The Sports Curmudgeon

It has been a little over six weeks since the NY Knicks last lost an NBA game; they have now won 13 playoff games in a row and lead the Finals 2 games to none over the San Antonio Spurs.  I saw the Knicks play a couple of times in the regular season and have seen them play more than a handful of times during this playoff run.  What they have done – – and are doing – – here is noteworthy from two perspectives:

1. It is highly unusual for an NBA team to win 13 games in a row in the regular season let alone in the playoffs.  That feat alone deserves respect and mention.
2. The Knicks have accumulated this record without being one of the “all-time great teams in NBA history”.

I have no intention here to denigrate what the Knicks are in the process of doing.  In addition to winning those 13 games in a row, the Knicks are in a position to end the finals without the series even going back to San Antonio.  Having said all that, this NY Knicks team is not a reincarnation of the “Showtime Lakers” or the “Jordan Bulls” or the “Bird/Parrish/McHale Celtics”.  And yet, these Knicks have managed to do something that none of those all-time great teams were able to accomplish.

And as a sideshow, Knicks’ fans now have an interesting choice to make.  It has been more than 50 years since the Knicks won the NBA championship; that is quite a drought for fans to endure.  And now it sure looks as if the rain is coming …  Season ticket holders have playoff game tix in hand but  the secondary market for tickets for tonight’s game in Madison Square Garden presents some temptations for those season ticket holders:

• “Bad seats” in the upper corners of Madison Square Garden are listed at $4700 – 5500 per seat.
• “Not quite bad seats” in the corners of the lower bowl are listed at $5600 – 7600 per seat.
• “Sideline seats” in the lower bowl start at $7000 per seat.
• One courtside seat is available for $61,500.

Get thee behind me, Satan …

Moving on – – but staying with the NBA sort of …  NBC has coverage of the NBA under a long-term media rights deal.  That puts NBC in position to air a studio show proximal to the games and the network has done just that.  And in my humble estimation, it needs help.

What I am about to say opens me to accusations of racism and misogyny neither of which I will plead guilty to.  Nevertheless:

• I think Maria Taylor is not well suited to be the lead in a studio program.

The NBA studio show cast is good-not-great.  Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady are solid; Jamal Crawford is good at doing color analysis of the live game but mediocre in studio.  Brad Daugherty is good but is rarely part of the program.  My problem with the program is that it comes across as scripted instead of as a conversation among knowledgeable people about a subject the audience should be interested in.  And the reason it  seems scripted is that Maria Taylor cuts off give-and-take among everyone on the program to move to another angle from another contributor.

When you go to the theater to see a play, the material is scripted.  It is the actors’ job to make you believe you are listening in on an actual conversation instead of listening to several folks reading a script to you.  In the case of a studio program, the opportunity is ripe for a conversation and somehow it doesn’t work.  And here is why I blame at least some of this on Maria Taylor:

• She has the same role on Football Night In America and the same condition obtains there.
• Program contributors each say their piece and the program then lurches on to the next utterance with Maria Taylor conducting the orchestra.

Maybe I am being unfair; maybe there is an exec at NBC who thinks that is great sports studio programming and he/she can command the way the studio programs are structured and presented.  What I observe however is that Maria Taylor is the agent that makes two studio shows into “choppy hodgepodges” and so I conclude …

Finally, I’ll close today with this from Knicks’ point guard, Jalen Brunson:

“I just feel like there’s a lot of things more important than just basketball, and I love basketball. It’s what I want to do for the longest time possible. It’s what I eat, it’s what I sleep about, it’s what I breathe, it’s in my lifestyle. I just really feel like there’s more important things than just putting the ball in the hoop.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

Several weeks ago, Packers’ running back Josh Jacobs was arrested for a domestic violence situation; reports then said there were five counts cited for the arrest including “strangling”.  That is not exactly a “judgement call”; “strangling” is never seen as socially acceptable.  Then there was radio silence on this matter for a couple of weeks; the team said they were aware of the situation and were monitoring it; the league said that this was a police matter and they would stand aside; that is pretty standard behavior in these situations.

Then, earlier this week there were reports that prosecutors are still considering whether to file criminal charges against Jacobs.  Obviously, Josh Jacobs – via his attorney – vehemently denies any and all allegations of wrongdoing on his part in this matter.  That too is pretty standard procedure in these sorts of situations.  But “strangulation” and “suffocation” are  pretty strong accusations for them to still be in the “consideration zone”.  But the local District Attorney says it is still too soon to make a final decision on filing charges there.

Several years ago, the NFL allowed players to put messages on the backs of their helmets.  One of the standard messages is:

• Choose Love

Might I suggest that Josh Jacobs not present that message on his helmet this season…???

