The Sports Curmudgeon

On the old ESPN Radio program, Mike and Mike, they would often return from a commercial break by saying they were “back and better than ever”.  Well, I’m back – – and let’s leave it at that.  I survived the safari and was not eaten by a lion; the fact that I am pecking this out on a keyboard demonstrates that I survived the 15+ hour flight home that also changed 6 time zones.  [Aside:  I handle jetlag well; that flight experience was most trying; let that be a word to the wise…]

I have been completely isolated from US sports for more than two weeks; I have not seen any college football and only last night did I see part of the Thursday Night game before nodding off late in the first half with the Bills ahead 24-7.  I mention all that because I am going to try to turn this into a watered down Football Friday just because …

So let me begin with the traditional look at the football fortunes of the Wildcats of Linfield University; the school has not had a losing season in football since 1956.  Last weekend, Linfield opened the season by hosting Denison University and won that game 31-7.  This weekend, Linfield plays another non-conference game – – this time on the road against Wisconsin-Oshkosh.  Go Wildcats!

Back before these rants were on hiatus, I did a college football preview rant and identified Nebraska as a “sleeper team” for 2024 because they finished last season well and traditionally Matt Rhule’s teams tend to improve in his second year at the helm.  Nebraska beat Colorado last weekend to stretch their record to 2-0 at the start of this year.  Go Huskers!

 

College Football Commentary:

 

            As noted above, I have seen no college football with my own eyes to date in the 2024 season, so this commentary is – – at best – – a mile wide and an eighth of an inch deep.  Just this week, the remnants of the PAC-12 (Oregon State and Washington State) shanghaied 4 teams from the Mountain West Conference in an attempt to resurrect a new PAC-12.  As of now, there are 6 teams in the attempted reconstruction, and they are in alphabetical order:

1. Boise State
2. Colorado State
3. Fresno State
4. Oregon State (holdover)
5. San Diego State
6. Washington State (holdover)

Six teams do not a conference make; ergo I would expect to see the “Fledgling PAC-12” out and about seeking at least two more schools and maybe as many as six more schools to throw in with them such as …

• New Mexico State – – it fits the theme of every team being “Something State”
• UNLV – – geographically fitting
• Air Force – – right next door to Colorado State
• Idaho – – geographically fitting and right next door to Washington State
• Wyoming – – why not?
• UTEP – – if New Mexico State is in, UTEP is just down the road a piece.

And if any/all of that happens, what will become of the Mountain West Conference?

Going into the 2024 season, I thought Florida State was going to be a powerhouse to the point that they might have contended for a BYE in the first round of the expanded CFP.  Forget that.  The Seminoles opened the season with a loss to Georgia Tech in a game played in Dublin, Ireland.  OK, that might be forgiven since Georgia Tech was significantly improved last year and brought back most of their offensive players.  But Florida State came back to the States and lost again to BC leaving the Seminoles at 0-2.  [Aside:  Georgia Tech also lost their next game to Syracuse; so, the idea that Tech is some sort of nascent juggernaut seems to have gone out the window.]

With the CFP expanded to 12 teams this year, it is possible that there will be a team or two in the field with two losses on the record.  That means at a minimum. Florida State will need to win out impressively to make the selectors forget these two stinkeroos when December rolls around.

And speaking of a stinkeroo – – Notre Dame wet the bed last week at home in South Bend losing to Northern Illinois in what was supposed to be a cupcake game for the Irish.  For the record, Northern Illinois was paid $1.4M to come to South Bend to take their shellacking.  Ooops …

In case you forgot, Northern Illinois is in the MAC; a team aspiring to the CFP must not lose to a team in the MAC.  Take your mind back to 2007 when the BCS only had two teams playing off for the National Championship.  USC was a powerhouse that year but managed to lose a game to Stanford when the Trojans were 41-point favorites at kickoff.  It was Stanford’s only win of the year and it kept USC out of the playoff game.  The Irish were 28-point favorites here and similarly lost outright; fortunately for Notre Dame, there are 12 slots in the playoffs this year not only 2 …

In case you think this was some sort of flukey win by Northern Illinois, the Huskies ran the ball for 190 yards in the game and outgained the Irish 388 yards to 286 yards.  The Irish had a shot to win the game with a field goal in the final minute and had the attempt blocked.

Another result that jumped out at me was Texas 31 Michigan 12 with the game in Ann Arbor.  In the last couple of years, Michigan – – under Jim Harbaugh – – was a team that bullied opponents and ran the ball hard and often.  In this game, Texas was the bully:

• Longhorns outgained Wolverines by more than 100 yards
• Wolverines only gained 80 yards rushing
• Longhorns gained 143 yards rushing
• Longhorns were 10 for 16 on third-down conversions
• Wolverines were 3 for 12 on third-down conversions

Penn State won last weekend – – extending their record to 2-0- – but did not look good doing so.  The Nittany Lions trailed at halftime at home to Bowling Green (another MAC team) and had to rally in the second half to win by a TD.  For the record, Penn State went off as a 34.5-point favorite in the game.  That is not a good look for a CFP-aspirant…

I got an email from a reader who is an alum of Temple University.  He knew I would be out-of-touch and would probably not focus on Temple’s football fortunes as soon as I got back; so, he included this dismal stat about the Temple Owls and posed a question:

“In the first two games Temple has scored 1 TD and has turned the ball over 9 times.  Can any team match that?”

I have no idea if any team can match that – – but I do know that if that sort of performance persists in 2024, it will be a season to forget on campus in North Philly.

One other early season observation deals with Missouri.  Remember that the Tigers closed out the 2023 season by beating Ohio State in a Bowl Game.  Mizzou is 2-0 this year beating Murray State and Buffalo which is not such a big deal.  What just might be a big deal is that Missouri has not allowed a point in those two victories.  The 6^th ranked Tigers should get a sterner test this week when they host 24^th ranked Boston College.

