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I’m ba-a-a-ck!

Being a grandfather isn’t something that you train for. It was quite challenging last week to go outside and shoot basketball for an hour in the summer heat with an 8-year old intent on dispatching his creeky ol’ Grandpa in morning games of one-on-one.

He took the overall 3-game series, but Grandpa held his own (at least for this year).

Now, where did I put that tube of SportsCreme?

In fact, the past month has found my lovely wife and I spending a full week with each set of our five young (10 and under) grandsons. We have enjoyed a total summer blast!

Now, the house is quiet again. Our eight-year old rescued Old English Sheepdog (Molly) seems to be mourning the loss of our fine young gentleman visitors and their very patient Dad.

Molly enjoyed extra company during her morning and evening dog walks every day.

It has been difficult to keep close tabs on sports while traveling to visit or hosting our very sharp and fun-loving grandsons over the past month.

Some things appear to have changed a lot. Others didn’t.

It’s time to catch-up.

Good news! Saints legend Drew Brees was inducted into the Pro Football Hall-of-Fame!

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees led the Black and Gold to their only Super Bowl appearance and title in February, 2010. He set numerous NFL passing records during his stellar 20-year pro football career.

The Texas-born Brees was an excellent student as well. He majored in Industrial Management at Purdue University. Drew Brees quarterbacked the Boilermakers football team to the Rose Bowl in 2001 as the team won a share of the Big Ten title.

The San Diego Chargers selected Brees with the first pick in the second round of the 2001 NFL draft.

It’s hard to believe that he played in San Diego for the first five years of his pro football career.

A trade to the New Orleans Saints in 2006 also paired Drew Brees with new head coach Sean Payton. It would be a match made in WhoDat Heaven for us Saints fans.

Hurricane Katrina devastated the city in August, 2005. The Louisiana Superdome was painstakingly repaired and refurbished the following year as New Orleans welcomed home its beloved football team along with a new quarterback and head coach.

Drew Brees’ infectious positive attitude and leadership skills helped the Saints improve every season leading up to that Super Bowl victory.

More importantly, the Saints’ rise served to boost the spirits of the entire Gulf South region during recovery efforts from both Hurricane Katrina and, a month later, Rita in southwestern Louisiana.

Sorry, Archie Manning supporters.

The true GOAT (greatest of all time) for the majority of New Orleans Saints fans is Hall-of-Fame quarterback Drew Brees. Congratulations!

Red-hot Red Sox are blazing in baseball’s American League!

The Boston Red Sox have won 27 of their last 32 baseball games through Sunday, August 9. Boston was at the bottom of the American League East standings earlier in the season.

The BoSox are still seven games behind the Tampa Bay Rays with 45 games left to play in baseball’s seemingly never-ending 162-game regular season. Late inning comebacks have been the rule during Boston’s recent hot streak during July and into early August.

Will the Boston Red Sox remain hot during this hottest month of the year? Stay tuned!

The eight team UFL recently packed-up and left Houston and Birmingham. Why?

Spring pro football’s United Football League (UFL) quietly exited two of its long-time markets less than two weeks ago.

The Birmingham Stallions won three straight spring football titles from 2022 through 2024. A brand new college football stadium for UAB featuring nearly 40,000 seats played host for Stallions home games in each of the past five seasons.

The UFL’s billionaire owner and apparent league spokesman, Mike Repole, jousted with Birmingham football fans earlier this season about their lack of support for the team.

It’s no surprise that Repole just pulled the plug after attendance declined this year. His excuse for leaving Birmingham is what has raised eyebrows in Alabama.

He said, “With Birmingham, this decision was 100% about the wrong sized venue. Even on opening day, when 16,000 Stallions fans showed up, the energy, passion, and game atmosphere was not felt due to the size of the venue.”

Here’s a question for you, Mr. Repole.

Doing just as you requested, the Houston UFL franchise vacated its college football stadium at the University of Houston. The Houston Gamblers moved into the city’s downtown soccer venue with 20,000 seats this season. How do you explain why less than 7,000 fans attended Houston Gamblers football games this spring? The team did exactly what you asked for and had even less success. Houston’s UFL franchise is now defunct.

Perhaps Mr. Repole might consider that the UFL’s on-field product is simply not very good. It is also played during increasingly hot spring weather – especially in the league’s southern markets. UFL games – which are (generally speaking) low scoring and not very exciting to watch – have trouble attracting local fans when tickets were priced as low as $20 apiece.

The market, sir, has been and continues to speak to you quite loudly.

Golf – Welcome to the winner’s circle, Jackson Koivun and Asterisk Talley!

Two weeks ago, former Auburn All-American golfer Jackson Koivun picked-up his first PGA win at the 3M Open in Minnesota. It was only his third professional start!

After Sunday’s middle-of-the-pack finish in his fourth PGA start at Greensboro, NC, the 21-year old Koivun has earned enough FedEx points to qualify for this week’s first round of PGA playoffs beginning Thursday in Memphis.

Let’s also welcome a 17-year old upcoming high school senior golfer to the winner’s circle.

Asterisk Talley (yes, that’s her real name) easily won her first USGA championship by taking the US Women’s Amateur title in Tennessee with an 8-up victory. She had previously finished runner-up in the 2024 US Junior Girls Amateur and the US Women’s Amateur.

Congratulations to Ms. Talley! Yes, there will forever be an Asterisk next to her last name on the US Women’s Amateur trophy.

LIV Golf remains on life support but wants to tee it up again in 2027

In this continuing soap opera, LIV Golf (completing its fifth season in late August) will lose its Sugar Daddy financial backers. The Saudi Public Investment Fund (with over $1 trillion in assets) has lost more than $5 billion to start, fund, and prop-up this worldwide golf venture. They are skedaddling by no later than the end of August.

Last week, LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neal announced that a new lead investor has been secured. Before you say, “Hooray!”, the golf league’s boss did not reveal a lot of specifics. We don’t know who the investor is, how much money was actually being injected, or any other details which translate into a viable 2027 LIV Golf campaign.

Golfers expecting to participate in LIV Golf during 2027 (assuming there is a season) will be playing for smaller prize money and will likely be asked to share in the risk (and, if possible, the rewards) of the revamped league.

The future still looks shaky for LIV Golf.

The US Senate punted on 4th down to go on vacation and leave the future of college athletics hanging in the balance

When you woke up on Saturday morning, the United States Senate had adjourned to take a well-earned (sarcasm intended) full month of vacation.

Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) were finally able to bring their college sports bill to the floor of the US Senate over the past few weeks. It showed some encouraging signs of passage.

The SEC and Big Ten finally jumped aboard to support the Senate’s “Protect College Sports Act” last week. That was the equivalent to a two-minute drill in hopes of getting this bill across the Senate’s goal line prior to the legislative body’s annual August recess.

College sports conferences have been unable to get their primary rule maker and enforcement arm (the NCAA) to take consequential actions in recent years. Guidelines and enforcement of rules in today’s transfer portal and NIL high dollar environment have many mid-sized and smaller universities considering dropping sports altogether. The SEC recently suggested it was willing to break away from the NCAA and establish its own set of rules if something doesn’t change soon.

With the proverbial play clock running, some Senators (as they are prone to do) tried to add amendments to the college sports bill last week. They wasted too much time and failed to bring it to a full Senate vote prior the month-long adjournment.

However, the Senators are promising to bring this college sports bill to a vote when they return in early September.

If that occurs, the sports bill must still be approved by the House of Representatives and then obtain the President’s signature to become law.

Sounds like a Hail Mary could be needed to complete this legislation with the mid-term elections coming up in November!

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Speedy Gonzalez would love playing a round of golf with newly-crowned Open Championship winner Ryan Fox.

A round of golf at last week’s British Open at Royal Birkdale averaged a snooze-worthy 5 ½ hours. Don’t blame the weather. All four days of this year’s event were played under benign conditions. No rain or high winds affected play.

The final player on the golf course on Sunday was a relative unknown named Ryan Fox.

The native New Zealander was already tied with clubhouse leader Cameron Young at 9-under par as he sized-up an 11 foot birdie putt to win the tournament. A massive throng of British fans surrounded the green to watch the drama unfold.

It took 39-year old Ryan Fox (seeking just his third professional victory) just 22 seconds to line-up and execute the most important putt of his golfing career. He drained the birdie putt, won the Claret Jug trophy, and captured (on paper) more than $3.2 million in first prize money.

Unfortunately, the British government absconded with nearly 45% of his payday. The take home pay for the new “Champion Golfer of the Year” was sliced to $1.76 million.

Great Britain’s His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs group had already pilfered $1.44 million on behalf of the host country’s bank account.

And you thought the I.R.S. was tough?

Ryan Fox has now become the people’s champion to help end slow play!

Weekend warriors at public golf courses are monitored by an oft-times surly roving ranger who tries to keep rounds at four hours or less.

Wouldn’t it be nice to see a 4-hour pace of play in professional golf?

Why should professional golfers (who require significantly fewer shots, utilize personal caddies and play with the latest high-tech equipment and golf balls) take 25% longer than a player who requires 30% more swings?

New Zealand native Ryan Fox is the exact opposite of today’s sloth-like pro golfers. He is already thinking about his next shot while moving toward the golf ball.

Fox said, “The less time I have to think about it, the less bad stuff can creep in there.” He added, “It’s not that difficult to pick a shot and pick a club.”

Indeed!

It must be maddening for Ryan Fox to play golf with many other professional golfers who seem to agonize over every single shot.

Sure, today’s “Slow Poke Pro Golfer Brigade” tries to defend its slower pace of play by saying the higher tournament payouts require more time to consider each shot.

The Slow Pokes would chuckle and say that you, too, would take longer if standing over a $1.4 million putt (the difference between a first and second place finish) for a major championship win.

Oops! That analogy just went down the drain. Speedy Ryan Fox stepped right up and sank the winning putt on hole #18 in just 22 seconds on Sunday.

Other golfers have taken note of Ryan Fox’ faster pace.

PGA golfer Min Woo Lee played with Fox in an earlier round. He was excited for Ryan Fox’s victory and the message it should send to golfers at all levels.

Lee said, “He just plays his own game, and that’s something that everyone can learn. Whenever a fast player wins, it’s the greatest thing ever!”

Should we blame the greatest golfer of all time for today’s slow play?

Jack Nicklaus is best remembered for his 18 major championships and being one of the most focused golfers of all time.

The Golden Bear had a tendency to stand over his putts for what felt like an eternity during his heyday in the 1960’s and 70’s.

Nicklaus famously received a two stroke penalty for slow play during his first year as a professional golfer in 1962.

A rules official at the Portland (Oregon) Open gave Nicklaus a two-shot penalty for failing to speed-up his play during the second round of that tournament.

The PGA official told him, “Jack, you can take as long as you want when you’re over the golf ball, but be ready when it’s your turn!”

Nicklaus had believed that it was poor etiquette to prep for his next shot when it wasn’t officially his turn to play.

Jack Nicklaus ended up winning the tournament in Portland by six shots. He said he learned a valuable lesson from being penalized for slow play.

Lee Trevino is the same age (86) as Nicklaus. He laughed about his friend receiving that two-shot penalty for slow play in 1962.

“It didn’t make a difference. But at least they had the guts to penalize a superstar!”

Trevino (winner of six major titles) was one of the fastest golfers of his generation. Lee made a number of suggestions to improve the pace of play.

Golfers should take two or less waggles prior to beginning their backswing. They should be required to putt-out on every green without marking their golf ball again. Trevino was one of the earliest advocates of “Ready golf”. That means that the first player ready to hit the ball should go right ahead.

Former European Tour star Colin Montgomerie won 54 professional events – mostly in Europe. He had a second place finish at the Open Championship, the Masters, and the US Open.

Monty (who plays on the PGA Champions Tour today) ripped into the slow play seen at last week’s major championship.

“TV hates it and specatators hate it,” he voiced. “Too long is the chat between the caddie and the player…it goes on forever! The (yardage) book comes out. How many times do they get that bloody book out?”

Is it time for pro golfers to ditch their caddies?

The role of a professional golf caddie has grown significantly in the past half century. A caddie originally just toted a heavy 40-pound bag of clubs for five miles every round for a sometimes temperamental golfer.

Today’s caddies now function as the chief meteorologist (wind speed and direction) and sports psychologist (“Stay in the moment!”).

Many of the top professional golf caddies earn $500,000 per year or more for their efforts.

Most receive a weekly minimum payday from $1,500 to $3,000 plus a sliding percentage of the player’s earnings from the week’s golf tournament.

The caddie for Open Championship winner Ryan Fox was expected to receive a 10% share of the winner’s check.

I wonder if the caddie’s $320,000 earnings were taxed by the Brits, too?

Perhaps we may soon see an AI-based rolling golf bag cart to follow the players around.

It could spew yardages, provide wind speeds and directions, and offer encouraging words to the golfer. Especially those who just dumped their approach shot into a lake in front of the green!

Too much time is being wasted in conversations between today’s pro golfers and their caddies prior to nearly every shot. There is zero evidence that the additional time spent in consultation has resulted in lower scoring in professional golf.

Let’s fix it! Penalties to dock the golfer’s paycheck are the most effective way to increase speed of play

This weekend, I watched as one pro golfer marked his golf ball less than six inches away from the hole rather than just tapping it in.

I kid you not. The distance about the width of his hand.

Most golfers wear spikeless shoes. It shouldn’t matter if the player briefly stepped into the line of his playing partner in order to quickly complete that short putt.

This seemed like a perfect example of today’s slothful play.

Slow play has been fostered by a lack of tough rules and a lack of enforcement.

The United States Golf Association (USGA) rules do not spend a lot of space addressing the pace of play.

However, Rule 5.6 was adopted to limit golfers to 40 seconds to make a stroke after the player is ready to hit.

Let’s say that Rory McIlroy has just completed his second shot from the fairway. Now it’s now my turn. Rule 5.6 states that I should complete my shot within 40 seconds after Rory’s golf ball coming to rest.

Pro tip – Put a stopwatch on any golfer while you watch a PGA or LPGA event. Most will hit their tee shots in the allotted 40-second time. However, more than half will exceed 40 seconds on every subsequent shot until they complete the hole.

Did you know that there is already a (human) walking scorer assigned to follow each group in men’s and women’s professional golf tournaments?

The PGA and other pro tours can and should provide a stopwatch to the scorer to record the time for each golfer’s shot. That information (in addition to the golfer’s score) could be reported after every hole.

Upon the first violation, a rules official should advise the player that they are being warned about slow play. Every subsequent 40-second violation should come with a one-shot penalty for that hole.

Players receiving two or more penalties during a round of golf will quickly get the picture. I wouldn’t be surprised if tournament scoring might be just as good or even better than today.

Newly crowned Open Champion Ryan Fox would heartily agree!

The problem (much like in politics) is getting the PGA and LPGA to pass rules providing for specific penalties enforcing the pace of play

It is akin to seeing someone in the US House or Senate voluntarily introduce a bill on term limits or to require a balanced federal budget.

Should it happen? Yes. Will it happen? Not if the players have their way.

Enforcing the pace of play with legitimate penalties will also have a trickle down effect. Increased speed of play on the golf course will improve college, high school, and junior golf, too.

With less wasted time, more people might consider playing golf again. That would translate into more revenue for golf courses!

If Ryan Fox can help bring an end to slow play in professional golf, then consider me one of his biggest fans.

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Raise your hand if you saw this one coming.

LIV Golf has been downright invisible for more than a month.

The last action featuring the upstart golf league took place on June 7 in Spain.

The next LIV Golf event (perhaps) is expected to take place next Thursday, July 23 in the United Kingdom. August will feature three tournaments in New York, Indianapolis, and Michigan to end the 2026 season.

In case you missed it, the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) has already told the LIV Golf players that Daddy Big Bucks won’t be around to lose another billion or more next year to support the league.

There has been chatter during this one month LIV Golf lull that the Saudis might even pull the plug prior to next week’s golf tournament in Staffordshire, England. Stay tuned!

This week, the fourth major golf tournament of the year is being held at The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale (located 50 miles northwest of Liverpool, England).

After two rounds, nine members of the LIV Golf contingent have made their presence known at The Open – loud and clear

Leading the Open after two rounds was none other than LIV Golf’s Lucas Herbert at eight under par.

Who dat, you ask? The unassuming Herbert is an Australian golfer who participates as a member of the LIV Golf’s popular “Ripper GC” team.

Lucas Herbert is only 30 years old. He won a single PGA Tour event in October, 2021 in Bermuda against a less-than-stellar field. Herbert then moved over to LIV Golf in January, 2024 to team up with fellow Aussies Cam Smith, Marc Leishman, and Elvis (Smiley, that is).

Herbert (whose caddie looks like a guitar player for ZZ Top) won the May, 2026 LIV Golf tournament in northern Virginia. His blazing 24-under par total produced a four-shot victory.

Lucas Herbert tied the Open record on Friday with a second round 8-under par 62. He missed a three foot birdie putt on the 18th hole which would have given him a new record with a sizzling 61.

He told the assembled press afterwards, “It’s a pretty good problem to have – to be disappointed you shot a 62!”

When the second round ended, Herbert took a one shot lead into the weekend over fellow LIV Golf star and team captain of the “Crushers” team, Bryson DeChambeau.

Well, at least for a few minutes…

Bryson DeChambeau rolled in a 16-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole on Friday to post a 7-under par total and take solo second place. He was expecting to be paired with LIV Golf’s Lucas Herbert on Saturday as he walked off the 18th green following Round 2.

Royal & Ancient tournament officials visited with Bryson DeChambeau as soon as he walked toward the clubhouse to sign his scorecard. They wanted to discuss a possible rules infraction which happened way back on Hole #5 of the second round Friday.

Bryson DeChambeau bombed a long tee shot, but it was far off line to the right side of the fairway. His golf ball landed in a marshy area surrounded by knee-high fescue grass. As DeChambeau walked around and then behind the ball to line-up his second shot, he accidentally stepped onto some of the fescue behind the ball. The rules officials deemed the temporarily depressed grass to give the golfer an unfair advantage.

DeChambeau gave a passionate explanation of his version of the story. He pleaded with the officials that the shot he played was not affected by the squished-down nearby grass.

No matter. He was still assessed a two shot penalty to balloon his bogey 5 into a triple bogey 7 on Hole #5.

Those extra two shots changed his second round total score from -7 to -5. It dropped DeChambeau from solo second place into a three way tie for fifth place.

Afterwards, he said, “Obviously disappointed with the ruling. I don’t agree with it, but it is what it is. This fires me up. Onto the weekend. Let’s get it!”

It wasn’t the only time that DeChambeau was in the news this week at The Open

Bryson DeChambeau is a former US Amateur champion and has won two US Opens. His unusual golfing style (extremely long drives, a set of irons which are all the same length, and a wonky upright putting stance) make him easy to notice on the golf course. His bright smile and affable personality have added to his popularity – especially with younger golf fans.

One former golfer who isn’t enthralled with DeChambeau’s golf style is former champion Nick Faldo.

Earlier in the week, Faldo took to the microphone to say that Bryson DeChambeau had little or no chance of winning the Claret Jug trophy which goes to the winner.

The six-time major champion commented, “I’d say it to his face. DeChambeau has zero clue of strategy.” He added, “He (DeChambeau) said last year, ‘I’m going to go out and attack the links.’ Well, I’ve never attacked the links. You thread it…feed it down the fairway.”

To his credit, Bryson DeChambeau didn’t directly respond to Nick Faldo’s barbed remarks.

LIV Golf’s “Hot Temper Twins” haven’t disappointed, either

What’s the first thing you think of when I say, “Terrell Hatton?”

Some might say, “Who?” Golf fans like me think of “Hot Head Hatton.”

The club-flinging, four-letter-word-hurling Hatton found himself at -3 heading into Saturday’s third round.

The LIV Golf competitor was paired with Scottie Scheffler (-4) and Bryson DeChambeau during the first two rounds at this year’s Open. The cameras found Hatton on the verge of club-chunking a few different times during Thursday’s opening round.

Then there’s LIV Golf’s $300 million bonus man, Jon Rahm. Like Hatton, the intense Spaniard has a long history of temper eruptions on the golf course.

Friday’s second round featured Jon Rahm (-4 for the tournament) flinging an iron which bounced off the tee box on the par-3 15th hole.

Rules officials handed Rahm an official warning afterwards.

The four major golf championships are (yeah, right) cracking down on bad behavior on the course. Rules officials now have the option of issuing a warning, a two shot penalty, or, if warranted, a disqualification.

With Rahm being a two-time major golf champion, he was fortunate not to be assessed a two-shot penalty after Friday’s latest temper outburst.

A LIV golfer may not hoist the Claret Jug on Sunday, but they’ve stolen the show

The other five LIV Golf players who made the cut at The Open were Thomas Detry, Josele Ballester, Victor Perez, Peter Uihlein, and Laurie Canter.

You can say a lot about LIV Golf, but several of the nine players who made the cut at this year’s Open Championship have definitely spiced-up this week’s competition.

A perilous financial future lies ahead for LIV Golf at the end of August (assuming they are still in business at that point).

The economics of the league are not sustainable. Saudi’s fat wallet (now more than $5 billion lighter) will be unavailable soon after enduring four years of massive losses. Defections by Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed this season have also hurt LIV Golf. Don’t forget that Bryson DeChambeau’s contract expires at the end of 2026.

All signs point to a rough landing ahead for LIV Golf.

Let’s enjoy their contingent of talented and spicy golfers this weekend at The Open – while we still have time.

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The previous post covered my grades on how the strength of today’s four largest college athletic conferences compare with their previous versions twenty years ago in 2006.

Here’s a brief recap.

In my estimation, only the SEC (which expanded from 12 to 16 teams over that 20 year period) has shown an upgrade in competition levels since 2006. I awarded the SEC a “B” grade.

The Big 12 (which lost four of its prominent members to the SEC) received a C+ for their nimble addition of several relevant regional sports schools.

A “D” grade was handed down to the Atlantic Coast Conference. Their nonsensical addition of West Coast newcomers Cal (Berkeley) and Stanford in 2024 crashed the ACC’s overall score.

Speaking of lousy grades, I awarded a D- to the Big Ten Conference as its recently-annexed properties have resulted in a BIG thud. From the east (Maryland and Rutgers) to the west (Nebraska, Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington), the Big Ten’s new coast-to-coast configuration has failed to improve this conference for either sports fans or student/athletes.

How have the five mid-major conferences fared with recent expansion issues?

These other conferences (nicknamed the “Group of Five”) can be quite entertaining but rarely win national championships. They must compete against the “Big Four” major conferences featuring the wealthiest college sports programs.

American Athletic Conference (AAC)

The AAC has only been around since the year 2013. There were 10 initial AAC members and now 14 in 2026. Only Memphis, South Florida, and Temple remain from 2013. The ACC raided Conference USA to obtain several of its new members.

Army and Navy – What’s not to like about these two additions? They bring the focus of the entire college football world to their annual game played in early December. Grades – A

Charlotte – The 49ers have been perpetual cellar dwellers in most sports. Charlotte, North Carolina sports fans are more likely to follow UNC, Duke, and Clemson. Yawn. Grade – D-

East Carolina – The Pirates have made the NCAA baseball playoffs ten times since 2013 and have occasionally contended for the AAC title in football. A hearty fan base makes ECU a fun place to watch sports. Grade – B

Florida Atlantic – A member of the AAC since 2023, this school is best known for its men’s basketball team and having a great beach nearby. Sadly, most local sports fans don’t give a hoot about the FAU Owls yet. Grade – C-

North Texas – The Mean Green had a brilliant 12-2 football season in 2025 in the school’s third year as part of the AAC. The other sports are lagging behind. Grade – C

Rice – Another third year AAC member, the Houston-based Owls have been an athletics flop in their new conference. Grade – D

Tulane – Green Wave football program has rejuvenated Tulane athletics down in the Crescent City. Unfortunately, the remainder of the school’s sports teams rarely lead the AAC. Grade – C

Tulsa – Golden Hurricane football and men’s basketball programs have been on the decline in the past decade. That’s a shame, because Tulsa fans desperately want to get behind the city’s lone major college athletics team. Grade – C-

UAB – Try as I might, I’m having trouble remembering any recent sports successes for the Blazers. Grade – D-

UTSA – Like Tulsa, the Roadrunners have the entire San Antonio market ready for their athletics programs to take off. Other than some recent success in football, UTSA sports still appear to be taking a siesta. Grade – C-

AAC overall grade for expansion: C-

Conference USA (C-USA)

I am not going to provide individual grades to Conference USA member schools. It is not their fault that C-USA management has done such a lousy job of keeping this conference together and relevant in major college sports.

The conference has seen a 100% turnover in the past 20 years.

Schools being added have generally been former FCS top teams such as Delaware, Sam Houston, and Jacksonville (AL) State.

Things have declined so badly in Conference USA (“How badly have they declined?”) that longtime member Louisiana Tech recently agreed to pay a reported $8 million to buy its way out of C-USA. The Bulldogs’ jubilant athletic department and fans are rejoining the Sun Belt Conference this fall. Louisiana Tech will save more than $1 million annually in travel costs formerly required to travel to schools within the far-flung Conference USA.

Longtime C-USA holdovers Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee State deserve a better fate. Save your money and call the Sun Belt in a couple of years!

C-USA overall grade for expansion – F-

Mid-American Conference (MAC)

In contrast to Conference USA, the MAC has remained remarkably stable for the past 20 years.

Eleven of the dozen MAC members in 2006 remain a part of the conference today. Northern Illinois (which had been part of the MAC for 30 years) is leaving this fall to become part of the Mountain West Conference.

In a couple of curious moves, the Mid-American Conference has added two new members recently.

UMass – The 2025 addition of the University of Massachusetts (which is at least in regional proximity to longtime MAC member Buffalo) was rather questionable. Athletic success at Umass has been nearly invisible over the past decade. After just one year in the MAC, the Minutemen have been a net negative in sports for the Mid-American Conference. Grade: D-

Sacramento State – Seriously? Yes, the Mid-American Conference will add this longtime FCS member from California to its football schedules this fall. Sacramento (the #20 TV market) is 2,500 miles from the middle of Ohio.

The Hornets will be a football-only member of the Mid-American Conference. For the usually stable MAC, this is a rather bizarre expansion move. Grade: F

MAC overall grade for expansion: D-

Mountain West Conference (Mountain West)

The Mountain West has survived a few departure tremors in recent years.

Of the nine Mountain West members 20 years ago, only Air Force, New Mexico, UNLV, and Wyoming remain. Let’s review the teams which have come aboard since 2006.

Hawaii – The Rainbow Warriors (2012) have posted winning football records in just four of their 14 seasons in the Mountain West. The other athletic squads are nearly invisible in the post-season tournaments. Hawaii remains a dream road trip destination for visiting teams and their fans, though. Grade: C-

Nevada – At least the men’s basketball team has appeared in the NCAA March Madness event five times over the past nine seasons. Otherwise, fans of the Nevada Wolfpack (which joined the Mountain West in 2012) haven’t had much to howl about lately. Grade: C-

North Dakota State – This former FCS division powerhouse football program is stepping-up to play against the big boys beginning this fall. The move is for football only.

The Bison are a terrific geographic fit for the Mountain West Conference, too. This makes sense. Grade: A

Northern Illinois – The Huskies will join the Mountain West this fall after 30 years in the Mid-American Conference. Northern Illinois’ sports resume has weakened in recent years. Other than bringing the #3 TV market (Chicago) to the Mountain West, this move makes little sense. Grade: D

San Jose State – The Spartans (members since 2013) have appeared in four bowl games over the past decade. On the other hand, the men’s basketball team has won just 33% of its conference games over the past 13 years. Grade: C-

UTEP – This longtime Conference USA member joins the Mountain West this fall. UTEP’s football team has been downright awful in recent years. Despite a sports slump, UTEP bring strong fan support from the El Paso area. They should be a fine geographic fit for the Mountain West. Grade: C

Mountain West overall grade for expansion: C

Sun Belt Conference (Sun Belt)

The Sun Belt has been nicknamed the “Junior SEC”. This conference has grown from 10 members in 2006 to 14 today.

Only Arkansas State, Louisiana-Lafayette, South Alabama, Troy, and UL-Monroe remain from 2006.

Appalachian State – The Mountaineers (members since 2014) have been a top football contender in the Sun Belt. Their enthusiastic fans make road trips to Boone, North Carolina a fun stop. Grade: B

Coastal Carolina – Speaking of fun stops, how about a visit to Myrtle Beach to play Coastal Carolina? The 2017 Sun Belt addition of the Chanticleers has been a terrific addition for the conference. Coastal’s football team has played in six straight bowl games. The baseball team won the men’s College World Series in 2016. Grade: A

Georgia Southern – Would it surprise you to learn that the Golden Eagles from Statesboro, Georgia have played in seven bowl games over the past eight seasons? The other sports programs at Georgia Southern need to step it up. Grade: B

Georgia State – The 2013 addition of the Panthers from Atlanta has not added a lot of sports notoriety. However, the men’s basketball program has earned four invitations to March Madness in the past 11 seasons. Grade: C

Louisiana Tech – The Bulldogs paid dearly ($8 million) to escape Conference USA beginning this fall. Louisiana Tech brings several highly competitive sports teams.

They are a perfect geographic addition to the Sun Belt Conference Western division. Grade: A

Marshall – This begins Marshall’s fourth year in the Sun Belt Conference. The Thundering Herd has been a top football competitor and competes well in other major sports. Grade: B

Old Dominion – ODU came into the Sun Belt in 2022. The Monarchs from Norfolk, VA posted a nifty 10-3 football record in 2025. Old Dominion has been relatively quiet in its other sports, though. Grade: C

Southern Miss – The Golden Eagles (Sun Belt members since 2022) have been a dominant team in recent NCAA college baseball post-season tournaments. Last season’s 2025 football team improved from a miserable 1-11 record in 2024 to a hopeful 7-6 mark. Grade: B

Sun Belt overall grade for expansion: B+

Bonus Conference! The newly revived Pac-12 Conference “states” its case in 2026

The most prominent names of the long-time Pac-12 Conference bolted for better TV money into the Big Ten and ACC in 2024. That left holdovers Oregon State and Washington State “homeless”. The Beavers and Cougars have bagged a few top teams from the Mountain West Conference to help them rebuild the Pac-12 starting this fall.

Boise State is the biggest name coming to the new Pac-12. The Broncos have fielded a nationally ranked football program several times in the past few decades.

Other Mountain West migrants include Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, and Washington State.

Texas State (formerly of the Sun Belt Conference) will also join the Pac-12 this fall.

In case you didn’t notice, each of the eight new Pac-12 schools has the last name of “State”!

Summary

Only the Sun Belt Conference has earned a positive score (B+) from SwampSwami among the “Group of Five” mid-major conferences.

The Sun Belt is the only major college athletic conference opting to maintain two divisions (East and West) to minimize travel expenses for its member schools and lessen the travel impact on their student/athletes. Bravo!

The post Grading the Mid-Major Conference expansions – Part 2 appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

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We are in that brief summertime window where college athletics have gone on vacation.

The men’s and women’s College World Series ended last month. Football season begins again in late August.

I have been reflecting on the ever-changing landscape of college athletics.

Even just twenty years ago, the major college sports conferences looked a whole lot different than they do today. Schools have been shifting to new conference locations primarily to maximize revenues.

A few have switched conferences primarily to reduce expenses (I’m looking at you, Louisiana Tech!)

The question remains as to whether the recent decades of musical chairs has resulted in improvements for college athletic fans and athletes? Or have these changes primarily benefited the wallets of major universities and the media companies who quietly wink and nod after bigger TV markets have been added to the portfolios of the largest conferences.

Let’s jump into the Wayback machine today and return 20 years to 2006. We will take a look at each major college athletic conference as it was in 2006 and how it is structured today in 2026.

Have these additions been for the better or worse for each conference?

Today, let’s examine the top four (by money) major football conferences. We will review the group of “mid-major” conferences in my next report.

Southeastern Conference (SEC)

New teams: Missouri and Texas A&M (2011); Oklahoma and Texas (2024). Interestingly, each of those four teams moved from the Big 12 Conference to the SEC.

Analysis by Team:

Missouri – has been a geographic misfit in the SEC from Day 1. The Tigers have not competed at a high level in most sports nor do they have a lot of trophies to show for the past 15 years in the SEC. Grade: D

Texas A&M – made a lot of sense coming to the SEC in 2011. The Aggies needed to move along from its constant obsession about being compared to intrastate foe “Texas University”. SEC leaders were able to snag the huge Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth TV markets. A&M has proven it “belongs” in the SEC over its 15 years in the league by earning several league titles and staying relevant annually. Grade: B

Oklahoma – The Sooners played in the College Football playoffs last year and just claimed the men’s College World Series title in June. OU’s long history of athletic success has already been felt around the SEC. Grade: B+

Texas – The Longhorns are annually contending for the College Football Playoffs in recent seasons. Texas also brought the growing San Antonio and Austin TV markets into the SEC. The Longhorns have quickly become top SEC competitors in basketball, baseball, and other sports. Grade: B+

SEC overall grade for expansion: B

Big Ten Conference (Big Ten)

New teams: Nebraska (2011); Maryland and Rutgers (2014); Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington (2024).

It took a long time for the stodgy Big Ten Conference to finally invite Penn State to become its 11th team in 1990. Since that time, the poorly named Big Ten has grown to 18 schools today. The league picked-up several large TV markets in New York City and Philadelphia (Rutgers), Washington DC/Baltimore (Maryland), Los Angeles (UCLA and USC), and Seattle (Washington). Those new schools have produced relatively little in terms of sports titles for the conference, though.

Analysis by Team:

Nebraska – The Cornhuskers left the comfy confines of the Big 12 Conference in 2011 and quickly saw their national stature in sports take a beating in the Big Ten. Despite lofty expectations, Nebraska has been a disappointment. Grade: D

Maryland – Ditto. Just substitute “ACC” for “Big 12”. Grade: D

Rutgers – Rutgers was lousy at most major sports prior to joining the Big Ten. They were added to the Big Ten simply to attract television viewers from the New York City and Philly TV markets. Athletically speaking, Rutgers has been a Big Ten bust. Grade: F

Oregon – The Big Ten’s raid of the former Pac-12 snagged one of the nation’s top football teams in Oregon. The Ducks have given the Big Ten a much needed bolt of energy. However, I can’t give a top grade to Oregon when its athletes must travel thousands of miles just to participate in Big Ten events. Grade: C+

UCLA – The Bruins’ women’s basketball and softball teams have been been excellent. However, the men’s sports programs haven’t made much of a dent in the Big Ten yet. Grade: C

USC – There were lofty expectations for the Trojans’ football team. They have under-performed. Like UCLA, USC has not been a difference maker in the Big Ten. Grade: C-

Washington – The Huskies’ football team has regressed the past two years with a 14-11 overall mark. Washington’s other sports teams have been nearly invisible in the 18-team Big Ten Conference. This is yet another school spending a ton of money on jet fuel. They are forcing student/athletes to travel across the country to play in athletic events just to grab more money from television. Grade: D-

Big Ten overall grade for expansion: D-

Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)

New teams: Pitt and Syracuse (2013), Louisville (2014), SMU, Stanford, and Syracuse (2024)

Exiting team: Maryland (2014) to Big Ten

*Notre Dame: The Irish joined the ACC in 2013 but remained independent in football.

The current 17-team Atlantic Coast Conference has, by far, the worst geographic fit of any major college conference in America. Twenty years ago, the ACC’s 13 teams (Maryland has since left) were located along the Atlantic coast. Adding SMU (Texas) and West coast entries Cal and Stanford in 2024 has been one of the most puzzling decisions in recent years.

Analysis by Team:

Louisville – This school (since 2013) has been surprisingly competitive in football but surprisingly non-competitive in men’s basketball recently. Overall, the Cardinals have been a solid addition to the ACC. Grade: B+

Syracuse – The Orange (coming aboard in 2013) has produced just four winning seasons in football after 13 years in the ACC. Some early ACC basketball success has faded in recent years. Grade: C-

Pittsburgh – Pitt (which arrived in 2014) had a good run in football a few years ago with Kenny Pickett running the offense. Otherwise, their addition to the ACC has been “OK” at best. Grade: C-

Cal (Berkeley) and Stanford – these two Pacific Coast schools (added in 2024) have brought zero titles to the ACC since joining the league. They remain a waste of jet fuel. Grades for both schools: F

SMU – The Mustangs effectively bought their slot in the ACC in 2024 with the help of their wealthy financial backers. SMU made it into the 2025 College Football Playoffs but hasn’t been a factor in other sports. Grade: D+

Notre Dame* – The Irish baseball team made it into the College World Series in 2022. Notre Dame’s financially prudent but quite selfish decision not to participate in football in the ACC comes with a marked-down score. Grade: D**

ACC overall grade for expansion: D

Big 12 Conference (Big 12):

Only seven of the Big 12 Conference members remain from 2006. Within that group, Colorado left the Big 12 for the Pac-12 in 2011 but returned in 2024.

Analysis by Team:

Arizona – The Wildcats came to the Big 12 in 2024 as a refugee from the dying Pac-12 Conference. Arizona went 9-4 in football last season. It’s too early to give the Cats a good grade. Grade: C

Arizona State – Same story as Arizona. Grade: C

BYU – The Cougars came into the Big 12 in 2023. They have rolled-off 11-2 and 12-2 football records in 2024 and 2025. The BYU basketball team has appeared in the NCAA tourney in all three seasons after joining the Big 12. Despite its geographic distance from other longtime Big 12 members, Brigham Young has been a positive addition to its new conference. Grade: B+

Cincinnati – They entered the Big 12 in 2023. The Bearcats haven’t been a major sports factor in their three years in the conference. Cincy has been a good geographic fit for the Big 12, but a sports dud. Grade: D-

Houston – The Cougars also came into the league in 2023 along with the valuable Houston television market. The Coogs have been competitive in football and a regular national championship contender in men’s basketball. U of H has been a solid addition to the Big 12. Grade: B

TCU – Texas Christian joined the Big 12 in 2012. In addition to bringing the Dallas-Fort Worth TV market into the league, the 2022 Horned Frogs’ football team played in the national championship game (and lost). TCU’s other athletic programs have been regular contenders in the Big 12. Grade: A-

UCF – Central Florida (added 2023) hasn’t posted a winning season in football in three years in the Big 12. The other sports teams haven’t been very competitive, either. This school was added primarily due to its enormous size (70,000 students) and the Orlando television market. Despite those pluses, the school is 1,000 miles east of Houston (the nearest Big 12 city). This addition has been puzzling since Day 1. Grade: F

Utah – The Utes football team finished 11-2 in 2025 (the school’s second year as part of the Big 12). Utah’s sports programs are generally quite competitive and bring enthusiastic fans. Grade: B-

West Virginia – Mountaineers entered the Big 12 back in 2012. In the past 14 years, West Virginia has posted a winning football record 50% of the time. Like Utah, this is a school with passionate sports fans who have been a plus for the Big 12. Grade: B-

Big 12 overall grade for expansion: C+

Conclusion – SEC, Big Ten, ACC, and Big 12 conferences

After the questionable addition of Missouri in 2011, the SEC’s expansion to add both Oklahoma and Texas in 2024 has made their conference a bit stronger.

OU and Texas jumped from the Big 12 to the SEC in 2024 after huge piles of money were being pushed in their direction to incentivize the move. It still saddens me that these two long-time anchor tenants of the Big 12 Conference aren’t around any longer.

Speaking of the Big 12, let’s give that conference credit for adding several new schools within relatively proximity of the league’s Midwestern stalwarts.

However, the addition of UCF (Central Florida) made absolutely no sense in 2023. It is still puzzling today.

Both the Big Ten and ACC moved to add schools located west of the Mississippi River in recent years. The Big Ten’s addition of four former Pac-12 universities still feels odd. Meanwhile, Cal and Stanford have brought zero value to the ACC.

Instead of buying their way into the ACC, SMU should have remained patient. The Mustangs could have bought their way into the Big 12 at some point and be competing with nearby TCU and other regional rivals instead of jetting their athletes up and down the Atlantic seaboard.

All in all, expansion has generally served to water-down the four major college conferences – at least on the playing field. The recent moves have all centered on universities pocketing more money from television and media companies.

Let’s examine the American, Conference USA, Mid-American, Mountain West, and Sun Belt conferences during our next visit!

The post Grading the College Conference expansions – Part 1 appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

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The temperatures across the South are still scorching (as usual).

World Cup Fever across the United States seems to be abating quite a bit today.

The three host countries in North America (Canada, Mexico, and the United States) for the 2026 World Cup soccer advanced into the Round of 16. That was a pleasant surprise and some very good news for fans in North America.

Sadly, the soccer teams for the three host countries all bit the dust over the past few days. None reached the quarterfinals, Elite Eight, or whatever the FIFA soccer people call this next round.

Action on Saturday July 4th saw Canada get skunked 3-0 by tiny Morocco. The Moroccans converted on three of their four shots on goal to capture the win. Canada only attempted three shots on goal as they bowed out of this year’s competition.

On Sunday, Mexico lost at home to England 3-2 in a very tightly contested match. The home team out passed England by a 2-1 margin. The number of completed passes by Mexico (418 to 195 for England) was impressive but didn’t lead to enough points.

As golfers might translate, “Pass for show, but kick goals for dough.”

The final host country bowed out of World Cup 26 on Monday in Seattle.

World Cup host United States had all eyes focused on Seattle Monday evening for its Round of 16 game against Belgium. Team USA was coming off a raucous Independence Day weekend filled with fireworks and patriotic enthusiasm as the nation celebrated 250 years.

Apparently, America’s soccer team failed to receive a fiery jingoistic pregame message. Belgium breezed to a surprisingly easy 4-1 win over an American team which looked like it had a case of World Cup stage fright on Monday night.

The US was attempting to reach the quarterfinals (round of 8) for the first time since 2002. Belgium’s Red Devils (yes, that’s their nickname) had never even reached the quarterfinals – before Monday night’s game against Team USA.

Despite having a very loud advantage playing in the home stadium of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, the American team laid a proverbial egg Monday night in losing 4-1 to Belgium.

The team looked lethargic (overconfident, perhaps?) and did not appear ready for a game of this magnitude.

Much like the European golfers have dominated golf’s Ryder Cup matches the past few decades, the European soccer teams seemed more cohesive and better prepared.

The quarterfinals will feature seven European teams and just one South American squad. All of these games will be shown on FOX Television. Times are CDT:

Thursday – France vs. Morocco (3PM) in Foxboro, MA

Friday – Spain vs. Belgium (2PM) in Los Angeles, CA

Saturday – Norway vs. England (4PM) in Miami, FL

Saturday – Argentina vs. Switzerland (8PM) in Kansas City, MO

Team USA’s bubble was burst on Monday night by a Belgian team which was not considered to be one of the top European squads.

America once again proved that their team has exceptional ability, but their team resolve in tough matches isn’t quite as determined as other top competitors.

Perhaps the US should hire Olympic Dream Team members such as Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird to help prepare the soccer team next time?

Question – Will Americans still watch the remaining World Cup games without Team USA involved?

The World Cup soccer television ratings have been a success for FOX Sports. Last Wednesday’s 2-0 win by Team USA over Bosnia-Herzegovina drew 26 million viewers.

Early reports indicated that more than 30 million viewers tuned into FOX on Monday night during the American team’s 4-1 loss to Belgium.

That’s about 1/3 of the number of viewers for a Super Bowl game. That is quite impressive. The total exceeds the viewership of nearly every NFL regular season game.

But…

Are you planning to tune in for the afternoon quarterfinal games on Thursday and Friday? The next night game on the schedule won’t occur until Saturday night’s quarterfinal game in Kansas City featuring Argentina and Switzerland. The Swiss won a 0-0 game over Colombia Tuesday afternoon following a 4-3 shootout success.

I will be surprised if World Cup soccer will lure 15 to 20 million American viewers for the upcoming quarterfinal round of games.

Red Card Outrage!

The US team was given (theoretically) an advantage before Monday’s game with Belgium.

A dreaded Red Card was handed to an American player by a referee in the previous game after two players got their legs tangled-up. The Red Card would have disqualified the American player from participating on Monday night against Belgium.

Following a call from US President Donald Trump asking for an executive review, a FIFA committee rescinded the Red Card and reinstated the American player. The Belgian team was outraged by that decision. It added more motivation to take down the US squad in Monday night’s game.

Have you noticed the unique grammar involving World Cup sports stories?

I was reading a news story posted on ESPN Sunday and ran across the following sentences (among many):

“Norway were stronger, better organized, and more capable with the ball.”

“Norway are a very good team”

What is going on here? Who is writing this stuff?

The best answer I could find is that Europeans (who speak “proper” English, of course) refer to their national soccer/football team as if it was a plural noun.

I’m not picking on ESPN in particular for this odd writing style during the World Cup. Other major news outlets have been doing the same thing.

I’ll counter with this suggestion.

If the soccer match is being played in Europe, write the story any way you prefer. That’s fine.

When the game is being played in Kansas City, Missouri, or another American city, please write your story utilizing the preferred grammar used by American readers.

Fakery Bakery is open for business again this year at the World Cup

Soccer is played without protective pads except around the lower legs. Contact between the players while they run at full speed or jump into the air to hit the ball with their head is inevitable. Legitimate sports injuries affect every team.

However, the sport continues to hone fakery to new levels of acting in order to draw a penalty from the game’s referees. Feigning an injury on the field to draw a sympathetic penalty from the refs has become too commonplace in soccer.

A 0-0 defensive struggle like Tuesday’s epic (Zzzz…) between Switzerland and Colombia can tempt players to feign injury to help their team get a better shot on goal.

Winning a “World Cup Academy Award” in the category of Overacting seems to be a must for many players.

For fun, keep your eyes on those “injured” players.

Once they receive that penalty call on an opponent, their injured leg, back, or other body part seems to heal almost immediately.

It’s a miracle!

Mexican fans performed their version of the Texas A&M Aggies’ Midnight Yell

Mexican soccer fans pulled out all the stops last week in trying to win their World Cup games in Mexico City. During some recent games, the home team’s zealous fans camped outside of the hotel which was hosting the opposing team.

From late at night until the wee hours of the next morning, a throng of Mexican fans threw a loud party replete with Mariachi bands, singing, chanting, and air horns all night long. They were trying to disrupt the sleep of the team’s next day opponent.

The Mexican fans’ version of a Texas A&M Midnight Yell practice was in excessively bad taste and displayed rather poor sportsmanship.

In the end, England ended Mexico’s midnight serenade with a 3-2 win to eliminate the host country.

Life is much quieter today in Mexico City.

The post This Ain’t your “Grammar’s” World Cup! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

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The past week has featured a number of rather important sports stories.

Some are quite newsworthy and will have lasting impact. Others seem to be overblown stories being pushed by the media just to meet deadline requirements.

How do you view these stories? News or Snooze?

Oklahoma Sooners downed North Carolina to claim the men’s College World Series title

A: Newsworthy

The SEC just won its seventh consecutive men’s College World Series baseball title after unseeded Oklahoma blasted the favored and #5 seed North Carolina Tar Heels 13-2 on Monday night in Omaha.

OU’s “Slugging Sooners” K-O’d every opponent they faced during the postseason in their unprecedented march to college baseball’s national title.

Oklahoma barely made it into the NCAA 64-team tournament field. OU finished in 11th place in the SEC regular season with a lowly 14-16 conference record.

The Sooners took advantage of their good fortune to make the college baseball playoffs and took down #2 seed Georgia Tech in Atlanta in the opening round. They next traveled to #15 Kansas in the Super Regionals and swept the Jayhawks right out of the tournament.

In Omaha, OU took down #7 Alabama and #3 Georgia to earn a spot in the best-of-three title series against #5 North Carolina.

Yes, Oklahoma definitely caught fire at the right time of the season. It was their first baseball title since 1994. Well done, Sooners!

Last week, troubled college QB Brendan Sorsby entered the NFL Supplemental Draft. This week, the NFL canceled their own Supplemental Draft.

A: Snooze worthy

I just can’t muster up a lot of tears for either Brendan Sorsby or Texas Tech right now. If anyone was wearing the black hat this week, it was definitely the NFL.

Brendan Sorsby (as we’ll explain later) made a timely application to the NFL before the league’s Monday, June 22 deadline to enter the Supplemental Draft.

On Tuesday, the pro football league completely hosed this young man by abruptly canceling its annual Supplemental Draft. The event is normally conducted in August for a handful of eligible football players who did not participate in April’s seven-round selection process.

As you may recall, Brendan Sorsby was the young man who admitted to betting on college football games (including those of his own team) along with many other sports.

This spring, he acknowledged having a gambling addiction and went away for counseling and treatment. Upon completion of the program, the NCAA ruled that Sorsby was still ineligible to play football this fall at Texas Tech as an incoming transfer student. Sorsby then sued the NCAA in a final attempt to regain his eligibility.

With unprecedented speed, a court in northwest Texas ruled that Brendan Sorsby could, indeed, play football this fall for the Red Raiders. His trial vs. the NCAA was generously moved to begin during February, 2027 (long after this year’s football season ends).

The Big 12 Conference objected, too.

They wanted Sorsby banned this season for breaking the rules on gambling. The conference met to determine an appopriate punishment for Texas Tech if Sorsby hit the field this fall for the Red Raiders.

Sorsby (as we predicted) did the right thing last week. He said adios to Texas Tech and declared his intention to participate in the NFL’s Supplemental Draft. The NFL then pulled the rug on this event and left Sorsby homeless (football-wise) for this fall.

Don’t feel sad for Brendan Sorsby, though. Texas Tech (whose athletics program is supported by several wealthy energy leaders) agreed to pay the young man the estimated $5 million his 2026 NIL deal is worth anyway.

Invest it well, young man!

Speaking of drafts, the NBA held its annual player draft this week

A: Snooze worthy

Quick! Tell me the first round NBA selection made by your favorite NBA team on Tuesday night.

Even many of the players being selected during the first and second rounds of the NBA Draft didn’t even know where they would be playing.

That’s because an incredible 27 of the 60 players taken in Rounds 1 and 2 of the NBA Draft were immediately traded by the team which had just selected them.

What’s going on here?

The first 12 selections in Round 1 will be playing (for now) for the teams which drafted them. Ten of the next 18 players selected were shipped to another team moments after receiving a ceremonial team cap and shaking NBA Commissioner Adam Silver’s hand on-stage.

Round 2 was an even bigger mess. A total of 17 of the 30 players (57%) picked in the second round were immediately traded to another team.

Outside of the first 12 players selected in Round 1, the majority of basketball players picked in this week’s NBA Draft apparently were not highly coveted.

Cheap advice – Keep your bags packed!

The NCAA recommends college athletes be allowed to play for five seasons over five years?!!

A: Newsworthy

College athletes have long been given four years of athletic eligibility to participate in varsity athletics. A flawed concept called taking a “red shirt” was used to allow underutilized players (generally freshmen) to participate in team practices for an extra year prior to playing in games.

This concept kept getting pushed to the limits. Players injured before the midway point in a season started requesting the NCAA to grant them an extra year of eligibility.

This week, the NCAA’s Division 1 Cabinet issued a proposed rule change to make this issue much simpler (we hope). The athlete will be allowed five years to participate in college athletics from the earlier of the date of full-time enrollment or the academic year following his/her 19th birthday.

This “Five in Five” concept is expected to begin this fall.

Yes, it means that a healthy athlete could (potentially) play five consecutive years of major college athletics.

The NCAA has finally acted on a relevant issue for college athletics. Unsurprisingly, there has already been some legal pushback filed by players.

Stay tuned to see if this change to college athletics is actually implemented this fall.

The PGA Tour announced some radical changes to its structure beginning in 2028

A: Newsworthy

LIV Golf has been criticized by many, but the upstart league has forced the stodgy PGA Tour to make some radical changes.

The PGA Tour announced on Tuesday that there will be two “tracks” for top pro golfers beginning in the year 2028.

A new “Championship” division will feature up to 24 tournament events from February through August. This grouping will feature the top 100 ranked golfers playing 72 holes with a 36-hole cut (as before). The prize money in these events will total at least $20 million.

There will also be a new “Challenger” level that will play at least 20 events from February through August. These will have larger fields (144 golfers) and 36-hole cuts, but the tournament prize money will be about $4 million per event.

Players who win two tournaments in one season at the “Challenger” level will immediately be promoted up to the Championship division.

Golfers in the Championship upper division who finish their season ranked #91-100 will be demoted to the Challenger level for the following year.

More details are expected to be announced in the coming months.

This announcement quietly confirms that the PGA Tour continues to struggle attracting its top golfers to appear in some of its mid-level tournaments. Those events usually offer a lower payout than average, too.

In case you were wondering, LIV Golf (which might fold at any time) is paying its golfers a total tournament purse of $30 million in 2026. However, LIV Golf is only playing 14 tournaments worldwide this year.

Caitlin Clark’s latest WNBA assailant gets suspended for one game

A: Snooze worthy

Many fans of the Women’s NBA (WNBA) want to watch the talented scoring outside shooting machine named Caitlin Clark produce plenty of points like the NBA’s Steph Curry.

The WNBA’s television ratings and attendance rise whenever third-year shooting guard Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever is featured on national TV or playing in an opponent’s arena.

Unfortunately, many players in the WNBA just don’t like Clark. Some have made her life exceedingly difficult by playing excessively physical defense against the 6′ shooting guard.

The number of dirty plays involving Caitlin Clark on the receiving end are becoming far too commonplace in the WNBA. Worse yet, the three referees on the court are letting a lot of the rough play go without even blowing their whistles.

Can you imagine if talented NBA offensive stars such as Pistol Pete Maravich or Larry Bird were being routinely mugged and injured by opposing players? The men’s pro basketball league understood the value which those stars brought to their league.

On the other hand, the WNBA doesn’t seem to have a clue.

Another scary moment involving Caitlin Clark (fifth in the WNBA in scoring at 21 points/game) occurred Wednesday night as the Indiana Fever played the Phoenix Mercury.

Clark was tripped while handling the basketball.

As she laid on the floor, Phoenix forward Alyssa Thomas (who is listed at 6’2” and weighs 202 pounds according to the WNBA website) “recklessly made contact with her fist to the throat area of Caitlin Clark.”

That quote was issued by the league AFTER the game when this play was reviewed. For her part, Alyssa Thomas was assessed a Level 2 Flagrant foul and then received a one game suspension.

Question: How could three highly trained WNBA referees miss all of that mayhem on the floor?

What were they looking at? Or, perhaps, were they instructed before the game to overlook it?

None of the officials blew a whistle on the play despite the rather obvious unnecessary roughness imparted by Caitlin Clark’s opponents.

Whether the WNBA players like Caitlin Clark or not, they better hope that she doesn’t vanish to play go basketball in Europe next season.

If that she should leave, fan interest in the WNBA may quickly revert back to the mediocre levels it had before Clark entered the league just three years ago.

Ol’ SwampSwami and his long-suffering sports wife will be out next week babysitting a couple of our energetic grandsons in N. Louisiana. We’ll visit again after the July 4th holiday.*

Happy 250th birthday, America!

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Sports fans in the South are likely familiar with “The Paul Finebaum Show.” If you’re not, you are about to learn more.

Paul Finebaum is a graduate of the University of Tennessee. He has enjoyed a lengthy and very successful career as a popular sportswriter for newspapers across the South.

In the mid-1980’s, Finebaum was discovered by a new audience. His vast knowledge on college sports helped make him a popular guest on sports talk radio stations in the Southeast.

He eventually became a full-time radio sports talk host in Birmingham, Alabama during the 1990’s.

Paul Finebaum’s unique radio show relied on the host’s deep knowledge of college sports and, especially, the SEC. He would tee-up one or more issues or topics every hour. He interviewed guests with relevant expertise on today’s important sports stories.

A third element to Paul Finebaum’s radio show was a growing legion of occasionally intense and always unique callers to the program.

Their contributions helped to make it one of the more entertaining shows on the air.

Paul Finebaum’s local radio show became so popular that he began syndicating it to a number of radio stations in the South beginning in 2001. New listeners and callers started to show up, too.

“The Paul Finebaum Show” reached new heights again in 2014. That’s when his afternoon sports radio program (1-5 PM Central Time) started being simulcast on television’s SEC Network.

After a dozen years on cable television, this show remains true to its roots

College football has always been the bread and butter of this program. SEC football fans are well known for their passion and pride in support of their favorite college teams. Seasonal sports topics are discussed, but college football is king twelve months of the year on the “The Paul Finebaum Show.”

Finebaum’s national television platform has brought new guests and, of course, a host of new callers.

Hour #4 of his weekday show is generally dedicated to the radio callers and their takes on the issues of the day. Some callers choose to take verbal snipes at one another instead.

Several of the show’s regular callers can come across like seasoned professional wrestlers cutting “promos” trying to sell tickets for upcoming matches.

Let’s start with “Legend.”

He has been a Paul Finebaum regular caller for decades. Legend was recently voted as the Top Caller to the show over the past year. Legend is a loyal supporter and a fierce defender of the Alabama Crimson Tide. In recent months, he has been equally upset about the team’s current football coach, Kaylen DeBoer. Legend enthusiastically comes across a bit like WWE superstar, Ric Flair.

He can make you laugh as he intensely sells his take on just about any topic.

Another top caller goes by the name of “I-Man.” The I-Man is much more laid-back than Legend. He always seems to bring some quality insights about the show’s daily topics. I-man (like Legend) has been calling the Finebaum radio program for many years.

One of the callers I like to hear from is a gentleman who goes by the name of “Handsome Joe.”

He leads off every call with a heartfelt “Roll Tide Roll, Paul!” He does a good job of helping the audience try to make sense of what some of the other callers have been trying to convey.

Another interesting regular caller to the show goes by the handle of “Squirrel.” This caller is generally rather low key in his style.

Like I-Man, Squirrel can deliver some exceptionally insightful and entertaining takes about the day’s topics. He is also known to take a few shots at some of the show’s weaker callers, too.

There are dozens of regular callers contributing to “The Paul Finebaum Show”

Each day is a different roller coaster ride for listeners of the show.

The guests and show callers can make the show soar at times. Other days, a series of pointless calls can send the show crashing down, too. That usually happens whenever a series of callers spend too much of their air time sniping at previous callers rather than adding something new to the show.

Finebaum regular callers also include several insightful female contributors. They generally make some excellent points and bring a little bit of sanity back to the proceedings.

For his part, Paul Finebaum functions as the ringmaster of his own four hour weekday radio circus.

He generously allows his guests and callers to be the stars of his show. I have great admiration for the way he pulls it off.

A few decades ago, yours truly worked as a weekend radio talk show host for several years. It is very tricky to balance the proper amount of input from the host, the show’s guests, and the callers to craft a product which is pleasing to the average listener.

It’s even harder to do this for four hours every day for five days per week like Paul Finebaum does.

The majority of Paul Finebaum’s callers agree on one thing…

Heaven help the occasional caller who happens to gloat about the Big Ten Conference winning its third consecutive national championship in college football last January.

Alabama and LSU fans may despise one another every November. Likewise, Georgia and Florida supporters dislike each other with a passion, too.

However, when a Big Ten supporter calls in to the Finebaum show to say that the SEC’s dominance in college football is now over, these SEC fans quickly band together in support of their beloved sports conference.

Some callers to “The Paul Finebaum Show” seem to me a bit like WWE’s Royal Rumble annual wrestling event. One caller jumps into the ring first to make a point. The next caller follows to disagree with the previous caller’s position or introduce a different topic to the show.

And so it goes for four hours every weekday. It’s a wild ride.

What should be the “Rules for Callers” for the Paul Finebaum show?

Tuesday, June 23rd’s final hour of “The Paul Finebaum Show” featured one caller asking the host if anyone had ever written a rule book to help callers to his radio show. Finebaum suggested that the caller should, perhaps, write that book. Listeners were also teased by the host to try their hand at it, too.

I have listened to enough Finebaum’s show over the years to understand what this caller meant.

So, let’s tackle that issue today. Perhaps my list will find its way to the host of the show. Feel free to use it!

Ten Rules for Callers to “The Paul Finebaum Show”

Do…

1. Listen to the show on the day you are making your call. (Understand what is the primary topic(s) of the day before calling the program.)

2. Think about what you are going to say prior to calling the show.

(A highly respected radio program director at a music station I worked for years ago posted a sign in the control room. It read, “Do not open this microphone unless you have something worthwhile to say.”)

1. Have your own distinct opinion on the subject being discussed.

(Tell us why you agree or disagree on the issue. What would you suggest doing differently?)

1. Feel free to pose a fresh question or topic to the show’s host.

(Paul may welcome a change of subjects at certain times of the show. He will either answer your question directly or encourage other callers to provide their opinion on that topic, too!)

1. Be succinct. (You generally have up to 60 seconds to make your point. It is up to the show’s host and producer to ascertain whether your call is deemed entertaining enough to continue any longer than that.)

Now, for the “Don’t” set of my rules when calling the show…

1. Imbibe any adult beverages prior to making your call.

(Slurring your words – even if you are making a great point – is a turnoff to most of us listeners. Try again tomorrow, please.)

1. Spend your entire call tearing down what a previous caller just said. That’s boring!

(Instead, start with “I disagree with “X” on this issue. Here’s why he/she got it wrong”.)

1. Read from scripted comments or points or ramble. This is a phone call – not a speech!

(Use brief notes to stay on track if you feel nervous prior to making the call)

1. Speak past the show host! Have a real live conversation directly with Paul Finebaum.

(Talk as if Paul is the only one on the telephone line, because he is! Your call will come across much better to us listeners as a result.)

1. Call the show solely to agree with another caller’s point on a particular issue.

(It’s boring to hear, “I totally agree with Legend’s comments about …”. So, exactly why did you take the time to call the radio show today? What are your own thoughts on the subject being discussed?)

Bonus – Don’t take yourself too seriously!

The post Paul Finebaum Show – “Rules for Callers” appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

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It was downright ugly at times on Sunday watching the US Open leader play his final round in front of dozens of obnoxious, heckling New York City area golf fans.

In the end, it was Wyndham Clark getting the last laugh.

He two-putted from nearly 60 feet on the 18th hole to edge a late-charging Sam Burns by one stroke to win the 2026 US Open golf title.

Wyndham Clark led the tournament field by a whopping six shots entering Sunday’s final round at Shinnecock Hills on Long Island. He was at 7-under par and paired in the final round with the crowd favorite, Scottie Scheffler (-1).

Those brash New York golf fans were quite aware that:

a. World #1 golfer Scottie Scheffler was trying to win his first US Open to complete a career Grand Slam.

b. Scottie Scheffler (who has two young children) was playing on Father’s Day Sunday – which also happened to be his 30th birthday. The crowd sang “Happy Birthday” to him on several occasions during the day Sunday.

c. Wyndham Clark (who won the 2023 US Open) caused significant locker room damage one year ago at the US Open in Pennsylvania after missing the cut. He apologized for his temper outburst several times afterwards and paid to repair the damage.

d. Wyndham Clark’s now-famous temper could, perhaps, be exploited. The New York crowd might be able to get under his skin during Round #4 and help him lose a six shot lead in the final round.

The fans nearly got their wish

Clark bogeyed three of his first seven holes on the opening nine to squander most of his lead. Shreveport’s Calvary Baptist Academy and LSU product Sam Burns did just the opposite on Sunday. Burns started the final day at even par and seven shots behind the leader. He birdied three of the first five holes to quickly move into second place and turn the back nine of the US Open into a tightly contested match.

Police arrested a number of New York area golf fans who were openly taunting and pulling against Wyndham Clark early during Sunday’s fourth and final round.

One arrest came on the #4 tee box after one fan yelled “Don’t choke, Wyndham!”

Any shot which Clark hit which failed to reach the fairway or green at Shinnecock Hills was met with cheers from many in the crowd on Sunday. He dropped three shots to par to finish at -4 and won by a single stroke.

Afterwards, Clark openly addressed the rudeness of many fans during the final round.

“New York really didn’t like me. I love you guys. But, you know, I get it. I did some unfortunate things last year that I really regret, and I’ve been sorry multiple times…maybe I can win you guys back over eventually”, said the two-time US Open champion.

That new (and very heavy) putter carried Wyndham Clark to victory this weekend

The heaviest putter in use at this weekend’s US Open belonged to the winner.

Using something called an “Eye Q” alignment, the new putter from Ping is destined to become the hottest product on the market this summer. Wyndham Clark just won his second event in the past two months using it. He legally adds lead tape to the bottom of his flat stick to make it even heavier.

The golf putter manufacturer and Clark agreed to an exclusive contract with this particular model just days before the US Open started last week.

Talk about good timing – for both parties.

Wyndham Clark’s incredible putting success on both Saturday and Sunday saved countless pars and kept him from falling back to the field.

You, too, can own this putter. For the low, low price (just joking) of $397, the Scottsdale TEC Alley Blue model from PING is now available nationwide.

Sam Burns keeps getting closer to winning his first major championship

That naughty New York crowd should have gotten behind hard-charging Sam Burns instead of holding out hope for a Scottie Scheffler rally which never came.

Sam Burns shot a 3-under par 67 in windy conditions as he navigated the treacherous Shinnecock Hills greens as well as anyone in the field. His second place finish is the third consecutive year where he has finished inside the top 15 in the US Open. Burns’ birdie putt on the 18th hole trickled by the cup by only an inch. In the end, it would have resulted in a tie for first place with Wyndham Clark had the Burn’s birdie putt dropped into the cup

Sam Burns was distraught after missing the putt. However, he takes away a record second place prize of $2,430,000 as a consolation prize.

Meanwhile, Keith Mitchell set a unique record which may never be tied

Thursday’s opening nine holes at Shinnecock Hills found Keith Mitchell posting a nightmarish 6-over par score of 41. On his second nine of the day, he turned it around to shoot a record of 6-under par 29!

How’s that for a nifty even par 70?

Mitchell posted another 70 in Round 2 to make the cut at even par. Then he shot a 70 on Saturday in Round 3.

Keith Mitchell completed his fourth round on Sunday with, yes, another 70! His 70-70-70-70 finish established a US Open record for posting four consecutive even par scores.

Mitchell tied for fourth place with Scottie Scheffler and J. T. Poston. He will receive an automatic invitation to next year’s US Open to be played at Pebble Beach in northern California.

About NBC’s biased coverage…

I am old enough to remember when Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus dueled each other on the golf course in the late 1960’s and into the 1970’s. The limited television camera coverage of that era did not permit the networks to show every single shot from golf’s two biggest stars. That gave viewers a chance to become familiar with other top players in the field.

NBC’s cringe worthy pom-pom waving on behalf of Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler this weekend was truly over-the-top.

Saturday saw Rory moving up the leaderboard into contention on the front nine after carding three consecutive birdies. That’s when NBC’s commentators hoisted one plaudit after another as to Rory’s golfing brilliance.

Sadly for NBC, McIlroy then shot a 5-over par 40 on the back nine to drop out of contention heading into Sunday.

Sunday’s final round featured the New York fans razzing eventual winner Wyndham Clark. I also noticed that NBC’s announcer team of Dan Hicks and PGA veteran Kevin Kisner were nearly as critical as they critiqued nearly every wayward shot during Clark’s final round.

Time after time, Wyndham Clark responded with a clutch chip shot or a lengthy putt to save his par. The NBC announcers acted as if Clark was simply lucky to have survived another calamity.

Would they have the same things had the golfer been named Tiger Woods? Of course not.

Winners – Wyndham Clark, Shinnecock Hills, and SwampSwami!

Congratulations to Wyndham Clark for going wire-to-wire and never surrendering the lead during the final 54 holes of this year’s US Open. A few wayward tee shots and approaches on Saturday and Sunday caused a lot of heartburn, but Clark deserved this year’s trophy.

Shinnecock Hills is a brilliantly designed golf course and becomes extremely difficult when the winds come up.

One of America’s oldest courses proved its worthiness again this week. This year’s event featured significant widening of several fairways after the players grumbled following the 2018 US Open held here. The result? Wyndham Clark’s 4-under par winning score was a five shot improvement over the +1 final score posted by 2018 winner Brooks Koepka. Clark capitalized and used every inch of those wider fairways this week.

Finally, it’s time for ol’ SwampSwami to take a bow!

