OK, a brief caveat here friends.
The 5-at-10 will be a little lighter than normal this week.
No, not a February vacation. No, not sick kids.
The Mrs. 5-at-10 is out of town, and we're running a little Mr. Mom action as well in the mornings. But as we approach almost 2,000 consecutive Mondays-through-Fridays come Christmas, ice storms, sickness and health, there's no way some extra morning chores is going to derail us.
From the "Talks a little less" studios this week high atop Whiskey Hill* (copyright Dr. B), let's roll with it.
Four to score
Like we have the last couple of Tuesdays we take a look at four teams to keep an eye on during the NCAA tournament. This time the list is a little different because we know for sure these four are already dancing.
Michigan. Red hot and rolling. The Wolverines clicked in the Big Ten tournament, and could zoom to the 2 line. (Joe Lunardi currently has them on the 3 line.) Michigan is very Auburn-esque, when Auburn was at full strength. Undersized. Share the basketball. Scrappy and tenacious defensively. And make a lot of hay with the 3 ball. As for the main take away from the Big Ten tournament, we'll say this: We want all the Power 5 conference tournaments and even the other major basketball leagues to finish their tournaments on the weekend before Selection Sunday. It would give the team more time to celebrate with fans and fellow students. Michigan is getting the full treatment this week. If Tennessee, say, wins the SEC tournament, then they get four hours of celebrating - and no time back in Knoxville - before everyone is breaking down their brackets come Monday. Plus, it would allow one-bid leagues like the Southern Conference to have more of a center stage moment next weekend when everyone is watching. Hey, if everything in college basketball is one the table, let's make this one happen too. (Also, can they not start the season until Christmas break? Oh, nevermind.)
UNC-Greensboro. The SoCon champ punched its ticket Monday night. Hey, how about that 35-year-old Wes Miller, the Spartans head coach who got UNCG in the Dance for the first time since 2001. Good times.
Teams in the dance with high-quality nicknames. Welcome to the Dance Iona (Gaels), Radford (Highlanders), Lipscomb (Bisons), Loyola-Chicago (Ramblers) and Murray State (Racers). That's an awesome collection of mascots friends.
Four more to the party. The Horizon, the Northeast, the Summit and the West Coast conferences will crown champs tonight.
Transfer of power
Speaking of college hoops, you know the drill, if Weeds writes something on college basketball it is required reading at this point. And let's be honest, this time of year, Weeds should be the first landing point in the morning TFP readings. Today, Weeds was aces on college hoops and the most recent talking island in a vast sea of uncertainty about the rules and changes that are about to swallow the sport.
Weeds explored the dichotomy/hyposcrisy of Tubby Smith's transfer rant during Monday's college tournament. Here's the hammer of the hypocrisy of Tubby's tell-tale tall of tucking tail and transferring himself, directly from Weeds' column this morning:
To quote the 66-year-old veteran of more than 25 years of head coaching experience: "Kids have a lot of options nowadays with the new NCAA regulations, and guys can transfer when they want. I've been in this business a long time. Never seen anything like it. We had over 800 Division I transfers last year. Over 800. Come on. We're teaching them how to quit. That's what we're doing. Things not going well, let's quit."
But here's where his message rings hollow: Smith is working for his sixth different employer since 1991. And four of those jobs - Tulsa, Georgia, Kentucky and Texas Tech - he left voluntarily to pursue other head coaching opportunities.
So on at least four occasions he quit the job he had to pursue one that was either more lucrative financially (Tulsa to Georgia in 1995, Georgia to Kentucky in 1997, Texas Tech to Memphis in 2016), or one that felt more comfortable (Kentucky to Minnesota in 2007).
So Tubby, which is it? Do as I say but not as I do or what's good for the coach is not good for the player. And in most of those cases, Tubby "transferred" to better jobs with the new employer picking up the tab for his buyout. So coaches are bailing and having some one else pick up the check.
What kind of lesson is that, Tubby?
And didn't his kid Saul transfer from Georgia to UK after Tubby left Athens for Lexington?
So, don't do as I do, and don't do what I advised my children to do, but the rest of you transfers are quitters? That's the final line Tubbs? Gotcha.
