Let’s handle some business.
Rushmore of best pro sports head coaches in New York City history — Bill Parcells, Joe McCarthy, Casey Stengel and Joe Torre. Sorry about the Islanders guy, SE.
Rushmore of Jason Bateman — “Ozark,” “Arrested Development,” Pepper Brooks in “Dodgeball” and “Horrible Bosses.”
Rushmore of current sibling actors — Gyllenhaals, Bridges, Wahlbergs and, staying true to the hometown, Julia and Eric Roberts. Smyrna forever.
Rushmore of radio hosts — Stern, Limbaugh, Casey Kasem and Paul Harvey.
Rules, friends. Here’s Paschall on UT’s backup QB heading north as the portal starts closing.
From PD
Two things:
A), Yes, I can see the vertically challenged filing a discrimination suit against Bad Bunny. I guess when he was born, Mr. and Mrs. Bunny opted not to call him Easter or Honey? Probably sound thinking on their part.
2) The Mets are offering a short-term deal for Kyle Tucker for $50 million a year. Kyle Tucker. Fitty million a year. There’s money, there’s stupid money and there’s being stupid with money. I’ve been exposed to two and done plenty of the third. This is that third.
PD
Yes, Mr. And Mrs. Bunny chose wisely.
I included this from earlier in the week because after the Mets offered Tucker that insane one-year sum, guess who swooped in and made the top target on the free agent market the second-highest paid player in the game?
The L.A. Dodgers did, of course. L.A. handed Tucker four years and $240 million. His $60-million-a-year salary is second in baseball, only behind Shohei Ohtani.
Who does Shohei play for again? I’ll wait.
The Dodgers now have eight guys with contracts north of $100 million. Read that sentence again. That’s right at a third of their 25-man roster.
The ripples are much bigger because this feels like the final straw to a labor lockout as the majority of the owners either can’t spend with the Dodgers or refuse to spend with the Dodgers.
Conversely, dynasties in general are good for sports in terms of viewers and popularity. The World Series numbers were off the charts with the Dodgers winning it all.
Plus, the players have done nothing wrong in this, so locking them out for the pipe dream of a salary cap is the very definition of cutting off your nose to spite your wallet.
Thoughts?
From Mark
Since you are the most degenerate gambler I personally know, at what point will the various insider trading, point shaving, pitch wielding, you-name-it cheating scandals across many different sports cause you to stop gambling or significantly change your sports betting behaviors?
Gambling will never die, but will it ruin sports as we have known them?
Mark
Completely fair question and hopefully one that is being explored across all levels, especially the lower levels of college sports.
And there are ranges, as you referenced.
The NBA scandal is like insider trading. Guys like Terry Rozier, Jontay Porter and Chauncey Billups traded knowledge on injuries and roster issues to their advantage.
Which makes you wonder how deep into the pockets of gamblers were those guys, each of whom was making millions and had career earnings into the eight- and nine-figure range.
That’s scary, for sure.
The latest wide-sweeping arrests with this lower-level college basketball scandal are actually worse.
Because these charges hinge on throwing games, which dents the integrity of every sport.
Gambling is not going everywhere because of the spigot of cash flowing to all parts of the league — the sports, the players, the broadcast partners, all of them.
Two thoughts:
First, player props need to be overhauled. Player props are the individual bets on over/unders on specific player stats. If the betting sites want to keep them — and they do — only offer the overs. Granted it should still be illegal for players to bet on their sport, but if Rozier bets on over on him scoring 20.5 points, at least you know he was trying.
(The counter argument of course is what if Rozier bets on the player he’s matched-up with scoring more than 20.5 points?)
Pretending gambling did not taint sports before the betting sites exploded is naive. Ask Charlie Hustle.
So I don’t think it could derail sports, but my final thought is this nightmare scenario:
So LeBron does a lot of DraftKing commercials with Kevin Hart. I imagine King LeBron is getting millions from DraftKings.
What happens if the Lakers are in the Western Conference finals against the Warriors and DraftKings face a $50 million loss if the Lakers win the series and LeBron plays awfully in a Game 7 loss?
Maybe it’s James gagging in a big moment. But the questions will abound.
From Chas
For Friday’s Bag — Was the Malachi Moreno shot as fantastic as the one by the so-called Christian? Will the TV gods replace that old shot with this new footage in the endless loop they trot out every time they celebrate college basketball madness?
Chas
Moreno’s shot was awesome. The pass was better. And the outcome saved Mark Pope a whole lot of angst and outrage among the BBN.
But we can’t compare a regular-season buzzer-beater in mid-January to one of the two or three greatest shots in basketball history.
Christian Laettner’s shot capped a 10-for-10 from the field, 10-for-10 from the line masterpiece in the Elite Eight to get Duke to the Final Four.
Moreno saved his coach from the hot seat.
For now.
Maybe Lo Charles’ dunk in ’83 or MJ’s push-off to cap the second three-peat in Chicago are ahead of Laettner’s game-winner.
Maybe.
From Spy
My dad grew up not far from where the molasses flood happened. He was not around at the time, but he used to talk about it.
How slow do you have to be to not get out of the way of a tidal wave of … molasses?
Meanwhile, in modern times, Georgia Tech basketball continues to plod through irrelevancy and is stuck — like it’s mired in molasses! — in a circle of blahstatic, following a 20-point loss at home to an under .500 Pitt team. Damon Stoudamire’s time at Tech is ending sooner rather than later.
How bad must your situation be if John Harbaugh looks at it and goes, nah, I think I’ll take the Giants gig?
Spy
During middle school, Georgia Tech hoops was the best sporting ticket in Atlanta. College or pro.
Where it is now is sad. Somewhere, Bobby Cremins is crying.
As for Harbaugh, great point about the other openings and the Heisman the lesser Harbaugh landed on Atlanta and Tennessee.
Have a great weekend, friends.