Moving on …  There is another NFL player who got crosswise with the authorities recently even though he did not do anything proximally to that interaction.  Let me do a reset here.  Last year, KC Chiefs’ WR, Rashee Rice, plead guilty to multiple charges stemming from a street racing incident and leaving the scene of a crash.  As part of the plea deal, Rice was sentenced to 30 days in jail which was suspended based on five years of probation.  Considering there were about a half-dozen charges to be dispensed with there, that seemed to be a slap on the wrist for a punishment.  The NFL also suspended him for 6 games in 2025 for that incident and those guilty pleadings.

Fast forward to now.  Rashee Rice is in jail serving his 30-day sentence for violating his parole.  No, he was not back on the streets racing his car; what apparently happened is that he checked in with his probation officer as is normal and he tested positive for THC.  Evidently, drug use is not hunky-dory for people on probation in Texas where Rice was involved in the car racing that started this whole thing and that positive test flunked him out of probation and put him in jail in Dallas for a month.

Now, it is possible that Rice’s attorney neglected to advise Rice that marijuana use was off limits as per the probation and that he could be tested randomly in the normal course of his probation.  I would think that would be negligent on the part of the attorney, but it could have happened.  However, the more likely scenario is that Rice did not put two and two together well here.

• If they can test randomly, one way to do that is to test as you meet with your probation officer.
• Ergo if you are going to use cannabis in any form, don’t do it proximal to a meeting with your probation officer.

I have not seen any statement by the NFL if this latest incident might result in another suspension and I bring that up because it seems interesting to me.

• What Rice did a year ago merits a suspension by the league; I doubt anyone would argue with that.
• What Rice did this time is not a crime; testing positive for THC will not get any random Texan a jail sentence.  What he did was to violate the terms of the sentence he received such that he is now serving “Options A” instead of “Option B”.
• So, has he done anything that merits more games off by the league office?

Switching gears …  The Belmont Stakes will run tomorrow.  It will be run at a mile and a quarter this year at Saratoga instead of at a mile and a half at Belmont Park which is in the final stages of a “major renovation”.  Belmont Park is scheduled to re-open in September of this year.  Here is my trifecta box for this race – – building on my complete lack of success in presenting similar wagers for the Derby and the Preakness:

• I like 4 horses to be in the money for this race.  #2 is Powershift; #3 is Chief Wallabee; #4 is Renegade and #9 is Golden Tempo
• So, a $1 trifecta box of 2,3,4,9 will cost $24.

Finally, this definition from the Official Dictionary of Sarcasm:

“Olive Garden:  The only authentic Italian dining establishment where you  pay someone to microwave a frozen dinner for you.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

A note from a reader yesterday afternoon asked why I did not call out June 2^nd as “Lou Gehrig Day”.  The answer is that it simply slipped my mind and it should not have.  June 2^nd is important because two events took place on that day:

• June 2, 1925:  Lou Gehrig pinch hit in a game for the Yankees; that was game 1 of his consecutive games streak that stretched to 2130 and that record stood until the mid-1990s when Cal Ripken Jr broke it.
• June 2,^, 1941:  Lou Gehrig died from complications caused by Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis – – known in the medical profession as ALS and by baseball fans as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease”.

            A cursory look at Gehrig’s career and stats points to his greatness.  He was a member of the 1927 Yankees’ team – – considered by some to be the best team ever.  Don’t get wrapped around the axle in that debate but consider this:

• In 1927, Babe Ruth batted third for the Yankees and hit 60 home runs and drove in 164 runs.
• In 1927, Lou Gehrig batted fourth for the Yankees – – hitting with no one on base at least 60 times to be sure – – and Gehring hit 47 home runs while driving in 175 runs and hit .373.

Lou Gehrig is also the first player in MLB to have his number retired by his team.  That happened on July 4, 1939 – – at the ceremony made famous by Gehrig’s declaration that he was the “luckiest man on the face of the Earth”.

Baseball is a game of numbers and another “number” that seems to be out of reach involves the 1971 Baltimore Orioles.  In that season, the Orioles had 4 starting pitchers who each won 20 or more games in the season:

1. Mike Cuellar:  24-8  ERA = 3.43   Complete Games = 21
2. Pat Dobson:  20-8   ERA = 2.90   Complete Games = 18
3. Dave McNally: 21-5  ERA = 2.89   Complete Games = 11
4. Jim Palmer:  20-9   ERA = 2.68   Complete Games = 20

Those four starters threw 70 complete games in 1971.  For the 2025 MLB season, the total number of complete games in the 2,460 MLB games was 29.  Moreover, no one threw more than 2 complete games in the entire 2025 season.