Yours truly listed Wyndham Clark as the hottest player in the field coming into the US Open during last Wednesday’s post. I’m just pleased that I didn’t jinx him.

Congratulations to Wyndham Clark!

As Jerry Reed once sang, When you’re hot, you’re hot!

The post “Win ‘em” Clark Ignores NY Knuckleheads – Claims 2nd US Open Title appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

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My Father’s Day isn’t complete until I plop down after lunch on Sunday to watch the final 18 holes of the US Open golf tournament.

My wife and sons became quite familiar with my annual Father’s Day afternoon ritual. I have to grind the final five hours of this golf tournament (on television, of course) until a winner is crowned.

In the event of a tie, a two-hole playoff will be held immediately following the final round. Prior to 2018, there was an 18-hole playoff conducted on Monday.

The US Open is usually played on the toughest golf course which the professional golfers face all year. The last ten US Open champions have posted an average winning total of just six under par.

This year’s US Open returns to a windswept tract near the eastern tip of New York’s Long Island.

Shinnecock Hills was founded in 1891 and is one of the oldest golf courses in the United States. They were also one of the first American golf clubs to admit women members from its inception.

This will be the fifth US Open conducted at Shinnecock Hills since 1986.

Ray Floyd won that one with a one under par total. Corey Pavin won in 1995 (even par). Retief Goosen took the 2004 event at Shinnecock Hills with a four under par score. The most recent US Open held at this course was in 2018 and captured by Brooks Koepka with a one over par score.

In other words, this fascinating US seaside links has a long history of playing tough for professional golfers.

Watch for these holes to cause the golfers significant trouble this week

Hole #7 (Rodan) – Listed at 185 yards, the par-3 7th hole at Shinnecock is a devilish short hole.

The winds play havoc with shot selection off the tee. The green features a unique rodan design. That means that the green slopes away from the front portion and toward the back left side. A bad tee shot is quite likely to result in a bogey or worse here.

Hole #9 (Ben Nevis) – Ben Nevis is the name of the highest peak (4,400′) in Scotland. The final par-4 on Shinnecock’s opening nine holes involves golfers playing their second shot uphill by some 20 yards against a prevailing wind into an elevated green. Once on the putting surface, some players will face a downhill putt with the wind now pushing their golf ball even faster to make par an exceptional score.

Hole #11 (Hill Head) – You wouldn’t think that a short 150 yard par-3 hole would cause many of the top golfers in the world to get jittery standing on the tee box.

Missing this elevated green (which looks like inverted bowl from the tee) quickly brings a bogey or double bogey into play. There are four deep sand traps surrounding the 11th hole. Add a gusty wind on the tee, and this short par-3 can wreck someone’s round in a hurry.

Hole #14 (Thom’s Elbow) – This difficult par-4 plays a lengthy 520 yards and moves uphill on your second shot into the green. Don’t forget the ever-changing 15-25 mph winds which will affect both your tee shot and approach into the green.

The hole was named for Shinnecock’s 55-year Scottish head golf pro named Charlie Thom. Two-time Masters champion Ben Crenshaw once asked Mr. Thom why the 14th hole was named after him.

Thom replied, “Look at my elbow. It’s crooked. They named the 14th hole after me, because it’s crooked like my elbow. It goes back up the hill.”

Which golfers are “hot” coming into the US Open?

Let’s cover a few golfers who are playing well right now.

Wyndham Clark – He won the US Open in 2023. Clark then went into a lengthy slump but has returned to form recently with a win at the Byron Nelson tournament in Dallas.

He also posted a third place finish at the Memorial Tournament in Ohio a few weeks ago along with an 11th place finish last week at the Canadian Open. When you’re hot, you’re hot!

Russell Henley – The quiet Henley won the Colonial in Fort Worth a month ago. He followed it up with a 22nd place finish at the Memorial. Henley has a tendency to play well on difficult courses. Shinnecock Hills will provide a great test of his skills this week.

Matt Fitzpatrick – The winner of two events this spring on the PGA Tour, Fitzpatrick shot a closing 66 and 64 in the final two rounds of last week’s Canadian Open to finish in second place. Did you remember that this English golfer won the 2022 US Open title? His game is peaking at the right time this year for a possible second major championship win.

Cameron Young – A product of nearby Scarborough, New York, Cameron Young is another two-time winner on this year’s PGA Tour.

Young is going to have a boisterous crowd of New York area fans rooting for him all weekend.

Now for a few top golfers who haven’t sizzled recently but may contend this week

Scottie Scheffler – The world #1-ranked golfer has failed to score a victory since late January. That doesn’t mean that he’s playing poorly, though. Scheffler’s last five tournaments have produced two runner-up finishes, a third place, 12th place, and 14th. Scottie Scheffler could complete his personal career “Grand Slam” with a win at this week’s US Open. He’ll be ready.

Jon Rahm – LIV Golf’s top player in 2026, Rahm won the 2021 US Open title on another tough layout at Torrey Pines in San Diego.

Spain’s Jon Rahm, like Scottie Scheffler, has a way of pushing his way to the top of the leaderboard in major championships. He broke an 18 month slump with two wins on the LIV Golf tour this spring.

JJ Spaun – The defending US Open champion finished sixth and 12th in his two most recent golf tournaments. Spaun’s focus and gritty style is reminiscent of another past US Open winner at Shinnecock Hills. Corey Pavin captured the 1995 US Open on this same golf course with a memorable four wood second shot from the 18th fairway to seal the victory.

Tommy Fleetwood – After finally breaking through in 2025 with a win at the Tour Championship, Fleetwood’s sights are now set on winning his first major golf title. The Englishman is quite familiar with seaside links after beginning his professional golf career on the European circuit. Fleetwood is overdue for his first major championship triumph.

Don’t overlook these former US Open winners this week!

Rory McIlroy – Rory’s first major title was a US Open. He won the 2011 US Open at Congressional near Washington, DC by a whopping eight shots. The deep rough at Shinnecock Hills will punish Rory if his recent issues with errant drives continue.

Bryson DeChambeau – Inconsistency has been the only consistent portion of Bryson DeChambeau’s game this season.

The two-time US Open champion (2020 and 2024) missed the cut at both The Masters and PGA Championship this year. However, he won twice in March on the LIV Golf Tour. DeChambeau, like McIlroy, must hit more fairways off the tee this week at Shinnecock Hills to get into contention.

Justin Rose – The 45 year old Rose is playing in his 100th consecutive major golf tournament this week. That’s a record bested only by Jack Nicklaus. The Golden Bear played in an incredible 146 straight appearances in golf’s majors.

Justin Rose is the seventh ranked golfer in the world. He won the 2013 US Open at Merion Golf Club near Pittsburgh. His maturity in pressure situations could give him a chance this week.

Brooks Koepka – He won the 2018 US Open on this same golf course eight years ago. Koepka has played well at times this year but hasn’t registered a win in 2026. His five major championship wins have usually been on difficult golf courses. He knows Shinnecock Hills well. If he makes the weekend cut, Brooks Koepka might be a factor on Sunday afternoon.

US Open weather:

The National Weather Service is calling for:

Thursday – 40% chance of rain. High near 76. South winds gusting to 35 mph.

Friday – Sunny. High of 77 degrees. West winds at 10-15 mph.

Saturday – Sunny. High of 75 degrees. West winds at 10-15 mph with higher gusts

Father’s Day Sunday – Sunny. High near 74. West winds 10-15 mph.

US Open television coverage (all times CDT):

Thursday – USA Network – 5:30AM through 4PM

NBC Sports Network 4PM – darkness

Friday – NBC Sports Network – 5:30AM through 12:30PM

NBC Television – 12:30PM – 6:30PM

Saturday – USA Network – 9AM through 11AM

NBC Television – 11AM through 7PM or conclusion

Sunday – USA Network – 8AM through 11AM

NBC Television – 11AM though 6PM or conclusion

Happy Father’s Day on Sunday to all of you Dads! Enjoy the golf!

The post US Open Preview – Shinnecock Hills is going to win! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

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World Cup fever? No way.

As the saying goes, I’d rather watch paint dry.

Soccer may be a fun game for kids to play, but it can be downright boring watching it in person and, moreso, on television.

But if you enjoy watching the World Cup soccer on television, go for it! You still have another 35 days to go. I’ll tune in whenever I need a nap.

My weekend television viewing was spent watching more traditional sporting events. Let’s jump right in.

NBA Finals – New York Knicks took the title 94-90 on Saturday night

The New York Knicks have won their first NBA title since 1973. Finals MVP guard Jalen Brunson played like a dead ringer for Knicks legend Earl “The Pearl” Monroe from that 1973 title team.

The now 81-year old Earl Monroe was named one of the NBA’s top 50 players of the 20th century.

He was known for his uncanny ability to “shake and bake” defenders in order to get his shots away. He and teammate Walt Frazier were both inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall-of Fame.

Jalen Brunson (who is generously listed at 6’1”) weaved his way in, around, and through the giant San Antonio Spurs defense for one great shot after another during this series.

His 45 points in Saturday night’s deciding Game 5 in San Antonio accounted for nearly half of his team’s 94 point total.

The San Antonio Spurs came into this series considered as a slight favorite after knocking-off defending champion Oklahoma City in the Western Conference finals.

San Antonio played like Wile E. Coyote for this entire series. I blame their coach for that.

Every game in this five game series had the San Antonio Spurs racing out to a double digit lead. In each game, the New York Knicks patiently waited for their chance to blow past their unfocused opponent.

Much like legendary cartoon character Wile E. Coyote, the Spurs looked and acted overconfident at the beginning of every game in this series. At the end of all but one game, it was the Spurs going over the proverbial cliff and going “poof” at the bottom of the canyon.

San Antonio’s coaches and players should have learned a few lessons during home losses in Games 1 and 2 of this series.

After grabbing a close win in Game 3 in New York, these “Same Old Spurs” reappeared in a big way midway through Game 4 last week. San Antonio blew the largest lead ever in an NBA Finals game (29 points) to fall behind 3-1 in the series.

There was no way that San Antonio could lose a third straight home game in Game 5, right?

Saturday night’s Game 5 in San Antonio had the Spurs doing exactly the same thing they had done in every other loss.

They raced to an early double digit lead (16 points in Game 5) and then folded like a cheap beach chair during the second half once again.

I place the blame for poor strategy and on-court execution on the San Antonio coaches for making the same second half mistakes in this series over and over again.

The feckless Spurs appeared dazed during the fourth quarter of these five games. They averaged a paltry 21 points during the all-important fourth quarters of these NBA Finals.

When the chips were down, the Spurs functioned like a rudderless ship, while their head coach seemed to push all the wrong buttons.

San Antonio guard De’Aaron Fox is paid $51 million per year. He averaged nearly 19 points per game in the regular season but tanked to just over 14 points per game during the NBA Finals. Fox tallied only 7 points on 3-15 from the field in Game 5 in San Antonio on Saturday night.

Meanwhile, the Spurs 7’4” center-turned-point guard named Victor Wembanyama continued to take and miss a significant number of unnecessary 3-point shots.

Why is he allowed to shoot those shots instead of play closer to the basket? The coach allows it.

These collapses occurred under the watch of San Antonio’s 39-year old head coach Mitch Johnson. He took over the head coaching job after apprenticing under Spurs 5-time NBA champion coach Gregg Popovich. Mitch Johnson took over this team in 2025. This was his first time coaching a team in the NBA playoffs.

Coach Johnson curiously kept Spurs’ dynamic sixth man Dylan Harper on the bench to start pivotal Game 5 while leaving ineffective De’Aaron Fox as the starter. Harper (who scored 25 points in 31 minutes of action) was clearly the better player in this series.

Why wasn’t he played more?

ESPN’s Charles Barkley asked the same question during halftime of Game 5. The former NBA player-turned-commentator said the Spurs would be better off putting De’Aaron Fox on the bench in the second half.

That didn’t happen. Barkley turned out to be right.

The Spurs are now done for this season.

Congratulations to the New York Knicks. A ticker tape victory parade for the team will take place on Thursday in Manhattan.

Carolina Hurricanes won the 2026 Stanley Cup title Sunday night

The Carolina Hurricanes took a 3-0 road win to close out the Stanley Cup four games to two over the Las Vegas Golden Knights.

It was the second title for the Raleigh-based NHL team in the past 20 seasons. Congratulations to the Canes!

(OK – I don’t watch enough hockey to have any further thoughts on this subject)

Surprising Louisville Kings dethrone DC Defenders in UFL United Bowl III title game

The expansion Louisville Kings started their first season 0-3. This team came together to finish the regular season at 6-4 and earn a spot in the UFL playoffs.

Louisville was just 2-3 at home but a solid 4-1 on the road during the regular season. The Kings had to travel to Washington DC to play the 2025 champion DC Defenders in the UFL title game on Saturday.

A sellout crowd of more than 19,000 fans at Audi Field in Washington saw Louisville come from behind after halftime to take a 27-20 win over ol’ DC.

The Defenders led 16-7 at the intermission and were clinging to a 16-13 advantage after three periods. Louisville then tallied two fourth quarter running touchdowns to win the title in Season #3 of spring’s United Football League.

DC finished their season with a 7-5 record.

PGA journeyman golfer finally wins. This Bud’s for you, Mr. Cauley!

Bud Cauley was a three-time college All-American golfer at the University of Alabama. He turned professional 15 years ago in 2011. He played well enough during his first few years on the PGA Tour to keep his playing card despite no first place finishes.

Cauley suffered a broken leg, five broken ribs, and a collapsed lung in an automobile accident while playing in Jack Nicklaus’ Memorial Tournament in 2018. After several complications in his recovery, he finally resumed playing professional golf six years later in 2024.

Bud Cauley was winless in his 238 career PGA Tour starts prior to last weekend’s Canadian Open near Toronto.

The 36-year old journeyman golfer rediscovered his youthful putting stroke on Sunday. Cauley’s birdie barrage (along with a few key breaks) led to a closing round 65 and his first PGA Tour win. His 17-under par total was two shots better than Matt Fitzpatrick and three better than Viktor Hovland.

Bud Cauley’s first win came at the same golf tournament which was also the site of golfing great Arnold Palmer’s first victory.

Arnie pocketed $2,400 for his win back in 1955.

Guess how much money that would be this year in 2026? Answer: $30,000

Bud Cauley’s win on Sunday carried a first prize of $1,764,000. Even the worst finisher in the field (74th place) at the 2026 Canadian Open took home more than $19,500.

Sunday’s first triumph will bring some nifty fringe benefits, too.

The win put Cauley into this week’s US Open at Shinnecock Hills. He will also be in the field for July’s Open Championship (British Open) and next spring’s Masters.

More importantly, the win made Bud Cauley exempt from having to qualify for future PGA Tour events for two years after this season ends.

Cauley’s wife and his two young sons ran onto the 18th green to greet him and celebrate after he tapped in for the win.

It’s now off to Long Island in New York and a spot in Thursday’s US Open for the rejuvenated Bud Cauley!

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We’re hearing an awful lot of talk the past several days concerning the behavior of both athletes and the fans who claim to be supporters of those athletes.

The New York Knicks (with the help of a top notch choke job by San Antonio) came from 29 points behind in the second half Wednesday night to beat the Spurs 107-106. It was a mesmerizing comeback for the Knicks with an “out of nowhere” tip-in sealing the win with 1.2 seconds remaining.

The Knicks pulled off the biggest comeback in NBA Finals history.

New York hasn’t won an NBA title since 1973. They now have a 3-1 lead over San Antonio in this best-of-seven series. The Spurs will host Game 5 on Saturday night at 7:30PM on ABC.

That’s the good news.

Taylor Swift, Ben Stiller, Jerry Seinfeld and a host of celebrities partied inside Madison Square Garden. Meanwhile, thousands of loco locals took to the streets of New York City to cheer and, sadly, cause significant property damage following the game.

Remember – this was just Game 4.

The Knicks haven’t won anything yet.

San Antonio center Victor Wembanyama had eggs thrown at him while walking into the team’s hotel following the game.

He said, “I mean, we can’t forget it’s a game. And I’m all for passion, but to the respect of each other. It’s unacceptable”.

There were 56 arrests in New York related to outdoor crowd antics following Wednesday night’s NBA Finals game.

You have to believe that the crazies are just warming up.

One way or the other, New York fans are likely to tear-up Manhattan whether the Knicks win OR lose this series

The city of New York hasn’t won a major sports title in 15 years since the NFL’s New York Giants won the 2011 Super Bowl. Sports fans in America’s largest city are enthralled by the playoff run of the New York Knicks basketball team.

A combination of youthful enthusiasm, excessive alcoholic refreshments, and a faction of seasoned troublemakers could, quite literally, set New York on fire in the next week.

Jubilant fans will likely turn cars upside down and do massive property damage in Manhattan if the Knicks should close out this series in Game 5 Saturday night in San Antonio.

Can you imagine the property damage the Knicks Knuckleheads might do if their NBA team should somehow blow a 3-1 series and lose in San Antonio in Game 7 next Friday night?

If this series should go to seven games, building owners in downtown Manhattan should board-up their windows prior to next Friday (if they aren’t already doing so today).

Meanwhile, in Lubbock, Texas…

The legal and moral issues surrounding Texas Tech’s $5 million transfer quarterback Brendan Sorsby boiled over this week.

In a nutshell, the former University of Cincinnati QB has admitted that he bet more than $90,000 on college football games (and on most every other sport) during his first four years in college.

He even bet on his own team at the time (Indiana) to win on more than one occasion while riding the bench as a back-up quarterback for the Hoosiers.

The NCAA recently ruled Brendan Sorsby ineligible to play college football this fall due to violating a number of collegiate rules concerning gambling.

The young man voluntarily entered and has completed a gambling addiction treatment program in recent months.

After the NCAA made him ineligible to play college football this fall, Sorsby sued the NCAA in an effort to regain his final year of eligibility (and the $5 million NIL money).

In a surprising ruling earlier this week, a Texas judge granted Brendan Sorsby an injunction which will allow the transfer quarterback to suit-up for the Texas Tech Red Raiders this fall.

Even more ironic, the 99th District Court in Lubbock County, Texas (where every judge is a graduate of Texas Tech Law School) scheduled the actual trial to hear Sorsby’s case on February 8, 2027. That would be a few weeks following the upcoming season’s college football championship game.

As NBC Saturday Night Live’s legendary Church Lady might say, “How conveeeeenient?”

Most rational sports fans expected that Brendan Sorsby would lose this week’s legal skirmish. As a consolation prize, the quarterback is still eligible to enter the NFL after playing last season for the University of Cincinnati.

The NFL will hold its annual Supplemental draft in August.

Sorsby must declare his intention to enter that Supplemental draft by June 22. The talented college quarterback is likely to find a pro football team willing to take a chance on him this fall.

While many in the Texas panhandle celebrated this week’s legal outcomes, the majority of other major college sports programs are angry and/or in a state of shock.

Athletic directors at major universities such as Georgia and Ohio State have advised their departments to not schedule any future games (in any sport) against Texas Tech.

The board of directors for the Big 12 Conference (home of Texas Tech) will hold a conference call on this subject this coming Monday, June 15. Big 12 members such as TCU and Kansas State have voiced the possibility that their schools might decline playing football against Texas Tech this fall if Sorsby participates.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (who is running for the US Senate in November) decided to weigh in on the Brendan Sorsby matter Thursday.

He warned Big 12 Conference leaders from taking any legal action against Texas Tech or be sued by the state of Texas (reminder – Texas Tech is a public university).

Not be outdone, the state of Oklahoma’s Attorney General called-out Texas AG Ken Paxton on Friday. The Oklahoma AG wants the Big 12 Conference to immediately and permanently suspend Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby for gambling violations.

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said that the Big 12 Conference was not a party to the Sorsby vs. NCAA proceedings. The league should send a message to college sports by suspending Sorsby for the upcoming season.

“It’s leadership (Texas Tech) has prioritized winning over sport, over honor and integrity. If Texas Tech will not do the right thing, the Big 12 should,” said Drummond.

Meanwhile, Fort Worth energy billionaire Cody Campbell (a Texas Tech alumnus) is fully supporting the legal position of Sorsby and his alma mater.

Campbell gives millions to the university and its athletic programs annually. The school’s athletics department can pay for the best lawyers money can buy.

SwampSwami believes that Brendan Sorsby should consider moving on to the NFL for a different (but very good) reason

Texas Tech’s transfer quarterback will become the biggest target of every defensive football player in college football this fall. Every school which plays football against the Red Raiders in 2026 will focus on ending Sorsby’s season on the field.

Bounties are not legal or ethical. That said, the player who ends Brendan Sorsby’s college football career will be long remembered.

The Sorsby Circus is bringing the worst type of spotlight to Texas Tech University’s football program along with the entire athletics department at the school.

Like it or not, Texas Tech is now wearing a villain’s (red and) black hat due to the school’s vigorous defense of an expensive transfer quarterback who admittedly violated NCAA rules on gambling.

Don’t forget. There is one person who can quickly put an end to this mess

Brendan Sorsby made many mistakes over the past several years. He has admitted to having a serious gambling addiction. He entered and completed a treatment program and is hopefully on the right track.

As the public focuses on Sorsby, there are countless other college athletes in the same boat. We just haven’t heard their names yet.

This young man accepted an NIL offer of $5 million to transfer to Texas Tech to utilize his final year of college eligibility. That large sum of money is much higher than Sorsby would have earned as a middle-round draft pick in April’s NFL draft.

Texas Tech made it into the College Football Playoffs last year for the first time in school history. The West Texas school is excited about its chances to make it that far again this year, too.

Did you know that there are five other quarterbacks on the Texas Tech football roster today? Brendan Sorsby is the most experienced, but the Red Raiders do have a number of other options available at their quarterback position.

The June 22 deadline to enter the NFL’s Supplemental draft is a little more than one week away.

Brendan Sorsby could announce that he is moving into the NFL. That would end all of the bickering surrounding his college playing status this fall.

There is also a chance that Texas Tech – without Sorsby – still might have an outstanding year with one of those five other quarterbacks emerging to lead the Red Raiders football team this season.

Now, wouldn’t that be interesting?

The post What Happened to Sportsmanship and Class? appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

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Saturday marks the final game of the 2026 season for the United Football League.

The UFL’s United Bowl III kicks off at 2PM CDT Saturday on ABC.

Spring professional football’s championship game will take place in Washington, DC at Audi Stadium. The hometown DC Defenders (7-4) defend their 2025 UFL title against the upstart expansion Louisville Kings (also 7-4).

Abundant sunshine and a steamy 90 degrees will greet the players and fans at Saturday’s championship game to end the UFL’s third season.

There will likely be a good crowd of more than 15,000 in the stands (the stadium holds 20,000) and a television audience of more than 1 million watching on ABC.

At some point soon, the UFL owners will meet to review the season and make decisions about the future.

Let’s give a preview of what I think that meeting will entail.

A review of the 2026 UFL season – the OK, the “Meh”, and the downright ugly

The third year for any new business should show its owners that the venture is making positive strides. If the business is not already profitable, the annual losses should be getting smaller by the year as the business gains favor with the buying public.

For the UFL, those primary measures are home team attendance (and revenues) and national television ratings.

Let’s start with the Ugly. Home attendance dropped again in 2026

Each of the eight UFL teams played five home games in the 10-game regular season.

The St. Louis Battlehawks (playing in a 60,000 domed football stadium) drew more than 23,000 per game to lead the UFL in home attendance once again in 2026. Despite the positive attendance, the cost for the lease at the Dome at America’s Center (formerly known as the Edward Jones Dome) in St. Louis is also likely the highest paid by the UFL.

The expansion Louisville Kings came in second with more than 11,000 fans per home opener.

Another expansion franchise, the Columbus Aviators finished third with 10,362 paying customers per home game in 2026.

The other five UFL franchises failed to average 10,000 fans per game with the two Texas teams (Dallas and Houston) coming in last with 6,185 and 5,683 per game respectively.

Birmingham (which plays in UAB’s home football stadium) and St. Louis played their home games in traditional football stadiums.

The other six UFL franchises played the 2026 season in smaller soccer venues. Lease costs for these soccer stadiums are lower than the cost of most traditional football stadiums. Home television viewers are less likely to be turned-off by seeing small crowds if played in a 20,000 seat soccer stadium.

The UFL home team attendance figures have declined in each of the league’s three seasons.

The 2024 season produced an average of 12,800 fans. In 2025, the UFL dropped to 12,168 per game.

This year’s 10,500 average marked a 14% decline from 2025.

Ouch.

It means that the public (even with affordable ticket prices of $20-30 available) simply is not very excited about the UFL’s on-field product.

Now for the “Meh” – Television ratings in 2026 were relatively flat vs. 2025

I remember reading an article a few years ago which claimed that the UFL needed to draw more than one million television viewers per game in order to have a chance to turn a profit.

Well, that didn’t happen again this year, either.

The Friday night prime time game on FOX produced consistent numbers.

The ratings showed a reliable audience of 600-700,000 viewers on Friday nights during the 7PM to 10PM Central time period.

That may sound good until you know the rest of the story. The FOX Friday night audience for UFL games was mired in last place all season when compared to programming on competitors CBS, NBC, and ABC.

FOX Sports (a part-owner of the UFL) cannot be pleased with their investment after three seasons.

Ditto for Disney’s ESPN brand.

The sports giant also owns a piece of the UFL. They televised one or more weekly UFL games via ESPN and/or corporate affiliate, ABC.

The 2026 ratings for the Saturday and Sunday UFL games on ABC continue to show the highest viewership. At least four regular season games on ABC topped the one million mark during the first nine weeks of the UFL season.

That meant only 11% of the first nine weeks of UFL games in 2026 produced a television audience of one million or more.

If the league’s original goal was to reach one million viewers per televised game, the UFL continues to fall woefully short of that target.

The “OK” – the spring football league continues to innovate and try harder

UFL ownership includes the aforementioned FOX Sports and ESPN along with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, his ex-wife Dany Garcia, Redbird Capital Partners, and billionaire Mike Repole.

Repole bought his way into the UFL following the 2025 season. His ownership percentage and who he purchased it from have yet to be disclosed.

It has been new owner Mike Repole who pushed to move UFL teams into smaller soccer venues in 2026.

He also gave the green light to relocate UFL franchises away from San Antonio, Memphis, and Detroit in favor of Columbus (OH), Louisville, and Orlando for this season.

Those three non-NFL cities produced slightly improved attendance figures and saved money with significantly lower lease costs. However, none of the three teams turned a profit based on their gate receipts.

Despite his personal energy, Mike Repole’s promotional skills and tinkering with the UFL simply hasn’t paid off. League attendance went down in 2026 while television ratings were flat.

The effort is commendable.

The UFL’s massive annual losses, though, continue.

What should the UFL owners do at their next meeting following the 2026 season?

Let’s make an assumption that the UFL loses (just my guess here) $50 million in 2026. That would mark the third consecutive year of significant losses for the latest spring football experiment.

Non-corporate UFL owners such as Dwayne Johnson and his ex-wife, Dany Garcia, should be ready to exit as owners by now.

They cannot be pleased with losing millions of their own money every year. The cash losses by the UFL show no sign of abatement should the league continue into 2027. Johnson and Garcia lost big bucks with the XFL, too. They have now been losing even more money with the UFL for three seasons.

Why should they stick around?

Redbird Capital Partners might fly away at the next owner’s meeting, too.

The private equity investor claims over $10 billion in managed assets. Redbird’s website currently displays the UFL as one of 36 different major investments for the company. The UFL’s continuing annual losses are a negative. Don’t be surprised if they, too, wish to move on at the next UFL owners meeting.

FOX Sports may have a different perspective on the UFL.

The NFL on FOX could end within the next five years at the end of the network’s latest contract. FOX Sports could, perhaps, envision the UFL becoming a potential future fall competitor for the NFL. The fledgling American Football League of the 1960’s did it. However, it took ten years for the NFL to eventually gobble-up their competitor.

Let’s say that I’m wrong about FOX Sports’ long-term thinking on the UFL. They really don’t need the UFL for programming and might be ready to pull the plug at the next owners meeting.

How are ESPN and ABC feeling about the UFL right now?

Mounting annual losses by the UFL are (effectively) petty cash for Disney. The current spring positioning of the UFL season fills a major weekend programming need for ESPN and ABC. There aren’t a lot of major sports events available to fill air time on ESPN from April through June.

An important item to remember is that the NFL sold its NFL Network to ESPN earlier in 2026 in return for a 10% ownership stake in ESPN.

ESPN and ABC must now seriously consider doing whatever the NFL wants with respect to the UFL. They could vote to stick with the UFL or decide to shut it down for good this summer.

That leaves the enthusiastic billionaire UFL investor Mike Repole.

Repole jumped into the UFL dumpster fire with both feet last year. Most billionaires get rich by being very shrewd in business.

I suspect that Mike Repole (if he sticks around for another year or more) sees the UFL eventually becoming a partner with the NFL down the road. He appears to be a risk-taker willing to swing for the fences.

Should the NFL ever decide to invest in the UFL as a spring football partner, Mike Repole’s investment gamble could pay off handsomely.

Than again, the NFL has plenty of its own billionaire owners, too. Their luxury cruise liner isn’t likely to throw a life preserver to Mike Repole or any of his other UFL ownership partners anytime soon.

The UFL’s third year financial condition reminds me of a 1977 Harry Chapin song.

“The Dance Band on the Titanic” featured some rather clever lyrics and an upbeat melody. In the musical version, the ship’s band was trying to create a musical diversion just as the massive boat began to sink.

One line of the song says,“The iceberg’s on the starboard bow – Won’t you dance with me?”

This next meeting of the UFL owners is likely to be a dandy.

The post Previewing the upcoming UFL Owners Meeting appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

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College sports has become a runaway freight train in recent years.

Money and greed (as always) have emerged as the primary villains. Everyone involved wants more.

Several years ago, the NCAA began to allow student-athletes to transfer schools as often as the average student. Prior to that, athletes were required to sit-out one full year after transferring schools. It was supposed to encourage college athletes to think hard prior to making the decision to transfer. Colleges also claimed that this was done to give the student-athletes enough time to acclimate themselves to the academic rigors of their new college environment.

R-i-g-h-t!

Today’s new NCAA Transfer Portal is becoming busier by the year

Upwards of 50% of some sport’s athletes are putting their names in the Transfer Portal. They are in search of more money and playing time elsewhere.

These athletes want the right to transfer as easily as all other college students. The processing of transferring by athletes seems to take place at blazing speed, though.

An average college student has to prepare an application, supply academic performance (grades) along with a mountain of paperwork prior to being admitted as a transfer student at most major universities. The process usually takes several months.

Wouldn’t it be nice to know how (and why) these “ASAP” Transfer Portal college athletes get their paperwork processed by their new universities within just a matter of days or weeks?

Then there’s the new wheel of fortune game called Name, Image, and Likeness

The federal courts have allowed college athletes to be compensated based on their theoretical NIL value.

The original concept of NIL sounded downright noble. Our theoretical college football player simply wanted to have a little spending money to be able go out and enjoy an occasional burger and shake down at Arnold’s.

Within years, the compensation being offered to athletes for their (cough) NIL rights has exploded. Some players are receiving offers of hundreds of thousands of dollars from top college football, basketball, baseball, and even softball programs.

The athletic conferences say they don’t like this, either. However, they spend much of their time renegotiating television and media contracts to generate even more cash to pad their own pockets.

That’s why the College Football Playoffs have risen from two teams to four to 12 today. The conferences are battling with each other today trying to expand the football playoffs from 12 to 24 teams. Why?

More television money, of course.

The athletic conferences, schools, administrators, coaches, players, and, of course, the media companies are focused on more and more money for college athletics. The former systems are broken. No one is showing much in the way of self restraint or leadership in attempting to resolve growing problems.

Who is going to help control this mess? Did someone say “Congress?”

Of course! Let’s ask America’s legislative body to intervene since the college sports community cannot seem to regulate its fast-growing greed.

We know that the 435 House and 100 Senate members rarely agree on anything.

Well, they do seem to find enough votes (usually after midnight) in late December to raise their own pay. They won’t object when a motion for a multi-week recess is raised, either.

Heaven forbid if any member of the House or Senate dares to propose a vote concerning (gasp!) term limits.

So, why should anyone believe that the US Congress will be able to regulate college sports?

Over the past year, the US House of Representatives has tried and recently failed.

A bill entitled the “Student Compensation through Rights and Endorsements” Act was floated. The “SCORE” Act slithered its way through the halls of Congress at snail-like speed. The House of Representatives couldn’t even muster enough support to force a full floor vote on the measure a few weeks ago.

That bill is now officially dead.

But never fear! The US Senate wants to “Protect” college sports!

Move over, House of Representatives! A bipartisan bill drafted by Senators Ted Cruz of Texas (R) and Maria Cantwell of Washington (D) finally emerged this past week. It is now being contemplated by the extremely deliberative (slow moving) body called the US Senate.

This bill is called the “Protect College Sports Act of 2026.” You can read it by clicking here.

The 111-page document was introduced in the Senate on Wednesday, June 3.

Former University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban and several other heavyweights of college sports testified before the Senate in support of the measure. The President is also in favor of the proposal.

Advocates believe there is a chance that it could pass by August 1, 2026. That is less than 60 days after it was introduced to the Senate.

Personally, I think there is a higher probability of seeing Charlie Brown finally kick that football that Lucy is holding this fall!

Let’s review several of the primary portions of the Protect College Sports Act of 2026:

Name, Image, and Likeness – The agreement would serve to put NIL under federal jurisdiction. That is needed, because many states have already implemented a variety of different enforcement provisions and loopholes. The proposed federal legislation would require NIL agents for athletes to be registered with the government and cap their fees at 5%. Athletes must disclose their NIL compensation above $600 per year.

Medical coverage for athletes – Colleges would be required to pay for out-of-pocket medical costs for athletes for five years following the athlete’s final competition for the school.

Transfers – Each athlete would receive one transfer without losing athletic eligibility. Subsequent transfers may be considered in the event of coaching changes, discontinued sports at a school, and for graduate students.

Academics – The legislation requires athletes to complete their eligibility within five years beginning with the earlier of (a) high school graduation or (b) turning age 19. Exemptions would exist for military service, religious missions, etc.

Coaching changes – The Senate proposal would prohibit college head coaches from leaving their school prior to the end of the season to coach, recruit for, or otherwise take over at a different FBS (large division) program.

Yes, this is now being called the Lane Kiffin provision.

Local television for football and basketball teams – There must be at least one free local television broadcast outlet televising football and basketball games for major universities within their local market.

Anti-trust protection television rights for schools and conferences – This would afford college athletics to function in the same way in which the NFL, NBA, and other national professional sports leagues operate. However, at least 75% of the current FBS schools must sign-off on this provision for it to become effective.

Bars major athletic conferences ($1 billion or more in annual revenues) from merging or acquiring each other – The Senate legislation wants to preserve and promote regional rivalries and stop major universities from changing athletic conference affiliations.

College football season must end by January 8 – This provision is intended to allow for a smoother transition for students (and transfers) prior to the start of the spring semester.

What I like:

Restricting athletic transfers to only one time is a winner. This will keep players and the coaches from shopping around so much. Instead, there should be increased focus on player development (and, perhaps, academics).

The proposed provision for medical coverage for athletes continuing for five years following their college participation seems like a solid idea. The schools earn revenue from athletic competitions. They should be required to provide catastrophic insurance coverage for athletes who are injured while playing for the school.

A hard cap on five years of college eligibility is also very smart. There is a significant physical and mental difference between an 18-year old football player coming out of high school and a 24-year old who may have been granted a sixth year of eligibility.

The football season ending by January 8 is a definite winner! Cut the regular season to 11 games if you need more time for the playoffs. (Yes, I realize that won’t happen)

Local “free” television coverage for local teams sounds good. This is what the NFL does during Monday Night Football games on ESPN. The local market’s ABC affiliate generally provides coverage for viewers who are not ESPN subscribers. When considering this provision for college football, would all Louisiana cities not named Baton Rouge also be considered “local” for LSU football games? Taxpayers in other Louisiana cities would also like to watch LSU (the state’s flagship public university) football games on their local TV station. Expect a battle over this issue.

I’m not so sure about…

Many people are asking why we haven’t dropped the entire NIL charade and consider the players to be paid employees of the university. The primary authors of the Senate legislation intentionally omitted this issue. That’s because the recent House legislation dared to address this thorny issue. Arguments on the subject caused the entire bill to go down in flames.

Perhaps the Supreme Court will eventually decide the matter.

Another roadblock will be in getting 75% of the current 136 member FBS (major college) group of football schools to agree on the anti-trust protection issues. The Big Ten Conference and SEC (much like the House and Senate) can’t seem to agree on just about anything in recent years.

With regard to college coaches leaving for other schools, shouldn’t there also be a provision that coaches cannot be fired prior to the end of the team’s season, too?

I think the minimum NIL amount for reporting purposes should be raised from $600 per year to $1,200. That would be only $100/month for an athlete. Spend more time reviewing the larger NIL transactions.

Finally, I believe that most rational adults would prefer not having the federal government getting involved in issues such as this. Can you imagine the resulting circus of governmental regulatory requirements and exorbitant administrative costs to implement this bill if signed into law?

The Senate deliberation of the proposed Save College Sports Act of 2026 might serve as a much needed wake-up call right now.

The major athletic conferences should voluntarily come together ASAP to address and implement several of this bill’s best provisions. They could end the push for unwanted federal oversight and regulation by simply taking this matter into their own hands.

Hey, Big Ten and SEC! It’s time to lead and end your petty turf wars before the Senate addresses these problems for you. Time to get to work!

The post The US Senate…Tackles College Sports??? appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

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While on a brief visit to see two of our grandsons and a side trip to Arkansas, I had the chance to watch a few exceptional college softball and baseball games along with a very tense Game 7 NBA Western Conference final.

It’s time to enjoy the next couple of weeks as the window is quickly closing on the seasons for these three sports.

This year’s NBA Finals began Wednesday night.

The surprising San Antonio Spurs and streaking New York Knicks began their best-of-seven title series. New York came into Game 1 with an 11-game playoff winning streak.

The Knicks left the Spurs’ home arena Wednesday night with a 12-game playoff winning streak.

The Women’s College World Series softball best-of three finale also got underway Wednesday night in Oklahoma City. Last weekend, Texas Tech’s never-say-die Red Raiders had to fight back from the brink of elimination twice to defeat #1 seed Alabama just to reach the finals.

They will now get a chance to do that once again on Thursday night and, perhaps, on Friday night.

That’s because Texas Tech lost to intrastate rival Texas 7-3 in the opening game of the best of three final series. Texas is the defending national champion.

On the men’s side of college bats and balls, this week marks the Super Regional round for the NCAA college baseball season.

Eight winners from this weekend’s best-of-three weekend series will advance into the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska next week. There were a number of surprising winners and losers during last week’s opening round.

New York’s Amazin’ Knicks have now won 12 straight playoff games!

San Antonio Spurs 7’4” center Victor Wembanyama is ending his third NBA season. Much like Hall-of-Famer Shaquille O’Neal (who, by the way, played his high school basketball in San Antonio), Wemby just led his team into the NBA Finals. He is now being hailed as the top big man in the NBA.

The 5-time NBA champion Spurs are much more than just a one-man show. They utilize their bench as well as any NBA team and play solid defense for the entire 48-minute game.

The New York Knicks are seeking their first NBA title since 1973.

To say that New York sports fans are hungry for a title is a huge understatement.

“The City that Never Sleeps” is in the midst of a rather lengthy championship drought. Eli Manning’s New York Giants football last won a Super Bowl title in 2011. Baseball’s New York Yankees haven’t won the World Series since 2009. The crosstown rival New York Mets haven’t claimed a baseball title since 1986. Broadway Joe Namath was the quarterback for football’s New York Jets in their only Super Bowl victory in 1969.

NBA’s New York Knicks came into the playoffs as the #3 Eastern Conference seed behind Detroit and Boston. After losing two of its first three playoff games to Atlanta in Round 1, the Knicks won the final three games to advance. They would sweep #5 seed Philadelphia and #4 Cleveland in eight straight wins to claim the NBA Eastern Conference title.

San Antonio is playing in the NBA Finals for the first time since June, 2014.

The path to the championship round has been increasingly difficult for the Spurs.

San Antonio (the #2 seed in the Western Conference) needed just five games to dispatch the Portland Trailblazers in five games. It then took six games for San Antonio to subdue the Minnesota Timberwolves. Last weekend, the Spurs required a full seven games to win a tense Game 7 battle against the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

Wednesday night’s Game 1 in San Antonio was won by the New York Knicks 105-95 in a game which was much closer than the final score reflected. The veteran Knicks scored the last 11 points to end the game. New York stepped-up in the final quarter to score 29 points as the younger Spurs tallied only 19 over the last 12 minutes.

New York’s Villanova connection featured guards Jalen Brunson (30 points) and Josh Hart (an incredible 15 rebounds) leading a fourth quarter rally to give the Knicks their 12th consecutive playoff victory.

As a result, San Antonio lost its home court advantage after that Game 1 loss. ABC will televise Game #2 at 7:30PM Friday night from San Antonio. The series moves to New York’s Madison Square Garden for Games 3 and 4 on Monday and Wednesday next week.

Make sure to stick around for the post-game coverage on ESPN. The award-winning “Inside the NBA” show features NBA legends Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O’Neal breaking down the action along with host Ernie Johnson. You never know what’s going to happen.

Meanwhile, in Oklahoma City…

The Women’s College World Series best-of-three finals began Wednesday night.

Defending national champion Texas (52-12) defeated Texas Tech 7-3 in Game 1.

The Red Raiders fell to 61-9 and are on the verge of elimination once again. They have become quite familiar with this position over the past several days in Oklahoma City.

The #11 seeded Red Raiders rallied for two runs in the top of the ninth inning on Sunday to vanquish #8 national seed UCLA 8-7. On Monday, Texas Tech had to defeat #1 seed Alabama twice to earn a spot in the championship finals.

The Red Raiders won the opener 5-4 over Bama by scoring a run in the bottom of the 7th inning. They also grabbed the second game 2-0 on a two-hit pitching gem by two-time college player-of-the-year NiJari Canady to earn a spot in the finals.

The second seeded Texas Longhorns didn’t have an easy road into the Women’s College World Series finals, either.

They had to defeat #7 Tennessee Volunteers twice on Monday to advance. Texas won the opener 5-2 and then shut-out Tennessee 4-0 later in the afternoon to advance to the championship round.

The Longhorns and Red Raiders competed for the Women’s College World Series championship last year as well. Texas Tech is trying to avenge last year’s loss to Texas in the best-of-three title series.

Game 2 will be played Thursday at 7PM on ESPN.

A deciding Game 3, if necessary, will be played Friday night at 7PM on ESPN.

What happened to the top seeds in the men’s college baseball tournament?

UCLA had been ranked #1 in college baseball all season long.

The Bruins were 51-6 heading into the opening round of the NCAA college baseball playoffs. They faced #4 regional seed St. Mary’s (35-25) in their opening playoff game at home last Friday.

The Gaels scored a run in the top of the ninth inning to shock UCLA 3-2. On Saturday, UCLA had to score three times in the bottom of the ninth to take a 6-5 win and stay alive against 30-26 Virginia Tech.

St. Mary’s and UCLA were matched again on Sunday. This time, the Gaels scored a run in the bottom of the 10th inning to end UCLA’s season with a 6-5 win.

Ironically, St. Mary’s was eliminated on Sunday 5-2 by the Cal-Poly Mustangs of San Luis Obispo. Go figure.

It wasn’t any better for #2 national seed Georgia Tech

The 50-10 Yellow Jackets were playing at home in Atlanta and trying to advance into the Super Regional round for the first time in 20 years. Georgia Tech would have hosted a Super Regional this weekend – if only they had won their own opening round regional.

The Oklahoma Sooners rallied in consecutive games to dispatch the heavily favored hometown Yellow Jackets to advance into this weekend’s Super Regional to be played in…Kansas?

Kansas has rarely been known for its baseball prowess.

This year’s baseball Jayhawks are now 45-16 after winning its opening round of games. KU will host Oklahoma Saturday in the Lawrence, Kansas Super Regional. The Jayhawks have made it into only one College World Series (1993) in the school’s long history.

Kansas plays baseball in relatively small Hoglund Ballpark. This stadium features just 2,500 permanent seats. The school recently took down the left field wall and installed a chain link fence. That allows about 1,000 additional fans to stand or sit in their own lawn chairs in “The Backyard” to watch Kansas baseball games.

Expect ticket prices in Lawrence, Kansas to be sky high for this weekend’s Super Regional.

Did you pick the Trojans to make it into the Super Regionals?

Last weekend, there were the Trojans from the University of Southern California, the Troy Trojans of the Sun Belt Conference, and the Little Rock Trojans from the Ohio Valley Conference.

Incredibly, all three of these Trojans baseball teams will be part of the 16 squads competing in the second round “Super Regional” college playoff games this weekend.

At least one Trojans team is guaranteed a spot in Omaha at the College World Series next week. The 36-30 Troy Trojans will host the Little Rock Trojans (39-26) at 4PM Friday on ESPNU.

Troy shocked #5 national seed Florida 10-2 in the final game of the Gainesville Regional last week. Little Rock won the Hattiesburg Regional after #9 seed Southern Miss was sent packing after two consecutive losses.

The USC Trojans (47-16) will travel across the country to play at the University of North Carolina (48-11-1) on Friday at 2PM CDT on ESPN2.

Here are all eight Super Regional match-ups (first game starting times are CDT)

Friday’s Opening Games:

Morgantown – Cal Poly (39-22) at #16 seed West Virginia (43-15) at 11AM on ESPN2

Chapel Hill – USC (47-16) at #5 North Carolina (48-11-1) at 2PM on ESPN2

Troy – Little Rock (39-26) at Troy (36-30) at 4PM on ESPNU

Auburn – Ole Miss (39-21) at #4 Auburn (42-20) at 7PM on ESPN2

Saturday’s Opening Games:

Athens – #14 seed Mississippi State (43-17) at #3 Georgia (49-12) at 10AM on ESPN

Lawrence – Oklahoma (36-22) at #15 Kansas (45-16) at 1PM on ESPN

Austin – #11 Oregon (43-16) at #6 Texas (43-13) at 7PM on ESPN

Tuscaloosa – St. John’s (36-24) at #7 Alabama (40-19) at 8PM on ESPN2

The post Enjoy A Week filled with Terrific Games! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

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One week ago, the state of Louisiana’s Legislative Auditor’s office released its annual fiscal review of Grambling State University’s athletics program for the year ending June 30, 2025.

The school was cited for a few audit irregularities and quickly announced that changes were being made. That wasn’t the biggest news, though.

Grambling’s athletics department lost $5.1 million for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. Revenues were reported at $9.2 million versus annual expenses of $14.3 million.

In percentage terms, Grambling’s revenue was only 64% of the amount needed to sustain the athletics programs at the current level.

Grambling wasn’t the only north Louisiana public university whose athletics spending exceeded revenue last year

The same Louisiana Legislative Auditor also filed reports earlier in 2026 for Louisiana Tech University, Northwestern State University and the University of Louisiana at Monroe.

Each of these four football-playing state universities located north of Alexandria reported losses in their athletics programs for the year ending June 30, 2025. Grambling’s massive deficit grabbed the recent news headlines, but there is a troubling commonality among Louisiana public schools not named LSU.

Louisiana Tech recently cut an expensive deal (rumored to be in the vicinity of $8 million) in order to exit Conference USA and join the more geographically-suitable Sun Belt Conference.

That move may turn out to be prudent for the Bulldogs over the long-term. Louisiana Tech’s annual travel expenses as part of Conference USA totaled nearly $3.5 million. Nearby Sun Belt rival UL-Monroe’s travel costs for the same year were $2.3 million. Louisiana Tech is expected save $1 million or more annually on its travel expenses beginning this fall by moving to the Sun Belt Conference.

Let’s look under the hood at each of these four universities’ athletics spending. We’ll finish with a few common sense (cheap) ideas on how to achieve break-even in the future.

Grambling State University – 5,200 students (2024/2025 school year)

Grambling is nationally known for its athletics and its exceptional marching band. It was bit surprising to learn that Grambling’s football program had lost $2.5 million in the most recent year. That amounted to about 50% of the athletic department’s annual deficit of $5.1 million.

The football team’s travel costs of $1.1 million last fall were higher than all three of the other north Louisiana pubic schools.

The expense summary also showed nearly $160,000 was spent to cover the costs of the school’s spirit groups (for one or more road trip performances).

Grambling’s men’s and women’s basketball teams each posted losses in excess of $900,000 for the most recent year.

Grambling (like Northwestern State) participates NCAA’s FCS small college football division. The G-men play in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).

Louisiana Tech University – 12,145 students (Fall, 2025)

The Bulldogs are based in Ruston. Louisiana Tech’s campus is less than six miles east of Grambling via Interstate 20. The Bulldogs have been competing in Conference USA and a part of the NCAA FBS major college football division. As mentioned earlier, Louisiana Tech moves into the Sun Belt Conference this fall.

Audit results for Louisiana Tech’s athletics department last year showed a loss of $11.875 million.

Football lost “only” about $1.6 million for the year. Louisiana Tech’s men’s and women’s basketball teams each ran a deficit of about $700,000 apiece. Other competitive sports at Louisiana Tech lost another $2.6 million. The school’s income statement showed “non-program specific” athletic costs with a $6 million shortfall.

As noted earlier in this report, Louisiana Tech’s overall travel costs playing in far-flung Conference USA were easily the highest in the group. The Dogs’ annual total of $3.5 million for travel exceeded Grambling ($2.6 mm), UL-Monroe ($2.3 mm) and Northwestern State (less than $1 million).

Northwestern State University – 8,402 students (Fall, 2025)

The Demons from Natchitoches, Louisiana came the closest to break-even within its athletics programs among these four state schools. Northwestern State participates in the NCAA’s FCS small college football division in the regionally-aligned Southland Conference.

Northwestern State posted a relatively benign loss of $167,245 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. The Demons’ men’s basketball program ran the largest deficit at more than $300,000. The football team came up short by $280,000.

Noteworthy, Northwestern State collected nearly $1.5 million in annual student fees to help support athletics. That was about 10% of the school’s athletics spending. It was the highest total among these four north Louisiana state schools.

University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM) – 8,678 students (Fall, 2025)

Sun Belt Conference member ULM (like Louisiana Tech) competes in the NCAA’s FBS major college football division. ULM is expecting to benefit from Louisiana Tech’s arrival in the Sun Belt Conference this fall with increased attendance and revenues expected at home games in all major sports.

The Warhawks’ athletics budget is the smallest among the NCAA’s 136 FBS major colleges. ULM’s overall school budget has been prone to massive shortfalls in recent years, too. That means that ULM’s $1.5 million athletics department loss in fiscal year 2025 is much harder to cover.

Audit results showed the UL-Monroe football program lost a whopping $3.8 million in the most recent report. The Warhawks’ men’s and women’s basketball teams lost a combined $2.5 million. Ouch!

The school’s institutional support has kept the ULM athletics department afloat for years. Significantly higher fan support for the Warhawks football and basketball programs is needed immediately. Otherwise, the school may have no other choice but to consider returning to the NCAA FCS small college athletics division.

A few suggestions from SwampSwami to achieve fiscal break-even

These four north Louisiana state universities are located within 100 miles of each other. Each school is a very large and important employer in its home city.

These state schools must immediately address their athletics spending and move quickly toward achieving fiscal balance. At the same time, they must also work harder and more creatively to raise sports revenues over the long-term to grow the athletics programs.

First things first – Take immediate cost cutting measures – The simplest and fairest way is to voluntarily reduce athletics spending by cutting a certain percentage across the board. That could come in the form of job reductions or, perhaps, an across-the-board pay cut for staff making more than $30,000 per year. For example, a 5% mandatory spending reduction in Year 1 may spur some voluntary budget trimming beyond that level. Yes, this likely means one less assistant coach, one fewer support staffer, one less charter flight, etc. The athletics departments must take a hard look at streamlining operations. Learn to do more with less.

Refuse to play long-distance road games unless the school earns a significant profit by participating – UL-Monroe’s football team hits the road for at least two “Clobbering Time” payday games every season.

They are often paid more than $1 million to play at large universities such as LSU, Texas A&M, and Alabama with huge stadiums. ULM receives more money from some of these massive “visitor” paychecks than playing a home game in front of a sold-out stadium. There are also downsides from being on the receiving end of a couple of massive road losses every season, too. The football team and local fans can become a bit demoralized about the team’s chances for the remainder of the season.

Now, let’s try to grow the revenue side with a few cheap ideas

Stimulate increased student, alumni, and hometown support – Student and local support for the athletics programs within each of these four communities (Grambling, Ruston, Natchitoches, and Monroe) must improve. Local fans want to see their sports teams having a chance to win more than they lose. Identify sports which are cost-effective and give the school the best chance to hang a new (and long overdue) championship banner.

Success in any of the major sports at these four schools can go a long way in rejuvenating and expanding the school’s athletic support base.

Improve local marketing and promotion – It may sound corny but handing out free tickets to youth at local elementary, junior high school and high schools gets parents and guardians to purchase tickets, too. A positive game day experience for that youth can plant a valuable seed about attending that college some day. Each of these four north Louisiana public universities have thousands of empty seats available at football and basketball games. A purposeful campaign to encourage and engage more youth at nearby college sporting events will pay future dividends.

Inject more game day excitement – Utilize the pregame, quarter breaks, halftime, and post-game times to get fans more engaged. Experiment with creative new (and inexpensive) ideas to keep the game experience fresh for all ages of fans.

They will be more likely to return if they are having more fun at the games.

Relentlessly promote ahead – There are only a few home football games played each fall. Make each game special with its own promotion. There are, perhaps, twenty home basketball, baseball or softball home games, too. Give thought as to how to make each home game unique for fans.

Target every recent (last few years) ticket purchaser by sending a weekly email. Remind them of the school’s upcoming weekly sports schedule, special promotions, and discounts. Utilize all types of social media to reach a wider audience to spread the word about upcoming college athletic events and team opponents.

Depend on your own athletics staff to get the word out – Sadly, we live in a world with fewer and fewer exceptional local newspapers. It is incumbent on each school’s athletics department to take an aggressive role in publicizing and promoting all ticket-based sporting events. Fans want to know about the school’s upcoming games and events, so take the initiative!

The post North Louisiana’s College Sports Programs are Underwater appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

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Let’s admit it. Being the coach of a major college football team sounds like a fun job.

Most big-time coaches have multi-year contracts with payouts of far more than $1 million in the event that they are fired prior to the end of the agreement.

I’m still waiting for an employer to offer that kind of deal to me, my wife, my sons, or any of my friends. How about you?

On the surface, a major college football coach like Alabama’s legendary Nick Saban would seem to have the greatest job in the world.

He had players from around the country begging to get a scholarship offer to play football at Alabama. Saban had the pick of the litter of his assistant coaches, too.

Playing for or working with Coach Nick Saban was resume builder for players and assistant coaches alike.

The legendary coach sent dozens of former players into the NFL and spawned a number of highly successful college football coaches.

In truth, did Nick Saban really look as if he was having any fun in becoming the most successful college football coach (seven national championships – six at Alabama and one at LSU)?

Perhaps that’s why his satirical television commercial for a vacation home rental company makes me and my wife pay attention and laugh every time we see it.

“That’s the rule”

LSU college football coach Brian Kelly has his 2025 Tigers at 4-1 this season. They are ranked #11 in the AP this week. FYI – the Tigers came in at #26 in my SwampSwamiSports.com rankings this week.

LSU can claim a win against 4-1 Louisiana Tech with a 23-7 struggle at Tiger Stadium in early September. The Tigers’ 17-10 season opening win against the overrated AP preseason #4 Clemson Tigers prematurely boosted LSU into that same #4 spot the following week.

Clemson is now 2-3 and has vanished from the national polls.

Coach Brian Kelly’s LSU Tigers survived a close home game against 2-4 Florida.

Five interceptions courtesy of Florida’s often-erratic quarterback D.J. Lagway allowed LSU to claim an unimpressive 20-10 win.

A win is a win, but that one was downright ugly.

The 4-0 Tigers then hit the road for a game against 4-0 Ole Miss. The Rebels won 24-19 in a game which wasn’t as close as the final score indicated. LSU dropped to 4-1 and fell out of the AP Top 10.

Coach Brian Kelly is a lot like Nick Saban – except for the National Championships

LSU Tiger fans have let loose recently about being unhappy with Coach Brian Kelly.

He is from Michigan (a Yankee!) and had never coached in the South before coming to Baton Rouge.

Coach Kelly is extremely smart and generally conducts press conferences by providing the media with some well-reasoned answers to most of their questions.

LSU’s current head football coach is definitely NOT warm and fuzzy, though.

He doesn’t use humor (intentional or accidental) like former coaches Les Miles and Ed Orgeron. Both of those ex-coaches can claim one national title while in charge of football at LSU.

Tiger fans adopted the goofiness of “Uncle” Les Miles and “Cajun Cousin” Ed Orgeron while their teams were winning.

Hey, they were “one of us”, right?

Actually, Les Miles was from Ohio and played at the University of Michigan. Prior to arriving at LSU, Coach Miles had never been further south than Stillwater, Oklahoma when he was the head coach at Oklahoma State University.

Miles’ unique ability to twist the language, his BIG white LSU golf cap, his unusual habit of tasting the grass field prior to games, and occasional outbursts of passion along the sidelines endeared him to many LSU fans.

Well, as long as the team was winning.

Les Miles was fired in September, 2016 and replaced by assistant coach Ed Orgeron. Coach Miles posted a record of 77-34 (69.3%) over his 12 seasons at LSU.

Coach O is from the bayous of south Louisiana (Larose) and spoke fluent Cajun to the delight of many LSU fans. The former offensive lineman played college football at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, LA prior to entering the coaching profession.

Ed Orgeron was at LSU for six seasons and posted a 51-20 record (71.8%) prior to being terminated after the 2021 football season. His 2019 LSU team (led by future NFL quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Jamar Chase) went a perfect 15-0 in winning the national championship.

Orgeron’s lack of personal discipline began to carry over to the LSU football team. When the LSU started to struggle on the field, fans didn’t find Coach O as charming and funny anymore.

Enter Brian Kelly

Coach Kelly’s track record of coaching success has been quite impressive.

He brought Western Michigan from 4-7 in year 1 to 9-4 three years later in 2005 with a rare bowl game for the Broncos.

The University of Cincinnati hired Brian Kelly in 2006. The Bearkats quickly became national championship contenders after Coach Kelly’s teams posted 10-3, 10-3, and 12-0 records from 2007 – 2009.

Notre Dame tapped Brian Kelly to come and revive the Fighting Irish starting in 2010.

In 12 seasons at South Bend, Coach Kelly’s teams won 92 games and lost 39 (a 70.2% winning percentage). The final five years of his tenure at Notre Dame had the team winning ten or more games in each season.

LSU Athletic Director Scott Woodward (an LSU grad) hired Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly to take over the under-disciplined LSU football team beginning with the 2022 football season.

Coach Kelly was totally different from Les Miles and Ed Orgeron.

He wore nice suits to press conferences and spoke much like a polished television analyst to the assembled press.

Perhaps Brian Kelly thought, “If Les Miles and Ed Orgeron can win national championships with Louisiana’s talented football players, I should be able to do it, too!”

That’s certainly what LSU fans expected when this “Yankee” coach was hired to pilot their beloved Tigers football team back to greatness.

They signed Coach Kelly to a whopping ten year, $100 million contract in April, 2022.

If he is fired prior to the end of the 2031 football season, Kelly will still receive 90% of the remaining money on that long-term contract.

Ouch.

The less-than-affable Brian Kelly led LSU to records of 10-4 and 10-3 in 2022 and 2023. A 9-4 record in 2024 and this year’s 4-1 start has BK’s LSU record currently at 33-12 (73.3%).

You might notice that Coach Kelly’s record at Notre Dame was also in the 70% winning percentage range.

Spoiled fans? Not us!!!

Let’s take a closer look at the last four LSU head football coaches and their records.

Nick Saban – 2000-2004 – 48-16 (75%) + the 2003 National Championship

Les Miles – 2005-2016 – 77-34 (69.3%) + the 2007 National Championship

Ed Orgeron – 2016-2021 – 51-20 (71.8%) + the 2019 National Championship

Brian Kelly – 2022-Current – 33-12 (73.3%) – No SEC or National titles – yet

All four coaches hovered around a 70% winning percentage. Coaches Saban, Miles, and Orgeron each captured a national championship while at LSU.

Keep in mind that the trio won those national titles prior to the advent of today’s cash-grab called the NIL. Players can and do transfer annually in pursuit of more money and additional playing time.

It’s hard to say how much more difficult it is for LSU coach Brian Kelly to compete in today’s environment. LSU spent nearly $20 million this season to primarily overhaul its defense for this season.

The 4-1 LSU Tigers have some really tough upcoming SEC games.

This Saturday, LSU will host 3-2 South Carolina.

Then it’s a road trip to 5-1 Vanderbilt, a home match-up with 5-0 Texas A&M, at 4-1 Alabama, at home versus 2-3 Arkansas and 5-1 Western Kentucky and finish the regular season at 5-0 Oklahoma.

Anything less than finishing 9-3 is certain to have a growing number of LSU fans ready to donate to the “Fire BK Fund” after the season ends.

Given the gauntlet of LSU’s upcoming opponents, I think finishing 9-3 would be downright exceptional this season.

When Brian Kelly was hired, I told a couple of long-time friends that Coach Kelly would bring more discipline to the LSU football program.

His previous track record also suggested that LSU should win 8-10 games per year (70+%) and, perhaps, lead to a few opportunities to win the SEC and compete for another national title.

Thus far, Brian Kelly has met my original expectations. I’ll give him a “B” through this point in Year #4.

Perhaps that is why Nick Saban is doing those vacation rental commercials today

Coach Nick Saban retired from Alabama two years ago at age 71 for good reasons.

He was smart enough to see that Bama could not continue to stockpile 5-star and 4-star high school stars and dangle the carrot of “You will make big bucks in the NFL if you will just stay here and play on my championship football teams!”

Bama’s bench players were good enough to receive financial offers from any number of top football programs.

The Tide’s starters wanted even more loot to stick around to play another year in Tuscaloosa.

Nick Saban had already coached for two seasons in the NFL. He knew how pro football players (making more money than the head coach) failed to respond to his highly disciplined program.

Coach Saban demanded tight control and a locker room full of players committed to following every minute detail of his playbook in order to win championships.

The growing pile of money in college football today means that some players prefer to grab the cash right now rather than play for a national championship caliber team. They also know that NFL teams will track and draft the most talented players – wherever they should play college football in any year.

Today’s mantra is, “Pay me now, and then pay me more once I reach the NFL.”

Unfortunately, LSU fans need to understand that a national championship is not a given at any university these days.

It would cost LSU’s supporters more than $51 million to send Coach Brian Kelly out the door and to the golf course after the 2025 season ends.

Coach Kelly came to LSU with the goal of winning a national championship. His fiery outburst toward a reporter at a recent post-game press conference suggests to me that he is not giving up on that quest this season.

Keep an eye on LSU’s Brian Kelly over the next two months as the second half of the season unfolds.

If he shows up at a weekly press conference with a set of golf clubs up near the podium, it’s likely that Brian Kelly has been chatting with Nick Saban about one of his “fun” vacation rental units!

The post Nick Saban is right – “No Games, No Fun”! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

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SwampSwamiSports.com presents my first attempt to rank every team playing in the NCAA’s FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) for games played through Saturday, October 4, 2025.

The FBS (large division) schools have the Associated Press (media-based) and AFCA (the coaches) providing their own weekly poll. Of course, yours truly entered that field several years ago and just published his first rankings for the new season today.

The FCS (formerly called NCAA Division 1-AA) currently features a Coaches Poll and another (media) poll called STAT.

You will be able to see this week’s Coaches’ poll to compare against the SwampSwamiSports.com FCS rankings this week.

How did the FCS Coaches’ Poll have the 2-3 Idaho Vandals at #13 this week?

This FCS Coaches’ Poll apparently gives a lot of weight to teams which have performed well in previous seasons. Idaho has been a regular in the 24-team FCS playoffs.

Perhaps that is why the 2-3 Idaho Vandals are ranked #13 in this week’s Coaches’ Poll. They came in at #71 (correct) in mine.

Idaho lost two close games at FBS members Washington State (13-10) and San Jose State (31-28). The Vandals were beaten at 5-0 Montana (41-30). Idaho performed well against three tough opponents, but that is still three losses in five games.

Their two wins have come at home by just seven points against 2-3 St. Thomas (Minnesota) and by 14 points over 1-5 Utah Tech.

Let’s see how well Idaho plays the rest of this fall. If Idaho starts to rack-up the wins, they will move up my rankings in the next few weeks.

The FCS has some really cool team nicknames!

The NCAA’s small college division features 129 teams this season.

Longtime FCS power Delaware (the Blue Hens) moved up into the now-136 team FBS larger school division this season. They joined Missouri State in becoming members of Conference USA.

I discovered that many FCS teams have some rather interesting nicknames, too.

Today’s initial FCS Top 25 will feature the Mountain Hawks, Jackrabbits, Bison, Paladins (a knight, by the way), Salukis, Hornets, and the Governors.

The lower portion of this week’s FCS rankings will find the Delta Devils (Mississippi Valley State), the Penguins (Youngstown State), the Leathernecks (Western Illinois), the Sharks (Long Island University), two sets of Lumberjacks (Stephen F. Austin and Northern Arizona), and the Fighting Camels (Campbell).

Check it out!

The FCS has fewer unbeaten teams than the large school division FBS

There are fewer unbeaten teams (eight) in the FCS through October 4 as compared to the larger division FBS (15) this week.

That’s because many FCS schools accept one or two invitations per year to travel to the bigger schools and play for a large financial guarantee. Paydays of several hundred thousand dollars give a boost to smaller schools’ athletics budgets.

North Dakota State has dominated the FCS football group for much of the past two decades.

The Bison have won ten of the past 14 football titles.

Missouri Valley rival South Dakota State Jackrabbits has claimed two national championships during the past three seasons.

The Missouri Valley Football Conference seems loaded again this season with three teams in the initial SwampSwamiSports.com FCS Top 25 rankings this week.

There are 13 FCS Conferences plus two teams playing as independents (Merrimack Warriors and Sacred Heart Pioneers).

Let’s provide the rules for the SwampSwamiSports.com FCS Top 25 rankings:

1. Teams without a loss are ranked higher than any team which has lost a game. Why should a team with a perfect record be ranked below a team with one loss?
2. A team with six wins is ranked above a team with five or fewer wins. Why? Because they have earned one more victory than teams ranked below them.
3. Your team’s “best win” is determined weekly against your opponent which has the best won/loss record thus far in the season. It matters who you beat!
4. Preference is given to your team’s “best win” if it comes on the road vs. a home win.
5. Ties are broken by point differentials in each team’s “best win”.
6. A win over an FBS large college team receives preference over any win over an FCS school. A win over another FCS team receives preference compared to a win over any NCAA Division II, Division III or NAIA team.
7. When two teams have identical records, a head-to-head win over the team with the same number of losses is ranked higher (highlighted in yellow).
8. All decisions by the administrator of this site (me) are FINAL!

There you have it!

Each team should stand on its own merit based on this year’s body of work. By the end of the season, some of the long-time favorites may work themselves back into the upper tier and be worthy of another invitation into the 24-team FCS playoffs beginning the weekend of November 29.

Let’s give credit to this week’s top teams as we unveil the entire 129-team FCS rankings for games played through Saturday, October 4, 2025!

The post FCS (1-AA) Small College Rankings for all 129 teams! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

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It’s October and time for the return of the ever-popular SwampSwamiSports.com College Football Top 25 rankings!

This week, I provide a ranking for all 136 FBS (large division) college football teams.

This poll is not like the others. Wins and losses really matter here. A victory over a competitive opponent also carries more weight than playing the resume builders.

Don’t come crying if your team already has two losses (Penn State, Notre Dame, Florida State and Texas, for example).

They aren’t in this week’s Top 25.

Those teams do have time to correct course, win more games, and might (eventually) climb back into the Top 25 before season’s end. Beating a quality opponent (such as 5-0 Oklahoma this Saturday, Texas fans) actually carries a lot of weight here.

