brilliant decision

Not everyone thinks that it's such a good idea to have organized football, at any level, during this particular time. USA Today's Christine Brennan penned a column that speaks for many of us: "Opinion: Big Ten's decision to play football signals darkest day in conference's sports history":

 An excerpt:

 [...]

Just as the Big Ten was looking smarter by the day as COVID-19 outbreaks popped up at Michigan State, Wisconsin and Maryland while other conferences playing football announced COVID-related postponements and soaring cases, the league’s presidents reversed themselves and decided to steer their schools and their football programs right into the teeth of what are predicted to be some of the worst days of the pandemic in October and November.

And how are they doing it? With a mountain of daily antigen tests, special delivery for Big Ten football teams only. Rapid tests for football players, but apparently not for the elderly in Ann Arbor or Columbus or Evanston, or for school children and teachers in Bloomington or New Brunswick or Minneapolis, or for students paying for their education amid the outbreaks in East Lansing or Madison or College Park.

So how will this work? Smooth as silk, I’m sure. Let’s look at Michigan State. The other day, all MSU students were asked to self-quarantine – and 30 large houses, including 23 fraternities and sororities, were ordered into mandatory quarantine – after the school announced 342 new coronavirus cases.

“This is an urgent situation,” Ingham County Health Officer Linda S. Vail said. “The exponential growth of COVID-19 cases must stop.”

So hey, Michigan State, let’s start football! What could go wrong?

[...]

Indeed.

no hoop

Forget March Madness and the NBA.  Cats can't even find a pickup game anymore: "Coronavirus has stopped basketball across America"

Sad.

Well, folks who have a hoop in the driveway (or over the garage or whatever) can still shoot around...

looks like the real deal

20 year-old Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks, in his 2nd NBA season, through 16 games:

30.6 points per game
9.8 assists per game
10.1 rebounds per game
49.5% FG percentage
34.7% 3PT percentage
81.7% FT percentage

celtic great

From ESPN, as reported by the Associated Press:

Bill Russell finally accepted his Basketball Hall of Fame ring.

The 11-time NBA champion, five-time MVP, Olympic gold medalist and two-time NCAA champ said on Twitter on Friday that he was presented with his Hall of Fame ring in a private ceremony.

The 85-year-old Boston Celtics great didn't attend the induction ceremony in 1975. He said he didn't deserve to be the first black player inducted, tweeting: "I felt others before me should have that honor."

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/28088224/bill-russell-accepts-hall-fame-ring-44-years-induction

https://twitter.com/RealBillRussell/status/1195370531962281984/photo/1

Without a doubt, one of the greatest and classiest NBA players of all time.

to dethrone a champ

The series stats for the 2019 NBA Finals: https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/2019-nba-finals-warriors-vs-raptors.html

That page will be updated as the Finals continue. Toronto leads Golden State 3 games to 1, with a chance to clinch the title Monday in Toronto. I'm pulling for the Raptors to win it all, but the hoop fan in me hopes that the series goes 7 games, regardless of which team ultimately prevails.

Intriguing, entertaining series so far! Injuries and a very capable opponent have made things very difficult for Golden State. The Warriors have their backs to the wall, but if any team is capable of overcoming a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals, it's this one.

If that happens, it'll be a huge story, obviously; it would be Golden State's third straight title, their fourth in five years -- and this time against seemingly insurmountable odds. They'd have to somehow win three in a row, with a Game 5 and a Game 7 on the road. But the Toronto Raptors winning Canada's first NBA Championship (and having to dethrone a great champion in the process) would also be a huge story! I can't wait to see how this plays out.

spartans, wolverines

Michigan vs. Michigan State has been one of college basketball's greatest rivalries. Today they played at UofM's Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, with MSU coming out on top, 77-70. Huge road win for the Spartans, who (for the moment) take over 1st place in the Big Ten Conference standings.

The two teams will meet again on March 9th in East Lansing. UofM leads head-to-head over the years, 100-82. In the NCAA Tournament, all-time, MSU can claim bragging rights, but not by much:

National Championships - Michigan State 2, Michigan 1

Tournament 2nd Place finishes - Michigan 6, Michigan State 1

Final Fours - Michigan State 9, Michigan 8

Elite Eights - Michigan 14, Michigan State 13

Sweet Sixteens - Michigan State 19, Michigan 15

Tournament Appearances - Michigan State 32, Michigan 28

For more on the rivalry, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan%E2%80%93Michigan_State_men's_basketball_rivalry

devils!

