College hoops 106
Does Saturday's Romp in Rupp change the big picture of college basketball?
I say no.
It's a tough assignment really. Dealing in perspective amid a passionate power-point presentation, but let's try.
Tennessee and Gonzaga are the best great teams in the country. Seriously.
Duke and Kentucky are the only elite teams in the country that, unless they are playing each other, it doesn't matter what the opponent does. Duke and UK playing A-to-A+ basketball, it's - cue Bill Paxton - "Game Over, Man!"
(To that point, here's the always college basketball guru Mark Wiedmer in today's TFP. Excellence, as expected. And we will offer this to back-up his claim. According to VegasInsider, Duke is a 7-to-4 pick to win it all. Gonzaga is next - and overrated - at 6-to-1, followed by Virginia (7-to-1) and the trio of UK, Michigan and Tennessee at 10-to-1, which feels like a great bet for UK. Couple other longer shots we'd play: Kansas at 35-to-1 and LSU at 55-to-1 according to this.)
And we need to remember the baseline truth of college basketball: The regular season is an extended preseason designed for our entertainment and positioning for the magic of March.
And in that regard, mission accomplished. Personally this is the most college hoops I've watched in forever. How long? Well, the last time I watched this mice college basketball, Dickie V's routine was still fresh and we were unsure how big of a ArseHat Bobby Knight was.
So the immediate reaction from the Vols' debacle is understandable, but a little bit over the top no?
The measure of every team comes next month.
Look at the recent memories of the programs that captured our attention last Saturday and whether the current narrative changes all that much three days ago ir in a couple of weeks when UK comes to the 865.
Last year was a magical run for the Vols, who surprised everyone from Bilas to Beale Street by sharing the SEC regular-season title with Auburn. But a shocker as the 3 seed to Sister Whoseherpants and Loyola made the memories fade considerably.
Is it fair to put all the marbles in the March basket? Of course not, but sports, like life, is not entirely fair.
As for Kentucky, well, as great and relentless and overwhelming as several of the Big Blue Waves have been - quick, what's the lasting memory from 2014-15, which is up there in the conversation for the best sports teams, regardless of genre, that did not win the title - the measure is March.
For UK, that's a title. For Tennessee, well, as great as this regular season has been, if Barnes and the Boys are not in an Elite Eight fight to get to the Final Four, it will difficult not to view this as a disappointment.
And that has nothing to do with the UK-UT rivalry or results.
Betting news
First, thought this was very interesting.
It's a detailed look at the ADs from four universities in Arkansas calling for detailed laws to prevent betting scandals in college sports. This is in advance of a public forum on the issue later this week.
Arkansas passed a legalized sports betting law last November, and like Mississippi, without a professional franchise, large wagering on college sports is expected.
This story came on the heels of ESPN's detailed and thorough look back at the Tim Donaghy scandal.
In truth, while Stewwie and I are on opposite side so this issue, this is a potentially troubling - and career-ending - truth for those of us in favor of legalized sports betting.
Yes, there will be a lot of sports leagues, franchises, schools, et al., looking to cash in on this monster revenue stream.
But the exploitable parts of this equation are the 'unpaid' college players and the referees.
Which brings us back to Donaghy, the disgraced former NBA ref, and the monster ESPN story.
It's a fascinating story exploring the details of the scandal. Donaghy, you may recall, was the NBA referee who was involved in a gambling ring that was uncovered in 2007 and stopped.
How detailed is the story? Check out this paragraph from the text: "In early 2017, inspired by the 10th anniversary of the scandal, ESPN set out to reinvestigate it. The research entailed interviews with more than 100 people, including current and former NBA referees, current and former NBA staff, gamblers, bookmakers, lawyers, law enforcement officials and friends and relatives of Donaghy. (Donaghy himself declined repeated requests for an interview.) Freedom of Information Act requests were filed. Thousands of pages of court documents and investigative records were scrutinized. Hundreds of hours were spent watching every NBA game Donaghy officiated in the 2006-07 season. Every foul call was logged, the resulting data analyzed, along with betting-market line-movement histories for every game Donaghy reffed that season."
Story is looooooooonnnnnnggggggggggg, though. (And if I'm saying something written on the interwebs is long, well, then you know it's really long.)
Former University of Florida football player Tim Tebow speaks to fans after he was inducted into the Ring of Honor at Florida Field during the Gators' game against LSU in October 2018. Tebow's foundation started the "Night to Shine" prom for people with special needs.The hero we need
We can say whatever we want about Tim Tebow, and most of it seems pretty true.
He was over-drafted in the NFL; he does not have first-round throwing skills. That is a pretty select club, but not exactly isolated.
He was, at times and certainly at first, a minor league baseball project that was as much about the publicity and the big-time ticket sales as the possibilities of punching a ticket to the big time. Again, not exactly a solo silo as half the minors leagues are dudes the big league folks think they can teach to, hit, throw or pitch.