My SwampSwamiSports.com rankings are a snapshot of the season’s results through the end of each weekend of play. This week’s top group of teams could easily change should a someone lose a game or your past opponents suffer losses, too.

Ohio State is the defending national champion, but the 5-0 Buckeyes are not in the top spot of this week’s initial rankings. They are in the top five, though.

If you are new to my site (welcome!), here are my rules for ranking college football teams on SwampSwamiSports.com:

1. Teams without a loss are ranked higher than any team which has lost a game. Why should a team with a perfect record be ranked below a team with one loss?
2. A team with six wins is ranked above a team with five or fewer wins. Why? Because they have earned one more victory than teams ranked below them.
3. Your team’s “best win” is determined weekly against your opponent which has the best record won/loss record thus far in the season. It matters who you beat!
4. Preference is given to your team’s “best win” if it comes on the road vs. a home win.
5. Ties are broken by point differentials in each team’s “best win”.
6. A win over an FBS team receives preference over any win over an FCS school.
7. When two teams have identical records, a head-to-head win over the team with the same number of losses is ranked higher.
8. All decisions by the administrator of this site (me) are FINAL!

So, a 6-0 team this week will trump (at least for one week) any 5-0 team.

That’s just the way the schedule goes.

The other 5-0 squads are evaluated to determine the record of the best team which they have defeated in 2025. All unbeaten teams, though, are ranked ahead of those with one-loss.

Teams playing early-season cream puffs will be discounted – regardless of its national name recognition.

My rankings tend to give more weight to mid-majors than the AP and Coaches’ Polls

Yes, this poll gives mid-major teams such as this week’s group of Memphis, North Texas, Navy, and UNLV a boost. Unfortunately, all they can do is win the games on their schedule.

Speaking of UNLV, the 5-0 Runnin’ Rebs defeated 1-4 UCLA 30-23 back in Week #2. UCLA fired its coach. The Bruins apparently turned around and spanked highly-rated Penn State 42-37 last weekend.

The AP still does not list UNLV in its top 25 this week.

They are #15 in mine.

Last Monday found 20 unbeaten FBS teams remaining. Five undefeated teams bit the dust last weekend to leave 15 without a loss in the 136 large school division.

There are also three teams who are still searching for their first win.

Sam Houston and U-Mass are both 0-5, but the Oregon State Beavers are 0-6 and have achieved the coveted #136 ranking at the bottom this week.

Find your favorite school! All 136 FBS teams were ranked this week!

Note – If you are looking for my initial FCS (small college) rankings, I will release those results a little later this evening in a separate post.

Let’s roll into the SwampSwamiSports.com College Football Top 25 for the week ending October 4, 2025:

The post Return of the SwampSwami College Football Top 25! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

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By now you’ve read about last weekend’s ugly fan treatment of the European golf team as the United States hosted the biennial Ryder Cup matches at Bethpage Black Golf Course east of New York City.

It’s one thing to lustily boo your opponent in a sports competition.

Showering the visiting golfers and their families with *-bombs and alcoholic beverage baths took boorish behavior to a new low last weekend at the Ryder Cup.

For the record, I’m not a Rory McIlroy fan. I find him a bit too egotistical on the golf course.

Rory did not deserve to be greeted at the first tee at last weekend’s Ryder Cup by thousands of inebriated New York fans with a lusty chorus of “’#$@! you’, Rory!” either. McIlroy’s wife (who made the mistake of coming to support her husband) received an unexpected beer shower during one round last weekend.

NBC’s audio team did a fabulous job of minimizing the vulgarities and jeering crowds throughout the weekend. The crew deserves an Emmy for their creative work in keeping the foul language minimized to American viewers at home.

It was downright embarrassing.

The Ryder Cup is a big money grab by the PGA Tour and PGA European Tour

Golf fans paid an incredible $750 (correct!) to buy one of the 50,000 daily tickets sold to the 2025 Ryder Cup. Reports confirmed that the golf course was so crowded that most fans didn’t enjoy the experience – even if the Americans would have won (they didn’t).

The ticket revenue from this three day golf event amounted to a cool $112.5 million.

The good news? That $750 daily ticket came with one free sandwich, bag of chips, and a soft drink – at no cost!

Beer was sold for $15 per can. American golf fans cried in a lot of beer during the first two days of the Ryder Cup.

It’s safe to say that the worldwide television rights, spectator boxes, practice round passes, refreshments, programs, and other merchandising associated with the Ryder Cup easily generated at least an additional $100 million worth of loot for the PGA Tour and PGA European Tour.

Surprisingly, the 12 European golfers only received complimentary transportation, lodging, and food for their 15-13 win last weekend. That’s because PGA European Tour needs that boatload of Ryder Cup money to financially prop-up their tour during most seasons.

The US-based PGA Tour handed the American team a $300,000 charitable contribution plus a $200,000 discretionary payment this year. Most American golfers added the incremental portion to their charity(s) of choice.

It’s good to be a multi-millionaire golfer in the year 2025, isn’t it?

Large passionate home crowds + alcohol = A recipe for problems

The growing issue of fans behaving badly usually involves the combination of large numbers of very passionate sports fans plus alcohol to loosen their inhibitions. It can make for a very explosive combination.

It’s not a new phenomenon.

A pudgy 22-year old Jack Nicklaus was involved in an 18-hole playoff against western Pennsylvania’s golf superstar Arnold Palmer in the 1962 US Open at Oakmont Country Club near Pittsburgh.

Arnie was ten years older and at the peak of his golf career.

Local fans showered Jack Nicklaus with untimely “Fat Jack” comments all day throughout the 18-hole playoff.

Jack Nicklaus (whose father was in the gallery) said afterwards that he was so focused on winning that he didn’t even hear the heckling and jeers. The coy younger Nicklaus won by three strokes to claim his first major championship. Arnold Palmer expressed disappointment with the poor sportsmanship displayed by some of his most loyal fans.

The Phoenix Open’s 16th hole has added more fuel to the golf flames

What could possibly go wrong when tournament organizers squeeze 20,000 golf fans into the grandstands surrounding a 180-yard par-3 hole and sell alcoholic beverages all day long?

The now famous 16th hole at the TPC Scottsdale (Arizona) golf course has become the show-within-the-show at February’s annual Waste Management Phoenix Open.

Golfers walk into the 16th hole arena much like it is a bullfighting ring. The loosened-up crowd loudly cheers for good shots but won’t hesitate to lustily boo any golfer who (gasp!) should miss the green on his tee shot.

Many PGA Tour players enjoy this unique hole and play along with the spirited (hic!) crowd. Other golfers have made it a point to skip this tour event entirely due to the mayhem and circus atmosphere at the 16th hole.

A little bit definitely goes a long way.

Profane – “To treat (something sacred) with abuse, irreverence, or contempt; to debase by a wrong, unworthy, or vulgar use”

The Merriam-Webster dictionary definition seems appropriately applied to some of the fans’ behavior at last weekend’s Ryder Cup in New York City.

Remember the movie Happy Gilmore when cocky veteran pro golfer Shooter McGavin hired a heckler to shout a well-known phrase during Gilmore’s backswing?

Last weekend’s crowd at the Ryder Cup made European golfers (Rory McIlroy in particular) feel much the same way – just with more gusto and colorful metaphors.

College home crowds have become more profane, too

College football and basketball fans are notorious for getting carried away with emotion.

Hours of pre-game parties filled with alcohol can inspire some of the home team’s fans to invent some rather creative but profane chants toward opponents.

Duke basketball’s “Cameron Crazies” are true collegiate professionals when it comes to inventing creative chants, heckling, and jeers aimed at the opposing players.

Some can be downright funny and (begrudgingly) chuckled at by the opponents. Other times, the student section’s chants can turn personal and degrade into the profane variety.

Last Saturday’s Brigham Young University at University of Colorado Big 12 Conference football game turned ugly. Some CU fans shouted a variety of expletives and religious slurs aimed at the Mormon-based Utah school’s team and its fans.

The Big 12 Conference handed down a $50,000 fine to Colorado on Monday for the profanity hurled toward BYU.

This past spring, the Big 12’s University of Arizona basketball fans also shouted similar “#$@! the Mormons” chants as BYU took a one-point win.

Brigham Young fans aren’t exactly the friendliest bunch at their home games, though. Ask long-time rival Utah about how competitors can be treated when coming to play in Provo.

Code-of-conducts are being ignored

To its credit, the University of Colorado already had a Code of Conduct in place for its athletic events. A portion of the Colorado code states:

“Guests will enjoy the game day experience free from disruptive behavior including foul, abusive, obscene or discriminatory language or gestures. Guests found not adhering to these policies are subject to ejection without refund and loss of current or future tickets to all Colorado Athletic events.

You cannot stop a game to identify and eject hundreds or even thousands of rowdy home fans. A chant started by a small group can quickly spread to thousands in mere seconds.

It’s much like seeing a small group of fans get “The Wave” started in a football stadium filled with nearly 103,000 fans.

Speaking of LSU, one of my sons played trumpet in the LSU Tiger Band years ago. A longtime favorite song (Tiger Rag) had to be discontinued for several years after the student section added a phrase akin to “Dirt Bags” to a section of that song.

LSU’s rendition of the song “Neck” has become so profane that even Mike the Tiger’s ears turn red when he hears the vulgar phrase added by fans to a portion of that song.

In defense of LSU’s current generation of fans, it was 1959 when Tiger fans began chanting the spirited “Go to He**, Ole Miss!” aimed at their bitter rivals from Oxford.

It’s time to use technology to encourage better fan behavior

Nearly every college and professional sports team features one or more large electronic message boards to provide the score, stats, information, and, of course, advertisements.

It would be very easy for sports teams to increase the use of those massive billboards before and during games to remind overzealous fans about the likelihood of being ejected and the home team penalized for profane outbursts.

Perhaps visiting coaches could be permitted to throw a red flag and pull their teams off the field for a few minutes to delay the game until the home team is able to settle down its fans.

The game officials could (perhaps) assess the home team with a time-out or some type of additional penalty/foul due to the unsportsmanlike actions from its fans. The home crowd is most likely to positively respond to a request from their own coaches and players to settle down.

It’s worth a try!

Legendary Deputy Barney Fife could be shown on the video boards with a stern warning to “Nip it in the bud!”

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Welcome to October! Temperatures (for many) will soon be falling into a more comfortable range very soon.

Sadly, it will remain well over 90 degrees in my area for at least another week. Drat.

Most college football teams have played at least four games thus far. The college season has been stretched to 12 games, so that means we’re only 1/3 of the way home. A conference championship game and the 12-team playoff will await the “lucky” survivors.

The Associated Press boldly provided a preseason Top 25 ranking nearly two months ago and now shuffles the deck every week.

You might remember that preseason poll featured Clemson (now 1-3) as the #4 team. Ouch!

Here are the AP’s top 5 teams for this week:

1. Ohio State 4-0
2. Oregon 5-0
3. Miami (FL) 4-0
4. Ole Miss 5-0
5. Oklahoma 4-0

The American Football Coaches Association had the same #1-4 teams but elevated 4-0 Texas A&M into their #5 position. The AP had the Aggies at #6.

Sorry, A&M fans. It isn’t a big “whoop!” to be #6 right now.

That’s because there are still twenty unbeaten FBS teams out of the total of the 136 college football teams playing in the NCAA’s upper division!

Any one of these unbeaten teams that could finish at 12-0 would be a virtual lock to participate in the 12-team College Football Playoffs in December.

Let’s meet those 20 unbeatens! First, the 5-0 teams (alphabetically)

Georgia Tech (5-0) – The AP’s #17 team has been one of the biggest surprises of the college football season.

The Ramblin’ Wreck had to rally in the final two minutes last week, avoid its first accident (loss), and eventually defeated a tough 2-2 Wake Forest team. G-Tech’s remaining ACC schedule does not include Miami or Florida State, but the Yellow Jackets must face rival Georgia in the final regular season game of the season.

Indiana (5-0) – These Hoosiers appear to be for real. The AP’s #8 team clobbered formerly unbeaten Illinois 63-10 and will next play at unbeaten Oregon in two weeks. IU must also travel to AP #7 Penn State in November. The Hoosiers do not have #1 Ohio State on this year’s regular season schedule.

Iowa State (5-0) – The Big 12 Cyclones are the AP’s #14 team this week.

A favorable schedule shows BYU (currently at #23) and Arizona State (#25) as the only ranked teams blocking Iowa State’s path to an unbeaten season. The Cyclones’ defense has played exceptionally well in each of the first five games.

Memphis (5-0) – American Conference leader Memphis took down Arkansas (now 2-3) a few weeks ago but has yet to crack the AP Top 25. These blue-clad Tigers have a very favorable schedule and could run the table.

Missouri (5-0) – Would you believe that Missouri Tigers (the AP’s #17 team) have played their first five games at home?

Mizzou’s sixth game of the season will also be at home on October 11 against 4-1 Alabama. Missouri’s next six SEC games will find the Tigers traveling to play four of them. Oof!

North Texas (5-0) – The Mean Green are 5-0? Indeed, they are! The American Conference’ second 5-0 team has scored 33 or more points in each game this season (did you catch that, LSU?). Unranked North Texas does not have a Top-25 team on its remaining schedule.

Ole Miss (5-0) – Coach Lane Kiffin’s team has zoomed out the gate to another impressive start in 2025.

The Rebels took down formerly unbeaten LSU last week to move into the AP’s #4 spot. Back-to-back road games at Georgia and Oklahoma in mid-October will be crucial for Ole Miss to position itself for a playoff spot.

Oregon (5-0) – This year’s NIL champion ($40 million paid to its players) finds #2-ranked Oregon in an excellent position after five games.

An October 11 meeting with unbeaten Indiana is the only remaining Top 25 game on the Ducks’ schedule.

Vanderbilt (5-0) – The good news? Vandy is 5-0 for the first time since 2008!

The bad news? The #16-ranked Commodores must face four Top 25 opponents in its remaining seven games.

There are 11 additional teams which are 4-0 as of October 1

BYU (4-0) – The Cupcake Cougars of the Big 12 have enjoyed several games against lesser competition. A trio of Big 12 games against rival Utah, at Iowa State, and at Texas Tech will test #23 BYU.

Houston (4-0) – This other Big 12 team of Cougars narrowly avoided cat-astrophe last Friday night.

U of H rallied from behind in the fourth quarter to defeat winless Oregon State. A nationally televised game this Saturday night (6PM CDT on ESPN) has unranked Houston playing host to #11 Texas Tech.

Louisville (4-0) – The preseason pastries have now vanished from Louisville’s remaining schedule. The unranked Cards will host AP #24 Virginia this Saturday (2:30PM on ESPN2) and then travel to play the #3-ranked Miami Hurricanes on Friday, October 17.

Maryland (4-0) – Terrapins aren’t known for being very quick creatures. Maryland’s first month schedule was incredibly easy, so the AP does not have them ranked yet.

The Terps should move (slowly, of course) up the national rankings should they defeat three Top 25 teams over their next six games.

Miami (FL) (4-0) – It just feels like #3-ranked Miami is ready to hoist a national championship banner in South Florida. They bought (with the help of pirate-sized NIL loot) top-tier quarterback Carson Beck away from Georgia. The Canes play exceptional defense and allow less than 12 points per game. Saturday night’s clash with #18 Florida State (6:30PM CDT on ABC) will be the final game on Miami’s schedule against a Top 25 opponent.

Navy (4-0) – The third team from the American Conference with an unblemished record this week is the Naval Academy. The unranked Midshipmen could sail through October. Navy must will face a trio of tough road games in November by traveling to North Texas, Notre Dame, and Memphis.

Ohio State (4-0) – Last year’s national champion sits atop the polls much like King Kong on the Empire State Building.

The #1 Buckeyes vanquished Texas 14-7 in the opening week. The Big Ten schedule for Ohio State is always filled with cream puffs. A month from now will find the Buckeyes playing Penn State and then traveling to rival Michigan.

Oklahoma (4-0) – Boomer Schooner is sailing along this week with a lofty #5 AP ranking after a fairly easy first month.

Don’t look now, but OU’s final seven games will feature six teams currently ranked in the AP Top 25. We might consider handing the national championship trophy to Oklahoma if they (somehow) emerge at 12-0 at the end of November!

Texas A&M (4-0) – Former Aggies coach Jimbo Fisher is playing golf somewhere right now and enjoying his $70 million contract buyout. Second year skipper Mike Elko must navigate his surprising #6-ranked Aggies through four very tough road games (at Arkansas, LSU, Missouri, and arch-rival Texas) during the final six weeks of the season.

Texas Tech (4-0) – The fourth unbeaten team from the Big 12 Conference might have the easiest path to a perfect regular season.

Road games at Houston (this Saturday) and at Arizona State along with a home game against BYU appear to be the biggest remaining hurdles. The #11-ranked Red Raiders are seeking to ride into the College Football Playoff corral for the first time in school history this season.

UNLV (4-0) – The Rebels are the lone Mountain West team with an unbeaten record. UNLV has scored 30 or more points in each of its first four games. A Saturday, October 18 road game at 3-1 Boise State appears to be the biggest hurdle remaining for the unranked Rebels to clear.

Don’t forget about the 11 unbeaten FCS teams!

This year, SwampSwamiSports will provide a weekly Top 25 ranking for both the FBS (large school division) and (new for this year) the smaller FCS grouping of teams.

October 1 finds just 11 of the 129 FCS college football teams without a loss.

There are only four FCS teams with a 5-0 record starting October:

Lehigh Mountain Hawks (Patriot Conference)

Presbyterian Blue Hose (Pioneer Football League)

Tarleton State Texans (United Football Conference)

West Georgia Wolves (United Football Conference)

Four additional teams have a 4-0 mark through last weekend’s games:

Montana Grizzlies (Big Sky Conference)

North Dakota State Bison (Missouri Valley)

South Dakota State Jackrabbits (Missouri Valley)

Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (Ohio Valley/Big South)

Three Ivy League teams are now 2-0 as those schools didn’t play a game until September 20:

Dartmouth Big Green

Harvard Crimson

Yale Bulldogs

Will any FBS or FCS team emerge with a perfect record at the end the season?

The 2024 FBS champion Ohio State finished with 14-2 record in January as the winner of the first 12-team College Football Playoffs.

Last year’s FCS winner was North Dakota State – which also finished with a 14-2 season mark.

It is incredibly difficult to navigate 16 (or, possibly, 17) games to a perfect season.

The number of unbeaten teams will start to dissipate as the college football season continues.

Come back on Monday (October 6) to check out this season’s initial SwampSwamiSports.com College Football Top 25 rankings for EVERY FBS and FCS team for games played through Saturday, October 4.

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What a great weekend of sports!

Golf’s Ryder Cup was held outside of New York City. The Major League Baseball season ended without the Houston Astros making the playoffs for the first time since 2016. A number of exciting college and pro football games were played, too.

Can we discuss lunch in Lafayette, LA?

The UL-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns football team had revenge on their minds Saturday afternoon in the south Louisiana swamp. Marshall University had trounced the Louisiana Ragins’ 31-3 at Cajun Field in Lafayette last December to capture the 2024 Sunbelt Conference title.

Marshall returned to the scene of last year’s triumph on Saturday in the first Sunbelt Conference game for both teams.

The Herd thundered out to a 34-17 third quarter lead to send a “Haven’t we seen this before?” chill over the home crowd at the recently-renovated Cajun Field.

UL-Lafayette coach Michael Desormeaux then handed the football to his back-up quarterback as starter Daniel Beale continued to struggled.

It was Lunch time in Lafayette!

Redshirt sophomore back-up signal caller Lunch Winfield entered the game and quickly satisfied the crowd of 20,125 hungry Ragin’ Cajun hometown fans. Lunch (yes, that’s his real name) ran for 129 yards and three touchdowns and passed for 125 yards and two more scores as UL-Lafayette rallied to take a thrilling 54-51 double overtime win over Marshall.

Lunch Winfield was a high school championship quarterback at Louisiana Class 4-A Lu(n)tcher High School outside of New Orleans.

If the Ragin’ Cajuns (now 2-3) should need a lift at quarterback in a future game, fans will start the “Lunch time!” chant.

Louisiana Tech’s defense feasted on five interceptions to win at UTEP

The Bulldogs of Louisiana Tech moved to 4-1 as the defense scored 12 points on two “pick-6” interceptions returned for touchdowns in a 30-11 win over the University of Texas at El (Intercepted) Paso Saturday night.

Louisiana Tech’s defense has already delivered five defensive touchdowns this season.

UTEP turned the ball over five times on errant passes, while Louisiana Tech (now 2-0 in Conference USA play) gifted four turnovers back to the 1-4 Miners.

UL-Monroe ended a 15-game losing streak to Arkansas State with a 28-16 win

Those pesky Red Wolves from Arkansas State had defeated the UL-Monroe Warhawks on the football field in every season since 2009.

Surprisingly, ULM designated Arkansas State for its homecoming game in 2025. A crowd of nearly 21,000 celebrated as the Warhawks rallied from an early 10-0 deficit to thrill the homecoming fans with a 28-16 victory over their long-time nemesis from Jonesboro, Arkansas.

Coach Bryant Vincent’s Warhawks (now 3-1) will fly to Chicago for this Saturday’s 2:30PM CDT match-up with Northwestern University (2-2) of the Big Ten Conference.

Yes, LSU’s offense is as bad as we thought

Coach Brian Kelly was offended by a reporter’s post-game question a few weeks ago after the LSU Tigers’ offense looked anemic in a 23-7 win over Louisiana Tech.

He later apologized and reminded fans that last season’s LSU offensive line had sent three players into the NFL and his new offensive line was still learning.

Ole Miss (now 5-0) rolled to 28 first downs on Saturday versus just 16 for LSU in a 24-19 home victory over the Tigers. LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier struggled once again and passed for only 197 yards against the Rebels. The Tigers’ running game was virtually non-existent with just 59 yards on 21 carries (2.8 yards per carry).

LSU offensive coordinator Joe Sloan’s job is looking shaky after LSU again failed to score more than 23 points against its fourth FBS opponent of the season. The Tigers (now 4-1) dropped from #4 to #13 in Sunday’s AP Poll. They have this week off to prepare for South Carolina coming into Tiger Stadium on Saturday, October 11.

Wahoo! Virginia downed #8 Florida State in double OT

The University of Virginia football team has not posted a winning season since 2019. Virginia’s football stadium in Charlottesville still had 10,000 empty seats on Friday night as the 3-1 Cavaliers were hosting 4-0 Florida State in an important early season ACC match-up.

This exciting game went back and forth, but Virginia couldn’t put Florida State away in regulation. Virginia gave up a game-tying fourth down touchdown pass by Florida State during the final seconds of regulation as the Seminoles were able to force overtime.

However, UVa prevailed during the second overtime period and sealed the victory with a fourth-down interception of Florida State quarterback Thomas Castellanos.

Coach Tony Elliott was ecstatic as thousands of fans stormed the field immediately following Virginia’s 46-38 double overtime win over Florida State.

“Man, how fun was that? exclaimed Virginia’s head football coach. “That’s what I envisioned when I decided to take the job here!”

NFL – Micah Parsons returned to Dallas Sunday night and nobody won!

Former Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Micah Parsons was traded to Green Bay one week before the start of the regular season. NBC’s Sunday Night Football game featured Parsons’ new team (Green Bay) coming to Dallas to play the defensively-challenged Cowboys.

The two teams traded offensive punches and finished regulation in a 37-37 tie. The NFL’s curious 10-minute overtime period saw both teams kick a field goal and the game end in a very unsatisfactory 40-40 tie. Green Bay dropped to 2-1-1 and Dallas is now 1-2-1.

One of the biggest NFL surprises coming out of this weekend is the AFC North divisional race.

Pittsburgh (now 3-1) beat Minnesota 24-21 in Dublin, Ireland (aka Pittsburgh East). The AFC North favorite Baltimore Ravens dropped to 1-3 after losing at Kansas City 37-20 on Sunday afternoon. The Baltimore defense has been a major disappointment through four games. Ravens QB Lamar Jackson exited Sunday’s game at Kansas City with a possible hamstring injury.

There are 32 NFL teams. After week #4, there are now just two remaining unbeaten teams at 4-0. AFC preseason favorite Buffalo Bills and the NFC’s defending champion Philadelphia Eagles appear to be on a collision course in February’s Super Bowl if they are to able to maintain form.

Baseball playoffs begin – without the Houston Astros

Tuesday will be the first day of Major League Baseball’s abbreviated Wild Card Series playoffs (best 2 of 3 games).

The American League features the Detroit Tigers at Cleveland (the Guardians…yuck!), while the Boston Red Sox travel to play the New York Yankees. These two series winners will face the Toronto Blue Jays and the Seattle Mariners beginning Saturday.

The Houston Astros finished in a statistical tie with the Detroit Tigers (87-75) for the final American League wild card spot but lost the season series to the Tigers 4-2. This will be the first time in nine years that the Astros have missed the playoffs.

The two National League Wild Card series will match the San Diego Padres at the Chicago Cubs, and the Cincinnati Reds traveling to play the Los Angeles Dodgers. Victors in the Wild Card round will play against the Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies starting on Saturday.

Ryder Cup Wrap – The European team played much better than US!

I watched far too much Ryder Cup golf this weekend!

Awakening before 6AM on Friday and Saturday to cheer the American team to victory resulted in a minor case of sleep deprivation and a weekend of golf-related frustration.

The European golfers led Team USA by an incredible seven points heading into Sunday’s 12 singles matches at famed Bethpage Black. The golf course (formerly known as one of America’s toughest layouts) played “toothless” for most of the weekend. American captain Keegan Bradley had the rough trimmed down so far that errant tee shots landing in the rough often provided a more favorable lie than in the middle of the fairway.

The Yanks put on a dazzling rally on Sunday to narrow the final margin to 15-13 in favor of Europe. Unfortunately, Team USA was unable to overcome that seven point deficit coming into Sunday’s singles competition.

The verbal insults and vulgarity spewed by the New York City crowd toward the European team (Rory McIlroy, in particular) was downright embarrassing. Unfortunately, this weekend’s rude behavior at the golf matches simply confirmed a continued decline in acceptable standards across America.

New York City blew its chance to host another Ryder Cup for a number of decades.

The European team would have won this year’s Ryder Cup regardless the golf course venue.

They probably would have beaten the US squad if the matches had been held at your local Putt-Putt golf course.

European golfers simply enjoy playing in this biennial team competition. The camaraderie of their squad was apparent from Day 1.

Yes, the better team won the Ryder Cup – again. Congratulations!

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The lead-up to Friday’s opening day matches at golf’s biennial Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black Golf Course outside of New York City has been exceptionally cordial and respectful.

European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald and American skipper Keegan Bradley have been (gasp!) downright friendly to each other prior to unveiling Friday’s opening day line-up cards in this often-dramatic golf-a-plalooza event.

“Keegan is someone I’ve always rooted for,” said Englishman Luke Donald.

“I feel lucky that Luke is on the opposite side because we send each other texts and joke around,” said US golf captain Keegan Bradley.

Aw c’mon, gents! It’s time to take the gloves off this Friday. Can you please give us a little more substance to write about?

Europe won the 2023 Ryder Cup event in Rome, Italy with 16 ½ points compared to only 11 ½ for the US squad. The US must score 14 ½ or more points to win the Cup for the home country this weekend.

This year’s event will be played Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in Farmington, New York. Friday and Saturday will feature 2-man team matches.

Sunday’s big finale will have every golfer on the course in one-on-one competition.

The US squad (which has a 27-15 historical lead in this event) wants to reclaim the Ryder Cup this weekend on their home turf.

Enter Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy

DeChambeau may become “Captain America” at this year’s Ryder Cup if thousands of New York area golf fans have their way.

The winner of two of the past five US Opens has transformed himself in recent years into a gung-ho American fan favorite much like the late Arnold Palmer and Payne Stewart.

Bryson DeChambeau flashes a smile after confidently smashing thunderous drives down the fairways. He waves and high-fives with golf fans along the gallery ropes between holes.

DeChambeau turned 32 years old two weeks ago. The Grapevine, Texas golfer claimed the 2020 and 2024 US Open trophies on very difficult golf courses like this week’s venue at Bethpage Black.

Interestingly, Bryson DeChambeau is the only golfer on the American squad who plays on the LIV Golf tour. He received a reported $125 million bonus a few years ago to leave the PGA Tour.

That has made DeChambeau a media focus as questions surround how well he will relate to his teammates from the PGA Tour.

Europe’s top Ryder Cup golfer, Rory McIlroy, seems ready to go head-to-head with DeChambeau this week.

You might recall that Rory and Bryson were paired together in the final round at The Masters in April. McIlroy prevailed to win his fourth different major and became a member of golf’s professional career “Grand Slam” club.

Rory McIlroy refused to talk to DeChambeau during the final round at Augusta National Golf Club. His mental coach suggested that Rory needed to focus on every golf shot and avoid becoming friendly with DeChambeau.

Bryson DeChambeau later told the assembled media at The Masters that he understood, but planned to “Chirp in his (McIlroy’s) ear” if they should be paired together in this fall’s Ryder Cup event.

McIlroy took a swipe back at Bryson DeChambeau this week when he said, “The only way he gets attention is by mentioning other people!”

Hey, Rory! Is Bryson already getting under your skin a little bit, mate?

Let’s meet the 2025 European Ryder Cup Team (with career Ryder Cup record)

Rory McIlroy (16-13-4)

I thought McIlroy’s overall record would have been a little better than this. The fiery golfer from Northern Ireland will exhort his teammates to play boldly and turn the tables on the pro-American crowds at Bethpage this week. If McIlroy plays well, the chances will increase for Europe to spring an upset this week.

Justin Rose (14-9-3)

England’s Justin Rose has been a long-time Ryder Cup fixture for the European team. He could be the most consistently steady player on either team. Rose tends to rise to the challenge in the toughest matches.

Tommy Fleetwood (7-3-2)

Fleetwood finally scored his first PGA Tour win last month. The Englishman is usually a very steady player. Putting under pressure tends to be Fleetwood’s weakness.

Jon Rahm (6-3-3)

He (along with Tyrell Hatton) also plays on the LIV Golf league. The former World’s #1 golfer from Spain plays golf with a lot of intensity – much like Rory McIlroy. If he catches fire this week, Rahm’s low scoring could inspire the rest of the team to an upset win.

Tyrell Hatton (5-4-2)

The Englishman, like Jon Rahm, plays with a lot of emotion. Sometimes that works in his favor and sometimes not. Hatton’s golf game is solid from tee to green, but he is easily thrown off stride when he makes a poor shot or if the crowd heckles him.

Victor Hovland (3-4-3)

Hovland is one of the best ball strikers in the world. The Norwegian star’s precision iron shots will make him a preferred partner in the Friday and Saturday team matches. His putting can be average – especially under the pressure of Ryder Cup matches.

Shane Lowry (2-3-1)

Lowry tends to be a steadying influence for his European teammates. His game soars when he is able to put the ball into the fairway. Ireland’s top golfer struggles at times with his putting under pressure.

Robert MacIntyre (2-0-1)

MacIntyre was a European star in the Rome Ryder Cup two years ago. The Scottish golfer returns to make his second appearance and will face some less-than-friendly American golf fans in the New York area.

Ludvig Aberg (2-2)

Aberg has incredible talent and steadiness for such a young (age 25) golfer. Aberg’s precision iron game means that the Swedish star is likely to see a lot of action in the Friday and Saturday team matches.

Sepp Straka (1-2)

The streaky Sepp Straka won twice this season on the PGA Tour. This Austrian golfer is making his second Ryder Cup appearance.

Matt Fitzpatrick (1-7)

England’s 31-year old Fitzpatrick is making his fourth Ryder Cup appearance. The former US Amateur (2013) and the 2022 US Open champion has lacked consistency at times – especially in his previous Ryder Cup events.

Rasmus Hojgaard – first appearance

This 24-year old Danish golfer has a twin brother (Nicolai) who also plays on the European Tour. Expect the rookie to sit on the Ryder Cup bench for most of the first two days of this event.

2025 Team Europe’s Ryder Cup record: 59-50-19 (54.1%)

And now, let’s meet Team USA!

Justin Thomas (7-4-2)

The 32-year old golfer surprisingly has the most Ryder Cup wins for this year’s US team. Thomas played his way out of a multi-year slump in 2025 and been a consistent top-10 finisher. He plays well to the home crowds and needs to lead by example this weekend.

Patrick Cantlay (5-2-1)

The stoic and slothful Cantlay played well (2-2) in Rome two years ago. Just don’t expect him to appear fired-up by the New York crowds this week.

Collin Morikawa (4-3-1)

Home court advantage means a lot to Morikawa. He went 3-0-1 four years ago when the Ryder Cup was last played in the US.

Xander Schauffele (4-4)

He might become the true “X” factor for this US team. The World’s #3 ranked golfer didn’t win on the PGA Tour this season and may be ready to break out of his slump in this weekend’s Ryder Cup.

Scottie Scheffler (2-2-3)

Expectations are high for World #1 golfer Scheffler (winner of six events this year) to play at a high level in this year’s Ryder Cup in New York. The Texas golfer stays focused on the task at hand and should be hard to beat this week.

Bryson DeChambeau (2-3-1)

The high-energy DeChambeau will be the crowd favorite for Team USA this week. Bryson’s long drives need to find the fairways at Bethpage Black for him to have a successful week.

Sam Burns (1-2)

The former LSU golfer from north Louisiana didn’t have the best year, but he finished strong in the final month of competition. Burns is a terrific putter and may be a highly coveted partner in this year’s Ryder Cup.

Harris English (1-2)

The former University of Georgia standout is making his second Ryder Cup appearance. This steady golfer might be a good fit to match with a fiery partner like DeChambeau.

J.J. Spaun – first appearance

This year’s US Open champion deserves this reward for a great season. The New York crowds will embrace this former journeyman who had his best year in 2025.

Russell Henley – first appearance

The steady Henley quietly rose up the world rankings to his current #4 level. He won Arnie’s golf tournament in March and has been the most consistent player on tour in 2025.

Ben Griffin – first appearance

Griffin won twice on the PGA Tour in 2025. He probably won’t get many chances to play this weekend, but US crowds will embrace this 29-year old Ryder Cup rookie.

Cameron Young – first appearance

The bearded 28-year old grew up in the vicinity and should be a huge New York crowd favorite. Young finally won his first PGA event in 2025 and has played well in majors the past three seasons. He’s ready.

2025 Team USA’s Ryder Cup record: 26-22-8 (54.2%)

And now…SwampSwami’s Ryder Cup prediction!

Interestingly, the overall Ryder Cup winning percentage for this year’s European team (54.1%) is slightly less than the 54.2% winning percentage posted by this year’s golfers for Team USA.

Greater previous Ryder Cup experience could favor the European team in this rather pressurized competition. Team USA has four rookies, but each of those players earned his way onto the American squad this year.

I believe it will be the surprising US rookies (not the veterans) leading the way to victory in this year’s Ryder Cup.

US: 14 ½

Europe: 13 ½

The post The Ryder Cup Rumble Tees-off Friday! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

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It’s still too early to proclaim “It’s over!” for your favorite football team. This past weekend had more than its share of surprises, though.

Gasping at the results (the good and the bad) seemed to be this weekend’s theme.

Some college and professional football teams are off and running in this 2025 football season. They are definitely on a roll.

Other teams have left us scratching our heads at how they could possibly be playing so badly at this point of the football season.

Let’s start with some of the “good gasps” in college football!

Indiana 63, Illinois 10 –Indiana’s blowout win on Saturday night over the formerly unbeaten Fighting Illini was a very big surprise.

Wins over Old Dominion, Kennesaw State, and Indiana State had even tried and true Indiana Hoosiers fans wondering how good their 2025 football team really was. IU certainly answered the call on Saturday! Transfer quarterback Fernando Mendoza passed for five touchdowns as 4-0 Indiana inserted itself into the Big Ten title conversation once again this year.

Texas Tech 34, Utah 10 – The home crowd at Utah is every bit as loud as you’ll hear at any SEC game on a Saturday.

Texas Tech had to insert their back-up quarterback (Will Hammond) into the game in the second half after the starter was injured. Hammond led the inspired Red Raiders offense to 24 points in the final quarter as Texas Tech (4-0) rolled to an impressive road win. There is only one AP Top 25 opponent (BYU – at Lubbock) remaining on the schedule for Texas Tech. Can they run the table?

Ole Miss 45, Tulane 10 – Beating Tulane wasn’t necessarily a surprise, but the Ole Miss back-up quarterback looks to be a better player than the Rebels’ NIL darling 5-star freshman.

Senior back-up quarterback Trinidad Chambliss transferred to “The Sip” from NCAA Division II Ferris State (Michigan). The former high school basketball star runs the Ole Miss offense like an NBA point guard. Chambliss passed for 307 yards and added another 112 yards on the ground against a solid Tulane football team. Unbeaten Ole Miss (4-0) hosts #4 LSU this Saturday afternoon at 2:30PM on ABC. Oh, boy!!!

UL-Monroe 31, UTEP 25 – ULM was coming off of a 73-0 paycheck beatdown at the hands of Alabama two weeks earlier.

A stunned crowd in El Paso’s Sun Bowl watched the Warhawks soar to a 31-7 lead in the third quarter of this game. The Miners then rallied to close within six points late in the fourth quarter. It took not one, but two interceptions by ULM (now 2-1) during the final two minutes to secure a 31-25 victory. The Warhawks’ long-time Sunbelt Conference nemesis Arkansas State rolls into Monroe this Saturday afternoon for a 2PM homecoming game.

Then there were the college football lows…

Syracuse 34, Clemson 21 – The 3-1 Syracuse Orange buried the orange-clad Clemson Tigers Saturday in a five-hour game featuring a 90-minute weather delay during halftime.

Clemson Coach Dabo Swinney is now 1-3 for the first time in his 17-years as the team’s head coach. Syracuse was clearly the better team on Saturday. Clemson’s offense never seemed capable of completing passes longer than ten yards – even when the Tigers were down by multiple scores in the fourth quarter and the remaining crowd groaned its disapproval. Syracuse played well, but Clemson is spiraling out of control and needs an intervention this week.

Tulsa 19, Oklahoma State 12 – The 2-2 Golden Hurricane won this annual match-up for the first time in 27 years and its first game in Stillwater since 1951!

Tulsa played well, but Oklahoma State is imploding for the second straight season under veteran coach Mike Gundy. The Cowboys are now just 1-12 in their last 13 games going back to 2024. Perhaps Coach Gundy and Clemson Coach Dabo Swinney need to commiserate this week.

UCF 34, North Carolina 9 – If you watched the Tar Heels get trounced in their season-opening home game by TCU, this game looked like an instant replay.

The Knights of UCF (now 3-1) scored early and often in taking a 27-3 lead early in the third quarter. Carolina (now 2-2) continues to struggle passing the football and added two more interceptions in this game. UNC’s 73-year old rookie head coach Bill Belichick was able to take another sideline nap in this game. His Tar Heels get this week off to prepare for a visit from Coach Dabo Swinney’s reeling 1-3 Clemson Tigers on October 4.

NFL – Let’s celebrate a victory by these surprising teams!

Carolina Panthers 30, Atlanta Falcons 0 – Did anyone see this one coming?

Formerly winless Carolina (now 1-2) steamrolled their NFC South rival Atlanta in the biggest NFL surprise of the weekend. Former overall #1 draft pick Bryce Young was able to watch Atlanta’s young quarterback Michael Penix, Jr. throw two interceptions and get chased around much like Young has endured over his first two NFL seasons. Atlanta played quite well in a 22-6 win at Minnesota the previous week. The players and coaches obviously didn’t very prepare for Sunday’s game at Carolina.

Cleveland Browns 13, Green Bay Packers 10 – This result was nearly as surprising as the Carolina win.

Cleveland (1-2) trailed 10-0 at home with a little bit more than four minutes left in the game. A field goal followed by a Green Bay turnover allowed the Browns to tie the score at 10-10 with two minutes to go. The Browns then blocked a late Green Bay field goal and converted their own 55-yard game winner on the final play to secure Cleveland’s first win of the season.

Colts and Bolts remain unbeaten! If you predicted both Indianapolis and the Los Angeles Chargers to be 3-0 at this point in the season, you should be very happy today!

Indy blasted hapless Tennessee 41-20 in Nashville to zoom into the AFC South lead. The gritty Los Angeles Chargers stayed unbeaten by taking down AFC West rival Denver 23-20. Quarterback Justin Herbert took the Chargers into the end zone with a touchdown pass with less than three minutes to go and then moved his team into field goal range for the game winning 3-pointer.

NFL lows of the week:

Seattle Seahawks 44, New Orleans Saints 13 – Have you located your favorite Saints paper bag to wear for the remainder of this season?

The winless New Orleans Saints trailed 38-6 at halftime. That was the most points allowed in a half by New Orleans than in any game since October, 1973. The Saints were called for 11 penalties, too. They are now tied with 0-3 Tennessee for the NFL lead in committing the most penalties (31) after three weeks of the season. Seattle (2-1) scored on a 95-yard punt return and also blocked a punt by New Orleans. It was a total beatdown in Seattle.

Jacksonville 17, Houston Texans 10 – The New Orleans Saints were expected to struggle this season, but the Houston Texans (also 0-3) were predicted to win the AFC South.

Third-year quarterback CJ Stroud continues to regress as he tossed two more interceptions to the Jaguars’ defense on Sunday in J-ville. Stroud has more interceptions (3) than touchdown passes (2) as Houston’s offensive struggles worsen. The former Houston Oilers (Tennessee Titans) are also 0-3 and return to H-town for a game this Sunday with the Texans. Someone has to win, right?

Chicago Bears 31, Dallas Cowboys 14 – Dallas dropped to 1-2 with another defensive blooper in Chi-town on Sunday.

The Cowboys’ junior high school pass defense schemes allowed Chicago QB Caleb Williams to complete five passes longer than 25 yards in this game. Williams had four touchdown passes and nearly 300 yards of offense for the Bears (1-2). Dallas lost its top receiver, CeeDee Lamb, with an ankle injury early in this game. Cowboys’ quarterback Dak “Dink” Prescott completed 13 short passes to tight end Jake Ferguson but accounted for just 82 yards. Prescott also completed two passes to the Chicago Bears’ defense as part of four turnovers served-up by the Dallas offense on Sunday.

Green Bay comes into Big D next Sunday night for a nationally televised game on NBC as both teams are coming off a head-scratching loss.

The post Monday Football Recap – Gasps Galore! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

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Lurking off the national media’s radar is the smaller college football division known as the Football Championship Subdivision.

The poorly named FCS is the little brother of the FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) where the big money teams of college football play ball.

The quality of football played at the FCS level can be quite good. Unfortunately, many toil in relative anonymity. The 32-team NFL selected just 15 former FCS football players (6.7%) this spring out of the 224 young men selected in the league’s seven-round draft.

There is much to like about football games played in the FCS

Ticket prices for FCS football games are generally quite reasonable. You can walk-up and purchase a general admission ticket for $15-$20 at many schools. Parking is nearby and likely won’t cost an arm and a leg like it does today at Behemoth U.

There’s usually a home team marching band for your entertainment. Some relatively reasonably priced concessions are available, too.

Football players in the FCS are some of the best high school players from their states and are quite talented. The level of effort given by players at this level is every bit as energetic as that shown by the NIL-incentivized players at Large State University.

The FCS has great conferences, rivalries, and history

There are currently 129 NCAA Division 1-AA football teams in today’s FCS.

The Merrimack Warriors from Massachusetts and the Sacred Heart Pioneers of Fairfield, Connecticut are the only teams playing as independents this year.

Those other 127 FCS schools participate in 13 conferences. Let’s highlight each FCS football conference and provide a little insight about each:

Big Sky Conference (12 teams) – One of the two most dominant football conferences in the FCS, the Big Sky Conference in the Rocky Mountain region has produced the national runner-up in each of the past two seasons (Montana State Bobcats in 2024 and the Montana Grizzlies in 2023).

The “Brawl of the Wild” game every November between the Bobcats and Griz started back in 1897. Other regular contenders in the Big Sky include the Idaho Vandals and the UC-Davis Aggies.

Coastal Athletic Association (14 teams) – The CAA has most of its teams concentrated in the New England area. William & Mary (The Tribe) and former CAA member Richmond Spiders (which joined the Patriot Conference this year) play annually in “The Oldest Rivalry in the South.” This grudge game (also known as the Capital Cup) began play in 1898 and involves two of Virginia’s historical capital cities (Williamsburg and Richmond).

Ivy League (8 teams) – Sure, these are the academic blue-bloods of college football. The Ivy League is best known for its annual Harvard vs. Yale game, but another rivalry is even older. Princeton’s Tigers (New Jersey) and Yale’s Bulldogs (Connecticut) began playing football against each other (1873) two years earlier than Harvard vs. Yale! You might think that a clever name for the series exists (such as the “ACT vs SAT” Bowl). Nevertheless, the next game in this annual rivalry comes on November 15 at Princeton.

One final note – this year marks the first time in 80 years that the Ivy League has permitted its football champion to participate in the FCS playoffs.

Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) (6 teams) – This eastern seaboard conference features six historically-black universities with a long history of big rivalry games. One of them is called the “Battle of the Beltway.” The Howard University Bison (Washington, DC) and the Morgan State Bears (Baltimore) have played this game since 1899.

Missouri Valley (10 teams) – Competition is downright fierce in the Missouri Valley football conference. The defending national champion North Dakota State Bison have won ten of the past 14 FCS football titles. NDSU’s primary Missouri Valley Conference foe, the South Dakota State Jackrabbits, have won two of the last three national championships.

South Dakota State also has a beef with intrastate rival University of South Dakota (the Coyotes). Their game has been contested annually since 1889 in the heated “South Dakota Showdown” series.

Northeast Conference (9 teams) – Have you ever heard of Mercyhurst (the Lakers), Stonehill (the Skyhawks), and Long Island University (the Sharks)? How about Duquenes (Dukes), Central Connecticut (Blue Devils), New Haven (Chargers), Robert Morris (Colonels), Saint Francis (Red Flashes) and Wagner (Seahawks). The Northeast Conference has not been a perennial FCS football power, but they do have some dandy nicknames!

Ohio Valley Conference/Big South Alliance (9 teams) – This blended FCS football conference involves football teams from the Ohio Valley Conference and Big South Conference. Several universities in those two conferences do not have field a football team. The OVC/Big South Alliance began in 2023 and will continue through at least the year 2030. The conference champion receives an automatic bid into the FCS playoffs.

Patriot League (8 teams) – This conference began in 1986 and has schools located in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions. Two members of the Patriot Conference (the Lafayette Leopards and the Lehigh University Mountain Hawks – both located in eastern Pennsylvania) play in the oldest college football series in the country. “The Rivalry” game dates back to 1884.

Lafayette (which leads the series with 84 wins vs. 73 for Lehigh along with five ties) plays host this year’s grudge match on November 22.

Pioneer Football League (11 teams) – This far-flung conference (which began in 1993) has member schools in nine different states on both the East coast (Stetson in Florida and Marist in New York) and the West coast (University of San Diego). The remainder of the Pioneer Football League is concentrated in the Midwest and Southeast. Did you know that the PFL is the nation’s only non-scholarship, football-only FCS conference?

Southern Conference (9 teams) – Founded in 1921, the Southern Conference once was the home of multiple FCS champions including Georgia Southern and Appalachian State. Those two schools moved up to the FBS level and now participate in the Sunbelt Conference. SoCon’s two South Carolina entries at The Citadel (Bulldogs) and the 1988 FCS champion Furman (Paladins) have played football against each other 104 times since 1913. This year’s battle will occur on October 25 at Furman.

Southland Conference (10 teams) – The SLC has (since 1963) served as a springboard for a number of schools which later decided to move into the large-school FBS group. Former Southland members include current FBS schools such as Arkansas State, Texas State, UL-Lafayette, and UL-Monroe (the 1987 FCS champ) of the Sunbelt Conference. Louisiana Tech and Sam Houston (the 2020 FCS champ) now play in Conference USA. Former Southland members North Texas and UT-San Antonio moved into the American Athletic Conference.

Long-time Southland Conference members Northwestern State (LA) University and Stephen F. Austin (TX) still wage battle every November for a giant 7-foot wooden trophy (recently renamed as “The Chief”). This spirited Piney Woods series originated in 1923 and will be played on November 20 in Natchitoches, LA.

Southwestern Athletic Conference (12 teams) – College football games in the SWAC can be very entertaining, but the marching bands in this particular conference are downright stellar. Founded in 1920, the SWAC is one of the oldest conferences in the FCS. The league features historically-black universities located in several southern states.

Louisiana’s legendary Grambling State University (Tigers) and Southern University (Jaguars) always sell-out the Superdome in New Orleans for the annual Bayou Classic match-up.

Fans dare not leave their seat during the halftime “Battle of the Bands.” This season’s Bayou Classic will be played on November 29.

United Athletic Conference (9 teams) – This 2023 FCS conference is the blending of football-playing teams from the Atlantic Sun Conference and the now-defunct Western Athletic Conference (WAC). One year from now, the UAC will become the official sports home for all schools participating in this conference. Most member schools are currently located in the South and Southwest.

The FCS Playoffs – A 24-team system which the big boys should utilize

Two of the 13 FCS conferences have opted not participate in the current playoff system. The SWAC plays its own league championship game and then sends its winner to face the MEAC champion in the annual Celebration Bowl in Atlanta.

This annual game in December usually determines the HBCU national champion.

The SWAC and MEAC schools apparently reap greater financial benefits from their traditional season-ending game than from the satisfaction of pursuing a national championship in the FCS group of schools.

Other FCS football conferences will place at least one representative into the five-week national championship playoff series.

The FCS 24-team playoffs are comprised of:

1. 1. 1. 10 automatic qualifiers (winners from participating conference), plus 2. 14 “At-large” teams chosen by the FCS Playoff Selection Committee.

That selection committee is comprised of one representative from each of the ten participating conferences. The committee also determines the top eight FCS playoff seeds – which receive a first round bye in the 24-team event.

Selection Committee members will match-up the 16 teams participating in Week #1 with geographic considerations given to minimize the travel burden of visiting teams.

Below is this year’s FCS playoff schedule. The first round games get underway on the weekend of Saturday, November 29, 2025:

Week #1 – Eight first round games – Teams #9 – 24 participate (Seeds #1-8 receive a bye in the opening week)

Week #2 – Eight second round games – hosted by Seeds #1-8

Week #3 – Quarterfinals – hosted by the four highest remaining seeds

Week #4 – Semifinals – hosted by the two highest remaining seeds

Week #5 – Finals – to be played at the Vanderbilt University football stadium in Nashville, Tennessee.

Good luck finding tickets to the title game, though. Prices (as of today) start at more than $150!

The previous 15 FCS title games have been played in Frisco, Texas (north of Dallas). Frisco’s stadium (which is primarily used as a soccer facility) is undergoing some major renovations and will not be ready to host the next two FCS title games.

Nashville gets a chance to shine for the next two years as an audition. The future location of the FCS title game beginning in 2027 has yet to be determined.

The post Meet the FCS! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

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Imagine going to school and receiving a weekly report card about your work during that week.

Micromanaging each student’s weekly effort at school seems like a big waste of time for the teacher, student, and parents. It would likely have almost zero meaning by the end of the school term.

Welcome to the early season college football polls! This is where well-intended subjective decisions are made to tell American fans who the top 25 football teams should be.

Every week, the Associated Press and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) poll their voters to determine their respective top 25 teams.

The Associated Press has about 60 sportswriters and media representatives participating in its weekly college football poll. We hope that anyone selected for one of those coveted spots will do their homework and provide a relatively unbiased guess as to the top college football teams.

The AFCA poll consists of 67 current college football coaches.

Can you imagine how much time those emotionally and physically spent football coaches will take on a Sunday morning to do this? I wouldn’t want to get up early, read how well other college football teams had been doing, and then go cast a vote on the Top 25 by midday Sunday, would you?

Both of these two primary polls advise their members to assign the #1 team with 25 points and then continue downward until the #25 team receives just one point. The votes are then tabulated, and the polls are released on Sunday afternoons during in the college football season.

How much do we REALLY know after the games played during Week #3?

Some teams have already played one or more games against vastly over-matched opponents (who simply want to receive a big paycheck and hope that no players were injured in the game). Perhaps a few of those groggy coaches or media members might be impressed by some of last weekend’s blowout wins.

Most are not.

Let’s take a look at the AP Pre-season Top 25 rankings and see how those teams were ranked after Week #3:

1. Texas – Now #8 (2-1)
2. Penn State – Now #2 (3-0)
3. Ohio State – Now #1 (3-0)
4. Clemson – Now Unranked (1-2)
5. Georgia – Now #5 (3-0)
6. Notre Dame – Now #24 (0-2)
7. Oregon – Now #6 (3-0)
8. Alabama – Now #8 (2-1)
9. LSU – Now #3 (3-0)
10. Miami (FL) – Now #4 (3-0)
11. Arizona State – Now Unranked (2-1)
12. Illinois – Now #9 (3-0)
13. South Carolina – Now Unranked (2-1)
14. Michigan – Now #21 (2-1)
15. Florida – Now Unranked (1-2)
16. SMU – Now Unranked (2-1)
17. Kansas State – Now Unranked (1-2)
18. Oklahoma – Now #11 (3-0)
19. Texas A&M – Now #10 (3-0)
20. Indiana – Now #19 (3-0)
21. Ole Miss – Now #13 (3-0)
22. Iowa State – Now #12 (4-0)
23. Texas Tech – Now #17 (3-0)
24. Tennessee – Now #15 (2-1)
25. Boise State – Now Unranked (1-1)

Seven college football teams (Clemson, Arizona State, South Carolina, Florida, SMU, Kansas State and Boise State) have already been bounced out of the AP Top 25. Some may return prior the College Football Playoffs and a few currently-ranked teams may drop out by season’s end.

Why bother ranking the major college football teams until they have have played two or more major opponents?

The LSU Tigers are ranked #3 this week primarily because of two wins (at Clemson and Florida) over teams considered to be worthy competition.

LSU’s opponent this Saturday finds the Tigers hissing at the Lions of FCS member Southeastern Louisiana. This weekend’s cat fight in Baton Rouge kicks-off at 6:45PM CDT on the SEC Network.

You can’t blame LSU for scheduling a few cupcakes. This is what happens when college football teams are now playing 12 regular season games.

Notre Dame (0-2) appeared to have been rewarded this week with a #24 ranking this week after playing their first two games against power schools Miami (FL) and Texas A&M. The next ten games for the Fighting Irish will feature only one team (#25 USC) ranked in this week’s AP Top 25.

Notre Dame fans will claim their worthiness to be in the 12-team College Football Playoffs if the Irish should vanquish their next ten opponents – regardless of how weak those teams actually are.

The majority of this week’s AP Top 25 teams have played just one quality opponent through the first three outings of the season.

Does Artificial Intelligence know the best teams at this point of the season?

I took the question to one of the so-called geniuses of artificial intelligence today. X.com’s “Grok” gave me his list of this week’s Top 25 teams. They are remarkably similar to the AP and Coaches’ polls.

However, “Grok” ranked South Carolina at #17 and Vanderbilt at #24.

I asked, “But Vanderbilt completely destroyed South Carolina 31-7 last Saturday night in Columbia, South Carolina! How can you place 3-0 Vandy below 2-1 South Carolina after last week’s game”?

The AI provided a rambling answer about the strength of schedules and other statistical mumbo-jumbo instead of admitting, “You may have a good point there, SwampSwami!”

AI is not ready to take my place (at least, not yet).

Watch for the return of the SwampSwamiSports.com Top 25 rankings coming by no later than Monday, October 6!

There simply isn’t enough statistical evidence to determine the best teams in America until college football units have played at least five games on their schedule.

Winners and Losers from College Football’s Week #3

Winners:

Miami Hurricanes – Despite Ohio State’s #1 ranking based on last year’s finish, the 3-0 Miami Hurricanes have dispatched two very good teams (Notre Dame and South Florida) in their first three games. Miami remains at home for the fourth consecutive game to play the wounded Florida Gators (1-2) Saturday at 6:30PM CDT on ABC.

Vanderbilt Commodores – Quarterback Diego Pavia put on another clinic in Vandy’s 31-7 shellacking at formerly unbeaten South Carolina last Saturday.

The 3-0 Commodores will host two consecutive mid-majors (Georgia State and Utah State) before heading to Tuscaloosa on October 4 for a rematch with Alabama.

LSU’s defense – It took every one of those five interceptions against Florida’s D.J. Lagway in Tiger Stadium to preserve a close win for the offensively-challenged LSU Tigers. Coach Brian Kelly has declared that he wants the LSU defense to lead the way this season. Perhaps moving a few LSU’s talented defenders to the offensive side of the ball might be a good idea.

Georgia Tech – They’re not flashy, but the Ramblin’ Wreck deserved Saturday’s win against a fading Clemson team.

Somehow, 3-0 Georgia Tech does not have to play Miami, Florida State, and SMU on its ACC schedule this year. Could the Yellow Jackets surprise everyone and win the league?

Louisiana Tech – The 2-1 Bulldogs are on a mission to win Conference USA this season before moving into the Sunbelt Conference next fall (hopefully).

A 49-14 win over C-USA foe New Mexico State on Saturday was a good start for the Bulldogs.

Losers:

South Carolina – The Gamecocks had a chance to increase their lofty national ranking with a home win over Vandy last Saturday. Carolina (now 2-1) must regroup quickly in a very balanced SEC this year.

Tennessee – The Heartbreak Kids of college football lost another big game to Georgia – at home. Vols coach Josh Heupel must rally his troops with a goal of running the table in the SEC and getting into the College Football Playoffs again.

Iowa State – The only 4-0 team in major college football struggled for most of Saturday’s 24-16 win at 1-2 Arkansas State of the Sunbelt Conference.

Three of the Cyclones’ wins have come by less eight points or less. A win is a win, but Iowa State must improve with a tough Big 12 schedule ahead.

Arch Manning/Texas – We now see why Quinn Ewers was the Texas starting quarterback during Arch Manning’s first two seasons in Austin. Manning’s passing and leadership skills look questionable as he moves into year #3 in Texas. The 2-1 Horns may need to bench their quarterback soon, as Arch Manning’s confidence is shaky at best.

Billy Napier – Florida (1-2) played hard at LSU on Saturday night. The coach didn’t throw five interceptions in the Gators’ 20-10 loss. Florida quarterback D.J. Lagway (like Arch Manning) may be another over-hyped high school QB who has become rich on NIL endorsement money.

The Gators must rally to win at #4 Miami this Saturday to have any chance of saving Coach Billy Napier’s job.

Good luck with that one!

The post Ignore the College Football polls until October 1 appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

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***There will not be an audio podcast for this show due to my lingering cold this week.

For those old enough to remember the voice of Froggy of The Little Rascals, that’s what I sound like today!

The #3 ranked and 2-0 LSU Tigers will host a wounded pack of Florida Gators and their coach on his flaming hot seat on Saturday night in Tiger Stadium. ABC will televise the game at 6:30 PM CDT.

Florida (1-1) lost to surprising 2-0 South Florida last week 18-16.

The fourth quarter of the game was filled with questionable play calls by the Florida offense and a 15-yard penalty called on Gators defensive tackle Brendan Bett for expectorating on an unsuspecting South Florida offensive lineman.

DaBulls seized the moment.

South Florida moved 87-yards in the final two minutes and kicked a 20-yard chip shot field goal on the game’s final play and celebrated with a two-point win.

Almost 90,000 Gators fans sat in stunned silence after watching yet another miserable performance by their very unpredictable football team.

Florida’s embattled coach Billy Napier is now in his fourth season.

His record of 20-20 has been a major disappointment. The Gators won the final four games of its 2024 season to finish 8-5.

It appeared that Coach Napier had finally turned the corner.

Last season’s four-game winning streak began with a 27-16 home win over then-#21 ranked LSU. The Gators then ruined #9 Ole Miss’ chances at making the 12-team College Football Playoffs with a gritty 24-17 win.

The Florida Gators seem to play their best football last season when their backs were to the wall.

LSU’s offense needs to up its game this Saturday night to beat Florida

The LSU defense has been the team’s weakest link for the past two seasons. Coach Brian Kelly and his staff jumped into the NIL swimming pool last winter to spend $18 million on transfer players to beef-up the LSU defense.

The Tigers defense has been formidable through the first two games of 2025. LSU held then #4 Clemson to only ten points in a 17-10 road win in Game #1. Louisiana Tech was only able to muster seven points last week during LSU’s 23-7 underwhelming win over the feisty Bulldogs from Ruston.

Without a doubt, the money spent to shore-up LSU’s defense appears to have been a good investment.

Offensively, the Tigers have taken a step backwards in 2025.

Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier was expected to shine after his first full season as the LSU starting QB in 2024.

Passing for 4,052 yards with 29 touchdowns last year lifted the Tigers’ quarterback into the pre-season Heisman Trophy discussions.

It is important to remember last season’s offensive line at LSU featured two players who were very high selections in April’s 2025 NFL draft.

West Monroe High School’s Will Campbell became the #4 overall selection by the New England Patriots.

Campbell has already earned the starting job at left tackle for the Patriots.

LSU’s right tackle last season was Emery Jones, Jr. from Baton Rouge Catholic High School. Jones was selected in the third round by the Super Bowl favorite Baltimore Ravens.

The 2025 LSU five-man offensive line is retooling without those two very exceptional players.

Garrett Nussmeier has completed 54 of 79 passing attempts in LSU’s first two games. His 54 completions have produced just two touchdowns for an LSU offense which is scoring a measly 20 points per game early this season.

Games between LSU and Florida nearly always produce a thrilling outcome

LSU fans (both at Tiger Stadium and at home) are asked to wear their gold t-shirts and jerseys for Saturday night’s game against Florida.

This long series between LSU and Florida is as close as you can get. LSU has 34 wins. Florida has 34 victories. There have even been three ties in this long SEC series.

The Tigers have won five of the last six meetings against Florida.

Do not underestimate the fact that Florida’s coach Bill Napier is under a great amount of pressure to produce a win this week. The Gators have the toughest schedule in major college football in 2025. There are no cream puffs left.

Coach Napier’s contract buyout would cost the Gators $19.5 million with 50% of that amount due within 30 days.

An ugly loss at LSU on Saturday will find the proverbial hat being passed among the top Florida supporters to send Coach Napier packing.

Check out these additional games to circle this weekend

2-0 Wisconsin @ 1-1 #19 Alabama – 11 AM CDT on ABC

Bama was blitzed 31-17 at Florida State in Week #1. The team looked sluggish and was out-hustled by the Seminoles. Fans were not pleased.

The Crimson Tide recovered by obliterating UL-Monroe 73-0 last Saturday. The Warhawks’ primary goal for the game was to collect its $1 million payday and return on I-20W to northeastern Louisiana without sustaining any serious injuries.

The Wisconsin Badgers have won two cupcake games to open their season. It is nearly impossible to gauge how good Wisconsin might be, but the Badgers’ starting quarterback (Billy Edwards, Jr.) will miss this week’s game due a sprained knee. Uh-oh.

The folks in Las Vegas believe that Bama will win this game by three touchdowns. But who knows which version of the Alabama football team will show-up this week? We’ll find out soon.

2-0 #6 Georgia @ 2-0 #15 Tennessee – 2:30 PM CDT on ABC

The Bulldogs and Vols each feature two new starting quarterbacks in this rock ’em, sock ’em SEC series. Last year’s back-up Gunner Stockton has become Georgia’s signal caller in 2025. The Dawgs’ tough defense has allowed just 13 total points in two warm-up games against Marshall University and Austin Peay.

Tennessee transfer QB Joey Aguilar has tossed five touchdown passes after leaving UCLA in favor of good ol’ Rocky Top (Woo!). Will Tennessee’s defense rise up on Saturday in Knoxville?

Georgia is a slim 4-point road favorite. Tennessee’s high scoring offense vs. Georgia’s stingy defense makes for an intriguing Saturday afternoon match-up.

2-0 #18 South Florida @ 2-0 #5 Miami Hurricanes – 3:30 PM CDT on the CW Network (correct)

Will the Bulls run in Miami on Saturday afternoon? South Florida is 2-0 with victories coming over two top-25 teams (Boise State and Florida). Will they claim their third straight highly-ranked victim?

The Miami Hurricanes are quite aware of South Florida’s stifling defense. Former Georgia quarterback Carson Beck played well for the Hurricanes against Notre Dame in Week #1 and must be repeat that performance on Saturday, too.

Miami has been made a 17-point home favorite against South Florida. However, a 60% chance of thunderstorms in Miami on Saturday may give South Florida a chance to keep this game close.

2-0 Arkansas @ 2-0 #17 Ole Miss – 6 PM CDT on ESPN

The Hogs have scored more than 50 points in each of their tune-up games in Fayetteville against FCS member Alabama A&M and intrastate rival Arkansas State. Quarterback Taylen Green has passed for an amazing ten touchdowns in just two games. Can Arkansas keep its foot on the gas pedal on the road at Ole Miss?

Coach Lane Kiffin should be nervous about his new Ole Miss quarterback, Austin Simmons. The sophomore QB has thrown four interceptions to go along with three touchdowns in Rebels’ first two games. Ole Miss was fortunate to escape Kentucky with a 30-23 win last week. They are a 6 ½ point home favorite against the Hogs.

Will the real Ole Miss Rebels – please stand up?

2-0 Vanderbilt @ 2-0 #11 South Carolina – 6:45 PM CDT on SEC Network

This game has a lot riding on it for both teams. Vandy continues to bask in the glow of last year’s gigantic upset win over Alabama. Quarterback Diego Pavia decided to return this season in hopes of boosting Vandy to another level after last year’s 7-6 finish. The Commodores balanced run/pass game is geared to control the clock and keep games close against the top teams.

South Carolina (ranked a surprising #11 – in my opinion) heavily depends on its quarterback, too. LaNorris Sellers has been receiving significant Heisman Trophy hype based on his performance in the final few games of the 2024 season. His willingness to run the ball to convert first downs may spell the difference in this interesting game.

Each team has defeated Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA this season. Vandy won last week 44-20, while South Carolina went home with a 24-11 season opening win. Las Vegas believes that Carolina should be a three-point home favorite.

Insomniac Special – 2-0 Minnesota @ 2-0 California – 9:30 PM CDT on ESPN

What? Does anyone really care about Minnesota and Cal?

I think you should. California’s freshman quarterback with a six syllable last name, JK Sagapolutele, shows the poise of a junior on the field.

The Hawaii native is fun to watch in the pocket.

The Minnesota Golden Gophers defense has allowed a total of just ten points in eight quarters of action. Those impressive stats were earned in a couple of cupcake tune-up victories, though.

The Gophers have been made a 2-point road favorite, but watch out for Cal!

This late-night gem just may keep you awake after midnight if the game stays close.

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The myriad of companies which spent billions of dollars to purchase the television rights for NFL football every week are feeling downright giddy about their investment decisions after Week #1.

Thursday night’s opener featured an NFC East match-up between America’s most beloved and hated team (Dallas) at the defending Super Bowl champions in Philadelphia.

The Eagles won the game 24-20 as neither team was able to score any points after more than a one-hour weather delay during the second half.

Many of us watching the game on NBC hoped that the network would finish-up its commercial allotment during the weather delay so that we could watch the final quarter without significant interruption.

Nope!

The scoreless and sluggish fourth quarter still had NBC taking its usual commercial breaks (though some felt a bit shorter). This game dragged on for well over four hours as Philadelphia’s slim 24-20 lead remained in jeopardy until the end.

You couldn’t have scripted a better ending – for television and in Las Vegas. Philly won the game, but Dallas covered the 8-point betting line.

An average of more than 28 million people watched the season-opening game on NBC.

The NBC prime time weeknight line-up over this past summer captured just 10% of that number. That’s right! NBC drew less than three million viewers to its weeknight line-up from mid-June through August.

ABC and CBS had a similar fate. All three networks drew fewer weeknight viewers than a cable news network (Fox News) this summer.

My, how times have changed!

A mere 50 years ago, the big three networks featured TV programs like Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, MASH, Three’s Company, and All in the Family drawing 20-30 million viewers every week.

