “good” years

2012  Andrew Luck                 GNG – – Was not around very long

2015  Jameis Winston             Meh! – – Great as a backup QB

2016  Jared Goff                     GNG – – Still playing well

2018  Baker Mayfield              GNG – – Had some rough years to start with

2019  Kyler Murray                  Meh! – – I tossed a coin between “Meh!” and “Bust”

2020  Joe Burrow                    Star – – Too soon to have him in HoF but he is a Star

2021  Trevor Lawrence           GNG – – Might emerge as a star?

2023  Bryce Young                  Meh! – – I am not convinced …

2024  Caleb Williams              Star – – I think he will be a Star

2025  Cam Ward                     ???  – – Sorry, not going to speculate here

2026  Fernando Mendoza       ???  – – Let him start a game before rating him

Here is my breakdown:

• Hall of Fame:  6 players
• Stars:  2 players
• Good Not Great:  12 players
• Meh!:  8 players
• Bust:  8 players
• TBD:  2 players – – Cam Ward and Fernando Mendoza

Here are two interesting takeaways from the list above:

1. It was not until the 9^th NFL Draft in 1944 that a QB went Overall #1.
2. Sixteen of those Overall #1 picks were either “Meh!” or “Bust”; Twenty were either “Hall of Fame”, “Stars” or “Good Not Great”.  Teams making these picks did not do much better than a coin flip on pro performance.

Here are four other observations from looking at past NFL Drafts:

1. The Eagles had the Overall #1 pick in the first two Drafts and were unable to sign either player.
2. In the 5 Drafts between 1972 and 1976, teams took 4 Defensive Ends and 1 QB as the Overall #1 pick.
3. In the 3 Drafts between 1968 and 1970, the player taken Overall #1 made it to the Hall of Fame (Ron Yary, OJ Simpson and Terry Bradshaw)
4. The last player taken Overall #1 to make the Hall of Fame is Peyton Manning drafted in 1998.

Finally, the outcome of having the Overall #1 has an element of luck involved in the selection and so I’ll close with this declaration by comedian Steven Wright:

“I busted a mirror and got seven years bad luck, but my lawyer thinks he can get me five.”

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