John Rooke - Thinking Out Loud
Saturday, July 05, 2014
Thinking out loud…while wondering if Josh Fortune flunked geography while at PC…
- As far back as the NCAA Tournament in March, while having a conversation with San Antonio Express-News columnist Buck Harvey (a one-time Boston Herald guy, too), I mentioned the Spurs would be a great spot for Bryce Cotton to land. Harvey asked me quite a bit about Cotton’s abilities, but also about his character. I told him that’s where Bryce really fit well, in my way of thinking, because a) the Spurs have a knack for finding diamonds – like Kawhi Leonard, and b) he’s as genuine as they come. Nothing fake about Bryce. A solid person, great kid, good family. Potentially GREAT role model, too…
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- Cotton then went out and dropped 36 on North Carolina. Even though PC lost, Cotton won that day, no doubt about it, in the eyes of some of the Spurs and those who cover them. With two late 2nd round draft choices, it sure looked like he was prime to be picked…but even though that didn’t happen, with Tony Parkers’ backup PG Patty Mills’ shoulder injury (he does have a new contract, however)…Cotton is still primed for the picking. And there’s a good shot at sticking, with a rare two-year deal for a free agent…
- This week marked what could be the end of college realignment over the past decade that has shaken intercollegiate athletics to its very core. Or not. As of July 1st, Louisville is now in the ACC. Rutgers and Maryland have moved to the Big 10. East Carolina, Tulsa and Tulane are now neighbors with UConn and the Providence-based American Athletic Conference…formerly the Big East, which now counts members in nine different states…
- Is the realignment shuffle complete? Not quite. Navy joins the American for football in 2015, and the conference will then play a football championship game with 12 members. Rumors continue to swirl about possible Big East expansion from 10 to 12 teams…although the conference and its’ membership appear to be very happy with 10 schools and a double round-robin for basketball. That may be, but when TV decides they need more inventory – and they will – Fox will call the shots on expansion. Saint Louis and Dayton remain the obvious targets, but expect Richmond to make some noise in this regard. It’s all about television from here on out…
- BYU has been making overtures toward the Big 12, which has 10 members at the present time. There has been no push to bringing membership back to 12 after Colorado departed for the Pac-12, Nebraska for the Big 10 and Missouri and Texas A&M left for the SEC. West Virginia and TCU moved in…BYU is feeling like they’ll be left out of the party (and the money) if they don’t find a home for football. But unless the Cougars can bring in enough cache (or simply cash) to spread the wealth and keep the current membership from effectively taking pay cuts, expansion doesn’t make sense. Or cents…
- Sports media consultant Chris Bevilacqua recently told the Associated Press “to strive and thrive, you’ve got to get bigger. Conference realignment is about exactly that – having more economic value when you get bigger. It’s not going to stop, because the market forces are going to continue to incentivize and reward size.” And those market forces include…TV, baby…
- Biggest winner in the realignment shuffle? I’ll take the ACC, or rather, the Louisville Cardinals. Louisville may have “lost” it’s match with West Virginia for Big 12 membership, but now the Cards’ powerhouse football and basketball teams (women’s hoops, too) head for the ACC along with a baseball team that reached the College World Series this year. Big East “basketball schools” also more than doubled their TV intake from the old Big East set up…
- Biggest loser? Has to be the Mountaineers, who may have won the battle with Louisville, but they’re losing the $$$ war overall. WVU’s closest competition comes from Iowa State, 870 miles from Morgantown, and already the mountain moaning has reverberated throughout the Big 12. And rivalries? With whom does WVU relate? Stupid is as stupid does…
- The Power Five conferences (ACC, Big 10, Big 12, SEC, Pac-12) shouldn’t expect any more tremors for a while, as all are locked into long-term TV deals. While no one knows if the seismic shifts that have occurred over the past decade will ever happen again, when the current TV deals come up for renewal or extension, there will be rumbling again. It’s inevitable. Over the past 25 years, more than 60% of the current FBS schools (128 major football schools) have changed leagues…
