Ol' college bye
There was a lot of discussion after the Supreme Court ruled that the NCAA is a bunch of money-grubbing gasbags.
Shocker, right?
So the 9-0 ruling - which in and of itself is quite telling about the landslide view of how inept the NCAA has evolved and handled varying issues as times have changed - allows athletes to receive educational reimbursements and opportunities.
Could be internships - think the Auburn QB getting a plush summer gig with YellaWood or how many five-stars the Tuscaloosa Dodge dealership can use washing cars at $75 an hour. Could be study abroad opportunities, like say Arch Manning studying the Pilot stores in Venice, Rome and Milan for a summer. It could be additional educational equipment, and let your imagination wander on that one.
But the ruling is more about the future than the present - or even the presents - in my mind.
Various kinds of "perks" like that have always been "wink-wink, nod-nod" intertwined in the fabric of big-time college sports. Now the SEC and the Big Ten can do it openly for their five-star athletes.
The questions and realizations from the SCOTUS ruling, which included a scathing rebuke from Brett Kavanaugh, who is light years from being described as a bleeding-heart liberal any time soon, are multiple and most-assuredly meaningful.
Here are two:
> First, you had to believe the major conference leaders expected this, and as such, the college and university presidents will hear the final proposal for the expansion of the college football playoff today. Hmmmmmmm. You can almost see the Snidely Whiplash-like villain pulling at his mustache and murmuring, "So if we have to pay them, then we'll have to work them more. Muuuuu-ha-ha-ha-ha." The proposal is for the six highest-ranked conference champs - please note it did not say Power Five anywhere there - and the next six highest-ranked teams. The presidents are expected to give that a thumbs-up and charge the commissioners to work through the details and when it can be up and running.
> Second, I would expect this - and the ripples in NIL and even athletes wanting salaries - to lead to programs being eliminated across the entire landscape of college sports and in some ways either hasten the divide between getting into Division I proper or getting into Division III or even the very real possibility of the Power Five conferences breaking away.
Because friends, the first fatal blow was struck Monday: The NCAA is dying; long live college athletics.
Strong support
Las Vegas defensive end Carl Nassib informed everyone he is gay.
It was a notable moment as he is the first active NFL player to let everyone know he's gay. Yes, Michael Sam announced he was gay, too, but he never made the NFL.
There's a lot here, and most of it I find to be rather encouraging, starting with the overwhelming support by almost every measure for Nassib, who has 20.5 sacks in 37 starts over five seasons.
First, you love who you love, same sex or different. That's your choice and all I can say is I hope you are lucky enough to find your soulmate like I did.
Second, to think Nassib is the only gay NFL football player is to believe there's a way to find a specific needle in a haystack of needles. The numbers suggest there are dozens of gay NFL players, since scientific data shows 10% of the population is gay and there are almost 1,700 players on the 53-man rosters across the league.
The positive reaction, especially across the league, is great.
If it encourages another gay player to live openly if that's what he wants, then that's excellent. Thoughts?
Eighty-Sixers
There was not an NBA game last night, but I couldn't help but think of something Mader posted Monday and the rottenness of Ben Simmons' contract. At four years and $147 million, I'm trying to think of a worse contract across all of team sports - especially in a capped sport - than Simmons' deal.
I'm also trying to think of a team that botched more drafts in a row and wasted a window that could have been all-time great, all things considered.
Philly tanked - aka The Process - for the better part of a decade and dealt away assets to stockpile picks, which were originally lottery protected but rolled into a series of top-three picks.And other than Joel Embiid, no crew this side of the Jaguars has wasted more top-five selections since Richard Dawson hosted "Family Feud."
And man, The Process was priceless in practice, but the picks The Process produced are putrid.
Let's review - I love the draft, you know this - going back to 2018 and their run of top-10 picks:
2018 - Mikal Bridges (1/10) - one pick before Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Miles Bridges and Michael Porter Jr.
2017 - Markelle Fultz (1/1) - ahead of Lonzo Ball, Jayson Tatum, De'Aaron Fox, Donovan Mitchell and Bam Adebayo. Markelle Fultz may be the JaMarcus Russell of NBA draft picks.
2016 - Ben Simmons (1/1) - ahead of Brandon Ingram, Jaylen Brown, Buddy Hield, Jamal Murray and Domantas Sabonis.
2015 - Jahlil Okafor (1/3) - ahead of Kristaps Porzingis and Devin Booker.
2014 - Joel Embiid (1/3), which few can squabble with - unless you want to point to some dude at pick 41 overall midway in round 2 named Nikola Joki, who went two picks after the 76ers took Jerami Grant, who they let go too soon considering he averaged 22.3 points in 54 games for the Pistons last season.
