Weekend winners
College basketball fall out. We’ll give the decision to air a college-football-like postseason update show a thumb’s up. The rankings offer substance to the debates about seeds and some informational transparency. we are for both of those. As for the action this weekend, there are two interesting story lines nationally that deserve discussion. First, Gonzaga continues to win, getting by St. Mary’s on the road and will stay atop the polls. Secondly, with a Sunday night win over Wisconsin – on the impossible to find Big Ten Network mind you – Northwestern is poised to make the NCAA tournament for the first time ever.
This golf guy. Yes, meet weekend golfer Tomny Aarts, who was walking to the green for a 10-footer for birdie when he was dragged into the water next to the fairway by an alligator. Hitting the gator with his putter proved of little help as Aarts was being pulled deeper into the water. So, Aarts poked the alligator in the eye three quick times and was able to escape. That has to rank as the best three-putt in history.
That golf guy. Jordan Spieth rolled over the star-studded field and the glorious Pebble Beach grounds for this ninth win in 100 PGA starts. For comparison, only a couple of one-name dudes known as Tiger and Rory have won that much that quickly. Plus, for the game of golf – with Tiger’s back back in the headlines, and Phil makes a ton of birdies but a ton of bogeys – the return of the young stars like Spieth and Day (top 10 this weekend) and Dustin Johnson, who also was in contention for most of the weekend is a great thing.
Mark Richt. Yeah, this is a little out of left field, but by adding their second-five-star commitment for the 2018 cycle, Richt appears to be turning Miami back into The U. Richt now has two five-stars, and we were stunned to learn that Miami has not signed a five-star since the 2014 cycle. Now know this: Miami now has commitments from two of the top four players in Florida. Earlier this month, Miami signed exactly one of the top-20 ranked players in the state.
Saturday Night Live. Hey, we are no longer a fan – it hasn’t been funny since the Bush administration (and yes, we’re talking H.W.) – but the ratings in year 42 are higher than they have been in more than two decades. Saturday night was not different with Alec Baldwin hosting. (Side note: Alec Baldwin hosting Match Game is entertaining viewing. Seriously. We love game shows. You should know this.) How big are the ratings, well, Saturday night was the most-watched episode in almost six years and drew a 7.2 overnight rating. For comparison, the Thunder-Warriors basketball game was the most-watched regular-season NBA game not played on Christmas since 2013, and it only drew a 4.1 rating share.
Ronda Rousey leaves the octagon after losing to Amanda Nunes in the first round of their women’s bantamweight championship mixed martial arts bout at UFC 207, Friday, Dec. 30, 2016, in Las Vegas. Nunes won the fight after it was stopped in the first round. (AP Photo/John Locher) Weekend losers
Been a rough run for the folks in the news business here of late. And we normally make it a practice to never, ever point out other people’s mistakes because eventually we all make them. (Quick story: Our first month in this business back in 1997 at the Newnan Times Herald, we wrote a high school basketball preseason story that reviewed a scrimmage between “the shirts and the skins,” only we left the ‘r’ out of the first group. Yep, the shirts – minus the r – vs. the skins. Ouchstanding.) Still, this one is hard to fathom in a time when every news organization is doing more, doing it quicker and doing it with less folks. A Dominican Republic’s El Nacional newspaper was forced to apologized after confusing Alec Baldwin’s impersonation with the real Donald Trump, and running a photo of Baldwin as Trump with a story about the President. Oy.
Tennessee hoops. On the whole, the UT basketball team has overachieved and will almost assuredly make a tournament if they want an invite. That invite more than likely will not be from the NCAA, however. Saturday’s one-point home set back against Georgia was a bad loss. (Not as bad as Auburn blowing a 20-point lead against Ole Miss, mind you, but still bad.)
The UFC. Did you know that the top female star in the sport was in action Saturday? Neither did we. That screams volumes about how badly UFC needs Ronda Rousey, and not the other way around.
The awful news of the death of Quentin Moses, the former Georgia and NFL linebacker. He was 33. He and a 31-year-old woman and her 10-year-old daughter were found dead from a house fire Sunday in Monroe, Ga.
Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) goes up for an unopposed dunk in the second quarter of an NBA basketball game against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Oklahoma City, Saturday, Feb. 11, 2017. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki) Man we miss football
OK, the weekend winners and losers is a Monday staple, but the first full weekend without any type of competitive football since August certainly took a toll.
And whether you know it or not, we all missed it? Heck, when an NBA game in Oklahoma City is far and away the biggest story of the weekend, well, you know there’s a void. Still, the return over Kevin Durant to OKC to face the Thunder made for at least somewhat interesting theater. Here are the highlights:
Durant was excellent, scoring 34 on 12-of-21 shooting.
Russell Westbrook was amazing, scoring 47 on 14-of-26 shooting. Yes, he had 11 turnovers, but a big chunk of those were because he was forced to try to keep his team in a game against a much superior.
The crowd was loud and energetic, delivering a loud chorus of boos during the introductions and every time Durant touched the ball. (That is unless they crowd started chanting “Cup-Cake” a term that Durant and Westbrook used to joke with Thunder teammates they thought were being soft. It also was a very nice touch that the Thunder folks handed out Cupcake T-shirts to a large chunk of the crowd.)
Speaking of food story lines, well a popular OKC steakhouse refused to rent the joint out for Durant after the game, but he ate there anyway. Also at the joint was Westbrook, who has his own private room in the back. Sounds like that joint makes a heck of a piece of beef.
It also draws a stark line in the difference between rationality and sports fandom.
Why, other than emotional disconnect, for all the Durant hate?
Move this into general terms of any and all other walks of life.
Star employee at one place leaves for another job in what he believes to be a better city, with better short- and long-term options for success as an individual as well as an organization, and in the end, the money will be about the same.
Who doesn’t leave for that kind of chance?
Hey we thought the drama leading up to Saturday night was intriguing, but at what point – if any – do you think OKC will let it go?
This and that
– Man, this is the most scathing obituary we have ever seen. And to only make matters worse, the family that penned it – who obviously endured a lot of things from the man that died – is now coming under the social media morality mob’s angst spotlight. Man, there are too many hand-wringers with too much time on their hands and too many social media options at their finger tips.
– Thought this was interesting because it’s college football. (We miss you college football; please come back soon.) Here, according to 247sports, is a slideshow of the most important college football games of 2017. Oklahoma going to Ohio State in September is No. 1; surprisingly, the Iron Bowl is No. 2.
– Nice move by the Braves acquiring Brandon Phillips from the Reds for two pitchers who are in their late-20s. Maybe it’s because it’s that time of year, but are we the only ones who are starting to think that this Braves team has a roster to be competitive?
– Sad story here that Kansas State coach Bill Snyder has throat cancer. The upside is he is expected to be back to work the first week of March getting the Wildcats ready for spring practice.
Today’s question
If you have a weekend winner or a loser, as Prince once advised us, “Let’s Go Crazy.”
As for birthdays, well, there’s an interesting collection of folks from a wide array of genres.
Alvin York was born on this day in 1887.Record-setting Grambling coach Eddie Robinson was born on this day in 1919. So were Chuck Yeagar (1923), Jerry Springer (1944), Peter Gabriel (1950), and Randy Moss (1977).
It was a year ago today that Antonin Scalia died.
Also of note, Coach K – Duke boss Mike Krzyzewski – is 70 today. Coach K’s done enough to get on the all-time college hoops coaching Rushmore, right? (It’s tighter than you think.)
Go and enjoy the day.