Stealing signs
There is a Little League hubbub a-brewing as the New England Regional has been consumed by accusations of sign stealing.
Here's the skinny: Losing coach accuses winning coach of stealing signs with runners on second base looking in and relaying the pitch call to the hitters.
Baseball has been about stealing signs since the beginning of time. Heck, one of the more famous plays in the history of the game - Bobby Thompson's Shot Heard 'Round the World - has forever been linked to steal signs. In fact, with spit-balls and corked bats and sign stealing of all sorts, cheating and grabbing any extra advantage - PEDs, cough, cough - has always had romantic connection to rule-breakers.
And I'm OK with that. If someone is stealing your signs, then come up with a better way to communicate. If they are taking from you, well, that's on you.
As for the questions about the differences for big-leaguers and Little Leaguers, well, are those germane? (Are they Russian? Are they Spanish? Sorry.)
In general practice, I say no. The game is the game, and finding an edge is part of the process.
That said, apparently Little League rules prohibit sign stealing and players and coaches observed doing it are supposed to be ejected. Even Tim Kurkijan said on ESPN this morning that Williamsport will not tolerate anything close to sign stealing. That will be doubly true after this fracas.
And, if it's against the predetermined rules - and considering this appears to be a well-orchestrated, even coached process - well, the complaints are warranted.
Even if they go unheeded or ignored in the moment.
Or maybe it's just a sign of the times.
NFL players dilemma
The NFL continues to send out paperwork reminding players there is a real possibility of a labor stoppage after the 2020 season.
Here's the most recent reminder list, and it includes some very first-world problems and a huge cautionary tale that all players should heed.
Some of the big-money suggestions include selling any car you haven't driven in the last six months, designating one day a week as a "no spending day," and considering the option to rent out unused homes.
The heartbreakingly true one - that all-too-often leaves players who make millions struggling to make ends meet not long after retiring - is about telling friends and family either no or not right now when you are hit up for money.
In large part this is good leadership, and good leadership will be more important than every for the NFLPA.
On ESPN on Thursday morning, Dominique Foxworth, a former NFL cornerback who was a key figure in the player unions of the NFL and the NBA, admitted that the NFL Players Association faces a real concern of various position groups splintering off and forming their own unions.
Specifically, the thought of an NFL running back coalition forming to address the needs and concerns of those specific players.
Foxworth said that in the last 10 years NFL running backs' average salary has gone down despite the huge increase in salaries everywhere else and the huge increase in the salary cap. Heck, Foxworth was unsure if the players union is even the best idea.
It goes back to that value-and-worth conversation, right, and those issues are huge for Zeke and Alvin Kamara and Nick Chubb, at al. But how big a concern is that for Julio Jones or the Trevor Lawrence down the road or everyone in between?
It will be interesting to watch for sure, because the issues that each side want are pretty clear. What each side is willing to concede - and how many players groups will be at the table - remains to be seen.
NFL preseason picks
We are moving quickly because, a) we have some length above this item, and b) we have a monster This and That.
OK, we have been in on the NFL preseason and, while picks are for entertainment purposes only, Week 1 of the meaningless preseason was meaningfully entertaining.
Good times.
With a handful of games tonight and a full slate between now and Saturday night, let's have three tonight and three more tomorrow. Deal? Deal.
Baltimore minus-4 over Green Bay. Have to believe that Aaron Rodgers is going to play very little. That helps. Have to believe the Ravens are exploring some serious snaps to get the back-ups ready behind run-first QB Lamar Jackson. That helps too. But in the end, I'm backing the simple crazy from a Harbaugh, and the fact that John Harbaugh is 30-15-1 against the spread in the preseason. Like his brother, John firmly believes if we are going to tee it up we are going to play to win it. Even if it's meaningless.
Jets-Falcons over 43.5. The Falcons do not care about the preseason and the need to keep the key defensive pieces healthy and upright far outweigh the need to slow the Jets down.
Raiders plus-3 over Arizona. Call it the "Hard Knocks on Wood" good luck trend. I believe the Raiders have a slew of issues, but I also believe that Chucky wants to make sure he looks like he knows what he's doing on "Hard Knocks" and win as many as possible. That could be huge in a close meaningless game, especially when Gruden's gang is getting a field goal.
