From Steve
I listen to Press Row whenever I can and I would have asked this if I had the chance to get to Chilli's Thursday but I work until 7.
Have you heard about this dentist in Minnesota who shot and killed the lion? It's a crazy story.
What do you think about that and what should happen to that dude?
Steve -
Dr. Walter Palmer, the Minnesota dentist who killed African tourist attraction Cecil the Lion and sparked an international controversy, has gone underground.
His life has been for all intents and purposes ruined for killing Cecil, and cutting his head off and skinning him. Dr. Palmer says he hired professional guides and had all the papers and permits to hunt big game (including lions) in the area in which he killed Cecil.
Stuffed animals are placed in front of Walter Palmer's dental practice, River Bluff Dental, in Bloomington, Minn., on Wednesday, July 29, 2015. Palmer, who went on a guided bow hunting trip for big game in Zimbabwe, said that he had no idea the lion he killed was protected and that he relied on the expertise of his local guides to ensure the hunt was legal. (Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT It's a sad and somewhat brutal tale that will not end well. This is not defending Dr. Palmer, who seems pretty sketchy. If dude poached Cecil - and Dr. Palmer has a history of lying to wildlife authorities, paying tens of thousands of dollars to kill big game all over the world and settled a sexual harassment suit out of court - then he should be prosecuted.
But are we really pretending that killing a lion is worse than killing a human being? There are hundreds of murders - even those of kids - in this country that do not get a fraction of the outrage that this has generated. Heck, PETA, which is supposed to be an international group of protest and protect of animals, Tweeted that Dr. Palmer should be hanged.
What? If the FBI or some other official human protection organization put out there that any alleged murderer should be put to death, the hand-wringing and social outrage would be deafening.
Plus, where's the line of distinction on which crime cries for moral outrage from the masses and which one deserves sympathy for all of those with a similar interest as the perpetrator?
Whatever.
Maybe we could figure out a way we could throw Dr. Palmer into the lion's den, that would show him.
Unless of course the interweb morality mob thought that was an Old Testament-type of punishment, then we can't incorporate church and state, you know.
---
From MocTastic
A question for the mailbag JG. Given the latest revelations on Donnie "Chaz" Tyndall and his apparently brazen breaking of the rules, why should anybody assume he wasn't breaking the rules while at UTK? He cheated at Morehead State and continued to cheat to at even a higher level at Southern Miss, but he saw the light and became an angel at UTK?
MT -
Fair question MT.
In most cases - check out the fact that Larry Brown is in the crosshairs of the NCAA again - guys who bend the rules will continue to bend the rules.
Donnie Tyndall spent one season, 2014-15, as head coach of the University of Tennessee men's basketball team. He was fired at the end of the season with the NCAA investigating his previous coaching stop, Southern Mississippi.Can they be reformed? Sure. But guys get comfortable having success doing things one way, then that becomes how they do it. And when there is big money on the line, the stakes get raised and the easy way out becomes more appealing.
But, to play devil's advocate on this - and in no way is this defending Chaz, who is going to get a big-time Show Cause if the reports are valid - we'd say this as to a potential way he didn't cheat at UT.
Say young Chaz is working his tail off to get to the big time. And we all can admit that what we saw on the sideline proved that Tyndall could really coach.
But hard work out of the gate did not equal big-time results. He was spinning wheels and looked around and saw other guys getting ahead by playing loose with the rules. (This is college basketball for crying out loud, so the ethical indignation of any fan base for a rival's shortcomings comes with the shoulder shrug of "Really?" For crying out loud the best ion the BID-ness is Coach Cal and he hardly has a clean resume.)
So Tyndall breaks the seal at Morehead State and figures out that his coaching with good players - who cares if they can read if they can rebound, right? - is way, Way, WAY better than his coaching with average players.
Donnie Tyndall responds to a officials call in this March 27, 2015, file photo.
Then he moves to Southern Miss and that realization is magnified.
But then he moves to UT, and he sees an excess of riches and tutors everywhere and ponders that maybe he doesn't have to have coaches do homework for his frontcourt. And the fact that two assistants bolted before the season started could have been because he told them that cheating was not an option and they were going to have to figure out other ways to contribute.
