Ywaaaaaaaaannnnn
The NCAA announced some new rules and changes for college basketball.
Please note we did not use hyperbolic words like wide-reaching or sweeping or even overhaul because in truth this is a forced band aid on a gun shot wound.
Sure it's better than nothing, but it hardly treats the problem.
Here are the rules changes as succinctly as we can detail them (The full ESPN story is here):
- Allowing elite high school recruits to hire certified agents;
- Allowing eligible underclassmen to enter the Draft and return to school if they are undrafted;
- Requiring more difficult steps for summer amateur basketball events;
- Imposing longer postseason bans and suspension as well as harsher recruiting restrictions for those who break rules.
Hmmmmm. Yawn. Seriously.
Let's start with a tip of the visor for realizing that change must be had. Of course that the Rice Commission and the FBI are already involved, everyone other than Mark Emmert and his cronies knew change was needed a decade ago.
As for these changes, well, the agent thing is hollow because in a few years those dudes are going straight to the NBA anyway. Secondly, the NCAA tasked USA Basketball - unbeknown to USA Basketball by the way - with ranking those kids, which is entirely subjective. Who's to say that, if the top 20 get to have agents, maybe the 25th ranked high school player is the best in the country.
The summer camps? Whatever. The promise of tougher penalties, well, as soon as power programs like North Carolina actually get harsh enforcements from the NCAA, we'll believe it when we see it.
As for the talking point here, we are all for allowing undrafted players to return. And the Coach Calipari complaints of, "Well, what if we don't have a scholarship for them" Cry me a river Cal. Either hold one back or let those cats transfer.
Because this is where we are.
The NCAA is being forced to change, but the NCAA does not want change, so those changes are insignificant.
They did not contact any of their partners about this, which is a curious decision. (And a very NFL-like leadership tactic, in which it was terrible.)
Here's the thing the NCAA needs to address.
Are the players in hoops and football student-athletes or are they part of the revenue system and in turn employees of the university? From there, the rest of this can be much more clear.
Because if they are going to stand behind the student-athlete claim, then they should be looking for ways to embrace the returning students to any school to continue their education, right Coach Cal?
If it's about the revenue-generating model players making Kentucky great, well, then it's a BID-ness and the employees that everyone wants to see play deserve to be in on the negotiations and sharing in the revenue.
(And the first talking point should be that they already are being paid $50,000 a year or whatever all the tuition, books, meal and housing comes to for a full ride. Then start discussing what else.)
BWW betting windows?
Buy Buffalo Wild Wing stock today.
TO-DAY.
According to the circulating stories, the popular wing, beer and sports joint is looking at ways to add a fourth popular item to its killer trio of speciality.
Yes, B-Ws is looking for ways to add betting kiosks to its sports bars.
Game. Changer.
Imagine you and your buddies heading to the sports bar for some wings (great start). And some Co-Colas. (Getting better.)
And now you can drop a three-team parlay on the Giants plus-6, the Falcons minus-3 and the Steelers minus-7. (Perfection.)
Now there will be several hoops to jump through for this, and it raises the questions about how a 50-state BID-ness like BWW could operate a nationwide deal in something covered by state-by-state laws.
And know this: Vegas will try to fight this. So too may the sports league's TV partners.
Vegas' opposition should be expected. Why the TV Networks, you ask?
Well, if BWWs is packed with parties picking bones clean and downing pitchers as they put some coin on the Cubs, well, those viewers are not counted like the folks watching at home.
In turn the TV ratings and numbers of sports will drop as more and more folks convene to watch in one place.
Still, wings, beers, sports and sports betting? In one place?
Yes please.
Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers celebrates a touchdown pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears Thursday, Sept. 28, 2017, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke) Protests
Speaking of TV numbers, we are intrigued by the monster slate of NFL preseason games tonight.
There are 12, and yes, a lot of you are wondering why the words "intrigued" and "preseason games" in the same sentence.
Well, the numbers on the Hall of Fame game were the worst in 20 years.
We'll see if that continues tonight.
And the more this happens the more the narrative deepens and points toward the protests.
Earlier this week, Aaron Rodgers, the best quarterback we've ever seen, said the protests have never been about the flag or the troops. He said the protests were about social equality and racial injustice.
He's right. (Here's more of what he said, and he makes a lot of sense.)
But he also left something out.
It's got to be about BID-ness too.
For the owners, the players and their partners.
Because the numbers do not lie, and the numbers are dropping.
And while that likely will not affect Rodgers and his peers because they are being paid on the current revenue plan.
