Weekend winners
* Jacob Jarvis and everyone who had a hand in his awesome-in-its-awesomeness spring game touchdown at THE Ohio State. It was great. Here's the story and the video, and know that it likely will get a little dusty wherever you are when you watch it.
* Speaking of dusty, let's go to the Nebraska spring game, which is the genesis of these emotional spring moments as far as we are concerned. (They had the kid go 70 yards a few years ago, if memory serves.) Well, Nebraska reunited a military family when staff sergeant Matthew Hawke returned after 10 months in Afghanistan. And we're sorry, but regardless of the scene - airport, school, baseball field, you name it - if the videos of the soldiers surprising their families does not make you feel something, well, you are officially dead.
* NBA. Welcome to the playoffs, folks. Yes, we know some regulars around these parts think it is the Neverending Basketball Association, and that's OK. But the games just simply seem better and more competitive when the calendar goes from 82 to best-of-7.
* Wesley Bryan. It was a scant three years ago that trick-shot artists Bryan and his brother George were emailing out videos of themselves trying to get publicity. Now Wesley is a PGA Tour winner and ranked in the top 40 in the world golf rankings.
* Your Atlanta Braves, who christened Sun Trust Park with three consecutive wins over the Padres and now have won four straight. Sunday was the Barolo Colon show, as Big Sexy went seven innings, allowing one hit - a solo homer - and a walk in seven excellent innings. Side note: Bartolo threw 85 pitches, 60 of them were strikes.
FILE- In this June 2, 2016, file photo, United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz delivers remarks in New York, during a presentation of the carrier's new Polaris service. Video of police officers dragging a passenger from an overbooked United Airlines flight sparked an uproar Monday, April 10, 2017, on social media, but United's CEO defended his employees, saying they followed proper procedures and had no choice but to call authorities and remove the man. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File) Weekend losers
* Man, someone at United needs to give the 5-at-10 a call. We took some basic public relations classes at Auburn (i.e. the Harvard of Mid-Central-Eastern Alabama). United has had a bad week. * Louisville football. According to this, TV reporters were not allowed to film the spring game. Wow. We know football coaches in general are an overreactive and paranoid bunch, but if this report from WLKY is on the level, this is new - and bad heights. At least the station had fun with it, and drew stick figures to "illustrate" the highlights.
* SNL. Hey, we have celebrated the funny, and there actually has been some funny parts of the Not Ready for Prime Time Players skewering the Trump administration as well as the overly PC culture. Well, Melissa McCarthy's one-trick Sean Spicer has officially run its course. Also, since, you know, the world theater is closer to nuclear confrontation than ever before, a skit with the punching "Our last Easter on Earth" loses a whole lot of comedic punch.
* The Utah Jazz. Yes, Joe Johnson hit a buzzer beater to win Game 1, but losing star center and Defensive Player of the Year candidate Rudy Gobert to a hyperextended knee and a bone bruise is less than an ideal way to start the playoffs.
* Professional sports leagues. Of the four major professional sports leagues in this country, want to guess which one just concluded a regular season that started in 2016 with better TV ratings compared to 2015? Yep, MLB, which had all of a 1 percent year-to-year increase in TV viewing. The NFL was down - and down double digits in primetime contests. According to Variety Magazine, the NBA national games were down 6 percent - with 19 more prime time slots, mind you - from the 2015-16 seasons. According to Cynopsis media, the NHL numbers were down on NBC and NBCSN 7 percent from the previous season. (Important to remember, these are national numbers, not regional, team broadcasts for non-NFL leagues.)
Michigan head football coach Jim Harbaugh smiles as he sits on stage during the "Signing of the Stars" event on national signing day at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Mich., Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017. (Melanie Maxwell/The Ann Arbor News via AP) Recruiting overhaul
The NCAA Division I Council voted to approve the massive set of rule changes late last week.
The changes will be presented to the Board of Directors of the NCAA next month to be given the official A-OK. That move is completely expected, for what it's worth. Here are some the details of it:
There will be an early signing period this coming December for football scholarships. (This one is the biggest, and we have some thoughts on it below.)
The rest are not as big, but offer some interesting talking points. Teams will be allowed to hire a 10th football assistant - a carrot for those programs who were on the fence for the early-signing period. (It also will be another six-figure expense for power-five schools who will find the money somewhere even though they say they can't play players.)
It bans the practice of hiring IAWP - individuals associated with prospects - for a two-year period before and after prospects signing, as well as giving high school juniors an official visitation time and limiting satellite camps. Here's a comment from media reports:
"Today's adoption of the football legislation marks the most significant progress in recent years to improve the football environment and culture for current and prospective student-athletes and coaches," said council chair Jim Phillips. "Importantly, the action of the NCAA Division I Council delivers on the charge of the Division I Board of Directors to comprehensively improve the football recruiting environment. This affirms that the new Division I governance structure can effectively and timely address important issues."
That is debatable.
Of note, there was no new rules about the 'habit' of certain programs oversigning. Maybe the thought of December signing will help address that. As for the early signing, here's hoping kids embrace that chance. If there's a real, commit-able offer on the table, those guys should take it.
Alabama is not walking through that door. THE Ohio State is probably not walking through that door. It will also be very interesting to see how the uber-powers approach this. Will Saban only offer 10 December spots, and how many of those kids have to be ready to enroll for Spring.
(And if you think the power programs are not going to spin the practice - "We are only taking 12 early signees do you want to be one?" - you are nuts. That does two things. One, it adds pressure to the elite prospects. Two, it gives the Alabamas and Michigans and whomever else, the out of "Well, yes, we do still want you, but just not in December because you are a) not ready to enroll early and b) we are only taking X.")
We'll see, but if this gives the recruits more of an understanding of where they stand and limits even one kid getting "Processed" or given the grayshirt-switcheroo at the 11th hour, then it's a good measure.
This and that
* Couple of other NBA tidbits: One, Boston surrendered home-court advantage with a loss to Chicago on Sunday. Two, Paul George speaking the truth for Indiana and he gets hammered. In case you missed it, George on the final possession of a close game said he expects to get the ball back after passing it. Discuss.
* Add the Mountaineers fan base into the group pretty dog-gone excited about the showing of their transfer QB. Will Grier looked the part in West Virginia's spring game, going 12-of-18 for 202 yards.
* The heartbreaking story of Todd Heap, the former NFL tight end who ran over his 3-year-old daughter in the driveway. Here's Weeds' touching column on it and we can all agree that this is the worst nightmare for any parent.
* Here is Rob Gronkowski dressed as the Easter Bunny spiking an egg. Yep, we've officially reached a place where Gronk being Gronk is the new Manny being Manny.
* Thought this was cool. R.A. Dickey on Saturday pitched in his third Atlanta baseball stadium. He of course pitched in the 20-year history of Turner Field, but as a pitcher with Team U.S.A. in the 1996 Olympics, Dickey, a former All-American at Tennessee, got two wins at Fulton County in the '96 games.
Today's question
We are looking for winners and losers. Go.
We also can spread our wings a little bit. Happy birthday, Rowdy Roddy Piper, who is 63. Happy birthday Boomer Esiason, who is 56 today and had a better NFL career than many realize. Former Braves centerfielder Marquis Grissom is 50 today, and yes, that makes us feel a little old. Jennifer Garner is 45 today. (Side question: Is she an A-list Hollywood celebrity?)
On this day in 1937, Daffy Duck was born.
So, on the 80th birthday of Daffy, who makes the Duck Rushmore?
Go.