And if you want to offer there would not be enough basketballs or enough cap space to go around, fine. But if the 76ers just made good picks at lofty spots and/or kept the guys landed in fair spots, wow, look at that roster.
Embiid at the 5, Mitchell or De'Arron Fox or SGA at the 1, Booker or Jamal Murray at the 2, Tatum or Michael Porter Jr. at the 3, Bam or Sabonis at the 4? Yeah, that works. A bench of Grant, Bridges or Porter Jr., Johnson and Maxey? Yeah, that works.
Philly with Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris and a plan to fix the offensively obtuse Simmons - or deal him for pennies on the dollar? Not as much.
Oh my.
(Side note: And as much as this will please Chas, it may be time for NBA GMs to treat UK players the way NFL GMs treat Alabama players - when in doubt, pick those guys because they have gone against elite talent every day and way more times than not will not be overmatched when they take the step to the next level.)
This and that
- Here's today's A2 column on Macy Gray saying Ol' Glory is racist and that America needs a new flag. Seriously.
- You know the rules. Here's Paschall back in his wheelhouse of college football after some dalliances in hoops and college baseball with an update on the salty situation with UT quarterback Kaidon Salter, who may not be aware of kettle but is very familiar with pot.
- Braves played. Braves split a doubleheader with the Mets, which is about as good as anyone can expect considering Game 1 was against Sir Jacob deGrom. (Side note: Yes, I gave him the Sir title, does anyone dispute it?) The Braves are 4-4 in the last seven days. In that busy week, Ronald Acuña Jr. is 9-for-25 with six extra-base hits, six runs scored and six RBIs. Of the four wins in the last week, two are by 1-0 counts in which Acuña hit solo homers. Tell us again, Snit, how Acuña can do the little things better to help the Braves win.
- Speaking of Sir Jacob, well holy bleep that guy is amazing. On the day the MLB is cracking down on sticky stuff, Sir Jacob took the ball and stuffed the Braves in a trash can. His line: five innings, one hit, six Ks, 70 pitches. He's now 7-2 with a 0.50 ERA, the lowest through 12 games ever. Yes, ever. And, yes, he was checked for the sticky stuff after the first inning.
- Speaking of sticky stuff, there was a lot made of Monday's crackdown, but in truth, the guys with electric, jump-off-the-tape stuff were fine. Sir Jacob. Yu Darvish, who fanned 11 Dodgers and became the fastest pitcher in MLB history to 1,500 Ks (I know, right?) last night. Even Braves young gun Kyle Muller, who looked great against Sir Jacob and was offering an easy 96 mph. One guy who certainly makes you wonder if the Skippy of sticky had a big effect is Dodgers starter Julio Urias, who had allowed 13 walks in his previous 14 starts before walking four Padres and allowing six earned in 4.2 innings last night. Hmmmmmmm, sounds like a sticky situation, huh? Maybe I should sticky to sports? Anyone want to tell me where to sticky it? Anyone? Spy? Sticky to your guns, my man.
- Speaking of the Dodgers, did you know that last night at San Diego was the first time this season L.A. was a betting underdog?
- Speaking of baseball, gang, N.C. State's 1-0 win over Vandy was a pitching clinic. That game was a joy to watch. For what it's worth the battle of UT - Tennessee vs. Texas - in an elimination game is today. Go UT. Oh, right. Go team in orange.
- Count me all in for all the Lane Kiffin-on-Kirby Smart heckling Tuesday morning. Kiffin started on a quick clip of Kirby lifting weights and morphed it into Kirby spending time with Saban for Father's Day. The SEC needs more Lane, not less.
- Here's the list of all the Olympic golf qualifiers, including the four from the U.S. A country could have more than two if its top four were ranked in the top 15 in the world, as Bryson DeChambeau, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas and Xander Schauffele were.
Today's questions
True or false, it's a Tuesday, after all.
True or false, Collin, Xander and Justin drew straws to see who roomed with Bryson.
True or false, it's time for the Braves to cut bait on Sean Newcomb.
True or false, Sir Jacob deGrom will be a Rushmore starting pitcher when he retires.
True or false, Kaidon Salter will never take a snap for the UT Vols.
You know the drill, answer some T or Fs, leave some T or Fs. No big whoop.
As for today, let's review.
Pete Maravich would have been 74 today.
Rushmore of per-game records that will never be broken, because Maravich's career points per game at LSU of 44.2 is far left in my mind.