Just before I left, there was a depressing story related to college football.  An assistant coach at Austin Peay was arrested and charged with ‘human trafficking”; he was charged with one count of “trafficking for sexual servitude”.  The assistant coach resigned from his position after the arrest and the school accepted that resignation.  There have been notable instances when lurid allegations turn out to be not much more than allegations, but these charges are such that the school had to find a way to distance itself from the situation as best it could.  The coach is innocent until proven guilty at trial; Austin Peay could not wait for that process to play itself out.

 

NCAA Games of Interest:

 

Alabama – 16 at Wisconsin (49.5):  Wisconsin is 2-0 on the season but the wins have come over Western Michigan and South Dakota.  Alabama is a “step up” in class for the Badgers…

Memphis at Florida St. – 6.5 (54):  Even though it is only Week 3, this is a “must-win” for Florida St.

LSU – 6.5 at S. Carolina (48):  The Gamecocks are 2-0 on the season and have a road win over Kentucky already.  Could be interesting…

Washington St. at Washington – 5 (55.5):  This is the Apple Bowl game usually played at the end of every season back in “PAC-12 days”.  At least the traditional rivalry game survived the implosion of the conference.

Oregon – 17 at Oregon St. (50):  This is the Civil War game usually played at the end of every season back in the “PAC-12 days”.  At least the traditional rivalry game survived the implosion of the conference.

Notre Dame – 9 at Purdue (47):  A “must-win” for the Irish…

Troy at Iowa – 23 (39):  Can you trust Iowa to score more than 23 points in a game?

Indiana – 3 at UCLA (46.5):  Indiana is 2-0 having outscored its opponents 108-10.  However, those opponents were Florida International and Western Illinois.  UCLA is 1-0 having eked out a win at Hawaii two weeks ago by a field goal.

 

NFL Commentary:

 

Before focusing on the NFL, let me insert a note here about the Canadian Football league.  This tidbit came to me in an email from Gregg Drinnan, the former sports editor of the Kamloops Daily News.  If you have never seen a CFL game, I need to tell you about a rule in CFL football that does not exist here in the “Lower 48”.  There is a scoring play called a rouge.  A rouge is worth one point when …

• … a punt or a missed field-goal attempt is kicked into the other team’s end zone and the opposing team does not catch the ball and run it out of its own end zone.

Professor Drinnan pointed out that a CFL game ended with a “Walk-off rouge” and that might be a first.  Here is the email I received:

“You won’t ever see this happen in the NFL. LOL!

“We had a walk-off rouge in the CFL on Thursday night as the host Toronto Argonauts beat the Saskatchewan Roughriders, 20-19. K Lirim Hajrullahu’s 40-yard field goal as time ran out in the fourth quarter was wide left but sailed through the end zone for a single point, breaking a 19-19 tie. . ..

“The game likely shouldn’t have been that close as the Argos (6-4) turned over the ball three times on downs when stopped on third-and-goal attempts from the one yard-line. . ..

“Toronto QB Chad Kelly, the most outstanding player in the CFL last season, was 24-of-39 for 322 yards and an interception. This game marked his return from what was a nine-game suspension for being in violation of the CFL’s gender-based violence policy. . ..

“Saskatchewan K Brett Lauther, who missed four of seven field goal attempts last week in a 27-24 loss to the visiting Montreal Alouettes, was 4-for-4 in this one. . .

“The Roughriders are 5-5-1.”

Here is something to look for that is peripheral to NFL on-field action this year.  In 2016 and again in 2020, the NFL’s TV ratings went down.  That news generated two narratives:

1. The NFL has peaked in popularity.  The game is too dangerous.  The bubble is about to burst.
2. This is a Presidential-election year and people are more focused on non-sports events in such years.  This too shall pass.

Deshaun Watson needs a bridge over troubled waters again.  [Hat tip to Simon and Garfunkel].  Having emerged bloodied from a series of sexual assault allegations, he now faces a new charge by a woman in Houston who says he exposed himself and sexually assaulted her in her apartment.  One report I read said that she had “video” of the incident which allegedly occurred back in 2020.  Watson denies the allegation; the NFL is “investigating” and will supposedly meet with the accuser.  As of now, Watson is not suspended nor is he on the Commissioner’s Exempt List meaning he can still play for the Browns.  But as a local disc-jockey used to say on a rock-and-roll station where I grew up, “the hits just keep on coming…” for Deshaun Watson.  Best thing to do now is to reserve judgment until lots more info is revealed.

The Jets are unfathomable.  Last year they won 7 games with incompetent QB play.  Their defense made them worthy opponents just about every week.  Now Rodgers is back and he played well – – if not spectacularly – – last week but the Jets’ defense was a no-show.  What is that all about?  At one point in the game, the 49ers scored on EIGHT consecutive drives.

No one should be surprised that Bengals lost their opener; they seem to start every season in the hole.  Since Zac Taylor took over in Cincy, the Bengals are 1-10 in the first two weeks of the season.  This one was really strange; Bengals were 7.5-point favorites over the Pats – – a team expected to contend for the overall #1 pick next year and they lost outright 16-10 at home.

Meanwhile, the Browns were dismantled by the Cowboys 33-17.  Maybe Deshaun Watson was “distracted” here?

The Steelers beat the Falcons 18-10.  The Steelers kicked 6 FGs in the game and won with their defense.  The Steelers are the only team in the AFC North to win the opener.

The Vikes beat Giants 28-6.  That was Sam Darnold back there for the Vikes completing his first 12 passes in a row.

The Panthers lost badly in Week 1 to Saints 47-10.  Moreover, they lost their best DL, Derrick Brown, for the season with a meniscus injury requiring surgery.  Could be another 2-15 season in the making?