Oh yeah, here's one more thing about the folks that bemoan looking at more freedom of transfers. If you are a coach or a fan of a program that still gives one-year renewable scholarships that can be removed and the player can be "processed" because of better incoming talent or anything else, then you need to shut up the complaining about transfers.
That's beyond hypocrisy and leads straight into just stupidity.
And as Weeds pointed out, the mass exodus of transfers would become open free agency if they completely did away with one-year sit out, but for coaches who move for myriad of reasons to complain about kids leaving is silly. In the macro sense, there is some meaning and talking points in Tubby's words, but c'mon.
Cap (Kaep) issues
Wow, that's a pretty good play on words friends.
Before we get to the nitty gritty of our point, we must point out that as the days before the start of the new NFL calendar year hits next week, the posturing of players and agents about new deals has become interesting.
The two most high-profile story lines are Le'Veon Bell, who is steadfast in his words that he is not playing for less than $14.5 million. The Steelers are prepared to give him another franchise tag, which would be less than $12 million, and Bell is not happy with this situation.
There also is the continuing courting of our Cousins, Kirk. The former Washington Redskins quarterback is the prettiest girl at the dance and he is going to get a TON of coin.
And speaking of the salary cap, well, here's the headline: The NFL salary cap has increased for the 2018 season. It will go up to $177.2 million. It's the fifth straight year the salary cap has increased by at least eight figures, moving up from $167 million last year. But the 6.11 precent increase is the lowest the league has witness since the cap increased 1.99 percent in 2013.
And make no mistake the Golden Goose that is the NFL has been rolling in money in the 2010s. Since 2013, the salary cap has gone from $123 million to $177.2 million, a total increase of 44.1 percent.
But. (there's always a but, right) the lower increase than in recent years comes after a second-consecutive year of dwindling TV revenues.
And as the league tries to identify and address various reasons of that dwindling TV numbers, be it the catch rule or Thursday night issues or even player safety, there's one more potential reason out there that has been as quiet as a pregame protest.
Are the owners and the players ready to discuss the protests during the national anthem?
Who knows, but the numbers do not lie. TV ratings are down. The increase in the players' cut of the revenue is down.
Time for a couple of tough conversations to go down, too.
This and that
- Did you see that Matt Bryant agreed to a three-year extension for the Falcons. That dude is going to kick until he's 106 years old. (Don't know how old he was but he got his A$# whooped.)
- LeBron had 31 in 30 minutes last night. The second time in his career he's been able to do that. Side note: If Cleveland gets that Larry Nance Jr. four times in a seven-game series, they are going to be a handful for anyone in the playoffs.
- Do you think basketball is boring for UConn's women players? We clicked on a game last night and it was 64-11 in the third quarter.
- Speaking of the salary cap, ESPN NFL ace Adam Schefter released the franchise tag numbers for each position. Here you go: QB - $23,189,000; RB - $11,866,000; WR -$15,982,000; TE - $9,846,000; OL - $14,077,000; DE - $17,143,000; DT - $13,939,000; LB - $14,961,000; CB - $14,975,000; S - $11,287,000; K/P - $4,939,000.
- Man, being in the ESPN P.R. department has to feel like, "OK, what crisis is next." Well, here's one that started out with allegations about Chris Berman potentially making racially disparaging remarks for Jemele Hill. Hill has refuted the report.
Today's questions
Davy Crockett, William Travis and Jim Bowie were killed at the Alamo as the 3,000 Mexican soldiers finally overtook the fort on this day in 1836.
Aspirin was patented on this day in 1899.
The trampoline was patented on this day in 1945.
Ali joined the nation of Islam on this day in 1964.
Today is national Oreo cookie day. Yes, we are a fan.
Shaq turns 46 today. Yes, we are pretty sure Shaq is a big fan of Oreos too.
Let's roll a little True or False.
True or false, the NFL and the the Players Association will come to some sort of pregame protocol before next season.
True or false, the Oreo is the best mass produced cookie. (If you go false, here we need one you think is better.)
True or false, the Double Stuff Oreo is better than the original Oreo.
True or false, you have a "Wow, that could have been really, Really, REALLY bad" trampoline story. (We know we do.)
As for a Rushmore, well, let's go here:
Kirby Pucket died on this day in 2006. What MLB baseball players make the Rushmore of unquestioned face of the franchise. Think Tony Gwynn-Padres as a starting point.
Go, and enjoy an Oreo today.