Weekend winners
Coach K. Do I think he’s a smug, pompous hypocrite? Yes, yes I do. But he has his team peaking at the right time and with three games left in the college basketball season of his final year, his Devils are still practicing. Side note: Today is the 30th anniversary of Laettner’s shot, so there’s that too.
Also, the TV partners of the NCAA tournament, because, gang, Duke-UNC in Coach K’s final season – did you know Coach K’s retiring? Man, CBS and Jim Nantz should really make a mention that Coach K’s retiring this year, dontcha think? – will be as hyped as Bird-Magic.
Scottie Scheffler. Yeah, go ahead and raise your hand if you had ‘Scheffler, Scottie’ as the world’s best golfer for the first three months of 2022. Anyone? Bueller? Bueller. Scottie beamed himself up to No. 1 in the world with his matchplay win in Texas over the weekend.
Tennessee baseball. Buckets of homers and gallons of pitching gas, these Vols are not just the best baseball bunch UT has ever had – heck I asked UT beat writer Wes Rucker earlier this month if this UT team is the best of any Vols program since Y2K, and you can easily make an argument for that – they are the best team in the country. By a comfortable margin considering UT went to No. 1 Ole Miss and swept the top-ranked Rebels in convincing fashion. Here’s more from Paschall on UT’s business trip to Oxford. https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/sports/college/story/2022/mar/27/vitellos-vols-vanquish-top-ranked-rebels-conv/565887/
U.S. men’s soccer. Not even going to pretend a) that I watched or b) that I can analyze any part of the ‘beautiful game’ but Lord knows we would have blasted the USMNT if they had failed to qualify for the World Cup, so the converse should apply too. (Side question: Which is the more arrogant – and potentially more false – self-given nickname to a sport, soccer calling itself the ‘beautiful game’ or baseball still insisting that it’s the ‘national pastime,” which is clearly no longer true?) And apparently, Christian Pulisic must have been really good at kickball when he was in grade school.
Bonus: Shaq won an Oscar. That’s pretty cool, and considering how he loved to talk smack to Chuck Barkley, Tuesday’s TNT show is appointment TV this week.
Weekend losers
Cinderellas. Clock struck midnight for all the wannabe party-crashers for the Final Four festivities. As Weeds writes here – the blue bloods flexed and flew through the regional semifinals and finals.
Foo Fighters fans. Drummer Taylor Hawkins was found dead over the weekend with 10 substances in his system, including “marijuana, opioids, tricyclic antidepressants and benzodiazepines,” according to authorities.
Villanova. Yes, the Wildcats got to the Final Four, and yes, Jay Wright continues to reload VU’s roster every year and have his team contending for a spot in the final weekend every March. But heading into a date with red-hot Kansas on Saturday, ‘Nova losing captain Justin Moore – who averages almost 15 points and 4.8 boards per game – to a torn Achilles late in Saturday’s win was crushing.
Penny Hardaway. Gang, if you can get your players paid in the day and age of NIL, then you really are not even trying, you know?
Out with a bang
So, Will Smith really took that Ali role to heart, huh?
The former Fresh Prince, who won his first Oscar as lead actor, committed assault when he smacked Chris Rock, who made a benign wisecrack about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith.
And considering all the hubbub and scandal around the Smiths over the last few years, all things considered, Rock’s “G.I. Jane 2′ joke was more PG-3 than PG-13, by comparison.
Yes, it was tacky – Pinkett-Smith has lost her hair because of a medical condition – but man oh man, every zinger or one-liner during shows like this are at someone else’s expense. But don’t tell that to Smith, who promptly got swingy wit it.
Will Smith got weepy and apologetic during his acceptance speech for his Academy Award, which he won for playing Richard Williams, papa to Serena and Venus.
And whether he meant to or not, Smith certainly looks ready to play the part of opponent-slapping Michigan coach Juwan Howard in his next sports biopic.
Side question for the group: Why was Will Smith not arrested on the spot? Anyone? (Update: Apparently authorities asked Rock if he wanted to press charges, and the comedian declined.)
Side question, part II: Was that real? Because it’s not like the Oscars have been setting the world on fire lately, and this morning it’s all anyone’s discussing. Side question, part III: Did anyone ever believe that Jef Spicoli would grow up to be such an insufferable jackwagon? Hey Sean Penn, I don’t care if you ‘smelt’ your Oscars or not, and the fact that you want the Ukraine president to attend the Academy Awards is downright stupid. Uh, he has a few bigger fish to fry right now, Sean. They are kind of involved in a war, maybe you’ve heard about it.
Side question, part IV: Does this change your opinion of Smith? Is that change positive or negative?
And a final side note: If I’m Rock, I am whipping Smith’s goofy tuckus to the point where he could star in Men in Black and Blue.
This and that
– With Miami as the last double-digit seed, we have a three-way tie for first in the “First 1 out, last double-digit seed dancing contest.” Congrats to Doug D., Chris B. and Joey T. The tie-breaker, as we discussed late last week, will be the total number of points scored in the three games in New Orleans Saturday and Monday. And “Price is Right” rules apply, which means if there are 388 points scored this weekend, the entry of 50 wins over the entry of 389. Good luck, and I need those numbers from you three by COB Friday. Deal? Deal.
– How about this stat: Saint Peter’s is the sixth team that was seeded 13 or higher to make the Sweet 16 over the last 20 seasons, and none of the previous five have made it past the first weekend since.
– You know the drill, here’s Paschall with some college football intel from UT’s spring practice.
– Here’s Saturday’s A2 column from a kind fella with a roundish mug.
Today’s questions
Weekend winners and losers. Go.
As for today, March 28, let’s review.
Vince Vaughn is 52 today. What’s his Rushmore, and half are not only easy, but they are among the funniest movies made in the last 20 years if we’re being honest. Go.
5-at-10: Weekend winners (Coach K) and losers (Cinderellas) and an Oscar event that packed a punch
