Let’s do some business.
Rushmore of modern-era NBA players — think post-1980 — from mid-major programs — John Stockton, Larry Legend, David Robinson, Steph Curry. That would be a boss starting core, and that’s leaving off a slew of others. (And yes, Spy, you could technically add Chuck Barkley since AU felt like a mid-major for most of the last half century.)
Rushmore of Elton John songs — “Rocket Man,” “Tiny Dancer” (a simply must-have, if for no other reason than the bus scene in “Almost Famous”), “Levon” and “Someone Saved My Life Tonight.” Which makes my chest hurt to leave multiple “Lion King” classics on the cutting room floor. Man …
Rushmore of renowned fans of UT — Peyton Manning, Kenny Chesney, Dolly Parton and Matthew McConaughey. (Did not specify which UT, did I?)
Rushmore of Malone. Moses, Karl, Post and Sam. I do like the restaurant of the same name too.
As for business, here’s Paschall with UT football details after their first spring scrimmage.
Let’s bag the ‘bag.
From Sam
I attended UNC during the Dean Smith period. We are 27 victories all-time behind KY. Of 108 years of basketball, Carolina has experienced 11 losing seasons. Some of those games were played with peach baskets, and a 14-8 game was a barn burner, but still, that’s mighty impressive.
There are few people more devoted to Chapel Hill than Hubert. He raised his family there during his 13-year NBA career and ESPN days. He played under Dean with a stellar career, was Roy’s asst. coach for 9 years and rightly got the head coaching job. Not to be gushy, but the Carolina Family and Carolina Way are just that. All current, 6 coaches (before Sunday) played for either Dean or Roy.
Concerning a coaching change, his has been unfairly compared to Roy’s record. I wonder how the NIL and transfer portal would have affected his numbers? Danny Green jumps ship to Rutgers for more $? Tyler Hansbrough wants more minutes, so he’s now at Auburn? In the first weekend of the NCAAs, other heralded schools like Kansas, KY, FL, UVA are out. It’s a totally different game now, and the days of building long dynasties are gone unless you have hedge fund mgr Duke alumni laundering money in their bottomless, secretive NIL fund (had to get a Duke gig in). Billy Donovan, Brad Stevens, etc., will have good periods, but a 5 year Elite 8, Final 4 run? Don’t see it.
Sam
I think Billy Donovan would crush at Chapel Hill. Same with Nate Oats, even if his closet full of skeletons may not allow it.
UNC is going to have to embrace the new world — like Alabama football — in that these recruits are not going to the traditional powers or the places with the prestige and the prestige facilities.
Sure those help, but recruiting has become a bottom-line business, which means LSU bringing Will Wade and his strong bleep offers back to Red Stick is a home run hire.
(Side note: LSU needs to change the name of Death Valley to the Death Star. They have embraced the Dark Side, and if I was an LSU fan I would love, Love, LOVE the commitment to winning. Somewhere, Al Davis is trying on an LSU cap.)
Well said, Sam, and I think UNC will be back. It can’t afford not to be, to be honest.
From JTC
JTC
That link is the projection to Baker Mayfield getting more than $60 million a year from the Bucs, or whoever wants to pony up in free agency.
And my answer is simply, “I have no idea what’s going on anymore.”
Lord, if Baker Mayfield is going to get $62.75 million per season for the next four years, then what is Mahomes worth? What is Allen worth? Or Jackson or Burrow or Herbert or Dak or any number of dudes I can rattle off?
Seriously, where would Baker fall in the QB1 rankings? Top 15? Maybe?
There is no more buyer’s market in sports than a lovable QB1 about to enter free agency, and notice I said lovable, not even capable.
Is Baker good? Yeah, he’s pretty good. But he was throwing to — when healthy — maybe the best WR room in the NFC outside of Minnesota.
But the fans like him, and the organization knows that being without a QB1 is perceived to be worse than having your QB1.
But overpaying for a QB1.5 is organizational suicide. Ask the Dolphins, who ponied up for Tua. Ask the Falcons, who overspent for Kirk Cousins.
WTF, indeed.
From WDE
Jay, WTH is this?
WDE
So, my social media was lit during our softball afternoon/evening Thursday.
(The Lil’ Miss 5-at-10 did not start against a very good CCS crew but pitched two innings of relief and allowed one earned run and one hit in an 11-1 loss. She added two hits in three ABs, so that’s doable.)
Anywell, the above link is Bruce Pearl lamenting from his CBS Studio seat about the Hubert Davis firing.
Pearl’s quote was: “I just hate hearing the words ‘Hubert Davis was fired at UNC.’ That sentence right there bothers me to my core … . That’s why I’m sitting here, guys. That’s part of the reason why I’m sitting here. Because there is no loyalty anymore.”
WHAT?!?!? That’s why you are sitting in the studio? You walked away from AU, which would have sent multiple sacrificial athletic department employees to take the rap if you got caught committing a felony on Toomer’s Corner.
Loyalty, Bruce? Loyalty? Auburn was so loyal to you, it gave a current top-20 job to your offspring blindly.
I will end this here: Every AU supporter should be forever grateful for the miracles Bruce Pearl worked at Auburn, which was worse than basketball purgatory for most of my lifetime.
And every AU supporter also assuredly cringes every time Bruce opens his yapper on a hot mic.
From Patrick
As soon as I see (Trump’s) name in the comments, I skip it. Yeah, Trump says and does outlandish things. Anyone expect him to change 11 years into this? If you do, and you’re offended by something he says or does at this point, isn’t that kind of on you? He ain’t gonna change.
I’m not out of sorts on (Bill) Maher getting the Twain prize. He’s one of the few guys on the left who is willing to at least listen to somebody on the right and one of the few guys on the left willing to call out those who ascribe to his political and social bent for stupid crap.
At least it’s not going to one of the great clog of truly unfunny people passing as comedians these days.
Besides, Dave Barry has never won one. And that alone makes the Twain Prize worthless.
Patrick
I can understand that, and it’s truly tragic — for America.
But my beef from earlier this week was about Maher getting the Nobel Prize of American comedy.
Yes, you can quibble about a slew of the selections through the years.
Ellen DisenGenerous? Whoopi before Eddie? Tina Fey before Carol Burnett?
Looking at the list, what if I offered these 10 names over Bill Maher, in no particular order:
> Chevy Chase
> Harold Ramis (yes, it’s not supposed to be a posthumously given award)
> Dan Aykroyd
> Tom Hanks
> Louis CK
> Tim Allen
> Chris Rock
> Steve Carell
> Ricky Gervais
> Larry David
And don’t even get me started about the predictable dribble that has become late-night TV.
What used to be the bastion of comedy — Carson to Letterman to even Arsenio and Leno — has become a horrific wasteland of musical skits and hopes of viral YouTube clips.
Thought this was well said on that topic by Vince Vaughn, who is hilarious by the way. More funny than Maher, to me at least.
From Spy
(Spencer) Strider to the IL for the Braves.
Ugh.
That pitching staff was already a 5 with the lights on. Now it’s getting “gnaw your way out of the handcuffs before she comes out of the bathroom ugly” in a hurry.
Spy
Hey, it’s opening day. Call your boss — oh yeah, you’re your boss — and say you’re under the weather. Crack open a CoCola and enjoy BravesVision.
It has to be better than Netflix, right? RIGHT?!?!?!?!
Have a great weekend, friends, and thanks for spending your time here.