ABC’s new Monday Night Football program lagged far behind the top ten rankings every week. Fall 1975 television ratings showed ABC’s Monday Night Football in 22th place.

The show was able to draw a 21% ratings share of the TV audience, though. That meant Monday Night Football’s audience in 1975 amounted to about 15 million Americans (21% of the 70 million TV households).

We have observed how fragmented and fractured the television pie has become in the last 50 years. Cable television led in adding new competitors beginning in the 1980’s. Additional competition from online streaming competitors has grown significantly in the past decade to further fragment the television market.

Even Friday night’s YouTube TV game from Brazil drew 16 million viewers!

I don’t pay to watch online streaming provider YouTube TV. Most people don’t.

That didn’t stop 16 million people from watching Friday night’s NFL game from Sao Paulo, Brazil between the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers on YouTube TV.

Friday nights are generally considered a TV wasteland. Many weeknight viewers hit the town for dinner, a movie, or some other entertainment options instead of staying home to watch television.

That makes last Friday night’s NFL game ratings for YouTube TV even more impressive.

NBC’s Sunday night football match-up between Baltimore and Buffalo pulled-in 25 million viewers

Two of the NFL’s likely Super Bowl contenders put on a whale of a show on NBC’s Sunday Night Football debut.

The Buffalo Bills rallied from 15 points down in the fourth quarter and won the game 41-40 on the final play on a field goal by 41-year old kicker Matt Prater.

He wasn’t even on the Buffalo roster until Thursday last week after the Bills’ regular kicker (Tyler Bass) severely injured his groin and was unable to play. Matt Prater had been helping coach his son’s youth league football team on Tuesday and ended the week by booting the winning field goal for the Buffalo Bills just five days later.

It was that kind of a game for football fans to watch in the stadium and at home. NBC’s television advertising staff must have been jumping for joy.

The NFL had delivered yet another thriller on national television in Week #1.

Football is the only television product with the power to attract so many viewers

The ratings giant called football (primarily NFL and, to a lesser extent, college football) serves as a beacon which pulls millions of Americans back together to watch a game on one primary source/network every week.

The NFL’s Super Bowl game averages well over 100 million viewers while being carried on just one television network each February.

Conversely, last summer’s 2024 Presidential debate between incumbent Joe Biden and Donald Trump drew less than half of that number (51 million). That debate was carried across a myriad of networks and online platforms for home viewers.

Accordingly, the NFL (by a 2-1 margin) is more popular with Americans than politics.

Perhaps that may be a very good thing!

Why is NFL Football so popular with TV viewers?

In a word, it’s addiction.

Let’s begin with fantasy football. More than 30 million Americans are playing in a fantasy football league this fall.

Accordingly, that means that 30 million people (like me) are investing some time every week to keep up with the top players and teams. They must draft players and try to improve their roster in weekly matches against friends, co-workers, or someone else.

Monday night’s Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears game had me checking the television a few times to keep tabs on the outcome.

My top Fantasy Football receiver (Justin Jefferson of the Vikings) needed to score just a few points on Monday night for my team (called SwampGas) to secure a Week #1 victory in a friendly Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football league.

It took until midway in the fourth quarter for the Vikings (and Justin Jefferson) to catch fire. The former LSU wide receiver scored a touchdown in Minnesota’s 27-24 win over the Bears and to deliver an unexpected victory for my fantasy football team.

Some fantasy football leagues (like mine) are played purely for fun with no money involved on the outcomes. However, millions of people are playing in cash leagues for (hopefully-for IRS purposes) relatively small amounts.

Having a little money wagered on your fantasy football team definitely creates an addictive property leading more people to watch weekly football games.

Another football-related addiction has been the growth of online sports betting

More and more states are approving online sports wagering as governmental agencies want to tap into every possible source of new revenue.

More than 15% of the wagering on pro football occurs online. Nearly half of the 50 US states have approved online sports wagering and more are likely to follow.

Those who regularly plunk down their dollars on weekly wagering are more likely to watch the games on television every week to learn either good or bad news.

Finally, the seasonality and weekly nature of football lends itself to regular viewing

September brings somewhat cooler temperatures for much of the country. The more moderate temperatures tend to bring Americans back outside for a few months before winter settles in.

The weekly cycle of football games brings fans together at high schools, colleges, and professional stadiums to enjoy the improved weather conditions and an exciting game.

Football (unlike baseball and basketball) is only played once per week. It allows the players a chance to rest from a very physical sport which takes quite a toll.

That same waiting period serves to allow millions of fantasy football players and online betters a chance to regroup for a few days ahead of the next week of games.

From September through January, football serves as a weekly habit as it attracts like-minded people to watch an action-packed sport filled with increasingly familiar names.

The 32 NFL franchise owners are riding this lingering wave of pro football’s popularity.

The owners are smiling all the way to the bank while watching the value of their franchises rise by billions of dollars over the past decade.

The good ship NFL is delivering – for the owners, the fans, and the growing number of people who are earning a living off the league.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell earns about $64 million per year.

Admittedly, he seems quite overpaid for what he actually does, but the results of his sports league remain impressive.

Roger Goodell’s 32 billionaire employers have given him positive job reviews for his work over the past decade.

It’s good to be the king!

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The second full weekend of college football produced a lot of points. Many of the visiting teams knew that they were going to be over-matched.

A $1 million payday was exchanged for keeping the home team’s fans happy with an overwhelming victory.

Legendary radio announcer Casey Kasem would have loved this weekend’s games

Ten major colleges put-up sixty or more points in their game during Week #2. Let’s replay a few of the top golden oldie hits from coast-to-coast!

77-3 – #14 Florida State scalped E. Texas A&M

73-0 – #18 Alabama trampled the ULM Warhawks

72-17 – #22 Tennessee obliterated E. Tennessee State

70- 0 – #1 Ohio State grounded Grambling State

69-3 – #6 Oregon outflanked Oklahoma State

68-0 – Unranked Nebraska nailed Akron

68-7 – Unranked UCF hung-up on North Carolina A&T

66-0 Unranked Minnesota mauled Northwestern State

63-9 – #25 Utah clobbered Cal Poly

62-14 – #24 Texas Tech throttled Kent State

That’s 688-54(including four shutouts) for an average victory margin of 69-5.

That’s not all! Grab your calculator and check out nine more FBS teams which scored 50 or more points this weekend.

59-12 – Georgia Tech wrecked Gardner-Webb

59-20 – USC jousted Georgia Southern

56-3 – East Carolina clamped down on Campbell

56-9 – #23 Indiana over Kennesaw State

56-14 – Arkansas hog-tied Arkansas State

56-14 – Florida Atlantic rattled Florida A&M

55-7 – Temple humbled Howard

54-6 – Old Dominion dominated North Carolina Central

51-14 – Boise State blasted Eastern Washington

What has happened to Oklahoma State?

Stillwater’s legendary eatery Eskimo Joe’s is even hotter than the Big 12’s OSU Cowboys football team.

A 69-3 shellacking at the hands of the reigning NIL champion Oregon Duck$ has Oklahoma State fans plenty upset.

Longtime OSU coach Mike Gundy opened-up a bottle of truth serum last week. He told the assembled media that the University of Oregon is buying a top-rated college football team with $40 million worth of NIL goodies being handed out to its football players.

The big sugar daddy for the Oregon Duck$ football team is rumored to be Nike’s billionaire founder, Phil Knight.

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning took a shot at Mike Gundy (whose team spent a reported $7 million in NIL loot on its football team).

“We spend to win. Some people save (money) to have an excuse for why they don’t, right?” said Lanning last week.

Saturday’s 69-3 embarrassment at Oregon was Oklahoma State’s worst loss since the year 1907.

OSU coach Mike Gundy is now in his 21st year with the Big 12’s Cowboys. He has posted only two losing seasons in his first 20 years as the team’s head coach.

Unfortunately, last season’s 3-9 record (0-9 in Big 12 Conference play) already had fans on edge heading into the 2025 campaign. Coach Gundy (who played quarterback at Oklahoma State during the 1980’s) agreed to restructure his contract after last season with his current contract buyout estimated to be $15 million.

Don’t expect Oregon to lend Cowboys’ fans any money to finance that buyout!

Louisiana Tech’s Bulldogs gave #3 LSU a tough game in 23-7 loss to the Tigers

LSU’s impressive season opening 17-10 win at Clemson apparently went to their heads. The Tigers were vaulted up to #3 in the AP poll this week following their big road win on national television.

LSU played its first home game of the year on Saturday night in Tiger Stadium against intrastate foe Louisiana Tech.

Somebody forgot to tell the 37-point under (bull)dogs about how the script for this game was supposed to go. LSU fans expected Louisiana Tech to lose by 37 or more points and then happily collect their $1 million paycheck walking out of Tiger Stadium as the bus caravan drove everyone safely home to Ruston.

The Bulldogs barked and Tigers hissed at each other’s offense for much of the night.

LSU emerged with a hard-fought 23-7 win to move to 2-0 on the season. Louisiana Tech fell to 1-1 but earned a lot of respect from the 102,000 mostly LSU fans on Saturday night.

LSU’s lack of offensive punch has become a growing concern heading into this Saturday’s home game against the Florida Gators (1-1).

The LSU offensive line was the team’s biggest question mark before the season began. Unsurprisingly, the Tigers have tallied just 17 and 23 points in the first two games.

LSU’s much-improved defense cannot be expected to carry this team every week of the season.

Congratulations to Coach Bill Belichick for his first win at North Carolina!

The 73-year old NFL coaching legend took his 0-1 Tar Heels on the road Saturday evening into Charlotte to face the equally 0-1 49ers.

Something had to give.

Charlotte had more first downs (21-15), more time of possession (31 minutes to 29), but also threw two interceptions to the North Carolina defense which effectively torpedoed their chances.

North Carolina’s 20-3 win was the first for their rookie head football coach. UNC will host the FBS Richmond Spiders next weekend. The pressure ramps up with a road trip to Orlando to play UCF in two weeks. The Heels will host defending ACC champion Clemson on October 4.

Clang those cowbells! Mississippi State upsets #12 Arizona State on last minute TD

Football fans of the Mississippi State Bulldogs haven’t had many chances to break-out their famous cowbells in joyous celebration in recent years.

The Bulldogs completed a 59-yard touchdown pass with 30 seconds to play and surprised the former #12-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils 24-20 in Starkville on Saturday. It was the biggest win for MSU against a top 15 non-SEC opponent since 1991.

Mississippi State is now 2-0 with a good chance to roll a turkey (three in a row) next week at home against the 0-2 Alcorn State Braves.

Keep an eye on these up and comers in 2025!

Illinois – Quarterback Luke Altmyer looks like a Heisman candidate as the Fighting Illini moved to 2-0 with a 45-19 drubbing of Duke in Durham, North Carolina Saturday. Altmyer passed for 295 yards and three touchdowns in the win.

Oklahoma – Sooner transfer quarterback John Mateer also joined the Heisman chat with a dominant 270-yard passing game and added 74 yards on the ground in OU’s 24-13 win over Michigan. The 2-0 Sooners need to win these early season games as their final seven match-ups will be incredibly difficult. Oklahoma will have home games with Texas, Ole Miss, Missouri, and LSU and then takes to the road to play at South Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama. OU (CH)!

South Florida – The 2-0 Bulls entered the AP Top 25 this week at #18 after kicking a game-winning field goal on the final play to upset the former #13 Florida Gators 18-16 in Gainesville. That makes two straight top 25 wins for South Florida after the Bulls stampeded #25 Boise State 34-7 in Week #1. They will go for three in a row Saturday as the Bulls charge into Miami to play the #5 Hurricanes.

Expectorate the unexpected from the University of Florida!

The NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman Jalen Carter was thrown out of his team’s season opener last Thursday for spitting on Dallas Cowboy quarterback Dak Prescott.

On Saturday in The Swamp, University of Florida defensive lineman Brendon Bett became the next player to hurt his football team by being flagged for an unsportsmanlike pitooey!

Florida was holding onto a narrow two point lead late in the fourth quarter when Brenden “Hockaloogie” Bett let loose on an unsuspecting South Florida offensive lineman.

The 15-yard penalty moved South Florida closer into field goal range as the upstart Bulls kicked a 3-pointer on the game’s final play in a 17-16 win.

Florida head coach Billy Napier was spitting fire afterwards.

“When a guy does something like that, he’s compromising the team. He’s putting himself before the team,” said Napier.

Florida travels to play SEC rival LSU on Saturday night in Baton Rouge. The LSU public address announcer always pumps up the home crowd before kick-off by saying, “The chance of rain? NEVER!”**

This week, he might want to add, “But there might be a chance of personal precipitation coming from some of the Florida players!”

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Did you watch Monday night’s University of North Carolina football game against TCU?

It was U-G-L-Y with a capital U.

Carolina thrilled the sellout home crowd by scoring the first touchdown of the night in the opening quarter. Unfortunately, it went downhill quickly from there.

North Carolina was soundly thrashed 48-14 by the upstart Texas Christian University Horned Frogs from Fort Worth.

Blue-clad Carolina fans were downright dejected during and after Monday night’s embarrassing defeat on national television. The 48 points allowed (and it could have been worse) was the largest number of points ever surrendered by a North Carolina football team in a season-opening game.

UNC began playing college football in the year 1888.

More than half of the sellout crowd in Chapel Hill left before the end of the third quarter. They had seen enough.

ESPN’s broadcast team became so bored during the fourth quarter that analyst Kirk Herbstreit put his TV headset over the ears of his support dog (a golden retriever) during the final minutes of this massive blowout.

The dog didn’t think it was very funny, either!

The Tar Heels were led by their rookie college head coach

Perhaps the new North Carolina head football coach and his 24-year old fiancee have been distracted in recent weeks by planning a future wedding.

He didn’t look very well on Monday night.

This rookie college football coach stood stoically along the sidelines with his arms folded for much of the game. His North Carolina football team committed two turnovers which TCU ran into the end zone for touchdowns. TCU’s offense outgained Carolina 542 yards to just 222 yards.

Ouch!

North Carolina’s rookie college football coach seemed vaguely familiar standing alone on the team’s sideline. He wore a rather dull looking gray sweatshirt and appeared unamused by his team’s poor play on the football field.

The Tar Heels have an incredible 70 new players on the roster to begin this season. The majority of them probably wish they had signed to play somewhere else after Monday’s game.

Then again, the Carolina fans might be willing to help many of them pack after Monday night’s implosion.

The new coach then had to meet the assembled press afterwards in his first college football post-game press conference.

He grumbled and mumbled about how he has to coach better and the team has to play better. The rookie coach gave credit to TCU.

“They were clearly the better team tonight,” growled the losing coach.

73-year old Bill Belichick is the oldest coach in college football this season

Long-time New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick is, indeed, that rookie college football coach for the University of North Carolina.

He won six Super Bowl titles in 24 years as the head coach for the NFL’s New England Patriots.

Belichick also had a quarterback named Tom Brady leading his offense for most of those years.

Tom Brady left New England after the 2019 NFL season and immediately won a Super Bowl in Tampa Bay at the end of his first year in southwest Florida.

Bill Belichick’s Patriots (without Tom Brady) sank to 10-7, 8-9, and 4-13 over the next three seasons. That’s when the future Hall-of-Fame coach and New England’s owner mutually agreed that it was time for the longtime coach to vamoose.

Belichick interviewed for the Atlanta Falcons open head coaching job but did not get it. He spent most of last fall’s football season doing TV analyst work as he impressed home viewers with his deep knowledge of the game.

Most football fans were quite surprised when 73-year old Bill Belichick was announced as the new head football coach at the University of North Carolina on December 11, 2024. His entire coaching career (1975-2023) had been spent in the NFL.

The NCAA’s recent NIL rules have allowed college athletes to be compensated (see also – LSU and the University of Oregon this season). Bill Belichick seemed like a comfortable fit to coach in today’s college football’s evolving environment featuring highly paid athletes.

The previous head football coach at the University of North Carolina was Mack Brown.

The former Tar Heel’s leader was (surprise!) 73 years of age when he was fired last November in Chapel Hill.

The UNC Athletics Director has egg on his face – again

North Carolina Athletics Director Bubba Cunningham hired then 68-year old Mack Brown to run the football program beginning in 2019.

Five years later, Cunningham brought in 73-year old Bill Belichick to replace Mack Brown.

The Tar Heels AD apparently feels quite comfortable when a very experienced coach is put in charge of his school’s football team.

The next football coach at the University of North Carolina will not be hired by the 63-year old Bubba Cunningham. He was effectively sent to pasture this summer.

The University of North Carolina will make the current AD train his replacement for the job over this year. Cunningham will transition into an administrative role (i. e. – sidelined from the sports spotlight) next June in 2026.

Former NASCAR auto racing executive Steve Newmark (in his mid-50’s) will take the AD baton next summer at the University of North Carolina.

UNC’s Research Triangle rivals Duke and NC State have outperformed the Tar Heels in football during recent seasons. The Blue Devils men’s basketball team has also dominated the Tar Heels in the ACC standings lately, too.

That’s unacceptable in the Tar Heel state.

B’bye, Bubba.

How many college and pro football coaches are eligible for Medicare (age 65) this year?

It’s a very short list.

The oldest major college football coaches this season are:

Bill Belichick – North Carolina – Age 73 (first year at UNC)

Kirk Ferentz – Iowa – Age 70 (26th season at Iowa)

K.C. Keeler – Temple – Age 66 (first year at Temple)

Kyle Whittingham – Utah – Age 66 (22nd season at Utah)

Willie Fritz – Houston – Age 65 (2nd season at UH)

There are now 136 FBS (major colleges) in 2025 after Delaware and Missouri State were admitted into Conference USA this fall. Only 4.4% of the coaches are age 65 and older.

The only two NFL coaches of Medicare age are Pete Carroll of the Las Vegas Raiders (he turns 74 on September 15) and Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs (age 67).

That makes just two of the 32 NFL coaches (6.25%) over the age of 65.

We remember former Penn State coach Joe Paterno was at the helm for 45 years before being fired in November, 2011 at age 84.

The winningest football coach in major college history (409 wins – all at Penn State) died 74 days after coaching his final football game for the Nittany Lions.

Florida State’s Bobby Bowden made it to age 80 as the head football coach in Tallahassee.

He remains second to JoePa with 377 career college football wins. Coach Bowden had 33 seasons at FSU plus six at West Virginia and four at Howard University. He passed away in 2021 at age 90.

Alabama coaching legend Nick Saban retired at age 72 after the end of the 2023 college football season.

The man with seven championship rings (six with Alabama and one at LSU) has no desire to return to coaching in today’s wild environment.

However, Nick Saban recently expressed a sincere interest to participate in a commission to rein in recent changes in college athletics and enforce new rules on all participating schools.

Age 73 or not, is Bill Belichick the right man for the job at North Carolina?

We’re going to find out soon enough.

This Saturday evening’s 6PM CDT game on ESPN+ has the University of North Carolina traveling to play a sister school, UNC-Charlotte. The 49ers have posted just one winning season in 15 years of participating in major college football.

A loss to Charlotte would be absolutely devastating for UNC faithful and, more importantly, to Coach Bill Belichick.

UNC-Charlotte went 5-7 in 2024. The 49ers were drubbed 33-14 – at home – by Appalachian State in Week #1 last Saturday.

This coming weekend’s football game was expected to be a cake walk for the Tar Heels.

Las Vegas oddsmakers currently have established UNC a 13.5 point favorite over Charlotte this Saturday.

You know that Charlotte’s players and much of the city will be fired-up to play a wounded Tar Heels football team this week.

A loss to Charlotte on Saturday night might signal a very quick end to the college coaching career of Bill Belichick – just two games into his first season at UNC.

Belichick signed a five year contract worth $10 million per season with the first three years ($30 million) fully guaranteed.

Interestingly, Coach Bill Belichick also has the right to pay a $1 million exit fee to UNC in order to get out of his contract, too. That would seem to be the most gracious way to step down.

Belichick would be able to save face with North Carolina football fans by leaving the program quickly and giving the Tar Heels a chance to identify a more dynamic (yes, younger) leader to rebuild the school’s football team beginning next year.

The Charlotte 49ers (just like TCU) are not being discussed by the media this week.

The focus, as it has been for months, has been on North Carolina coach Bill Belichick.

A win over North Carolina and its Hall-of-Fame NFL coach would be the biggest moment in the history of Charlotte 49ers football. They will definitely be ready.

Do you think there’s enough pressure on UNC to win this game on Saturday night?

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I am laboring on this Labor Day Monday as we begin the month of September. The deep South looks forward to heat indexes (hopefully) retreating to less than 100 degrees daily as hurricane season still looms along the Gulf Coast.

The first full weekend of college football has concluded with only tonight’s “Bill Belichick Bowl” game remaining on the schedule.

The legendary NFL coach will lead the University of North Carolina for the first time as the Tar Heels host TCU at 7PM on ESPN. The visiting Horned Frogs are a surprising three point favorite.

The first weekend of college football could be titled “Cupcake Week” as most teams schedule lesser competition for their opening home game.

The results over the weekend confirmed that 83% of the FBS (large division) home teams won their first game.

One of the biggest takeaways from the first week of college football has been from teams which spent a large amount of money to lure new talent to their schools. We’ll analyze that after discussing a few interesting stories from Week #1 in college football.

Hooray! Two long losing streaks have come to an end

Congratulations to FCS member Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, LA.

The Demons broke a 20-game losing streak to win their first football game since November 5, 2022 with a solid 20-10 win over the Alcorn State Braves of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

The 1-0 Demons have their work cut out this week as they travel to play Big Ten member Minnesota on Saturday at 11AM CDT.

The 17-game losing streak of FBS member Kent State in Ohio also came to an end this weekend as well.

The Golden Flashes capitalized on a 100-yard kickoff return with less than six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter to secure a 21-17 win over FCS member Merrimack from North Andover, Massachusetts.

The Golden Flashes winning streak will likely come to a screeching halt this week as Kent State visits high-scoring #23 Texas Tech this Saturday at 11AM in Lubbock. The game will be televised nationally on TNT.

A Tale of Two Coaches

The late Saturday afternoon game featuring Alabama traveling to Florida State may have saved one coach’s career while adding tons of weight to the other.

Florida State coach Mike Norvell went 13-1 in 2023 as he garnered several Coach of the Year awards. University of Washington coach Kalen DeBoer went 14-1 as his Huskies finished national runner-up to unbeaten Michigan. DeBoer surprised many by accepting the job to become Nick Saban’s replacement at the University of Alabama.

The year 2024 saw Mike Norvell’s Florida State team implode to a disastrous 2-10 record.

Internet searches for the term “Mike Norvell buyout” dominated the past 10 months.

New Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer went 9-4 in his first season with the Crimson Tide as the team failed to reach the new 12-team college football playoffs.

Oddsmakers made Alabama a two touchdown road favorite to defeat Florida State on Saturday.

That didn’t happen. FSU spotted Bama an opening touchdown and then rolled to a convincing 31-17 win over the Crimson Tide to open the season 1-0.

Google searches for “Kalen DeBoer buyout” skyrocketed this weekend. His contract would require a $69 million payment to terminate his 8-year deal after this season ends.

Coach Brian Kelly finally gets a season opening win at LSU!

The person in charge of scheduling season opening games for the LSU Tigers made life quite difficult for Coach Brian Kelly.

The head football coach for the Bayou Bengals is beginning his fourth season in Baton Rouge.

Season openers in his first three years came against Florida State (a 24-23 loss in New Orleans in 2022), Florida State again in 2023 (a 45-24 pummeling in Orlando), and against Southern Cal in 2024 (a 27-20 defeat in Las Vegas). Kelly was 0-3 heading into Saturday night’s visit to play #4 Clemson in South Carolina.

LSU’s solid 17-10 win on the road at Clemson may have been the most impressive win of college football’s opening weekend. Coach Brian Kelly’s team was stocked with incoming transfer players – especially on the defensive side of the football.

LSU’s NIL spending was reportedly up to $18 million in the offseason.

The Tigers’ defense was a pleasant surprise as they limited Clemson’s running game to just 31 yards on 20 carries. Clemson’s Heisman hopeful quarterback Cade Klubnik was relatively ineffective. He completed 19 of 38 passes for just 230 yards with one interception on the night.

LSU’s running game helped Louisiana’s Tigers dominate the time of possession 37 minutes to just 23 for the home Tigers of Clemson. Sophomore Kaden Durham bounced off Clemson tacklers all night in rushing for 74 yards on 17 carries and one touchdown.

Garrett Nussmeier was accurate and efficient (29 completions in 39 attempts for 230 yards and one touchdown) in guiding the LSU offense to victory.

LSU outscored Clemson 14-0 in the pivotal second half.

Clemson (0-1) has another home game this Saturday at 2:30PM versus Sunbelt Conference member Troy. LSU (1-0) will host its first home football game of the season on Saturday night against intrastate rival Louisiana Tech with kickoff at 6:30PM CST.

Texas Longhorns fall short in a disappointing 14-7 opening loss at Ohio State

Headline – Preseason rankings are worthless.

The Texas Longhorns were given the mythical #1 ranking before the first game had been played this season. Texas went 13-3 last year in advancing to the college football semifinal round. Highly touted redshirt sophomore quarterback Arch Manning from New Orleans would finally get his chance to guide the Horns this season.

Defending national champion Ohio State made life difficult for Manning’s Texas teammates in a taking 14-7 win on Saturday in a defensive struggle.

Manning completed 17 of 30 passes for just 170 yards with a touchdown and one interception in the game.

Texas (0-1) now plays three straight home games against lesser competition as San Jose State, UTEP, and Sam Houston visit Austin during the month of September. The Horns will travel to play the Florida Gators on Saturday, October 4 in Gainesville.

The Ohio State (1-0) schedule is also rather weak. FCS member Grambling State visits this Saturday with Mid-American Conference intrastate foe Ohio University coming to Columbus on the following weekend.

Notre Dame (as usual) was overrated

Sunday night’s #6 Notre Dame at #10 Miami (FL) game featured former University of Georgia quarterback Carson Beck making his debut for the Hurricanes.

Miami dominated most of the game with Beck completing 20 of 31 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns. Highly touted Notre Dame freshman quarterback C.J. Carr played well at times as he went 19-31 for 221 yards with two touchdowns. Carr had an untimely fourth quarter interception.

The Fighting Irish rallied in the fourth quarter with two scores to tie the game at 24 apiece. Miami kicked a late field goal to take a 27-24 win.

Miami (1-0) flashed a few brilliant offensive and defensive plays on Sunday night. The Canes will host FCS member Bethune-Cookman and the red hot South Florida Bulls prior to playing a fourth straight home game against the University of Florida Gators on Saturday, September 20.

Notre Dame (0-1) takes this week off before traveling to College Station to play Texas A&M on Saturday, September 13 at 6:30PM CDT on NBC. Ouch!

Week 1 Observation – Some of the NIL money appears to have been well spent!

The LSU Tigers spent up to $18 million in NIL loot primarily to improve their defense. A 17-10 win at Clemson on Saturday night confirmed that LSU’s investments have paid dividends through Week #1.

Miami Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck decided against entering the NFL after three years with the Georgia Bulldogs. Instead, he accepted about $4 million worth of NIL incentives to transfer and play his final year of eligibility at the University of Miami. The 27-24 win over Notre Dame on Sunday night advanced Miami to 1-0.

University of Michigan NIL bonus baby quarterback Bryce Underwood appears to be off to a good start with a 34-17 win over New Mexico. Underwood completed 21 of 31 passes for 251 yards and one touchdown in the win. He reportedly was offered about $12 million in NIL cash to forego signing with LSU and play for the Wolverines.

Ohio State’s $4 million NIL deal with wide receiver Jeremiah Smith resulted in six catches for 43 yards in OSU’s 14-7 win over Texas on Saturday. His excellent performance during the 2024 season has defenses paying much closer attention to his pass receiving routes this season.

Texas quarterback Arch Manning’s nearly $7 million NIL worth may or may not prove to be a good investment for the Longhorns. Losing a close game at the home stadium of the defending national champion Ohio State was not very surprising. Manning needs to up his mental game over the next month in preparation for SEC conference play.

Florida State spent a reported $12 million on NIL incentives for transfer players in the offseason. The Seminoles 31-17 trouncing of Alabama on Saturday will entice more Florida State fans to donate money into the NIL collective kitty this week.

Like it or not, welcome to the new world of college football.

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If my boss had approached me at the office and said, “Swami – we want to keep you here for the next five years. We’re going to offer you an annual pay of “X” – all guaranteed up front – no matter how well you perform your job for us!”

Where do I sign?

In professional sports, the athletes are demanding and getting longer contracts with up to 100% of their total pay being guaranteed. In sports, the risk of serious injury is much higher than an office cube resident like me whose biggest trouble might be calling-in sick with a stomach bug or a nasty cold.

A month into the 2024 NFL season, many highly paid football players aren’t exactly delivering results to justify their very expensive guaranteed contracts.

You can’t blame the players for asking for these deals. NFL owners seem willing to do this in order to retain their biggest stars and, of course, to keep those season ticket orders filled.

The cost of these contracts will eventually be borne by us, the consumers of professional sports. Even if you never buy a ticket to a game or any of the team’s overpriced merchandise, the team will still earn a windfall from network television revenues.

As long as we continue to watch the games, of course.

Advertisers covet passionate sports television viewers – primarily males in the age 25-49 bracket

That age group is most likely to buy a house and spend even more money with retailers in order to furnish it. Don’t forget the need to buy that new minivan for a growing family or that sports car as a status symbol for being a successful single professional!

I don’t feel sorry for any team owner if the player with the recently-signed big money guaranteed contract isn’t leading the team to victory.

As long as the owners can squeeze enough money from fans to cover their annual cost of team operations, the value of major league sports franchises continues to rise at a higher annual rate than our 401(k) does.

In 2024, most of the top NFL players with the biggest guaranteed contracts are not producing positive results

The ten NFL players with the largest guaranteed contracts are, for the most part, underperforming in 2024. Let’s reveal the list:

1. Dak Prescott – QB – 2-2 Dallas Cowboys – $231 million guaranteed
2. Deshaun Watson –QB – 1-3 Cleveland Browns – $230 million
3. Joe Burrow – QB – 1-3 Cincinnati Bengals – $219 million
4. Justin Herbert –QB – 2-2 Los Angeles Chargers – $218 million
5. Trevor Lawrence – QB – 0-4 Jacksonville Jaguars – $200 million

The next five are all quarterbacks, too. Lamar Jackson (2-2 Baltimore Ravens) has a guaranteed deal worth $180 million. Then it’s Jalen Hurts (2-2 Philadelphia Eagles with $179 million guaranteed, Jared Goff (3-1 Detroit Lions) at $170 million, Tua Tagovailoa (1-3 Miami Dolphins) at $167 million and Jordan Love (2-2 Green Bay Packers) at $160 million.

Did you notice that there is just one player (Jared Goff) who plays for a team with a winning record through the fourth weekend of play?

In case you were wondering, quarterback Patrick Mahomes of the 4-0 and two-time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs came in at #13 on the guaranteed money list at $141 million.

Does the player’s mentality change with the guaranteed money or did the contract render the team cash poor?

That’s a tough question to answer.

If my boss offered me a new five-year guaranteed deal to work at the office, it’s possible that I would (perhaps) be a little less likely to try as hard as I had before. It’s only human nature to pat yourself on the back once your bank account indicates more long-term financial security.

Then there is the potential for backlash from your co-workers. Using my office example, fellow workers in my group might show some resentment if the details of my new “deal” somehow leaked out.

Unlike at my office, these whopping new guaranteed contracts of sports stars will become public knowledge rather quickly.

The group of highly paid (guaranteed contract) NFL quarterbacks may earn as much or more than the combined pay for the center, two guards, and two offensive tackles on the same team. Those are the guys whose jobs require them to block oncoming defensive players from hitting the uber-expensive quarterback.

For “average” workers like us, it’s hard to feel much sympathy for these top athletes being paid a guaranteed amount which far, far exceeds our potential career earnings.

Still, football players are at risk every time they set foot onto the field. After their playing days end, long-term health issues including CTE can render this financial pot-of-gold relatively useless if the former player’s health deteriorates after retirement.

Today’s top quarterbacks are being paid upwards of 25% of their team’s payroll

There are 53 players on the active roster of every NFL team and another 17 on the so-called “practice squad” in reserve.

Many of the top NFL quarterbacks are earning from 20-25% of the entire payroll of their 53-player team.

No one doubts that a proven winner and difference maker like Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes may be worth it to the Chiefs.

With three Super Bowl rings in his seven NFL seasons, Mahomes is one special player.

Let’s now discuss quarterback Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys

Dak Prescott recently signed a 4-year extension worth $60 million per season to become (for now) the NFL’s highest paid player.

His new deal is guaranteed whether the Cowboys win or lose and whether he plays well or not.

This seems to be quite a risk for team owner Jerry Jones to be making. Will this investment in Dak Prescott pay off?

After Prescott signed his new deal before the start of the 2024 season, the Dallas Cowboys are currently 2-2. The fans in Dallas are desperate to return to a Super Bowl soon. They haven’t played in a Super Bowl game since January, 1996.

Dak Prescott’s career statistics confirm that he is an upper-tier NFL quarterback. He has led the Dallas Cowboys to the playoffs five times in his eight years (going 2-5 in the playoff games).

Unfortunately, the likeable former Haughton (LA) High School and Mississippi State signal caller has yet to lead Cowboys to even the NFC Championship game during his eight year career in Dallas.

Does Dak Prescott feel any additional pressure to perform at a higher level after receiving such a lucrative contract extension?

“I don’t think it has as much to do with the franchise [quarterback] or the contract as it is who I am and what I’m capable of doing,” said Prescott this week. “So, to me, it’s about going out there and being my best and preparing my best to be able to go and do that. And contract or not, those are the expectations, standards that I have for myself.”

Why am I remembering Tom Brady right now?

During his lengthy 23-year NFL career, former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was never the highest paid player in the league. He won six Super Bowl titles in New England and one more at Tampa Bay as part of a record ten appearances in the NFL’s season finale.

Back in 2017, Tom Brady was paid less than NFL quarterbacks named Andy Dalton, Sam Bradford, and Ryan Tannehill (none won a Super Bowl for their teams). Eli Manning of the New York Giants (with two Super Bowl rings) earned more money during his 16-year career than the man generally thought of as the NFL’s greatest quarterback.

Perhaps Tom Brady was totally fine with his pay and wanted his team to have more flexibility to offer money to other players who could help his teams win championships.

Based on Brady’s results, perhaps he was onto something.

Being the highest paid player in the league rarely results in a title for your team

A good agent will push to get the best deal for the player. It isn’t the player’s fault when they are lucky enough to sign such a contract and assume the mantle of “Highest paid player in the league”.

It does make that specific player a bigger target, though. Opposing teams know how important he is to the team and will focus on disrupting his impact in the game.

Let’s not forget that the new guaranteed contract for the team’s quarterback might become an issue with other players on your team. In some cases, a teammate may hear, “Sorry, bud. We are out of money to negotiate with you after making that big new deal with the quarterback.”

Let’s keep an eye on this upper tier of quarterbacks with guaranteed contracts for the remainder of the 2024 season.

It will be interesting to see how many of them will be able to turn things around this fall and lead their teams into the playoffs come January.

Better yet, will we see any of these quarterbacks in the season finale at the Superdome in New Orleans next February?

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Welcome to October! In my neck of the swamp, today’s high temperature will be a lovely 95 degrees. Nothing says fall like, “At least the heat index will be less than 100 degrees today!”

Are you ready for the baseball playoffs?

October means the end of the lengthy major league baseball season for most teams and the start of the month-long playoffs. Unlike the NBA and NHL’s playoff season (more than two months), at least baseball’s one-month playoffs seem reasonable.

The top two finishers from the American League (New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians) and the National League (Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies) are getting this week off.

Today, several best-of-three series will get underway. This week’s winners advance to the second round beginning on Saturday.

In the American League, the Houston Astros face off with the red-hot Detroit Tigers. The Tigers are making their first playoff appearance in ten years and were the hottest team in baseball during September to gain a post-season spot.

The Houston Astros are no stranger to post-season baseball in the past several years. This year’s team won the American League West and dethroned last year’s World Series champions, the Texas Rangers. The Astros seem to come alive for post-season games, so this best-of-three series should be quite interesting.

The other American League match-up features the Baltimore Orioles against the Kansas City Royals. Like Detroit, KC wasn’t expected to be a contender this year, but here they are. The Royals had a 30-game improvement after posting more than 100 losses one year ago.

The Baltimore Orioles continue to prove that good pitching and timely hitting will take your team a long way. The O’s won 91 games and finished just three games behind the top-seeded New York Yankees. They will try to avenge last year’s disastrous playoff appearance when the team was swept by the Texas Rangers.

In the National League, it will be the New York Mets facing off with the Milwaukee Brewers and the Atlanta Braves going against the San Diego Padres.

Play ball!

The President’s Cup golf was fun to watch last weekend

Though most sports fans probably didn’t watch last weekend’s President’s Cup golf matches in Montreal, the International team put up quite a fight against the heavily-favored American squad.

In particular, the entertaining tag-team of the two South Korean Kim’s – Tom and Si-Woo – absolutely stole the show last weekend.

The two golfers played with a lot of skill and passion and gained millions of fans around the world. This twosome high-fived, chest-bumped and wildly celebrated birdie after birdie during the Saturday four-ball and foursomes (alternate shot) matches as they went 1-1 on the day.

The large Canadian crowd loudly chanted “I-N-T, I-N-T!” for every birdie for their International squad.

Sadly, the cheering and crowd support wasn’t enough to win the President’s Cup.

Sunday’s final day of singles matches saw the US golf team win 8.5 matches to 3.5. The Americans have captured ten straight Cups dating back to 2009.

Can you guess the two remaining NFL unbeaten teams and the one team without win in 2024?

If you said Kansas City, Minnesota, and, on the losing side, Jacksonville, you are correct!

Over the weekend, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks lost their first game of the season to fall out of the unbeaten ranks.

On the plus side, Tennessee finally won its first game of the year last night with a 31-12 win over the Miami “Brother, can you spare a quarterback?” Dolphins on Monday Night Football.

Coming up this weekend, my two favorite black and gold teams will have the national spotlight.

On NBC’s Sunday Night Football, the 3-1 Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Dallas to play the 2-2 Cowboys.

On Monday, the 2-2 New Orleans Saints visit 4-0 Kansas City as my “WhoDats” attempt to hand the first loss of the year to the two-time defending NFL champs. Monday Night Football will kickoff at 7:15PM on ESPN. If you might enjoy hearing Payton and Eli Manning cover this game, check out ESPN2.

We lost basketball’s Dikembe Mutombo on Monday

Legendary NBA shot-blocker Dikembe Mutombo is probably best known for a hilarious Geico Insurance commercial about ten years ago. The happy Mutombo wagged his finger as he swatted away a wadded-up piece of office paper headed for the trash can. He later swatted away a box of cereal with a grin as a youngster was tossing it into the grocery cart with his signature, “Not today!” line.

This 7’2” basketball fan favorite died on Monday at age 58 after battling brain cancer for the past two years. He was one of the NBA’s good guys and beloved on and off the basketball court.

Major League Baseball legend Pete Rose passed away Monday at age 83

For those of us lucky enough to have grown-up watching Pete Rose play pro baseball, we will remember “Charlie Hustle” sprinting to first base after every hit or walk. The nickname was given to him by New York Yankees legend Mickey Mantle who was amazed at how the young Pete Rose was such a fiery competitor for the entire game.

A three-time world champion and 17 time All-Star choice, Pete Rose is best remembered for his years playing for the Cincinnati Reds. With a career which spanned from 1963 through 1986, Rose remains baseball’s all-time career leader in hits (4,256). Pete Rose finished his career with a batting average of .303. He won MLB’s Rookie of the Year (1963), Most Valuable Player (1973) and World Series MVP (1975).

Sports media update – DirecTV is buying Dish

On Monday, DirecTV formally agreed to buy Dish, their biggest satellite television competitor.

DirecTV (formerly owned by AT&T but now under control of a private equity firm known as TPG) has about 11 million customers today. Dish was down to 6.1 million subscribers.

Both of these satellite television providers have been losing customers for several years.

They haven’t done themselves any favors by getting into disputes with many local television stations around the country about how much money the local television station must pay to be shown on their systems. In some disputes, a local station has been kept off DirecTV or Dish for up to a year or more until an agreement is reached.

EchoStar Corporation (parent company of Dish and owner of Boost Mobile telephone) will assign about $9.5 billion in long-term debt to DirecTV’s owner just to take it off their hands.

This combined entity will have more than $20 billion in long-term debt which (eventually) must be repaid.

DirecTV stated that this proposed combination will create an option for smaller, more affordable content packages with a more streamlined, one-stop-shop for entertainment.

I was surprised to learn that nationally known internet television service provider Sling TV is owned by Dish and will become part of this transaction, too.

Over the past decade, the FCC suggested that they would not permit this combination between the two top satellite TV providers. With diminishing market shares and the proliferation of additional options for home television viewers, the proposed DirecTV and Dish combination seems likely to be approved by federal regulators.

Northwestern State University and Stephen F. Austin will bring back “The Chief”

These two Southland Conference members are separated by just 110 miles. Their annual football match-up featured one of the most unique trophies in all of college football.

Chief Caddo was a 7’6” tall wooden Indian figure (a tribute to the local Caddo Nation tribes) and weighed more than 300 pounds. Since 1960, the winner of the Northwestern State Demons and Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks football game kept Chief Caddo at their school for the next year.

SFA left the Southland Conference a few years ago, and the two teams didn’t play football regularly.

Until this season.

In 2024, Stephen F. Austin has returned to the Southland Conference once again. Their long rivalry with the NSU Demons has been renewed as well.

A new wooden trophy called “The Chief” was designed as the two universities conferred with leadership of the Caddo Nation to incorporate them into this new reward for the winning team.

Still standing 7’6” tall, the new trophy will feature a pitchfork on one end (for Northwestern State) and an axe on the other (for SFA). Scores from every game will adorn the new traveling trophy.

The winning team will display “The Chief” at their school with the winning logo facing upward.

Northwestern State University president James T. Genovese and Stephen F. Austin State University president Dr. Neal Weaver released a joint announcement on Monday.

“While the name and the design of the trophy will change, the great tradition endures,” said NSU President Genovese. “We have a wonderful relationship and a strong rivalry with our good friends at SFA, and this simply opens a new and exciting chapter to be enjoyed for generations to come.”
“For decades, our universities have battled for bragging rights on the football field each fall in a game that we anticipate year-round,” said SFA President Weaver. “It generates not only a sense of pride in the outcome of the game but also pride in our common ground and the outstanding accomplishments of our students, faculty, staff and alumni.”

This Saturday night at 7PM at Homer Bryce Stadium in Nacogdoches, Texas, the 2-2 SFA Lumberjacks will take on the winless Northwestern State Demons. “The Chief” will be in attendance and heading home with the victors.

In case you were wondering about the location of the original Chief Caddo, he is rumored to be residing in a warehouse somewhere on the Stephen F. Austin campus.

When pressed about the retired trophy’s whereabouts, an unofficial line going around the school this week was something like, “Don’t axe. Don’t tell.”

The post Tuesday’s Leftovers appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

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Heading into last weekend, the Associated Press and the SwampSwamiSports.com College Football Top 25 both agreed that Texas was the #1 team in the land.

On Saturday, Texas pounded hapless Mississippi State 35-13 to move to 5-0 on the season. The Longhorns rang-up over 500 yards in total offense, and the defense allowed less than 300 yards to the Bulldogs.

Yet, the AP dropped Texas to #2 after this win. Why?

Last Saturday night on national television, Alabama jumped to a surprising 30-7 halftime lead on previously unbeaten Georgia. In the second half, Georgia turned the tables and grabbed a brief 34-33 lead with two minutes to go. The 4-0 Crimson Tide then rallied with a very impressive touchdown pass of their own to escape with a 41-34 win over the 3-1 Dawgs.

Yes, the Bama/Georgia game had a thriller of a finish!

The game was a tale of two halves with Bama operating flawlessly in the first half to open-up a big lead. If you turned off this game at halftime, you missed watching Georgia’s offense waking up and carving-up Alabama’s pass defense in the final quarter like a Thanksgiving turkey.

However, the stats prove that this game was less than flawless by both teams.

Georgia committed four turnovers against Bama. Quarterback Carson Beck had three passes intercepted – including his final toss toward the goal line in the last minute which ended Georgia’s chances.

In most games, teams with three interceptions and a fumble rarely win. Georgia almost pulled it off on Saturday night, though.

The Crimson Tide’s offense was…wait for it…rolling in the first half. Crimson Tide QB Jalen Milroe looked like a Heisman Trophy winner with his pinpoint passing and timely running on full display as Bama took a commanding lead by the end of the second quarter.

Apparently, Alabama’s pass defense decided to stay in the locker room after halftime.

The Tide surrendered one pass completion after another as Georgia rallied time after time to create a fantastic finish. The weakness displayed by Alabama’s pass defense has been duly noted by future opponents – including their long-time rivals in Baton Rouge.

Alabama’s electric freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams saved the game for Bama with his amazing 75-yard catch, spin, and run for the final touchdown in this game. ABC’s Kirk Herbstreit continued to bore viewers with comments about Williams’ youthful age (“Did you know he was just 17 years old?”) rather than extolling this player’s receiving skills, speed, and elusiveness.

As a reward for this highly rated television performance, the Associated Press voters bumped the University of Alabama three spots from #4 one week ago into the #1 position this week.

Not me.

The AP Poll continues to be a beauty contest with very little regard for teams which continue to prove their mettle on the field every week.

How else do you explain why the AP voters left 5-0 Duke along with 4-0 teams like Navy, James Madison, Pitt, Rutgers, and Army completely out of their top 25 team rankings for this week?

Example #2 – Why is Ole Miss still #12?

The formerly unbeaten Rebels and their high-speed offense were kept off balance Saturday by the Kentucky Wildcat defense. Kentucky (now 3-2) handed Ole Miss a 20-17 loss in Oxford to drop the Rebels to 4-1. The Ole Miss offense was held to about 350 yards and never developed any type of rhythm in Saturday’s game.

After being embarrassed at home 31-6 by South Carolina early in the year, the Kentucky defense has been stingy of late. The Wildcats allowed just 13 points to Georgia and only 17 points at Ole Miss last Saturday.

For the Ole Miss Rebels, the AP dropped them from #6 last week to #12 this week. In my rankings, the Rebels dropped back to #30 for this week. With their best win coming over 3-2 Georgia Southern, the Ole Miss Rebels must regroup and put some more “W’s” on their ledger prior to returning to my Top 25 teams.

Example #3 – Why is 3-1 USC rated higher (at #11) than 5-0 BYU and 5-0 Indiana?

This is what many football fans refer to as “West Coast bias”. USC was fortunate to have prevailed 27-20 against 4-1 LSU in the season opener for both teams. The Trojans would then lose at 4-1 Michigan and had to rally from a 21-10 halftime deficit last Saturday before subduing a relatively weak 2-2 Wisconsin Badgers squad.

Though USC is certainly a worthy one-loss team, were they deserving of a #11 AP ranking this week when compared to unbeaten 5-0 teams such as BYU (AP #17) and Indiana (AP #23)? In my poll, USC is ranked #41 this week.

Brigham Young destroyed this week’s AP #20 team, Kansas State, by a 38-9 margin. Indiana (which is 5-0 for the first time since 1967) gave Maryland its second loss this weekend 42-28.

Biased? Who me???

Though the AP voters have proven to be biased toward the big schools, my SwampSwamiSports.com poll definitely tilts toward rewarding teams with the most wins and fewest losses – regardless of their conference – every week.

If unbeaten teams like Duke, Navy, James Madison and Army have beaten every team they have played thus far in 2024, why shouldn’t they receive recognition having a perfect record through the last weekend of play?

That’s the entire reason why I developed my ranking system. Though several of the one-loss teams will eventually to return to my rankings toward season’s end, the smaller conference teams shouldn’t be penalized if they have won every game on their schedule.

Congratulations to Miami (OH), Old Dominion, New Mexico, and Wyoming!

The Redhawks, Monarchs, Lobos, and Cowboys all picked up their first win of the season last weekend. That leaves just three of the 134 FBS large schools without a victory in 2024.

UTEP and newcomer Kennesaw State are now 0-4. The Kent State Golden Flashes dropped to a woeful 0-5. Perhaps this week will see one or more of those teams break into the win column.

With 19 unbeaten teams remaining, let’s raise the curtain on the SwampSwamiSports.com Top 25 College Football rankings for the week ending Saturday, September 28, 2024:

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College athletics are in a state of flux. Once the NCAA approved the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) payments for college athletes along with the “Here today – gone tomorrow” transfer portal a few years ago, we are now operating in the era of “pay-for-play”.

This new Wild West Show of paying college athletes was bound to bring mayhem to major college sports – especially football and basketball.

Today’s NIL tale involves a star small college football quarterback who left the East Coast and moved across country to the University of Nevada at Las Vegas (UNLV) to play in his final year of college eligibility.

What could possibly go wrong? Plenty!

Matt Sluka was the starting quarterback for three seasons at FCS small division school Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. A Psychology major at Holy Cross, the 6’3” 215 pound quarterback from Locust Valley, NY led the Crusaders into the NCAA’s FCS playoffs twice in the past three seasons.

Matt Sluka’s head coach at Holy Cross, Bob Chesney, left after the 2023 football season to become the head coach at James Madison University in Virginia.

With one year of football eligibility left, quarterback Matt Sluka claims that he was offered $100,000 by an assistant coach at UNLV to transfer to the Nevada school for the 2024 college football season. Sluka said that the coach told him that the money would be paid to him once he enrolled at the university.

Matt Sluka took his word. He enrolled at UNLV this summer and has been the Rebels’ starting quarterback in September’s surprising 3-0 start. The transfer quarterback from Holy Cross has passed for six touchdowns and run for another score during the team’s first three football games.

UNLV just climbed to its first top 25 ranking in program history – #23 in the Coaches Poll and #24 in this week’s initial SwampSwamiSports.com Top 25.

According to his representative, Matt Sluka has not received any of the $100,000 initially represented in that verbal offer made by the UNLV assistant coach.

Let the finger pointing begin!

First, the school’s NIL collective is having amnesia about the $100,000 offer made by an assistant coach to pay for the services of starting quarterback Matt Sluka this fall. The college NIL collective (known as “The Friends of UNILV”) did pay Sluka $3,000 this summer after the transfer quarterback attended an engagement on behalf of his new school.

Additionally, the Friends of UNILV claims to have made an offer recently to pay Matt Sluka $3,000 per month for the four month football season.

That’s $12,000 vs. the $100,000 allegedly verbally promised by an assistant coach months ago.

“Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building!”

UNLV has an important Mountain West Conference home game tomorrow (Saturday) as the unbeaten Rebels host 3-1 Fresno State at 2:30PM CDT in a nationally televised game on FS1.

The team’s red-hot starting quarterback will not be in the starting line-up or even the stadium on Saturday.

Matt Sluka surprised the sports world earlier this week with an announcement that he was immediately leaving UNLV after just three games. Sluka issued a statement indicating that he will play elsewhere next season in his final year of eligibility.

“I have decided to utilize my redshirt year and will not be playing in any additional games this season. I committed to UNLV based on certain representations that were made to me, which were not upheld after I enrolled. Despite discussions, it became clear that these commitments would not be fulfilled in the future. I wish my teammates the best of luck this season and hope for the continued success of the program.”

For its part, the university (as they are known to do) issued its own statement claiming to be innocent in this entire matter and admonished Matt Sluka’s representative for demanding money.

“Football player Matthew Sluka’s representative made financial demands upon the university and its NIL collective in order to continue playing. UNLV athletics interpreted these demands as a violation of the NCAA pay-for-play rules, as well as Nevada state law. UNLV does not engage in such activity, nor does it respond to implied threats. UNLV has honored all previously agreed-upon scholarships for Matthew Sluka.”

Not to be outdone, UNLV’s NIL collective issued its own statement on Wednesday which stated, “To clarify, there were no formal NIL offers made during Mr. Sluka’s recruitment process. We would like to emphasize that we have upheld all Friends of UNILV contracts this season and have not defaulted on any agreements with Mr. Sluka.”

The football player and his family say otherwise

Bob Sluka (Matt’s father) said, “We left there understanding that we were going to get a certain dollar amount for Matt to come there on the NIL deal, not a blowout number, but a reasonable, fair number.”

Mr. Sluka said that his son later received more than 25 NIL offers from other schools which included Big Ten and SEC universities. Those offers were up to five times the amount of money which Matt Sluka had agreed to accept by coming to UNLV.

Analysis/Commentary:

1. We’ve heard zero (thus far) from the UNLV football coaches.

Neither head football coach Barry Odom nor the assistant coach who allegedly made the $100,000 offer have yet to be heard from on this matter. If you believe the comments of Matt Sluka and his family, someone representing the UNLV football program made verbal representations about a payment to Sluka leading to his decision to transfer across country this season.

2. Note to college athletes. Get offers in writing and find a good attorney to assist with the paperwork!

For Matt Sluka, the young man’s big mistake appears to be not forcing UNLV to put the offer in writing prior to moving west. The player’s story sounds reasonable to me. His record of success at Holy Cross was exceptional. A top college quarterback should fetch a solid NIL deal. It is quite likely that other schools may have been willing to pay him as much or more than UNLV allegedly offered to Matt Sluka.

3. How much money was actually in the NIL bank known as the “Friends of UNILV”

When I reviewed the website for the school’s NIL collective, I found one story which indicated that the group controlled about $400,000 as of June, 2023. Another post showed that the NIL had granted every player on the UNLV women’s basketball team $1,400 apiece. With 15 players on the team, that was a total outlay of just $21,000.

The college NIL collective is controlled by alumni and friends of the school. It begs the question, “Who actually determines how much money can or should be offered to any one player?”

4. The UNLV athletics department may be concerned about its own finances

A few years ago, the UNLV football team moved from its longtime football home known as Sam Boyd Stadium and into the city’s new Allegiant Stadium (home of the Las Vegas Raiders). Their former football field was 50 years old, held about 30,000 fans and was in serious need of upgrades and repairs. Still, the school was paying up to $75,000 for every home game played at Sam Boyd Stadium.

Once the UNLV football games were moved into Allegiant Stadium, a report showed the average facility cost per game had jumped to $350,000.

In 2023 and thus far in 2024 (one home game), UNLV has only averaged about 25,000 fans per home contest at shiny new Allegiant Stadium. Depending on the average realized price for each ticket sold, the cost of the new football facility may consume a large percentage of UNLV’s football revenue.

Summary:

This is a story which really sums up the current state of college athletics.

A talented football player left his former school in search of $100,000 from the NIL collective of a larger university. He didn’t get the assistant coach’s offer in writing and got burned in the process.

The player abruptly quit his new school after just three games and will likely try to play for some other school next year. By not playing in UNLV’s fourth game this Saturday, Matt Sluka has been able to preserve his final year of college football eligibility. After quitting the program this week, Matt Sluka is allowed to go shopping for yet another school (with better financial credit) to play next year.

The assistant coach at UNLV likely had no idea how much money was in his team’s NIL collective at the time he had been recruiting quarterback Matt Sluka. It seems unlikely that the assistant coach would have made such a financial offer to Sluka unless the head coach had approved the dollar amount. Remember, the NIL payment wasn’t due for several months until Matt Sluka enrolled at UNLV in the summer of 2024. Perhaps the assistant coach expected the NIL collective to have been able to raise the cash needed to cover an offer to the team’s new quarterback.

The head football coach seems to have escaped most of the scrutiny in this matter (for now). If he wasn’t already aware, UNLV’s NIL collective is relatively small compared to the millions pouring into major programs in the SEC, Big Ten, and other conferences.

The NIL collective at UNLV is relatively small. However, there is no shame if the school does not have an alumni and sports fan base willing to contribute extremely large amounts of cash to lure top college athletes – even if their donations are considered tax-deducible through its Section 501 c3 organization status.

The NCAA, as usual, has let down college athletes, member institutions, and college sports fans by not having guidelines already in place to prevent this type of scenario from occurring. The current rules (?) governing payment of money via NIL collectives remain quite blurry. Though the initial intent was for top athletes to earn advertising and promotional money from commercials and personal appearances, these NIL payments are quickly morphing into a multi-million dollar money grab by the players with very few strings attached.

This week’s NIL dispute was over a $100,000 pyramid. At some universities around the nation, a similar game show is likely being played right now involving even larger sums.

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As September draws to a close, so does the first month of football. Some professional and college teams are ecstatic with their start. The 3-0 Pittsburgh Steelers have shocked the NFL with their early success. The same goes for the 4-0 Tennessee Volunteers of college football.

For others, the new season is quickly starting to crumble. Today, let’s assess several NFL teams and rate how nervous their fans should as we near the end of September.

Dallas Cowboys (1-2)

After a 12-5 season in 2023 but a surprising home playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers, the Dallas Cowboys have now lost both of their home games to start the 2024 season.

Worse yet, the 1-2 Dallas Cowboys share the cellar of the NFC East today with their Thursday night opponent, the lowly New York Giants. The NFC East is led by 2-1 Philadelphia and 2-1 Washington.

Two weeks ago, the New Orleans Saints (2-1) came into Big D and scored the first six times they had the ball in a 44-19 thrashing of the Cowboys. The Saints ran the ball 39 times compared to only 16 passing attempts. The loss shocked both the Dallas football team and millions of its fans.

Alas, this problem has not been limited to just one bad game by the Dallas Cowboys.

Last Sunday afternoon in Dallas, the 1-2 Baltimore Ravens pounded the football on the ground and sat atop a 28-6 lead heading into the fourth quarter. As the Cowboys always seem to do, they found a way to rally late in this game to close the final score to 28-25.

The AFC’s Baltimore Ravens came into Sunday’s game 0-2 after a road loss to Kansas City and being upset at home by the Las Vegas Raiders. The Ravens were desperate for a win.

Following the blueprint of the Saints win the week before, Baltimore ran the ball early and often. The Ravens rushed 45 times for an amazing 274 yards as they built a large early lead. Much like the Saints, the Ravens passed the ball just 15 times against Dallas.

When the other team doesn’t need to pass the ball often, the Dallas Cowboys’ vaunted pass rush was neutralized. The last two opponents ran the football more than twice as often as attempting to pass.

This Thursday night, the 1-2 New York Giants will (if they are smart) try that same game plan to hand Dallas its third straight loss.

Dallas Cowboys players and fans are both frustrated.

The team recently awarded quarterback Dak Prescott with a $60 million annual contract and wide receiver Cee Dee Lamb with a new $34 million annual deal. If those two players are on the bench while the other team controls the football and the scoreboard, the Dallas Cowboys will continue to find themselves needing a late rally to salvage future wins.

On Monday, the team’s fans voted in a local television station poll and took out their frustration on a familiar person. Unsurprisingly, Dallas Cowboys team owner Jerry Jones was singled-out by 70% of the voters as the biggest reason for the team’s struggles.

On a Tuesday appearance on a local radio sports show, Jerry Jones accepted the frustrations of Dallas Cowboys fans.

“That’s very fair,” said JJ.

Sorry, Cowboy fans. This man won’t be selling his $10 billion football team anytime soon. You’re stuck with Jerry Jones until…well, you know.

The weaknesses of the Dallas Cowboys have been exposed for two straight weeks. If this trend continues, things will get even more interesting in the weeks to come.

Panic Meter (1-10): 9

Cincinnati Bengals (0-3)

Much like the Dallas Cowboys, the defensive problems for the AFC’s Cincinnati Bengals were exposed on national television Monday night in a 38-33 home loss to Washington.

This game featured LSU’s two recent Heisman Trophy winners (Cincy’s Joe Burrow and Washington’s Jayden Daniels) competing against each other for the first time. The Bengals defense was torched by Washington’s rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. He completed 21 of 23 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns. Daniels also led the team with 39 yards rushing and another touchdown.

Even though Joe Burrow had wide receiver Tee Higgins back on the field for the first time this season, the Bengals were playing from behind for much of the night.

Dallas Cowboys fans can feel your pain, Cincy.

The good news for the Bengals is that all three losses have been close games. The bad news for the Bengals is that they are still losing these close games and are now three games behind the 3-0 Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Central.

Panic Meter: 7

Jacksonville Jaguars (0-3)

The Jacksonville Jaguars were expected to compete with the Houston Texans for the AFC South championship this year. Last night, the Jaguars were humiliated by the Buffalo Bills 47-10 in the other Monday Night Football game this week. At least the loss happened on the road in Buffalo.

The Jaguars’ offense has been consistently bad this year. The team has scored 17, 13, and 10 points in its first three games. The passing game has averaged about 190 yards per game (26th out of 32 teams) while the team’s total offense ranks #28 in the NFL. The offense in J-Ville is been surprisingly bad to start this season.

Coach Doug Pederson and quarterback Trevor Lawrence are feeling the heat this week in J-Ville.

Panic Meter: 8

Cleveland Browns (1-2)

Another team struggling on offense is Cleveland. The Browns’ offense has scored 17, 18 (in a road win at Jacksonville), and 15 points in its three games this month.

Quarterback Deshaun Watson continues to look like a very expensive ($230 million over 5 years) mistake. Averaging just 180 yards per game passing with only three touchdowns in three games, the former Houston Texans’ quarterback continues to look lost at times on the field.

The vaunted Cleveland Browns defense has only allowed 5 touchdowns in the first three games. When the offense fails to score 20 points in any game, it is hard to blame the Cleveland defense for this team’s lack of wins in 2024.

Panic Meter: 8

Miami Dolphins (1-2)

After losing starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to another concussion in Week #2, the fast fading Dolphins are desperately seeking help at the quarterback position. A preseason playoff pick by many, the Fins have scored 10 and 3 points in their last two games.

Rumors were flying this week that Miami was contemplating making a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers to bring 13-year veteran Russell Wilson to the Dolphins.

The Miami Dolphins have two of the best wide receivers in the NFL in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. To have a shot at the playoffs, someone has to throw them the ball! The Dolphins must make a deal at quarterback quickly.

Panic Meter: 9

Tennessee Titans (0-3)

Another team struggling to score points, the Tennessee Titans defense has also allowed 24 or more points in all three games this season. This team stinks on both sides of the ball.

After last season’s disappointing 6-11 last year, the Titans fired their coach (Mike Vrabel). Their top running back Derrick Henry signed with the Baltimore Ravens via free agency.

The contract of Tennessee’s 36-year old former starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill expired. As of today, he was still looking for a new job (hint – call Miami!).

The team formerly known as the Houston Oilers is 0-3 has rookies and grizzled veterans on the offense and a “Who Dat?” defense void of big name talent. This team should be looking forward to next spring’s NFL draft with a high pick.

Panic Meter: 8

San Francisco 49ers (1-2)

The NFC’s preseason Super Bowl favorite, the injury bug has started to cripple the 49ers early this season. Star running back Christian McCaffrey, wide receiver Deebo Samuel, and tight end George Kittle have missed games with serious injuries. Defensive standout Joey Bosa has been dealing with a rib injury, too.

To make matters worse, starting quarterback Brock Purdy is now considered “day-to-day” with a back injury suffered late in last Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

The 1-2 San Francisco 49ers have a deep team. However, the Niners could miss the title chase this year with so many injuries to their key players. It’s not quite time to panic in Frisco, but Brock Purdy’s injury might become the hardest one to overcome.

Panic Meter: 6

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As we finally turn the page from summer to fall (at least in some parts of the country, I’ve heard), the fourth weekend of the college football season means the return of the SwampSwamiSports.com College Football Top 25 rankings!

Unlike the major media publications, yours truly refuses to play the annual beauty contest game of ranking major college football teams until there are enough games in the books to determine some trends.

Two Orange Titans

Both of the orange-colored UT schools (Texas and Tennessee) have each looked like King Kong preying upon the college football world during weeks #1-4. They are both 4-0. Each has an impressive road win over a legitimate top team.

The University of Texas is this week’s #1 team for good reason.

In week #2, Texas ended the two-year home winning streak of the Michigan Wolverines (now 3-1) with a convincing 31-12 drubbing in The Big House. Michigan’s normally stout running game was held to a measly 80 yards on 23 carries. The Longhorns turned the tables and rolled-up 246 yards on the ground on just 24 carries while roughing up the home team in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Last Saturday night in noisy Norman, Oklahoma, the other SEC newcomer (Oklahoma Sooners) fell to 3-1 after being pushed around the field by a dominant Tennessee defense.

The #2 team in this season-opening ranking of teams, good ol’ Rocky Top held the run-heavy Boomer Schooner to only 36 yards on the ground in Tennessee’s 25-15 road win on Saturday night. The final score looked relatively close because OU scored a final touchdown with one minute to play in this game.

What are the rules for ranking the teams in the SwampSwamiSports.com College Football Top 25?

If you are new to my site (welcome!), I have attempted to put together some objective weekly measures to rank all 134 major college football teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision group.

My ranking system brings ZERO credit for last year’s finishes. Each new season is a clean slate. No conference (not even the SEC) is allowed to dominate this poll unless they are winning on the field every week as the season progresses.

Most importantly, teams which play some legitimate early-season competition (such as Texas and Tennessee have done) are given preference over cupcake diners such as this week’s #26 team, the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Debuting in September, 2017, the SwampSwamiSports.com College Football Top 25 is now in its 8th season.

Every week, you will see major swings in the rankings when a top team loses for the first or a second time.

I tried to develop an unbiased set of ranking rules to consider the current season’s results and give the most credit to the teams which have beaten quality opponents through the previous weekend of play.

Here are my rules for ranking college football teams on SwampSwamiSports.com:

1. Teams without a loss are ranked higher than any team which has lost a game. Why should a team a perfect record be ranked below a team with one loss?
2. A team with four wins is ranked above a team with three, etc.
3. Your team’s “best win” is determined weekly against your opponent which has the best record won/loss record thus far in the season. It matters who you beat!
4. Preference is given to your team’s “best win” if it comes on the road vs. a home win.
5. Ties are broken by point differentials in each team’s “best win”.
6. A win over an FBS team receives preference over a win over an FCS school.
7. If a tie still exists, a head-to-head win over another team with the same number of losses gets preference.
8. All decisions by the administrator of this site (me) are FINAL!

How could I possibly rank Ohio State #26 this week?

Easy. The Buckeyes have played just three games (unlike the top unbeaten teams with four wins under their belts). Each of the Buckeyes games has been played at home at the Big Horseshoe in Columbus. Ohio State scheduled three consecutive softies to start the year.

Let’s take a look at the three victories by the Buckeyes:

Game 1 – Ohio State 52, Akron 6 (Akron is currently 0-3)

Game 2 – Ohio State 56, Western Michigan 0 (Western Michigan is now 1-2 with its only win over small college FCS team Bethune Cookman)

Game 3 – Ohio State 49, Marshall 14 (Marshall is currently 1-2 with its only win coming over FCS team Stony Brook)

Though the Ohio State football team has obliterated its competition, its three competitors are a combined 2-7 with their only wins coming over small college football teams.

In other words, Ohio State has played three straight home games over some very weak competition. Tough luck, Buckeyes. Ohio State should not be rewarded for playing patsies.

Ohio State finally hits the road for a legitimate test. After Saturday’s road trip to 3-1 Michigan State, the Buckeyes have a home game against 3-1 Iowa and a visit to 4-0 Oregon. Ohio State will move up in my rankings quickly with three straight wins.

Remembering Ed Sullivan with the “Really Big” Conferences in 2024

During the 1960’s, the highest rated television show was a weekly variety program from New York City hosted by a stuffy local newspaper writer with a distinctive “not for radio” voice by the name of Ed Sullivan. His weekly Sunday night show introduced America to music stars such as Elvis Presley, The Beatles, The Jackson 5, and The Rolling Stones for the first time on national television.

The man best remembered for his “Really big show” would enjoy today’s top football conferences.

The Big Ten has ballooned to an 18-team league after adding USC, UCLA, Washington, and Oregon to its transcontinental conference this fall.

The Big 12 has grown to 16 with the addition of Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah. The ACC is a bloated 17 teams after inviting California, Stanford, and SMU to come east.

The SEC grew to 16 teams with the addition of Texas and Oklahoma to the party this year.