One more baseball oddity today.  Back in 1993, José Canseco was patrolling the outfield for the Texas Rangers.  A fly ball destined to hit the wall bounced off Canseco’s noggin and went over the fence for a home run.  Wordsmiths hopped all over that event naming the home run a “dome run” and a hearty chuckle was had by all.  Well, it happened again this week with an added element of unusualness.  Jo Adell was in centerfield for the Angels, and a long fly ball nicked the edge of Adell’s glove and then bounced off Adell’s head and then hit the wall over the yellow line making it a home run.

When I was a kid playing HORSE, you had to call your bank shots.  I have not seen any reports that the batter – – TJ Rumfield – – called that bank shot.  That would have started a kerfuffle on the playground…

The mention of José Canseco makes me realize that we have not heard of any outrageous statements or actions by him for quite a while.  Forget a complete list, just recall that Canseco’s life events include:

• Aliens have taught him to time travel and that all it takes is quantum physics and consciousness.
• He met Bigfoot and Bigfoot let him know that Bigfoot is an alien.  And for a fee of course, Canseco will introduce you to Bigfoot.
• Canseco shot his finger off while cleaning a gun; doctors were able to reattach the finger but somehow it fell off again in the middle of a poker game.

And now you can see why I miss having José Canseco in the news cycle…

Finally, back in December 2015, there was a “Twitter Exchange” where people were to offer up New Year’s Resolutions in 5 words.  Here is Canseco’s contribution to that “Twitter Exchange”:

“Merge the Great Lakes”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

Since today is June 3^rd, please join me in a moment of silence in remembrance that today is the day that Billy Joe McAlister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge.   Thank you …

Earlier this week, I reviewed Heisman Trophy winners from 1935 to 1999 and how they performed in professional football.  I labeled that time as the Heisman Era of the Running Back with about two-thirds of the Heisman winners coming from that position.  And then starting in the year 2000, it is as if someone flipped a switch and the minds of the Heisman voters changed focus and only focused on QBs; since 2000, the Heisman winner has been a QB in 22 of the 26 years.  Here are the winners in the current Heisman Era of the Quarterback:

• 2000 Chris Weinke – – QB:  Five marginal seasons in the NFL
• 2001 Eric Crouch – – QB:  No NFL games but played in CFL, AAFL and UFL
• 2002 Carson Palmer – – QB:  Fourteen solid seasons in the NFL
• 2003 Jason White – – QB:  Never played pro football and was not drafted by any NFL teams
• 2004 Matt Leinart – – QB:  Six mediocre NFL seasons
• 2005 Reggie Bush – – RB:  Eleven “good-not-great” seasons in the NFL
• 2006 Troy Smith – – QB:  Four underwhelming seasons in the NFL
• 2007 Tim Tebow – – QB:  Three years in the NFL; one decent season
• 2008 Sam Bradford – – QB:  Eight mediocre seasons in the NFL
• 2009 Mark Ingram – – RB:  Twelve  years in the NFL; three Pro-Bowls
• 2010 Cam Newton – – QB:  Eleven years in NFL: three Pro Bowls; one All-Pro; one MVP
• 2011 Robert Griffin III – – QB:  Excellent rookie season then six mediocre years due to injury
• 2012 Johnny Manzeil – – QB:  Two bad years in NFL; played in CFL and the AAFL
• 2013 Jameis Winston – – QB:  Eleven decent years in the NFL – – and counting
• 2014 Marcus Mariota – – QB:  Eleven decent years in the NFL – – and counting
• 2015 Derrick Henry – – QB:  Ten excellent NFL seasons; one All-Pro and five Pro Bowls
• 2016 Lamar Jackson – – QB:  Eight NFL seasons; three All-Pros; four Pro Bowls; one MVP
• 2017 Baker Mayfield – – QB:  Eight NFL seasons “good-not-great”.
• 2018 Kyler Murray – – QB:  Seven NFL seasons; two Pro Bowls; “Prove-it” contract this year
• 2019 Joe Burrow – – QB:  Six NFL seasons; twice Comeback Player of the Year
• 2020 Devonta Smith – – WR:  Five solid NFL seasons
• 2021 Bryce Young – – QB:  Three “good-not-great” NFL seasons; the jury is still out…
• 2022 Caleb Williams – – QB:  One mediocre NFL season and one very good NFL season …
• 2023 Jayden Daniels – – QB:  Excellent rookie season then injured in season number two
• 2024 Travis Hunter – – DB/WR:  Injured in middle of rookie season …
• 2025 Fernando Mendoza – – QB:  TBD

Once again, the performances by the “best college football player in the country” at the professional level seems a bit thin.  I have a theory as to why that is the case; I believe it is baked into the selection process.  Recall:

• Over 800 sports journalists get a vote.
• Prior Heisman winners each get a vote
• Fans collectively get one vote.

