Happy Friday of the 2021 NFL Draft. One round down, six to go. A few things about last night ...
1) Why do Bengals fans still love Boomer so much? This pretty much sums it up:
Won't be long before he's in the Bengals' new Ring of Honor.
2) The pre-draft Kings of Leon concert and analysis was pretty excruciating when you've been looking forward for months to finding out who the Bengals will take at No. 5. I didn't need to wait until 8:26 p.m. to learn that the Jaguars were taking Trevor Lawrence with the first pick.
3) I couldn't help but chuckle when Kirk Herbstreit was talking about the report that Aaron Rodgers is fed up with the Packers and suggested that Green Bay would be crazy to deal a QB who's as good as Rodgers still is - as long as he doesn't "pull a Carson Palmer" or anything.
4) I'm surprised there aren't more people who find the kneejerk-reaction grades of first-round picks completely worthless. I'd give every first-round pick a grade of "incomplete." See what else the team does the rest of the draft. I really don't even like grades of teams' drafts just after the draft takes place. Can we at least wait a year or two or three to assess?
5) I get that people like to bust on the Bears; I never understood the disrespect from so many for Andy Dalton, a great guy whose success in Cincinnati can't be denied despite no playoff wins. With the reactions to the Bears drafting Justin Fields though? I know the Bears look a little silly for their QB1 tweet last month (though it's definitely not the first time a team has said one guy is the starter and then drafted someone they were excited about who was available as luck would have it), but Dalton is a smart enough guy who has been around long enough to not see Fields as a threat as much as an opportunity for mentoring/healthy competition. Oh, and to make another $10 million. Dalton's a competitor, but I can't imagine he's heartbroken over this. He'll do everything he can to help the Bears because he's got integrity. And Fields will learn a lot from him.
Guest TML: Maybe give Andy Dalton another shot at starting before firing Bears' GM, coach
6) I agree with PFF's Andrew Russell - whose tweet is included in this story about Booger McFarland's assessment of the Bengals' first-round pick - that Booger (along with others who said the Bengals were crazy for not taking Sewell) is short-changing Jonah Williams and Riley Reiff. Could the Bengals still use OL help? Of course. But it seems to me that a team with starting tackles maybe doesn't need to draft one fifth overall.
IF WE WEREN'T IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NFL DRAFT, I could've easily written the majority of this about former Princeton High School standout Darius Bazley. In fact, there's a good chance I'll write a future TML about Bazley. Why? He's very quietly (unless you're a Thunder fan) been filling it up in 10 games since returning from injury. He established a new career-high with 26 points last week, and followed it up with another 26 two days later.
Bazley isn't a superstar yet, and it's tough to get recognition as an NBA player if you're not a star. He plays for a bad OKC Thunder team. How bad? They lost 14 in a row before stunning the Celtics in Boston the other night.
So he's averaging about 19 points and 7 rebounds over his past 10 games. What's the big deal?
He's only 20 years old.
I'M ALSO IMPRESSED BY what Edmond Sumner has done for the Pacers and what Naji Marshall has done for the Pelicans. Great past few weeks for the former Xavier stars.
THANK GOODNESS THE REDS WON 2 of 3 in L.A., because how exciting would this weekend series against the Cubs be if their losing skid had been extended to 10 games? I see no reason not to expect them to win at least two against a division rival that has been VERY inconsistent so far this season and is in the middle of a seven-game road trip. Tonight's starter, Wade Miley, has looked good. Luis Castillo gets what appears to be some warmer weather than he's had for Saturday's winnable start against Zach Davies. And how sharp has Sunday's starter, Tyler Mahle, looked so far this year.
Can one pitcher make a fan feel better about a team's shaky bullpen? Tejay Antone sure has been dealing.
Are you worried about Suarez yet? .283 with 34 homers as an All-Star in 2018. .271 with 49 homers in 2019. Between last season and this season? .178 with 105 strikeouts in 332 plate appearances.
PRETTY COOL that former Reds prospect Taylor Trammell had a game-winning homer AND game-ending catch:
MARK YOUR CALENDAR: Brian Kelly, Michael Mayer (CovCath) and Zeke Correll (Anderson) against the Bearcats ...
SPEAKING OF THE BEARCATS, here's another tweet that suggests Wes Miller likely will have former Bearcats star DerMarr Johnson serving in some role for UC hoops:
AND NOW, A WORD FROM OUR FAVORITE -ESPONDENTS ...
Funmaster Brien says get some fresh air:
This Saturday is an excellent primer for outdoor activities heading into the Spring and Summer months. The Mill Creek Yacht Club is offering its first ever pop up canoe livery and Mad Tree Brewery in Oakley is hosting a "gear swap."
The Mill Creek paddle is a 1.5-mile journey. You are welcome to setup a bike at the finish or walk back to the start. Regardless, it is a great way to get a little canoeing in and experience the Mill Creek without a guide.
Mad Tree invites you to donate, sell or swap your outdoor gear as you hang out in their newly reopened outdoor beer garden area. Perhaps you have some old camping equipment or a kayak that you do not use anymore – this is a good chance to help somebody out or acquire just the thing you need to begin your outdoor adventure this year.
I got really into canoeing and cycling last year for the first time in a long time and I highly recommend – good for the soul. The canoe livery requires registration, so head over to eventbrite.com to sign up. The Mad Tree Gear Swap runs from 10 AM – 2 PM. Get out there!
Imbiber Dave agrees ... get out and enjoy the nice weather this weekend:
Been focusing quite a lot lately on the great outdoors. In fact, spending time outside almost always feel like imbibing to me.
One of my favorite places to be is the golf course. Similar to my wide range of favorites from different styles of craft beer to whiskey, I’m fairly open to easiest executive course or the difficult grinder like the pros play.
It’s all about enjoying the walk, and allowing yourself to enter a different head space for a few hours. To me, I almost always need a Fuente Hemingway Series cigar when walking the links. I prefer these because they taste amazing and don’t give me the jitters. Being a little more relaxed helps me to focus.
I absolutely love a bourbon on the rocks, cocktail, or ice cold beer, but my score suffers quite a bit when we go down that road. There’s nothing wrong with adding a shot of hour favorite bottle to a large tumbler of ice water. Get a little relaxation without losing your feel.
Now that the sun is up by 6AM, I get to enjoy dawn patrol on the links a couple days a week. Cheers! [email protected]
TUNE O' THE DAY:
There were a lot of songs during my formative years - as there are today - with stupid, mindless lyrics. The Police's "Synchronicity II" is not one of them. How can you not love lyrics such as ...
We have to shout above the din of our Rice Krispies
The factory belches filth into the sky
And, of course, everybody's favorite - the humiliating kick in the crotch.
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