The Bears scored 24 points in their win over the Titans so you might think that Caleb Williams led them to victory.  Not so fast, my friend …  [Hat tip to Lee Corso]  Caleb Williams only threw for 93 yards in this game, but he got the win thanks to the Bears’ special teams and defense. Those units produced a blocked punt resulting in a TD and a Pick-Six in the fourth quarter. But a win is a win for the overall #1 pick in last year’s draft…

The Bucs beat the Commanders 37-20 in Jayden Daniels’ debut game.  Here is an important question for Commanders’ coaches to ponder:

• Where was the Commanders defense? 

The Commanders’ pass coverage was not existent, and Bucs converted 9 of 13 third down situations.  Baker Mayfield was nearly perfect against the Commanders, throwing for 289 yards and four touchdowns; Jayden Daniels spent lots of time running for his life; the Commanders’ OL was awful last year and did not play much better than that last week.

Last night, the Bills rolled over the Dolphins 31-10.  For what it is worth, the Bills have now won 12 of their last 13 games against the Dolphins.  More importantly for the Dolphins, Tua Tagovailoa had to leave the game in the second half with a concussion and one report this morning said it could be 8-12 weeks until he is cleared to return.  As of this morning, the Dolphins depth chart shows Skylar Thompson as the only QB cleared to play.  That situation will not obtain for long…

 

Games This Week:

 

Raiders at Ravens – 9 (41):  Both teams lost their openers, but the Raiders looked bad against the Chargers while the Ravens played the Chiefs to the wire.

Chargers – 5 at Panthers (39):  Expect the Chargers to run the ball a lot in this game…

Saints at Cowboys – 6 (46.5):  Both teams were impressive last week; between the two of them, they scored a total of 80 points.  Call this the Game of the Week.

Bucs at Lions – 7.5 (51): Baker Mayfield torched the Commanders’ secondary last week; the Lions should be a much better adversary this week.

Colts – 2.5 at Packers (41):  Malik Willis will be the QB for the Packers in place of Jordan Love here.  Anthony Richardson is likely to be his erratic self in this game.  It could be fun to watch, or it could be cringe-worthy…

Browns at Jags – 3 (41):  Both teams lost their openers; the Jags kept it close against the Dolphins; the Browns were steamrollered.

Niners – 4.5 at Vikes (46.5):  Both teams won handily last week; several touts have picked the Vikes as their “Upset of the Week”.

Seahawks – 3 at Pats (38):  Can the Pats win another one here as the Seahawks face a body clock game?

Jets – 3.5 at Titans (41):  Could be the Dog-Breath Game of the Week…

Giants at Commanders – 2.5 (42):  Here is the REAL Dog-Breath Game of the Week…

Rams at Cards – 1 (47.5):  Cards looked good against the Bills in Week 1 despite losing.

Bengals at Chiefs – 6 (48):  Will the Bengals open yet another season at 0-2?

Steelers – 2.5 at Broncos (36.5):  Can the Steelers score a TD this week?  Bo Nix led the Broncos rushing in Week 1, that is not a recipe for success against the Steelers.

(Sun Nite) Bears at Texans – 6 (45.5):  Caleb Williams will need to produce a lot more offense this week than last week.

(Mon Nite) Falcons at Eagles – 6.5 (47):  This game was the runner-up as the Game of the Week.

 

Finally, words from Vince Lombardi:

“Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.

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

 

The Seattle Mariners have been in a tailspin since the All-Star Break; just in their last 10 games, the record is a measly 2-8; the Mariners find themselves 5.5 games behind the Astros in the AL West and would not be in the playoffs if the season ended now.  So, of course, the Mariners fired manager Scott Servais.  According to a Tweet from Adam Jude of the Seattle Times, Servais “learned of his firing this morning from a breaking news alert on social media, a couple hours before he was scheduled to meet with [Mariners’ GM] Jerry Dipoto.”  I have to be honest here; I didn’t realize that it was Servais who had been striking out with men in scoring position over the last 2-3 weeks.

Moving on …  The Washington Commanders and the Philadelphia Eagles consummated an interdivisional trade yesterday.  The Commanders sent former first-round WR, Jahan Dotson, and a fifth-round pick to the Eagles in exchange for a third-round pick and two seventh-round picks.  This trade has the potential to be interesting on several levels

• Dotson was in contention to be the Commanders #2 WR; barring injury, there is no way he gets that role with the Eagles over Devonta Smith and AJ Brown.
• Trading away a recent first-round pick makes it clear that anyone from the previous regime in Washington is expendable.
• Dotson has not lived up to “first-round-pick status” in his first two years in the NFL, but he is still on his rookie contract.  A small point in his defense is that he has not had top-shelf QBs throwing the ball to him in Washington.  Jalen Hurts may not be the best QB in the NFL, but he is better than either Carson Wentz, Taylor Heinicke or Sam Howell.

My guess is that the Eagles got the better end of this deal unless Dotson is a total waste of skin in Philly.  The price for Dotson is basically a pick exchange – – a third for a fifth – – and two seventh round picks that are basically “Hail Mary selections.”  [Aside:  Yes, I know that Jamal Anderson, Brock Purdy and Shannon Sharpe were all seventh-round picks.]

File this in the category of “Hope springs eternal”.  One fanboy in this area suggested on a sports radio program soon after this trade was announced that the Commanders made the trade to create a roster spot for Brandon Aiyuk who will be acquired by the Commanders in the immediate future.

And speaking of Brandon Aiyuk, his contract status and trade status seem to be stagnant for the moment and with all the media attention focused there, many folks do not realize that the Niners have another player in a holdout situation over contract negotiations.  That player is Trent Williams and here is the thing:

• Aiyuk is a very good receiver but not nearly the best in the league.
• Williams is the best OT in the NFL.

Switching gears …  The college football season sort of begins this weekend with four games involving Division 1-A teams.  The most visible game will take place in Dublin, Ireland when Florida State and Georgia Tech will meet in a conference game before Labor Day.  The Seminoles are the reigning ACC Champs; Georgia Tech was 5-3 in conference games last season and went to a bowl game for the first time since 2018 which was Paul Johnson’s last year at Georgia Tech.

