Big money match-up
There are a lot of angles and excitement for tonight's Duke-UNC game.
There's the ticket angle. As of this morning, the average ticket price for a seat at Cameron tonight is north of $2,600. That's more than Game 1 of last October's World Series and the College Football playoff title game. Combined. According to VivdSeats as of 9 a.m. this year the lowest price to get in is $1,656.
There's the tradition angle. Duke and Carolina have met as top 10 teams 46 times - the combined score in those meetings is dead even, which is amazing - and the second-most is 14. (Between UNC and NC State ironically enough.)
There's the seeding angle. We, like a lot of folks, believe Duke is headed to the No. 1 overall seed. Well, for the No. 8-ranked Heels, a win in Cameron would represent the best line item on any resume of those trying to maximize their positioning next month.
So, as Crash tells Larry Hockett - and you Larry Hockett should remember me - we're dealing with a lot of 'stuff.' ("Well, candlesticks always make a nice gift, and uh, maybe you could find out where she's registered and maybe a place-setting or maybe a silverware pattern. OK, let's get two!")
Hey, if you want break downs and match-ups, well, Duke is more athletic and has three of the top-five projected picks in this summer's NBA draft.
Talent: Edge Duke.
Students have been lined up in KrzyzewskiVille starting on Jan. 12. Yes, that's 29 days ago. The place will be hyped-up.
Atmosphere: Edge Duke.
UNC is certainly not a slouch, and has more experience and depth. And let's face it, UNC is not exactly devoid of future NBAers either, and we believe that Roy Williams' relaxed demeanor belies a sneaky amount of confidence in his baby blue ballers.
Experience and 'no-one-believes-in-us' factor: Edge UNC.
But those are all guesstimates and hypotheses.
Here's what has my attention, and we have discussed this from the start. Duke has become must-watch TV and it's because of their Zensational ZuperZtar.
Is Zion Williamson already a top-five box office draw in American sports? (We said American sports, because there are likely several kickballers of whom we are unfamiliar that would qualify.)
Tiger Woods and LeBron James are the biggest two draws in American sports. We can agree on that, right?
From there, who has more star power and pizzazz than Zion?
Or put another way, what athletes would you pay more money than you can afford to watch play if for no other reason than to say "I saw him" when?
In baseball, I paid to watch Clayton Kershaw pitched. But the rest of the names that I came up with in baseball are no longer playing. I paid to watch Randy Johnson and Roger Clemens overpower. I gladly paid to watch Derek Jeter compete, Barry Bonds walk, McGwire and Sosa keep pace in 1998, the Braves Hall of Famers pitch, and Manny Ramirez hit.
College football, the stars are the coaches, and for most fans it is about the logos more than the players, although I paid a pretty penny to watch Cam Newton at Auburn. (And certainly there were some Herschel and Bo impacts back in the day. But, again, that's a long time ago.)
The NFL is about the shield and the sport more than the stars. OK, maybe you can say, "I'd pay to watch Aaron Rodgers because he's that great." But is Aaron Rodgers a more sizzling name than Zion Williamson to casual sports fans? I don't know.
Thoughts?
Cash infusion
OK, this news broke Tuesday midday and it made me sad.
There's no silver lining about the AAF needing an NHL owner and billionaire to over a bailout to cover payroll earlier this week.
Needing help to cover payroll after two games of the inaugural season can not be spun. (That the league's spokespeople tried to say that it was, at least in part, because of Presidents' Day holiday on Monday seems nonsensical.)
The reported $250 million investment from Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon is reason for a reactive deep sigh in the moment and a bona fide head scratcher about how viable is this league longterm.
It also means that immediate fixes must happen to increase revenue, clearly.
San Antonio had a great atmosphere. Orlando has had a fast start. We think Birmingham could have a future with its connection to the Alabama and Auburn stars.
But there are some franchises that may be short-lived.
Memphis is drawing about the same numbers as a good high school basketball game by comparison. And finding cities and fanbases - like San Antonio - that are hungry for a football franchise.
And yes, I want this league to work, and I have watched a fair amount of the first two weeks.
For fans - fringe, wannabes or die-hards - the $250 million investment is greatly needed and cause for great concern.
Los Angeles Dodgers' Manny Machado (8) celebrates his three-run homer against the Atlanta Braves during the seventh inning in Game 4 of baseball's National League Division Series, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)Big money reflection
A decade is a long time. In terms of these mega-baseball teams, it's truly too long.
That's the first takeaway from the Manny Machado news that the second-best free agent on the market got 10-years and $300 million from the San Diego Padres.
Of all the 10-year deals that have been consummated in a sport with guaranteed money, the team picture of the ones that worked out for the team is quite small.
It's an interesting deal on a lot of fronts.
There's a five-year out in the deal, and we believe that will be an interesting trend that will be replicated and repeated moving forward.
It's staggering that Machado is now the answer to "What free agent signed the biggest contract in team sports?"
And, finally, while there are a lot of folks wondering why the Padres are pushing their chips to the middle - simple answer is with an overflowing minor league system and after watching the Braves flip the losing/rebuilding narrative into a playoff run, the Padres obviously believe they are closer than most think and will be in the think of things in 2020 - the duplicity on Machado and free agents in general is funny. And hypocritical.
We blasted Kevin Durant for taking the 'easy way out' and signing with the already-championship-worthy Warriors a few years ago. And some are wondering if Machado ' really wants to win' by signing with a club that has not had a winning season since 2010.
Hard to have it both ways, don't you think?
This and that
- Well, we had one of those coming. A bagel-and-3 last night ends the torrid streak of the Hardwood Hopes. (Hey, the Fab 4 picks are football, and we need a tagline for our basketball picks.) Made a couple of huge mistakes last night. First, we overestimated Tennessee. And truth be told, if I am Johnny Vols Fan, I am more worried about the lackluster and offensive nightmare that was last night more than I am about getting run out of Rupp. Yes, we discussed perspective on Monday, and winning is the only thing that matters, but against any team close to the top 30 in the NET, last night's Orange effort = L.
- As for the picks, well, the other mistake we made was choosing to get off a horse before getting bucked off a horse. We have faded Nebraska for a while during our hot streak and we had PSU over the Huskers before changing it for a BGSU (minus-5, wins by 4) pick. So we are now 24-14-11, and that's entertaining. Not as entertaining as it was mind you, but entertaining nonetheless. And, as Dwight Yoakum and Buck Owens would gladly attest, pickers gotta pick. Picks coming around lunch. Deal? Deal.
- This makes more sense. C.J. Anderson telling Skip Bayless that Todd Gurley was more hurt than most knew and the knee issues lingered through the playoffs.
- This is worth watching. Reid Travis hurt his knee in Kentucky's win at Missouri last night. It was a strange night in the SEC. Four games, four underdogs covered and two - A&M over Alabama and South Carolina over Mississippi - won outright.
Today's questions
Which way on a Wednesday.
Which sporting event would you pay $2,500 to attend?
Which rivalry is the best in sports?
Kurt Cobain would have been 52 today.
Cindy Crawford is 53 today. Chuck Barkley is 56 today. God bless you Chuck.
Today is National Pet Day.
Rushmore of most famous real-life pets. Go.