- Although, in just a couple of months, we’re all liable to hear a bit more rumbling from the Power Five membership as a result of changes in the way they’ll look after themselves through the NCAA. Stay tuned…
- Interesting change for Big East women’s basketball teams next season…Seton Hall coach Tony Bozzella was quoted as saying league teams will play conference games on Friday’s and Sunday’s, with no games during the middle of the week…and teams will either be home or away. No splits. Sounds Ivy-esque…
- And if you’re a Friar fan that still hopes to rekindle a rivalry with UConn…you’ll have to wait a bit longer on the basketball court. On the ice, however, is a different story. As of July 1st, the Huskies have joined Hockey East…
- In the interest of fair and equitable mentions…the Atlantic-10 also welcomed Davidson as a new member this week, moving from the Southern Conference. Hardly an “easy out” there. And two members of the USA men’s national soccer team are A-10 alumni – URI’s Geoff Cameron AND Saint Louis’ Brad Davis…
- It’s a start…if you’re really looking for positive changes in college athletics and the way student-athletes are treated, the start at Indiana is a good one. Last week, the Hoosiers unveiled a student-athlete “bill of rights,” a 10-point document that sets forth the school’s commitment to those students who represent the institution on playing fields and basketball courts. Among the promises – a lifetime degree guarantee that would allow any athlete who leaves school early, for any reason, the chance to come back and finish at the school’s cost. Also, scholarships will now be guaranteed for four years, rather than the annual “renewal” that takes place at most schools. Expect this model to be duplicated at major schools across the country. If not, it will be used as a recruiting tool against programs choosing NOT to participate in some form or fashion…
- Did UConn just pick up their next lead guard in a very productive line? Kemba Walker…Shabazz Napier…Ryan Boatright…Jalen Adams? Adams, a Top 50 consensus recruit in the Class of 2015, verballed to the Huskies and Kevin Ollie this past week. Adams is 6-2, is from Roxbury, MA (like Napier) and prepped at Cushing Academy…
- Tweet of the Week I – from @EddieAndelman: “The 19 million who watched the World Cup clearly illustrates the vast number of illegals within the borders of the U.S.A…” That’s it. That explains why soccer is so popular all of a sudden. Makes perfect sense, right?
- Trade Jon Lester? Sure. If you want to become totally irrelevant and open up daily walk-up sales at Fenway Park ticket windows. Just don’t get why management apparently doesn’t want to pay him his worth in the marketplace…unless we’re getting Max Scherzer or Cole Hamels instead…
- Still think the Mookie Betts call up to Boston was a panic move, induced by Sox brass so as to inject a little life into the rest of the baseball season this summer. Ben Cherington said as much when he said he didn’t think Betts would be in the majors this season – more than a month ago. If he manages to survive – even thrive – in the outfield at Fenway, it won’t be because management “knew” he was a player. It will be because, luckily for Boston, Betts has some of the ingredients missing this season in the dugout the team desperately craves…like speed and a high OBP…
- Great tidbit from ESPNBoston’s Gordon Edes this week, ICYMI: “The Sox are only the second defending world champions in 70 years to have three or more rookies start 40 or more games. The last team to do so, the 1998 Marlins, had little choice because ownership blew up the championship roster…” Whoa…
- No truth to the rumor there’s someone at the patent office plunking down big bucks on a new Red Sox nickname – the “Boston Mini Sox.” How many players on the current 25-man roster are 5-9…or shorter? Officially, it’s three (Betts, Pedroia and Jonathan Herrera). And if you believe that, I’ve got some swamp land in Florida I’d like to sell you. Seven players under 6-0 are presently on the 25-man active roster…
- Not gloating or anything…because he did help the Sox win a Series last season…but what have you done lately, Jake Peavy? Besides take up way too much salary cap space this season, and provide way too little in return?
- Help me understand something? The Red Sox drop a game to a pitcher named Vidal Sassoon, then run up an 8-spot in the series-finale at Yankee Stadium, then get two-hit by a guy named Ariola for the Cubs. Is that about right?