Do we believe this? No, not at all. And the two assistants leaving should have been a much bigger red flag than we gave it credit for all things considered.
The only was we hear from Chaz again is if he takes over some small school in South Dakota, maybe the Dickory Dusters, and convinces the area's best player, maybe Timmy Whitwood, to come back to the game and makes a run at the state title.
Dickory!
---
FromDDawg
I listen to you and Pasquali regularly and enjoy Press Row. This question is kind of for both of you, if that's okay.
You are big into birthdays on the 5@10 so did you know that today is A.J. Green's birthday? That's not really my question.
He has become a very good pro and that led me to wonder who is the Georgia player who has had the best NFL career? And then I was wondering about all the teams in the SEC and who was the best NFL player from each school.
Former Georgia receiver A.J. GreenTebow maybe the best Florida player ever, but Emitt S. had a way better NFL career right?
Just wondering and wanted to hear what you guys thought.
DDawg -
Interesting question, and one that we'll see if Paschall wants to play along with.
And your example is spot on for Florida, so under that premise, we'll go with the following (and try to get Paschall to email his answers in or to share them on Press Row today in the 3 p.m. hour on ESPN 105.1):
Alabama's best pro was probably John Hannah (although Don Hutson and Ozzie Newsome likely were the best ever at their position when they retired).
Arkansas's best pro was probably Lance Alworth.
Auburn's best pro was probably Frank Gatzki, who is the only former Tigers player in the Hall. (It certainly would have been Bo Jackson had he not been hurt; Gatzki played in the 1940s and '50s and in 11 years with the Browns and one with the Lions, he played in the league championship game 11 times - winning eight.)
Florida's best pro was Emmitt Smith.
Georgia's best pro was probably Fran Tarkenton.
Kentucky's best pro was most likely George Blanda.
LSU's best pro was Y.A. Tittle.
Mississippi's best pro was probably Archie Manning.
Mississippi State's best pro was probably Kent Hull (side note: Miss. State does not have a former player in the Hall, even though Mississippi Vocational does with Deacon Jones and Mississippi Valley State does with Jerry Rice).
Missouri's best pro is Kellen Winslow.
Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is seen in this file photo.South Carolina's best pro was likely John Abraham, but would have been Sterling Sharpe if had stayed healthy. (South Carolina also does not have a former player in the Hall, although South Carolina State has three in Deacon Jones - again - and Harry Carson and Marion Motley.)
Tennessee's best pro is Peyton Manning, although Reggie White makes a hard argument too. This one may be a tie.
Texas A&M's best pro was most likely Lester Hayes. (Yale Lary is the only former Aggies player in the Hall of Fame, so it may be him, but we're unfamiliar with his work; and how Lester Hayes is not on the wall in Canton is puzzling.)
Vandy's best pro was possibly Will Wofford. (No Commodores in Canton, but Tennessee State has two with Richard Dent and Claude Humphrey.)
Great question.
---
From Sean R.
OK, the college coaches football poll is out, and everyone knew OSU would be 1. TCU is high and so is Alabama (as always), but what do think about the rest of it?
Who is underrated and overrated? Me and som friends are heading to Vegas in a couple of weeks. Who do you think is a good bet to win the national title?
Sean R. -
Of the top 25 poll released Thursday, there were a couple of things that jumped out to us.
First, every team in the SEC other than Vanderbilt received votes in the poll. That tells me any preseason bet on an SEC team to win it all is a longer shot than most think. Even Alabama, which has questions at quarterback. Heck, the entire SEC West is in the top 27 teams in the country.
Tennessee coach Butch Jones speaks to the media at the Southeastern Conference NCAA college football media days Tuesday, July 14, 2015, in Hoover, Ala.I also think is was a credit to Butch Jones and his brick-by-brick rebuilding that the other coaches think the Vols are one of the best 25 teams in the country. That's a credit to the improved talent there more than anything else, and even if you are Jomo, Butch and Co. have recruited their swooshes off.
As for overrated, we think one of the three top five teams with quarterback questions - Alabama, Baylor, Oregon - will lose at least three games.