Last week: 5-1 against the spread (83.3 percent)
This season: 5-1 against the spread (83.3 percent)
All-time in preseason picks: 5-1 against the spread (83.3 percent)
This and that
- Holy smokes. Seriously. Did you see the story that Mike Tyson admitted to smoking $40,000 a month in weed. Yes. $40,000. A month. Imagine what he spent in Doritos and Oreos on top of that.
- Stop the presses. Seriously, cue Ron Burgundy. "I've just been handed an urgent and horrifying news story. I need all of you to stop what you're doing and listen. Cannonball." Shocker, yes, Big Baller Brand appears to be a big busted brand.
- USA! USA! USA! Egad, the U.S. basketball team got smoked by a collection of G-League players. No es bueno amigos. No es bueno.
- Speaking of no es bueno, a fan died at a Fresno Grizzlies game after participating in a taco-eating contest. Wowser. Maybe if the ballpark had nets from foul pole to foul pole this could have been prevented.
- College football anniversary story and a beef. Lots happening around these parts today, which is cool. Normally, this could have had its own entry above, but today we're in the 'This and That' and that is OK. This time. Here is CBSsports.com listing an all-time All-American team and that is fine. We sports folks get all-timey when you have a 50-year anniversary or a 100, or even 150, like college football is celebrating this season. The team is interesting fodder, and I like a lot of the controversial picks on the first team offense. Tommie Frazer at quarterback. No Bo Jackson at first-team RB. The O-Line is pretty amazing. But I'm afraid that a lot of the defensive choices were based on NFL success more than college success, if that makes sense. I get that Butkus is Butkus, but dude Brian Bosworth was a college football DUDE. And the wide receivers? Yes, a tough position group for sure, but lots of record-setting guys left off for Anthony Miller? Here's thinking that, I don't know, some guys like Tim Brown or Michael Crabtree or a slew of other dudes - Michael Irvin, Irving Fryar, Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald - may want to discuss that. And say what you want about his failed NFL career and his ESPN persona, but David Pollack was a monster at Georgia. (And personally, I'm not sure Ed Reed was even the best safety to come through the U. Sean Taylor may have a thought about that.)
- Speaking of college football, here's TFP college football oracle David Paschall on former Vols tight end and current Georgia tight end Eli Wolf. (Loved the 'lone' and 'Wolf' in the headline there didn't you, Spy?) Anyhoo, which way on a Thursday: Which player transferred from your school that irritated you the most? Discuss.
- This time a little more than a year ago, Serena Williams had one of the epic rants of all time at the ump at the U.S. Open Final. It was not pretty. Well, by comparison, legendary tennis bad boy Nick Kyrgios said "Hold muh beer." Dude smashed two rackets, called the Irish chair ump a "potato" and weaved a tapestry of expletives that are still hovering over the court in Cincinnati.
- Braves played. Braves won. Sadly, show fav Ronald Acuña did not hit a homer. Yes, I'm now making prop bets on Acuña hitting homers on a game-by-game basis. Giddy-up.
- Speaking of Cannonball, I thought this was pretty cool, as Jimmy Kimmel hosted his 14th annual Bellyflop contest. And, yes, I too was surprised that Jimmy Kimmel has been hosting a late-night show for 14 years.
Today's questions
We offered a which way option on a Thursday.
We will also offer a true or false or two.
True or false, Nick Kyrgios will be suspended.
True or false, as a college player and college player only David Pollack was better than Reggie White. (I know it sounds amazingly sacrilegious, but just consider it.)
True or false, Albert Pujols, who now is 15th all-time in hits with 3,168, the most of any foreign-born player, will be the next unanimous Hall of Fame inductee.
As for today, Aug. 15, well, the Mayflower set sail on this day in 1620. How terrified were those folks?
One more true or false, since on this day "The Wizard of Oz" premiered: True or false, "The Wizard of Oz" is the greatest and most important movie of all time.
Dang, 50 years ago, Woodstock opened. Chew on that, and imagine how much weed Tyson would have smoked there.
Ben Affleck is 47 today. Jennifer Lawrence is 29.
In honor of those two, each of whom has a case for this, who makes the Rushmore of current A-list Hollywood stars?
Go, and remember the mailbag.