There was some discussion around here yesterday about the over/under on the number of times Nancy Pelosi would stand and applaud President Trump during the State of the Union on Tuesday night. That over/under would be pretty low, and we would have taken the under in all probability.
And we would have been wrong.
Pelosi, in between all the paper work she was shuffling - was she finishing her taxes up there or what? - stood several times during Trump's second SotU speech.
In truth, I was impressed by Trump's speech. Maybe that was because my expectations were not super high. (Those lower expectations is not intended as a shot at President Trump. He has a slew of skills that serve him well as President. Public speaking has not consistently been one of those.)
Regardless, Trump's speech - it was right at 90 minutes, going over the 1:20 total - hit several talking points directly. Here were some of my favorites:
> Trump effectively put the onus on everyone in the chamber to move toward a more bipartisan government, be it criminal justice, the controversial issue around the wall and in general practices overall. There are a lot of us who want to see leadership doing things that are right for the country and not what is right now for either political side. Whomever participates in improving the system - regardless of the letter after anyone's name.
> Loved Trump's hard stance against socialism and make no mistake, he did not mince words. "Here, in the United States, we are alarmed by new calls to adopt socialism in our country. America was founded on liberty and independence - not government coercion, domination and control. We are born free, and we will stay free. Tonight, we renew our resolve that America will never be a socialist country." Amen.
> Of course the wall was discussed.
> Side note: The folks introduced during the SotU almost always make me proud to be an American. But when they welcomed the WWII veterans and recognized Buzz Aldrin, well, cue Lee Greenwood's classic and get ready for the goose bumps.
> Was puzzled at the clunky transition to the investigations into Trump and his staff. He was speaking of the economy and then said one of the only things that could derail the progress was war and investigation. Here's his remark: "An economic miracle is taking place in the United States -- and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics or ridiculous partisan investigations. If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation. It just doesn't work that way." It just felt somewhat ham-handed.
As for the Democrats' response from defeated Georgia governor candidate Stacey Abrams, well it's clear that the Democratic party has high hopes for Ms. Abrams, and that's fine. And she hit a couple of strong points, which should be expected. She is a natural speech-giver and the story about her dad giving away his coat was downright Obama-esque smooth.
A great deal of Abrams' remarks were about general talking points more so than refuting the President's specific comments, including her rallying point of voter suppression.
Thoughts?
Georgia coach Kirby Smart calls out from the sideline during the first half of the team's Sugar Bowl NCAA college football game against Texas in New Orleans, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2019. (AP Photo/Rusty Costanza)
Happy signing day
It's crazy right? This used to be a monster day in the sports world around these parts.
National Signing Day used to be a borderline holiday for a lot of sports fans. It also was a slap nutso day in the lives of sports reporters on any platform.
Now, with the early signing period generating and filling about 80 percent of the scholarship slots for the Power 5 schools, the buzz is not there.
How about these numbers:
> Two of the top 25 players in the country have not signed. Two.
> Of the 34 five-stars in this class, all but three have already signed.
> As TFP SEC football ace and Press Row cohost David Paschall shared Tuesday, Georgia is not even hosting a signing day media event today.
Now there are still some high-profile dudes out there and some programs - like Tennessee and Auburn for example - who can make a move up the rankings and fill some gaping holes. (Tennessee landing five-star tackle Darnell Wright would be HUGE, and not just because the No. 10-ranked player in this class is 6-6, 320 pounds.)
Here's a schedule of when some of the top unsigned players will make their final decisions known. https://n.rivals.com/news/national-signing-day-announcement-guide-7
More AAF numbers
OK, maybe we're a touch more excited about the AAF than most folks.
Here's a power ranking that thinks the Hotshots of Arizona and the Apollos of Orlando are the class of the league. https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/aaf-power-rankings-arizona-hotshots-at-the-top-before-week-1-of-new-alliance-of-american-football/ (Those teams are coached by Rick Neuheisiel and Steve Spurrier, respectively, so neither will lack for entertainment value.)