That makes a total of 67 major college football teams playing in the top four conferences this year.

Also, the Army joined long-time rival Navy in the American Athletic Conference beginning this fall to make the AAC a 14-team league, too.

Odds and ends

With the addition of Kennesaw State from metro Atlanta to Conference USA, there are now 134 teams in the upper division FBS group of college football teams.

After the fourth week of the college football season, there are 26 unbeaten teams remaining. Thirteen are 4-0 and the other half is 3-0 following Week #4.

By contrast, there are seven FBS teams which still haven’t won a game.

Before the one-win teams celebrate, an incredible 18 of those teams carded their lone victory over a smaller division FCS opponent.

Without further ado, let’s unveil the rankings for all 134 FBS teams in the initial SwampSwamiSports.com Top 25 for games played through Saturday, September 21, 2024:

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It’s time for another update on the lack of progress of the proposed merger between the PGA Tour and the Saudi-backed LIV Golf group.

LIV Golf will conclude its third season (has it really been that long?) this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at the Maradoe Golf Club in the north Dallas suburb of Carrollton, Texas. The final event of 2024 will be the culmination of LIV Golf’s year-long 4-man team competition.

Meet Team LIV

In my opinion, the most interesting differentiating factor about LIV Golf has been the team competition. In addition to the golfer’s individual score at LIV events, each player is part of a four-man team which also competes for significant weekly prize money.

Beginning Friday, the opening round of the LIV Golf Team competition will bring ten of the 13 teams (4 players each) to play individual matches and foursome matches.

On Saturday, the #1 seeded team named the Crushers (captained by US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau) will take to the course along with #2 seed Legion XIII (Jon Rahm) and #3 seed Ripper GC (Cameron Smith) to face the highest seeded winner from the Friday matches.

On Sunday, the four surviving teams will play individual one-on-one matches in the semifinals and finals.

The CW app will have the Friday matches. The Saturday and Sunday matches will be televised nationally on the CW Network beginning at 11AM CDT.

Meet Team PGA

In June, 2023 (15 months ago), the PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan surprised professional golf by stating that the PGA Tour was going to merge with their upstart new rival, LIV Golf, by no later than December 31, 2023.

Oops! That deadline passed with no deal in sight.

Then in late January, 2024, the PGA Tour announced a new financial partnership with a private equity firm called Strategic Sports Group (SSG). The company will invest up to $3 billion into the PGA Tour. That group includes the owners of the Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, and Milwaukee Brewers baseball teams along with Arthur Blank, owner of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons.

A new for-profit entity called PGA Tour Enterprises was born. The new group is promising to set aside up to $1.5 billion for PGA golfers to participate in becoming equity partners in the venture.

The top PGA players will receive a yet-to-be-determined share of the new company as an incentive not to leave for LIV Golf.

What happened to the proposed merger?

Talks have been slow and featured very little common ground. There’s no urgency being felt by either side.

LIV Golf has already spent several billion dollars and will never turn a profit. The Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) apparently doesn’t care, though. With billions of dollars in oil profits, the Saudi group has effectively purchased sports notoriety on the world stage.

The 54 LIV golfers have accepted various degrees of signing bonus money to jump from the PGA Tour to the new league. Though bonuses were generally in the $10-$20 million range (not exactly chump change), a few of the top names have pocketed $100 million and more. The 2023 World #1 golfer, Jon Rahm, bagged the largest signing bonus worth $300 million before jumping to LIV Golf in 2024.

The PGA Tour (which was a not-for-profit organization until earlier this year) has now found its own “Sugar Daddy” in the Strategic Sports Group. The PGA Tour players have already benefited from higher tournament payouts in 2023 and 2024. Due to the competition for top players, the PGA Tour golfers are earning significantly more money today after LIV Golf hit the scene three years ago.

The PGA Tour knows that LIV Golf’s finances are virtually limitless. The established PGA group won’t admit that it is scared, but LIV Golf will be able to continue to pilfer more top talent away from the PGA Tour by offering the right price to the right golfer at the right time.

From the golfer’s viewpoint, a bad back or other injury could end your professional golf career next week. Why shouldn’t a golfer consider a new place to work offering guaranteed signing bonus money? Though some leading PGA stars may say “No, thanks”, others say, “Where do I sign?”

Didn’t LIV Golf and the PGA Tour groups just meet again last week? What is the problem now?

LIV Golf

LIV Golf players want their tournament finishes to receive credit toward the Official World Golf Ranking points. The OWGR currently fails to give LIV golfers any points for competing in their events – presumably because LIV plays just 54 holes instead of 72 holes on the PGA Tour.

As of September 19, 2024, the Official World Golf Rankings show the top rated LIV golfer to be #10 Bryson DeChambeau (winner of the 2024 US Open) with 2023’s #1 golfer, Jon Rahm, falling all the way back to #15 this week.

Jon Rahm didn’t play poorly in 2024. His debut season with LIV Golf featured two victories and never finishing out of the top ten in any tournament. Rahm earned $16.7 million for the season plus an $18 million bonus for finishing #1.

So why did Jon Rahm did fall from #1 in the world golf rankings last year (while on the PGA Tour) to #15th a year later? The ranking system is broken and must be addressed immediately.

PGA Tour

Today, the PGA Tour clarified a way for current LIV golfers to become eligible for the next Ryder Cup which is scheduled to be played in September, 2025 at Beth Page Black Golf Course in the New York City area.

The LIV golfers will be required to obtain and maintain what the PGA Tour calls an “A-3” type of membership. The annual dues are only $120 per year.

The PGA of America issued a statement saying, “To ensure the PGA Championship will continue to deliver the strongest field in golf and that the U.S. Ryder Cup team will continue to have access to the best American players, the PGA of America board has determined that LIV Golf players will be eligible for both.”

Next year’s U.S. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley loves this.

“I’m going to have the best 12 players,” said Bradley recently. “We’ll make sure if some of those guys that we think might make the team, we’ll make sure that they are a member.”

Otherwise, the PGA Tour players remain adamant about not allowing golfers who bolted for LIV Golf (with a bank full of signing bonus money) to return to their tour. PGA Tour golfers want to establish some rules to make it difficult (financially) for those golfers to return to their tour.

Golf Fans

All-but-forgotten in this PGA Tour vs. LIV Golf drama are golf fans like us.

Our support will determine the future success or failure of professional golf – whether the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, both, or neither.

Most golf fans want to encourage growth of the game beginning at the junior level as this is a lifelong sport. That means that professional golf needs a place for young talent to be seen on national television competing against the established stars.

Golf fans prefer to see the top professional golfers playing at the same events as often as possible. At the moment, that generally only occurs at the four majors.

LIV Golf’s reduced schedule allows for nearly all of their best players to show-up for fans at each tournament. The PGA Tour should develop a better idea to get their top 50 golfers to appear in the field at the majority of its tournaments.

Most golf fans would agree that the PGA Tour has too many weekly events with watered-down fields.

Personally, I like LIV Golf’s smaller fields and team competitions.

SwampSwami’s Solutions:

1. With so little common ground at the moment, it is time to end the PGA Tour / LIV Golf merger talks.

The LIV Golf players will not (and should not) return their signing bonus money as part of any future deal. Believe it or not, some top PGA Tour players expect that to happen. It won’t. This is a dead issue.

The Saudi-backed LIV Golf group cannot be outspent by the PGA Tour. The PGA Tour needs to operate within its own economics and continue to nurture a golf pipeline for its young stars, loyal veteran players, and seniors (as being done today).

Let LIV Golf find its own way on the world stage. There appears to be enough room for both major golf groups to satisfy fans in the US, Europe, and around the world.

1. LIV Golf is being severely penalized by having its events omitted from the Official World Golf Rankings. The OWGR system influences the eligibility for golfers to receive future invitations to play in the four major golf tournaments plus the biennial Ryder Cup and President Cup matches.

The current system is broken. If the Official World Golf Rankings fail to make changes to their current system prior to December 31, 2024, representatives from LIV Golf and the PGA Tour should come up with their own ranking system to be used going forward.

Here’s an idea. The current 54-hole LIV Golf tournaments would count for 75% of the points won during a traditional 72-hole PGA Tour event. This gives a PGA Tour player more credit for a playing 18 additional holes against a larger starting field.

Bonus hint – The PGA Tour might even want to consider reducing some or all of their tournaments to 54-holes in the future with smaller fields.

1. Golf fans want to see a new “PGA Tour vs. LIV Golf Challenge Match” event styled after the Ryder Cup. Perhaps a team event would be played on Day 1 with a singles (individual) competition happening on Day 2.

A joint committee from both tours should select the venue and playing dates. I think this event should be held on the Saturday and Sunday on the weekend prior to the NFL Super Bowl (early February) for maximum visibility. It would also avoid conflict with September’s Ryder Cup and President’s Cup events every fall.

The event would feature a “Winner takes (nearly) all” purse with the winning team receiving no less than 75% of the total prize money. Players on the losing team would receive a guaranteed minimum amount sufficient to cover expenses and some compensation for participation.

Along with the player payout, a matching dollar amount (provided by a national sponsor, perhaps) on behalf of each player (both teams) could be donated to the designated charity(s) of each participant.

The 2024 golf season ends on Sunday. Let’s hope that both sides will resolve a few of these matters before teeing-up again in 2025.

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Whew! Another big weekend of college and NFL football has finally ended. Let’s review some of those games which I found interesting.

NFL:

All aboard the Saints “WhoDat” Express!

A long-time friend of mine sent an email with a few valid criticisms about how a major national sportswriter had ranked the 32 NFL teams after Week #2. If you haven’t been following the NFL in 2024, the New Orleans Saints have surprised everyone (including this long-time Saints fan) with their incredible 2-0 start.

On Sunday afternoon in Dallas, the Saints offense was on fire for the second week in a row. New Orleans blasted the 1-1 Dallas Cowboys 44-19 in a game which wasn’t as close as the final score indicated. This marked the second straight home game in which the Cowboys were blown out of their own building (remember the Green Bay playoff game last January?)

The Saints led 35-16 at halftime and scored on their first six possessions of this game. After leveling the hapless 0-2 Carolina Panthers in Week #1, the Saints have scored 91 points in the first two weeks of the 2024 season.

New offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak has been the Saints’ MVP through the first two weeks as these new offensive wrinkles have helped the team play with added confidence and left opponents confused.

Back to the NFL rankings, there are currently nine teams sporting a perfect 2-0 record after two weeks this season. The aforementioned senior sportswriter for one media outlet placed the New Orleans Saints as the 12th best team in the NFL. He even placed the Dallas Cowboys (thoroughly beaten at home by the Saints) as his #6 ranked team.

Did this writer actually watch the past two weeks of football games? Even lifelong Dallas Cowboys fans would rank the Saints ahead of Dallas following Sunday’s game.

In Cincinnati, Bengals fans are asking, “WhoDey?”

Quarterback Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals dropped to 0-2 after losing 26-25 to the Kansas City Chiefs as KC connected on a long field goal on the game’s final play.

The Bengals’ passing game looks out of synch in these first two games. Wide receiver Tee Higgins is still recovering from a hamstring injury. His highly-paid teammate, JaMarr Chase, didn’t help matters after collecting a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty late in Sunday’s game in Kansas City.

Joe Burrows is now sporting a haircut which makes him look a lot like pro wrestling’s Cody Rhodes. The way the Bengals have started this season, it would appear that Joey B. has turned “heel” as his team gets off to bad start.

Are the playoffs coming back to Houston…Houston…Houston?

Just two years ago, the Houston Texans (who still have the worst team nickname in the NFL) were mired in a multi-year slump. The team’s luck changed after firing the coach and making the best trade since the Dallas Cowboys sent Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings in the late 1980’s.

The Texans shipped legally-troubled quarterback Deshaun Watson to Cleveland for a few timely draft picks. Since that move, the 2-0 Houston Texans have turned the corner and started to win fans back in the fourth largest city in the country.

Second year quarterback C.J. Stroud continues to grow in both skill and leadership for the H-town offense. Head coach DeMeco Ryans is in the second year at his position, too. A former linebacker, Ryans’ defense has shown vast improvements over the past two seasons.

After easing into the NFL playoffs last season, the Houston Texans are off to another great start and becoming a rising threat to Kansas City’s recent AFC dominance.

Pittsburgh Steelers are, somehow, 2-0

The Steelers have become the first team in NFL history to start a season 2-0 by scoring just one touchdown (total) in those two games.

After kicking six field goals to beat Atlanta 18-10 in the opening week, the Steelers traveled to Denver on Sunday. Pittsburgh walked away with a 13-6 victory over the struggling Broncos and now claimed first place in the AFC Central division.

The Steelers’ defense continues to be one of the NFL’s finest. That’s a good thing, because Pittsburgh’s offense looks awful again this season under head coach Mike Tomlin. The Steelers have hired and fired different offensive coordinators and several different quarterbacks in the past few seasons.

Regardless, the AFC’s Black and Gold team continues to struggle to score points.

The Los Angeles Chargers come to Steel City on Sunday at 12Noon on CBS. Expect another low-scoring snoozer as the Vegas odds makers predict no more than 36 total points will be scored in this week’s game.

If the Steelers win to go 3-0, those Terrible Towel waving fans won’t care one bit.

College Football…

Psst – Have you seen 3-0 Ole Miss play yet?

Coach Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss team is currently ranked #5 by the Associated Press. The Rebels’ offense is so quick that other teams cannot make substitutions on defense due to the pace of play.

They pass and run the ball with ease. It is fun to watch as this team scores in bunches. The offense is averaging 56 points per game in 2024.

The Ole Miss defense is much improved, too. Over the first three games, the Rebels’ defense has allowed just 9 total points.

Ole Miss went on the road last Saturday night and trounced Wake Forest of the ACC 40-6. They will now host Georgia Southern of the Sunbelt Conference this Saturday prior to entering SEC play the following weekend at home against Kentucky.

Could this finally be the year in which Ole Miss breaks into the College Football Playoffs?

LSU outlasts South Carolina in the longest regulation game I’ve ever watched

Whew! As South Carolina’s final second field goal trailed off to the left, the 2-1 LSU Tigers’ rally from a 17-point deficit on the road was finally completed. And it only took (officially) three hours and 59 minutes to do so.

It felt even longer.

This 36-33 game in Columbia, South Carolina was a back-and-forth slugfest filled with great plays, terrible plays, bad officiating, too many penalties and television reviews. Of course, there were far too many television commercials as well.

The Gamecocks (now 2-1) capitalized on a few bone-headed defensive lapses by LSU and scored on a couple of wide open lengthy touchdown runs. Most high school defenses play with better discipline than LSU showed at times last week.

LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier continued his excellent play and leadership for the Tigers with 285 yards passing and two touchdowns. A pleasant surprise in this game was the emergence of freshman running back Caden Durham. He entered the game and carried the ball 11 times for 96 yards (nearly 9 yards per carry). Durham also scored twice for LSU.

The Tigers return home to Baton Rouge this Saturday for a rare 2:30PM afternoon starting time against UCLA (now in the Big Ten Conference and 1-2 so far in 2024).

Toledo rockets past Mississippi State 41-17

The serenade of cowbells from the football fans at Mississippi State had the opposite effect on their visitors from the Mid-American Conference. Toledo raced to a 28-3 halftime lead in front of a stunned crowd in Starkville.

Don’t look now, but the 3-0 Toledo Rockets might just be flying toward the 12-team College Football Playoffs if they are able to continue their amazing play this season. Beating an SEC team (even 1-2 Mississippi State) on the road gave Toledo (which finished 11-3 last season) a dose of credibility.

Mark your calendar for October 19. That’s when Toledo will visit #23 and 2-0 Northern Illinois (the team which upset Notre Dame last weekend). That winner may become the favorite for the lone “Group of Five” spot in December’s College Football Playoffs.

The Northwestern State University Demons deserve some good fortune soon

After your college team hits the road and loses 87-10 (yes, it was a football game) to South Alabama, the first-year head coach at Northwestern State University readily accepted the blame. Coach Blaine McCorkle knew that playing three football games (two coming on the road against FBS competition) in just 14 days was going to be brutal.

He likely never expected that his team would surrender a school record 87 points in last Thursday night’s football game in Mobile, Alabama.

“At the end of the day, I have to take the blame for that. I didn’t have my guys ready to go. Lesson learned on my part,” said Coach McCorkle.

Despite the lopsided outcome, keep in mind that Northwestern State’s football program was suspended last October after one of the team’s players was shot and killed near the campus. The football coach abruptly resigned, and the team forfeited its remaining games in 2023.

There were questions as to whether the Demons could or should return to play Southland Conference football this season. The team’s new football coach has a track record of successful turnarounds. Coach Blaine McCorkle must now dig deep to keep Northwestern State’s football team positive and focused each week.

This Saturday evening at 6PM in Turpin Stadium, Northwestern State will host the 1-2 Weber State Wildcats from Ogden, Utah. The Demons are trying to win their first home football game in nearly two years (October 1, 2022).

A much-needed win on Saturday night in Natchitoches might help exorcise some of this team’s lingering demons.

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As much as I personally believe that the former UL-Lafayette head coach is still a talented top football man, “The Billy Napier Experience” at the University of Florida just hit the bottom of the pond Saturday evening in The Swamp.

The current (as of this writing) Gators’ football coach is just 1-2 after the third game of his third season in Gainesville. After finishing 6-7 during 2022 and 5-7 in 2023, the Gators lost an ugly 33-20 home game Saturday to a “not exactly great” Texas A&M team which needed to start its back-up (and likely better) quarterback this week.

Afterwards, Gator Nation is furiously “chomping” at the bit about the dire straits of their football team.

The Florida football program simply isn’t used to losing

In researching this story, I was a bit surprised to see the prolonged period of success which the University of Florida’s football program has enjoyed since 1979.

Former Heisman Trophy winner and long-time Florida football coach Steve Spurrier (1990-2001) helped the Gators to the 1996 National Championship. His teams won at least nine games ever year during his 12 seasons at the University of Florida. His successor, Ron Zook, was fired after “only” going 7-5 in 2004. Urban Meyer took over in 2005 and won two national titles (2006 and 2008) before “retiring” after an 8-5 2010 season.

However, the past 14 years of Florida Gators’ football has shown occasional slippage. Prior to the hiring of Billy Napier, three other head football coaches have been hired and fired.

Following Urban Meyer’s exit, Will Muschamp posted with a 7-6 record in 2011 and improved to a nifty 11-2 in 2012.

Alas, the 2013 season saw Florida finish with its first losing record in 34 years as the Gators sank to 4-8. Even after recovering to 7-5 in 2014, Coach Muschamp was tossed into the nearby gator pit.

His successor was Jim McIlwain (2015-2017). In his debut season, Coach McIlwain’s Florida Gators went a sterling 10-4. The 2016 team posted a respectable 9-4 record. In his third season, McIlwain’s 2017 Gators fell to 4-7. Yes, he was pushed into the gator pit, too.

Former Florida assistant coach Dan Mullen came to the rescue in 2018 for the next four seasons. After a nice 10-3 start in 2018, Mullens’ Gators went 11-2 in 2019 and seemed to be on their way. The 2020 “COVID” year brought Florida to an 8-4 record and a loss in the SEC title game to Alabama. Coach Mullin’s fourth season saw the 2021 Gators slide to 6-7 record with an ugly season-ending loss to upstart rival UCF in Tampa’s Gasparilla Bowl.

No, we must not have a losing season here in Gatorland! Dan Mullen was fired and now performs a much safer job today as a TV analyst for ABC, ESPN, and the SEC Network.

Enter Coach Billy Napier in 2022

A former college quarterback at Furman and former assistant from the coaching tree of Nick Saban, Billy Napier guided the unheralded University of Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns to four straight winning seasons. After posting three years with ten or more wins, Napier’s Cajuns finished #16 in the final 2021 AP poll.

Now a hot coaching commodity, Billy Napier accepted a 7-year $51.5 million contract to become Florida’s latest head coach in November, 2021. Gator Nation welcomed the 43-year old Billy Napier in hopes that he might finally rebuild Florida football into a powerhouse again.

After a rocky 6-7 first season in 2022, Coach Billy Napier’s Gators fell to 5-7 in 2023. Now just three games into the 2024 season, Florida is currently just 1-2 and heads to Mississippi State for an 11AM CDT Saturday kickoff on ESPN.

Billy Napier’s cumulative record at Florida is 12-16. That’s the worst winning percentage for any Florida head football coach since Raymond Wolf was relieved of his duties after the 1949 season.

Having lost ten straight road games, the visiting Texas A&M Aggies (now 2-1) came into Gainesville last weekend and dominated the Gators. The Aggies cruised to an early 20-0 lead. As the Gators headed to the locker room at halftime and again after the game, some of the 90,000 fans in attendance booed their head coach and chanted, “Fire Billy!”

After the game, Billy Napier confided with the assembled press.

“I have no excuse,” said Coach Napier. “I have no negative comment about that. Ultimately, we play a certain way in this arena, you’re going to get criticized…I probably would have done the same thing.”

What has gone wrong, Coach?

Billy Napier isn’t the only top coach scratching his head today about how to deal with the new NIL paid players and freewheeling transfer rules in college sports.

Many college football players are openly requesting hundreds of thousands of dollars per year (in name, image, and likeness promotional money, of course) as they consider switching schools for more money each year. These rapid changes are causing much of the chaos in college football that many (including former Alabama head coach Nick Saban) had predicted.

It is unlikely that Coach Billy Napier had to deal with this issue very much at cozy UL-Lafayette. To remain competitive in the SEC today, teams are spending less time recruiting high school talent and spending more time and money to “buy” transfer players seeking more playing time, fame, and, of course, money.

Billy Napier should be able to get by on a $27 million contract buyout

Regardless who is the football coach at the University of Florida, the 2024 schedule was generally considered to be the most difficult in major college football this year. With remaining games against the AP’s new #1 Texas, #2 Georgia, #5 Ole Miss, #6 Tennessee, and #16 LSU, Florida will be fortunate to win four games this season.

If Florida’s athletic department wants to send Coach Napier home soon, they must pay him 85% of his contract (valued at $7-$7.5 million annually) for the remaining four years of his seven-year agreement.

That works out to around $27 million.

Since Florida is a public university, this sizable expense will fall onto the school’s wealthy football backers to ante-up the dough. While they’re shaking the bushes for money, don’t forget that the next new football coach will likely require at least $10-20 million in order to terminate the coaching deal at his current school, too.

Why fire Coach Napier if the Gators are unlikely to win many games this season?

The grand tradition in college and professional athletics has been to fire the head coach so that fans can start to have “hope” once again.

It is actually all about money – on both sides of the equation.

Sticking with an unpopular head coach too long could translate into millions of dollars in unsold season tickets for multiple years. The school also loses the associated parking, concessions, and merchandise revenues from the diminished gate.

If Florida should lose upwards of 10,000 season ticket holders next year, the annual revenue hit may be in the ballpark of $7 million for Florida’s seven-game home football schedule.

If and when Billy Napier is dismissed, the school could turn to one of the current assistant coaches to run the team for the remainder of the 2024 season. However, many of those top assistant coaches have loyalty to Billy Napier. The assistant coaches know that the new head coach will bring most of his own staff with him.

What about “The Ol’ Ball Coach”, Steve Spurrier?

The legendary 79-year old former Florida Gators signal caller and long-time coach Steve Spurrier is another person who might be able to put a short-term tourniquet on the Gator football program this fall.

The 1966 Heisman Trophy winner, Coach Spurrier commands respect of Florida football team and its fans. If he is healthy enough to want the job for a few months this fall, he is the best short-term fit.

Calling Tim Tebow…

The Heisman Trophy winner in 2007, Tim Tebow won two national championships as a quarterback for the Gators in 2006 and 2008. After retiring from professional sports, Tebow has been a very popular television analyst with ESPN’s SEC Network.

Let’s assume that the chance to save Gator Nation for the next two months would interest Tim Tebow. Though Tebow has not expressed any desire to coach college football, he would immediately generate renewed excitement for the program.

There is no doubt that ESPN (capitalizing on this national story/publicity) would grant a short-term leave of absence for Tim Tebow. For their part, Florida could offer to pay Tebow’s current salary and, in another fan friendly move, perhaps donate a similar amount to the charity of Tebow’s choice.

Tebow could write another book from the coaching experience and add another chapter to his legendary sports career.

It happened recently. Remember Cadillac Williams at Auburn?

Before you laugh at the idea of hiring Tim Tebow as an interim head coach at Florida, consider what happened at SEC rival Auburn only two years ago.

After Coach Bryan Harsin was fired in mid-season during 2022, former Auburn All-American running back legend Cadillac Williams was elevated from the school’s running backs coach to the interim head coach. The Auburn players and fans loved it. Finishing 2-2 in the remaining games, the school gained positive national recognition in an otherwise forgettable football season.

The clock is ticking at Florida

The next loss by Florida under head coach Billy Napier will likely be his last. What is not as clear is whether any future head football coach will be able to quickly turn around the Florida Gators’ football program.

With 90,000 seats to fill on Saturdays every fall, the university and its wealthy benefactors need to do some soul searching quickly. They must also pass the hat – a very large one – to cover the $27 million payout for Billy Napier and then ante-up even more to buy-out the new coach’s current agreement at another school.

So…who you gonna call now, Gators? There are plenty of ghosts to be busted in Gainesville.

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Oh, no! Here we go again.

Yesterday, I read that the “Pac-12– 10 = Pac-2” Conference (Oregon State and Washington State) invited four new friends to make it a six-team conference beginning in fall 2026.

Current Mountain West Conference members Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, and San Diego State would join the Beavers and Cougars to create (at least for now) the new “Six-Pac” Conference.

As country music’s Jim Ed Brown first crooned in a 1967 song, it’s time to “Pop a top, again…” to celebrate the new “Six-Pac” Conference!

At least until they must become an eight-team conference, that is.

The NCAA demands that all major conferences must compete with at least eight member schools. This new “Six-Pac” Conference is a couple of bottles short of the NCAA’s required minimum.

Time-out! How did we get to this point?

The former Pac-12 Conference was effectively dissolved. First, USC and UCLA joined the Big Ten Conference beginning this fall. Oregon and Washington later bolted to join the Big Ten as well.

Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah then took their marbles and walked away in favor of the Big 12 Conference beginning this fall.

Then, Cal and Stanford boarded jets to the Atlantic Coast Conference to make a total of ten teams which bailed out of their long-time conference beginning this fall.

Those ten schools vacated the Pac-12 after receiving significantly more money from the Big Ten, Big 12, and Atlantic Coast Conferences than their former league was able to offer.

That left the former Pac-12 Conference with only two remaining members – Oregon State and Washington State.

As a consolation prize, the courts allowed the remaining stalwarts of the Pac (12-10=2) to keep the Pac-12 Conference name AND (more importantly) millions of dollars which were paid by the ten teams as exit fees. The ten deserters were required to pay a lot of money to break away from their former conference and move into their more upscale neighborhoods.

Now flush with cash, the Pac-2 holdovers wisely cut a short-term deal to schedule games with a geographically close major athletic conference. The benevolent Mountain West Conference agreed to allow Oregon State and Washington State to schedule six football games this season against some of its member schools.

Looking ahead, there is currently no such “friendly” agreement in place for the 2025 football season.

The “new” Mountain West will slim down but pocket a lot of money!

On Thursday, the Pac-2 Conference announced that four members of the current Mountain West Conference will join the league two years from now in the fall of 2026.

One report indicated that the Mountain West Conference will pocket an estimated $110 million in exit fees from Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, and San Diego State Universities.

That will leave the Mountain West (at least for now) with the following eight institutions:

Air Force Falcons

Hawaii Rainbow Warriors

Nevada Wolf Pack

New Mexico Lobos

San Jose State Spartans

UNLV Rebels

Utah State Aggies

Wyoming Cowboys

The Mountain West must remain at least eight schools if it wants to maintain NCAA certification as a major athletic conference.

Shh…Be vewwy quiet. It’s Hunting Season once again!

Which two schools will the new “Six-Pac” Conference target to become an eight-team league?

They have already bagged their top four targets from the Mountain West. That means two more teams must be “negotiated” to leave their current leagues to come play in the renewed Pac “Who knows?” Conference.

The prime suspect appears to be teams from Conference USA.

In the past 11 years, this league has seen most of its long-time members bolt for other conference affiliations – primarily the American Athletic Conference (AAC) and Sunbelt Conference.

The defectors include 2013 schools like UCF, University of Houston, Memphis, and SMU. East Carolina and Tulsa left C-USA in 2014. In 2022, Marshall, Old Dominion, and Southern Miss hit the road for the Sunbelt Conference. Finally, 2023 saw UAB, Florida Atlantic, UNC-Charlotte, North Texas, and UT-San Antonio leave Conference USA to join the AAC.

Conference USA recently added Kennesaw State University (who dat?) in suburban Atlanta beginning this fall. Embarrassingly, C-USA is going to play most of its October college football schedule on Tuesday and Thursday nights. The lure of television money and exposure now overrides sensibilities and the desires of alumni and other supporters to watch home games on weekends in October.

The bigger question is, “Who’s NOT ready to leave Conference USA?”

The University of Texas at El Paso is now the longest tenured C-USA member since 2005. UTEP and New Mexico State (which just joined Conference USA in 2023) are both on the westernmost outposts of this far-flung athletic conference.

The Aggies and Miners would love to pocket more television money and exposure from the “Six-Pac” (or even the Mountain West Conference) than Conference USA is now providing.

One negative to bringing both schools into the “Six-Pac” (or Mountain West) is their common television market. Both UTEP and New Mexico State are a part of the #91-ranked El Paso/Las Cruces television market.

Texas State University (Sunbelt Conference) would be quite enticing for the “Six-Pac”

The school formerly known as Southwest Texas State University became a member of the Sunbelt Conference in 2013. Located in San Marcos, Texas, it is situated between two large television markets in #31 San Antonio and #35 Austin.

The Texas State Bobcats football program has been on the upswing in the past two years. The ‘Cats went to their first bowl game last season as they finished with an 8-5 record.

On Thursday night, Texas State played Big 12 (and former Pac-12 member) Arizona State very tough before falling 31-28 in a nationally televised game on ESPN.

The Sunbelt Conference (current home of Texas State) has been growing in national stature over the past few years. James Madison University, Coastal Carolina, Appalachian State, and UL-Lafayette have been nationally ranked college football teams during the past five years.

The “Six-Pac” Conference could slot Texas State and either UTEP or New Mexico State to fill its two openings.

Don’t forget Louisiana Tech University! They might be willing to move west, too.

Did you remember that Louisiana Tech was once a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) for a dozen years from 2001 through 2013? After that point, the Bulldogs joined a better geographic fit in what was a highly competitive Conference USA.

The Bulldogs are not a good geographic fit for either the “Six-Pac” or Mountain West Conferences.

However, the school may be ready to bolt Conference USA as the league’s national prestige keeps shrinking. The Shreveport television market is ranked #89 – similar to the El Paso TV market. However, the incremental travel costs would make Louisiana Tech a less attractive potential affiliate than Texas State, UTEP, and New Mexico State.

IF…Texas State decides to leave the Sunbelt Conference and move west, Louisiana Tech should quickly move to take their place in the Sunbelt. Other long-term Conference USA mates such as Middle Tennessee, Western Kentucky, and Florida International would likely covet that Sunbelt spot, too.

Is a mid-major merger coming?

Conference USA is likely to see one or more of its teams leave in this new round of college musical chairs. Likewise, the Mountain West Conference will drop from 12 teams to just eight in two years. Both leagues desire to survive in the long-term.

C-USA should discuss a merger with the Mountain West Conference. A 16-team combined league could feature an Eastern division of C-USA schools and a Western division comprised of Mountain West members. It makes sense for both conferences to minimize travel for their member schools and avoid becoming two costly transcontinental (coast-to-coast) leagues.

Buckle up! The latest round of this game is just beginning.

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A recent sports headline really caught my eye. It said that sports betting on NFL games this fall will rise 30% over last year.

Today’s technology allows (and even encourages) sports wagering from the comfort of your own home. Many will download an app onto their phone to allow nearly instantaneous wagering on the team they expect to win along with any number of possible in-game occurrences (called “prop bets”).

Most of us are quite familiar with Super Bowl office pools which randomly assign “squares” for the quarterly and final scores. Then fantasy football leagues began to proliferate over the past few decades to get more people involved in keeping up with the NFL on a weekly basis.

More recently, wagering on NFL and college football games (and many other sports) has been legalized in 38 US states plus Washington, DC and Puerto Rico. State budgets want their share of this rapidly increasing pool of dollars coming from sports wagering, too.

One study showed that more than 50 million Americans bet more than $16 billion on the February, 2023 Super Bowl game alone. An on-line betting service took more than 50,000 bets per minute during that football game.

In July, 2023, the American Psychological Association expressed concerns about the youthful 21-24 year old age group being the fastest growing segment of sports gamblers. Impulsivity will drive some to gamble on such things as who wins the coin flip or how many field goals will be kicked during a game.

Unlike other type of addictions which have been studied for decades, the effects of this recent surge in sports betting are being researched in real-time. Parents and schools often attempt to caution students with warnings about alcohol, tobacco/smoking, and drug abuse. Sports betting and on-line gambling are becoming a growing issue among younger adults.

Temptation isn’t far away

You can’t miss the blitz of television advertisements for the growing number of sports betting services each weekend. The internet has provided the potential for privacy and instantaneous sports betting opportunities for anyone with a credit card.

As I covered in February, 2022, a growing number of sports talk radio stations across the US are being converted to 24/7 sports betting promotional tools as well.

The BetQL Network now features 80 radio stations – mostly in cities which are home to major league sports franchises. Even though the state of Texas has yet to approve on-line sports betting, Houston radio station KIKK 650-AM dropped CBS Sports Radio a few years ago in favor of the BetQL Network. The daily radio schedule is non-stop talk pumping sports and, of course, betting line information. Houston gamblers (not the former XFL football team) usually drive eastward to Lake Charles or northeast to Shreveport in Louisiana to place their sports bets.

The BetQL system is available for online sports betting for as little as $19.99/month for one sport. Not to be outdone, ESPN got into the act in early 2023. PENN Entertainment agreed to pay ESPN $1.5 billion over a ten year period for their new marketing partnership. On the ESPN website, you may have noticed a new tab for ESPN BET.

Similar providers include BetMGM, FanDuel, DraftKings, and Caesars Sportsbook, among others.

Through the first five months of 2024, revenue generated by companies from sports betting in the 38 states (plus DC and Puerto Rico) reached $5.7 billion, an increase of nearly 25% over the same period in 2023 according to an industry promoter, the American Gaming Association.

The states which have embraced sports gambling have generated new tax revenues for states without politicians having to ask voters for higher income and/or sales taxes. The US Census Bureau reported that sports betting generated $506 million in state tax revenues during the third quarter of 2023, up 20.5% compared to the same quarter in 2022.

So, the sports betters and their on-line providers seem happy. State revenues are up, so they seem happy, too.

What could possibly go wrong?

Plenty.

A recent report from UCLA and USC showed a substantial increase in bankruptcy rates, debt collections, debt consolidation loans, and auto loan delinquencies occurring in states which offer legal sports betting.

Research indicates that people who engage in sports betting appear to develop gambling problems at particularly high rates. Sports gamblers are also at a higher risk for mental health and substance use problems compared with other kinds of gamblers.

About 14% of sports bettors have reported thoughts of suicide and 10% said they had made a suicide attempt according to a New Jersey research study.

The executive director of the National Council on Problem Gaming has called problem gambling a “ticking time bomb.”

Unlike billions of federal dollars dedicated to drug, alcohol, and tobacco addictions, no federal funds are currently earmarked for problem gambling research or treatment.

One study of online sports gamblers indicated that 16% met clinical criteria for gambling disorder and another 13% showed some signs of gambling problems.

Young men in low-income communities have proven to be the most vulnerable.

They have experienced higher financial distress, higher rates of bankruptcy, more usage of consolidation and unsecured loans, and more credit card delinquencies than others in the states which have legal sports gambling. With a lower credit score, they also find it more difficult to be approved for a future home mortgage, auto loan or credit card.

Though older research showed “only” 1% of the US population was dealing with a gambling problem, that percentage is likely on the upswing. Unfortunately, most people with gambling addiction don’t self-report or seek treatment so the true number is likely higher.

Need a bankruptcy attorney? Call 1-800-YO-MONEY!!!

With Americans projected to spend a record $35 billion on legal bets during this NFL season (up from $27 billion last year), business is also booming for personal bankruptcy attorneys.

As online sports books have made gambling easier and more accessable, some attorneys say it has pushed clients into Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy.

Walter Metzen, a Detroit attorney, has watched clients blow through their 401(k) accounts by gambling and then later contemplated suicide.

“I never used to see it,” said Metzen. “This is a phenomenon in the last five years.”

He added that the problems are most pronounced among men ages 21-35.

Surprisingly (at least to me), debt related to gambling is traditionally dischargeable in bankruptcy. The rationale is that gambling debt is not typically accrued in bad faith and is often discharged by bankruptcy judges.

“They intended to pay it off,” said attorney Walter Metzen. “They didn’t gamble intending to lose.”

This isn’t always the case, though. In a recent ruling, a US Bankruptcy Court in New Jersey declined to dismiss a sports gambling case, writing that “Poor judgment does not translate to bad faith.”

Consensus Tips

If you or someone in your immediate family has other addiction problems, the safest idea is simply to avoid sports betting altogether.

For those who still wish to proceed, most professional services suggest that you should ease in slowly and with a dollar amount you can easily afford to lose. Your initial “bankroll” should be an amount of money within your means and that you are comfortable losing.

Let’s say $100 for the NFL season. (Yes, I really am that cheap!)

Once you set aside a bankroll to potentially lose, the professionals suggest that you should risk no more than 5% of your total amount on any wager. If you’re starting the football season with just a $100 bankroll, your biggest bet should be $5.

If you should happen to end the season on the plus side, congratulations! If you lost money, consider yourself fortunate to have minimized your losses in advance. You will learn a lot in the process.

Much like drinking, the biggest problems seem to arise once a sports better begins to spend more and more money trying to cover losses. Stick with your initial game plan. Never exceed your predetermined bankroll for the season and accept the outcome.

I’ll add one more. If you stop enjoying watching football games, QUIT GAMBLING IMMEDIATELY!

*If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER for crisis counseling and referral services.

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It’s Monday! Let’s cook up some football leftover gumbo from this past weekend.

First, the NFL’s opening week of play.

Time for Brownie the Elf to go back on the shelf

The Cleveland Browns hosted the Dallas Cowboys Sunday afternoon in the Fox Sports debut of $37.5 million per year football analyst Tom Brady. Prior to the kickoff, the Dallas Cowboys revealed they just made quarterback Dak Prescott this week’s highest paid NFL player with a new 4-year deal worth $60 million per season.

Tom Brady still makes more than the majority of NFL players and doesn’t have to wake up on Monday mornings nursing injured bones and muscles anymore. What a life, eh?

Dallas’ defense dominated the action as the Cowboys cruised to a 33-17 win during a surprising snoozer of a game.

Did you notice “Brownie the Elf” adorning the midfield turf in Cleveland? The legendary Cleveland Brown’s good luck charm needs to be sacked after failing to deliver any mojo for the home team.

The famous Dawg Pound in Cleveland should be allowed dig a hole in the end zone and bury Brownie prior to the next Browns home game.

Are the Saints really that good or is Carolina just that bad?

Yes and yes.

As much as I love my Saints, I think Carolina may be heading for another top pick in next spring’s NFL draft. The Saints 47-10 win over the hapless Panthers was the largest season opening win in New Orleans’ 57-year pro football history.

A year ago, Carolina used their #1 overall pick to select a Drew Brees-sized quarterback in Bryce Young from Alabama.

With so much invested in this young man, it might be wise to get him an Alabama-sized offensive line, a couple of Alabama-sized running backs, and some speedy Alabama wide receivers, too.

Carolina has none of those right now.

The Saints scored on their first nine possessions of this game. Quarterback Derek Carr had a career day connecting on 19 of 23 pass attempts and three touchdowns. Running back Alvin Kamara rolled up another 100+ yards in total offense, too. Reliable wide receiver Chris Olave wasn’t even needed on Sunday as he pulled in just two receptions for measly 11 yards.

Next Sunday, New Orleans travels to Dallas (12 Noon CDT on Fox) in a game featuring the NFL’s top offense after Week #1 (Saints) going up against the Cowboys’ stingy defense.

The NFL’s new kickoff rule is a dud

While trying to reduce the number of collision injuries (a commendable idea), the “No Fun League” showcased its new kickoff rule. If you want to read the NFL’s explanation of the rule, click here.

Most fans are ready to ditch the new rule after Week #1.

One player, DeeJay Dallas of the Arizona Cardinals, likes the new rule. The speediest DJ in the NFL scored with “stylus” on a 96-yard kickoff return as he burst right up the middle in the Cardinals 34-28 loss at Buffalo. It was the first regular season kickoff return for a touchdown under the NFL’s new kickoff procedure.

For most of the first week of NFL action, the new kickoff rule (which lines-up players just five yards across from each other until the ball is caught) brought very little excitement to the games.

Joe Mixon’s revenge!

Whose brilliant idea was it to let Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon leave town?

After the Bengals accepted a lowly 7th round pick from Houston, the Texans signed the veteran running back to a 3-year $27 million contract. In week #1, Mixon ran 30 times for 159 yards and one touchdown during Houston’s season opening road win against Indianapolis. Meanwhile, Cincinnati’s top runner (Zach Moss) gained just 44 yards in the Bengals 16-10 home loss to a not-very-good New England Patriots team.

Now, let’s make a few observations from this weekend’s college football games:

Two Orange SEC teams are looking good right now

The #3 Texas Longhorns dominated the first half at Michigan to end the #10 Wolverines’ two year home winning streak in a 31-12 beatdown in Ann Arbor. The Texas offense is efficient, and the defense appears to be just as tough.

Speaking of defenses, the #14 Tennessee Volunteers held #24 North Carolina State to less than 200 yards in total offense while administering a 52-10 shellacking in Charlotte on Saturday night.

Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers and Rocky Top redshirt freshman quarterback Nico “I’m-a-be-liever” have been on fire during the opening two weeks of the college football season.

Notre Dame is not a Top 25 team. Neither is LSU.

In the biggest surprise of 2024 college football season, Northern Illinois took an early lead and then kicked a game winning field goal at #5 Notre Dame to win the game 16-14. The victory was the first by a Mid-American Conference school over a top five program in the history of the league.

Notre Dame (1-1) was flat and taken down by a hungrier bunch of Huskies. For the Irish, this loss should come back to bite them if they want consideration for the 12-team football playoffs at year’s end.

LSU (now 1-1) allowed 46-point underdog Nicholls State to stay close (23-21) early in the third quarter before pulling away late to win 44-21. LSU’s running game (?) finished this game with just 64 yards on 19 carries.

The Tigers now travel to 2-0 South Carolina to play an 11AM Saturday game on ABC.

The Gamecocks completely shut-down Kentucky 31-6 in Lexington. The unbeaten Gamecocks will also host ESPN’s College Game Day show this Saturday morning (8AM-11AM) to fire-up the home team fans even more.

LSU’s passing game looks to be just fine, but the lack of a productive running game in the first two weeks of the season is a big red flag for the Tigers. Regardless of what the polls say, LSU is not (yet) a Top 25 team based on their play on the field during first two weeks of this season.

Speaking of Kentucky, just how BAD are the Wildcats?

Coach Mark Stoops’ Kentucky football team ran the ball 18 consecutive times during the first half of a 31-6 home embarrassment against a middle-of-the road South Carolina team Saturday. Starting quarterback Brock Vandagriff completed only three of ten passes for a paltry 30 yards with one interception. His back-up went 3-7 for just 14 yards and another interception.

The Wildcats ran the ball 46 times vs. just 17 pass attempts in this game despite falling behind 7-0 during the middle of the first quarter. What’s up with that, Coach?

“We’ve been beaten pretty badly by some really good football teams, but I felt like our team always fought back,” said head coach Mark Stoops. “Today, it didn’t look like we were a very well-coached team and it didn’t look like a team that, that really, wanted to respond.”

Don’t look now, but the #1 Georgia Bulldogs are (currently) a 22-point favorite – on the road – as they visit Lexington to play the Cats on Saturday night (6:30PM on ESPN).

Here, Kitty Kitty!

Nebraska and Colorado appear to be heading in different paths

The 2-0 Nebraska Cornhuskers (yes, it feels odd to say) had no trouble taking care of coach Deion Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes Wild West show during a 28-10 win Saturday night in Lincoln. The 1-1 Buffaloes have now allowed 26 and 28 points in consecutive weeks.

For Nebraska, the team had zero turnovers for the second week in a row. With an improving offense and defense, Nebraska is finally rising under Coach Matt Rhule.

Colorado’s combination of quarterback Shadeur Sanders and wide receiver Travis Hunter is a dynamic duo. However, the Buffs’ running game gained just 16 yards on 22 carries. A team which relies entirely on its passing game will see eight and even nine pass defenders on defense.

CU travels to in-state rival Colorado State (1-1) on Saturday night in a nationally televised (6:30PM on CBS) rematch of last year’s very chippy double overtime thriller won by Colorado.

Centenary College played its first college football game in more than 60 years

Last Saturday night in Shreveport, the Centenary College Gentlemen played its first college football game since the 1960’s.

A sell-out crowd of 1,500 fans (hey, the stadium seating was only recently constructed on one side of the field) pulled hard for the home team, but the visitors from Hendrix College (Conway, Arkansas) prevailed by a 43-20 final score. The Centenary head football coach was disappointed in the outcome but pleased with other aspects of this historic game for the private college with just 700 students.

“So many people have worked for years to make this day happen,” said Coach Byron Dawson. “People invested their time and hard-earned money, and I am so happy and grateful that we had college football in this city tonight. We are going to keep pushing forward.”

The NCAA Division III Gents hit the road for this Saturday’s 6PM contest against the Texas Lutheran University Bulldogs in Seguin, Texas just east of San Antonio.

Bonus – Congrats to the 2-0 ULM Warhawks after a convincing 32-6 win at home against the 1-1 UAB Blazers.

The Hawks have this week off before traveling for a BIG payday game on Saturday, September 21at 7PM in Austin against last week’s #3 Texas Longhorns.

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On Thursday night, the Kansas City Chiefs will host the opening game of the 2024 NFL season against another top AFC foe, the Baltimore Ravens. The game will air nationally on NBC at 7:20PM CDT. It could be a preview of the AFC Championship game coming in January.

Sure, the Chiefs have the best quarterback in the league in Patrick Mahomes. They also have the best head coach in the league. Andy Reid is back for another year in Kansas City.

At least for now, the Chiefs also bring millions of Taylor Swift fans as her boyfriend Travis Kelce returns at tight end for KC.

Sorry, KC! No repeat for you this season!

The odds makers simply LOVE the Chiefs repeating as champions this year. Kansas City must win 12 of its 17 regular season games to beat the odds.

That’s a tall order. I just do not believe Kansas City will repeat as the NFL champion in 2024.

Admittedly, I don’t follow the Chiefs very closely down here in the swamps. Call it a “gut” feeling, but I expect that Kansas City’s mojo and good fortunes may be starting to wane.

After all, the Chiefs have won three of the last five NFL titles (in February of 2020, 2023, and 2024). They have avoided major injuries to many key players during their playoff runs. All things considered, I predict that the “Super Chiefs” train will not arrive back in Kansas City carrying the NFL’s Lombardi Trophy again after this season.

If not Kansas City, who will capture the NFL title?

If Kansas City fails to advance to the Super Bowl this season, the door is wide open a number of hungry teams. Let’s cover a few of my other favorites.

First, the NFC preview!

San Francisco 49ers – A heavy favorite in the NFC once again this year, San Francisco must win 12 or more games this season for the wagering folks to pocket some lucky charms. The 49ers have re-signed two of its key players in the past week to help them stay atop the NFC again this year.

Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk recently agreed to a four-year $120 million contract extension to stay with the Niners. Yesterday, 36-year old offensive tackle Trent Williams snagged a new 3-year $82.6 million deal to remain with the team. The 11-time All-Pro left tackle from Longview (TX) High School and the University of Oklahoma serves as a proverbial brick wall to protect his quarterback, Brock Purdy. The 49ers should have another excellent season in the NFC.

NFC East Winner – Either Philadelphia or Dallas – The NFC East (as usual) features two teams (NY Giants and Washington) which will likely struggle to win six or more games again this year. Let’s go ahead and eliminate the G-men and the football team in Washington.

I would probably consider Philadelphia to be my favorite over Dallas if the Eagles had not (pardon my pun) laid such an egg to end last season. The Eagles lost five of its final six regular season games and were pummeled by an “OK” Tampa Bay team 32-9 in the opening round of the playoffs.

During the off-season, the “Iggles” added bruising running back Saquan Barkley from the New York Giants. The 27-year old Barkley wants his chance to win a championship ring and believes he can accomplish that in Philly. If the big running back can carry the football productively for 15-20 times per game, Philly will be very tough this season.

Meanwhile, in Big D…

Having a 28-year Super Bowl appearance drought is hard to believe, but it was 1996 when the Dallas Cowboys last played in the NFL’s title game. After a 12-5 regular season in 2023, the #2 NFC playoff seed Dallas was throttled at home by the #7 Green Bay Packers 48-32. Most Cowboys fans are still in shock after watching that season-ending playoff debacle.

If you look at this year’s football schedule for the Dallas Cowboys, the team plays many of its toughest games at home. Baltimore, Detroit, Houston, and Cincinnati will pay a visit to the stadium known as “Jerry World” this fall.

Unlike San Francisco, Dallas still has two “star” players begging for new contracts. As of this time, team owner Jerry Jones has balked at providing a new deal for quarterback Dak Prescott and defensive end Micah Parsons. Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb did receive a new deal in the last week (valued at $136 million over the next four years).

Then there’s the head coach. Mike McCarthy has proven to be an excellent coach during the regular season but has been (for the most part) a big dud in post-season games. He now enters the final year of his employment contract in Dallas. How motivated will Mike McCarthy be to help Jerry Jones reach the Super Bowl again when the team’s owner has no faith in the head coach beyond this year?

Detroit Lions – The Lions continue to get closer to the team’s first ever Super Bowl appearance. After a 12-5 regular season last year, Detroit beat the Los Angeles Rams 24-23 and Tampa Bay 31-23 to advance into the NFC Championship game at San Francisco. The Lions took an early 14-0 lead but faltered late to lose the game to the 49ers 34-31.

The brainiacs in Las Vegas think Detroit will win 11 games this fall. The schedule features tough road games at San Francisco, Dallas, and Houston. The NFC Central also looks to be tougher as division foes Green Bay, Minnesota, and Chicago may push the Lions harder this season.

Sleeper teams – Green Bay Packers and L.A. Rams. Green Bay finished last season on a roll after defeating Dallas in the first round of the NFL and played San Francisco a close game until the final moments in Round 2. However, everyone will be prepared to stop Packers quarterback Jordan Love this season.

The Los Angeles Rams have a balanced offense with some stellar wide receivers. The schedule appears favorable for the Rams to win at least ten games, too. Can 36-year old quarterback Matthew Stafford stay healthy this fall? If the Rams defense improves to (at least) the middle of the pack, the team’s potent offense may carry Los Angeles deep into the playoffs.

NFC Champion – Detroit Lions over San Francisco 49ers

Now, for the AFC!

Kansas City Chiefs – Despite my prediction that KC won’t win the Super Bowl, that doesn’t mean they will have a lousy year, either.

The AFC West is still “Kansas City and those other three teams” (Broncos, Raiders, and Chargers). Though Denver and the L.A. Chargers should improve, both teams will be fortunate to reach nine wins. Kansas City is predicted to win at least 11 games and may have home field advantage for at least the first game in this year’s playoffs.

Baltimore Ravens – Adding All-Pro running back Derrick Henry (formerly of the Tennessee Titans) into the Ravens’ backfield should take some pressure off quarterback Lamar Jackson this year. With a tough schedule including road games at Kansas City, Dallas, and Houston, the Ravens are still pegged to win 11 games by the Vegas odds makers.

This is a team with solid coaching (John Harbaugh), a tough defense, a great home crowd, but they depend too heavily on the performance of the quarterback to carry the team. If a more balanced offense unfolds in 2024, the Ravens become the team to beat in the AFC.

Cincinnati Bengals – As quarterback Joe Burrow goes, so go the Bengals. Cincy must play Baltimore twice in the difficult AFC Central division. The road schedule is favorable for the Bengals to have a good season. The toughest road games will be at Kansas City in Week #2 and in Dallas on Monday, December 9. The Bengals must become more consistent on both offense and defense to win the 11 games which Vegas is predicting this season.

Sleeper teams – Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills. Don’t forget about Jacksonville this year. The Jaguars’ schedule is not very difficult. After bolting out to an 8-3 start in 2023, an injury to quarterback Trevor Lawrence caused a late collapse. The Jags could become an improved team in 2024.

Likewise, the Buffalo Bills schedule isn’t overly difficult, but recent years have seen the Bills let everyone down in the playoffs. The AFC East features three tough teams (Miami, NY Jets, and Buffalo). Will the Bills play with urgency this fall and emerge as a surprise playoff team?

AFC Champion – Baltimore Ravens over Kansas City Chiefs

Super Bowl Prediction (to be played in New Orleans Superdome) – Detroit Lions 35, Baltimore 27.

Party time, Detroit!

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The first weekend of the college football season was filled with blowout wins by many of the favorites while their victims hired a Brinks’ truck to haul home their very large paychecks.

Let’s review cover some of the good, the bad, and ugly things from this Labor Day opening weekend of college football.

SEC Blowouts Galore

In the SEC, four different games played on Saturday had the winning team with a 60 point or greater margin of victory. Preseason #5 Alabama, #6 Ole Miss, #15 Tennessee and unranked Auburn all posted victories by 60 or more points to set an all-time SEC record.

What does that tell you about any of those teams? Not very much. It does mean that they desperately wanted to “impress” the football poll voters to help enhance their rankings heading into next week.

Except at Florida

The consensus is that the Florida Gators had the toughest schedule in the 134-team FBS upper division in 2024. Their home opener against in-state rival and #18-rated Miami certainly qualified as a tough start. The Hurricanes blasted the Gators – in Gainesville – by a final score of 41-17 in a game that wasn’t nearly as close as the final score indicated.

“It’s embarrassing, to be quite honest with you,” said Florida head coach Billy Napier. “That’s how I feel. That’s how our kids feel. We’ve got a decision to make. There’s no excuses. Keep our mouths shut, show up and work. We have to do better.”

It will take a miraculous improvement by the Gators in the weeks to come for Coach Napier (now in his third season) to remain in charge of this team next season.

#13 was an unlucky number for the LSU Tigers in Las Vegas

The Las Vegas Sunday night match-up between #13-ranked LSU and #23 USC was expected to be a tight game with a very high scoring total. The Vegas betting line expected at least 65 points to be scored by the two teams. It never materialized.

USC’s 27-20 win over LSU came on a surprising 13-yard touchdown run (there’s that unlucky number 13 again). The USC runner plowed over the right side of the Tigers’ defense with just eight seconds remaining to provide the winning points.

The defenses for both teams performed better than last season. However, going from a “D” grade to a “C” isn’t very impressive.

LSU’s offense failed to score any points on its 8-minute opening drive in the first quarter. After that, the Tigers never seemed to regain control of the football game.

The Tigers also committed a few self-inflicted wounds with unnecessary personal fouls which immediately hurt the team. The post-game remarks of head coach Brian Kelly revealed his disappointment.

“The thing that is most concerning for me are the personal fouls,” said Coach Kelly. They’re undisciplined penalties. That falls back on me. We take pride in running a disciplined program, but we have clearly not done a good enough job there because it impacted the game.”

USC moved to 1-0 entering its first season in the Big Ten Conference. LSU’s chances of finishing 10-2 and earning a playoff spot just took a big hit with this season-opening loss.

Introducing the 2-minute warning (oops, “timeout”) in college football???

Did you happen to notice the new two minute “2-minute” warnings during the second and fourth quarters of this weekend’s college football games?

A 60-minute college football game (due to the excessive number of commercial breaks and lengthy halftime commercial barrage) had grown to about three hours and thirty minutes prior to the 2023 fall football season. Some minor changes last season helped to shorten the college football games by nearly ten minutes in 2023 (yea!).

Until this year.

The NCAA is calling this new stoppage of play a “Two-Minute Timeout”. Whatever they want to call it, the real reason is to add a couple of minutes of commercial time per half for the television networks to recoup the costs of overpaying for the rights to college football games.

Let’s consult the NCAA rule book (Section 3, Article 5):

“The media broadcast partner will hold back at least one media timeout to coincide with the Two-Minute Timeout. If there is no media timeout partner in the game, the timeout shall be one minute plus the five-second referee notification and the 25-second play clock interval.”

Let’s do our part, too! When you see a “Two-Minute Timeout” called, leave the TV and make a final kitchen or bathroom visit. Ignore those extra commercials!

Michigan looks beatable in 2024

Coach Jim Harbaugh is gone. So is quarterback J.J. McCarthy after he became a first round draft choice by the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings.

After going unbeaten in 2023 and taking home the national title, the Michigan Wolverines may have trouble duplicating last season’s success.

Michigan’s 31-10 opening win at home over Fresno State was a bit deceiving. Fresno trailed by just 14 points in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs were driving to tighten the game before their quarterback threw an 86-yard pick-6 interception. With the late defensive touchdown, Michigan secured a 21-point margin of victory.

The Wolverines produced less than 300 yards in total offense in a game where the team was heavily favored. The high-scoring Texas Longhorns are coming to Michigan this Saturday (11AM Central on Fox). We will quickly learn whether the Wolverines are ready to defend their national championship.

The Iowa Hawkeyes – SCORED!

Sure, the Hawkeyes were hosting a smaller division opponent (Illinois State) in their home opener on Saturday. Regardless of the opponent, Iowa’s problems on offense for the past several years have been well documented.

If only for one week, the Iowa Hawkeyes rolled up nearly 500 yards in total offense and scored (gasp) 40 points in a shutout win over the Redbirds from ISU.

The Hawkeyes will host arch-rival Iowa State on Saturday at 2:30PM Central on CBS. The early prognosticators say that the total number of points scored in this week’s game will be just 35.5. I wouldn’t touch that line with a 10-foot corn stalk!

Is Nebraska for real?

The Cornhuskers are trying to post a winning record for the first time since 2016.

After signing highly recruited quarterback Dylan Raiola, the Huskers efficiently scored points and did not turn the ball over in a 40-7 cakewalk over UTEP this weekend. It was Nebraska’s first season opening win in five years (take note, LSU!).

The high scoring Colorado Buffaloes will stampede into Lincoln this Saturday for a nationally televised game at 6:30PM on NBC. For Nebraska to post a winning record in 2024, the Huskers must take advantage of the early portion of their schedule. The final five games are at Ohio State, home for UCLA, at USC, home for Wisconsin, and at Iowa.

Is Florida State really that bad?

After losing its opening game against Georgia Tech in Dublin, Ireland a week ago, the preseason #10 Seminoles returned home for a Labor Day encounter with Boston College. BC (now coached by former Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien) has not posted a winning record in the ACC since 2009.

On Monday night, Boston College literally ran over Florida State in Tallahassee to easily win 28-13. The Eagles rushed for 263 yards, while Florida State’s moribund offense tallied just 21 yards on 16 carries.

Florida State coach Mike Norvell needs to ask for NIL refunds from this newly acquired transfer quarterback named D.J. U along with most of his team’s defense. The Seminoles’ coach is a proven winner, but the effort and talent level at FSU is lagging. This team is a mess.

Is Clemson’s coach Yabba Dabo Done?

Dabo Swinney has led Clemson to the national championship in 2016 and 2018. His teams finished second on two other occasions (2015 and 2019). After losing (gasp) four games in 2023, the impatient Clemson fans want to see their Tigers playing at a national championship level again.

In a difficult season opener against top-rated Georgia, Clemson’s offense put up only 200 total yards in a 34-3 loss to the Bulldogs. The orange-clad Clemson fans are unhappy that their successful coach refused to play in the NIL transfer pool casino game this season. Dabo Swinney prefers to find and develop his own talent.

The Clemson Tigers’ ACC schedule doesn’t appear overly daunting this season. The highest ranked remaining opponents (NC State and Louisville) must travel to Clemson this year.

All is not lost (yet), Clemson fans.

UL-Monroe’s quarterback has a very memorable name!

The new quarterback for the ULM Warhawks is General Booty. Actually, his full name is General Axel Booty. When he appeared at the University of Oklahoma a few years ago, he told reporters:

“Obviously my name’s an attention-grabber and people like to do headlines with it, but I like to show people with my play that I can back it up, too,” said General. “I have done that, I’m going to continue to do that as well, and give them a reason to remember my name.”

He also confided that his father (Abram Booty – a former high school standout player at Shreveport’s Evangel Christian Academy) has long been fascinated with the military and that’s why he named his son General. General Booty is the nephew of former LSU quarterback Josh Booty and USC quarterback John David Booty.

The transferring General from OU just led ULM to a season opening 30-14 win over FCS opponent Jackson State last Thursday night.

Most importantly for ULM, General Booty had a five-star night operating as the team’s field general.

He efficiently completed 10 of 14 passes for one touchdown. Most importantly, he did not throw an interception or fumble the football (a recurring problem for the Warhawks’ quarterbacks in recent years).

ULM will host UAB in a battle of the three letter universities this Saturday night with a 6PM kickoff at Malone Stadium in Monroe.

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With this first full weekend of college football games kicking-off, the chase begins for 12 teams to receive invitations to play in the revised College Football Playoffs in December.

There are 134 teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) upper tier division of college football this year. The Owls of Kennesaw State (just northwest of Atlanta, GA) will fly into Conference USA this season as the newest team venturing into the upper division of football schools.

It’s time to ring the bell and let the 134-team college football “Battle Royale” begin for a dozen playoff spots at the end of this season.

The expansion of the College Football Playoffs from four teams to twelve this season is the latest money grab by the NCAA, ABC/ESPN/Disney, the biggest programs in college football and, more recently, the football players, too.

The college football revenue pie has grown into an entire bakery filled with lots of “dough” (get it?).

Today, I read an article in which 15 ESPN sports staffers predicted the 12-team playoff field and the eventual national champion for this season.

To no one’s surprise, the majority predicted the winner would be Georgia (9 votes) followed by Ohio State (5 votes).

Just one of the writers ventured off the reservation and selected Oregon (now playing in the Big Ten, by the way) to win the college football title this season.

Statistically speaking, the odds favor the SEC

Being from the South, I have been a long-time supporter of SEC football teams. Most SEC fans will come together to pull for our representative in the championship game – unless both of the finalists are from the SEC. In the past decade, that occurred in 2022 (Georgia beat Alabama) and back in 2018 when, you guessed it, Alabama beat Georgia.

Prior to Michigan’s breakthrough win in last season’s title game, the SEC had been riding a four year winning streak in national championship title games. The league has captured six of the last ten national championships while the Big Ten (Michigan and Ohio State) and ACC (Clemson twice) have two trophies each.

Ironically, both of the Big Ten’s championships in the past decade have come while playing non-SEC opponents. This January’s victory by Michigan was against the Pac-12’s University of Washington. The January, 2015 win by Ohio State came against the Pac-12 Oregon Ducks.

Otherwise, SEC teams have played in the college football title game in eight of the past ten years. In six of those eight championship games, the SEC has taken home the big trophy.

This season, the Southeastern Conference has added two new behemoths to their league. Welcome to the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma (which prefers the reverse for its shortened name – OU).

The SEC’s football dominance in recent years seems as large as former pro wrestler Andre the Giant (RIP) when compared to the rest of the field.

It is almost a cinch that the SEC will secure at least four spots in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoffs this season.

Who gets into the new 12-team College Football Playoffs?

This is where it gets a little tricky.

1. The champions of the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, and SEC are guaranteed a spot. That’s four teams with eight more to go!
2. The highest ranked champion from one of the other five major conferences (American, Conference USA, Mid-American, Mountain West, and Sunbelt) is guaranteed a spot.
3. The top seven highest ranked teams – to be determined by the College Football Playoff Selection Committee (wink, wink) – will round out the field.

In case you were curious, the 12-teams which would have made the field last season would have been:

1. Michigan (Big Ten), Texas (Big 12), Alabama (SEC), and Florida State (ACC). Since 2023 was the final year of the Pac-12, Washington would have been guaranteed a spot last year, too.
2. Liberty (a 13-0 team from Conference USA) was the top ranked team from the “Group of 5” conferences and earned a spot in the playoffs.
3. The remaining top ranked playoff teams would have been Georgia (SEC), Ohio State (Big Ten), Oregon (Pac-12), Missouri (SEC), Penn State (Big Ten), and Ole Miss (SEC).

In 2023, a 12-team playoff would have featured four teams from the SEC, three from the Big Ten, two from the Pac-12, and one each from the ACC, Big 12, and Conference USA.

As we begin the 2024 fall college football season, the Pac-12 Conference has (for the most part) dissolved. As of August, 2024, ten of the 12 schools in the conference sold out for more money and headed east to join other leagues beginning this fall.

There are four “Pack-12” teams now a part of the Big Ten (Washington, Oregon, USC, and UCLA). Four more “Pack-12” teams migrated to the Big 12 (Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah). Two former “Pack-12” teams (Cal and Stanford) trek all the way to the East Coast to become part of the Atlantic Coast Conference. (Personally, I think this league should be rebranded as the “A&P Conference“).

Two Pac-12 teams (Oregon State and Washington State) were left out of the 2024 expan$ion game. The two remaining schools were allowed to keep the Pac-12 name as a consolation prize while they determine their football futures.

The favorites in 2024 will be the familiar BIG names

In addition to Georgia and Ohio State, the other favorites in this fall’s race to the championship include national brands such as Oregon, Texas, Alabama, Penn State, Notre Dame, Michigan, Clemson, and, of course, the 2019 national champions from LSU.

With the lone exception of the Penn State Nittany Lions, each of those teams has participated in at least one College Football Playoff game during the past decade.

If you are looking for an underdog team to root for in 2024, here are my top five to watch

Ole Miss – The SEC’s Rebels have never appeared in the College Football Playoffs. Coach Lane Kiffin often seems to get more press than his team does. Ole Miss has been on the verge of breaking through in the past three years, but Alabama kept getting in their way.

This year’s schedule features three Top 25 match-ups. Ole Miss plays a tough road game at LSU (October 12) along with home encounters against Oklahoma (October 26) and Georgia (November 9). Thankfully, long-time foil Alabama is not on this year’s SEC schedule.

A one or two loss season should be enough to lift Ole Miss into the College Football Playoffs for the first time in 2024.

Missouri – Just like Ole Miss, the Mizzou Tigers of the SEC are eager to compete in the College Football Playoffs for the first time, too. They have lost twice in the SEC Championship game (to Auburn and Alabama) and have yet to earn a ticket to the playoff party.

Missouri’s 2024 schedule seems quite favorable. The team will have three Top-25 match-ups. Two are road trips to Texas A&M (October 5) and Alabama (October 26). SEC newcomer Oklahoma will travel to Columbia, Missouri for a November 9 match-up with Mizzou.

A 10-2 regular season finish might be enough to punch Missouri’s first ticket to the post-season playoffs in 2024.

Tennessee – Over the past two seasons, the Tennessee Volunteers have found ways to get their fans excited early in the year but then let them down at the end. SEC bullies such as Georgia and Alabama have made a habit of bursting the playoff dreams of Tennessee’s loyal Big Orange supporters.

The Vols have three Top 25 teams on their 2024 schedule. One is a home game with Alabama (October 19) but a road game to Athens to play Georgia arrives on November 16. Another speed bump might occur during a September 21 road game at Oklahoma.

Though Rocky Top Nation hopes to enter this year’s new 12-team College Football Playoffs, they must find a way to finish at least 10-2 to earn their spot in the field.

Kansas – No, this is not a typo. Under the guidance of Coach Lance Leopold, the Jayhawks football team has improved from 2-10 in 2021, 6-7 in 2022, and then 9-4 last season.

The 2024 schedule appears quite favorable and may conclude with a rare Jayhawks championship football season.