Only in an extraordinary circumstance will the tallies of the fans and the previous Heisman winners matter at all; the overwhelming likelihood is that the sports writers will determine the winner.  And the problem there is that sports writers already have full-time jobs and even if you were to narrow down the worthy Heisman candidates to a half-dozen candidates, most sports writers would not have the time to spare to watch each of the candidates play in three or four games to get a full measure of their performance levels.  Do the math:

Six candidates X 3 games per candidate X 2 hours per game = 36 hours.

That does not count time to find the games to watch on the Internet or the time to make notes and reflect on what the game tape shows.  Elections work best when there is an “informed electorate” and I doubt that happens with Heisman voting simply because those voters do not have the opportunity to do an evaluation with their own eyes.

I watch a lot of college football, and I know I do not see enough of any Heisman candidates to begin to rank order the nominees.  I cannot imagine that sportswriters with deadlines to meet have the time to do what I as a retiree cannot do.

Ergo some of the voting must be done based on reports from other sports writers and from stat sheets.  Well, it is a lot easier to find stats for QBs and RBs than it is for other positions and it is a lot easier – and more commonplace – to find paeans of praise for QBs and RBs than it is for other positions.  In the last 90 years, isn’t it possible that the “best college football player” was an Offensive Tackle?  But unless most of the voters got to see such a player live and in color, how would the voter begin to “discover” this player?

This is not a “problem” that “needs fixing” because – truth be told – it does not matter much at all if the Heisman winner goes on to greatness as a pro football player.  Let me invoke a cliché here:

“It is what it is.”

The Heisman selection process is much more like a beauty contest than it is like an objective deductive procedure.  And there is nothing wrong with that.

Here are two data for NFL GMs as they develop their “Draft Boards”.

1. Ten Heisman winners so far have made it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame
2. Ten Heisman winners so far never played a down in pro football.

Finally, here is a cogent observation by Mark Twain:

“A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

Raymond Berry died last week; in the early days of the NFL, “Unitas to Berry” was a commonplace event in any Baltimore Colts game.  Berry was not big and he was not fast; he was selected by the Colts in the 20^th round of the NFL Draft in 1954.  In today’s parlance, he was an excellent “route-runner”.  Raymond Berry is in the Hall of Fame; in his 13-year NFL career, he led the league in receiving yards 3 times, made the Pro Bowl 6 times and was named All-Pro 3 times.  Not bad for a 20^th round pick …

Rest in peace, Raymond Berry.

With the MLB season more than one-third in the books, it is interesting to look at the standings in both leagues to see that there are 5 teams in the American League with records above .500 and 11 teams in the National League with records over .500.  That seems like quite an imbalance to me and part of that is due to the situation in the NL Central where every team is over .500 as of this morning.  Moreover:

• The Phillies are 1 game over .500 with a run differential of minus-26 – – and – –
• The Reds are 1 game over .500 with a run differential of minus-39.

Strange numbers there …

Sticking with baseball for a moment, the MLB owners and the MLBPA have both presented their opening positions regarding a new CBA to take effect in December 2026.  These positions are more of a wish-list for both sides; there is a lot of “performance art” contained therein.  Do not take anything presented by either side as cast-in-concrete at this point; each side presents its positions as the essence of virtue and the other side’s positions as demonic-at-best.

I was surprised by one element of the owners’ opening salvo there.  To no one’s surprise, the owners presented a salary cap as a central part of their proposal; it was proposed at $245.3M; what surprised me were two ancillary parts of the proposal.

1. The salary floor was proposed at $171.2M.  According to Spotrac.com, fifteen teams were under that proposed salary floor with their opening day payrolls in 2026.  In fact, six teams were $75M or more below that salary floor figure.  I am surprised that the opening gambit from the owners was as high as it was.
2. The owners proposed a 50/50 split of the league revenues.  I imagine that the owners would like the final split to be 50/50 or better for them; so, I am surprised that they opened with that number.

The union proposal had no cap, but it had the moral equivalent of a salary floor in it.  Teams who did not spend a certain amount on team payrolls would be “taxed” and teams would be required to spend any shared revenue dollars on salaries and not something else.  Willie Shakespeare said that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet; in this case, a salary floor by any other name would cost as much.

Moving on …  The Canadian Football League will begin their regular season on Thursday of this week when the Montreal Alouettes visit the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.  Because there are an odd number of teams in the CFL, there is always a team on a BYE week.  The defending Grey Cup champions – – the Saskatchewan Roughriders – – have the first week off and will begin their defense of that championship status on June 13^th when the BC Lions travel to Regina for a game.