- Ok, so I butchered those names. But those guys had no business butchering Boston’s bats. NY’s Vidal Nuno and Chicago’s Jake Arrieta had great games, yes. But the Red Sox problem is all Boston’s right now, not what others are doing to them…
- LMAO…Normally, a baseball “hot foot” wouldn’t rate much on the prank-o-meter scale of dugout comedy…except for the fact that this particular Los Angeles Dodger hot foot had the great Vin Scully actually calling the play-by-play. Which is terrific…
- It’s a start…the Super Bowl is still the king, but in social media circles, the World Cup is catching up. 389K Tweets in the opening minute for Brazil’s match with Chile, compared to 382K Tweets in the minute after Seattle’s Percy Harvin went 87 yards for a TD last February. And Facebook reports more usage on the World Cup than the Super Bowl, Olympics and Academy Awards combined…
- Johnny Football fallout…now comes the “Johnny Footlong” hot dog, sold by the Akron Rubberducks…the double A affiliate in Ohio for the Cleveland Indians. Never let it be said that minor league baseball can’t jump on a bandwagon…
- Color me confused, but how does a player of the stature of Rafael Nadal – a veritable master on clay surfaces – get so thoroughly outclassed on the grass at Wimbledon? Yes, he’s won twice at Wimbledon previously…but should there be any way he loses to a wild card qualifier? Nadal lost to 19-year-old Nick Kyrgios of Australia this week, with Kyrgios ranked 144th. Nadal has won almost as many Grand Slam events (14) as Kyrgios has years in his life. That’s Buster Douglas-esque right there…
- Nadal’s last three losses at Wimbledon are to players all ranked #100 or HIGHER. Again, I’ll ask the question…how can he be so good on clay, and so…so…pedestrian on grass?
- And defending Wimbledon champ Andy Murray failed to reach the semifinals, which doesn’t sound like a huge upset. Until you realize he had at least made the semis five straight years. So are the elite in tennis really elite, or merely mediocre?
- Speaking of punches to the mouth…the Florida Gators took a big one on the kisser this week, and the Patriots were next in line when a couple of 2014 football calendars were released. Imagine the surprise when an action photo of former superstar TE-turned-accused-murderer Aaron Hernandez showed up as “Mr. July” on the Florida calendar, and an action photo also appeared in a Patriots’ calendar as well. The school says they can’t control what outside vendors produce…and the calendar was approved prior to his 2013 arrest. But what about a recall? Both calendars were produced by the same company (Turner Licensing), and while some were purchased through Target.com, they have both have now been taken off line…
- Another punch to the mouth…Bruins fans everywhere had to feel it when Jarome Iginla decided to sign with Colorado, rather than re-sign with Boston. Iginla got three years from the Avalanche, which was more than the B’s were going to offer a 37-year-old winger, thanks in part to cap constraints. Hard to find blame, even though as a fan I’m certainly disappointed. Can Iginla win a still-elusive Cup in Colorado that he couldn’t claim in his short term with Boston? It says here he won’t…which means he’s just another guy who’s all about the $$$, after all…
- Yahoo! Sports columnist Dan Wetzel gets credit for starting this idea – but the USA’s World Cup loss to Belgium was to a country that should only be better in two things than we are – waffles and windmills…
- Tim Howard’s 16 saves against Belgium? A World Cup record. Perhaps if the defense had been a little better, or maybe, the offense had actually carried possession of the ball a bit longer, Howard wouldn’t have had to be such a hero…
- Great ride? Sure. Clearly, soccer has a renewed interest in this country, thanks to the nationalism on display in Brazil, and in several viewing sites for games around the country during the Cup competition. But how much of this renewed interest is just bandwagon Red, White & Blue rooting…and how much is actual interest in soccer as a sport?
- Not for nothin’…but USA-Belgium surpassed the USA-Portugal match for total viewership in the US…and was ESPN’s highest-rated World Cup match. Ever…
- Best guess…there might be a little bump in MLS interest initially, but overall…meh. The World Cup turns into a nice, once-in-four-years summer diversion for mainstream American fans that will never “get” soccer….