The only Top 25 team on the Kansas schedule is a road game at arch-rival Kansas State on October 26. The Big 12 is without Oklahoma and Texas this season, so don’t be surprised if KU emerges as the league’s football champion in 2024.

James Madison – Which team has the best chance to emerge from the “Group of 5” conferences with a perfect record in 2024? Look no further than the James Madison University Dukes from Harrisonburg, Virginia. Entering just its third season of FBS competition, JMU has gone 8-3 and 11-2 as part of the Sunbelt Conference the past two years.

There are no Top 25 teams on the schedule for James Madison in 2024.

However, a couple of tough road trips at the University of North Carolina (September 21) and at league rival Appalachian State (November 23) might puncture the Dukes’ post-season plans.

James Madison must win impressively early this season to gain the attention of poll voters. JMU must then finish the year with no worse than an 11-1 record for a chance to secure a College Football Playoff invitation.

The college football season gets underway with a few games tonight (Thursday, August 29). On Saturday, more than 12 hours of football games will be televised for your viewing pleasure beginning at 11AM CDT.

On Sunday evening, LSU and USC take center stage with a nationally televised game in Las Vegas starting at 6:30PM on ABC.

The majority of college football teams will be eliminated from the playoff chase by Thanksgiving weekend

This year is shaping up like a gigantic professional wrestling “Battle Royale” match.

The 134 FBS contestants enter the ring this week. Each weekend, one or more the early season favorites may be upset and eventually tossed over the top ropes to end their playoff hopes.

The safest way for your favorite college football team to punch a playoff ticket in 2024 is to win the league’s championship. The judges (the College Football Playoff Selection Committee) proved to us last season that they will award the remaining playoff spot(s) to teams which are likely to generate the highest television ratings for ESPN.

Can I get an “Amen” from my Florida State Seminoles football fans?

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Despite what the thermometer says this week, we are finally at the starting gate for the 2024 college football season!

Last weekend in Dublin, Ireland, the AP Preseason #10 Florida State was defeated 24-21 by a clearly better team from Georgia Tech. That opening game loss puts a damper on FSU’s 2024 revenge tour after the team was snubbed for one of the four College Football Playoff spots at the end of last season.

Beginning later this week, it’s finally time for some college football in Louisiana

Louisiana is well known for its talented football players and competitive college football teams. The Bayou State features five of its universities with football teams competing in the upper division FBS group.

LSU remains a member of the now 16-team SEC. Tulane plays in the American Athletic Conference. Louisiana Tech competes in Conference USA. UL-Monroe and UL-Lafayette participate in the Sunbelt Conference.

The state of Louisiana also features six FCS college football teams as well. Those schools include Grambling State and Southern University of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. The four Southland Conference entries from Louisiana are McNeese State, Nicholls State, Northwestern State, and Southeastern Louisiana University.

Let’s also welcome the state’s newest college football team.

Centenary College in Shreveport will resume playing college football on Saturday, September 7 for the first time in nearly 60 years. The Gents will participate in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference within NCAA’s Division III.

Let’s take a brief look at each team’s 2024 schedule and outlook:

LSU Tigers – The AP Preseason #13 Bayou Bengals must replace three big portions of its offense from last season’s 10-3 team. Heisman Trophy quarterback Jayden Daniels (selected by Washington in the NFL with the #3 overall pick) plus first round wide receivers Malik Nabors (NY Giants) and Brian Thomas, Jr. (Jacksonville Jaguars) leave a big void.

For decades, LSU’s calling-card has been its usually-ferocious defense. Last year’s defensive performance was simply atrocious.

The Tigers allowed almost six yards per offensive play. After the season ended, Head Coach Brian Kelly cleaned out the defensive coaching staff and spent a lot of money replacing them for this year in 2024. We’ll quickly learn if the problem had been the defensive schemes and/or, perhaps, a few overrated recruits.

LSU opens play this Sunday night at 6:30PM on ABC with a game in Las Vegas against AP Preseason #23 Southern Cal. Other tough games on the LSU schedule this year include home games against #6 Ole Miss, #5 Alabama, and #16 Oklahoma. A road game at #20 Texas A&M should be a dandy, too.

If LSU finishes with no more than two losses this fall, they should be lock for the new 12-team FBS playoffs at season’s end.

Tulane Green Wave – The Greenies received five votes for the AP Preseason Top 25, but they won’t mind proving it on the field once again. Coming off two great seasons (12-2 and 11-3), Tulane’s head coach Willie Fritz accepted an offer from the University of Houston in the Big 12 Conference. He was replaced by Jon Sumrall – coach of Sunbelt member Troy University.

Tulane’s 2024 schedule is highlighted by hosting #18 Kansas State on Saturday, September 7 followed by a road game at #16 Oklahoma the next week. Another ten win season for the Green Wave could be their ticket to a financially lucrative bowl game.

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs – Coming off three straight 3-9 seasons, the faithful fans in north Louisiana are ready to see improvement on the football field this season. Coach Sonny Cumbie enters Year #3 in Ruston and must survive two road “payday” games at #24 North Carolina State (September 14) and a late season cash grab in Fayetteville (November 23) to play the “Woo-Pig-Sooees” (Arkansas Razorbacks).

In case you might have been hoping to come to Ruston on a weekend during October to watch the Bulldogs play a home game, you’re out of luck again in 2024.

The fan-unfriendly scheduling by Conference USA features Louisiana Tech playing on four successive mid-week games (including three straight TUESDAY night games?) during fall’s greatest month for watching outdoor football. I railed about this issue last season (click here). This is embarrassing for the university’s football program, students, alumni, and supporters to have their team playing all four of its October games without a single one being played on a weekend where the most fans may be able to attend.

As a 1981 alumnus, I was a bit shocked to see another year of “October surprises” for the Bulldogs again this year. It’s time to (politely) let the school’s new President Jim Henderson hear your thoughts. Louisiana Tech needs to leave this diminished “JV” league (C-USA) and do whatever it takes to cut a deal to join the Sunbelt Conference.

UL-Monroe Warhawks – After sending former coach Tommy Bowden packing after last year’s 2-10 debacle, the Warhawks handed the coaching reins to Bryant Vincent (last year’s offensive coordinator at the University of New Mexico).

ULM could definitely use some spark in its offense to become more competitive.

The Warhawks will play “payday” games in Austin against the Texas Longhorns (September 21) and then visit Auburn on November 16. Key home games at Malone Stadium in Monroe will come against Sunbelt foes James Madison (October 5), Southern Miss (October 12) and the season finale against the Ragin’ Cajuns of UL-Lafayette (November 30).

A 6-6 season might even earn the Warhawks their second (ever) bowl game at season’s end.

UL-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns – The “Won’t you come back, Billy Napier!” song may be playing a lot in Lafayette this football season. The Cajuns have posted successive 6-7 seasons in 2022 and 2023. Their former football coach is currently at the University of Florida. Supporters in Lafayette might roll out the red carpet as an enticement to return home in 2025 if Coach Napier stumbles with the Gators again this season.

The Ragin’ Cajuns 2024 football schedule looks fairly soft with only one “money” road game at Wake Forest on September 28. A winning record in 2024 is a must for the current head coach Michael Desormeaux (a former assistant to Billy Napier) to remain in Lafayette.

Now, let’s cover Louisiana’s FCS schools!

Grambling Tigers – Coming off a 5-6 record in 2023 which included a season-ending 27-23 loss to arch-rival Southern University, the G-men will have a new head coach as Mickey Joseph will patrol the sidelines in 2024. Joseph played collegiately at LSU and was most recently an assistant coach at the University of Nebraska. He will now lead Grambling in the upcoming new season in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

The Grambling Tigers kick-off this Saturday night in Lafayette against the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns.

Grambling will end the season against Southern University in their annual battle in the Superdome on Saturday, November 30.

Southern University Jaguars – Louisiana’s other member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, Southern is coming off a 6-5 season in 2023. Senior defensive back Horatio Johnson is one of the nation’s premier defenders and will likely play in the NFL next year.

The Jaguars will open 2024 with a road game in Lake Charles against the McNeese Cowboys of the Southland Conference.

Southern University’s season ends in the Superdome against Grambling in the game which also features the famous “Battle of the Bands” halftime show!

Northwestern State University Demons – The Demons 2023 football season was filled with tragedy after one of the team’s players was killed near the campus in mid-season. The football team later suspended play for the year and forfeited its remaining games in 2023.

A new head football coach, Blaine McCorkell, was hired. He worked wonders at Division III Belhaven in Jackson, Mississippi and hopes to do the same thing at Northwestern State.

The Demons’ 2024 schedule begins Thursday night, August 29, with a game at Tulsa against the Golden Hurricane. Homecoming will feature Lamar University coming to Natchitoches for a game on Saturday, October 26 at 2PM.

Southeastern Louisiana Lions – Coach Frank Scelfo is entering his seventh year in Hammond. After a 9-4 campaign in 2022, last year’s 2023 squad lost its first six games and finished a disappointing 3-8.

Southeastern’s schedule this year starts on Thursday night with a tough road game down I-55 South in New Orleans against Tulane. The Lions’ homecoming game will be Saturday, October 19 at 4PM against returning Southland Conference member Stephen F. Austin.

Nicholls State Colonels – The defending Southland Conference champs finished 6-4 in the regular season in 2023 but lost in the first round of the FCS playoffs to Southern Illinois.

This year, Nicholls State will open the season with three straight road games. The 2024 opener comes this Saturday night at 7PM in Ruston against Louisiana Tech. The Colonels then travel to LSU the following week on September 7. Then, it’s off to California to play another difficult FCS playoff team, Sacramento State, on Saturday, September 14. Ouch!

McNeese State Cowboys – This Lake Charles-based football team has nowhere to go but up in 2024. Coach Gary Goff’s team posted a disappointing 1-10 record in 2023. Their lone win came via forfeit by Northwestern State in October.

The Cowboys will play one “money” road game at Texas A&M on September 7. With another difficult Southland Conference schedule still ahead, McNeese football fans want to see the Pokes move back up the ladder of respectability during the 2024 season.

And don’t forget Centenary!

Centenary College Gentlemen – The revived NCAA Division III football program at Centenary College in Shreveport gets underway with a Saturday, September 7 at 7PM home opener on the school’s campus against Hendrix College of Conway, Arkansas.

Head Coach Byron Dawson is a Shreveport native from Evangel High School who played college football at LSU.

Best of luck to the Gents and all of the Bayou State’s college football teams in 2024!

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Yesterday, I remembered that my Fantasy Football League is holding its annual draft this Monday, August 26 at 8PM. It will be my lucky 13th season in our 10-team league comprised of a few former co-workers and some of their long-time friends.

Last season, my Yahoo! Fantasy Football team (called Swamp Gas) started the 2023 season as the defending champion. Though my team raced out to a solid 9-4 regular season record, Swamp Gas was clobbered in two straight post-season losses to finish in fourth for the season.

All-in-all, the past two years of results have been exceptional. A first place followed by a fourth place finish gives some confidence that my “system” is working quite well in recent years.

That is quite encouraging heading into Monday night’s draft.

Though my philosophy is likely no better than yours, it is fun to share ideas – especially with those who may be trying fantasy football for the first time in 2024.

By the way, our fantasy football league is strictly for fun (no money involved).

I refuse to play in “cash” leagues after one failed attempt back in the early 1980’s. It ruined my Sunday afternoons as I calculated the dollar value of every touchdown scored when those “Game Break” replays were shown on TV. I had stopped enjoying watching NFL football games. Fortunately, my first year mistake only cost about $20 for that season. Lesson learned.

Most football fans seem to enjoy having something of value being placed on the table in their fantasy football league competition. Whatever floats your boat!

Q: With two solid Fantasy Football seasons back-to-back, what was my biggest secret?

The honest answer is, “I drafted in the #4 position in 2022 when my team won the championship”.

Having the good fortune of a great draft position likely had more to do with my team’s success than my general manager skills in making player draft selections and weekly roster decisions.

The luck of the draw can be quite important. Having a middle draft position (4, 5, or 6) usually assures that your team having quality options at each position – especially during the early rounds.

By the way, the draft order for fantasy football teams is randomly determined by a computer. In our league, the Yahoo Sports computer provides the draft order just a few minutes before the actual draft begins. Surprise!

With ten teams in our league, the draft order goes in numeric order for Round 1. The “snake” then reverses and teams select in reverse order during Round 2. So, the team with the first overall pick in Round 1 will get the 20th overall pick (the final selection of Round 2).

Q: What should I study to prepare for the draft?

For a couple of years, I purchased one of the fantasy football magazines (check your local grocer or drugstore). The biggest problem with most publications is that they have gone to press several months prior to the season beginning. They don’t provide information about injuries, unsigned players, and recent trades.

Other than helping me become more familiar with the current players’ names, the magazine didn’t affect my draft decisions very much.

I spend more time trying to “guess” what each team’s record is going to be in the upcoming season. The teams which finished near the top last year will (generally) have a tougher schedule the following year. You might be able to spot a few teams which are ready to break out (due to an easy schedule).

In general, very few NFL teams improve significantly from year to year.

Yes, last year’s Houston Texans showed an incredible turnaround. Going from 3-13-1 in 2022 to 10-7 and making the playoffs in 2023 was an amazing feat. However, they struck gold with a smart new coach, a couple of timely first round picks, and a relatively easy schedule.

In general, last year’s top teams will be this year’s early favorites. If you’re seeking the most production, stick with teams which have historically scored the most points. Choose players from those teams wisely, though.

Q: Injuries happen. How should I stock my fantasy football team?

First, make sure that you build a top flight group of receivers (including tight ends) in early and middle rounds of the draft. Next, I always try to draft two top level quarterbacks as this position (generally) is your most reliable source of weekly point production.

As for running backs, don’t chase them after the first two or three rounds. You should avoid running backs playing on lousy teams. Those teams generally pass the ball more after falling behind early in games.

Also, watch for “value” picks for a few top ranked rookies to fill-out your roster in the final rounds of the draft.

Last season, I saw that Detroit Lions 2nd round draft pick rookie tight end Sam LaPorte was having a bang-up preseason. I picked him late in the draft, and he became one of the NFL’s top rookies last season. Sometimes you can get lucky – with a little digging and research.

During the season, it pays to watch the NFL injury lists beginning on Tuesday of every week. Making changes to your roster prior to a (don’t get me started…) Thursday night game is crucial. A few back-up roster players may need a promotion into your starting line-up for any particular week.

I also pay attention to the other fantasy football team owners’ weekly player moves and roster changes. A team might drop a top player early in the season due to a multi-week injury. That same player might heal in time for the end of the regular season and lead your team into the fantasy football playoffs!

So, go check the league’s weekly “garbage can” for future gems.

Q: Should I try to draft my best players from last year’s team once again?

In some years, a player may be “hot” for just that one season. If you draft the same player in the following year, he may not produce as many yards or touchdowns as before.

Remember – other NFL teams are watching the trends, too. They are going to recognize that your goal-line running back is going to receive most of the carries inside the 5-yard line. They will do their best to stop him from scoring on a short touchdown run.

Just like any stock investment, do not fall in love with a particular player every year.

Be wary of drafting your ol’ fantasy favorites too early in the draft and ignoring important roster needs such as wide receivers, running backs, and tight ends!

It’s time to roll-out my annual Top Ten suggestions to help you enjoy the upcoming 2024 NFL fantasy football season:

1. Team name – Make sure that you are happy with the sound of your team’s name. You’re going to live with that name for the entire fantasy football season!
2. Research players and teams – As stated earlier, you can pay $10-15 at the local drugstore to buy one of those Fantasy Football magazines. Sadly, their advice is usually no better than your own. Save the money, and trust your gut!
3. Determine a draft strategy – For example, my personal strategy is to (for the most part) select the best offensive players from the NFL teams which have scored the most points in the past few years. This year, I will likely stockpile a lot of players from the Chiefs, Bills, Dolphins, Eagles, Lions, and 49ers. I might grab one of the best players from a mid-level team, but I suggest that you refrain from taking more than one player from recently offensively weak football teams (such as the Panthers, Patriots, and Cardinals). Consider yourself warned.
4. Do – Pick players from NFL teams which you personally like and root for. In my case, I am a longtime New Orleans Saints fan. You can count on my fantasy football team including one or two Saints players on the roster again this year. Follow your heart with a few of your picks.
5. Don’t – Pick any players from any NFL team which you personally despise. In my case, I avoid Dallas Cowboys players like the plague. Do not force yourself to root for players on your least favorite NFL football team(s). The object is to win, but you still want to have fun, too!
6. Don’t waste picks on your kicker and a defense until your last few picks. There are precious few kickers and defenses which are reliable difference makers. Resist the temptation to draft a kicker or defense too early. You’ll be sorry later.
7. Injuries happen. No later than Thursday afternoon, make sure to check to see if any of your starting players have been injured during the previous weekend’s games and are not expected to play in the coming week. If you’re unsure about an injured player, use a substitute from your roster in the upcoming week. If the player’s injury turns out to be season-ending, drop him from your roster immediately and find an undrafted player from your league’s free agent list. Stay vigilant!
8. Keep an eye open for undrafted rookies during Week 1 and 2 – Look for any rookies who seem to be making an early impact for their team. Grab them early in the season and dump a lukewarm benchwarmer in the same position. This can pay dividends down the stretch as many teams in your league are hesitant to draft rookies.
9. Start slow but finish fast – Set-up your fantasy team to have a positive finish at the end of the season. In 2023, my team was in first place heading into the playoffs. Yes, we were steamrolled in the playoffs and finished in 4th place. Stay focused on putting together a solid squad by mid-season. You can rally down the stretch and win it all!
10. Have some fun with this! Some weeks your team will perform well. Other weeks – perhaps not so well. That’s the nature of the game, so don’t despair if your team stinks this season. It can be fun to become a spoiler down the stretch and knock off another team striving to make the playoffs!

Best of luck with your fantasy football team this season!

Updated Monday, August 26, 2024 – Here’s what Yahoo! Sports’ ChatGPT thought about my 2024 Fantasy Football draft held tonight. It gave me a lousy D+ rating! What does their electricity-hungry AI computer know about NFL football anyway?

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From 2001 through 2010, the Bossier-Shreveport BattleWings of the now defunct Arena Football League played in Bossier City’s CenturyTel Arena (now known as Brookshire Grocery Arena). After the AF2 league folded, the owner moved the team to the Crescent City in 2011. The rebranded New Orleans Voodoo played for a few more years until the team and league folded.

The Shreveport market has gone 14 years without an indoor professional football league team.

That changes soon! Next March, beware of the new Shreveport Rougaroux of the National Arena League!

Just what is a Rougarou(x)?

Although Shreveport’s new indoor football team added an “x” to give this mysterious word to give it an updated Louisiana vibe, locals are quite curious about the team’s nickname.

Keith Carter, one of the Shreveport Rougaroux team owners, gave his explanation of the unique name at an introductory press conference last week:

“A Rougarou is that mystical Louisiana creature that grandparents and parents told their kids about. You better get in bed or the Rougarou is gonna get you. The Rougarou was taking the blame for all the dead cattle in our pastures. It’s half man, half werewolf and feeds on cattle. And the Shreveport Rougaroux loves to eat beef!”

Perhaps that may send a shiver up the bovine spine of this season’s championship team – the Omaha Beef!

“Pass me some of dat steak sauce, cher!”

It sounds like a lot of fun – until you start adding up the costs

The problem with many minor league sports teams is the lack of long-term capitalization of the franchises. Deep pockets are needed to start and then sustain most new businesses (especially sports franchises).

For a football team, the ownership group must be able to outfit the players with uniforms and then make payroll for preseason practices and a three-month arena football season (March through June).

As the team signs its players, the uniforms must be purchased. They aren’t cheap. A helmet ($500 and up), shoulder pads ($300), jersey ($200), pants ($100), socks ($20), and shoes ($100) could add up to more than $1,200 per player. With 25 players on the roster for most arena football squads, an initial outlay of about $30,000 is needed to dress-out the team.

The pay for arena football caliber players varies, but most franchises are paying about $1,000 per game per player (during the season only). The team ownership must be able to cover this $25,000 weekly payroll for a three-month season. Those twelve weeks of payroll costs will require $300,000 just to cover the players’ payroll alone.

The team’s coaches, trainer, and administrative staff must be paid, too. Let’s conservatively add another $100,000 for that. You’re now approaching $500,000 in year #1.

Oops! Don’t forget the costs of operating the facility

There is a concrete floor on the bottom of every indoor coliseum.

If the facility wants to host a football game, a wooden floor must be overlaid. That’s an expensive proposition to purchase the wood and then assemble/disassemble the pieces prior to playing a game at the facility.

If the facility is also used by an ice hockey team, the bottom of the arena is filled with ice and must be carefully managed and maintained throughout the season.

In the case of the Shreveport Rougaroux, the team intends to play at Hirsch Coliseum (circa 1954) on the Louisiana State Fairgrounds.

The arena currently houses the Shreveport Mudbugs semi-pro hockey franchise. The new indoor football team has apparently cut a deal with the Mudbugs hockey team to share the Hirsch Coliseum.

This means that wood flooring and some type of protective shield is needed between the ice and the overlaid football field (which someone must pay for). In addition to adding goal posts at both ends of the arena, don’t forget the cost of insurance, security, and other stadium personnel required, too.

Whew! That’s going to require a lot of money – from the start-up costs plus the weekly recurring operating expenses during the season.

The chance to earn a profit is still possible

Ticket prices for the Shreveport Rougaroux will top out at $30 with $25 and $20 tickets also available.

Let’s estimate that the new team averages $25 per ticket and 3,000 paying customers for each of the five home games next spring. Each game’s ticket revenue would bring $75,000 per week or $375,000 for the regular season. Let’s sprinkle in another $125,000 in profits from the sale of team merchandise and concessions.

Will $500,000 in potential revenue be enough to cover the initial and weekly operating costs in Year #1? Shreveport is going to find out next spring.

Danger! Some arena football leagues themselves are struggling to survive

Even if the Shreveport Rougaroux is enthusiastically embraced by the community in 2025, there still must be other viable franchises for this team to play arena football games against.

After reviewing the arena football landscape over the past 12 months, the word “volatile” comes to mind.

Remember the original Arena Football League from 25 years ago? They filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2019. In 2023, a Canadian group bought the rights to the name “Arena Football League”. The group announced a 16-team reconstituted Arena Football League would start playing this spring in 2024.

And now the scary tale of the Louisiana Voodoo – circa 2024

The newly reborn Arena Football League wanted to place a franchise in the state of Louisiana. They initially tried to obtain a lease to play this spring in Bossier City at the Brookshire’s Grocery Arena (sorry – booked already).

The league then settled on Lake Charles with games to be played at the Civic Center. After last fall’s splashy public announcement in Lake Charles about how happy the team was to be coming to southwest Louisiana, the team pulled up stakes just one week before the season started this spring.

Yes, the Voodoo transported a spell (get it?) down I-10 East 70 miles to Lafayette and played their first home game in UL-Lafayette’s Blackham Coliseum.

The city of Lake Charles was understandably confused. The current management group for the Lake Charles Civic Center (ASM Global) revealed the VooDoo’s credit was…let’s just call it “stinky”.

Check out ASM’s press release on this matter:

“Working with the City of Lake Charles, ASM did everything in its power to make the inaugural season for the Louisiana Voodoo a reality for Lake Charles. The Arena Football League signed and agreed to lease terms that required the team to provide lease payments, insurance certificates, and other functions in connection with their use of Lake Charles Event Center. Ultimately, the Arena Football League did not pay their rent, nor did they provide a certificate of insurance as outlined in the executed contract, leading to the contract’s termination.”

After the Louisiana Voodoo played their first home game down the road in Lafayette, the team’s ownership failed to cover all of the costs for use of the arena there, too. A report later indicated that UL-Lafayette was owed more than $30,000 for the arena football team’s use of Blackham Coliseum.

An insurance certificate provided to UL-Lafayette prior to the game listed the Minnesota Myth, another AFL team, as the insured party. The Minnesota AFL franchise would later cite a lack of adequate funding as a primary reason for the non-payment.

To the surprise of no one, both Arena Football League teams (Minnesota and the Louisiana Voodoo) folded shortly thereafter.

Let’s take a closer look at the National Arena League – home of the Shreveport Rougaroux

On Tuesday, the National Arena League welcomed yet another new team.

The Amarillo Dusters (a terrific nickname) just became the 11th team expected to play football in 2025. Amarillo (much like Bossier City-Shreveport) has successfully supported their arena football league team over the past couple of decades.

Amarillo’s most recent arena league team carried the nickname of “Venom”. After ending play during the COVID-19 season of 2020, the Amarillo Venom was supposed to start play again this spring in the newly reincarnated Arena Football League. Unfortunately, the Amarillo Venom bit the dust prior to even playing a down this season.

The former owner recently sold the franchise. The reorganized Amarillo Dusters will now try to return next spring in 2025 and compete with Shreveport.

The recent history of the National Arena League shows constant change

The National Arena League’s first season on the field came in 2017. None of those teams remain.

However, the Carolina Cobras have been a constant presence in the National Arena League beginning in Year 2 (2018). In the spring of 2024, the league was fielding just six teams:

Carolina Cobras – Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, NC

Colorado Spartans – Blue Arena, Loveland, CO

Sioux City Bandits – Tyson Events Center, Sioux City, IA

Idaho Horsemen – Ford Idaho Center, Nampa/Boise, ID

Omaha Beef – Liberty First Credit Union Arena, Omaha, NE

Oklahoma Flying Aces – This team was literally homeless in 2024. They were expected to play in Enid, Oklahoma (northwest of OKC) at Chisholm Trail Coliseum. However, the team couldn’t reach an agreement with the arena and suspended operations after opening with four straight road games this spring. Yes, the Oklahoma Flying Aces have officially been grounded.

In July, the National Arena League has announced a merger with the American Arena League.

Teams from the American Arena League coming into the National Arena League in 2025 will be the Columbus (GA) Lions, Corpus Christi (TX) Tritons, Harrisburg (PA) Stampede, and the Wheeling (WV) Miners.

In the seven years of the National Arena League, there have been 18 franchises which have come and gone (folded). Another ten teams were announced by the league but never even played a game prior to waving the white flag.

Enjoy the arena football games while you can, Shreveport!

Hopefully, the owners of the new Shreveport Rougaroux team in the National Arena League will have adequate financing to get the team funded for the first year of operations in 2025. If the team performs well at the gate next March, it could be the start of a long and happy relationship.

Recent history has not been kind to most arena football teams or their leagues. When thinking about the scary nature of the arena football league business, a familiar tune came to mind.

Here’s a new ending to that song to help you stay positive, Shreveport!

“As your team fights to stay alive

And the league may shake and quiver,

Louisiana’s football fans may not resist

Some Rougaroux – on the Griller!”

Ah-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha!

The post Rougaroux, Voodoo, and Tales of Arena Football in Louisiana appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

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The most meaningless survey in college sports was just published this week. The Associated Press Preseason Top 25 rankings have been released.

To the surprise of zero college football fans, most of the predicted top teams for 2024 are, for the most part, the same ones from last year and the year before.

Want proof? I went back to find the AP Preseason Top 25 teams for 2023 and 2022 in addition to those on the new 2024 list.

In the past two seasons, a total of 19 teams (76%) appear in both the 2024 and 2023 AP Preseason Top 25. Averaged over the past two years, Georgia polled a perfect score (ranked #1) in both rankings. The other top 10 holdovers are Ohio State (ranked an average of 2.5), Alabama (4.5), Michigan (5.5), Texas (7.5), Penn State (7.5), Oregon (9), Florida State (9), and LSU (9).

Over the past three years, 12 of this year’s 25 top teams (48%) have appeared in each of the past three years of predictions.

What does this mean?

Not much.

The annual AP Top 25 Preseason rankings have become college football’s annual beauty contest. Especially as we continue down the new road of frequent transfers and pay-for-players, the annual prognostications should become more and more volatile (risky).

Instead of simply looking at the number of 5-star, 4-star and other freshman players coming on board each year, we now must consider the rapidly spinning revolving door of transfer-for-pay players coming into and leaving each program.

To acquire the top college football talent, a bidding war is underway and growing larger by the year. That should put the so-called “richest” athletic programs at the top of the heap.

The biggest “banks” in college football are easy to spot. A 2023 survey revealed the following schools with the largest sports revenues (all sports):

1. Ohio State $280 Million
2. Texas A&M $279 million
3. Texas $271 million
4. Michigan $229 million
5. Georgia $210 million
6. Nebraska $204 million
7. Penn State $202 million
8. Tennessee $202 million
9. LSU $200 million
10. Alabama $199 million

Other than #6 (“Nebraska National Bank”), the other nine biggest revenue schools are all ranked in this year’s AP Top 25 football teams!

What a surprise!

Unfortunately for Big Red Nation, Nebraska’s football program hasn’t fielded a winning team in seven straight years since 2016. The money machine in Lincoln has continued to crank out the cash, though.

Nebraska owns the nation’s longest college football home stadium sell-out streak. Since 1962, the Cornhuskers have sold out every home football game in their 85,000 seat Memorial Stadium. This year, Nebraska will surpass 400 consecutive sellouts as their 62-year streak continues.

With the expectations heaped on most major universities to win, the coaches those schools are feeling a lot of pressure today.

Here are 7 major college football coaches feeling the pressure right now:

Matt Rhule – Nebraska

Let’s start with Nebraska. Former Baylor head coach Matt Rhule is just in his second year. He joins former Nebraska quarterback Scott Frost (five years) and Oregon State’s Mike Riley (one year) as co-owners of the Huskers’ current seven year non-winning streak on the football field.

Playing in the Big Ten Conference, Nebraska looks to have a reasonable chance to end the losing streak this year. There are winnable home games are against UTEP, Colorado, Northern Iowa, Illinois, and Rutgers. Road games against Purdue and Indiana might just get Nebraska to the magic seven win total.

The closing five games in 2024 will be difficult as the Huskers travel to Ohio State, host UCLA, play at USC, entertain Wisconsin at home, and end the regular season at Iowa.

I think Matt Rhule will break through with a 7-5 finish this year.

Billy Napier – Florida

Two years ago, getting a battlefield promotion from UL-Lafayette to the University of Florida seemed like a very big step. Billy Napier is a sharp coach, but he jumped right into the SEC fire by moving to Gainesville two seasons ago.

The new Gators coach posted a 6-6 record in his first year and then dropped to 5-7 last year in 2023.

The vultures are circling at Florida. Rival Florida State is coming off a 13-1 year and is ranked #10 in that 2024 AP preseason poll. Gator Nation is not happy that their team is nowhere to be found in this year’s top 25.

I still believe that Billy Napier is an excellent football coach, but he might want to keep his real estate agent on speed dial this season. Florida’s 2024 schedule is downright brutal.

Other than a home game with Samford (Birmingham, Alabama), the Gators’ home schedule features Miami (FL), Texas A&M, the University of Central Florida, Kentucky, Georgia, LSU, and Ole Miss. If you think that was rough, the road schedule for the Gators has games at Mississippi State, Tennessee, Texas, and Florida State.

In my humble opinion, a 6-6 record for the Gators this year would be downright miraculous.

Pressure? You betcha! But the first person who should be fired at the University of Florida is the person who lined-up such a difficult slate of non-conference games. Chomp, chomp!

Dave Aranda – Baylor

The former LSU defensive coordinator was stellar during the Tiger’s 15-0 national championship run in 2019. Dave Aranda accepted the top job in Waco and immediately had a positive impact on Baylor’s fortunes.

During his second season at Baylor in 2021, Aranda’s team posted an impressive 12-2 record. The turnaround earned him the AP National Coach of the Year award.

Alas, daBears slumped to 6-7 in 2022 and then went into full hibernation last season with a woeful 3-9 record.

Like Florida, Baylor’s 2024 schedule is going to make for a difficult recovery this year.

After opening with Tarleton State, Baylor plays host to Air Force, BYU, Oklahoma State, TCU, and the rapidly improving Kansas Jayhawks. Baylor’s road games are at Utah, Colorado, Iowa State, Texas Tech, West Virginia, and Houston.

Coach Dave Aranda needs to win every close game this year. Otherwise, he may find himself looking for another defensive coordinator position next season in 2025.

Ryan Day – Ohio State

To me, Ryan Day has morphed into the Les Miles of the Big Ten.

As you might remember, LSU’s former coach Les Miles often gave the appearance of being confused while on the sidelines.

However, his Tigers often rallied late for victory – in some games. Other times, Coach Miles looked confused and out-coached as the Tigers failed to adjust in losses where the team was favored.

Though Ohio State is always highly rated before the season begins, Coach Ryan Day’s teams have continued to disappoint their very spoiled fan base. The coaching staff has done a good job at restocking its football talent annually.

The Buckeyes fans are not happy when Coach Day’s teams tease greatness early in the year but falter at the end.

Despite posting double-digit win totals every year, Coach Ryan Day has zero national championships to show for his first five seasons at Columbus. A very hot-hot-hot seat!

Sam Pittman – Arkansas

The likeable long-time assistant coach finally received his first head coaching gig five years ago after being named the head coach for the Razorbacks. Coach Pittman lifted Arkansas to a 9-3 record in his second season in Fayetteville. The Hogs then dropped to 7-6 in 2022 and posted a disappointing 4-8 record last season.

The 62-year old Sam Pittman will face another tough schedule in 2024. The Razorbacks open at home against UA-Pine Bluff but then face UAB, Texas A&M, LSU, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas and Louisiana Tech. The Hogs will play four road games at Oklahoma State, Auburn, Mississippi State, and Missouri.

Anything less than a 7-6 campaign by Arkansas in 2024 will likely find Coach Sam Pittman in the unemployment line by early December.

Mario Cristobal – Miami (FL)

Just two years ago, the highly touted Mario Cristobal was coaching at the University of Oregon and being touted as the most likely successor to Nick Saban at Alabama.

When that didn’t happen, Cristobal took over a declining program at the University of Miami. Since being hired two years ago, his Hurricanes have struggled and are just 12-13 over that period.

Mario Cristobal’s bubble popped. So much for that Bama job!

The school known as “The U” has a history of short tenured head football coaches.

Going back 54 years to 1970, only Dennis Erickson, Butch Davis, and Larry Coker have remained for six years at Miami. The last two football coaches (Manny Diaz and Mark Richt) were sent packing in just three seasons by the very impatient Miami Hurricane fan base.

In 2024, Miami has a schedule featuring cream puffs like Florida A&M and Ball State plus relatively soft opponents like South Florida, Georgia Tech and Syracuse on their schedule. A 7-6 record (or better) should be quite achievable. The AP ranked Miami as a preseason #19.

*(Note to the University of Florida – hire the person who schedules football games for Miami!)

Preseason hype aside, “The U” may stand for “The Unemployment office” for Coach Mario Cristobal if the Canes post a losing record in 2024.

Sonny Cumbie – Louisiana Tech

After the Bulldogs rolled-off six straight winning seasons from 2014 through 2019, Louisiana Tech’s football fortunes have been slipped dramatically into the (wait for it…) doghouse.

Skip Holtz (the previous football coach with that good record) was fired after a 3-9 season in 2021. Louisiana Tech hired former Texas Tech offensive coordinator Sonny Cumbie to replace Holtz.

Unfortunately, the new coach in Ruston has posted two more 3-9 seasons. Coach Sonny Cumbie won’t survive a third year without showing significant improvement this season.

Other than two “money” road games at North Carolina State and Arkansas this year, the remaining 2024 schedule for the Bulldogs appears to give the team a reasonable chance for a turnaround.

If Louisiana Tech’s football team flounders again this fall, fans in north Louisiana may consider adding an “r” after the “C” in the coach’s last name to describe how they feel about his performance. Yes, “Crumbie”!

Honorable Mention:

Deion Sanders – University of Colorado

One year ago, the nation was mesmerized by the former NFL football player-turned-coach. Coach Prime‘s Colorado Buffaloes raced out of the chute to a sparkling 3-0 start in 2023. Unfortunately, CU lost eight of its final nine to complete a disappointing 4-8 season.

Colorado moves into the Big 12 Conference in 2024. Unfortunately, the schedule appears to be every bit as tough as last season’s final year of competing in the Pac-12.

The glow of the 2023 season filled with sell-out crowds and a national spotlight will keep Coach Deion Sanders employed for this season. However, if the team flounders again in 2024, Coach Prime’s time in Boulder may come to an end before December 31.

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An hour before sundown last evening, my lovely wife and I were concluding a walk in the 100 degree heat near a local park as the sunlight was starting to fade.

In the distance, we kept hearing sounds which, years ago, sounded like a tennis match being played with some very odd-sounding balls. In actuality, it was more of a hollow sound like someone hitting plastic balls with a big paddle. Further investigation revealed a foursome of college-aged men playing pickleball on one of our local tennis courts.

Exactly what IS pickleball?

Think of someone playing badminton or tennis with a smaller racket (like an oversized ping-pong paddle) using a yellow plastic whiffle ball (for those of us who remember those backyard plastic baseballs). The holes in the plastic ball keep it from flying long distances and stabilize the flight direction of the ball.

Some people describe pickleball as combining elements of tennis, badminton, and ping pong.

According to one report, the sport was invented in 1965 by US Congressman Joel Pritchard from the state of Washington to keep his kids entertained outside their family home. Setting up a badminton net on the asphalt driveway, he and the kids discovered a couple of ping-pong paddles and a whiffle ball nearby. An improvised game of badminton took place by whacking the plastic ball back and forth over the badminton net using the ping-pong paddles.

After the exuberant players came back inside, the congressman’s wife (a former rower in college) said that the improvised game sounded similar to a pickle boat in rowing. If a rowing crew was thrown together at random, the new team was usually referred to as “the pickle boat”.

Since the new outdoor game utilized leftover sports equipment, the family dubbed their new game pickleball.

Though memorable, the name of the game still causes a lot of cringing from many of the most serious players. Some pickleballers feel the name of their game sounds a bit childish. Since some play a more competitive version of this game which requires exceptional skill and quickness, the name “pickleball” does make it seem like a less-than-serious sport.

If it was invented 60 years ago, why are we only recently discovering pickleball?

Since 1965, pickleball remained stuck in the brine for nearly twenty years until 1984. That is when the US Amateur Pickleball Association (USAPA) was formed. It published the rules of the game and has attempted to help promote and grow the sport.

One of the biggest problems stifling the growth of pickleball was the lack of standardized playing conditions – from paddles and whiffle balls to uniform court sizes.

In 1992, a company called Pickle-ball, Inc. began to manufacture a standardized pickleball for use nationwide.

More than another decade would pass before the US Amateur Pickleball Association group was re-incorporated into a non-profit organization in 2005. The sport had started to gain some traction among seniors who were unable to keep playing tennis in their advancing age.

In 2013, the USAPA had grown to more than 4,000 members and had started to see interest in pickleball growing among younger demographics.

By 2023, the national pickleball group had exploded to more than 70,000 members.

How do you play pickleball?

For two players, it only takes a couple of pickleball paddles and a few plastic pickleballs. A visit to your local big box retailers will find the paddles cost anywhere from $25 and up. It still doesn’t cost as much as a tennis racket, but it is pricier than I had expected.

If your area has a designated pickleball court (either outdoor or indoor), you’re in luck! Otherwise, you can improvise utilizing any unused tennis court as a substitute playing location.

For the record, a regulation pickleball court is the same size as a doubles badminton court. It measures 20’ wide by 44’ in length. The net is placed at 36 inches at the sidelines and 34 inches in the middle. The court is striped just like a tennis court with right and left service courts.

If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!

Importantly, there is a seven foot “non-volley” zone right in front of the net. Pickleballers refer to this as the “kitchen”.

Players cannot hit the ball out of the air with their feet inside it or touching these lines. If you go into the kitchen, the ball must first bounce before you are allowed to hit it.

No spiking is allowed in the kitchen!

The name of “kitchen” is also credited to the wife of pickleball’s inventor. She believed this lined-off area reminded her of the kitchen floor inside of the family’s home.

As you improve your skills at pickleball, you may be spending a lot of time in the kitchen. Fortunately, there is no refrigerator located in this particular kitchen so your waistline should benefit from this game.

Ready…set…Let’s play pickleball!

Much like tennis, the first player will serve from the right side of the court from behind the baseline. The ball must be served by hitting the ball with an upward underhand motion.

After being hit by the server, the ball must not touch the net and fall into the opposite service court of the opponent. From there, the other player’s return shot must also be allowed to hit the court once before being returned.

After that point, the game is on. A ball may be hit prior to bouncing as long as your feet are not within the “kitchen” area. The point will end when someone hits the ball into the net, out-of-bounds, or it bounces for a second time prior to being hit by the paddle.

Reminder – NO SPIKING from the kitchen (at least until you are safely at home, that is!).

Scoring is a little bit quirky in pickleball. Like tennis, you may only earn points on your own serve. Unlike tennis, pickleball players only get one attempt to serve the ball (no second chances for a service “fault”).

Also unlike tennis, play continues until a total of 11 points are secured for a win. However, the winner must have at least a 2-point final advantage. That means some games may stretch beyond 11 points for one or both of the players.

Here is a link to the pickleball rule book.

Professional pickleball players?

Much like professional tennis, the PPA (Pro Pickleball Association) moves around the country and plays a couple of professional pickleball tournaments every month. The best-of-three singles and doubles matches are quite competitive. You can even watch these events online.

Unlike most major sports, most professional players shouldn’t quit their day jobs.

In 2024, each scheduled PPA event showed a total purse ranging from $50,000 to $100,000 with the money split between winners in the men’s and women’s divisions. Since each player must pay for their own travel, room and food at these tournaments, the minimum out-of-pocket cost for the players averages more than $1,000 per event entered.

Better to keep your “bread and butter” job, unless you are one of the top pickleball players!

Much like other sports, the top pickleball players are now beginning to earn more money from endorsements with pickleball equipment and clothing manufacturers.

So don’t be a sour pickle. Get out and try this game!

Pickleball’s advantage is that it can be enjoyed by the young and old alike. The cost of equipment is relatively low. If you can’t find a true pickleball court, you can utilize one of the usually-vacant tennis courts in your area.

It remains to be seen whether pickleball’s popularity will continue to grow here in America and around the world in the years to come.

If this year’s Summer Olympics featured sports like surfing and break dancing, perhaps pickleball will make its Olympic debut in Los Angeles by 2028.

Wouldn’t that be “sweet”!

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Les Nessman, news director of fictional radio station WKRP in Cincinnati, can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

The radio newsman (winner of the prestigious Golden Sow Award – in case you had forgotten) likely would have announced last Thursday, “World Golf Hall of Famer Chy-Chy Rod-ri-gweez has passed away at the age of 88.”

All joking aside, the life of Juan Antonio Rodriguez was truly amazing and very inspirational. Who would have guessed that a 5’7” young man weighing just 125 pounds would become the first pro golfer ever from Puerto Rico and become one of the PGA Tour’s most memorable fan favorites?

As his professional golf career ascended, the man who became known as Chi Chi as a youth would spend countless hours giving back to less fortunate youngsters – much like he had been as a child in Puerto Rico.

A baseball wanna-be, Chi Chi fell in love with golf

Born in 1935 on the outskirts of San Juan, Puerto Rico during the middle of the Great Depression, Juan Rodriguez was the second oldest of six children. He struggled as a young boy with a lingering case of rickets (bone deficiencies). Gradually, his health improved, but he remained smaller than most of his boyhood friends.

He loved playing baseball, though. He wanted to grow-up to become a professional baseball player.

The young Juan Rodriguez picked up the nickname of “Chi Chi” in honor of his favorite baseball player, Chi Chi Flores.

The nickname stuck.

“I would go around saying, ‘I’m Chi Chi Flores.’ Pretty soon all the kids were calling me Chi Chi, and I’ve been Chi Chi ever since,” said Rodriguez.

Chi Chi’s family was very poor. He helped his father by joining him to work in the local sugar cane fields when he was only eight years old. Chi Chi earned just $1 per day for working all day in the hot sun.

The youthful Chi Chi Rodriguez observed a nearby golf course and noticed that the golfers utilized another person carrying their clubs around the course. He boldly offered his services at the golf course and became the youngest caddie in Puerto Rico at just nine years of age.

Rodriguez later admitted that the pay for being a caddie working for tips didn’t necessarily mean more pay than a day working in the sugar cane fields. However, any day of working around the golf course was certainly a lot more fun for Chi Chi than the alternative.

After becoming a caddie at the golf course, Chi Chi Rodriguez learned how to play the game of golf. He utilized limbs from the guava trees as clubs to smack either tin cans or any stray golf balls he could locate. He would eventually obtain some used golf clubs and became good enough at golf to shoot even par (or better) by the time he was only 12 years old.

Rodriguez enlisted in the US Army at the age of 19 and served for two years. As he traveled in the Army, he took advantage of any local opportunities to improve his golfing skills by playing the nearby courses.

Upon leaving the Army, Chi Chi Rodriguez accepted a job at Puerto Rico’s famed Dorado Beach Resort. He was tutored by former PGA Tour pro Pete Cooper. With the financial backing of the resort’s founder, Laurence Rockefeller and a few others, Chi Chi had about $20,000. That was enough to travel and enter professional golf tournaments for about one year.

At just 24 years of age, he qualified to play on the PGA Tour beginning in 1960.

The smallest player on the PGA Tour became a big fan favorite

As the first PGA Tour player hailing from Puerto Rico, Chi Chi Rodriguez was quite aware of his relatively small size when compared to the majority of professional golfers. He had something to prove and was very hungry – literally – to find early success on the men’s golf tour.

“They told me I was a hound dreaming about pork chops,” he joked with a national magazine.

Not intimidated by the more established golf names, Chi Chi won $450 at his first PGA event and was on his way. A quick learner, he continued to make enough cuts and earn modest weekly paychecks to remain on tour for his first two seasons.

His big break came in 1963.

Rodriguez won his first PGA title at the 1963 Denver Open. His two-shot victory at Denver Country Club earned about $3000 and opened up the door to playing in bigger tournaments such as The Masters and golf’s other three major events.

As Chi Chi Rodriguez continued to compete against the likes of Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus, the diminutive golfer from Puerto Rico quickly developed a large following of his own fans as well.

During his early years on the PGA Tour, Chi Chi would toss his hat onto the golf hole whenever he sank a birdie putt.

He would tell the fans that his hat would “keep that birdie from flying away”.

However, a different version of Chi Chi’s famous birdie hat story later emerged.

As a 15-year old golf course caddie, Chi Chi Rodriguez and another staffer sneaked onto the golf course early one morning to play a sunrise match with a few dollars on the line for the winner.

As the 6AM morning sun was still rising and dew covered the greens, Chi Chi sank a long birdie putt on one of the opening holes to take the early lead in the match. However, as the ball entered the cup, the ball immediately popped back out!

Chi Chi said that a frog had been sitting in the bottom of the golf hole and had bumped the ball back out of the hole. His opponent claimed that Chi Chi still needed to sink that short putt to score a par instead of carding a birdie.

Neither player knew whether golf’s rules covered such an odd event. That’s why Rodriguez decided to quickly toss his hat onto the hole on the PGA Tour whenever he sank a birdie putt from that point forward.

Professional golf fans loved Chi Chi’s hat trick whenever he sank a birdie putt.

“You’ve got to be different,” he said during an interview with a golf publication. “You’ve got to be yourself in the world. That’s what I always wanted to be.”

Unfortunately, the other PGA Tour players didn’t like his hat trick nearly as much. They claimed that Chi Chi’s golf spikes (which were metal in the 1960’s) were tearing up the turf near the hole during his birdie celebrations. The PGA Tour Commissioner agreed and asked him to end his famous hat toss.

Ole’! Chi Chi creates a new birdie celebration for golf fans

Undeterred, Chi Chi Rodriguez came up with an even more memorable way to celebrate sinking a putt for birdie.

Remembering his Latin roots, he would utilize his putter as if it drawing a sword to fight a bull after he sank a birdie putt.

His brief celebration made for great fun as he won over the golf fans and fellow PGA Tour players with his fun-loving personality.

“The people come out and pay good money to see golf”, he said. “I think they deserve something extra, and I like to give it to them.”

Chi Chi Rodriguez may have been slight of build, but his shot-making skills were legendary. His ability to hit laser iron shots or scramble out of trouble from around the greens kept him in contention in most weeks.

Chi Chi won a total of eight times on the PGA Tour during the 1960’s and 70’s. He had 87 top ten finishes as well.

“Senor” Chi Chi takes the Senior Tour by storm

Upon turning 50 years of age, Chi Chi Rodriguez captivated golf fans for another 17 years. He won another 22 senior golf tournaments on the Champions Tour. Of course, Chi Chi continued to thrill audiences with his precision iron shots and those exuberant celebrations on the greens.

From 1986 through 1993, Rodriguez won at least one tournament each year during that eight year period. He captured two senior major championships as well. Chi Chi still holds the senior tour record by winning four consecutive events.

In 1992, Chi Chi Rodriguez was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame for his golf accomplishments and his ongoing efforts to help troubled youth.

Chi Chi never forgot his roots

Chi Chi Rodriguez often spoke about his family’s financial struggles while growing up in Puerto Rico.

He became one of the first PGA Tour golfers to start his own foundation and focused on helping underprivileged youth in his community.

The Chi Chi Rodriguez Youth Foundation in Sarasota, Florida initially raised more than $4 million to start a home for troubled and abused teenagers. He would annually bring about 600 children from low income families or broken homes to a local 9-hole municipal course to learn responsibility and discipline by working at the various jobs in golf.

He has always remembered his own upbringing and wanted to serve as an inspiration to others.

“I think I can be a good role model for them because they can look at me and say, “Look, he’s a small guy, he was very poor, and he worked hard and made it. If I can help one kid become successful in life because they want to be the way I was, that’s all I ask for.”

We’re really going to miss you, Chi Chi!

“Chi Chi Rodriguez’s passion for charity and outreach was surpassed only by his incredible talent with a golf club in his hand,” said PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan.

Though WKRP’s Les Nessman may have called him “Chy-Chy Rod-ri-gweez”, the legendary golfer will be forever loved and remembered by millions of fans for one more reason.

He was the first professional golfer who actually looked like he was having more fun on the golf course than every other player.

That’s because he was!

The post Goodbye, Chi Chi – Golf’s little man left BIG Footprints appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

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Sure, these August temperatures are approaching 100 degrees – every single day. My yard is ready to wave its annual summertime white flag of surrender and turn crunchy once again. The pine trees are shedding a fresh layer of allergy-triggering needles onto the ground and my roof.

Those of us living along the Gulf Coast or Atlantic Coast know that August also means that we have two more months to be watchful of approaching hurricanes and tropical storms.

It sounds pretty miserable, doesn’t it?

Au Contraire!

August also means the season for a brand new start.

We are now at the beginning of football practices from elementary schools up to the NFL. For students, many school systems are set to open this month. College students are beginning to gear-up for the start of the fall semester, too.

From grade school through the NFL, August football practices are usually quite memorable. Once you’ve survived even one August filled with football practices, you’ll forever say, “If you think it’s hot now, I remember when…”

These sessions are definitely hot and humid whether you are taking the field at 6AM or at 6PM (or, in some cases, both). This heat affords many players a chance to shed some of their summer pizza and burgers weight. A few of us struggle trying to maintain our current weight.

Best of all, this is a time to bond with your fellow players and the coaches. Being on the practice field during this late summer heat has a way of creating long-lasting friendships which remain for decades. The entire process of making any sports team and playing during the season (whether in football or any other team sport) is a special time for millions of young people every year.

August is the time to clean the slate and start anew

Whether in school or on the field, it’s time to forget about last season’s disappointing results. Last year is over. It’s history. August is the time to set new goals for the upcoming year.

For some football teams, August means feeling the pressure of trying to live up to the high standards set by last season’s winning team.

The chase for excellence is tempered by the fact that some teams (and people) will inevitably fall short of their goal. Even a few pre-season favorites are likely to come up short this year.

A former Louisiana college basketball coach once said, “Last year we were picked to be the team to beat. Sure enough, everyone beat us!”

My top three NFL teams looking forward to a new season in 2024

1. Los Angeles Chargers

NFL teams with great quarterbacks should be able to lead their squad into the playoffs on a regular basis. Now entering his fifth year, highly touted quarterback Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers has been to the playoffs just one time in his first four NFL seasons.

Hope is on the horizon, though. The former coach of college football’s reigning champion Michigan Wolverines, Jim Harbaugh is returning to the NFL to lead the Los Angeles Chargers. After a pitiful 5-12 record in 2023, the new coaching staff is already making positive changes. The Chargers had an excellent college draft this spring.

Don’t be surprised if the Chargers are knocking on the door to the playoffs beginning this season. Coach Harbaugh has been on quite a roll the past twelve months!

2. New York J-E-T-S

After the Jets signed former Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers last year, the signal caller was injured in the first game of 2023 and was out for the season. The New York Jets would go on to post a 7-10 record after being considered a stylish pick to make the AFC Playoffs.

Aaron Rodgers is now 40 years of age, but he seems healthy heading into the new season. The quarterback’s health (one way or another) will keep Jets fans on the edge of their seats as the team attempts to make the NFL playoffs for the first time in 13 years (2010).

For fans, it might be wise to “Cool your Jets” for a few months and let the NFL season unfold.

3. Dallas Cowboys

There is no doubt that Dallas Cowboys fans desperately want to forget the 48-32 thrashing at the hands of the Green Bay Packers in January’s playoffs. While nearly everyone expected team owner Jerry Jones to fire head coach Mike McCarthy, ol’ Jer opted to let the coach continue through the final year of his current contract.

Dallas finished the 2023 NFL regular season with a 12-5 record. In addition to keeping the team’s head coach, Dallas has yet to open their checkbook to sign a few of the Cowboys’ star players to longer-term contracts, either.

It’s almost like Jerry Jones (gasp) may be in the midst of a long-term rebuilding plan (thinking “Bill Belichick is available to coach next season”). Nah!

Now, here are a few college football teams looking forward to a new start

1. Alabama Crimson Tide

Legendary coach Nick Saban has retired and will be critiquing his former team (along with the rest of the college football teams) on ESPN’s College Football GameDay Saturday morning show. New Bama coach Kalen DeBoer did some magical things during the past few years at the University of Washington. Though quite well compensated, he has America’s toughest job in following in the footsteps of Nick Saban.

Good luck with that!

Bama will be heavily dependent on the play of third-year quarterback Jalen Milroe. A former understudy for 2022 Heisman winner Bryce Young, Milroe had a solid season in 2023. Entering 2024, it is Jalen Milroe in this year’s Heisman Trophy discussion. With the team’s new head coach and the loss of several key players, the Tide may rise (or fall) on the quarterback’s play this year.

2. Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns (tie)

Moving into the perennially tough Southeastern Conference this year, the OU Sooners and Texas Longhorns will quickly notice the difference from their former Big 12 competition.

Oklahoma’s new schedule features SEC home games vs. Tennessee, South Carolina, and Alabama. The road games are at Auburn, Ole Miss, Missouri, and LSU. Plus, the Sooners play their annual game against Texas in Dallas. Ouch!

The Texas Longhorns jump into the newly expanded SEC pool this year, too. Texas will host Mississippi State, Georgia, Florida, and Kentucky. The Horns will visit Vanderbilt, Arkansas, and Texas A&M. The game against the Aggies renews their rivalry which ended after A&M joined the SEC in 2011.

Let’s not forget that Texas will also travel to play defending champion Michigan on September 7. Oof!

3. USC Trojans

USC will have a chance to “Prove it!” to many doubters (like me) beginning in 2024.

In the past few years, the Trojans have struggled to win games against defensive-minded teams. Now entering the Big Ten this year, the Trojans and three former Pac-12 schools (UCLA, Washington, and Oregon) must navigate longer road trips and play a few more defensive-minded teams on their annual schedule.

The Trojans start the 2024 season on Labor Day weekend in Las Vegas with a Sunday evening encounter against SEC power LSU. This should be a high scoring game as both teams’ defenses were relatively weak in 2023.

USC has Big Ten conference road games at Michigan, Minnesota, and Maryland along with former Pac-12 schools Washington and UCLA. USC will host Big Ten games in Los Angeles against Wisconsin, Penn State, Rutgers, and Nebraska.

If you add USC’s annual game vs. Notre Dame, the Trojans will show the nation whether they are tough enough to warrant a College Football Playoff spot by season’s end.

As Frank Sinatra famously sang, it takes “High Hopes”! *

So, August is upon us once again.

Everyone (whether those who are heading off to school and/or playing for your favorite football team) has a sense of optimism about the new season ahead.

That’s what makes this month of August (despite the heat and unsettled weather) special and slightly more bearable!

Huddle-up! 1-2-3…Ready, break!

“Just what makes that little old ant
Think he’ll move that rubber tree plant
Anyone knows an ant can’t
Move a rubber tree plant.

But he’s got high hopes
He’s got high hopes
He’s got high apple pie
In the sky hopes
So any time you’re gettin’ low
‘Stead of lettin’ go
Just remember that ant!

Oops, there goes another rubber tree plant!”
*Written by James Van Heusen and lyrics by Sammy Cahn, 1959

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Upon returning from an extended vacation with family, I have watched precious few hours of this year’s Summer Olympics from Paris. Nothing against NBC, but the nightly coverage comes across as scripted as today’s politicians reading from a teleprompter.

When the Olympics originate from across the ocean five or six time zones earlier than the US, the network has to make some difficult decisions on the coverage. The traditional news outlets have already told you that swimmer Katie Ledecky blasted the field by more than 20 seconds to win another gold medal in the 1500 meter freestyle event.

Even if you know the outcome, NBC still has to cover that one.

The television coverage is much like PGA Golf tournaments when the announcer says, “Let’s go over to #17” as a golfer in 20th place sinks a 50-foot putt for a birdie. Before they even run the videotape, you already know that this golfer is going to drain such a long putt.

It’s much the same in the tape delayed Olympic format of coverage from NBC.

With a three hour nightly window, the Peacock network rarely gives us a long enough view of any particular event. Instead, you can almost guarantee that the prime time coverage will either feature a happy US winner or some type of very sad or tragic ending for an athlete.

That means that basketball fans will be lucky to get 10-15 minutes of highlights rather than watching an entire game. The network knows that the average home viewer (mostly female) doesn’t enjoy watching NBA or WNBA basketball players drilling an overwhelmed opponent. It just isn’t very exciting for television.

If you have cable television, you can watch many of the events via USA Network. If you’re willing to spend another $7.99/month to watch NBC’s internet site called Peacock, viewers may watch nearly every televised event at the Olympics.

Those who wanted to watch the BMX (bicycle motocross) races, surfing (not on the not-so-pristine Seine River – it was held in Tahiti) and even break dancing (yes, it is now an Olympic sport) will need to shell-out the cash for Peacock to watch it.

Watching the Olympics – either in depth or just the highlight shows – is a nice way to stay inside during the searing mid-summer heat. Since I’ve never been overseas, it has been fun to see Paris and the surrounding regions without having to get a passport to do it.

Of course, there have been controversies!

Many sports can be dangerous. Boxing (whether by men or women) tops my list. Anyone who has ever watched a “Rocky” movie knows that brain damage (CTE) from receiving repeated blows to the head is likely to cause short and long-term mental issues for boxers.

Ask any of the living opponents of former Olympic gold medalist George Foreman.

Men’s boxing is brutal enough. After becoming an Olympic sport during the 2012 London Summer Olympics, women’s boxing has felt downright cringe worthy to watch – especially this past week in 2024.

Yes, equal rights means that women should have the right to emulate any of the dumb things that men have been doing for decades. I remember that my Mom would leave the room when Dad watched Friday Night fights on television a few decades ago. Much like football, it can provide a lot of excitement – until someone really gets hurt.

This brings us to the biggest controversy at the Paris Olympics…

It is one thing for one woman (of similar weight and physical build) wanting to box against another woman. If someone who looks like a man and genetically tests like a man wants to climb into the boxing ring against a woman, that’s another matter.

Watching the Italian lady boxer walk away after spending just 40 seconds inside the ring with a (cough) female Algerian boxer (who was taller and looked a lot like a guy to most of us) was the most memorable highlight of the first week of the Paris Olympics.

Don’t forget about another boxer from Taiwan (with similar suspicious genetic markings) who has been competing against the women boxers the past week, too. As of this writing, both are going to win a medal. It would be fitting to see the two of them in the gold medal event.

Regardless of whether these two boxers are cheating or are simply unfortunate genetic exceptions, the Paris Olympic Committee should never have allowed these two to compete in the women’s bracket.

It’s a shame that someone will have to be seriously injured before this issue resolves itself.

Chinese swimmers say, “Where’s the beef?”

Last week, the men’s 100 meter freestyle swimming finals were held. The competitors swim 50 meters to the other end of pool and return. It’s a fast and furious race.

The winning swimmer was 19-year old Pan Zhanle from China. He broke a world record at 46.4 seconds and won by a full second over a very competitive field.

Afterwards, the Australian swim coach, Brett Hawke, loudly proclaimed that no swimmer was capable of winning by a full second at the Olympics without some type of cheating involved.

“That swim was not real life. Not in that pool, not against that field,” said the Aussie coach.

The Chinese swim team had been scrutinized for drug issues in the prior Summer Olympics in Tokyo. This year, two of their swimmers tested positive for a banned muscle-builder called D-Bol. The Chinese then blamed food contamination from cattle which had received the banned substance.

In the 1980’s, Wendy’s Hamburgers featured commercials with geriatric lady Clara Peller asking, “Where’s the beef?” China’s swim team claims not to have known what’s IN their beef.

R-i-i-i-ght!

Eye Spy – Canadian version

Also last week, Canada’s Olympic soccer officials admitted that they routinely used drones to spy on their competitors. The women’s soccer team spied on opening round opponent New Zealand. After being caught in the act, Canadian coach Bev Priestman resigned from the team and then spilled the beans that Canada’s men’s team was doing it, too.

Canada’s women’s team has received a “punishment” by having deducting six scoring points from their team total. Though that definitely hurt the team’s chances of winning an Olympic medal, a full disqualification seemed to be in order.

The Lady Canucks are now 3-0 coming out of this weekend and still in the chase for a medal. If they should keep winning, Canada may still go home with an Olympic medal.

Who said “Cheaters never win”?

Gold medal winning swimmer discovered sleeping outside?

Italy’s gold medal champion 100 meter swimmer, Thomas Ceccon, was seen this weekend sleeping outside near a park bench in Paris.

It IS summertime in Paris, but the Olympic Village did not install traditional air conditioning when constructing facilities to house the world’s best athletes.

Instead of A/C, they installed an “energy efficient” heat pump system which apparently only reduces indoor temperatures by a maximum of six degrees.

With Paris temperatures pushing over 90 degrees for much of last week, getting a good night of sleep for the athletes has been quite difficult.

Some Olympic teams have purchased individual air conditioning units for their athletes. Apparently, Italy has not made a visit to Home Depot to help cool down their Olympic team.

“There is no air conditioning in the village, it’s hot, the food is bad,” said Thomas Ceccon. “Many athletes move for this reason: it’s not an alibi or an excuse. It’s the reality of what perhaps not everybody knows.”

In addition to the uncomfortable indoor temperatures at the Olympic Village in Paris, the athletes were also “treated” to beds made from cardboard.

In addition to being incredibly cheap and flimsy, the Olympic officials wanted to discourage the youthful athletes from – ahem – mingling on the beds inside the Olympic Village.

Ooh, la la!

Admit it. You miss the Russians, too!

In case you haven’t noticed, the vast majority of Russia’s Olympic team has not competed in this year’s Paris games due to the lingering war with Ukraine.

Normally, more than 300 athletes from Russia would compete in the summer Olympics. This year, there were less than 15 have been allowed to participate.

The International Olympic Committee has barred Russian athletes who are either in the military or who have publicly supported the invasion of Ukraine. The IOC also blocked Russians from all team sports.

The only Russian athletes participating are those who have publicly stated their neutrality for the current war in Ukraine and have submitted to a detailed search of their social media accounts to back-up their claims.

The International Olympic Committee (it’s OK to “boo” here) said Russian athletes will not be allowed to fly the Russian flag or play their country’s national anthem if anyone should win a gold medal.

As of this writing, the diminutive 2024 Russian delegation has been completely shut-out of the medal count. At the 2021 summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, the US finished first in total medals with 113. China was second with 88 medals and Russia came in third with 77.

From an American sports viewer perspective, Russia is like a professional wrestling “heel”.

It’s always a more interesting race when Russia has a top competitor going up against good ol’ USA. Having a long-time foil in the competition makes each victory feel even sweeter.

If you’re old enough to remember, the US Olympic team boycotted the 1980 Olympic summer games in Moscow to protest the USSR’s invasion of Afghanistan. In 1984, the Russians reciprocated by boycotting the summer Olympics held in Los Angeles.

The next summer Olympic Games will be held in 2028 in Los Angeles.

Uh, oh. Here we go again!

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Basketball’s NBA Finals and pro hockey’s Stanley Cup mercifully ended in mid-June. Hal-le-lu-jah!

During the two months before football season starts in August, sports fans are sampling a smorgasbord of offerings.

To fill the summertime sports gap, golf provided the US Open in June with The (British) Open coming up in two weeks. After that concludes, golf starts to fade in relative importance.

NBC’s coverage of the upcoming Paris Olympics in late July should lure a large number of viewers, too. With temperatures around the US at their summertime peak, watching the world’s top athletes should make for good TV ratings.

Soccer anyone?

In the last few weeks, I’ve noticed an abundance of soccer games on television. My personal interest in the sport hasn’t really changed since junior high school. When the coaches gave us the choice of running a mile or so around the school’s perimeter fence in 90+ degree May heat or playing soccer, most of us opted for soccer.

Our PE class soccer games were quite laughable. Most of us didn’t care for the sport’s very odd rules such as not using your arms (at all) while using your head is considered to be just fine (well, at least you get checked for CTE in your 40’s). The goalie’s job (which allows use of his arms, legs, head, and overall athletic skills) seems to be the one “fun” position on the field.

It’s the other ten players who I feel sorry for.

The scoring is soccer is generally minimal. The games (two 45-minute halves) seem to drag on and involve far too much running up and down trying to score a goal. A hard earned goal in soccer earns just one lowly point compared to six points for a touchdown in football.

What a rip off!

Our junior high gym class soccer games were quite improvised and unsupervised. After quickly tiring of running in the heat, we decided to give each player on both teams one penalty kicks at the opposing goalie. It was much more fun to rack up the points rather than run yourself to death and hardly ever get to kick the soccer ball downfield.

Enter Fatherhood

About 20 years later, my own two sons wanted to play soccer at the local YMCA. When my younger son’s group didn’t have a coach, I volunteered to handle the 5-year old group.

I quickly ascertained that the primary job of a soccer coach at this level. The biggest job was to make sure the kids had fun and to have tasty snacks ready for after the game.

My personal hope was that all of youngsters would come back to play again next season when they (perhaps) might have a real soccer coach!

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of watching the little kids playing soccer, it’s like a moving scrum going up and down the field. Never one to play much (if any) defense in basketball, I taught my troops that they were to surround the soccer ball as they tried to kick it down the field and (perhaps) score a goal.

One of the parents asked me, “Have you ever played soccer?” When I answered “No”, the response was “That’s what I figured!”

Prior to becoming coach of the pee-wee soccer brigade, I had zero knowledge of the rules or strategies for a soccer team. However, our little team seemed to enjoy the season – especially those post-game snacks.

That coaching experience failed to peak my interest in soccer, though.

It still involved a lot of running for very little personal reward. Both of my sons would continue play soccer under much better coaches for several more years and have remained lifelong soccer fans (unlike their Dad).

Why does SwampSwami still harbor an anti-soccer attitude?

For billions of people around the world, soccer remains one of the cheapest sports to play. All you need is a ball and a couple of goals (which can be makeshift), and you’re on your way.

Then again, basketball requires about the same amount of equipment and allows players to use their legs and arms. Plus, who’s ever heard of a 0-0 basketball final score?

Soccer games can be played for two halves and more than 90 minutes and still can end with a final score of 0-0.

How can any sport end a game without having a victorious team?

The soccer players must get the ball past the only person on the field allowed to use their arms and legs – the goalie. Other than the few shots made on goal, the majority of soccer games finds the players running up and down the field trying to pass the ball to each other using only their feet. A few creative types utilize their head in an attempt to direct the ball downfield.