I never thought I'd see something like this in my lifetime, and I can't imagine it lasting beyond a few more weeks, so I figured I'd post it here now and enjoy it while it lasts.

Arizona State, off to a hot start (10-0), and ranked #3 in college basketball (AP poll). Just behind Michigan State, and ahead of Duke! No way. Way. Go Devils! Lol -- Sun Devils, that is!

the reality, the mythology

"Kaepernick took it to the next level by pitting the reality of American racism against the mythology of American patriotism."

-- Gary Younge, in "Remember this about Donald Trump. He knows the depths of American bigotry", over at The Guardian.

reid's op-ed

Eric Reid: Why Colin Kaepernick and I Decided to Take a Knee

brain damaging sports

Column by Steve Chapman in the Chicago Tribune: I don't think I can watch football anymore

The most debilitating part of the sport appears to be not the rare concussion but the regular, inevitable blows to the head that occur at every level. A study conducted by Stanford researchers on Stanford players found that in a game, the typical offensive lineman endures 62 such hits, each equivalent in force to driving a car into a brick wall at 30 mph.

Ouch. Same thing with boxing, I'm thinking. But I don't know if I'm at the point where I can stop watching football and boxing. Not yet, anyway.

juiced

For years, I've been a proponent of a diet high in fresh fruits and vegetables. Many elite athletes would agree.

Consider the San Antonio Spurs and their cold-pressed fruit and vegeatable juice drinks. It seems that the Spurs are kinda tight-lipped about it, but according to the article linked below, "Several Spurs see their special drinks as an all-important first step to the recovery process that staves off fatigue and injury."

They may be on to something:

"Over the last decade, and despite an older roster, the Spurs have ranked first in the league with only 1,054 missed games to injury."

Article: The San Antonio Spurs, made with 100 percent juice

d'backs sweep!

The Diamondbacks sweep the series! Not sure how many times I'll get to say that this season! This afternoon in Phoenix, the final score was Arizona 3, Cleveland 2. D'Backs start the (very) young season on fire, with 6 wins and 1 loss.

another amazing finish by westbrook

You can't be serious!

I didn't see the game, but...

Russell Westbrook gets his record-breaking 42nd triple-double of the season, with 50 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists on the road against the Denver Nuggets.

For Westbrook, the coolest part had to be that Oklahoma City trailed for much of the game, trailed by 9 going into the 4th, and trailed by 14 with 5:56 left. Westbrook notched his 10th assist, breaking the triple-double record, with 4:17 remaining; scored the team's last 15 points and 18 of their last 21; and hit a 40-foot game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer. Thunder 106, Nuggets 105.

pascal

The Toronto Raptors have a rookie power forward in their starting lineup -- 6'9" Pasccal Siakam, a native of Cameroon, the small Central African country.

Siakam averages fewer than 20 minutes of playing time per game. He's getting only about 5 points (and less than 4 rebounds) per game. Those kinds of numbers won't impress anyone.

Yet, Siakam has played in every game this season. In fact, he has started every game this season -- for a Raptors team that currently holds the 2nd-best record (23-10) in the Eastern Conference.

Obviously, Raptors coach Dwane Casey sees something. And I bet he's seeing some of what folks down in Las Cruces saw the past two years. At New Mexico State, Siakam was the WAC Freshman of the Year for the 2014-15 season. In 2015-16, he was good for 20.2 points per game and 11.6 rebounds per game, shooting almost 54% from the field.

I didn't think he'd be an NBA starter in his rookie year, but there he is. And it looks like he's got a high ceiling, as they say.

Here's how he did in Toronto's 123-114 win over the Lakers last night: 31 minutes, 3 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks, 5 personal fouls. Doin' the dirty work, apparently.