The CFL regular season will end on October 24^th; the playoffs take less than a month and the 2026 Grey Cup game will be on Sunday November 15^th.  This year, the Grey Cup game will be in Calgary; tickets are already on sale …

Finally, insight from Will Rogers:

“Everything is funny, as long as it’s happening to somebody else.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

At the end of every college football season since 1935, the Heisman Trophy has been awarded to the “top player in college football”.  So, how is that “top player” identified?  It is an election of sorts; there are three categories of voters:

1. Sports journalists who are presumed to be “informed” and “impartial” in the process.  You can now take a moment for a hearty laugh at that presumption.  Currently there are 870 sports journalists who are Heisman voters;
2. Previous Heisman Trophy winners each have a single vote.  That makes sense to me and since there are only about 50 previous winners still alive, this is usually an unimportant voting bloc.
3. Fans get a vote using the Internet.  After all the fans put in all their votes for all their favorites – – “impartiality” anyone? – – the fans get a total of 1 vote in the process.  Maybe this makes fans feel good, but it is really nothing but a corporate promotion having nothing to do with the ultimate honoree.

I mention all this because what will appear below – – and then again in a later rant this week – – is a list of all the Heisman winners going back to 1935 with a note as to how those “top players in college football” fared in professional football after they graduated.  Here is a bit of foreshadowing:

• It is not a particularly pretty picture.

Today, I will cover the period from 1935 to 1999.  I choose that break point because I call that the Heisman Era of the Running Back.  In those 64 years, the top player in college football was identified as a Running Back 41 times (64% of the time).

Here are the Heisman Trophy winners by year:

• 1935 Jay Berwanger – – RB:  Never played pro football
• 1936 Larry Kelley – – TE:  Never played pro football
• 1937 Clinton Frank – – RB:  Never played pro football
• 1938 Davey O’Brien – – QB:  Two seasons in the NFL – led NFL in passing yards in 1939
• 1939 Nile Kinnick – – RB:  Never played pro football
• 1940 Tom Harmon – – RB:  Two mediocre seasons in the NFL
• 1941 Bruce Smith – – RB:  Four mediocre seasons in the NFL.
• 1942 Frank Sinkwich – – RB:  Two mediocre seasons in NFL and two more in AAFC
• 1943 Angelo Bertelli – –  QB:  Three underwhelming seasons in AAFC
• 1944 Les Horvath – – RB:  Two underwhelming seasons in in NFL and one more in AAFC
• 1945 Doc Blanchard – – RB:  Never played pro football
• 1946 Glenn Davis – – RB:  Two underwhelming seasons in the NFL
• 1947 Johnny Lujack – – QB:  Four seasons in NFL; made All-Pro team once.
• 1948 Doak Walker – – RB:  Six excellent seasons in NFL; All-Pro six times; Hall of Fame
• 1949 Leon Hart – – TE:  Eight years in NFL: made All Pro team once
• 1950 Vic Janowicz – – RB:  Two mediocre seasons in NFL
• 1951 Dick Kazmaier – – RB:  Never played pro football
• 1952 Billy Vessels – – RB:  One undistinguished season in NFL
• 1953 John Lattner – – RB:  One undistinguished season in NFL
• 1954 Alan Ameche – – RB:  Six years in NFL; Pro Bowl 4 times; All-Pro once.
• 1955 Howard Cassady – – RB:  Eight mediocre seasons in the NFL
• 1956 Paul Hornung – – QB:  Nine NFL seasons; twice All-Pro; once MVP; Hall of Fame
• 1957 John David Crow – – RB:  Ten solid seasons in NFL’ four times in Pro Bowl
• 1958 Pete Dawkins – – RB:  Never played pro football
• 1959 Billy Cannon – – RB:  Ten seasons in AFL/NFL; twice in Pro Bowl and twice All-Pro
• 1960 Joe Bellino – – RB:  Three less-than-effective seasons in AFL
• 1961 Ernie Davis – – RB:  Died of leukemia before he could play in the NFL
• 1962 Terry Baker – – QB:  Three undistinguished seasons in the NFL
• 1963 Roger Staubach – – QB:  Eleven seasons in NFL; six times Pro Bowl; Hall of Fame
• 1964 John Huarte – – QB:   Six undistinguished season in NFL
• 1965 Mike Garrett – – RB:  Eight seasons in AFL/NFL; twice in Pro Bowl; once All-Pro
• 1966 Steve Spurrier – – QB:  Ten mediocre seasons in NFL
• 1967 Gary Beban – – QB:  Two seasons in NFL
• 1968 OJ Simpson – – RB:  Hall of Fame
• 1969 Steve Owens – – RB:  Five seasons in the NFL; Pro Bowl once
• 1970 Jim Plunkett – – QB:  Fifteen “good-not-great” seasons in NFL; Pro Bowl once
• 1971 Pat Sullivan – – QB:  Four less than effective seasons in NFL
• 1972 Johnny Rodgers – – WR:  Four excellent seasons in CFL; NFL career ended in injury
• 1973 John Cappelletti – – RB:  Nine “good-not-great” seasons in NFL
• 1974 Archie Griffin – – RB:  Seven ordinary seasons in NFL
• 1975 Archie Griffin – – RB:  Only two-time winner of the Heisman Trophy
• 1976 Tony Dorsett – – RB:  Twelve NFL seasons; All-Pro once; five Pro Bowls; Hall of Fame
• 1977 Earl Campbell – – RB:  Eight NFL seasons; All-Pro thrice; five Pro Bowls; Hall of Fame
• 1978 Billy Simms – – RB:  Five productive NFL seasons; Pro Bowl three times
• 1979 Charles White – – RB:  Eight NFL seasons; one great season; All-Pro and Pro Bowl once
• 1980 George Rogers – – RB:  Seven NFL seasons; All-Pro once and Pro Bowl twice
• 1981 Marcus Allen – – RB:  Sixteen seasons in NFL; Hall of Fame
• 1982 Herschel Walker – – RB:  Twelve solid season in NFL; Pro Bowl twice
• 1983 Mike Rozier – – RB:  Seven solid NFL seasons; Pro-Bowl twice
• 1984 Doug Flutie – – QB:  Eight years in CFL; twelve “good-not-great” years in NFL
• 1985 Bo Jackson – – RB:  Four very good NFL seasons; injury ended his career early
• 1986 Vinny Testaverde – – QB:  Twenty-one solid  years in the NFL
• 1987 Tim Brown – – WR:  Seventeen years in the NFL; Pro-Bowl nine times; Hall of Fame
• 1988 Barry Sanders – – RB:  Ten years NFL; ten Pro Bowls; five times All-Pro; Hall of Fame
• 1989 Andre Ware – – QB:  Four non-descript  years in the NFL
• 1990 Ty Detmer – – QB:  Eight mediocre NFL seasons
• 1991 Desmond Howard – – WR:  Eleven ordinary-at-best seasons in NFL
• 1992 Gino Torretta – – QB:  Two useless seasons in the NFL
• 1993 Charlie Ward – – QB:  Chose to play in the NBA rather than the NFL
• 1994 Rashaan Salaam – – RB:  Four NFL seasons inflicted with injuries
• 1995 Eddie George – – RB:  Nine years in the NFL; four times Pro Bowl; once All-Pro
• 1996 Danny Weurffel – – QB:  Six undistinguished seasons in the NFL
• 1997 Charles Woodson – – DB:  Eighteen NFL seasons; 9 Pro Bowls; 4 All-Pros; Hall of Fame
• 1998 Ricky Williams – – RB:  Eleven solid NFL seasons; one Pro Bowl; one All-Pro
• 1999 Ron Dayne – – RB:  Seven ordinary NFL seasons