As for teams that have a chance to be good bets in Vegas. We'd lay a little on Georgia Tech at 200-to-1, which is a huge number for a team that starts the year in the top 20. We'd lay some coin on Clemson quarterback DeShaun Watson to win the Heisman, if you can find that.
The other four teams we'd consider value bets in regard to odds and potential chance to win it all:
BYU at 500-to-1. TCU at 8-to-1. Boise State at 175-to-1. Florida State at 33-to-1 (if the Dalvin Cook thing gets worked out and with Everett Golson at quarterback, the Seminoles are not going to miss a beat).
---
From Chas
Friday question #1: Does the 5@10 care about anything this time of year besides looking ahead to football kicking off?
If the answer is maybe, here's question #2:
Suppose the NBA extracted all its current players who matriculated at UK and formed a new team we'll call the Kentucky Kernels. Starting five would be Cousins, Davis, Kidd-Gilchrist, Knight and Wall. The rest of the 13-man roster would be Noel, Kanter, Jones, Patterson, Meeks, Rondo, Bledsoe and Goodwin. Maybe Randle and Towns on the inactive roster.
We can all agree this team would make the playoffs, but what would be the Kernels' chances of cutting down the championship nets? They're thin in the middle, with MK-G the only superb three. Maybe they could make roster room for Booker and try him at the three.
Chas -
Question 1: We care about the following things this time of year: Baseball trade deadline stuff (we are intrigued by off the field stuff); Golf majors (and the fact that Tiger shot a 68 Thursday is cool; we are such a Jerry McGuire sidekick for Tiger - "You had us at hello") and football, football, football.
So there's that, but in truth it's mainly football.
As for No. 2, we need to ask this caveat: Are the Kernels (proper spelling, thanks since Colonels does not have a 'R' even though it assuredly is pronounced with one) required to only have UK players or is this the starting point of a roster and then we can deal from position of strengths?
If we are dealing with the former, then this group is no worse than the No. 4 pick in Vegas for the NBA title behind the Warriors, Spurs and Cavs. That's a strong collection of talent (and makes you wonder how Cal has not won more titles). And you are right, the hole at 3 would be tough to overcome in a league in which a perimeter playmaker is a must-have come playoff time. Could Wall grow into that? Sure, if he gets more consistent from the 20 feet. Davis is an Alpha dog, and he may be the next big guy to be the best player on a title team, but the rules are different in today's game.
FILE - In this June 10, 2015, file photo, Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) answers a question during a press conference following Game 3 of basketball's NBA Finals in Cleveland. LeBron James is bringing a little Hollywood to his Ohio hometown. The NBA superstar is hosting a private screening of “Trainwreck,” a new comedy in which he plays himself in a supporting role as the best friend of star Bill Hader. James is showing the film to family and friends in Akron on Friday, July 10, 2015, a few days before the movie's premiere in New York. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File) If you could deal some of the interior studs and overwhelming depth, this has the framework of being a a team that could win five titles in the next eight years.
OK, you need a strong rotation of eight with at least two A-listers to contend for titles (unless one of those is LeBron).
So of the roster you listed: Cousins, Davis, Kidd-Gilchrist, Knight and Wall. The rest of the 13-man roster would be Noel, Kanter, Jones, Patterson, Meeks, Rondo, Bledsoe and Goodwin. Maybe Randle and Towns on the inactive roster, consider the following
And if you build around the knowledge that Wall and Davis are you foundation, consider this:
You call OKC and say we'll give you Cousins, Kanter and MKG for Kevin Durant. They may balk, but that would allow them to build around Russell Westbrook with a much better starting five than they have now. Heck, throw in either Bledsoe or Randle and we think they jump at it.
The you trot out a starting five of Wall at the 1, Knight or Bledsoe at the 2, Durant at the 3, Davis at the 4 and Noel or Towns at the 5. Your bench is still strong, and you are a) the most athletic team in the league; b) the big mismatch team in the league with Wall's speed, Durant's scoring ability as a 6-10 perimeter guy; and c) the athleticism and versatility of David and Towns.
Wow. Cal should have more titles.