But what you can never deny Tim Tebow of is being anything less than a Babe Ruth-level leader and motivator. Egad man.
Check out Tebow's meeting with the media Monday as he gets ready to try and make the big leagues.
Here's the text of his motivational speech that has consumed the interwebs:
"It's really about keeping perspective and not letting other people define you because they sure want to. Shoot, I try to encourage young people all the time to not let the world or outside sources define you because you are always going to have critics and naysayers and people that are going to tell you that you won't, that you can't, that you shouldn't. Most of those people are the people that didn't, that wouldn't, that couldn't.
"Don't be defined by the outside sources. You go after your dreams. Succeeding or failing is not making it to the bigs or it's not necessarily fulfilling that. It's having to not live with regret because I didn't try. I just feel for all the young people who don't go after something because they are so afraid of failing that you are going to live with a lot more regret than if you would've and you failed. I'm very passionate about that.
"I think the reason people don't go after things is because how much you will be criticized. What if I fall flat on my face? Fear and doubt and all these things creep in. I just don't believe that is the healthiest way to live. I don't want to have to live with fear or doubt every day, regardless of what everybody here says about me. It doesn't define me.
"I'm grateful that doesn't define me. There is one thing that defines me and that's what God says about me. Besides that, I get to go live out my dreams and help as many people along the way as possible."
And in the grand scheme of things those of us who thought he had zero chance were wrong about this Tebow experiment. It may have benefited the clubs in terms of coin and the conversation, and maybe it was a circus stunt at first. But Tebow - who hit .273 with six homers in 271 Double-A at-bats last season - has never wavered in his message of dreams or desire.
Heck he eschewed the AAF - and reiterated that denial - because he's all in on baseball. His minor league numbers are already light years better than the Jordan experience 25 years ago. (Yes, that Jordan was in White Sox spring training 25 years ago makes me feel old.)
Hey, bag on Timmy Tebow all you want, but I believe this in my soul:
The world needs more Tim Tebows. Heck, I hope the dude runs for office whenever he gets done chasing this dream. And the above message should be mandatory reading for every young person everywhere in this country.
And please note I did not say every young athlete. Simply put, that's too limited to our future generations. We need that message to inspire those who feel daunted and doubted yet are still determined.
This and that
- While we are on Tebow, he has a new TV show - co-produced with LeBron James - called the "Million-Dollar Mile" that will debut March 27. It's a mile-long obstacle course that athletes try to complete while being chased by another athlete looking to stop the competitor. If the contestant can complete the course, you guessed it, they get $1 million. Tebow also is the executive producer of "Run the Race" which debuts Friday. Also, he got engaged to 2017 Miss Universe. Man, dude is winning at life.
- Speaking of TV, did anyone see any of the Elvis special on Sunday night? The reason I ask is because it's good to see Mac Davis get some modern-day street cred. We all know the wide array of skills Kris Kristofferson has. Mac Davis was an elite song-writer, a country music star - "Lord it's Hard to be Humble" is a legendary satirical song (and some would say my personal theme song) - and an underrated actor. (His turn as the QB in the criminally underrated North Dallas Forty was award-worthy.)
- Wow, the 5-at-10 college hoops are smokin' right now. Smoooooo-KING. We had Virginia minus-5 (Cavs won by 6) and Kansas State minus-7 (Wildcats beat West Virginia by double digits) to move to 24-11-1 against the number. That's 68.6 percent. Tonight, well, there are a couple of interesting plays out there. We will try to continue our picks streak on Press Row and in the comments later today. Deal? Deal.
- The overnight numbers for the Daytona 500 were the epitome of glass half full/half empty. Wait, it's more of a broken glass that's either half full or half empty. The overnight numbers were up almost 10 percent from last year's record low. But Sunday's overnight numbers are still believed to be the second-lowest of all time. So there's that.
- Bernie Sanders has thrown his socialist hat into the ring. Wow.
- Did you see some of the heckles Matt Kuchar received at Riveria last weekend before he changed course and paid El Tucan the full $50,000 the fill-in caddie asked for after carrying Kuchar's bag last year in Mexico. According to reports, one fan said offered ""Go low, Kuch...just not on the gratuity!" off the tee box on No. 6. There were cheers after Kuchar missed a putt on the 12th, and chants of "Mooch" rather than "Kuch" could be heard all over the course. The Tour's next stop? Yep, Kuchar and the boys will be teeing it up in Mexico this week. Como se dice, "Mooch" en Espanyol?
Today's questions
True or false let the games begin.
True or false, Kentucky and Tennessee will make the Final Four.
True or false, there will be a college sports gambling 'fix' scandal in the next five years.
True or false, Tim Tebow is in the Majors before the end of the 2019 season.
Answer some, leave some. Go.
As for today, well, Feb. 19, well it's International Tug-of-War Day. It's Iwo Jima Day too, and National Chocolate Mint Day.
On this day in 1906, Kellogg's was founded.
Roger Goodell is 60 today.
Rushmore of Rogers, and be creative gang.