But if the trend of the these numbers continue to dip, in somewhat large part of the protests, well, that angle must be recognized by the players sooner or later too.
This and that
- Former CFC exec Sean McDaniel is now an exec with the new USL kickball bunch in town. This surprises no one. It has ticked off many. Here's Mean Gene's report.
- Wow, who switched Nick Saban to decaf? Here's TFP SEC ace David Paschall's report on how Saban just kind of shrugged off Jaken Hurts sounding off. Hmmmmmm.
- PGA starts today. Please not that we did not even wonder aloud if a contest was in order - congrats again to Big Ernie H. for winning The Open for BID-ness event last month. The main reason of course is because the PGA is a major in name only. What's the hallmark or signature aspect that makes this a major? A cool trophy name and because they said so? Whatever. That said, three quick thoughts: We think Tiger will be closer to the cut line than the front line; Justin Thomas is going to be in contention all weekend; and for the fourth consecutive year a first-time major champ will emerge. Your PGA Champion: Tommy Fleetwood. (Yes, I am starting to become smitten with the guy who looks like he should be painting your house rather than throwing pinpoint darts at pins with pitching wedges. Good times.)
- Interesting read about the two biggest gigs in college football with hit seats. No. 1 is LSU because, well the O in Coach O could stand for a lot of things and few are good. (O chance to win the West; Ogre; Overmatched; Out-smarted you get the idea.) No. 2 on that list is Louisville, where Bobby Petrino is 8-8 in his last 16, is trusting the defense to the mustache of Brian VanGorder and, according to that story, has three family members - his son and two son-in-laws - on staff collecting more than $600K. Yeah, we're headed to Buffalo Wild Wings and laying coin on Alabama to drop 55 on Louisville in the opener. Not so good times.
- Braves roll Nats. Also of note Ronald Acuna is very good at grown-up baseball. One more: Mike Foltynewicz was hitting and locating 98 into the fifth inning. Lock those cats up for a long, long time. Good times ahead.
- We are certainly close to actual football friends. UTC starts three weeks from today. High school has the Best of Preps Jamboree Friday and Saturday and starts for real on Friday. Good times ahead.
- As friend of the show and 247sports UT ace Wes Rucker pointed on the Twitter: "Show of hands for those who predicted Holly Warlick signing a contract extension at Tennessee before Rick Barnes signed a contract extension at Tennessee." Yep, no one is raising their hands. Interesting times ahead.
- In an effort to try to stay balanced and fair - and not part of the Fake News Newsfolks - the 180 reverse pivot in the LeBron-Trump story is 100 percent ridiculous. We discussed earlier this week that we wanted Trump to act more Presidential. So of you agreed. Others did not. That's what makes these parts so much fun, especially since we did so without becoming like Clay's Playground with insults and rudeness. Well, the thousands of folks petitioning to have LeBron as the secretary of education are so far off the reservation that they could not locate their teepee with a GPS, a compass and three hound dogs. C'mon folks. Seriously?
- 'Merica, friends. 'Merica. Check this video of a 10-year-old boy standing from his wheelchair for the National Anthem. If that does not give you the chill bumps, then you need to get your bumps checked. 'Merica.
Today's questions
Shall we play true or false on a Thursday. True.
True or false, in 10 years there will be betting windows in sports bars around the country.
True or false Wednesday's NCAA rule changes made college basketball better.
True or false, golf should bag the PGA Championship as a major and call it a Triple Crown rather than a Grand Slam.
Answer. Submit. Repeat.
As for today, Aug. 9, well, let's review.
Nixon resigned on this day in 1974.
Could you imagine the Watergate stories and the Washington Post coverage in the era of "Fake News" and Twitter? Dear Lord.
Anyhoo, where were we?
Anna Kendrick is 33. Whitney Houston would have been 55. Deion Sanders is 51, and we're willing to bet he can still out you, me and just about every other walking Joe around.
Hota Kotb is 54 today, and has anyone else noticed that she and Kathie Lee drink wine every morning on their TV Show? Not sure if it's called "Good Morning Vino" or not. What's their afternoon idea, "Three Martini Lunch" or just "Power Nap" maybe?
Sam Elliott is 74. What a voice on that dude. "Beef It's what's for dinner."
Rudolf Diesel gets a patent for his internal combustion engine - yes it became known as the Diesel engine - on this day 120 years ago.
Michael Brown was shot in Ferguson, Mo., on this day four years ago.
Bob Cousy is 90 today. Dude had handle, friends. Mad handle.
Rushmore of best dribblers/ball-handlers? (And Spy, keep the adult-film star jokes to your self, please.)
Oh, and remember the mailbag.