Though many sports fans find soccer athletic, strategic, and artistic, I still find it boring – at least to watch.

Younger sports fans, though, have grown up playing soccer. Once the king of summertime sports, baseball is suffering from a diminishing number of young people playing the sport. As the older generations continue to dwindle in size, a larger number of younger television viewers prefer soccer over baseball.

Despite my personal opinion, interest in soccer continues to rise

Soccer’s World Cup is played every four years. This summer, national teams from Europe and the Americas have been participating in a separate tournament to keep sharp.

EURO 2024 had 24 teams primarily representing European countries along with a few teams from Asia (Russia didn’t get an invitation). Spain will face England in the EURO 24 finals on Sunday afternoon, July 14 on Fox.

Meanwhile, the Copa America series features teams from the United States and 15 other national teams representing countries in North, Central, and South America. These games have been played entirely within the United States. Host cities have generally been NFL cities with sizable stadium facilities.

Unfortunately, the US team was quickly eliminated from the Copa America contest.

On Wednesday, the coach of the US national soccer team since 2018 was fired after the American team failed to make it out of the initial stage of this biennial competition.

The dismissal of Greg Burhalter as the American soccer coach may be seen as a panic move before the US, Canada, and Mexico host the World Cup games in 2026.

Regardless of who is coaching Team USA, the Americans haven’t reached the semifinals of the World Cup since 1930. The US soccer team has played in the quarterfinals only once (2002) since that time.

Don’t get your hopes up two years from now.

On Wednesday night in Charlotte, North Carolina, Colombia beat Uruguay 1-0 and advanced into the finals against Argentina. After turning on the game on television during the second half last night, I was surprised to see more than 70,000 fans in attendance.

Columbia held onto a one-goal advantage for the entire second half despite having only ten of its eleven players on the field. That’s because one of Columbia’s players received two “yellow” penalty cards during the first half and was ejected from the game.

How does a team with just ten players on the field able to beat the team with 11 players?

Even the winning coach was surprised that his outmanned team held on for victory.

“We always talk about multiplying the efforts. Sometimes 10 can make the effort of 12 players,” said Colombian coach Nestor Lorenzo (who is either bad at math or forgot that only 11 players can be on the field)

Alas, I find watching most games to be as exciting as watching two old guys playing checkers down at the park. For Wednesday’s 90-minute game (which tacked-on 7 minutes of “extra time” – however that is calculated), the two teams featured a total of six shots on goal for the entire game.

That would be the equivalent of two NFL teams playing to a 3-0 final score. Other than a first half field goal, the football game would have been a defensive struggle (in perfect weather) as both teams’ offenses failed to cross midfield for the majority of the game.

Zzz…

The finals of the Copa America soccer series will be played in Miami on Sunday night, July 14th at 8PM Central with Fox handling the television coverage. Argentina will face Colombia for the title.

Regardless of my disinterest in soccer, the television ratings for this summer’s international matches have been better than expected.

Fox averaged 3.57 million viewers for last weekend’s quarterfinal round. That is 89% higher than in 2021. For the entire tournament, Fox is averaging 1.50 million viewers. That’s 42% more than the total from 2021.

Look out, baseball! The soccer train is slowly chugging past you.

While soccer’s television audience remains small compared to college and NFL football games, the ratings are on par with televised regular season Major League Baseball games.

More importantly to advertisers, the average age of today’s soccer viewer (35) falls right in the middle of the prime “buying” demographic (25-49). Advertisers are quite willing to spend a significant part of their budget trying to reach this age group.

By contrast, Major League Baseball’s average television viewer is now 57 years old. Looking ahead at future sports viewers, soccer is now the second most popular sport in the US among young people under the age of 24. Baseball is fifth.

Sunday is a big day for soccer. Will you be watching?

The EURO 24 championship game starts at 2PM on Sunday afternoon while the Copa America finale is at 8PM (both games on Fox). American television viewers will find very little competition from other major sports this weekend. If either of these two games attracts ten million or more viewers on Sunday, soccer will continue its quiet ascent up the American sports ladder.

But if you happen to need a good nap on Sunday…

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The World Golf Hall of Fame recently moved from St. Augustine, Florida to its new home at the Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina.

My wife and I visited the Florida location several years ago and had a terrific time – even though I failed to put a golf ball onto the floating island green on the lake adjacent to the facility. Though I played golf in high school decades ago in Louisiana, it was quite disappointing to miss the target that day.

What I didn’t realize at the time was a far more accomplished golfer hailing from my hometown had recently failed to hit a different target at the World Golf Hall of Fame.

In the fall of 2018, the finalists announced for the possible induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame included none other than Shreveport’s Hal Sutton. He was 60 years of age at the time.

The Hall of Fame Selection Committee for the Class of 2019 included the greatest player of all time, Jack Nicklaus.

For someone who had closely followed Hal Sutton’s career, I remember the 1983 PGA Championship. The tall blond-haired young man from northwest Louisiana did not falter down the stretch. He was being pursued on the final nine holes by none other than the Golden Bear himself. Jack Nicklaus would finish in second place one shot behind Hal Sutton at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles.

Only 25 years old at the time, Hal Sutton’s win at the 1983 PGA was his first major championship. Jack Nicklaus, always gracious in defeat, told the press afterwards that Hal had enough talent to become one of the game’s best players.

“I think if there’s anybody coming along who is going to dominate the tour, Sutton has a head start on everybody else,” said Nicklaus. “Only time will determine whether he will.”

More than 35 years following Hal Sutton’s one and only major golf championship in 1983, one of the voters tasked with determining whether Hal would accepted into the World Golf Hall of Fame was none other than Jack Nicklaus.

Hal Sutton’s hometown newspaper interviewed him prior to the World Golf Hall of Fame’s final voting. Hopeful of garnering enough votes to gain membership in the distinguished group, Hal said, “That’s what a person works their whole career for, to be possibly considered for the Hall of Fame. I would be in awe if that’s the case.”

With 75% of the votes from the 20-person Selection Committee required for admission, Hal Sutton came up short for the Class of 2019.

In 2024, Hal Sutton is still not a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. At least, not yet!

Becoming Shreveport, Louisiana’s favorite golfer

Hal Sutton fell in love with golf as a youngster. Though he played youth football and basketball into junior high school, Sutton was a self-taught golfer who practiced hard and dedicated himself to becoming the best player he could be.

His father, Howard Sutton, owned a small regional oil company. Mr. Sutton was a former football player and a big supporter of his college alma mater, the University of Arkansas. By his own admission, Hal’s Dad (who didn’t play golf) pushed his son very hard to become the best in his declared sport.

Hal Sutton was a four-year letterman at Shreveport’s Northwood High School. His personal drive as a high school golfer propelled him into the upper echelon of a very talented pool of local amateur golfers. Sutton quickly ascended to become one of the top amateur golfers in the entire state of Louisiana prior to graduating from high school.

As a high school senior, Hal Sutton averaged nearly two strokes under par (or 70 shots per round). Several of the top college golf programs in the nation attempted to recruit him to come and play for them.

Instead, Hal Sutton surprised many by announcing that he was going to follow the lead of another very prominent local athlete and attend the smallest Division 1 school in the country at Centenary College in Shreveport.

“I’ll stay home and go to Centenary”, said Sutton. “I want to help the school.”

At the time, Centenary’s 7-foot basketball star Robert Parish was leading the small college into the AP Top 25 rankings for the first time in school history. Hal Sutton wanted to do the same thing with the school’s golf team.

“By staying here, he (Parish) did a lot for Centenary and a lot for Shreveport.”

From 1976-1980 at Centenary College, Hal Sutton won 14 college golf tournaments. During his time in college, he captured the prestigious Western Amateur (1979 and 1980) along with the 1980 North and South Amateur titles. Sutton was a member of the 1979 and 1981 US Walker Cup teams, too.

Named a college All-American, Hal Sutton led the Gentlemen (yes, that’s the nickname for the school’s sports teams) to the NCAA Tournament as the team finished ninth nationally. Hal was named the 1980 NCAA College Player of the Year and Golf Magazine’s College Player of the Year as a senior.

If that wasn’t enough for Hal Sutton’s 1980 golf season, the US Amateur was played in (ironically for this story) Pinehurst, North Carolina. At The Country Club of North Carolina, Hal Sutton defeated Bob Lewis 9 and 8 in the 36-hole championship match to claim the top title in amateur golf.

The low medalist for the opening two rounds of that event was none other than Fred Couples.

Yes, the same smooth-swinging Freddie Couples we have enjoyed watching over the years on the PGA Tour and the PGA Champions Tour played in the same tournament. Couples would be admitted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2013 with very similar qualifications as the young man who actually won that 1980 US Amateur championship – Hal Sutton.

Hal Sutton‘s 25 year PGA Tour career

Upon college graduation, Hal Sutton gave serious thought to remaining a lifelong amateur (like Bobby Jones did) and entered the business world. A year later, he changed his mind and traveled to Florida to participate in the fall 1981 PGA Tour Qualifying School. Sutton finished in a tie for 18th place with another future PGA Championship winner, Paul Azinger. The two talented golfers had just earned their PGA Tour playing card for the 1982 season.

Hal Sutton’s 25-year PGA Tour career (1982-2006) featured three rather distinct periods.

During his first five years as a pro, Sutton won seven PGA events. He broke through in his rookie year of 1982 at the Walt Disney World Classic. In 1983, he won the Players Championship and the PGA Championship. After a winless 1984, Hal Sutton won twice in 1985 and matched that feat again in 1986.

Then, a nine-year drought began.

From May, 1986 (Memorial Tournament) through September, 1995 (B.C. Open), Hal Sutton was winless as his golf game began to waver. A self-taught player, he sought advice from a number of well-meaning experts on how to restore his golf swing. Eventually, Hal reunited with his college golf coach (Floyd Horgan) and began to return to top form once again starting in the mid-1990’s.

A rejuvenated 37-year old Hal Sutton won another seven PGA events during the ensuing five year period. Starting with the 1995 BC Open, Sutton added the 1998 Texas Open in San Antonio. He capped the 1998 season by winning the Tour Championship season finale in a playoff with Vijay Singh.

Hal Sutton’s winning streak continued in 1999 with a victory in the Canadian Open. In the year 2000, he won the Greater Greensboro Open. Sutton also added his second Players Championship by holding off Tiger Woods (much like he had done against Jack Nicklaus in the 1983 PGA).

His now-famous “Be the right club. Be the right club…TODAY!” call from the 18th fairway in the final round at TPC Sawgrass would become Hal’s signature moment. At 41 years of age, Hal Sutton had just taken down Tiger Woods during the same year (2000) in which Woods captured three consecutive major championships.

Ryder Cup Hal

Hal Sutton played on four Ryder Cup teams. He had two appearances during his younger days (1985 and 1986) and then twice more (1999 and 2002) during the latter portion of his PGA career. Sutton compiled a career record of 7-5-4 in his four appearances for Team USA.

In 2004, Hal Sutton was chosen to be captain of the US Ryder Cup team. The US team featured Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and several other top rated American golfers. Team USA was considered to be a solid favorite as the event was being played near Detroit at Oakland Hills. However, a fired-up European squad led by Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, and Padraig Harrington was nearly unbeatable that weekend as the Euros clobbered the US team 18 ½ to 9 ½.

Fellow Shreveporter David Toms played on the 2004 US squad (going 1-2) and later commented, “They (the European squad) play like they’re playing for a beer and it seems like we’re playing for everything to lose”.

It’s doubtful that anyone took that 2004 Ryder Cup loss harder than their team captain, Hal Sutton.

Hal Sutton loves Louisiana, and it loves him back!

After Sutton’s long-time business manager lost his 7-year old daughter to spinal meningitis, the golfer announced plans in 2001 for the creation of a specialized children’s hospital in his hometown of Shreveport.

The 2003 Independence Bowl awarded its annual General Omar Bradley Award to Hal Sutton. The award “symbolizes the spirit of freedom and independence on which our country was founded.”

During the late summer of 2005, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita blasted the Louisiana and Gulf Coast regions within just a few weeks of each other. Hal Sutton teamed with fellow Shreveport PGA professional David Toms and New Orleans’ Kelly Gibson to raise more than $2 million for the hurricane relief efforts.

In 2006, the annual Charlie Bartlett Award was given to Sutton, Toms, and Gibson by the Golf Writers Association of America for their unselfish contributions to the betterment of society. In the same year, Shreveport’s Christus Schumpert Sutton Children’s Medical Center opened its 106-bed facility after more than $20 million had been raised to meet this community need.

The Centenary College Alumni Hall-of-Fame inducted Hal Sutton in 2006. The award “recognizes Centenary graduates who have distinguished themselves in both their profession and in service to others as well as the college”. The business major has hosted the annual Hal Sutton Invitational college golf tournament on behalf of Centenary College every year since the 1980’s.

The PGA Tour awarded Hal Sutton with the 2007 Payne Stewart Award. It is given annually to a player whose “values align with the character, charitable mindset, and sportsmanship that Stewart showed.”

The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame inducted Hal Sutton as part of its 2009 class.

A hip replacement surgery in 2012 and a heart attack in 2014 limited Hal Sutton’s ability to compete at a high level after he moved into the PGA Champions Tour.

In recent years, Hal has become a popular golf instructor in southeast Texas. He has designed top-rated Texas golf courses such as Boot Ranch (52 miles north of San Antonio) and the new Darmor Club in Columbus, Texas (halfway between Houston and San Antonio).

Making the case for the World Golf Hall of Fame

Now 66 years of age, Hal Sutton checks all of the required boxes for induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame. His career total of 14 PGA Tour wins includes a major championship (1983 PGA Championship) plus two Player’s Championship titles. Let’s not forget his 1980 US Amateur title as well.

Hal Sutton would become the first golfer (male or female) from Louisiana to be admitted into the 150+ member World Golf Hall of Fame.

After being a finalist for this honor in 2019, it is time for the Nominations Committee to reward one of professional golf’s most recognizable and deserving players with another nomination to join this elite group.

With a lifetime of dedication to the game of golf, a long record of service to the community, and leadership as a four-time Ryder Cup participant and 2004 Ryder Cup captain, the spirited Hal Sutton would be a very popular and worthy addition to the next class of the World Golf Hall of Fame.

“Be the right ballots – today!”

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Remember the gentlemen with the wonderful voice who did a series of television commercials for “The UnCola” back in the 1980’s? His name was Geoffrey Holder. Sadly, he passed away in 2014.

Using a rich voice with a unique Trinidad accent, his tag line of “Crisp and clean and no caffeine” boosted sales for a famous lemon-lime soft drink maker.

This week, the term “no Caffeine” has taken a new meaning in the sports world.

Caffeine withdrawal

A relatively new online sports programming network called “Caffeine” just bit the dust yesterday on June 26. They pulled the plug so fast that you cannot even access any information from their website today (www.caffeine.tv). All that remains is a “Good bye” note.

Caffeine TV just vanished like the buzz from your morning coffee by 10AM. They claimed to have attracted 60 million fans to their now deceased website.

Though the owner of SwampSwamiSports.com cannot boast of such a vast audience, the proprietor (me) is still financially solvent and still keeps his product online today!

On the Caffeine TV You Tube channel (which was still available this morning), the banner said, “Caffeine is the home for live sports + community. Watch action sports, basketball, combat, golf, football, and more for free.”

After watching a well-produced one-minute promo on their You Tube channel, Caffeine TV had been targeting a young demographic of sports fans. Apparently, not enough of them bothered to show up to watch it.

The Caffeine TV You Tube channel had a preview of their offerings. The one minute promo featured snowboarding, surfing, basketball, MMA events, boxing, rugby, and even poker tournaments. A significant portion of this promo was devoted to something called “Battle Rap”.

What is Battle Rap, you ask?

According to one source, “Battle rap is like verbal warfare, where competitors trade insults, wordplay, and clever rhymes in a competitive setting. It’s a blend of poetry, wit, and bravado, often performed in front of an audience or judged panel.”

For those of us raised in the 1960’s and 1970’s, Battle Rap appears to be a modern version of the popular “Rate-A-Record” segment on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand.

The host would play a song like The 1910 Fruit Gum Company’s 1967 hit record, “Simple Simon” as the Philadelphia studio audience danced to it.

After the song ended, two audience members would the rate the record. Wendy might say, “I can really dance to that one. I’ll give it an 89!” Howard, though, felt otherwise. “Too much bubble gum for me to chew on! I’m giving it a 55” as the audience booed loudly at Howard.

It’s a safe guess that 2024’s Battle Rap competitors were using a few more colorful words to describe their feelings than my generation uttered on American Bandstand decades ago.

Who was willing to make a risky investment into a sports-oriented venture like Caffeine TV?

You might be surprised!

In 2018, Caffeine TV was injected with a cash buzz of $100 million by none other than 20th Century Fox. The initial concept received funding of $46 million from a couple of private investors.

At the time, Fox had glorious plans for Caffeine TV. Prior to the retirement of former Chairman Rupert Murdoch, one of his sons and future successors, Lachlan (who now runs Fox News), was gung-ho on the idea.

As part of this partnership, Fox provided a facility called “Caffeine Studios” which Caffeine TV and Fox Sports would jointly utilize.

“The combination of the Caffeine platform with a content studio that benefits from Fox Sports’ expertise in live events and programming will help position Caffeine to deliver compelling experiences in e-sports, video gaming and entertainment,” said the younger Murdoch.

The double-caffeinated CEO of Caffeine TV enthusiastically waved the promoter’s pom-poms and added his comments after making the deal with Fox:

“We want to bring the world together around friends and live broadcasts,” said Ben Keighran. “It’s an ambitious goal, but one we believe is attainable with the support of our amazing new partners, our awesome and ever-growing community, and the content that together, we can bring onto the platform.”

Enter LIV Golf in 2024

The free-spending LIV Golf league signed a multi-year television deal with the CW Network beginning in 2023. CW would nationally televise the Saturday and Sunday rounds.

However, LIV Golf (which features a three-day 54-hole format) was still looking for a television partner to broadcast its opening round on Fridays.

Prior to 2024, golf fans could watch the Friday rounds via LIV’s You Tube channel and, beginning in 2023, utilize the CW App. However, LIV Golf President Greg Norman desperately wanted another television partner willing to carry the league’s Friday afternoon rounds every week in 2024.

How desperate? Hello, Caffeine TV!

Earlier this year, LIV Golf announced a partnership which added Caffeine (TV, that is) to bring additional TV eyeballs to the league’s opening round of play on Friday.

In the press release, LIV Golf said, “Boasting a younger, more diverse audience than many traditional broadcast platforms, Caffeine is uniquely suited as a streaming partner of LIV Golf.”

Not anymore, though. Caffeine TV vanished without prior notice on Wednesday, June 26.

With six tournaments left in the its 2024 season, LIV Golf will be suffering from Caffeine (TV) withdrawals. Golf fans wanting to watch opening round coverage on Fridays will return to using the CW App or the LIV Golf You Tube channel for the remainder of this season.

As circus promoter P.T. Barnum once boasted, “There’s a sucker born every minute”!

The long-time CEO of Caffeine TV has done a fine job at promoting his product since the beginning. Ben Keighran issued this statement as part of their new agreement with LIV Golf:

“We’re excited to partner with LIV Golf to expand distribution of its tournament content and help it reach new viewers as the tour continues to grow. This collaboration marks an exciting moment as Caffeine continues to redefine live sports streaming, helping leagues and brands discover, connect and interact with passionate fans at scale through our platform.“

At the bottom of the LIV Golf press release, Caffeine TV added some eyebrow-raising boastful claims:

“Caffeine is the go-to destination for more than 150+ niche sports leagues, competitive event organizers, content creators, and sports media publishers looking to reach and engage passionate fan bases at scale. Currently, the platform boasts over 60 million monthly active users, a massive 1,200% increase from 5 million a year prior, with 1.4 billion total views in 2023. 91% of Caffeine’s users are on mobile, with 82% of its audience under the age of 35.

Was Caffeine TV good to the last drop?

On Wednesday, June 26, Caffeine TV pulled the plug on its own percolator of propaganda with one final and very unusual announcement on its website:

“All good things come to an end. We’re at the point where we are still not quite profitable, so we’ve made the decision to end the service as of June 26th as we figure out our next steps.

The statement concluded with, “We’ve had a huge impact on the industry and will again soon, in a different way. Many, many thanks to all involved. We’ll remember this for life.”

Nothing says professionalism like pulling the plug on your customers and business associates during the middle of the last week of the month. The final comment “We’ll remember this for life” could be one of most bizarre exit statements I’ve ever seen.

One report indicated that nearly $300 million had been invested into Caffeine TV prior to its abrupt ending on Wednesday.

The investors in Caffeine TV apparently realized that the sports market’s demand for their specialized offerings was significantly lower than projected. Insufficient revenues eventually spell doom for most new ventures.

Given the speed which Caffeine TV was yanked off the market, the investors had seen enough. Mr. Market has a way of speaking the truth no matter how much hype is pushed by promoters.

Shame on you, Caffeine TV! You left former viewers with the shakes today after forcing them to go cold turkey as they search for an alternate decaf brand.

The post Crisp and Clean and No Caffeine! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

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It’s all about the money in college athletics today – at every level.

Supporters of the athletics programs at, let’s say, UL-Monroe and Nicholls State in Thibodaux love to get a chance to play LSU in any particular sport. They may even win a game in some sports against the Tigers every now and then.

However, Louisiana college athletics programs not named LSU have never had the financial wherewithal to compete annually at the turnstiles or with the income statements with Louisiana’s flagship university.

The financial disparity will get wider and more expensive in the years to come.

With the NCAA’s granting permission to pay college athletes via the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rules, the talent gap between LSU and all other schools in Louisiana in athletics will necessarily widen. LSU’s athletic supporters will do whatever is necessary to financially keep up with Alabama, Georgia, and other top college athletic programs around the country.

If the average NIL pay package for an SEC football player is nearly $500,000 per year, where will that money come from? LSU (like Bama, Georgia, and the other top brands) is already busy trying to tap their zealous fans for the extra dough.

Smaller state schools such as Louisiana Tech (FBS Conference USA) and Southeastern Louisiana (FCS Southland Conference) are left with (financially speaking, of course) the crumbs. The Bulldogs and Lions simply do not have the number of active financial supporters who are willing to pony-up enough money to pay players at the elite level of LSU and other major schools.

Most of the colleges in Louisiana not-named-LSU already struggle to attract enough paying customers to their athletic contests and need their athletic backers to help keep their programs solvent. And that was BEFORE this new “pay-for-play” NIL game started to gain steam in the past two years.

Just how much money are we talking about?

A recent report indicated that the list below represents the estimated cost to sign top high school and transfer college football players to play at major schools this fall – for one year:

Quarterbacks: $500,000 – $800,000

Running backs: $200,000 – $300,000

Wide Receivers: $75,000 – $300,000

Offensive linemen: $350,000 – $500,000

Defensive linemen: $250,000 – $600,000

Linebackers: $100,000 – $300,000

Defensive backs: $120,000 – $225,000

With one quarterback, two running backs, three receivers, and five blocking linemen, the cost of an upper tier college football offense may range anywhere from a low of $2,525,000 per year all the way up to $4,800,000.

For the defense, a top quality starting unit (four linemen, three linebackers, and four defensive backs) could cost from a low of $1,780,000 to an estimated $4,200,000.

Once you add a top-rated place kicker and a punter, a major college football team could spend anywhere from $5 million to $10 million per season just for their 22 starting players and two key special teamers. It likely will cost double that dollar amount in order to “buy” the remainder of a major college football roster.

That would add up to about $10 to $20 million per year if your favorite college football team wants to keep playing with the big boys.

With an average ticket price of (let’s say) $100, LSU collects about $10 million per home game in its 102,000 seat Tiger Stadium from just the ticket revenue alone. With seven home games and additional revenue derived from concessions and merchandise sales, the LSU football team’s annual home revenue in Baton Rouge may approach $100 million per year.

If the coaching staff costs $20 million and the team costs an additional $20 million, LSU’s football revenues should be able to cover these expenses.

The positive news for today’s highly recruited athletes is the possibility that they could earn $1 to $2 million over their four year college football career. If the player is able to hang onto $1 million and invest it at a 5% annual interest rate, the player would be able to receive $50,000 per year from the interest for the rest of his life.

The numbers simply don’t add up for the smaller schools

Where will the smaller revenue football programs in Louisiana and other states find new sources of revenue needed to compete for top athletes? The money simply isn’t there.

As I covered a few months ago, the best thing smaller athletic programs can offer to a player is playing time. If you’re a late-blooming offensive lineman who goes relatively unnoticed by LSU, you might sign with a smaller FBS school such as UL-Monroe. If the coach believes you are good enough, you may get the chance to play a significant role on the field as a freshman.

Once this young offensive lineman blossoms into a first team All-Sunbelt Conference selection after his sophomore year, the phone is going to ring. The LSU’s of the world will find that player and make “an offer he can’t refuse” to transfer away from UL-Monroe.

The Warhawks top football players will become easy targets as higher paying offers will be made by the wealthiest football schools. If the goal at ULM is to win the Sunbelt football championship, they must work even harder (and get luckier) to find players who are exceptional high school and junior college players willing to come play for peanuts.

Good luck with that.

In Texas, Stephen F. Austin State University just ended its pursuit of major college athletics

The Lumberjacks of Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas were longtime members of the FCS Southland Conference. Three years ago, the Jacks decided to step up into the major college FBS tier and joined the far-flung Western Athletic Conference.

The reconstituted WAC was quite wobbly when it came to football. Several WAC member schools didn’t even have a football program. The Western Athletic Conference and the Atlantic Sun Conference (which also had several non-football playing members) found a unique way to pair-up to play football games against each other in recent years.

After the costs of travel skyrocketed and home attendance dwindled once SFA stopped playing its traditional and more familiar foes, the school made a surprising announcement recently.

Stephen F. Austin just exited the WAC and has rejoined the Southland Conference beginning this fall.

SFA’s Director of Athletics, Michael McBroom, said a few weeks ago, “This affiliation puts us in an incredibly competitive and historic athletic community, aligns us with regional peers in Texas and Louisiana and allows us a greater opportunity to engage with our alumni, fans and prospective students across the entire region.” He added, “This was an easy decision for us in that the SLC offered us an opportunity to boldly move forward with confidence and excitement.”

Translation – SFA was probably losing its shirt in travel expenses, reduced revenues, and finding quality recruits.

Stephen F. Austin State University is not a small school. With 12,000 students, SFA’s move back into the smaller FCS football group seems to be a wise financial move and a much better fit for the students and alumni base.

The Lumberjacks were never going to compete with the University of Texas or Texas A&M on the football field. SFA is returning to play athletics in a conference where their opponents are generally less than a half-day drive from Nacogdoches.

Winning the Southland Conference title in football will also give SFA a chance to play for a national championship once again. That was never going to happen in the upper division of college football.

Are you paying attention, UL-Monroe and Louisiana Tech?

Nobody asked me, but I’ll throw out a couple of ideas which might be positive for both of these north Louisiana schools separated by just 30 miles via I-20.

1. The ultimate “win/win” would be for Louisiana Tech to leave Conference USA and join the Sunbelt Conference soon.

That would immediately create more fan interest as games would be played against geographic rival UL-Monroe (30 miles away) and, to a lesser extent, UL-Lafayette (185 miles away). The Sunbelt Conference makes more geographic sense for Louisiana Tech. The school’s long-time major athletics supporters bankrolled the Bulldogs’ move into the FBS more than 30 years ago. Unfortunately, the money may have been linked to an unspoken stipulation that the school would avoid playing in the same conference with rival UL-Monroe.

2. UL-Monroe makes its own decision to return to the FCS while cutting a unique deal allowing Louisiana Tech to take its place in the Sunbelt Conference.

ULM won the small college national championship in football in 1987 as a member of the Southland Conference.

Upon making the decision to move-up into the NCAA’s FBS upper tier in 1994, ULM initially competed as an independent. In 2001, the Warhawks were admitted into the Sunbelt Conference. While ULM has, at times, competed well in the Sunbelt Conference, the Warhawks generally finish in the lower half of the league by season’s end in most major sports.

After 30 years at the FBS level, the Warhawks have played in just one post-season football bowl game (the 2012 Independence Bowl).

UL-Monroe is ranked near the bottom in athletics revenues in the NCAA’s FBS (major college) group. The most recent five-year reporting period showed the Warhawks total athletics revenues of $19.4 million in 2023 were $73 million below the midpoint of the top schools. After 30 years in the FBS division, ULM still remains near the bottom of 133 upper-tier college athletics group.

Despite the prestige of playing tougher opponents for the past 30 years, ULM’s sports fans and financial supporters want their teams to compete for championships.

With more money needed every season to pay NIL cash to athletes in major sports, it might be the right time for ULM’s to consider making the same move which Stephen F. Austin State University did beginning this fall.

If ULM were to agree to exit the Sunbelt Conference and follow SFA into the FCS Southland Conference, Louisiana Tech could, perhaps, take the Warhawks’ place in the Sunbelt Conference.

For Louisiana Tech, leaving Conference USA for the Sunbelt Conference would be a positive move to cut travel costs and boost fan interest. By adding regional rivals such as UL-Lafayette and Southern Miss, the Bulldogs would leave behind lengthy road trips to West Virginia (Marshall University) and Norfolk, Virginia (Old Dominion).

For ULM, a return to the FCS and the Southland Conference might be a difficult reality pill to swallow. However, the Warhawks fans would have a better chance to see their team competing for championships in several sports once again.

Could a “win/win” negotiation emerge between these two North Louisiana competitors?

If ULM were to step down to the FCS and help Louisiana Tech take their place in the Sunbelt Conference at some point, there must be an agreement between these two rivals to schedule a series of home and home football, basketball, and baseball games against each other for at least the next decade.

Both the Warhawks and Bulldogs would likely draw their biggest home crowds in every sport under such an arrangement. An entire generation of fans has not seen these two schools square off on the football field after the last game was played in the year 2000.

Today’s rapidly changing economic playing field in major college athletics might soon force these two stubborn north Louisiana schools to come to their senses and resume a financially beneficial regional athletics rivalry soon.

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Brad Stevens didn’t win the MVP on Monday night after the Boston Celtics won their first NBA title since 2008. That honor went to guard Jaylen Brown after the Celtics won the series four games to one.

In fact, Stevens was nearly invisible as ABC trotted nearly everyone else to the microphone during the post-game celebration after Boston trounced Dallas 106-88 in Game 5. The architect of the Celtics 18th NBA championship team appears to have found his niche in Boston.

“Babyface” Stevens has been a proven winner at every level

Though Brad Stevens still looks like he is barely 30 years old, the Celtics General Manager is now 47. The Indiana native played college basketball at Division III DePauw University in western Indiana. The 6’1” guard started all four years as he racked-up three All-Academic honors while graduating with a degree in Economics.

After getting married and working in the private sector for a brief period, Brad Stevens wanted to give coaching a try. As his young wife completed working on her law degree, Stevens volunteered to work in the Butler University (Indianapolis) basketball office. He was quickly offered a relatively low-paying administrative job to assist Butler’s then-head coach Thad Motta.

After several years of learning every aspect of coaching, Brad Stevens was awarded the head coaching job at Butler in 2007. At age 30, he had become the second-youngest head coach in the upper division of NCAA basketball. In his rookie season, his Butler Bulldogs had a 30-4 record and made it into the second round of the NCAA March Madness tournament.

During his third and fourth seasons at Butler, Brad Stevens’ teams advanced to play in two consecutive national championship games. Though Butler lost both title games, Stevens was now the hottest coaching commodity in basketball.

The offers came rolling in from several major college basketball programs. Brad Stevens’ wife (now an attorney specializing in employment law) helped her husband to negotiate a contract extension which tripled his beginning in 2010.

Still, the offers kept coming. Though Brad Stevens was making nearly $1 million per year at Butler, major colleges were offering double and triple that amount. He didn’t want to leave the school which had provided him with the opportunity to become a head coach.

Enter the NBA’s Boston Celtics

In 2013, pro basketball’s historic Boston Celtics came courting Brad Stevens. The legendary franchise recognized the young coach’s talent and offered him a deal he couldn’t refuse. For his part, coaching the Boston Celtics was considered to be one of the most coveted jobs in basketball. At least Stevens didn’t leave Butler University to coach another college basketball power such as UCLA or Duke.

From 2013 through 2021, Brad Stevens’ Boston Celtics teams qualified for the NBA playoffs in all but his first year. On three of those seasons, the C’s advanced all the way into the Eastern Conference finals but never made it into the NBA championship series.

Much like it was for Stevens as a college coach at Butler, the Celtics had been transformed into a winner during the regular season. However, the team kept falling just short of its championship goals in the NBA’s post-season.

Most franchises would love to have such a problem, but the Boston Celtics expect more.

Mired in the second-longest streak in franchise history without hanging championship banner #18 in the rafters of Boston’s TD Garden, Brad Stevens would shift gears once more time beginning in 2022.

Danny Ainge retires as GM and Brad Stevens discovers the secret formula

Long-time Celtics guard Danny Ainge was part of the Boston’s glory years of the 1980’s and into the early 1990’s. He returned to Boston in 2003 to become the Celtics’ General Manager for 18 years through the end of the 2021 season. Ainge is credited with revitalizing and rebuilding Boston’s roster as they won their 17th NBA championship in 2008.

In 2013, Danny Ainge hired a young college basketball coach named Brad Stevens to run the team. Stevens injected confidence into his Celtics’ teams while Danny Ainge kept adding talented rookies such as Jalen Brown and Jayson Tatum.

Over the past decade, the Celtics kept creeping closer to another NBA championship but couldn’t quite get there.

Danny Ainge announced his retirement in Boston in 2021. In a bit of a surprise, head coach Brad Stevens was selected to take the role of President in charge of Basketball Operations.

Brad Stevens-the-General Manager had to quickly learn his new job. He traded a few players away like Kemba Walker and brought in veteran center Al Horford. Stevens also acquired the talents of sixth man Malcolm Brogdon but would later trade him away.

Brad Stevens made another very “Smart” trade

Marcus Smart was one of the most talented college basketball players in the country during his two years at Oklahoma State. Taken with the sixth overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft by Boston’s then-General Manager Danny Ainge, the 6’3” Marcus Smart quickly became a Celtics fans favorite as a professional. His contagious spirit and hustle on the basketball court inspired several Celtics teams as Boston kept inching closer to winning their first NBA title since 2008.

Statistically speaking, Marcus Smart’s shooting was frequently hot and cold. During his nine seasons in Boston, he rarely shot better than 40% from the field and 30% from the three-point line. His positive personality and leadership skills overshadowed his mediocre scoring average of just 12 points per game in Boston.

After the Celtics failed to make the NBA Finals again last year in 2023, General Manager Brad Stevens surprised many by trading Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies as part of the three-team trade package. In return, the Celtics received talented (but oft injured) 7’2” veteran center Kristaps Porzingis and a 2025 #1 draft pick. When healthy, Porzingis had shown himself to be a deadly outside shooter and a reliable rebounder.

That still left a hole in the backcourt for the Celtics, though. Who would replace Marcus Smart?

Let’s Make A(nother) Deal – Jrue Holiday comes to Boston

Now 34 years of age, Jrue Holiday (who played at UCLA in college) was originally drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2009. After four years in Philly, Holiday was traded to New Orleans (2013-2020) and later to Milwaukee (2020-2023). While with the Bucks, the defensive-minded guard (a three-time member of the All-NBA defensive team) finally won an NBA title as a supporting player.

After dealing away Marcus Smart to Memphis, Boston GM Brad Stevens needed a veteran guard. He sent veteran Malcolm Brogdon and developing young center Robert Williams III (from Vivian, Louisiana) to Milwaukee. In return, the Celtics acquired guard Jrue Holiday in a deal which was consummated a month prior to the start of this 2023-2024 NBA season.

Jrue Holiday’s offensive statistics were stronger and more reliable than the now-departed Marcus Smart. It was Holiday’s leadership skills in the locker room which would become a perfect fit in Boston. Having recently won an NBA title in Milwaukee, Jrue Holiday became a big part of Boston’s 2024 championship run which concluded on Monday night.

Who is Joe Mazzulla and how did he get the job coaching with the Boston Celtics?

The current Boston Celtics head basketball coach, Joe Mazzulla, is only 35 years old. Much like Brad Stevens, Mazzulla is a very sharp, quiet, focused, and quite effective basketball coach.

A former guard at the University of West Virginia, Joe Mazzulla immediately went into coaching and started at the bottom. In 2011, he became an assistant coach position at NCAA Division II Glenville State in West Virginia. He then accepted another assistant coaching job at Fairmont State (also in West Virginia) in 2013. Mazzulla would become the team’s head coach for two years beginning in 2016.

Sandwiched in between, Joe Mazzulla had become familiar with the Boston Celtics organization while an assistant coach with the team’s NBA G-League development team in Maine (the Red Claws). Former Boston Celtics GM Danny Ainge hired Mazzulla to become a full-time assistant coach in 2019.

Just before the start of the 2022-2023 NBA season, Boston’s new GM Brad Stevens suspended then-head coach Ime Udoka for the entire 2022-2023 season. The coach admitted to having a “relationship” with a female member of the Boston Celtics staff.

Brad Stevens handed the coaching duties to Joe Mazzulla two years ago and has never looked back. The young Mazzulla’s coaching style resembles that of Brad Stevens and the players obviously responded.

The Boston Celtics are now the NBA champions for the first time since 2008.

Did someone say “Dynasty?”

Barring injuries, the pieces are in place for the Boston Celtics to have a few years at or near the top of the NBA. The team’s top players are under long-term contracts. The role players are talented, happy, and (for now) affordable. The Celtics coach has developed more confidence and seems to know when to push all the right buttons with his veteran squad.

For the first time in his relatively young career, Brad Stevens has just won his first title, too.

Well done!

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Remember the classic tag line from ABC’s “Wide World of Sports” weekend television program?

While showing a variety of winners in major sporting events, the announcer would say “The thrill of victory” and then pause for a second to add the phrase, “and the agony of defeat” as a tragic snow skiing accident took place on the television screen.

A similar issue occurred Sunday afternoon during the final round of the US Open golf tournament at the extremely difficult Pinehurst #2 golf course in North Carolina. One golfer converted the shot of a lifetime to grab the title, while the other missed a couple of short par putts which cost him the tournament.

Another thing happened on Sunday at Pinehurst #2. Much like professional wrestlers can morph from being a good guy to a bad guy (and vice versa), two of golf’s biggest names tagged each other and changed hats in front of the fans.

One of golf’s former villains (Bryson DeChambeau) has miraculously transformed from a heel (a bad guy in pro wrestling terminology) into pro golf’s newest fan favorite (or “face”). The other golfer’s abrupt heel turn caught most golf fans by surprise.

“Wee-Mac” faltered down the stretch on Sunday

The world’s #2 golfer and very popular Rory McIlroy lost a heartbreaker on late Sunday afternoon to DeChambeau as Rory tried to capture his first major title in ten years. He had come close to getting his fifth major a few times in recent years – including finishing in second place in last year’s 2023 US Open.

Rory McIlroy started the final round three strokes off the lead of Bryson DeChambeau. Playing in the group just ahead of the leader, Rory briefly caught fire and moved to four under par on the day early on the back nine at Pinehurst #2.

Unfortunately, McIlroy misfired on a couple of approach shots coming down the stretch (which wasn’t hard to do on such a difficult golf course) and then missed two relatively short putts on #16 and #18. With his bogey on the 18th hole, McIlroy still posted a respectable 69 on Sunday to finish at -5. However, the bogey on #18 gave the lead back to DeChambeau as he stepped to the tee box on to play his final hole of the day.

All Rory McIlroy could do was watch and hope for the best.

DeChambeau pulled his drive on #18 into the left rough. The golf ball landed in the Carolina sandy soil amid some very knarly grass. Worse yet, Bryson DeChambeau was stymied by an overhanging magnolia tree which restricted his swing.

For his second shot, Bryson punched a low shot down the fairway and into a greenside sand trap. From there, DeChambeau hit the shot of a lifetime. His 55-yard blast from the sand went skyward, bounced a few times on the green and then rolled up the hill to finish within 3 feet of the 18th hole. Bryson DeChambeau drained the short par putt to capture the 2024 US Open for his second major championship win.

The Carolina fans cheered wildly as DeChambeau enthusiastically hugged his caddie and anyone else nearby. Stunned by his own good fortune on #18, Bryson DeChambeau (much like Tiger Woods or Arnold Palmer) had won over the crowd with an exciting finish as he truly enjoyed the moment.

A “Heel turn” for Rory?

Rory McIlroy certainly didn’t enjoy the moment, though. He made a very surprising heel turn after DeChambeau sank his final putt. Usually one of the most gracious golfers in the game, McIlroy quickly bolted out of the clubhouse, refused to address the assembled media, and exited the golf course premises without sticking around to congratulate the winner.

The 5’9” Rory McIlroy (dubbed with the nickname “Wee-Mac” by his fellow players and golf fans) just transformed himself into “The Invisible Irishman” after his hasty departure following Sunday’s US Open.

Bryson DeChambeau has turned “Face” in men’s pro golf

Bryson “The Scientist” DeChambeau just became one of the most popular golfers in men’s professional golf with his win at Sunday’s US Open. How did this transformation happen?

The 30-year old Bryson DeChambeau has not received enough credit for being one of the most talented golfers in the game over the past decade. Upon entering the PGA Tour in 2016, DeChambeau was already one of the most decorated amateur golfers in recent men’s golf history.

A physics major while attending SMU (where his boyhood favorite golfer, Payne Stewart, had played collegiate golf), Bryson DeChambeau won the 2015 NCAA individual college golf title. Two months later, he added the US Amateur championship as well. Only Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, and Ryan Moore had won both of those prestigious amateur golf events during the same year.

After entering professional golf in 2016, Bryson DeChambeau finally broke into the winner’s circle with a victory in the 2017 John Deere Classic. He grabbed four more PGA wins during 2018. At that point in his professional career, he was best known to PGA fans as the golfer who played with irons of exactly the same length. He was christened with the nickname of “The Scientist” for his never-ending interest in applying science to find ways to improve his golf game.

Unfortunately, the intelligent, focused and sometimes aloof DeChambeau came across to many fans as being a little bit arrogant and moody.

After a lackluster 2019 season, Bryson DeChambeau made a strange decision to beef-up his driving distances. By starting an exhaustive workout regimen along with a high protein diet, he added almost 30 pounds in only a few months prior to his first event of the 2020 golf season.

“The Scientist” had just transformed himself into “Bryson the Bruiser”.

DeChambeau became a long-driving golf machine with his booming 330 yard drives. Once the 2020 US Open at Winged Foot outside of New York City rolled around, COVID-19 restrictions meant that no golf fans would be permitted in attendance. Bryson DeChambeau’s golf game finally returned to peak form as he overwhelmed the 2020 US Open field to win by six shots.

Unfortunately for Bryson DeChambeau, there wasn’t a big celebration on the 18th hole in 2020 to share his biggest professional win. Even if COVID had never entered the picture, the beefy long-driving version of DeChambeau still wasn’t becoming a fan favorite.

DeChambeau struggled on the golf course during 2021 and eventually eased back on Popeye-like workout routines. Though some fans still came to watch his booming drives, his moodiness on the golf course oftentimes worked against him.

This “heel” persona turned even darker in 2022 as Bryson DeChambeau joined Phil Mickelson to become part of the new LIV Golf league.

The Saudi-backed upstart golf group handed DeChambeau a signing bonus worth a reported $125 million.

Bryson DeChambeau’s former PGA Tour players and millions of golf fans felt surprised and betrayed by his exit. However, isn’t that exactly what pro wrestling “heels” do?

After joining LIV Golf in 2022, Bryson DeChambeau has enthusiastically embraced the new league and its team-based camaraderie. The Crushers’ golf team of DeChambeau, Paul Casey, Charles Howell III, and Anirban Lahiri has won two team events already in 2024.

You Tube to the Rescue!

A two-time winner on the LIV Golf tour, Bryson DeChambeau seems to have become much more relaxed on the golf course in the past two years since joining the new golf league. He also seems intentional in building a better relationship with golf fans, too.

DeChambeau has attributed much of his image rehabilitation to a surge of interest in a series of golf videos which he has produced for social media.

Bryson DeChambeau’s You Tube channel now has more than one million subscribers –most of them under the age of 30. One recent video series is the entertaining “Break 50” challenge.

Needing to shoot 23-under par from the red (women’s) tees at a par-72 golf course in Dallas, Bryson and a playing partner (playing a best-ball format) try to complete 18 holes in less than 50 shots. During the filming, DeChambeau seems to be having exceptional fun while injecting some very solid golf advice to his mostly younger golf viewers.

This video outreach has helped Bryson DeChambeau to lighten his personal image and develop a growing legion of younger golf fans.

At this weekend’s US Open, this new fan-friendly version of Bryson DeChambeau fist-bumped with fans while walking from one hole to the next. He even stopped to sign an autograph on the hat of a special needs young man as he made his way to the #10 tee box during Sunday’s final nine holes.

Professional golfers are notoriously intense and focused – especially during major championships like the US Open. Arnold Palmer, though, had a unique ability to connect with golf fans – on and off the course.

Since Arnie’s passing in 2016, there has been a niche waiting to be filled in professional golf.

With a friendly persona not unlike the great Arnold Palmer, word has spread like wildfire that the new and improved Bryson DeChambeau 2.0, the golfer who hits those monster drives, loves the fans back, too.

After winning the US Open on Sunday evening, DeChambeau accepted the championship trophy and told golf fans in attendance to come down touch the trophy afterwards. He stayed around for nearly two hours to share this special moment and sign autographs well into the night.

Payne Stewart was probably smiling down from heaven

Like DeChambeau, three-time major champion Payne Stewart played his collegiate golf at SMU. He also won the US Open twice with his final victory coming at this same Pinehurst #2 golf course in 1999 (25 years ago). Stewart tragically died just a few months later at age 42 as the airplane he was traveling in failed to pressurize properly after take-off.

Bryson DeChambeau wore a special button on his golf hat all week in remembrance of Payne Stewart and his dramatic 18th hole victory over Phil Mickelson in 1999.

On the LIV Golf website, there is a brief biography featuring Bryson DeChambeau. It includes a Q&A section which asked the question, “Which golf shot gives you the most difficulty?” He answered, “A 60-yard bunker shot.”

DeChambeau’s dramatic up and down after a 55-yard bunker shot on Sunday’s 72nd hole will be nearly as memorable as Payne Stewart’s putt on the same hole to win in 1999. It truly was the shot of his lifetime.

Rory’s Heel turn should be brief

Lost in the chaos on Sunday night was the story that Rory McIlroy’s recent divorce filing had been withdrawn earlier in the week. He and Erica, his wife of seven years, share a 3-year old daughter named Poppy.

The emotional weight of dealing with both issues last week must have been extremely difficult. Rory McIlroy’s surprising loss of composure after Sunday’s US Open may linger for a few more weeks.

On Monday, he sent a message advising his plans to get away from golf for the next few weeks to regroup.

He should be ready for the final major golf event of the season in July for The Open Championship at Scotland’s Royal Troon Links. Scottish golf fans will try to propel Rory McIlroy to remain loose and play his best. I fully expect that Rory will return to form and regain his position as one of the most popular players in golf.

If Rory McIlroy should win The Open Championship and break his 10-year drought in major championships, men’s professional golf will need to find a new “heel” for fans to jeer soon.

Who wants to be next?

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This Sunday is going to be tough. In addition to being Father’s Day, June 16 is also the same day when my Dad passed away in 2001 at the age of 75.

He had a heart attack after mowing the yard at 2PM in the afternoon heat of north Louisiana. My Mom was (as expected) frantic. She told me that my father would be driving the car to take the two of them to the hospital. Yes, my Dad – the one experiencing a heart attack – drove himself to the hospital.

I raced to the hospital to join them that afternoon.

Since it was June, 2001, George W. Bush had recently become President and Dick Cheney was the Vice President. I remembered that Dick Cheney was also famous for having survived a number of heart surgeries. The former Vice President (a long-time smoker –as was my Dad) had undergone heart surgeries in 1978 (at age 37), 1984, 1988, 2000, and once again in March, 2001.

The emergency room doctor came out to tell us that Dad’s heart would need a stent procedure immediately. Remembering that Dick Cheney had recently come through a similar heart surgery with flying colors, I tried to lighten the mood with a little ER humor as the hospital staff prepared to wheel him off.

“Don’t worry, Dad. Dick Cheney has these done all the time!”

My father gave me the “Dad look” as my joke (as usual) fell flat. Sadly, those were the last words I ever said to my father as he died within the next day after complications from heart surgery.

This Sunday is Father’s Day and marks the 23rd anniversary of my Dad’s passing.

A Salute to some special neighborhood Sports Dads

Our baby boomer neighborhood in Shreveport was filled with hundreds of young families. Some of those Dads used their World War II G.I. assistance in order to make a down payment and purchase one of hundreds of these brand new (but relatively small) houses in a growing neighborhood.

With a full-time job in the retail sector, my father had to work downtown six days per week. By the time he arrived home in the evening, he didn’t have time to coach our youth sports teams. He loved watching sports on television, though. Dad would occasionally come join me in the backyard for a game of pitch or to shoot some hoops on our backyard basketball goal.

Fortunately, some of my best friends’ fathers had sales-related jobs where they could help coach our neighborhood kids in the youth recreational leagues. My youth football, basketball, and baseball teams were coached by neighborhood dads.

All of these gentlemen are now deceased, but I fondly appreciate them to this day.

Coach Robbie – Football

Coach “Robbie” was my sixth grade football coach. I didn’t get to play football in the fifth grade, because my appendix had to be removed a few weeks before practice started.

Unfortunately, our 6th grade youth football team was a real stinker. Our record was 0-7-1. That tie game was a 0-0 defensive struggle. Yours truly was assigned to play the defensive end position on the football team that year.

As a defensive end, Coach Robbie emphatically implored that I must ALWAYS keep the other team’s running back forced back into the interior so our other players could help make the tackle. I was not to let ANYONE get around me as the defensive end. If I failed, the other team might be able to score an easy touchdown.

That was solid advice. In what has become a lifelong bad habit, I should have paid closer attention and listened to Coach Robbie!

In a 36-0 drubbing by league champion South Highlands, their sneaky Wing-T offense made me look like a fool on several occasions. When it appeared as if the opposing quarterback was handing the football to his fullback up the middle, I crept in from my defensive end position to assist in making the tackle.

Unfortunately, that sneaky quarterback was setting me up for massive failure.

A few plays later, their quarterback pulled the ball from the belly of the first runner. He then slyly pitched it to a second running back coming sideways across the backfield – and right toward my now-vacant defensive end spot. My overpursuit left a gaping hole on my side of the defensive line. It was big enough to run that proverbial truck through. More than one touchdown in that evening’s rout was caused by my defensive lapses. Talk about embarrassing!

Our youth football years came during the glory seasons of Coach Vince Lombardi and the Green Bay Packers. Much like the legendary football leader, Coach Robbie projected toughness to his players. He had little use for personal excuses (especially those coming from his hard-headed underperforming defensive end). It was a struggle to keep 15-20 kids paying attention in the late summer heat.

If we had a particularly lackluster practice, Coach Robbie ended our football practice with the admonition to, “Take another lap around that old oak tree!”

Though the trek (wearing full pads and a helmet) felt like miles, the round trip was actually about the length of one lap around a high school track (¼ mile). As an adult, I went back to view that route and laughed about it. It felt like “forever” to this 6th grader!

Tony Orlando and Dawn came along in 1973 with their hit song called, “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree”.

Upon hearing that song for the first time, I broke into a cold sweat remembering the phrase, “Round the Old Oak Tree.” It conjured up memories about those 6th grade football practices as Coach Robbie ordered us to hit the trail one last time.

I never really cared much for Tony Orlando after that song came out.

Mr. C – Basketball

Mr. C was our primary youth basketball coach for fifth and sixth grade. Unlike our hapless football team, our basketball teams were exceptional. We won the city championship both years!

Mr. C was a man of great patience and a fine teacher of basketball fundamentals. At that age, youth basketball final scores were usually on the order of something like 12-7. If a team could break the 20-point barrier during a youth basketball game, that team was pretty good.

We were.

My favorite basketball drill was running the lay-up lines. While one side dribbled the ball and attempted a lay-up, the other side went to get the rebound and passed it to the next shooter. This process was done from both sides of the basket.

While dribbling and shooting layups from the left side of the basket, Mr. C. told us to shoot the basketball using our left hand. With a team full of right-handed players, that wasn’t easy. He told us that opponents would have trouble blocking our shot if we used our left hand on that side of the basket. Like all of the guys on the team, I struggled at first with my using my left hand but kept working on it.

As the years passed, I discovered that my left hand had become quite helpful in dribbling the basketball. By the time I was playing high school basketball, I was using my left hand as part of my “signature move” (ha ha) to create an open shot.

You see, most right handed shooters tend to dribble with their right hand, too. I would fake to the right and then quickly take one or two dribbles in the other direction – using my now-proficient left hand. The opponent fell for this little trick nearly 100% of the time and left me with a wide open jump shot.

Thank you, Mr. C, for getting my left hand involved in basketball starting in the fifth grade!

Mr. J – Baseball

Then there was my first baseball coach. Mr. J was good enough to have played professionally and finished his baseball career with our hometown Shreveport Sports (Double A level). He played first base.

Guess who played first base in the fifth and sixth grade on Mr. J’s team?

Yep! I was a bit intimidated trying to play our coach’s former defensive position, too. Though I tried hard, the kid with the Buddy Holly glasses playing first base just never felt comfortable as a ground ball took a bad hop toward me (and my specs).

Thankfully, Mr. J’s son was our team’s primary pitcher, so my mediocre play at first base was generally overlooked.

Just like basketball, our youth baseball teams were very good, too. Mr. J stressed fundamentals as he (somehow) remained patient enough to help us improve our skills over the course of each season.

Field of Dreams – Golf version

I was one of the best friends of Mr. J’s oldest son. We both loved playing golf. At around age 12, we decided to build our own three hole Par-3 golf course (without parental consent, of course).

I absconded with my family’s push mower and took it across the road to a nearby parcel of undeveloped land (owned by a local industrial developer). We walked-off the yardage for each hole location (about 100-125 yards each). Over the next two days, we mowed a triangular trio of golf holes and finally accomplished our mission.

Thankfully, I didn’t ruin my Dad’s mower in the process and was not arrested by the local police for trespassing.

At age 12, I had no idea that mowing someone else’s field might have been a crime. As long was no cars were hit by a stray golf shot, we never heard a peep out of any adults. They were probably too busy laughing at us as they drove by.

Apparently, Mr. J took notice of how dedicated we were becoming to playing golf. He reciprocated by taking me along with his son to play a few rounds of golf at the city’s public golf course. He later allowed me to tag along a few more times at a local country club. By the time I was able to drive the family car at age 16, I had become a fairly good golfer thanks to those experiences.

Mr. J’s willingness to let me tag along on several golf outings taught me a lot about golf courses and proper etiquette. Those early on-course experiences deepened my growing interest in the game as I have remained a lifelong golfer.

Happy Father’s Day!

I tried to be supportive during my two sons’ early sports endeavors. By junior high school, both had wisely transitioned into learning how to become exceptional musicians. They had a lot more fun. As a bonus, they earned more college scholarship money in college from their musical talents than dear ol’ Dad did (zero) from years of playing sports. They also suffered fewer injuries, too!

Though most of us will never measure up to Ward Cleaver, Sheriff Andy Taylor or other famous TV dads, it’s important for Dads to simply spend some time with their kids (and grandkids).

I recently learned that my friend from this story (Mr. J’s son) passed away in April. He left behind two children. On Father’s Day, I hope his kids will share a few lighter moments remembering fun stories about their Dad.

Set the best example for your kids and grandkids while you still can, Dads! Those memories will last a lifetime.

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This Sunday afternoon, the final game of the 2024 United Football League (UFL) season will be played. The UFL (in case you forgot) was the result of a merger between 2023’s two money-losing spring football leagues called the USFL and XFL. With 16 football franchises between those two leagues in 2023, half were eliminated in 2024 to cut operating costs.

On Sunday afternoon at 4PM CDT on Fox, the two-time USFL defending champion Birmingham Stallions will face-off against the San Antonio Brahmas. The spring pro football championship game will be played – in St. Louis?

St. Louis has been, by far, the lone shining star in this eight-team football league during 2024.

The Battlehawks were able to draw more than 30,000 fans to each of their five regular season home games and last week’s semifinal. The UFL management placed a bet earlier this season that the good people of St. Louis will show up in larger numbers than if the title game was played in the home city of the top seeded finalist.

Unlike the NFL’s Super Bowl, tickets are plentiful for Sunday afternoon’s UFL championship game in St. Louis. A quick check today showed that loge and upper deck tickets were available for as low as $9 (correct). A 50-yard line seat for Sunday’s championship game can be purchased for about $85.

Attendance for the other seven UFL cities was dreadful

Having won the USFL title in both of the past two seasons, I really expected better fan support in Birmingham with the newly consolidated UFL this spring. That didn’t happen.

Birmingham (led by former Louisiana Tech head coach Skip Holtz) finished with a sterling 9-1 record for the regular season but averaged a disappointing 10,208 paying customers this season. The team’s playoff game last Saturday in Alabama had just 10,287 fans. Sure, temperatures in Birmingham last weekend were in the low 90’s with heat indexes reaching the upper 90’s. That’s not exactly “football weather” in the South – unless the University of Alabama was playing an early season home football game, that is.

The other finalist, San Antonio, did not fare much better in their UFL spring football home games, either. The 7-3 Brahmas played their regular season games indoors at the air-conditioned and spacious 65,000 seat Alamo Dome. The team (coached by Wade Phillips) averaged just 11,868 fans in their five regular season home games in 2024.

Last Sunday, San Antonio came into St. Louis for their semifinal game against the Battlehawks. Despite 30,000 screaming fans pulling for their home team, the Brahmas won the game 25-15 to advance into the UFL championship this Sunday. Ironically, San Antonio must return to St. Louis for a second straight week to play for the title.

Let’s examine the 2024 UFL teams’ average attendance and network television ratings

The lack of interest being shown by football fans in seven of the eight UFL markets is the biggest concern for the spring league’s ownership group.

If you remove St. Louis (33,637 per home game) from the 2024 attendance figures, the other seven UFL teams averaged only 9,741 fans per home game.

That is lower than 130 of the 133 FBS major college football teams in 2023. Only Northern Illinois (9,456), Sam Houston (9,406), and Akron (7,508) averaged fewer football fans last fall.

It’s not the facilities or the marketing. The primary problem remains the lack of “name” players and a minor league feel to the game.

Ready to crunch some numbers?

As chronicled here in previous articles about spring professional football, the expenses of operating these eight UFL teams (though infinitely lower than the NFL) is not cheap.

With 42 players on the active roster, each UFL team pays $5,500 per week per player. With a ten game regular season schedule, over $2.3 million per team goes to player salaries alone.

For my estimate, let’s also include the coaches and team support staff. That probably brings to the total to at least $3 million per team for employee pay.

Most businesses use a rule-of-thumb that 50% of expenses come from the cost of employees. If that’s the case (and this might be a low-side estimate), each UFL team requires about $6 million annually to cover its expenses.

Let’s now add the cost of stadium leases ($50,000 per home game is my estimate), chartered jets on road games (another $50-100,000 per road game), and assorted other costs (equipment, insurance, security, game day staff, etc.). That is probably another $1 million per year added to each team’s expenses.

Estimated expenses: $7 million per team

On the revenue side, regular season UFL game tickets were quite cheap at about $20-$40 per game. Let’s call it $30 on average. With the seven worst franchises averaging about 10,000 fans per game in attendance, ticket revenues generated about $300,000 per home game.

Let’s generously add another $200,000 in net profits from concessions, merchandise, and, perhaps, parking. That’s $500,000 per home game in revenue. With five home games per season, most teams will see estimated revenue of $2.5 million in 2024.

Estimated revenue: $2.5 million per team

Estimated Net Loss: $4.5 million per team times 8 teams = $36 million

Did we overlook those television revenues?

In the case of spring football in general and the UFL in particular, the answer is more likely, “What TV revenues?”

The cost of providing a network quality football telecast is very expensive. Specialized trucks loaded with television equipment must be driven to each week’s game locations around the country. A staff of about 100 or more professionals must be paid to assemble, test, and then produce a high quality on-air production. Whether for Fox or ABC/ESPN (the two UFL television outlets), the cost of the UFL’s four weekly television games was probably similar to the cost of a major college football broadcast in the fall.

Last season, the XFL and USFL each averaged about 600,000 television viewers per game in the spring of 2023.

The 2024 UFL garnered more than 800,000 viewers per game. Though the UFL and other media report that as a positive, the total number of spring football viewers just dropped from 1.2 million per week to 800,000 this season.

When compared to the NFL’s average of about 18 million viewers per game in 2023, spring professional football has been a minor blip on the television radar.

To pay for the expensive television production costs every week, the UFL likely agreed to a barter arrangement with each network. That means that, in lieu of cash, the networks are permitted to sell the majority of commercials to offset the operational and production costs. The UFL may have retained a few commercial spots per game to sell (or, more likely, allowed the network to sell those spots and then share the revenues). Your local television (or cable) affiliate also retains a few minutes of commercial time per television hour to earn local revenue during the games (assuming they can sell the spots).

When you see promos and public service announcements during any televised sporting event, that means the commercial spot went unsold.

In other words, the revenue derived by the UFL from television advertising revenue was likely minimal in 2024.

The verdict

Despite what you may have heard from the media, the first year of UFL spring football in 2024 may be its last. Here’s why:

1. Seven of the eight UFL cities seriously underperformed at the gate. The only reason St. Louis has been such a success is that the city is trying to woo an NFL team to return (good luck with that). The other seven teams cannot all be relocated. The trail of dead bodies of former spring football franchises is quickly growing. New Jersey, Orlando, New Orleans, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Las Vegas, and Tampa Bay have already seen one spring football team come and go over the past three years. There are a few sizable metropolitan areas remaining which might, perhaps, show more promise in the 2025 season (if it is played).
2. The UFL’s on-field talent is a noticeable step below NFL quality. The league would have benefited if trades were permitted (prior to the season) to put a higher number of regionally known college football players onto the rosters of any UFL team where local fans would have a connection with them.
3. Just three years ago, the USFL’s owners (Fox Sports) stated that the league needed to draw an average of 1.2 million viewers per game to be deemed a success. In 2024, despite playing two games apiece on Saturday and Sunday in an afternoon and evening television window on Fox and ABC/ESPN, the UFL averaged a little more than 800,000 viewers per game. You cannot force people to watch a product which they do not find compelling.
4. The financial losses continue to mount. Though never confirmed publicly, the XFL and USFL agreed to merge after the 2023 season in order to stem the tide of massive financial losses. The XFL lost a reported $60 million (or more) in just 2023 alone. The USFL spent more than $100 million just to launch their league two years earlier. As outlined in this post, why should the UFL owners keep doing the same thing and expect to get a different result? How long are the owners willing to losing tens of millions of dollars every year?
5. No, the NFL is not coming to the rescue. They understand that “Less is best.” The NFL completely dominates television in the fall. If the NFL became a partner and made the UFL a spring developmental football league, spring football might have a chance to grow. The NFL likes its niche in the fall. They have watched three straight seasons of a decent spring pro football product fail in the stands and on network television. The market simply doesn’t want “live” football for an extra three months in the spring. Most fans won’t miss the UFL when it is gone.

In summary, enjoy the UFL’s spring football season finale this Sunday afternoon at 4PM on Fox. It just might be the last spring football game that you will see for a long, long time to come.

The post Five Reasons why Sunday may be the last UFL Game Ever Played appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

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Think about your favorite professional sports team. When was the last time they were holding the championship trophy at season’s end? It doesn’t happen very often for most franchises.

Right now, basketball fans of the Boston Celtics are yearning to add an 18th banner to the rafters of TD Garden. It would be their first since 2008.

For the Dallas Mavericks, an NBA title would be the second in the 44 years of Big D’s basketball team and the first since Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavs to their lone NBA title in 2006.

Even a storied franchise like the Boston Celtics can have a lengthy drought between titles. When there are 30 or more teams competing in a professional sports league with extremely talented players, it is unrealistic to expect that YOUR favorite team will be playing in the championship round every season.

Baseball’s Boston Red Sox fans are getting antsy

The 2004 Boston Red Sox broke an 86-year drought by finally breaking through to win the World Series 20 years ago. Since then, the BoSox have added three more titles in 2007, 2013, and 2018.

Four championships in 14 years is an exceptional accomplishment, indeed!

Last week, the owner of the Boston Red Sox franchise raised the ire of die-hard Red Sox fans by (effectively) saying that Boston fans are spoiled and should not expect to compete for the title every year.

John Henry raised temperatures in Beantown with this comment:

“Because fans expect championships almost annually, they easily become frustrated and are not going to buy into what the odds actually are – one in 20 or one in 30.”

Statistically speaking, he’s absolutely right. Just don’t tell that to the fervent baseball fans in Boston. They are six years removed from their last World Series win and have a middle-of-the road 33-33 record through Sunday, June 9.

Red Sox fans are incensed to see that their hated rival, the New York Yankees, are currently 12 ½ games ahead of Boston in early June. Compounding their angst, the Boston Red Sox have posted a losing record in three of the last four seasons. Long-time fans are unhappy and blame the team’s ownership and management for this decline.

How do teams compete when the richest ones keep trying to buy championships?

In 2024, the first place New York Yankees are spending over $290 million on their 26-man roster. That equates to a whopping $11 million per player! The Yankees may be a perennial playoff team, but their last World Series championship came 15 years ago in 2009.

By comparison, the Boston Red Sox are paying healthy $161 million for players this year (12th among the 30 MLB teams).

On the low end of the pay scale, the hapless Oakland A’s have the lowest payroll of any MLB team in 2024 at $47 million. That’s $25 million below the #29 team as the nearly-as-hapless Pittsburgh Pirates check-in at $72 million.

The Oakland A’s baseball franchise is also leaving town after this season.

John Fisher, the A’s current owner, refuses to sell the team and is tired of negotiating with the taxpayers of Oakland for a new ballpark. The team moved to Oakland from Kansas City back in 1968. It is still playing in the same stadium (Oakland Coliseum – which was once used for both football and baseball) for the past 56 years.

The NFL Raiders football team have already left town as they moved to Las Vegas in 2020.

The baseball team is following suit and moving to Las Vegas beginning in the 2028 season once a new baseball stadium is completed. From 2025 through 2027, the A’s will make an interim move to Sacramento for three years. The team will be called “The A’s” during that period.

The A’s last won a World Series in 1989. The Pittsburgh Pirates last title came during the Wille Stargell-led “We Are Family” season back in 1979. Since then, Pittsburgh’s baseball team has qualified for the playoffs only six times in 45 years. Ouch.

What would you do if you owned a major league franchise? Spend freely on players or pinch pennies?

Since we’ve been discussing major league baseball, let’s imagine that we purchased a perennial bottom feeder franchise which plays in a good stadium with an enthusiastic sports market.

How about the Pittsburgh Pirates?

The team’s payroll is the second lowest in the major leagues. Though we have established that a high payroll doesn’t guarantee a playoff season, the lowest paid teams are the most likely to miss the playoffs at season’s end.

The Pirates’ home attendance (throuh June 7) ranked #25 out of 30 baseball teams at 19,651 per home game. By the way, the Los Angeles Dodgers are averaging more than 46,000 fans per game, while the traveling Oakland A’s are the lowest draw (by far) at just 6,900 per home game.

Pittsburgh is ranked #23 (of 30 MLB teams) by television market size with a metropolitan area of 2.7 million people. That means the value of local media rights will be significantly lower than teams in the largest population centers.

If the Pirates’ team payroll was increased by $100 million per year, could the team make a profit?

Doubtful. The Pittsburgh Pirates’ lovely downtown baseball stadium (PNC Park) holds about 39,000 fans. This season, 50% of the stadium’s seats are going unsold for every home game.