Florida State opened as a 12.5-point favorite in the game but this morning the line is at 10.5 points most places with two sportsbooks posting the game at 10 points.  There must be significant “Tech money” showing up at the betting window…

The other game this weekend where both teams are Division 1-A is SMU at Nevada.  SMU started off as a 20-point favorite in this match-up but the line this morning is all the way up to 26.5 points.

The other two games involving Division 1-A teams are:

1. Montana State at New Mexico.  New Mexico is the Division 1-A school, and the Lobos are at home.  Not to worry, Montana State is a solid 13.5-point favorite this morning and that line is significantly up from the opening line of 9 points.  Montana State may be the “little guy” in this contest, but it is dominating the betting windows anyway.
2. Delaware State at Hawaii.  The Delaware State team is flying almost 5000 miles to Honolulu, and they are 40-point underdogs to a Hawaii team looking to improve over a miserable 3-10 record in 2023.

If you happen to tune into one of these games this weekend, you will notice a new thing about college football.  There will be two-minute warnings in the second quarter and the fourth quarter as there are in NFL games.  College football has recognized the fact that some games are much longer than they need to be and has tried to implement rules to stay away from games that might take 4-hours to play.  Somehow, adding two-minute warnings does not fit with those recent “speed-up changes”.

Another change for this year will not be visible until December 19 and 20 when the expanded CFP will put on its first-round games.  Until this year, any college football games on or near those dates were bowl games and bowl games are usually neutral site encounters in off-campus facilities.  This year, the CFP first-round games will be held on college campuses and the sites will be determined by the seedings of the teams in the CFP structure.

Finally, a closing thought from Oprah Winfrey:

“You can have it all.  You just can’t have it all at once.”

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

 

 

ESPN fired two of its on-air personalities recently.  RG3 will no longer be part of the network’s college football coverage or ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown; Sam Ponder will no longer host Sunday NFL Countdown.  According to ESPN, these decisions were simply part of a larger cost-cutting business strategy.  OK, I can understand that – – except – – ESPN also said that the balance of the two contracts would be honored.  So, I do not understand how those two firings reduce costs in any way.  But I am not an ESPN accounting maven, so what do I know?  Maybe if either Griffin or Ponder gets a job on some other network/station, there are offset clauses that might kick in?

Reports said that Griffin was making “seven figures” at ESPN and still had two years to go on his contract; Ponder was at the start of the final year of her deal at ESPN reportedly making $3M per year.  What I find interesting is the timing of this decision.  The college football season dips its toe in the water this weekend and goes into full-blast mode in 10 days; the NFL kicks off on September 5^th which is two weeks from tomorrow.  That seems to me to be cutting it awfully close with personnel changes to several of ESPN’s more important programs.

Sunday NFL Countdown is the more interesting situation from my perspective.  That program has a good history with the network; Chris Berman was the anchor there for years until ESPN replaced him with Suzy Kolber and then Sam Ponder.  Berman and Kolber were synonymous with ESPN coverage of football; Ponder began her career there with some very rough edges, but she worked through them and has been a solid presence on the program for a couple of years.  And now she has to be replaced in a couple of weeks and the new cadre of “talkers” on the program will have to figure out their new pecking order live and in person.  Strange…

There was lots of speculation about who might replace Ponder on the show; ESPN announced early this week that Mike Greenberg would take over her seat at the table.  I like Mike Greenberg, and he certainly has a boatload of experience as someone who orchestrates/facilitates a panel driven program.  What I worry about is that Mike Greenberg is being spread very thinly:

• Greenberg hosts Get Up! five days a week on ESPN.  The program is live and is two hours long.
• Greenberg hosts Greeny on ESPN Radio five days a week.  The program is live and is two hours long.
• Greenberg hosts the NFL Draft coverage for ESPN.  That assignment is only once a year, but it is a major time commitment for him in terms of preparation and in terms of time on the air.
• And now he gets the seat at the head of the table for Sunday NFL Countdown …

One report I read said that Greenberg’s contract with ESPN earns him $14M per year.  The network is getting its money’s worth for that deal.

Moving on …  After the Boston Celtics won the NBA Championship a couple months ago, the majority owner of the team announced that the team was up for sale.  That sort of juxtaposition is unusual to say the least but there is always something to be said for “selling high” in the business world.  And then earlier this week there was a report at CBSSports.com that unnamed officials within the NBA are hoping that the Celtics sale will be for $6B.  Say what…?

About a year ago, the Washington Commanders sold for $6B.  I understand that the Celtics are one of the most valuable franchises in the NBA along with the Lakers and the Knicks but $6B …!!  Steve Balmer bought the Clippers for $2B ten years ago; Matt Ishbia bought the Suns for $4B two years ago.  Yes, the Celtics are more valuable than the Clippers and/or the Suns and yes, there is a new TV deal for the NBA that is about to kick in at stratospheric levels.  But is an NBA team worth the price of an NFL team?  If I had $6B to spare in my bank account, I know which league I would be buying into.

The latest report I read on this matter says that Bill Simmons has floated the idea that Jeff Bezos has a “real interest” in bidding for the Celtics.  Forbes says that Bezos’ net worth is $199.5B meaning that even if Forbes has overestimated that wealth by a significant fraction, Bezos does have $6B to spare rattling around in his bank account.  Bezos was also rumored to have been interested in buying the Commanders last year but chose then to stay on the sidelines.

Simmons offered an explanation why NBA officials want the Celtics to go for $6B.  His explanation is that the NBA is about to expand by two teams very soon after the new TV deal kicks in and the league wants the expansion fee to be $6B apiece for the two new franchises.  There are 30 teams in the league now; if expansion brings in a total of $12B, that means each current owner will get approximately $400M from the two new owners.  So, there is indeed motivation on the part of the league to get the Celtics top dollar in the marketplace.

Where might two new NBA franchises emerge?