The “top player in college football” did not always pan out as a professional football player even accounting for those grads who chose not to play pro football at all.  In fact, of the 41 running backs identified as the “top player in college football” only 7 of them made it to the pro football Hall of Fame; that is only 17% of those running backs who were the best player in college for at least one season.

I will offer an explanation for this puzzling statistic in the rant that covers the period 2000 – 2025 later this week.

Finally, until then, here are words from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr,:

“Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

Claude Lemieux died yesterday at the age of 60 in an apparent suicide.  He was part of four Stanley Cup Champion teams; he also won the Conn Smythe Trophy – – the Stanley Cup MVP award – – in 1995.  His style of play might have been described as “aggressive”, but that may have been an understatement.

Rest in peace, Claude Lemieux.

In a small note in what is left of the Washington Post sports section this morning, it says that the NBA draft lottery will undergo “major changes”.  The Post seems to be catching up with others in the sports world here; the “major change” is one reported as the leading contender to further the NBA’s objective of canceling out tanking for draft picks.  Here is the new draft lottery system that will go into effect at the end of next year’s regular season:

• The Draft will now encompass 16 teams – – the ten that miss the playoffs entirely plus the teams that lose out in the play-in round.
• The three worst teams will have a 5.4% chance of getting the top pick
• The fourth through tenth teams will have an 8.1% chance at the top pick
• The eleventh through sixteenth teams will have a 4.5% chance at the top pick.

The NBA Board of Governors voted 29-1 to adopt this system; the lone negative vote came from the Memphis Grizzlies.

There are wrinkles in what seems to be a simple – – and perhaps simple-minded – – change here.  According to SI.com such as this one:

“The league will have expanded disciplinary authority to address tanking, including the ability to reduce teams’ lottery odds, modify teams’ draft positions and impose significant fines on offending teams.”

