Morning, gang.
We’ve had some personal conflicts today.
We’ll handle our business like the Rushmores in the comments, but we must get to bagging the ‘bag.
Enjoy.
From Big Orange Fan
Jay,
Love your column and read it every day.
How great is DGG going to be?
Thanks and GBO!
BOF
So, if I was a betting man, and I kinda am, I would bet Heisman before I would bet bust.
The truth is some in-between, of course, but I think DGG — provided there are no injury concerns — is a possible first-round pick in the 2027 draft.
Yes, like next spring. He’s that physically awesome.
And he’s driven. And the expectation that his best football is in front of him — as scary as that sentence reads — is one I believe to be true.
He’s going to be an absolute stud. That’s my opinion, and I am sticking to it.
From Mark
Jay,
Now that you’ve revealed yourself as a global sports fan, which of the 21 stages of the Tour de France is your favorite? What global-scale sport is the most absurd to watch on TV?
Mark
Such a great question and while World Cup soccer — their futbol — does not enter that discussion, there are a slew of them.
Will pickleball take off as a broadcast option?
Man, it feels like there are a slew of options that would have been ESPN the Ocho options currently fighting for time.
There’s a lot of cornhole on the mothership, especially early on Sunday mornings.
There is a ton of NBA rookie league, which feels totally worthless.
There is more than a little soccer, and not just the Euro stuff, but leagues from all over.
Is there a market for cricket?
I will tell you one that completely puzzles me to no end, and I’m not sure if it’s international or not.
But who gave the broadcast fees OK to the axe-throwing competitions?
Seriously?
From Chas
Three whys for Friday’s bag:
1) Why’d the Dodgers give DT a championship ring? It’s never been done before …
2) Why’d DT get the facts about Babe Ruth wrong after boasting, “I know something about baseball?”
3) Why’d Brian Snitker kiss DT’s [ring]?
Chas
In order, I have no idea. There have been multiple examples on each side of political persuasion of teams and ownership accepting or refusing controversial invites.
Caveat: The White House needs to go back to the congratulatory phone call after the title. Make it a deal like the “I’m going to Disney World” kinda thing.
But giving a ring is way more than giving a jersey, and considering DJT’s ego, he likely wears it everyday.
Trump getting stats wrong — or spinning them, like most politicians — is as much a news story as “dog bites man” and “fire is hot.”
Did not see the Snitker thing, so I have no idea. In truth, if I ever met the president, regardless of party, I would be deferential, you know.
From Patrick
Thanks for introducing me to the Grape Lady clip. Had not seen that before.
The number of “in-question” 5-star guys from 2023 kinda casts the whole ranking system into doubt. Again.
Patrick
Without question, the grape lady is cash money. It is the pick-me-up we all need even when we don’t know we need it.
As for the system, yes, that is been in question for going on decades.
While understandable, the first true chasms in the system appeared when Nick Saban offered a two-star prospect, but the rankers quickly turned him into a high four-star.
While that makes sense, and I have respect for folks who realize when others have more expertise and follow it, it also showed flaws. And shortcomings.
But it’s the interweb lifeblood — rankings and lists.
And since for the most part now even my day job at the fish wrapper is about interweb success, I get it.
From Spy
Ryan Clark got the heave-ho in a fairly embarrassing manner.
But, man, the count at the mothership is accelerating.
Karl Ravech out. David Lloyd out. Stephania Bell out. Tom Pelissero (who came over from the NFL Network as part of the merger) out.
Who’s going to be left — McAfee, Stephen A. Smith and Herbstreit’s dog?
Spy
Some would argue that Herbstreit’s dog is top-10 among the network’s remaining talent, but I digress.
Have a great weekend, friends.