For more, see this article: Raptors Rookie Pascal Siakam Is Something Special

back: the silver and black

With Sunday's 19-16 victory at San Diego, the Oakland Raiders clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2002, which was the last time the Raiders won an NFL title. They can clinch the AFC West by winning their last two games (at home vs. the Colts, then at Denver), but if they falter they could lose out to the Kansas City Chiefs for the division title based on the head-to-head tiebreaker (the Chiefs beat the Raiders twice this season).

some key performers:

- Derek Carr, QB, 63,5% pass completions, 3705 passing yards, 25 TDs against 6 INTs.

- Latavius Murray, RB, 737 rushing yards, 4.2 yards per carry, 12 rushing TDs.

- Amari Cooper, WR, 74 receptions, 1038 receiving yards, 4 TD catches.

- Michael Crabtree, WR: 77 receptions, 866 receiving yards, 8 TD catches.

tearin' it up early

A couple of guards getting off to good starts early this season in the NBA:

Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City. Westbrook leads the league in points per game (30.4); he's dishing out 11.0 assists per game, good enough for 2nd in the league; and when you include his 10.5 rebounds per game, he's averaging a triple-double -- nobody's done that for an entire season since Oscar Robertson, back in the 60s! Westbrook has collected 13 triple-doubles so far this season. He had 18 triple-doubles last season, tying Magic Johnson's mark from the 1981-82 season (Robertson had 41 back in '61-'62).

Classic shot of Oscar Robertson playing college ball at Cincinnati

James Harden, Houston. Harden is the league's 5th-leading scorer, pouring in 27.7 points per game, and he leads the league in assists (11.8). He's also been grabbing 8.0 rebounds per game. Not bad.

These two guys also hold the top two spots in the league in free throw attempts (Westbrook - 10.4, Harden - 10.3). Both guys shoot well from the charity stripe -- Westbrook is hitting on about 81% of his tries and Harden comes in a few notches higher, at about 84%. Thus, Harden leads the league in free throws made per game (8.6) and Westbrook stands 3rd at 8.4. The ability to get to the line often -- and to collect lots of "free" points -- qualifies as an art form, one that separates the elite players from the rest.

I don't know if Westbrook and Harden can continue to put up these numbers throughout the entire season. Probably not. Westbrook's triple-double numbers certainly impress, and probably make him the leading MVP candidate so far, but I'm amazed that Harden is scoring so much while also leading the NBA in assists! I didn't think he had it in him!

* * *

Side note: Cleveland's LeBron James is quietly putting up some killer numbers of his own, and for one of the NBA's elite teams (the Cavs currently sport a 19-6 won/loss record, third-best in the league): 25.0 ppg, 9.0 apg, 7.6 rpg, 51.7% shooting from the field, 35.2% on 3-point tries. Outstanding, and still (perhaps) the best all-around player in pro basketball.

The Powerful LeBron James

* * *

Early-season sharp-shooting:

Steph Curry, Golden State: 3.8 made 3-pointers per game, tops in the league. Curry's shooting 40.3% on 9.4 three-point tries per game. He's also 2nd in the league in free throw percentage (93.2% on 5.2 tries per game). Blazing!

Kevin Durant, Golden State: Burying 53.8% of his shots from the field, 40.9% of his three-point tries, and 86.2% from the free throw line. Those numbers make me think of a guy named Larry Bird.

Courtney Lee, Knicks: 45.4% FGs, 86.4% FTs, 47.4% 3-pointers.

Channing Frye, in limited minutes with Cleveland: 44.6% FGs, 94.1% FTs, 47.1% 3-pointers.

George Hill, Utah: 53.4% FGs, 88.4% FTs, 45.6% 3-pointers.

C.J. McCollum, Portland: 47.8% FGs, 90.8% FTs, 45.5% 3-pointers.

after a certain point, what's the point?

Michigan 78, Rutgers 0. Go Blue.

UofM led Rutgers 57-0 after three quarters.

When one football team leads another by 45 or 50 points, what purpose does it serve to further humiliate the other team like that? 78-0? Really? One of the more disgusting aspects of sports, IMO.

According to Wikipedia, college football does have a "mercy rule." Why it wasn't invoked during this game is beyond me, but in any case, it's actually a lame mercy rule, rarely used:

The National Collegiate Athletic Association's mercy rule provides that "Any time during the game, the playing time of any remaining period or periods and the intermission between halves may be shortened by mutual agreement of the opposing head coaches and the referee." (NCAA Football Rule 3-2-2-a)

(from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercy_rule)


New Mexico high school football has a 50-point mercy rule: If any team leads by 50 or more after halftime, the game's over. I like that. Elsewhere, they'll either shorten the game by having fewer minutes in the quarters after the game gets out of reach, or by having a running clock.

