Plenty of stuff to get worked up about today, Mobsters. Where would you start?
How ‘bout Juwan Howard versus Greg Gard, in a 1-round, winner-take-all nylon cage death match? I go with Juwan. Taller, faster, superior reach.
They got into it in the handshake line, home office for many displays of fine sportsmanship over the years. Howard was mad that Gard called two timeouts in the final minute of Sunday’s Michigan-Wisconsin game, one with 15 seconds left and the Badgers up 15.
Howard rightly took offense to that. Later, Gard explained, lamely, “I called the timeout to reset the 10-second call. Because we only had four seconds to get the ball over half court," Gard told CBS. "I didn't want to put my backups -- I had all my bench guys in the game -- I didn't want to put them in that position of scrambling with only four seconds.’’
Of course. Anyone could understand the need to protect a 15-point lead with 15 seconds to play.
Howard didn’t want to shake Gard’s hand, then wanted to beat him up after Gard put a hand on him. Or maybe Howard wanted to beat up Gard’s assistant coach, whom Howard slapped upside the head.
Howard had a right to be PO’d, but you can’t be slapping a dude’s head in the handshake line.
More:Paul Daugherty: Who knew there were rules about when you can celebrate your team?
Punishment? Beats me. Maybe a Time Out for each guy. Maybe make Gard stand in the lane and take a charge while Howard dunks on his head. Maybe have Howard write, “I must make my team play defense’’ 100 times on a chalkboard. I mean, the fracas was more entertaining than the game.
Now, then . . .
PHIL MICKELSON JUST THREW UP ALL OVER HIMSELF. His aborted attempt to rally his peers to support a proposed Saudi Golf Tour was bad. His reasoning was worse:
“They’re scary motherf—–s to get involved with,” he said. “We know they killed [Washington Post reporter and U.S. resident Jamal] Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights. They execute people over there for being gay. Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it? Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates.’’ (Golf Magazine)
Yeah, they might be murderous scumbags. But their checks cash.
Rory McIroy called Phil “naïve, selfish, egotistical, ignorant. It was just very surprising and disappointing and sad.’’ Every member of the world’s top 10 has now dismissed the SGL.
Phil had accused the PGA Tour of “obnoxious greed” and “running a dictatorship”?
More:Daugherty: MLB disrespecting fans with plodding approach to labor talks
This from a guy who has earned close to $100 million on the Tour, and another $500 mil in sponsorships.
Maybe he could meet Juwan Howard in The Octagon.
MICHELLE TAFOYA IS “BRAVE,’’ according to Tucker Carlson. And Carlson is wrong, which keeps his impressive wrong-ness streak rolling. It now stands at 13 years and counting, since he joined Fox News in 2009. He’s sort of the Cal Ripken of wrong-ness.
Tafoya bravely declared to Carlson that white folks have been working “since the Civil War’’ to ensure skin color doesn’t matter in this country. Of course, she made that brave claim after she left NBC, meaning she’d no longer earn her living interviewing people of color.
Let’s all applaud Michelle’s courage.
As for her contention that people who look like me have been striving mightily to eliminate skin tone from the national conversation:
Which rock does she live under? It must be the size of an asteroid.
Is it the George Floyd rock? The Ahmaud Arbery rock? Brianna Taylor? Maybe the Emmitt Till stone. Maybe the James Earl Ray memorial boulder, chiseled by George Wallace himself.
Maybe it’s the rock currently covering the entire state of Texas, where laws are being re-written to make it harder for Blacks to vote. Maybe Michelle shares Carlson’s rock. His is huge.
Even if you find Tafoya’s intentions are good – she wonders why we all can’t get along, essentially – her means of explaining those intentions were, well, clumsy. Dear Michelle: Now that you’re no longer busy asking Mike Tomlin what he said to his team at halftime or how Lamar Jackson made that amazing run, maybe you could study up on the subject. And get that rock off your head.
Testy today, Doc?
Maybe.
HOOPS ARE NOT OUR FORTE this year. We’ve been spoiled for three decades at least, by UC and XU. Twenty wins were assumed, Madness trips were booked in November. Each has had teams ranked or seeded #1 or #2. An incredible run, never fully appreciated nationally.
More:Cincinnati Bearcats rally but fall short in 75-71 home loss to Temple
Now?
Uh, boy.
Xavier’s 1-4 since Feb. 5. UC is 1-3 since Feb. 12. Over the weekend, each lost in similar fashion: Drilled in the 1st half, rallying unsuccessfully in the 2nd. X trailed at UConn by 16 at halftime. UC was behind at home to Temple by 14.
More:Comeback comes up short, Xavier falls on the road at No. 24 UConn
We’ve been over the reasons for each team’s downfall. The only point to be reiterated is this: By now, teams are who they are. Whatever coaching has happened should have made its mark. Players should know their roles. And just as important, accepted them.
Do we see this happening in either gym?
UC’s 17-10 record looks decent enough on the surface. But the Bearcats own exactly one Quad 1 win, over Illinois. Xavier has 6, Kansas 10.
UC’s non-conference schedule was not inspiring: wins over Evansville, Alabama A&M, Presbyterian, Bryant (Kobe or Bear?) Fla A&M, Ashland and TN Tech. The ‘Cats have 11 – count ‘em! – wins over Quad 4 opponents.
I’LL SAY IT AGAIN. . . Terry Nelson isn’t shy. I listened to the whole game Sunday. His analysis ranged from caustic to caustic. It’s not that Nelson doesn’t love UC. If anything, his affection for the program makes his remarks even more pointed.
Yesterday, he made Marty Brennaman sound like Mary Poppins.
Is this good? As a fan of UC hoops, do you appreciate it? How much?
I enjoy it. Very much. I’m not a fan, per se. I appreciate not having my intelligence insulted.
Over the decades, we’ve been blessed with outstanding radio broadcasters, in all sports. I’m frankly surprised Dan Hoard still works here. We’re lucky he does. One aspect that has lacked, IMO, is candid analysis. Part of that is the medium. Announcers are approved by the teams/schools. In some cases, they’re paid by them. They have to watch what they say.
But also, we’re nice around here.
Nelson calling out the Bearcats for not playing defense in the first half Sunday was beyond justified. His observation (made many times this winter) that they didn’t get the ball to the hot hand was accurate. His opinion that losing to a short-handed Temple crew at home was unacceptable shouldn’t have been hard to take, no matter how much red and black you bleed.
So. . . as a fan of the local teams, do you appreciate candor? Or would you prefer broadcasters keep it positive?
BECAUSE I LIKE BEER, I was pleased last week to discover Brink Brewing Company in College Hill. Jillian The Magnificent is on a dance team that practices in the area. To kill time, I Google-d craft beer near me. Brink came up. It’s a delightful neighborhood establishment on Hamilton Avenue and the two brews I had were very good:
Father G’s Bees, a honey brown, and the Moozie milk stout.
TML sez ckout Brink Brewing.
TUNE O’ THE DAY . . . I love me some Apple Music. I type in a band I like, it gives me hundreds of tunes in the specific genre. I’m driving to the Homeplace out east yesterday, I sample 90 minutes worth of “sounds like’’ Allah-Las'', an alt-surf band I like. I found this one. You’ll either like it or hate it.
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