If I read that correctly that translates to Commissioner Adam Silver now having the authority to mete out punishments to teams when he sees situations that he defines as “tanking”.  If that is the case, there could be some interesting fallout down the line.  There are also provisions disallowing a team from drafting in the Top 5 three years in a row.  So, the randomness of the ping pong balls is considered insufficient to determine draft order?  My head hurts …

Moving on …  In the English Premier League, they do not have a draft to assist the bottom three teams; in the EPL, they relegate those teams down to a lower-level league – – called the Championship.  This year, the final relegation team was determined on the final day of the season.  Burnley and Wolves were both sure to be relegated but it took a win by the Tottenham Hotspurs in the final game to keep them in the EPL and send West Ham down to the Championship.

The EPL has an interesting way of determining which three teams will replace the relegated squads in the EPL.  The top two finishers in the Championship are automatically promoted but the third slot is given to the winner of a mini-tournament involving the third place through sixth place finishers in the Championship.  This year, Coventry City and Ipswich Town were automatic promotees; Hull City finished sixth in the Championship but won that mini-playoff and will be in the EPL starting in the Fall.

Switching gears …  I just learned that AJ Bown and DK Metcalf were teammates at Ole Miss.  Both WRs were there for three years from 2016-2018.  The Rebels’ record in those three seasons was a cumulative 16-20 with no bowl appearances.  The two questions floating around in my mind now is:

1. How did those teams not score 40+ points per game?
2. How did college defenders cover both of those WRs at the same time?

Finally, words of wisdom from Warren Buffet:

“When a management with a reputation for brilliance tackles a business with a reputation for bad economics, it is the reputation of the business that remains intact.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

There are two pieces of good news regarding college football this morning.  I know; I was shocked to see that too.

First, the SEC’s Athletic directors voted to have all conference members play conference games on the next-to-last weekend of the regular season starting in 2027.  That simple act gets rid of what had come to be known as “Cupcake Weekend”.  To give you a flavor of what will not happen, here are just a couple of the matchups scheduled by SEC Schools for “Cupcake Weekend” last year:

• Eastern Illinois 0         Alabama 56
• UNC-Charlotte 3         Georgia 35
• Samford 0                   Texas A&M 48
• Mercer 17                    Auburn 62

I for one will not miss these mismatches which are nothing but glorified scrimmages for SEC schools.  Yes, I know that SEC teams face big-time rivals in the final weekend of the season, but these “breathers” leading into the season ending games had become embarrassing at best.  Naturally, there are always folks who will find fault with any change.  Some argue that the season is long and arduous and these cupcake games are better than a BYE Week.  Others say – correctly – that the big schools pay the little guys at least six figures to come and take a shellacking.  Those “paydays” are important for the little guys to be able to fund their meager football programs and now those payday opportunities will become harder to find.

Forget the naysayers; this is beneficial to college football and to college football fans.

The second piece of good news comes from a surprising source – – the Congress of the United States.  According to reports, a bill has been introduced in Congress to provide a partial shield for college football and the NCAA from anti-trust litigation.  Congress has been urged to legislate on this issue for several  years now but never got anything introduced; that fact alone makes this announcement a surprise.  Moreover, the two sponsors of the bill – – Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) – – probably would not agree that Tuesday came after Monday earlier this week let alone on a new piece of legislation.  And yet, here we are …

As introduced, the bill would allow college football as an “industry” to write rules involving college eligibility and transfer rules without being subject to litigation by players.  Those rules – plus the ability to enforce them without a court intervention – is something that the schools and the NCAA have wanted and needed in recent times.  Some possible rules could now limit players to one transfer per college career and there could be age-based rules related to eligibility as well.

According to reports, the Cruz-Cantwell bill also puts a hard cap on player compensation.  It seems to me that this will be highly controversial and hugely difficult to enforce.  But if a “level playing field” is worth pursuing, then some sort of leveling needs to happen regarding the amount of money to be spent on amassing a roster.

Also in the recently introduced bill is something that has been named the “Lane Kiffin Rule”.  It would put limits on what a school might do related to poaching a coach whose team is still playing.  Once again, this is a good rule and a noble undertaking, but I don’t see how it might be enforced.

Here are a couple of other provisions of this bill:

• Federal oversight and transparency standards for all NIL deals
• Standardization of activities of boosters, booster collectives and player agents
• Making NIL deals represent “fair market value”

Can the Congress deal with this sort of a matter?  Well, the bill has been endorsed by schools and conferences in lots of states meaning there could be some grassroots pressure applied here.  However, there is still at least one fly in the ointment:

• Neither the SEC Commissioner nor the Big-10 Commissioner has formally endorsed the bill.