• Seattle would seem to be a mortal lock here.
• Las Vegas is a strong contender.  However, the addition of two teams that must be in the NBA Western Conference might be problematic.
• Mexico City is a dark horse.  It would give the NBA another “international team” which is clearly part of the NBA’s strategic planning.

If I could wave a magic wand, I would find a place for an NBA team to play somewhere convenient to Tidewater, Virginia and convenient to the Research Triangle in North Carolina.  But as I said above, I do not have a spare $6B in my bank account.

Finally, since today has dealt with ESPN cost cutting and with $6B NBA franchises, let me close with these words from Sen Everett Dirksen (R-IL) related to government spending:

“A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you’re talking real money.”

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

 

 

Sometimes, the world of sports intersects with the world of entertainment.  Today is one of those times – – and I am not going to rant on anything related to Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift.  It seems that the movie industry has a project underway to produce a biopic of John Madden; the producer for the film is David O. Russell.  Madden is sufficiently “larger than life” to give this movie a chance of being good.  Russell announced that he had reached an agreement with Nicolas Cage to play the part of John Madden.

Say what?  Unless they put Cage in a “fat suit” or unless Cage sets about to gain at least 100 pounds, there will be some sort of credibility issue there.  In fact, Nicolas Cage would be a perfect body type to play Al Davis in the movie if he would agree to wear dark glasses and some of the most hideous jumpsuits ever made as costumes in the film.  When I think of someone playing John Madden, my mind wanders toward some actors who would need to be exhumed to play the role such as:

• John Candy
• Charles Laughton
• Orson Welles

The best I can come up with in terms of actors still vertical and taking nourishment is John Goodman or perhaps Kevin James.  John Madden made several commercials for Miller Lite; seems to me in this biopic he is going to be portrayed as Madden-Lite.

Moving on …  There was a report last week that Michigan had invited Jim Harbaugh to be an honorary captain for the first home football game in Ann Arbor.  About a day later, Harbaugh announced that he would not be doing that.  I don’t know who had the idea to invite Harbaugh in the first place but that was a bad idea.  I don’t care if you think Harbaugh was railroaded by the NCAA in terms of violations and sanctions or if you think he is being used by the NCAA as a scapegoat for their inability to govern the games they are supposed to govern.  In any case, Harbaugh’s presence as an honorary captain at the game could not do much more than to flick a forming scab off a wound.

Likewise, I don’t know how it came to pass that Jim Harbaugh chose not to take on that role, but that is a much better idea than the original one.

Switching gears …  For the last week or so, the Dublin contingent of the family – – The FOG and his parents – – have been visiting.  My time to research stuff for these rants has been diminished over that time.  So, this next item comes to you from an email I received from Gregg Drinnan, the former sports editor of the Kamloops Daily News.

“Thought you might be interested in a CFL game from Thursday night, Ottawa Redblacks at Calgary Stampeders…

“QB Jeremiah Masoli (Oregon, Mississippi) won his first game in 999 days as Ottawa won, 31-29, on a 51-yard Lewis Ward field goal as time ran out in the fourth quarter. Masoli was 27-of-35 for 254 yards and one TD. That was his first TD pass since July 8, 2022…  He hadn’t played in a game in 404 days. Came back from Achilles tear only to suffer broken leg on July 8, 2023… Dru Brown had been starting for Ottawa, but he now has leg injury of some kind…  Masoli had signed with Ottawa prior to 2022 season after eight seasons in Hamilton…  Ottawa (6-2-1) is 4-0-1 in its last five games. Calgary (4-6-0) had been 4-0 at home (and is 0-5 on the road).”

I had not even checked the CFL scores for that week let alone come across any part of that storyline; so, thanks to Gregg Drinnan for that.

Next up …  In English soccer, I have mentioned Luton Town FC before as an interesting story.  At one point they were so disorganized and unsuccessful that the team was relegated out of the lowest tier of professional football in England, but they righted the ship and actually clawed their way back to the Premier League last season.  It was only a cameo appearance for Luton Town as they were relegated to the EFL Championship level at the end of the season.

The 2024/2025 season has begun in England; Luton Town has played two games in the Championship and has one draw and one loss.  But that is not nearly as interesting as what happened to the Luton Town goalkeeper in a game against Portsmouth.

• In the 29^th minute, keeper Thomas Kaminski got a yellow card for “time wasting”.
• Two and a half minutes later Kaminski “ventured outside his box making challenges on two Portsmouth players to receive his second yellow” – – and in soccer two yellows equals a red card.  So, the keeper was sent off.
• But a team must have a keeper on the pitch, so that meant that the Luton Town captain, who is also their best striker, had to go off the field and Luton Town had to finish the game playing only 10 players.
• Here is a link to a report at CBSSports.com on this matter.  In that link, you can see video of the keeper “making challenges”.  It looks pretty clear to me that he earned that second yellow card.

Finally, the item about Luton Town above reminded me of my high school gym class.  We were learning about soccer from our teacher who was the soccer coach and as he explained the concept of defense in soccer he said:

“Remember – – behind every goalie in every game is just an empty net.”

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

 

 

One of the logical consequences of the NFL’s aspiration to parity is that teams that finish last in their division in one season can turn around and win that same division in the subsequent season.  The shorthand for this is “Worst to first”; and of course, here in Curmudgeon Central where symmetry is appreciated, I like to look at “First to worst” too.  So, let me start down that path this morning.

Last year in the AFC West, the Chiefs finished first and the Chargers finished last.

• Chiefs:  It would take an inordinate number of injuries to consign the Chiefs to last place in the AFC West this year.
• Chargers:  New coach, new system.  However, the question mark surrounding Justin Herbert, and his plantar fasciitis makes me doubt they can vault three division rivals in one season.  Call this one a 20% chance…

Last year in the AFC South, the Texans finished first and the Titans finished last.

• Texans:  They got better when they acquired Stefon Diggs.  CJ Stroud would have to suffer a monumental sophomore slump for the Texans to drop to last place this year.
• Titans:  If Will Levis is the “real deal” and can stay healthy, the Titans might escape the AFC South cellar, but I don’t see them winning the division.

