Two approaches
Compare the crisis management approaches.
Houston Astros owner Jim Crane gets in front of a bank of cameras and mics and shuffles, mumbles, bumbles and offers contradictions and adds to the controversy.
That makes the sign-stealing saga swirl even greater.
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin goes on arguably the biggest sports talk show in the country and delivers a clear, concise and no-follow-questions-needed rebuttal of the accusations that his backup quarterback dropped an N-bomb during the helmet-swinging fracas.
And now, it feels like one is only beginning and the other has been put to bed in a lot of ways.
Whether Myles Garrett's apparent hollow accusations against Mason Rudolph should go away is a different matter entirely. Because, let's say if Rudolph had said it, do you think he gets suspended? I say yes.
So if someone falsely accuses someone of something that serious - especially in the realm of professional sports and in the public eye - shouldn't that come with repercussions, too?
And there are folks who may believe this is still a he-said, he-said matter. But to those folks, I'll ask, "Do you really think Mike Tomlin - a black head coach with as much gravitas as anyone currently in the league not named Belichick and someone who would rather have a root canal during a tax audit than volunteer to do more interviews - back a white backup QB if he thought there was a single ounce of a chance that the N-bomb was dropped, nevermind if he had a sliver of proof?"
I say no way, which made Tomlin's mic-drop, exclamation point-like punctuation on "First Take" on Monday that much more impressive, and completely the opposite of everyone who speaks about the sign-stealing scandal that will dominate spring training, and maybe beyond.
Also, why we're here: Hey, Rob Manfred, take it easy, Champ. Why don't you stop talking for a while.
"Maybe sit the next couple of plays out."
And here come the giggles
Hey, you guys and gals know me. I am here for the laughs and the irony.
As I said Monday, I'm also here for the hypocrisy of the unwritten rules and "old-school" baseball, which has forever policed itself with pitchers - with the approval of Old School principal Brian McCann, who remember was on the 2017 Houston Cheaters - throwing 95-mph heaters at guys who flipped their bats after 600-foot homers.
Now, there's an edict from that Clown Prince Manfred that people who throw at the Houston Cheaters will be dealt with harshly. Seriously, Rob?
The Houston Cheaters deliver the biggest on-field sports scandal in 100 years, get to keep their title and playoff money - about $31 million total - and now the Cheaters are getting the protection from the league office.
Perfect. Just simply perfect.
I'm also here for the poetic justice of youth baseball leagues across the country announcing they will not let teams be called the Astros. Yeah, when the politics and passions of youth sports shine the ethical and moral light on the path of rightness that a multi-billion-dollar operation can't see, well, good times, gang.
I'm here for the jokes, like during the first round of BP for Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa on Monday featured a man banging a trash can three times behind home plate before running off.
And I'm here for Vegas getting sarcastic across a slew of prop bets for the Houston Cheaters this year.
According to our good friends at SportsBettingDime.com, not only are the Houston Cheaters third among the favorites to win the World Series at 8-to-1 - the Yankees are 5-to-1; the Dodgers are 6-to-1 - check some of these bets out:
> You can bet $15 to win $1 that the Houston Cheaters will get into a bench-clearing brawl over being hit by a pitch during the 2020 season;
> You can bet $6 to win $1 that the Cheaters will lead the league in getting hit by pitches this season;
> You can wager over/under 83.5 on the number of times the Cheaters will get hit by pitch this season;
> As for the individual Houston Cheaters players, well, check out these hit-by-pitches over/unders - Alex Bregman at 10.5, George Springer at 8.5, Jose Altuve at 6.5), Yuli Gurriel at 6.5, and Carlos Correa at 3.5.
I will be on all the favorites and all the overs there.
And while we're here, when Mike Trout blasts you - seriously, name the last memorable quote Mike Trout has ever had - then you know you are so far down the rabbit hole you can't see the sun.
NASCAR
We'll start with this: May we all pray that Ryan Newman is healthy and makes a full recovery.
And we'll follow with this: Newman's post-race crash last night in the rain-delayed Daytona 500 was "Oh, my word!" scary. And a lot of us who watched live when Dale Sr. died on that very track could not help but wonder if Newman was going to live or not.
The truth is, Newman's crash is a statement to the huge advancements in safety and procedures NASCAR has made since Dale Sr.'s death in 2001. Because Newman's crash looked way, Way, WAY worse that Dale Sr.'s.
All of that said, it was a great thing for NASCAR as a whole, and the added attention boost that the sport desperately needed, especially considering its Super Bowl was pushed to a Monday conclusion.
The race was thrilling with a photo finish, and the wreck provided the highlight that made it national sports news on every big platform.
This and that
- I am in favor of the one-time transfer rule that the ACC and the Big Ten are backing. Here's more, and here's hoping this happens and then toughens the loopholes for multiple transfers. (Of course, grad transfers are still in a different category in my mind.)
- Here's more on a story that could gain steam. Aubrey Huff was uninvited to the Giants' 10-year reunion of the 2010 World Series celebration for some tweets that San Francisco found unacceptable.
- College basketball pick Monday (with a solid assist from Press Row wingman and producer Wells Guthrie) delivered a winner with Xavier covering the 1.5 at St. John's. That pushes us to 29-23 on the season, which is 55.7 percent. We'll follow Florida minus-6 tonight over Arkansas and UK plus-2 over LSU.
- Mentioned Monday about our man Weeds' touch, well, here he goes again. TFP ace sports columnist Mark Wiedmer on the multiple layers of the new stadium needs for the Lookouts and the other minor league organizations being rumored to be on the list of teams who may have their affiliations cut.
- According to ESPN stats and info: "UConn falls to No. 6 in the AP Poll, ending a streak of 253 consecutive weeks in the top 5. The last time UConn was not in the top 5 was February 5, 2007. The longest current streak is now held by (1)South Carolina at 11 weeks."
- Here's TFP all-around college sports wizard David Paschall on former Bradley Central star Rhyne Howard surpassing the 1,000-point mark in just 53 games at Kentucky. That's awesome sauce right there, friends.
Today's questions
True or false. It's a Tuesday.
True or false, the Astros will be involved in multiple bench-clearing brawls this season.
True or false, you have watched more NASCAR highlights in the last 20 hours than you have in the last 20 months.
True or false, the one-free-and-clear transfer rule will be in place before the 2021 football season.
You know the drill. Answer the T or Fs, ask some T or Fs.
As for today, Feb. 18, well, let's review.
On this day in 1885, Huck Finn was published in the U.S. That's some fine work there, Mr. Twain.
John Travolta is 66 today. Dr. Dre is 55 today.
Rushmore of Doctors who are not actually doctors. Go.