Many football coaches and hard-core football fans don't like the idea. For example, I don't think Texas has a mercy rule for high school football. I'm not surprised.

Ironically, here's a quote from Rutgers coach Kyle Flood, from back in 2013, speaking against mercy rules: "I think when you're fortunate to be in a game and you have a lead that you feel the other team can't recover form, the next thing you can do that is productive for your football team is to develop your younger players ... It's still game experience against an unknown opponent. When you get your chances, you want to take advantage of it."

Uh-huh. Flood was fired at the end of last season; not sure how current Rutgers coach Chris Ash feels about mercy rules after yesterday's game...

just a guessing game

Not even halfway into the season, 10 teams have completely dropped out of college football's AP Top 25 rankings. Already, five teams have dropped out of the "Top Ten."

I know it's all in fun, but please, skip the preseason rankings. They don't mean anything, and all they do is give certain "big name" schools an unfair advantage en route to the playoffs.

And while we're at it: 16 teams in the playoffs. College football fans want real playoffs, not an "invitational." Pffft.


AP College Football Poll, August 21, 2006

1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. Oklahoma
4. Florida State
5. LSU
6. Ohio State
7. Michigan
8. Stanford
9. Tennessee
10. Notre Dame
11. Ole Miss
12. Michigan State
13. TCU
14. Washington
15. Houston
16. UCLA
17. Iowa
18. Georgia
19. Louisville
20. USC
21. Oklahoma State
22. North Carolina
23. Baylor
24. Oregon
25. Florida

AP College Football Poll, October 2, 2006

1. Alabama (5-0)
2. Ohio State (4-0)
3. Clemson (5-0)
4. Michigan (5-0)
5. Washington (5-0)
6. Houston ((5-0)
7. Louisville (4-1)
8. Texas A&M (5-0)
9. Tennessee (5-0)
10. Miami (FL) (4-0)
11. Wisconsin (4-1)
12. Nebraska (5-0)
13. Baylor (5-0)
14. Ole Miss (3-2)
15. Stanford (3-1)
16. Arkansas (4-1)
17. North Carolina (4-1)
18. Florida (4-1)
19. Boise State (4-0)
20. Oklahoma (2-2)
21. Colorado (4-1)
22. West Virginia (4-0)
23. Florida State (3-2)
24. Utah (4-1)
25. Virginia Tech (3-1)

Completely dropped out from the first poll:

Then #5 LSU, currently 3-2
Then #10 Notre Dame, currently 2-3
Then #12 Michigan State, currently 2-2
Then #13 TCU, currently 3-2
Then #16 UCLA, currently 3-2
Then #17 Iowa, currently 3-2
Then #18 Georgia, currently 3-2
Then #20 USC, currently 2-3
Then #21 Oklahoma State, currently 3-2
Then #24 Oregon, currently 2-3

keeping curry's scoring in perspective

Golden State's Steph Curry is having another great year, but this season (his 7th in the NBA) will be only the first time he's led the league in scoring.

Number of scoring titles for NBA players not named Jordan or Chamberlain (three or more scoring titles):

Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City) - 4
Allen Iverson (Sixers) - 4
George Gervin (Spurs) - 4
Bob McAdoo (Buffalo Braves) - 3
Neil Johnston (Philadelphia Warriors) - 3
George Mikan (Minneapolis Lakers) - 3

Very short list. Oh, and Michael Jordan led the NBA in scoring TEN times; Wilt Chamberlain did it 7 times.

Source: http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/pts_per_g_yearly.html

splash!

Former Duke Blue Devil Seth Curry, Steph's younger brother, scored a career high 19 points for Sacramento last night, against the Clippers. Hasn't been getting much playing time, finally got some minutes (about 25). How cool would it be if he could eventually elbow his way into a new Splash Brothers conversation?

Seth shot 5-9 from the field (including 3-4 3PT) and hit 6 of 7 free throws in about 26 minutes of court time. Not bad. The Kings should maybe give him some more minutes, see how things go.