Last year in the AFC North, the Ravens finished first and the Bengals finished last.

• Ravens:  They are vulnerable at the top of the division because the other three teams in the division are good teams; the six division games will be wars.  A few bad bounces of the ball could drop the Ravens out of the top spot; a few bad bounces of the ball plus some injuries could put them at the bottom of the division this year.  Call this one a 30% chance.
• Bengals:  The Bengals finished 9-8 last year despite having Joe Burrow at QB for only 10 games.  In the AFC, I think the Bengals have the best shot at “Worst to first”; this has a 40% chance.

Last year in the AFC East, the Bills finished first and the Pats finished last.

• Bills:  With the improvement expected from the Jets, the Bills are in a tougher division this year as compared to last year – – but they are not going to finish behind the Pats.
• Pats:  They won 4 games last year; if they win 6 games this year, they will be fortunate.  No way they win the AFC East…

Last year in the NFC West, the Niners finished first and the Cards finished last.

• Niners:  They will need to overcome the “Super Bowl Loser’s Hangover” this year and may not win 12 games as they did last year, but I don’t see them finishing significantly below .500 which is how they would finish in last place this year.
• Cards:  It would not be shocking to see the Cards win more than 4 games in 2024 but the three teams above them in the standings from last year are not all going to fall apart in 2024.  No chance for “Worst to first” here.

Last year in the NFC South, the Bucs finished first and the Panthers finished last.

• Bucs:  They won the division with a 9-8 record and then won a playoff game, but they are vulnerable at the top of the division in 2024.  But I don’t see them finishing last this year.
• Panthers:  This is why I cannot see the Bucs finishing last.  The Panthers were 2-15 last year and might not have been as good as that record might indicate.  No way the Panthers win the NFC South in 2024.

Last year in the NFC North, the Lions finished first and the Bears finished last.

• Lions:  Will they be the NFC rep in the Super Bowl this year?  Will they even win the NFC North which has strong teams in it?  I think the Lions season hinges on injuries to their players and the availability of important players to their rivals.  Give the Lions a 30% chance of “First to worst”.
• Bears:  The Bears finished 7-10 with Justin Fields and Tyson Bagent as their starting QBs.  Caleb Williams should be an upgrade at that critical position.  This division is up for grabs; I give the Bears a 30% chance for “Worst to first”.

Last year in the NFC East, the Cowboys finished first and the Commanders finished last.

• Cowboys:  The Cowboys are vulnerable; they need CeeDee Lamb signed and happy; they need to find help at RB for Ezekiel Elliott; they need help in the defensive secondary and at LB.  The Cowboys have the highest likelihood of going “First to worst” in the NFL; I give this a 40% chance.
• Commanders:  New coach, new system and new QB who even as a rookie must be an upgrade over any of the team’s starting QBs since Alex Smith in 2018.  If the defensive secondary can be competent – – it was not in 2023 – – the Commanders could be a big surprise and win the NFC East.  I give that proposition a 30% chance.

Finally, I will close today with these words from Dorothy Parker; they might be illuminating with regard to the ranting above:

“It was written without fear and without research.”

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

 

 

When I woke up this morning and checked my phone, Google greeted me with a headline saying that Notre Dame has suspended its men’s swimming team for “at least one year” for gambling.  Since I have never seen a sportsbook that posted lines or props on swimming, I had to dig into that report.

The AP had a good summary of the situation.  The school hired an external law firm to investigate if swimmers had violated NCAA rules related to gambling.  The findings from that investigation revealed that about half of the men’s swim team had established a “makeshift, internal sportsbook” which allowed members of the team to wager on times achieved by themselves or by teammates at various meets.  According to the AP report, the swimmers were not found to have bet on any other Notre Dame athletic events, nor did they wager on anything related to teams other than the Notre Dame swim team.

That sounds like a clear violation of the NCAA gambling rules even though the limitations on the scope of things to be bet on are circumscribed.  It seemed to me that this might be a disproportionate response by the school, but part of the statement made by the Notre Dame Athletic director made me wonder:

“In order to ensure that this behavior ends and to rebuild a culture of dignity, respect, and exemplary conduct, we have decided to suspend the men’s swimming program for at least one academic year.”

A “culture of dignity, respect and exemplary conduct”?  The findings of the external investigators indicated a lack of dignity or respect when swimmers wagered on their times in swim meets or possibly the times of their teammates?  I can buy that the “makeshift internal sportsbook” was not exemplary conduct given that it violates NCAA rules, but what is all this alluding to “dignity” and “respect”?

The AP report says that in a group chat among the sportsbook users there were “derogatory remarks and messages” but that there was no evidence that any physical hazing had taken place.  In addition, the swimmers who were part of this gambling cabal also “bet among themselves on events such as the Super Bowl and March Madness basketball tournament games.”

Obviously, I do not have any insight into exactly what happened in this situation; but suspension of the entire team – – only about half the men’s swim team was involved in this “makeshift internal sportsbook” – – for at least an entire academic year seems like swatting a fly with a sledgehammer.

• Yes, they violated NCAA rules and the people who did that should be punished.  If Notre Dame thinks a full year’s suspension is appropriate for violating NCAA rules, that is Notre Dame’s decision.
• They bet on the Super Bowl among themselves.  I don’t know if that constitutes a violation of Indiana State Law, but even if it does, that is pretty thin gruel to support such a punishment.
• They bet on March Madness games.  If this is related to guys filling out tournament brackets among themselves to see who had the best set of picks, this gruel is as thin as the one involving Super Bowl betting.
• They made derogatory remarks on a private group chat.  Unless those remarks involved the suggestion of violation or exploitation of other people, I can’t get too exercised about the behavior there.