- The overall picture is bright for USA Soccer. Younger players on the rise, a German-born coach who knows what it takes to win a Cup, big time excitement from getting through arguably the toughest opening round that any nation had (the “group of death”)…yet I just don’t see the hang-time with hard core fans here. There’s too much going on in our parochial, un-enlarged universe for a real sporting revolution to occur. Soccer/futbol will ultimately still be relegated to the inside pages and agate columns of our go-to news sources…
- “Can we get back to real sports now, like baseball and football?” – said the majority of sports fans in America, once time ran out on the USA in Brazil. Yet, USA fans bought more tickets for the Cup games than any other country, besides the host…and the TV ratings were NFL-like in many places…
- While we’re all waiting for the American version of football to kick-off with NFL training camps later this month, we interrupt this regularly-scheduled sports program with the latest Gronktastic dance moves from Gillette Stadium…
- Dion Jordan’s suspension for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy is a double-whammy, for certain. Not only does the DE miss hurt Miami’s depth on the defensive line, but his presence will be sorely missed – by the Dolphins, of course – when the Patriots open up the season in South Florida on September 7th…
- Cold blooded…not that the Milwaukee Bucks fired head coach Larry Drew, but that they hired Jason Kidd away from Brooklyn (by giving up TWO 2nd round draft choices) without reaching out to first TELL him they were doing it. Drew will, however, coach somewhere else and has two years left on his Bucks’ deal. Oh yeah, he’ll be paid for his troubles…
- Kidd’s going after – and taking – a head coaching job in the NBA with someone still in the seat can’t sit very well with other teams, or coaches. Can you call Kidd a coaching P-A-R-I-A-H? Wouldn’t you first have to HAVE some friends, in order to lose them? He got a shot to coach in Brooklyn when no one else would give him one…and what team will hire him in the future after stabbing a sitting coach in the back? Perhaps he had better make Milwaukee work. Just sayin’…
- Should it even be mentioned that Kidd once beat up his wife, got into a fight over singer Toni Braxton, had several alleged extra-marital affairs, got into a DUI-related accident where thankfully, no one was killed…and demoted a coach (Lawrence Frank) that he begged his new team (Brooklyn) to hire after a rough start to the season? I think I actually feel sorry for Jabari Parker…
- Governor Chafee’s signing of the “master lever” bill into law may be his one, shining moment to remember during his tenure as Rhode Island’s Grand Poo-bah. Yet the “lever” still remains, so to speak, on this year’s ballots with the new law taking effect January 1st. Which means, there’s still time for idiots to be idiot-er…
- My buddy “Big E” got mad at a computer technician over the phone this week. Seems he had a message on his computer screen that said he was “bad and an invalid.” The operator then told him the computer’s “bad command” and “invalid” responses shouldn’t be taken personally…
- Marquette is definitely making waves…new coach Steve Wojciechowski landed 6-6 Minnesota transfer Wally Ellenson, who was a two-sport star in the Big 10 (finishing 2nd in the NCAA high jump). He’ll be eligible in two years, but his arrival in Milwaukee could pave the way for bigger, little brother Henry Ellenson…ranked 5th by ESPN.com in the Class of 2015 and coveted by many programs. Including Wojo’s former employers at Duke. If the younger, bigger Ellenson also winds up at MU, watch out…
- CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein reported this week that former Friar Josh Fortune decided on Colorado as his landing spot, after jilting his former teammates and coaches following an NCAA Tournament run and Big East championship. He was the starting two-guard, averaged 30+ minutes per game, was named the team’s Most Improved Player…and apparently was STILL unhappy. Maybe, there’s just no pleasing some people. So much for moving closer to his home in Virginia, too. What’s left unsaid/undone here…is that he must have been miserable and kept it bottled up, or something happened late to cause him to bolt. Fortune is a quiet kid, and had always been polite with me. Wish you well, Josh, but this is a decision that will be remembered for the wrong reasons. He’ll sit out 2014-15, and have two years of eligibility remaining…
- From the mailbag this week – Jimmy from Fort Worth, TX via Twitter, on Bryce Cotton signing a two-year deal with the San Antonio Spurs: “Had top individual game I saw in 2014 NCAAs.” Jimmy: As mentioned earlier, dropping 36 on North Carolina opened some eyes, and if the Friars’ run could have last another round (or two, or three) there is no way of knowing what his impact might have meant for Providence. Or for his pro career. What we all saw that night means one thing – just get him the ball. What happens after that is fun to watch…
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