Weekend winners
Hamilton County school kids. Man, who didn’t love snow days growing up? And having a four-day weekend after the mega-Christmas break is nuts.
Ryan Day. Dude has his team playing its best when it matters most. And he is the greatest beneficiary of any sports rule change since Dale Ellis and the NBA 3 pointer. And anyone who thinks expansion does not make what used to be the greatest regular season in sports less meaningful, well, THE Ohio State would not have been in a four-team playoff — and maybe not even in an eight-team field — and now they are more than a TD favorite to win it all.
Mark Pope. This weekend nod is less about the “W” at Starkville — which will age like a 2009 Château Lafite Rothschild — and more about the high character marks the UK leader earned afterward. Check the YouTubes, and you’ll see Pope exited the locker room Saturday to greet BBN faithful who made the trip, and in the stands was a handicapped UK fan who could not get to the floor. So Pope ventured into the stands to say hello.
UTC hoops. The Mocs were desperate for a big-time home performance like Sunday’s tail-kicking of VMI. And from an astute regular and UTC devotee, Mocs guard Honor Huff went 9-for-10 from 3, and I don’t care if you’re running 5-on-none skeleton drills, 9-of-10 from distance is doing work.