And here are the point spreads from BetDSI.com:
Atlanta Legends at Orlando Apollos (-5.5, 44.5)
San Diego Fleet at San Antonio Commanders (-5, 43.5)
Memphis Express at Birmingham Iron (-1, 40.5)
Salt Lake Stallions at Arizona Hotshots (-4.5, 42.5)
Now here, from the same website, are some other preseason prop bets for the AAF:
Arizona Hotshots +250
Orlando Apollos +300
San Antonio Commanders +400
Salt Lake Stallions +500
Memphis Express +600
San Diego Fleet +600
Atlanta Legends +800
Birmingham Iron +1200
Arizona Hotshots regular season win total
Over 6.5 (-110)
Under 6.5 (-120)
Orlando Apollos regular season win total
Over 6 (-115)
Under 6 (-115)
San Antonio Commanders regular season win total
Over 5.5 (-130)
Under 5.5 (+100)
Memphis Express regular season win total
Over 5 (-120)
Under 5 (-110)
San Diego Fleet regular season win total
Over 4.5 (-130)
Under 4.5 (+100)
Salt Lake Stallions regular season win total
Over 4.5 (-120)
Under 4.5 (-110)
Atlanta Legends regular season win total
Over 4 (-115)
Under 4 (-115)
Birmingham Iron regular season win total
Over 3.5 (-110)
Under 3.5 (-120)
Orlando Apollos vs. Atlanta Legends AAF Opening Day attendance (according to CBS Sports)
Over 26,000 (-115)
Under 26,000 (-115)
San Antonio Commanders vs. San Diego Fleet AAF Opening Day attendance (according to CBS Sports)
Over 28,000 (-115)
Under 28,000 (-115)
Will any AAF player or team be investigated for match-fixing, wager-fixing, prop-fixing in 2019?
Yes +600
No -1000
AAF total years of existence (beginning in 2019)
Over 4.5 years (-140)
Under 4.5 years (+110)
That last one is really intriguing, but considering the way founder Charlie Ebersole sounded on Golic or Wingo this morning, he certainly believes the AAF is in for the long haul.
The league has a working arrangement with the NFL on multiple fronts, including the use of a ninth 'Sky Cam' official that can overrule egregious mistake or missed calls on the field.
Ebersole also mentioned that the financial backing was raised in large part in Silicon Valley by tech companies looking to maximize gadgets and info for in-game wagering and fantasy.
We're 100 percent Team Legends.
Who's with me?
This and that
-Sorry for the empty space on the college picks. Had a full Tuesday. We offered four picks on Press Row and went 2-2, missing on Tennessee (minus-17) and Florida (plus-8) and hitting UK (minus-15) and Duke (minus-22). That's 10-6-1 against the number in college hoops. Tonight, we'll ride with LSU plus-2.5 at Mississippi State.
- Modern Family will return for an 11th season, which will be its final run. I have enjoyed that show.
- Maya Moore is walking away from the WNBA for family and religious reasons. So there's that.
- NBA deals are starting to drop in advance of tomorrow's NBA trading deadline. The 76ers acquired Tobias Harris and a couple of stiffs fora slew of other stiffs and four future draft picks. The move here for the Clippers was a salary dump and acquiring picks so the other L.A. team can be a player in the monster free agency swap meet this summer.
- Here's a list of the NBA players who will be part of the All-Star festivities this weekend. https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-all-star-weekend-2019-official-participants-for-dunk-contest-3-point-contest-skills-challenge-and-rising-stars/
Today's question
Which way Wednesday, so.
Which way will the AAF trend, as in will it be here in five years?
Which term describes your feeling about the State of the Union?
As for Feb. 6, kindred spirits Ronald Reagan, Axl Rose and Bob Marley were born on this day.
Babe Ruth was born on this day in 1895.
In honor of Alan Shepard hit a golf ball on the moon on this day in 1971, Rushmore of famous sports images that were not involved in actual games.