Finally, an interesting perspective from comedian Ron White:

“I believe that if life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade… And try to find somebody whose life has given them vodka and have a party.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

The NY Knicks just swept the Cleveland Cavaliers out of the Eastern Conference playoffs last night by winning their eleventh consecutive playoff game.  They closed out the Atlanta Hawks with three straight wins; then they swept the Philly 76ers and now the Cavs.  The Knicks will be in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999 and if they can win it all, it will be the first championship for the Knicks since the days of Willis Reed in 1973.  Karl-Anthony Towns led the way last night with 19 points and 14 rebounds as the outcome was never in doubt; the Knicks won on cruise control by 37 points.

That sweep gives the Knicks about a week to rest and recuperate before the NBA Finals begin June 3rd; they will take on the winner of the Thunder/Spurs series ongoing out West.  As of this morning, that series is tied two games apiece; that Western Conference winner will have home court advantage in the Finals based on regular season records.

Landry Shamet comes off the bench for the Knicks; his NBA career has had him in that role for the last 7 seasons.  His contributions in these playoffs have been highly productive to say the least; Shamet has tried 12 three-point shots and has made 11 of them.  Not shabby at all …

However, the player who makes most of this happen for the Knicks is Jalen Brunson.  When they need him to score; he scores.  When they need him to control the game; he controls the game.  The only thing he does not do is play “lights-out defense” which is something the Knicks can adjust to with other solid defenders like Josh Hart and OG Anunoby.  The Knicks will be underdogs in the Finals but unless they use this week off to go on a six-day bender, they should make the Finals more than just interesting.

Moving on …  While the Knicks provide a positive note to sports news this morning, there is also an ongoing saga that is less than rosy.  Brendan Sorsby is a college football QB who played at Indiana and Cincinnati before transferring to Texas Tech for the upcoming season.  However, after signing on with the Red Raiders, Sorsby took an “indefinite leave of absence” to undergo a residential treatment program for a gambling addiction.  He has had his eligibility suspended by the NCAA because he allegedly bet on his own Indiana team back when he was in Bloomington.

Sorsby is suing the NCAA in a Texas court to regain his eligibility.  From what I have read about this, a key element in his pleading is that his bets on Indiana football happened in 2022 and the NCAA rules on gambling did not go into effect until 2023.  Please do not take that statement above to be irrefutably accurate; that is an amateurish conclusion drawn from a variety of reports on the situation.  The hearing on this matter is scheduled for June 1^st.

I understand the concept of people not being subject to ex post facto laws and regulations and I think that is an important conceptual basis for much of American justice.  At the same time, I also think that a sentient and intelligent player has known from a very early age that you do not bet on game in which you will participate – – even if from the sidelines.  I do not envy the judge in this matter.

If Brendan Sorsby regains his eligibility, he is expected to be a highly ranked starting QB next year in college football.  He was ranked as one of the top four or five transfers in all of college football this season and with Texas Tech coming off an appearance in the CFP last year, he should get plenty of visibility by pro scouts.  That is the upside for him.

If Sorsby fails to regain eligibility, he could declare for the NFL Supplemental Draft.  That process is not like the Draft that you may have seen on TV last month; here is a thumbnail sketch of how it works:

• First, he would have to apply to the NFL who would then review the circumstances that led to his loss of college eligibility.
• The NFL’s acceptance of his application is not a certainty and given that the issue here is “gambling”, the NFL might be very conservative in its ruling.
• Assuming the NFL accepts his worthiness for a Supplemental Draft, the league then holds a weighted lottery to determine a “draft order” for the Supplemental.
• Each team would then enter a silent auction for Brendan Sorsby – – and/or any other players accepted into a year’s Supplemental Draft.
• Each team bids what round they might offer up to get Brandan Sorsty.  The highest bid gets him and forfeits that round’s draft pick next year.
• If two teams bid the same round, then the team with the higher pick in the Supplemental Draft gets Branden Sorsby.

Even assuming he is accepted by the league and then drafted by a team betting on the come, this set of events could wind up costing Brendan Sorsby millions of dollars having nothing to do with losing bets.  If teams are wary of a young QB who has already been involved in “off-field issues”, they might only take him with a 6^th or 7^th round pick where he might be a 1^st or 2^nd round pick if he plays out the next season and comes to the NFL with a clean “rep sheet”.  The difference in the worth of the first four-year contract between a high round pick and a 7^th round pick is millions of dollars.

Finally, here is comment from Tim Donaghy that seems appropriate today:

“I got caught up with gambling at the golf course, the backroom card games at the casinos with buddies there, and eventually betting on sporting events. I think it became a situation where I got consumed by it and loved every minute of it.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………