For the record, this behavior seems to have been confined to about half of the members of the Notre Dame men’s swimming team.  There are no suspensions or punishments allocated to the men’s diving team nor to the women’s swimming or diving teams.  The coaching staff has also been exonerated:

“The review found that the staff was not aware of gambling or the scope and extent of other troubling behaviors because team members effectively concealed such behaviors from the coaches and staff through concerted efforts.  According to the review, when the staff became aware of certain isolated incidents of unacceptable conduct, they treated them seriously and professionally.”

So, it sounds as if half the men’s swim team is being punished for something that happened that they – – and their coaches – – did not know was in existence.  And somehow that sort of “injustice” is an acceptable burden to bear as the swimming team seeks to reestablish a culture of dignity and respect.  OK, then…

Finally, since today’s rant has mentioned “dignity” as it relates to recent events, let me close with this observation by zoologist, Dian Fossy:

“The more you learn about the dignity of the gorilla, the more you want to avoid people.”

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

 

 

The Paris Olympic Games are over – – at least the athletic competitions are over.  What remains from those Games is part of the dark side of many Olympic sports.  The Games are not completely written into history just yet as lawsuits and protests are only just beginning.  If you think you have heard the last of Jordan Chiles, you are wrong.  Her protest about her disqualification from winning a Bronze Medal in gymnastics has not nearly run its course.  In this morning’s Washington Post, there is a report on the events and the current situation there that covers 33 column-inches of territory in the Sports Section.

Meanwhile, the controversy about the gender of Imane Khelif who won a Gold Medal in Women’s Boxing has entered new territory completely.  In addition to claims and counterclaims about her being a man or a woman and in addition to reports about failed tests or not, French prosecutors have begun an investigation based on a claim of harassment filed by Khelif.  There is a section of the French prosecutorial establishment that tries to limit and punish online hate speech.  Khelif has certainly had serious detractors online during her Olympic performances and making a claim that those commentaries crossed over into hate speech assures that her name and her situation will continue to be in the mind of the sports public around the world.  The complaint filed by a French attorney says that she was subjected to a “misogynist, racist and sexist campaign” during and after her pursuit of a Gold Medal in the Olympics.

I have not yet read about any legal action(s) taken by swimmers who came down with diseases after swimming some events in the polluted Seine River.  If any of them emerge in the next several months, I will not be shocked and amazed…

And the Paris Olympic Games are over in another sense as well.  When the Olympic Flame was doused in Paris, the focus about Olympic organizing immediately shifted to Los Angeles for the 2028 games.  The mayor of LA, Karen Bass, was in Paris to – figuratively of course – take the baton and begin LA’s run as the site in 4 years.  And here are comparisons between the two sites that one is not likely to hear in these moments of euphoria:

• The Paris Olympics probably “made money” for the local and national economy because many of the facilities already existed.  Unlike other venues that had to spend heavily to create stadiums and arenas for the events, Paris did not need such expenditures.
• The LA Olympics should similarly show a profit for the same reasons.  Recall that the 1984 Olympics did the same thing when the games were in LA back then.
• The Parisians needed a venue for beach volleyball; Paris has no “beaches”.  So, they constructed a “sandbox” in the shadow of the Eifel Tower to accommodate the sport at minimal cost.
• In LA, there are plenty of “beach sites” provided by Mother Nature…

And of course, there are also some “question marks” and “challenges” that face the organizers and the pols in LA that will need to be addressed for the Games to be a positive experience:

• Mayor Bass declared that the LA Games will be “car free”.  How environmentally friendly is that?  How can anyone think that is a bad idea?
• Have you ever been to LA and tried to get around town on the public transit system there?  Don’t get me wrong, there is a transit system in existence; the problem is that it doesn’t go “everywhere”, and it takes forever to get from Point A to Point B when using it.  If there is going to be an Olympic Village in 2028 for all the athletes and if they are supposed to get to and from their athletic venues using public transit, let me be the first to wish all of them, “Good Luck!”

[Aside:  I’ll be interested to see how the TV production crews get all their equipment to and from various venues without cars/trucks.  Maybe they can use the “Beam-Me-Up-Scotty Machine…]

• In Paris the TV networks had beautiful backdrops for many of the production shots.  There are some pretty spots in LA but there is also a challenge for Madame Mayor there.  I read a report about 6 months ago that a census estimate of the homeless population in Los Angeles County was 75,000.  A tent city is not nearly as iconic as the Eifel Tower or the Louvre as a backdrop.

[Aside:  The good folks in California have taken the stigma out of being “homeless”.  Rather, folks who live in tent cities are known now as “unhoused individuals” putting the blame on those who provide “housing”.  And doesn’t that relabeling and rethinking make the problem so much better?]

The LA Games will be a success economically – – and presumably athletically too.  But matching the Paris Games in terms of atmosphere and grandeur might be a difficult standard to meet.  Mayor Bass was happy for the photo op to take the Olympic baton; now it is time to get to work to solve a couple big problems.

Moving on …  In case you missed it, the Chicago White Sox were mathematically eliminated from winning the AL Central Division on August 11^th.  The season ending game for the White Sox will not happen until September 29^th.  Wow!

Finally, words of wisdom by Yogi Berra:

“Love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good too.”

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

 

 

Let me use today to do a College Football Pre-Season analysis.  The season will start in a couple of weeks, and I’ll be traveling in southern Africa then; so, today is a good time to get this rolling.  I’ll begin with six coaches on hot seats.  Let me be clear, though; I have not considered all 134 coaches in Division 1-A of college football; these are possible hot seats in highly visible programs:

1. Mario Cristobal – Miami:  His overall record in two seasons is 12-13 which is nowhere near good enough for a guy portrayed as the “Prodigal Son Returning Home”.  Double-digit wins will secure his place as the coach at Miami next year; I don’t know if 9-4 would be good enough.
2. Ryan Day – Ohio State:  Yes, he has a gaudy record at Ohio State, but he has not beaten Michigan in the last three years and has not been a key element of the CFP for its entire existence.  He wins 11 or more games a year – -but is that good enough in Columbus, OH?
3. Brian Kelly – LSU:  Same situation as Ryan Day at Ohio State …  Kelly has gone 20-7 in his two seasons at LSU with an SEC West championship on his record.  But like Day, the expectation is that he would have LSU contending for the CFP and not merely a conference championship.
4. Billy Napier – Florida:  His record in his first two seasons at Florida is 11-13 and that is not nearly acceptable to the denizens of The Swamp.
5. Lincoln Riley – USC:  Two seasons ago, the Trojans were very good but lost to Utah twice.  Last year with wunderkind Caleb Williams under center, the Trojans limped home with a 7-5 record.  The schedule is difficult this year with USC in the Big-10, and I am not sure that another 7-5 season will be acceptable.
6. Dabo Sweeney – Clemson:  He could be another victim of lofty expectations on the part of the alums.  Clemson dominated the ACC for about 5 years; they have been good the last 3 years but nowhere near dominant.  With Florida State seemingly on the upswing, Sweeney needs to kick it up a notch.  [Hat Tip to Emeril Lagasse.]

With the tectonic realignment of teams and conferences over the past 9 months or so, a lot of schools needed to shuffle their schedules significantly.  I wondered how many – – if any – – would jettison scheduled games with Division 1-AA opponents that really only serve the purpose of padding records to make teams bowl eligible thereby possibly allowing coaches to keep their jobs for one more season.  This is NOT an exhaustive list, but here are seven schools in major conferences that I believe had purged their schedules of Division 1-AA “patsy games” for 2024:

1. Arizona State
2. Michigan
3. Notre Dame
4. Ohio State
5. Penn State
6. Texas
7. USC

I am sure there are others who have also purged their schedules, and I would like to commend all of them for doing so.

A major rule change for 2024 is the introduction of “helmet communications” between coaches and players on the field.  The NFL has used these sorts of devices for more than 25 years and they seem to work at that level; the college mavens now hope that coach/player radio communications will cut down – hopefully eliminate – sign stealing that precipitated a scandal last year at Michigan.

Here is my view.  Sign stealing is not “illegal” or even “improper”; using video technology to do the analysis of data to make sign stealing effective is “against the rules”.  If one bothered to focus on the various signals being flashed from the sidelines to players in games, I honestly believe that a lot of fans could start to see patterns and figure out a couple of the signals in use for that game.  And if that fan happened to be Joe Flabeetz sitting in the upper deck at the 40-yardline and all he was doing was calling out plays for the folks seated around him, one could label Joe Flabeetz as an annoying presence in the stands but not as some sort of malignant element that ruins the game.

Will helmet communications eliminate the “problem”?  No.  Even with helmet communications in place, the system shuts down with 15 seconds left on the play clock so there will need to be signals used in that later period where teams react to the opponent’s formations.  Having said that, helmet communications will reduce the amount of sign stealing and therefore it is a step in the right direction.  For people who say that there needs to be a system in place to prevent the sign stealing completely, let me refer to advice given by Voltaire:

“Perfect is the enemy of the good.”

The CFP will expand to 12 teams this year with the top 4 teams getting a first round bye.  Clearly, this move is done with the intent to provide more ”inventory” to TV networks thereby raising revenues significantly.  Please do not try to defend any proposition that any other motivation is primary here.  Here is my worry:

• We saw what happens when the best team from a “lowly conference” takes on a top team from a “big-boy conference” last year when Liberty played Oregon.  I fear that some of those first round games in the CFP might resemble that game and not be attractive properties for TV networks.
• I hope I am wrong there…

Historically, people who follow coaching legends in jobs do not fare particularly well.  Nick Saban is not the coach at Alabama anymore; Kalen DeBoer has that job now and has those shoes to fill.  Just for fun, consider this quiz question:

• Another legendary Alabama football coach, Bear Bryant retired in the 1980s.
• Who replaced him?

Not only did the replacement fail to make Bama fans forget the glory days under Bryant, the replacement coach is reduced to a trivia question.  For the record the replacement was Ray Perkins whose record in four seasons at Alabama was 32-15-1 which looks pretty good but was not nearly good enough to follow in “The Bear’s” footsteps.

Bonne chance, Kalen DeBoer.

Jim Harbaugh certainly made his mark at Michigan even if he may not have the same place on the coaching pedestal as Nick Saban.  Harbaugh will be replaced this year by someone who has been on the Michigan staff under Harbaugh; Sherrone Moore takes over the Wolverines in 2024 with a good roster and stratospheric expectations in Ann Arbor.

Bonne chance, Sherrone Moore.

Naturally, there will be a huge focus on Colorado and Deion Sanders – – because if there is not a huge focus on the program, Coach Sanders will do something outrageous to get the attention back on the program.  Last year started well and ended in a heap.  The Buffaloes will play in the Big-12 this year; stay tuned…

Here is my “sleeper team” for 2024:

• Nebraska:  Matt Rhule’s teams tend to improve dramatically in their second and third seasons; this is year #2 for Rhule in Lincoln.  The Huskers won 5 games last year and their win-total number for 2024 is either 7 or 7.5 depending on the sportsbook you use.  I like the OVER.

Since I mentioned win-totals, let me offer three more win-total predictions here:

• Boise State:  I like the Broncos to go OVER 9 wins in 2024.  Boise State seems to be the consensus favorite to be the “outsider team” who gets invited to the CFP this year so that would suggest to me at least 10 or 11 wins.
• Florida State:  I like the Seminoles to go OVER 9.5 wins in 2024.  I think Florida State is the best team in the ACC and could win 11 games comfortably this year.
• Oklahoma:  I think the Sooners will go UNDER 7.5 wins simply based on the schedule for 2024.  If they do not have 8 wins in their first 10 games, they will need to finish the season with wins over Alabama and/or LSU in their final 2 games.  Ouch …

The season is about to begin …

Finally, since I mentioned Nick Saban above, let me close with these words from Coach Saban:

“I always ask myself the question, do you like to win, or do you hate to lose?”

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