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One and done
There truly are too many things to get to this morning. Heck, I thought about just doing a monster "This and that" but decided against it.
So with all these things on the board, we'll start with this one. And one.
Saw last night on social media that the National High School Federation is doing away with the "one-and-one."
Now states have the right to govern themselves accordingly and with differing rules from the NHSF, but man, I hate this one. And one.
I understood the changes to baseball. The pace of play needed to be addressed.
I have come to appreciate the added skill and value of the PAT — and the decision-making in terms of going for 2 — the NFL created with those changes.
But this? Makes no sense because basketball's pace is almost too frenetic at times — especially in high school — and it continues to stretch the game in terms of offensive skill set.
Somewhere Shaq is smiling. And Naismith is crying.
Shohei something special
We simply do not appreciate the magic that Shohei Ohtani is delivering on a nightly basis.
Monday he got the win in what was assuredly not his best pitching performance. He allowed five runs over seven innings because of a couple of hangers that the Orioles knocked out of the park.
It happens. But he did go seven, and got the W.
That's a full day for a lot of guys making lots of millions of dollars.
Shohei is a bona fide A1 starter. He's 5-1 this year and has an ERA right at 3.00, despite a recent surge of homers allowed. He has a WHiP under 1.00, which is elite. He averages way more than a strikeout an inning (71 Ks in 53.0 IP) and is one of four big leaguers to get 500 career Ks in his first 400 innings.
He's an ace.
Now scratch all of that for a second.
Shohei Ohtani went 4-for-5 last night, missing the cycle by a double. It was the third time this season — this season friends — that he has had three or more hits as the starting pitcher.
He's turning the major leagues into your neighborhood little league where the pitcher is the best hitter, too.
He's slashing .303/.377/.555 with nine homers and 29 RBIs.
He's Babe Ruth 100 years after the fact.
Not your granddaddy's NFL
So come January, when the weather is cold and the stakes are raised, the NFL postseason could hinge on any number of things.
Who has home-field advantage. Who has the best QB. Who is the most healthy.
As for the TV-watching fandom, one of the questions will be to your nearest tech-savvy teenager, and it will be "Hey, how can we stream Peacock?"
Of course there will be giggles, but there will be stress, too. Peacock, the streaming service of NBC, acquired the sole rights to stream one NFL playoff game early next year.
So whether that's Chiefs-Bills or possibly Eagles-Cowboys, this will be the first step into the next generation of live sports consumption.
The price tag for the Peacock to fan its NFL feathers? A cool $110 million for a single game, but the exclusive rights for said game is a monster bet on subscriptions.
Think of it this way: Peacock costs $4.99 a month, and if they get a good match-up that could draw 25-plus-million viewers — Dallas-Tampa Bay drew more than 31 million viewers in the first round on ESPN this past January — it's a heady play.
Plus, Peacock will embrace the opportunity that most of the main TV partners already know. Live sports is the best platform out there to self-promote. Think how many times TNT has run ads for its shows during the NBA playoffs through the years.
Or how many times we get a "60 Minutes" promo on Sunday's CBS coverage or the endless loop of cruddy Fox commercials for cruddy Fox shows with 1980s Brat Pack alums like Rob Lowe and Charlie Sheen.
This will be the first foray into a must-see streaming-only broadcast, but if you think it's the last one, well, you likely picked "Molly Ringwald winning an Oscar" in your Brat Pack Bingo card.
This and that
— I am not a fan of the Paul Finebaum Show, but I'm not a hater either. I get why it's popular, I truly do. But it also is a self-mocking circus of the South, whether those folks involved realize it or not. And that's fine. Paul has made himself into a cottage industry — and made a mint doing it — and that's a great niche to have. It's just not my cup of tea. All of that said, I'm passing along the news that Phyllis in Mulga — one of Paul's iconic callers, right there with tree-killer Harvey Updyke — kicked the bucket.
— So on the Blue Jays broadcast of last night's game with the Yankees, there was some not so subtle references to Aaron Judge's wandering eyes — to the dugout, sign stealing, you guess whatever — before he launched a monster home run. Here's the clip.
— Man, Kirby Smart can recruit his whistle off. Here's Paschall — you know the rules — on Smart and Georgia getting a commitment from the top player in the 2024 cycle.
— So Joel Embiid blamed his supporting cast. Perfect. Also of note: ESPN stats and info reported that Embiid averaged 33.1 points per game during the regular season and 23.7 during the playoffs. That's the largest postseason drop for an MVP ever. But yeah, the rest of the 76ers need to step up.
— Why are people yapping about Stetson Bennett not graduating from Georgia? Dude, there are a lot of us who needed a few extra semesters to get the paper. Like Tommy Boy told Richard, "A lot of people go to college for seven years." Yeah, they are called doctors. "Shut up, Richard."
— So Matt Ryan is moving into the NFL broadcast booth. Can you get sacked or intercepted behind the mic? Asking for a few hundred thousand Falcons fans. Ryan was adamant that this was not a retirement announcement — that way he keeps his options open and the funds flowing — but it does make me wonder. What is Ryan's legacy? Good QB? Very good QB? He likely will make the Hall of Fame, but should he?
Today's questions
True or false, it's Tuesday. Morning, Ernie.
True or false, Matt Ryan deserves to be in the NFL Hall of Fame.
True or false, Joel Embiid is a fraud.
True or false, Shohei Ohtani is the best player in all of team sports.
True or false, you hate eliminating the 1-and-1 in high school hoops.
True or false, you would subscribe to Peacock for one NFL playoff game.
True or false, you listen to Finebaum.
You know the drill. Answer some T or Fs, leave some T or Fs.
As for today, May 16, let's review.
On this day a decade ago, stem cells were cloned.
On this day in 1929, the first Academy Awards happened. Spy, how was the food?
On this day in 1986 "Top Gun" premiered. Wow, let's pause, because "Maverick" deserves a spot with "Godfather 2" and "Empire Strikes Back" on the Rushmore of sequels.
Also, Janet Jackson is 57 today. Rushmore of most talented brother-and-sister combos.
Go.