To spend an additional $100 million on better players, the team would need to generate a significant amount of new revenue. With 81 home games per year, an incremental $1,234,567 (no joke – do the math!) would be needed to break even.

Let’s assume that the team would draw an extra 10,000 fans per game to watch a (perhaps) more competitive Pirates baseball team. According to one source, the Pirates had the 17th highest average ticket price last year at nearly $60. Those 10,000 extra fans would also generate $60 per ticket and (let’s say) another $20 of profit per person from parking, concessions, and merchandise. That equates to $800,000 of new revenue per home game.

Alas, that leaves a $400,000/game deficit or a $32,400,000 loss for the entire season.

What other options does a team have to raise revenue and/or lower its costs?

The cheapest way is to draft and develop exceptionally talented young players rather than build a roster with veteran players via free agency. Though a first round draft choice requires payment of a hefty signing bonus, their annual pay is considerably lower than veteran major league players.

For example, LSU pitcher Paul Skenes was the top college player in the Major League Baseball draft in 2023.

Selected #1 by Pittsburgh, he received a signing bonus of $9.2 million. Players drafted in Rounds 2-10 received much lower amounts. By Round 10, the signing bonuses last year averaged about $170,000 per player.

After the signing bonus is paid, the annual salary for rookie contracts can be as low as $57,000 per year for minor leaguers.

If a player ascends to the big leagues, Major League Baseball requires the player to earn at least $740,000 annually. That is still much cheaper than the $5 million average MLB player pay.

Another way to save money is to find motivated players near the end of their careers who are able to add value to a team. For example, a veteran back-up catcher could be signed for a much lower cost than high-demand star. Blending younger talent with these seasoned players can make for a competitive team.

This “Tampa Bay Rays” model isn’t guaranteed to succeed for long, though

The Tampa Bay Rays baseball team has found success in recent years with one of the lowest payrolls in Major League Baseball. The team has qualified for the playoffs for five straight years and even played in the 2020 World Series.

The Rays have found creative ways to develop young players taken in the draft while still in their rookie contracts and added some below-market price veterans via free agency to round out the roster.

However, those top rookies’ contracts eventually expire. Once they do, the major market teams (such as New York and Los Angeles) with the highest annual revenues tend to bid-up the price and lure those players away. The lower revenue teams simply can’t afford to keep more than a handful of their younger stars for the team to remain profitable.

And so it goes.

Is the Boston Red Sox team owner correct that fans should learn to be more patient?

Statistically speaking, the answer is “Yes”.

Unlike Dallas Cowboys team owner Jerry Jones (who has been promising fans that his 2024 team is going “All in”), most professional sports franchises fail to get into the championship round most years. About half of pro sports teams don’t even qualify for post-season playoffs.

Teams which continue to flounder for multiple years, though, tend to have a primary owner who is reluctant to make changes in the management team to find a more creative way for the franchise to become more competitive.

It is a lot cheaper to hire and fire team management every few years than it is to sign a $30 million per year star pitcher.

Some franchise owners (such as baseball’s Oakland A’s) have decided to cut their team budgets down to the bone so that the team can still turn an annual profit even if almost no one shows up at the ball games.

It is up to the sports league itself to remove misfit owners and force a sale of the franchise to a new ownership group willing to try something new and restore credibility in the local sports market. Unfortunately, the clique of professional sports team owners is rather tight. Most leagues are quite reluctant to admit that any member of their “family” should be booted out of their elite club and replaced.

Boston Red Sox team owner John Henry’s recent comments certainly lacked empathy for Red Sox fans.

However, long-time baseball fans in Cleveland (75 years since winning a World Series) along with San Diego and Milwaukee (both 55 years without a World Series) aren’t feeling sorry for those “spoiled” Boston Red Sox fans right now, either.

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There will be 64 college baseball teams participating in this week’s first round of the NCAA Division 1 baseball tournament. Each team would love to eventually bring home the national title from the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska during June.

This weekend’s opening round features 16 regional site locations which will host a “pod” comprised of four teams apiece. The first NCAA playoff games will begin on Friday, May 31 around the country.

But mostly in the South.

Would you believe that thirteen of the sixteen regional host sites are located south of the Mason Dixon line?

Eight of the last nine NCAA college baseball champions have come from the South, too.

The SEC has produced the last four College World Series winners. LSU is the defending champion after winning the title in 2023. Prior to that, it was Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and Vanderbilt which have kept the NCAA title within the SEC family.

Southern fried college baseball is on the menu this weekend

Let’s take a look at every host regional city, the home team (ranked by its national seed) along with the other teams competing in each region:

1. Knoxville, TN – #1 seed Tennessee plus #2 seed Southern Miss, #3 Indiana, and #4 Northern Kentucky

2. Lexington, KY – #1 seed Kentucky plus #2 Indiana State, #3 Illinois, and #4 Western Michigan

3. College Station, TX – #1 seed Texas A&M plus #2 Louisiana-Lafayette, #3 Texas, and #4 Grambling State University

4. Chapel Hill, NC – #1 seed North Carolina plus #2 LSU, #3 Wofford (S. Carolina), and #4 Long Island University

5. Fayetteville, AR – #1 seed Arkansas plus #2 Louisiana Tech, #3 Kansas State, and #4 Southeast Missouri State

6. Clemson, SC – #1 seed Clemson plus #2 Vanderbilt, #3 Coastal Carolina, and #4 High Point (NC)

7. Athens, GA – #1seed Georgia plus #2 UNC-Wilmington, #3 Georgia Tech, and #4 Army

8. Tallahassee, FL – #1 seed Florida State plus #2 Alabama, #3 UCF, and #4 Stetson

9. Norman, OK – #1 seed Oklahoma plus #2 Duke, #3 UConn, and #4 Oral Roberts

10. Raleigh, NC – #1 seed North Carolina State plus #2 South Carolina, #3 James Madison, and #4 Bryant University (Rhode Island)

11. Stillwater, OK – #1 seed Oklahoma State plus #2 Nebraska, #3 Florida, and #4 Niagara University

12. Charlottesville, VA – #1 seed Virginia plus #2 Mississippi State, #3 St. John’s, and #4 Penn

13. Tucson, AZ – #1 seed Arizona plus #2 Dallas Baptist, #3 West Virginia, and #4 Grand Canyon University (AZ)

14. Santa Barbara, CA – #1 seed UC-Santa Barbara plus #2 San Diego University, #3 Oregon, and #4 Fresno State

15. Corvallis, OR – #1 seed Oregon State plus #2 UC Irvine, #3 Nicholls State (LA), and #4 Tulane

16. Greenville, NC – #1 seed East Carolina plus #2 Wake Forest, #3 VCU, and #4 Evansville

SEC, SEC, SEC!!!

Of the 64 teams participating in the NCAA baseball regional games this weekend, a record 11 teams come from the Southeastern Conference. This eclipsed the previous record of ten teams – also from the SEC – set just a year ago in 2023.

Four of the five top overall seeds in the NCAA baseball tournament are from the SEC as well. Tennessee is ranked #1 followed by #2 Kentucky, #3 Texas A&M, and #5 Arkansas. The #4 national seed comes from the Atlantic Coast Conference as the University of North Carolina will try to break the SEC’s recent stranglehold on the NCAA men’s baseball trophy.

The top non-Southern teams hosting national regional events this weekend will be #13 Arizona, #14 UC-Santa Barbara, and #15 Oregon State.

In addition to the 11 SEC teams in this year’s baseball championship field, there will be eight teams representing the ACC, six from the Big 12, four from the Sun Belt, three teams apiece from the Big Ten and Pac-12 Conferences, and two each from the American, Big East, Big West, Conference USA and Missouri Valley Conferences.

The states of North Carolina and Louisiana have the most baseball teams in the field

The top state for producing NCAA tournament teams in 2024 will be North Carolina. Seven college baseball teams (University of North Carolina, NC State, UNC-Wilmington, High Point University, Duke, East Carolina, and Wake Forest) are competing for the national title.

Louisiana surprised many by getting six teams into this year’s field. Defending College World Series champion LSU will be joined by Louisiana Tech, Louisiana-Lafayette, Nicholls State, Tulane, and Grambling this year.

Let’s take a closer look at the Pelican State’s baseball entries

The LSU Tigers (now 40-21) caught fire in the final month of the season to avoid being left out of the field entirely. LSU rallied to go 18-6 in its final 24 games and finished a close second to #1 national seed Tennessee in last weekend’s SEC baseball tournament.

“Yeah, very proud of our team this week,” said LSU head coach Jay Johnson. “Accomplished a lot this week with four wins in the toughest league and toughest tournament in baseball. We had two dominant pitching performances. We had two dominant offensive performances, and came up a little bit short.”

The 2023 defending champion LSU Tigers earned a #2 regional seed and will play #3 seed Wofford (Spartanburg, SC) on Friday morning at 11AM CDT in the Chapel Hill regional in North Carolina. The game will be televised nationally on ESPNU.

Conference USA regular season champion Louisiana Tech finished with an excellent 45-17 record.

The Diamond Dogs are heading north to Arkansas this weekend as the #2 seed in the Fayetteville region. Louisiana Tech will play #3 seed Kansas State at 7PM CDT. That game will be televised by ESPN+.

Located just six miles to the west of Ruston and Louisiana Tech via I-20, Grambling State University roared back from the loser’s bracket to beat Jackson State and win the Southwest Athletic Conference baseball tournament.

The G-Men (now 26-26) won four games in a row to punch their ticket to the NCAA baseball regionals in College Station, Texas. Playing in the NCAA baseball tournament for the first time since 2010, #4 seed Grambling will face #1 regional seed Texas A&M on Friday at 12Noon. The game will be televised by ESPN+.

Southland Conference champion Nicholls State from Thibodaux, Louisiana (38-20) will travel to Corvallis, Oregon on Friday.

The Colonels will play the Anteaters of UC-Irvine Friday at 3PM CDT with television available on ESPN+.

The Tulane Green Wave had the most dramatic game to gain a spot in this week’s NCAA baseball field.

The Greenies (now 35-24) hit a home run in the bottom of the ninth inning in the American Athletic Conference tournament finale to beat Wichita State 11-10. Tulane will join Nicholls State in the Corvallis, Oregon regional this weekend and play host Oregon State in Game 1 on Friday night at 8PM CDT. The game will be televised on ESPN2.

The Ragin’ Cajuns of UL-Lafayette finished with a 40-18 record but lost in the Sunbelt Tournament last week.

Based on their strength of schedule, the Cajuns earned a #2 seed at the College Station regional and will face the University of Texas Longhorns in Friday’s opener at 5PM CDT on ESPN2.

Speaking of Southern schools playing baseball this weekend…

Birmingham-Southern College will permanently close its doors on Friday, May 31.

The small private school was founded in 1856 and has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The enrollment at this liberal arts college had dwindled to less than 1,000 students this semester as the school faced one financial hurdle after another in recent years. An appeal to the Alabama legislature for money fell on deaf ears as public sector money cannot be used to bail-out a private college.

The Birmingham-Southern men’s baseball team has won five straight games and improved its record to 32-14. This team isn’t ready to let their college’s baseball program come to an end. The Panthers won a thrilling 7-6 finale in the D-III Super Regionals last weekend to advance to the NCAA Division III College World Series in East Lake, Ohio this weekend.

Ironically, Birmingham-Southern’s first game in the D-III College World Series will be played on the same day (Friday, May 31) their school is closing.

If the school is broke, who will pay for Birmingham-Southern’s trip to the D-III World Series?

A Go Fund Me account was started recently with a goal of raising $100,000 for Birmingham-Southern’s run in the NCAA Division III post-season baseball tournament. This week, the Poarch tribe of Creek Indians in the state of Alabama made a generous donation of $25,000 to help push the team over its goal.

This donation helped the team to charter an airplane and have comfortable accommodations at the D-III College World Series starting Friday in Ohio.

Since this is a double-elimination tournament, the 7th-seeded Birmingham-Southern Panthers will play at least one baseball game after their school has officially closed on Friday. The team’s opening round game on Friday will get underway against #2 seed Salve Regina University from Newport, Rhode Island as the students and faculty are exiting the school for the last time that same day.

Birmingham-Southern College hopes their baseball team will have a chance to enjoy a few more “Southern Nights”…in the state of Ohio.

The post Southern Fried College Baseball Playoffs appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

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Sports should be fun. Yes, even at the professional level.

A sporting event can become quite intense at times for both the players and the fans alike. At the professional level, athletes have progressed to the top of their sport. They are paid handsomely to perform well and are expected to win.

Fans of professional athletes and their teams also pay handsomely to buy tickets. For those of us watching games at home, we are forced to endure an hour of media advertisements in order to watch our favorite stars perform.

Television networks have continued to add more and more statistical data and on-camera commentary (some relevant, much of it not so much).

A missing element in most televised sports presentations has been keeping the game fun for fans. For televised sporting events, the ability to relate to the average fan and keep sports enthusiasts entertained has been an underappreciated art form.

Since 1990, TNT’s “Inside the NBA” show has been in a league of its own

Turner Network Television’s popular “Inside the NBA” basketball coverage before, during, and after the games has become “must see TV” viewing for hoops fans.

Meshing diverse personalities on television can be tricky. TNT’s dream team of former players serves to provide spot-on analysis in a highly entertaining way. Their own genuine enjoyment of each other’s company on the set makes for a TV viewing treat.

NBA Hall-of-Famers Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal plus two-time NBA champion guard Kenny Smith and veteran announcer Ernie Johnson, Jr. have perfected the art of live television chemistry every night.

Barkley (nicknamed “The Round Mound of Rebound” as a player) generally starts the discussions with a few perceptive (and sometimes outlandish) comments about the game.

He is generous with his praise and very blunt with his criticism. Barkley rarely holds anything back.

Shaquille O’Neal coyly bides his time waiting for a turn to either agree with Charles Barkley or shoot him down with pinpoint accuracy.

When the Big Fella speaks, I usually turn up the TV sound and listen.

Kenny Smith is tasked with dissecting the video highlights of the game and adding his own comments.

Much of the time, Kenny’s assessments rarely agree with Charles Barkley. Sparks can fly – usually in fun.

Studio host Ernie Johnson functions as the moderator of this extremely entertaining basketball food fight.

He rarely interrupts the proceedings as this trio of former NBA players function like an expensive sports car smoothly cruising down the road.

This quartet has a ton of fun along the way as they joke and pick on each other through every segment of the show.

The television ratings bear it out. TNT’s studio pregame and post-game shows regularly outdraw rival ESPN by up to one million fans per game during the NBA playoffs.

The show has won numerous Sports Emmy Awards. Last week, Charles Barkley won “Outstanding Studio Analyst”, Ernie Johnson, Jr. pocketed the award for “Best Studio Host” and “Inside the NBA – Playoffs edition” won best sports show.

Enjoy it today because TNT may not be televising the NBA for much longer

The NBA’s current television contracts are handled by Disney (ESPN/ABC) and Warner Brothers Discovery (TNT’s parent company). There have been two “packages” of TV rights in previous years. TNT has been part of the NBA’s television package since 1989.

The previous NBA TV deals were negotiated nine years ago. Effective in 2016, ESPN and TNT (together) spent a total of $2.6 billion per year to televise NBA games. Those deals will remain in effect for one more year through the 2024-2025 NBA season.

The NBA’s open season for bidding on future television rights has been underway recently.

Pro football’s NFL has done a masterful job at getting the largest number of competitors bidding for television rights (to bid-up the prices) and then throwing most of them a bone in the form of limited television rights. For example, the NFL has contracts with Fox and CBS on Sunday afternoons, NBC handles Sunday evenings, ABC/ESPN is on Monday night, and now Amazon Prime has Thursday Night football.

The NBA is following the NFL’s formula and creating a third TV package

With the NBA’s lengthy 82-game regular season and three months of playoffs, the league has decided to split-up their television coverage into three separate packages beginning a year from now. Just like the NFL has spread their TV rights, the NBA is going to ring the cash register in a big way soon.

Though no future TV deals have been officially announced yet, word has leaked that ABC/ESPN has submitted the top bid to renew its current package for $2.8 billion/year. That is the price for just one of the NBA trio of television arrangements. ABC/ESPN have offered to pay double the annual price which they are currently paying.

Let’s face it. ESPN requires high profile sports programming to justify the network’s outrageous incremental cost to customers’ cable television bills. A 2023 report indicated that ESPN is charging your local cable company more than $9 per month (which is, of course, passed along to you in your monthly bill).

Guess what will happen when ESPN pays double the current cost for NBA games? You’ll pay more every month.

The rumor mill is suggesting that TNT’s current basketball package is going to be lost to a higher bidder. A $2.6 billion offer has been made for TNT’s current slate of games by NBC’s parent company (NBCUniversal). You might remember that NBC had a lengthy run of televising NBA games in the 1980’s and 1990’s during the Michael Jordan era.

A third (and brand new) television package is now being carved-out of the games which ESPN and TNT have been broadcasting for the past nine years.

A limited number of games are likely being sold to Amazon Prime for upwards of $2 billion. The NBA’s new “In season tournament” in the fall plus the “Play-in” games along with the entire first round of playoff games will be broadcast via Amazon Prime. Just like ESPN, the customers of Amazon Prime will likely see their monthly bills increase in return for this limited number of NBA games.

When added together, the NBA’s television revenue will balloon from the current $2.6 billion per year to more than $7 billion per year starting one year from now.

Will TNT pay-up to keep its NBA package of games?

Turner Network Television is owned by publicly-traded Warner Bros. Discovery. The parent company’s most recent quarterly report showed a net loss of $1 billion. Unfortunately, that negative trend was not a new occurrence. WBD has been posting losses for the past few years. WBD’s stock price has dropped by 30% in the past year alone and was trading around $7.50/share to start this week.

Pro basketball has been the most expensive portion of the Warner Brothers Discovery sports properties. The NBA’s current broadcast agreement costs about $1.2 billion per year. Compare that with $200 million being spent for the NHL and $470 million for major league baseball. Warner splits the NCAA March Madness college basketball deal with CBS, which will increase in cost to $1.05 billion/year beginning in 2026.

If TNT’s parent company should decide to spend twice as much as it currently pays to secure the NBA rights for another term, the stock market may further punish the Warner Brothers Discovery stock.

There is a lot of pressure on the company’s top officers right now to make prudent business decisions – especially when committing scarce financial resources into a multi-year bid to renew NBA basketball on TNT. The company’s chief financial officer recently confirmed the risk:

“It’s very easy with sports rights to burn a lot of money,” said Gunnar Wiedenfels. “So, you’ve got to be disciplined and think through all the scenarios.”

Even if TNT loses its NBA television contract, the stock market might react negatively at losing the basketball package, too.

Assuming TNT doesn’t win a contract renewal, what happens to “Inside the NBA”?

Two years ago, the TNT management team went “all in” to keep the NBA television team together as they expected to win another term. The company re-signed the entire four-man team (Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, and host Ernie Johnson, Jr.) with brand new 10-year contract extensions to cover the NBA games for TNT.

If TNT fails to win a renewal of its television broadcast rights soon, Charles Barkley’s contract gives him the right to walk away and find a new gig. Ernie Johnson indicated that the company wants him to stick around to handle other sports (including NCAA March Madness). Shaq and Kenny’s contract situations are unclear if TNT loses the NBA rights.

At the NBA’s executive suite, top brass understands how important this particular show has been in maintaining and building fan interest in the sport of men’s professional basketball. The NBA’s overall television ratings have been relatively flat for several years, so the loss of this beloved fan-favorite show would be a step in the wrong direction.

Atlanta or bust?

The four hosts for TNT’s “Inside the NBA” live in the Atlanta, Georgia area. Three of them have deep southern roots.

Charles Barkley is from the Birmingham, Alabama area and played his college basketball at Auburn. Shaquille O’Neal grew up in San Antonio, played at LSU, and lives in the South. Kenny Smith was raised in New York City but played professionally for the Houston Rockets in the NBA. Studio host Ernie Johnson (whose father was a long-time broadcaster for the Atlanta Braves) has lived in the Atlanta area most of his life.

Let’s say that NBC wins the basketball rights currently held by TNT. Would this talented broadcast team be willing to move to the NBC Sports’ headquarters in southern Connecticut to do this show? Would NBC be willing to spend the money to build them a studio in Atlanta to keep the show there?

Charles Barkley recently quipped that he is willing to independently produce the show for another network if the contracts and logistics could be worked out.

One way or another, basketball fans around the country will be quite sad if next season becomes the swan song for TNT’s always-entertaining “Inside the NBA”.

The post TNT may implode “Inside the NBA” appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

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The spirit of Monty Hall is alive and well this week in college athletics. The man who was one of the creators and the original host of television’s long-running game show called “Let’s Make A Deal” passed away in 2017 at the age of 96.

The Big Dealer’s popular TV game show involved a trading floor of wildly dressed contestants (usually in some theme to gain his attention) willing to interact with the host for a chance at prizes. Monty Hall would present the contestant with one or more decisions as to which prize option to choose. In almost every case, one of the contestant’s possible selections involved taking a risk on trading a “sure thing” (such as cash) for an unknown prize behind a numbered curtain or box on the stage floor.

Sometimes the contestant taking the numbered curtain won a more valuable prize (like a major kitchen appliance). Other times, they received a “Zonk”.

That was “Let’s Make A Deal”’s way of presenting a silly worthless joke prize like a giant tricycle or a baby goat. You get the idea.

What does that game show have to do with college sports?

Plenty! On Thursday night, the NCAA (the overlords for most of college athletics) and a group of the largest athletic conferences agreed to accept a massive $2.8 billion settlement agreement in a pending lawsuit. This agreement will (hopefully) resolve a class-action lawsuit claiming theoretical back-pay due for about 14,000 (the number keeps fluctuating) former and current college athletes going back to 2016.

On average, that works out to be about $200,000 per athlete.

What started this lawsuit?

A former Arizona State University swimmer (Grant House) filed the suit demanding that college athletes (under the NCAA’s confusing “Name Image and Likeness” approval) should have started receiving their share of NIL loot while implementation was delayed for several years.

The attorneys involved in announcing Thursday night’s settlement agreement in “House vs. the NCAA” have been working for months to hammer out a mutually agreeable financial deal.

Why didn’t the NCAA just say, “Tough luck, buddy. See you in court!”

Though I am not an attorney, the consensus was that the NCAA may have been on the hook for as much as $20 billion in damages if this lawsuit was permitted to continue for years and the NCAA lost in a “worst case” scenario.

Just like most legal actions, the brave attorneys on both sides will bark loudly at each other early to make their clients happy (while paying the legal fees). A few months later, both sides become painfully aware of the mounting legal bills and realize that everyone (including the attorneys) might be better off taking a less-risky mutually agreeable deal today rather than spending years in the courts.

If the NCAA eventually lost a $20 billion judgment, it could have resulted in bankruptcy for the organization.

Who cares if the NCAA goes under?

Good question! The NCAA, which lists itself as a non-profit organization, has its primary offices and about 500 employees located in Indianapolis, Indiana. One of the NCAA’s primary jobs is to conduct championship events for college athletics (at a profit, of course). The lone exception is the quite lucrative Division 1 College Football Playoffs. The BCS football schools keep that revenue and split the net profits outside the purview of the NCAA.

The NCAA is comprised of about 1,100 member institutions. According to its website, 350 schools are considered to be part of Division 1 with another 310 institutions making up Division II and 438 colleges in Division III.

With annual revenues of more than $1 billion per year, the NCAA redistributes about 60% of its loot back to the member institutions. The remainder is kept to pay for other programs and, of course, its own costs of administration.

The bulk of the NCAA’s income is derived from its ownership of the annual March Madness college basketball tournaments for men and women. The television money (like in most sports) for those events has skyrocketed in the past decade.

The NCAA has also been keenly aware that the top 60-or so major colleges in today’s four largest conferences (SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, and ACC) have been making comments about potentially leaving the NCAA and its thick, burdensome and poorly enforced rule book. If the remaining Big 4 conferences should decide to skedaddle and form their own association, the NCAA’s remaining member schools (though numerous) simply do not generate enough money into the coffers to sustain the organization’s current size and structure.

Keep that in mind as you ponder the rest of this story.

Who is going to pay for this this newly confirmed $2.8 billion settlement agreement?

1. The NCAA itself – $1.1 Billion – to be paid out of future revenues over the next ten years
2. The major conferences (SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, ACC and Pac-12) – $664 million – paid over the next ten years. (Note – the now-extinct Pac-12 is included because the lawsuit covers money “owed” to athletes beginning in 2016)
3. The other 27 NCAA Division 1 Conferences – $990 million – paid over the next ten years

The first installment becomes payable beginning in the fall of 2025.

In return for this boatload of future money, the plaintiffs will drop the lawsuit. There are several other implications including future “caps” on athletes’ NIL money, but let’s save that for another discussion.

On the surface, it would appear that every party in the settlement will pay a significant portion of the “go away” money to end the lawsuit. That’s where the problems begin.

If the major conference schools (which receive significant incremental cash from the College Football Playoffs) are the schools which paid the majority of NIL money to these college athletes, why shouldn’t they be asked to pay the majority of this settlement money?

That’s exactly what the other 27 smaller NCAA conferences want to know today.

Apparently, the smaller athletics conferences were either not represented or under-represented at the settlement bargaining table while the framework for the current offer was being put together. The majority of these smaller conferences (like the rest of us) have only recently learned some details about this deal.

That seems shady. Why would the NCAA and the Big Conferences keep them out?

The smaller conferences were apparently being represented by the NCAA itself. Since the schools receive a portion of the NCAA’s redistributed financial pie every year, they were probably not perceived as a serious threat to jump ship and leave the organization (yet).

Remember, the percentage of the NCAA’s total revenues derived from the smallest conferences simply doesn’t match-up with those coming from the Big 4. The NCAA is playing friendly with the biggest names in college sports, because that group of schools has the most financial motivation and wherewithal to bolt from the organization at some point soon.

Doesn’t the NCAA understand that many of the smaller schools’ athletic budgets cannot absorb a significant loss of revenue?

The NCAA was quite aware that member schools playing in the smaller athletic conferences did not have the market power or the financial resources to derail this massive financial settlement. With representation for those 1,000+ schools effectively locked out of the negotiation room, the NCAA appeared to be more concerned with its own self-preservation rather than allowing its largest group of member institutions to be steamrolled in the settlement.

The smaller schools will soon feel a double-whammy.

The NCAA’s $1.1 billion payment over ten years equates to $110 million/year. As stated earlier, the NCAA has annual revenue of about $1 billion. Once the NCAA writes its annual settlement check beginning in 2025, there will be 10% less money available to redistribute back to member institutions. It normally pays 60% of revenues back to the member schools.

Let’s watch to see if the NCAA takes some of the medicine and scales back its operations. They may have the right to fund themselves first out of the remaining annual revenues.

Then there’s the $990 million portion of the settlement (over ten years) which will be due from the non-major conference Division 1 schools. That’s amounts to $99 million per year. Each of the smaller schools will feel an impact in their athletics budget to cover that payment, too.

Since many of these smaller conference schools are already struggling to remain financially viable, any significant loss of revenue beginning in the fall of 2025 will have more impact on them.

Expect a growing number of financially struggling colleges to reduce future travel expenses by realigning to play in conferences which make more geographic sense. Many of us fans would prefer to see the renewals of some old rivalries with teams from the same geographic region.

In some cases, the loss of funding may mean a reduction in the number of competitive sports being offered at some of these non-major colleges.

Now – It’s time to play the NEW “Let’s Make a Deal! – NCAA Settlement version”

Door #1 – The curtain in front of Door #1 is labeled, “Fight the Lawsuit”.

If the NCAA decided to fight this lawsuit in the courts over a period of years and prevailed in the case, the current college athletics structure would be saved (except for the millions in legal bills). If the NCAA ultimately lost the case, the current college athletics structure would be “Zonked” and forced to cough-up the $20 billion (plus legal costs) and head straight into financial oblivion.

Before we raise the curtain on Door #1 to show you what is behind that high risk strategy, you may prefer to try Door #2.

Door #2 – This curtain is labeled, “Quick – let’s settle this lawsuit ASAP!”

If your legal representatives do not recommend taking the risk in court, the best option to reduce potential exposure is by putting a lot of money on the table as quickly as possible and hoping the other side prefers immediate gratification.

This is what the NCAA and the large athletic conferences decided to do this week.

But…before making a decision between the current two options being presented, it might be time for one party to threaten to walk away from either one of these two deals.

Door #3 – This final curtain is labeled, “Who walks the plank first?”

The NCAA has effectively pitted the four remaining largest athletic conferences against the 27 smaller conferences on the fairest way to determine and split the costs involved in this settlement agreement. At the moment, the NCAA appears to have chosen to side with the largest conferences – even though the higher percentage of NIL money being paid to athletes was and will remain applicable to the largest schools.

Will the smaller conference schools reject the inequity of being kept in the dark about this agreement and then strong-armed to accept this negotiated settlement?

Should the smaller conferences threaten to sue the NCAA and leave en masse?

Come back soon as we learn whether the NCAA’s smaller conference schools agree to being financially “Zonked” in this settlement.

The post Let’s Make A Deal – NCAA Settlement version appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

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Another fantastic sports weekend just occurred. In case you were busy with yard work or partaking in other springtime activities, I’ll get you caught up on this weekend’s biggest sports news.

Mystik Dan slides into second in Preakness

In thoroughbred horse racing, the second leg of the annual Triple Crown was held last Saturday in Baltimore at Pimlico with the Preakness Stakes. As you might remember from two weeks ago, the trainer of Mystik Dan (winner of the Kentucky Derby) said that he was going to let the horse tell him whether he was ready to run in the Preakness.

Mystik Dan apparently gave his OK. Though he tried valiantly, Mystik Dan came up short with a second place finish at the Preakness on Saturday. His trainer was still amazed by the Kentucky Derby winning horse.

“My colt’s a fantastic colt, and [I’m] proud of him,” Kenny McPeek said. “It just wasn’t his day, but he’ll live to race again.”

Live to race again?

Watch out, Mystik Dan! If your trainer is inferring a trip to the glue factory may be in your future, perhaps you should communicate to your trainer that you are considering following in the footsteps (oops, I mean “hoof prints”) of TV’s iconic Mr. Ed and taking up baseball next!

Golf’s PGA Championship was an even better horse race – including a photo finish

PGA Tour golfer Xander Schauffele is just 30 years old and had won seven PGA events already. However, he has struggled at times to win golf tournaments when holding the lead coming into the final round. A regular finisher in the top ten on the PGA Tour, Schauffele was considered by many to be one of the best players without a major title.

Just last week in Charlotte at the Wells Fargo Championship, Xander Schauffele held a two shot advantage over Rory McIlroy as they took to the course for the final round. Rory zoomed past Xander with a closing round six-under par 65 as Schauffele faded with a 71 to finish a distant second.

Last Thursday at the PGA Championship in Louisville, it was Xander Schauffele who raced out of the starting gate like horse racing’s Mystik Dan with a record-tying opening round of 9-under par 62. He was still in the lead at 15-under par starting Sunday’s final round.

It all came down to the 72nd hole on Sunday

Playing just ahead of the leader, LIV Golf’s long driving Bryson DeChambeau and Norway’s Viktor Hovland put on an incredible show of low scoring golf on Sunday to put some serious heat onto the leader. Both players were 5-under par on their final round coming into the par-5 18th hole and just one shot behind Xander Schauffele.

DeChambeau’s birdie putt on 18 fell into the cup in slow motion to move him to 20-under par (a score which would have been good enough to win most major tournaments). With the birdie, he moved into a tie for the lead. Victor Hovland three-putted the final hole to finish in third place alone.

Standing on the 18th tee now tied with DeChambeau (the 2020 US Open champion), Xander Schauffele’s drive on the final hole landed about one foot short of a fairway sand trap. In order to hit his second shot, he had to place his feet down into the adjacent bunker. He took a big swing (and a big risk) but was able to land the golf ball about 30 yards short of the green. From there, Schauffeler pitched his third shot within six feet of the hole and then rolled a birdie putt in to capture a one-shot victory and his first major championship.

Xander Schauffele’s 21-under par final score at the PGA Championship set a new all-time record low score in a men’s golf major.

With his strong second place finish, 30-year old Bryson DeChambeau’s emotional bond with the massive crowds in Kentucky transformed the LIV golfer into a true fan favorite by the end of this weekend. DeChambeau (known as “The Scientist” as the SMU Physics major is always looking for an edge on the golf course) said that he was grateful for the crowd support. He confessed that he has gained some personal maturity over the past few years.

“When I was younger, I didn’t understand what it was”, said DeChambeau afterwards. “Yeah, I would have great celebrations and whatnot, but I didn’t know what it meant and what I was doing it necessarily for. Now I’m doing it a lot more for the fans and for the people around and trying to be a bit of an entertainer that plays good golf every once in a while.”

NBA – Where having the home court is becoming a disadvantage

On Sunday, two Game Sevens were played to determine second round playoff winners. The New York Knicks and the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets were playing on their home court for the series finales.

For decades, the home team in an NBA Game 7 playoff game usually prevails as the home crowd vocally propels them to great play and victory.

Not so in today’s NBA.

During Sunday afternoon’s Eastern Conference semifinal finale, the #6 seeded Indiana Pacers should have been renamed the Indiana Fire. The team shot an NBA playoff record 67.1% from the field to eliminate the hometown New York Knickerbockers 130-109 and send the Madison Square Garden fans home very unhappy. Indiana won the series four games to three. New York was already short-handed with several injuries in this series and then lost their top scorer, Jalen Brunson, with a broken left hand suffered in Sunday’s third quarter. Ouch.

The Fire (I mean Pacers) advanced to play the top seed in the Eastern Conference finals. The Boston Celtics dispatched Cleveland four games to one in their series and have been resting since last Wednesday. Boston will now have the home court advantage (?) in the Eastern Conference finals against Indiana. Game One in Beantown is Tuesday night at 7PM (CDT) on ESPN.

Unfortunately, the Boston Celtics have played much better on the road than at home during the playoffs in recent years. While a stellar 25-12 playoff record on the road, the C’s are just 19-20 at home in TD Garden over the past five NBA seasons.

Perhaps they should consider moving their home playoff games to a neutral court???

The other NBA Game 7 on Sunday was played in Denver. The home court did not help the defending NBA champion Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves, either.

After Denver built a 20-point advantage early in the third quarter against Minnesota, the Nuggets appeared to run out of gas. The Timberwolves rediscovered their shooting touch to outscore Denver 54-24 from that point and grabbed a ten point advantage late in the fourth quarter. Denver would score a measly 37 points – at home – during the second half of Sunday’s Game 7 collapse.

Overcoming the largest halftime deficit (15 points) in NBA Game 7 playoff history, the Minnesota Timberwolves howled with joy following their 98-90 comeback victory. The team advanced into the Western Conference finals for just the second time in the T-wolves’ 35-year history. The #2 West seed Minnesota will now host the surprising #5 seed Dallas Mavericks beginning Wednesday night (7PM CDT on TNT).

Caitlyn Clark is the WNBA’s gold mine

For Caitlyn Clark basketball fans, there was some good news and bad news this week.

First, the good news. The WNBA’s Indiana Fever (whom Clark plays for) and New York Liberty established the highest regular season game ticket revenue in league history on Saturday afternoon. A Brooklyn crowd of 17,735 fans spent more than $2 million for game tickets to watch the former Iowa Hawkeyes basketball star score 22 points in a 91-80 loss.

Earlier last week, ESPN2 featured the first regular season televised game for Caitlyn Clark and her Indiana Fever women’s pro basketball team. The game established a new record for a WNBA regular season game on cable television with more than two million television viewers. As further proof of Caitlyn Clark’s popularity, the second game of ESPN2’s opening night doubleheader saw viewership drop all the way to 460,000.

Now for the bad news.

Caitlyn Clark injured her ankle in Monday night’s 88-84 home loss to the Connecticut Sun and had to be helped off the floor by teammates and into the locker room. She returned to the game in the third quarter to finish with 17 points as Indiana’s record dropped to 0-4.

The WNBA’s executives breathed a collective sigh of relief as Clark’s ankle injury was not as serious as it first appeared. Regardless of how many games her Indiana Fever team loses this year, you should count on getting a weekly dose of “The Caitlyn Clark Show” on ESPN for the remainder of this summer.

As The Godfather once said, “It’s good for business!”

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The term “All in” only has five letters, but it means different things to different people.

After the 12-5 Dallas Cowboys were embarrassed on national television by the 9-8 Green Bay Packers 48-32 in a first round playoff game which wasn’t as close as the final score, boisterous Cowboys fans were stunned into silence.

For the 27th consecutive year, the Dallas Cowboys did not advance to play in either the NFC Championship game or, of course, the Super Bowl.

Since the last Dallas Cowboys title on January 28, 1996, thirteen other NFL franchises have won a Super Bowl:

Green Bay (1997 and 2011)

Denver (1998, 1999, and 2016)

St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams (2000 and 2022)

Baltimore (2001 and 2013)

New England (2002, 2004, 2005, 2015, 2017, and 2019)

Tampa Bay (2003 and 2021)

Pittsburgh (2006 and 2009)

Indianapolis (2007)

New York Giants (2008 and 2012)

New Orleans (2010)

Seattle (2014)

Philadelphia (2018)

Kansas City (2020, 2023, and 2024)

Fans of “America’s Team” are painfully aware that the team’s fortunes have sunk after the departure of former coach Jimmy Johnson after winning his second Super Bowl on January 30, 1994. Yes, former Oklahoma football coach Barry Switzer led Dallas to the 1996 Super Bowl but it was with, essentially, Jimmy Johnson’s players.

Since then, a generation of young football fans has never seen Dallas play in another championship game.

Yet Dallas Cowboys fans still believe

After having the second seed in last season’s NFC playoffs and watching their team get run off the field by Green Bay, Dallas Cowboys fans still believe.

After learning that head coach Mike McCarthy was not going to be fired after losing early in the playoffs for the third time in his four seasons as top man in Dallas, the Cowboys fans (somehow) still believe.

After the NFL’s free agency period ended this spring without Dallas making any significant player moves, the Cowboys fans still believe.

After April’s NFL draft and Dallas selecting, by most reasonable observers, an “average” group of young players, Cowboys fans still believe.

With the clock ticking on the 2024 off-season and several key players heading into the final year of their current contracts, somehow, Cowboys fans still believe.

Why do the loyal fans of the Dallas Cowboys still believe in this team?

One of my best friends (I call him “Mr. Cowboys”) has always been a true blue die-hard Dallas Cowboys fan. He loved the Dallas Cowboys teams of the 1960’s, 1970’s, and 1980’s led by former coach Tom Landry. Though he isn’t a big fan of current team owner Jerry Jones, he still retains a perpetual optimism for his Dallas Cowboys – including the coming 2024 season.

You probably know someone like “Mr. Cowboys”. They are quite unique in their willingness to believe that Dallas is on the verge of breaking through again for the first time since January, 1996.

On the football field, Jerry Jones remains his own worst enemy

Why do Dallas Cowboys fans even listen to their 81-year old billionaire owner anymore?

As covered here in the past, the problems in Dallas start and end with their egotistical team owner.

In Jimmy Johnson’s excellent book called “Swagger”, the former Cowboys coach laid out an entire chapter detailing how Dallas team owner Jerry Jones (who initially agreed to run the financial side of the team) wanted to become more involved with the media and in the team’s clubhouse. I highly recommend this book as a Father’s Day gift for any long-suffering Dallas Cowboys’ dad.

Once Jimmy Johnson finally had enough of Jerry Jones’ increasing meddling with the football team, he left. Since that time, Jerry Jones’ personal influence has only increased throughout the football team’s operations.

Meet the Jones Family Cowboys

The team’s website indicates that every executive level officer for the Dallas Cowboys is a family member of team owner Jerry Jones. Here is the list:

Stephen Jones – Chief Operating Officer and in charge of player personnel.

Charlotte Jones – Executive Vice President and Chief Brand Officer

Jerry Jones, Jr. – Executive Vice President and Chief Sales and Marketing Officer

Since taking home the 1996 Super Bowl trophy to Dallas, the Jones Family Cowboys now have a pitiful record of 5-13 in the NFL playoffs. The Cowboys haven’t won back-to-back playoff games one time in the past 27 seasons.

Last year’s 2023 Dallas Cowboys looked poised to finally make a run at the NFC title. The schedule was favorable, and the team posted a 12-5 regular season record to obtain the #2 seed in the NFC playoffs. That meant home field advantage for their first two playoff games.

Instead, the Dallas Cowboys were outcoached and outplayed by a mediocre wild-card Green Bay Packers team in a first round playoff exit. Instead of firing the head coach in charge of the playoff debacle, team owner Jerry Jones opted to keep Mike McCarthy for the final year of his contract.

Why?

By doing so, Jones didn’t have to write a multimillion dollar exit check to send Mike McCarthy home. Sources indicated that the Dallas Cowboys head coach would be due somewhere between $4-7 million for the final year of his contract.

In addition to paying-off McCarthy, Jones would have to spend even more money if he actually wanted to recruit a proven winner to coach his team. The five highest paid NFL coaches earned between $12 million (Baltimore’s John Harbaugh) to $18 million (Kansas City’s Andy Reid and Denver’s Sean Payton) annually.

Bill Belichick was fired by New England last season. He was available. The former Patriots head coach probably wanted more control and money than Jerry Jones was willing to give up in Big D.

Don’t forget that former Michigan Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh was briefly available, too. He was hired by the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers are already showing improvements heading into the 2024 season.

Many fans of the Dallas Cowboys have long suspected that Jerry Jones has harbored a desire to coach his own football team. Since he is now 81, Jones is relegated to hiring a subservient puppet to act as the team’s head coach. That unfortunate person must be willing to follow orders from the owner, lay low when speaking with the media, and be happy to receive a middle-of-the-pack NFL head coach’s paycheck while in Dallas.

It’s ALWAYS been about the money with Jerry Jones

Based on results on the field, the Jones Family Cowboys won’t pay to retain the best coaches or top tier players. Though a failure with their fans, the Cowboys ownership team has wildly succeeded at their primary goal – making the most money in the NFL.

As team owner Jerry Jones laments with Cowboys fans about his team’s continued long absence from the Super Bowl, he (and his family) find solace in knowing that the team’s financial picture is the envy of the NFL.

The Jones Family Cowboys have done a great job in generating profits each season. The value of the Dallas NFL franchise remains tops in the league with an estimated worth of $9 billion.

While the Jones family builds more generations of wealth, millions of Dallas Cowboys football fans continue to hope for a chance to see their favorite team back in the Super Bowl before they die.

In 2024, Jerry Jones is trying to sell more hope to legions of loyal (but gullible) fans

After last year’s hard landing in the playoff loss to Green Bay, Dallas Cowboys team owner Jerry Jones is now telling fans that THIS year will be different. His team is going “All in” in 2024.

At late January’s Senior Bowl game, the team owner was on-site to assist Dallas Cowboys team scouts and coaches in evaluating college football talent prior to the NFL draft. The 81-year old Jerry Jones met with the assembled media for a lengthy question and answer session.

“We will be all in,” said Jones. “I would anticipate we will be all in at the end of this year.

After the Senior Bowl, it was time for the NFL’s annual free agent signing period. Dallas Cowboys fans had hopes of the team making a few significant free agent moves after JJ told them he was “All in”.

Nope. Dallas may have lost more key players than they acquired during the early season free agent market.

Next, it was April’s NFL draft. Once again, Jerry Jones found more cameras and microphones around to emphasize his “All in” mantra once again:

“We feel great about what we’ve been in free agency,” Jones said. “All-in. All-in. All-in. We’re all-in with these young guys. We’re all-in with this draft.”

Au contraire! Most draft experts believe Dallas had an “OK” draft in April. The team didn’t make any trades nor did they acquire any immediate impact players despite the owner’s “All in” push in 2024.

There has been one significant free agent signing recently. Former Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott was released by the team a year ago, played in New England in 2023, but has been re-signed by the Cowboys on a one-year $2 million contract for 2024.

Is that going “All in”?

The results have not matched the rhetoric thus far in 2024. Take a look at how little has changed with the Dallas Cowboys football team after being trounced by Green Bay in the first round of last season’s playoffs. Talk is cheap.

Give Jerry Jones an “A” for generating profits

Lest we forget, owner Jerry Jones’ initial role in Dallas during the coach Jimmy Johnson era was to manage the team’s finances.

With so little movement on the player front thus far in 2024, he seems relatively happy to effectively leave the roster alone at this point.

Here’s why. The contracts for his team’s top three star players will be expiring after this season. It will cost Jerry Jones a lot more money to keep one or more of those top players in the future.

Quarterback Dak Prescott is in the final year of a 4-year $160 million deal.

The contracts for talented pass rusher Micah Parsons (4-year deal for a total of $17 million) and improving wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (4-years for a total of $14 million) are in their final season, too.

NFL players and their team earn money from jersey and other merchandise sales. During the 2023 season, Micah Parsons’ #11 jersey and CeeDee Lamb’s #88 jerseys were ranked #2 and #3 respectively in sales for the entire NFL. Quarterback Dak Prescott’s #4 jersey came in at a respectable #13 in 2023.

For as little as Dallas owner Jerry Jones may know about coaching and evaluating players, you can be sure that he knows how much money each of his key players are putting back into his pocket via merchandise sales every season.

By waiting for the 2024 NFL season to play out, Dallas Cowboys team owner Jerry Jones can decide whether roll out the dough if his team makes it to the Super Bowl.

If Dallas fails to reach the big game this year, expect one or more of the team’s top players to be on another NFL team’s payroll in future seasons. Jerry Jones will blame the players and head coach (whose contract also conveniently ends this year) for the team’s failures.

Either way, Jerry Jones is setting himself up to win.

Follow the money

Dallas Cowboys fans would be wise to watch the financial moves of the team while assessing how “All in” they really are this season. Based on the early results, team owner’s comments about “All in” should be interpreted as meaning “All in – the family”.

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Last week started poorly for both Rory McIlroy and the PGA Tour but ended on a positive note (at least for Rory).

As Tiger Woods remains wounded by his long-term injuries and world #1 golfer Jon Rahm now plays for the rival LIV Golf League, Rory McIlroy is the biggest draw on the PGA Tour. He just picked-up his 26th career win on Sunday in Charlotte, too.

The PGA Tour desperately needs Rory McIlroy to shine more than ever right about now.

Let’s discuss Rory’s evolving story

When LIV Golf hit the scene about two years ago in 2022, Rory McIlroy was one of the most vocal opponents of the new golf tour. While some of his fellow PGA Tour players accepted millions in bonus bucks from LIV Golf and their Saudi Arabian backers, it was Rory McIlroy who let them know, “Don’t let the screen door hit you on your way out!”

Just one year later in June, 2023, the PGA Tour surprised everyone by announcing a merger with LIV Golf was to take place by the end of 2023. At that point, Rory McIlroy began to soften his criticism of LIV Golf as this merger appeared likely in 2024.

As negotiations between the two rival men’s golf leagues apparently hit a snag, the PGA Tour announced a $3 billion partnership with US-based Strategic Sports Group in late January, 2024. Though neither the PGA Tour nor LIV Golf have called-off their merger, Rory McIlroy started to sound more sympathetic to the LIV Golf group for playing more tournaments on the world stage.

In recent weeks, the rumor mill was filled with stories that Rory McIlroy had been offered upwards of $800 million to join the rival LIV Golf league. Both Rory and LIV Golf president Greg Norman vigorously stated that no offers had been made.

For Rory, this past week started in even more controversy. Apparently, some of his fellow PGA Tour members may have denied him a seat on the PGA’s Policy Board to replace the departing Webb Simpson. McIlroy had resigned from that same Policy Board last November as he cited personal and professional commitments.

After being denied a return to the Policy Board last week, word spread that a few of Rory’s fellow PGA Tour members such as Tiger Woods, Patrick Cantlay, and Jordan Speith had been among those who had voted against placing him into the vacant board seat.

What are friends for, right?

Instead, the PGA Tour placed the 35-year old Northern Ireland golf star onto a different committee. It is tasked with studying the nearly one-year old merger proposal with LIV Golf.

To his credit, Rory McIlroy downplayed this rather obvious slight from the top ranks of the PGA hierarchy and pledged to help the committee’s work on a possible merger with LIV Golf.

“It got pretty complicated and pretty messy, and I think with the way it happened, it opened up some old wounds and scar tissue from things that have happened before,” said McIlroy late last week.

He added, “There was a subset of people on the board that were maybe uncomfortable with me coming back on for some reason. I wouldn’t say it was rejected. It was a complicated process to get through to put me back on there. So that’s all fine, no hard feelings and we’ll all move on.”

Moral of this story: Don’t make Rory McIlroy mad!

I don’t know about you, but I think last week’s PGA Tour board snub appeared to have lit a fire under Rory on the golf course over the weekend. In Sunday’s final round, he played like “Ryder Cup Rory” with a barrage of birdies and eagles as he zoomed to the top of the leaderboard at the Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte.

During an eight-hole stretch in the middle of his final round, McIlroy went on an incredible 8-under par binge. Beginning on the eighth hole, Rory bagged two eagles on the par-5 holes and added four more birdies. By the time he reached the 16th tee, McIlroy had pulled away from playing competitor Xander Schauffele, won by five shots, and earned a cool $3 million first prize.

This week, the tour moves to Louisville, Kentucky for the PGA Championship. The last time it was played at this location (Valhalla Country Club) ten years ago, the 2014 winner was none other than Rory McIlroy.

Needless to say, the PGA Tour, CBS Sports, and Golf Channel are thrilled that Rory’s golf game is peaking at the right time this week. The PGA Tour desperately needs Rory in the mix for this coming weekend.

Rory McIlroy has provided a PGA “Tour”niquet at a critical time

Despite landing that $3 billion partnership with US-based Strategic Sports Group a few months ago, the PGA Tour has been hemorrhaging major golf tournament title sponsors for its weekly events at an alarming rate.

With the annual cost of sponsoring a PGA Tour event running upwards of $15 million, these corporate sponsors expect more than just a little goodwill from their massive investments in PGA golf tournaments. The corporate advertising budgets for major sponsors are under close scrutiny to determine the best bang for their marketing bucks.

With no Tiger Woods around in most events in 2024 and LIV Golf poaching some of the biggest names in golf, television ratings for PGA golf broadcasts have decreased by 10%. The corporate marketing staffers responsible making those massive annual investments in weekly PGA events are quite aware of that slippage in viewership.

Another major sponsor on the PGA Tour just bit the dust this weekend. After a 13-year relationship with Wells Fargo Bank, the Charlotte stop on the PGA Tour is now in need of a new title sponsor.

That’s not the only event on the PGA Tour which has been on shaky ground

In 2023, a 42-year corporate relationship at the Honda Classic in Palm Beach, Florida ended. Over that time, the Honda Motor Company’s annual PGA Tour stop contributed more than $60 million to local charities with the Jack and Barbara Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation being the largest individual beneficiary.

A lack of top name golfers participating at the Honda Classic began to hurt the event in recent years. Some PGA players began to skip this event because it has been played at the rather difficult Champion Course at PGA National. The winning score has rarely been lower than ten under par.

Fortunately, the Honda Classic became known as the Cognizant Classic in 2024. Cognizant is a multi-national IT and consulting company headquartered in New Jersey. The company agreed to continue sponsorship of the golf tournament through 2030.

The Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) sponsors two separate PGA events. The contracts for the long-time event at Harbor Town, South Carolina and for the Canadian Open will both expire at the end of this 2024 golf season.

RBC’s chief marketing director dropped a big hint that the company may walk away from the PGA Tour soon if the top professional golfers (PGA Tour and LIV Golf) don’t find a way to patch things up.

“So, we’re hoping that this rectifies itself soon”, said Mary DePaoli last week. ”We’re hoping that they can bring the sport together in a very healthy way that, again, benefits the players, the sponsors and the fans. If the fans are happy, we’re happy. If the players are happy, we’re happy. But right now, we’re still seeing a little bit of flux there.”

Farmers Insurance recently advised the PGA Tour that the company will stop sponsorship of the PGA event played in San Diego at Torrey Pines after it is played in early 2026.

In 2023, AT&T ended its 9-year partnership with the Dallas-based Byron Nelson PGA event.

The good news for north Texas golf fans is that a South Korean marketing conglomerate named CJ Group inked a new 10-year deal to sponsor the golf tournament starting this year.

Interestingly, the Byron Nelson PGA event was on the verge of signing a corporate sponsorship arrangement with defense contractor Raytheon. However, that deal fell through once PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan learned that Raytheon had been selling missiles to Saudi Arabia.

Oops! In case you forgot, the PGA Tour and many of its top golfers acted highly offended that rival LIV Golf was being financed by the Saudi Arabian Investment Fund.

Remember the Shell Houston Open? Shell ended its 25-year run as the title sponsor a few years ago. Since then, the H-town PGA stop has been bankrolled by one-time sponsors such as Vivint (a home security systems company), Hewlett Packard, Cadence Bank, and, in 2024, the Texas Children’s Hospital.

There is definitely a trend.

It’s “Rory to the Rescue” for the PGA Tour – at least for another week

The PGA Tour wants its younger winners to become the stars of the future. However, the 2024 list of winners haven’t moved the TV ratings needle in a positive direction.

Winners in 2024 have included non-household names such as Grayson Murray (Sony Hawaii Open), Matthieu Pavon (Farmers Insurance Open), Jake Knapp (Mexico Open), Austin Eckroat (Cognizant Open), Brice Garnett (Puerto Rico Open), Peter Malnati (Valspar Championship), Stephan Jagar (Texas Children’s Open – Houston), and Taylor Pendrith (CJ Byron Nelson – Dallas).

Yes, Scottie Scheffler has won four events this year (including The Masters) and appears to be running away with “Player of the Year” honors. Scheffler is expected to return to the golf course this week at the PGA Championship in Louisville after his first child (Bennett) was born on May 8.

Though they will never admit it, CBS Sports may be quietly rooting in their production trailers for the contingent of LIV Golf’s top players to make some noise at this week’s PGA Championship. Due to current rules regarding qualifications for this tournament, 16 LIV golfers will be part of the field at Valhalla this week.

Let’s face it. Defending champion Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, and even 54-year old Phil Mickelson are going to attract more interest from the average golf viewer on television than the list of young winners on the 2024 PGA Tour mentioned earlier.

Rory McIlroy holds a lot of power right now

If Rory McIlroy wanted to move to LIV Golf, there is no doubt that he would receive the highest offer yet from the emerging (but highly unprofitable) worldwide golf league.

The PGA Tour needs to tread very carefully right now. They have everything to lose if Rory should decide to pick up the phone and place a call to LIV Golf’s Greg Norman soon.

The post Rory McIlroy applies a PGA Tour-niquet…for now appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

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LeBron James is (almost) gone from the NBA at 39 years of age. Though his skills are still quite impressive on the basketball court, he is nowhere to be found in the second round of the NBA playoffs.

As LeBron and the Lakers fade into the sunset, the NBA is finally becoming interesting again.

Do yourself a favor this week and check out some of the new names playing in the second round of the league’s never-ending playoffs.

When is the last time we have seen Oklahoma City, Minnesota, the New York Knicks, and Indiana Pacers still playing ball during Round 2 of the NBA playoffs?

Answer: Never.

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s last playoff appearance was four years ago. Same for the Indiana Pacers. The New York Knicks made the NBA playoffs last season, but they have appeared in the post-season just two times in the past ten years. The Minnesota Timberwolves have made the playoffs for three straight years but only four times over the past twenty NBA seasons (losing in Round 1 each time).

The only time we usually see these teams in the past decade has been during the NBA’s annual draft lottery. Other than the New York Knicks, the other three “surprise” teams play in smaller NBA markets and haven’t been featured much on national telecasts.

If you’re like me, I’ve had to see this to believe it.

The NBA’s top teams in 2024 are no flukes. They are young, hungry, well-coached, and play exceptional defense (yes, I said it).

This bunch has pushed aside some of the NBA stalwarts which we have grown accustomed to seeing at this time of year.

The “oldies-but-goody” teams are now resting at home

Gone are the Golden State Warriors (winners of four of the past ten NBA championships). This year’s Warriors finished in 10th place in the 15-team NBA Western Conference. They lost a play-in game to Sacramento and failed to advance into the first round this year. It’s hard to believe, but the Warriors are now considered to be an “old” basketball team right now.

Also MIA are the Los Angeles Lakers. LeBron James and the 2020 NBA champion Lakers finished in 6th place in the Western Conference this season. Last week, they were defeated by Denver four games to one in the opening round of the playoffs. They immediately fired their head coach (Darvin Ham). Am I the only one who thinks LeBron will be the player-coach next year?

The Miami Heat also burned-out. The 2013 NBA champions from Miami have participated in the NBA playoffs 16 times in the past 20 seasons. This year, they were eliminated in Round 1 by the Boston Celtics four games to one. Miami coach Erik Spoelstra is one of the best coaches in the NBA, but his team was plagued by injuries to several key players this season.

The Milwaukee Bucks are now on vacation, too. After winning the NBA title in 2021 and making the playoffs in ten of the past dozen seasons, Milwaukee was another first round casualty. The Indiana Pacers sent the Bucks packing four games to two. Like Miami, the Bucks were hampered by injuries coming down the stretch this year.

There is only one NBA team remaining in Round 2 of the 2024 playoffs which has been a post-season TV regular for the last ten years.

The Boston Celtics finished with the best overall record in the NBA in 2024. However, the heartbreak kids from Beantown continue to seek their first NBA title since Paul Pierce led the C’s to glory back in 2008. Boston seemed to struggle against certain teams in the playoffs in past seasons. This year, Boston took out their long-time nemesis Miami and is now up 1-0 on Round 2 opponent Cleveland.

Meet the New Kids in Town

Last year’s NBA champion Denver Nuggets helped to usher-in this changing of the guard atop the pro basketball league.

The Nuggets finished in virtual tie in the NBA’s Western Conference this season with the surprising Oklahoma City Thunder. The defending champions are the #2 West seed and quickly dispatched LeBron James and the Lakers four games to one.

The Denver Nuggets advanced into Round 2 with the home court advantage against the surprising Minnesota Timberwolves.

How ‘bout those T-Wolves!

After Denver wore their special “5280” home court jerseys to remind the opponent about the mile-high thin air which makes breathing more difficult, it has been Minnesota which applied the choke hold on the hometown Nuggets. The T-Wolves grabbed Game 1 106-99 in Denver on Saturday night and then clobbered the home team by 26 points 106-80 in Game 2 on Monday.

Minnesota is now 6-0 in the 2024 NBA playoffs after sweeping Phoenix 4-0 in Round 1. The Timberwolves are outscoring their playoff opponents by an average of nearly 16 points per game. TNT analyst Charles Barkley said Monday night that Minnesota is playing the best team defense he has seen in recent memory.

Game 3 against Denver will be played in Minneapolis this Friday night at 8:30PM (CDT) on ESPN.

The Thunder rolls

Make it ten wins in a row for the Oklahoma City Thunder!

Last night, the Dallas Mavericks (featuring highly paid stars like Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving) were pummeled by 22 points by another surprise NBA team which has recovered from its bottom-feeder status in recent years.

The Oklahoma City Thunder is the #1 seed in the NBA’s Western Conference after posting an impressive regular season record of 57-25. OKC steamrolled the New Orleans Pelicans 4-0 in the opening round of the playoffs and, like Minnesota, has been doing it with defense.

Oklahoma City is allowing a little more than 90 points per game through five playoff contests in 2024. Like Minnesota, the Thunder is beating playoff opponents by a wide margin (nearly 17 points). This team isn’t a fluke.

Game 2 against Dallas comes on Thursday night at 8:30PM on ESPN.

The New York Knicks are back!

It’s been awhile to see the New York Knickerbocker fans become this giddy about their NBA team. The Knicks haven’t won an NBA title since Willis Reed famously limped onto the court to inspire his team to the 1973 championship against the Los Angeles Lakers. Since 2000, Knicks fans have seen their team fail to make the playoffs twice as often (16 times) as they have qualified for the post-season (eight).

This year, the New York Knicks finished with the #2 East seed behind Boston. They dispatched rival Philadelphia 4 games to 2 in the first round of the playoffs. That series has whipped the boisterous New York Knicks fans into a bigger frenzy.

This team is led by a trio of former Villanova Wildcats guards. Jalen Brunson (37 points per game), Josh Hart (18 ppg) and Donte DeVincenzo (14 points per outing) have captured the hearts of New York fans by their tough-minded play and deadly shooting in the 2024 playoffs.

Game 2 against the Indiana Pacers will be played tonight (Wednesday) at 7PM on TNT. It’s going to be very loud in Madison Square Garden!

Quick – Can you name anyone on the Indiana Pacers?

No, Reggie Miller retired years ago and is now a commentator for TNT.

The #6 seed Indiana Pacers were the highest scoring team in this year’s NBA regular season. Averaging 123 points per game, they will run a lot of bodies at their opponents. Incredibly, nine Indiana Pacers players averaged in double figures during the regular season.

Former Toronto forward Paskal Siakam led the way this season with 21 points per game. Point guard Tyrese Haliburton chipped-in 20 points while center Myles Turner added 17 per night.

Indiana just upended the favored #3 seed Milwaukee four games to two in the first round of the NBA playoffs. As a result of winning that series, the Pacers advanced into the second round for the first time in a decade.

Tonight, the Pacers are looking to even their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the New York Knicks at one game apiece. The tip-off for Game 2 is at 7PM tonight (Wednesday) on TNT.

Standing in their way? The Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics are trying to break a 16-year drought without an NBA title. The most storied basketball team in the league, the C’s have won 17 championships in their history.

In recent seasons, Boston was one of the teams featuring talented younger players trying to build a championship squad. Now, forward Jayson Tatum and guard Jalen Brown are considered veterans and their Celtics are the odds-on favorite in this year’s NBA title chase.

After winning their last NBA championship in 2008, the Celtics have lost twice in the NBA Finals (2009 and 2022) and lost on five other occasions in the Eastern Conference finals (2012, 2017, 2018, 2020, and 2023). Celtics fans are hopeful that this year’s team can finally raise the 18th championship banner up into the rafters in Boston’s TD Garden.

This year’s NBA title chase is shaping-up to be a dandy!

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Congratulations! You have just survived a very unusual weekend in early May.

A Star Wars-themed Saturday called “May the Fourth” (be with you) has been growing in popularity in recent years. Cable television station TBS used “The Force” to bring sci-fi fans a non-stop run of Star Wars movies all day Saturday and into Sunday evening. If that wasn’t enough excitement for your weekend, Sunday’s Cinco de Mayo (May 5th) celebrations may have distracted you away from the big sports stories over the past few days.

As a public service, I will try to bring you up to speed on the headlines from a busy sports weekend.

Horse racing – Is this year’s Kentucky Derby winner the next talking horse?

Look out, Mr. Ed!

After winning Saturday’s 150th running of the Kentucky Derby by a nose, there is concern that that the winner may skip the second leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown. The Derby champion, Mystik Dan, earned his oats for a long time with a $3 million payout for his owners. After the win, Mystic Dan, true to his name, will now be telling tell his trainer and owners whether he intends to run in the Preakness coming up in two weeks at the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.

That’s right!

Kenny McPeak is the trainer for Mystik Dan and is planning to listen to his thoroughbred to see if he’s too tired to run again in a couple of weeks.

“We’ll just watch him over the next week”, said McPeak. “It’ll be one of those [situations] where we’ll probably take it up to the last minute. We’ll let him tell us.”**

If the Kentucky Derby winning horse is anything like television’s Mr. Ed in the 1960’s, this trainer better watch out. He could be playing straight man to another equine comedian soon.

I hope that we get to see Mystik Dan at the Preakness in two weeks. Surely, someone on his team will use some good horse sense in arriving at the proper decision.

NBA news – Time to give Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell a day off!

On Friday night, Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers scored 50 points during his team’s 103-96 Game 6 loss in Orlando. The teams then flew back to Cleveland and played Game 7 on Sunday afternoon. Mitchell added another 39 points in leading the Cavs to a 106-94 final score. The Cavaliers and Orlando Magic series was the only first round match-up which needed all seven games to produce a winner.

The jubilant home crowd in Cleveland was partying like it was…2018? The Cleveland fans have not seen the Cavaliers win an NBA playoff series in six years. They even chanted “We want Boston!” during the final quarter.

The #1 seed Boston Celtics had the best record in the NBA this season, beat Cleveland two out of three games, and will now have home court advantage in Game #1 beginning on Tuesday night (6PM on TNT) in Beantown.

After scoring 89 points in the past two games to get Cleveland into Round 2, Donovan Mitchell’s shooting arm must be tired. He deserves to take Monday off.

WNBA news – The Caitlyn Clark Experience begins

After recently completing her college basketball career at the University of Iowa, Caitlyn Clark was taken with the #1 draft pick by the WNBA’s Indiana Fever. There has been a serious case of “ticket fever” as fans scramble to watch the top player in women’s college basketball history take to the floor in the WNBA.

In Caitlyn Clark’s first preseason game of the year Friday night in Arlington, Texas against the Dallas Wings, a sell-out crowd of 7,000 showed-up to provide vocal support for the visiting team’s star. Dallas won the game 79-76, but Caitlyn Clark scored 21 points to lead Indiana and send the customers home happy.

Next Tuesday, May 14, Indiana’s first regular season game will be played on the road against the Connecticut Sun (who names these WNBA teams?). Though all other WNBA opening night basketball cities have tickets available at reasonable prices, good luck trying to get a seat to watch Caitlyn Clark play in her first regular season game in Connecticut.

As of today, a nosebleed seat will cost $109 to get into the arena and watch Clark’s first WNBA regular season game. Perhaps it might be a better idea just to stay home and watch the game on ESPN 2 at 6:30PM (Central) next Tuesday, May 14th.

NFL update – J. J. What?

In one of the more surprising sports stories of the weekend, former NFL defensive end J.J. Watt said that he would give consideration to suiting up to play football again this year – if the Houston Texans should need him.

The 35-year old J.J. Watt was in Houston for his annual charity softball event on Saturday. The future Hall-of-Famer has been out of the NFL since December, 2022. However, he seems intrigued with the idea of playing football again for the Texans’ current head coach, DeMeco Ryans.

During his rookie year in 2011, J.J. Watt and DeMeco Ryans played on the same defensive unit in Houston. After retiring as a player, Ryans is entering his second year as head coach for the Texans.

A three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, J. J. Watt told the assembled press, “I told DeMeco [Ryans] last year: ‘Don’t call unless you absolutely need it, but, if you ever do call, I’ll be there.'”

For the coach of the Texans, it’s nice to know J.J. is available to him this year – no matter what!

UFL – Birmingham Stallions have clinched a playoff spot – with four weeks to go?

The latest iteration in spring professional football for this year is known as the United Football League. The UFL still has four more weeks to go in their 10-game regular season schedule.

After starting with a perfect 6-0 record to begin the season, the Birmingham Stallions just clinched a playoff position in the four-team USFL division of the United Football League.

In both the USFL and XFL divisions (four teams apiece), the top two teams in each division will quality for the playoffs. After the conclusion of play in Week #6, undefeated Birmingham is now five games ahead of both the 1-5 Houston Roughnecks and 1-5 Memphis Showboats.

Birmingham has won the USFL’s championship title in each of the last two seasons. This team has now won 13 games in a row – when looking back into the 2023 season. It will be interesting to see if Birmingham remains sharp over the next month prior to the start of the UFL’s inaugural playoffs in early June.

Golf – Mr. and Mrs. SwampSwami cover the Greats of Golf event in Texas

On Saturday afternoon (in between a couple of days of some badly-needed but torrential rain), the TPC-The Woodlands hosted a PGA Champions Tour event plus a special exhibition from some of golf’s greatest players.

Getting to see 84-year olds like Jack Nicklaus and Lee Trevino, Gary Player, Tom Watson and Annika Sorenstam play in the same group for a 9-hole exhibition match was absolutely priceless.

This group poked fun at one another on every hole as they entertained the gallery and still managed to shoot 7-under par. The amazing 88-year old Gary Player can still out-drive most of us off the tee. The short game of Jack Nicklaus remains magical. Lee Trevino’s golf game and wit remain quite sharp, too. Bravo to the organizers of this event for bringing them together!

Note to PGA golfers – smiling a bit more and occasionally showing a bit more of your personality with the crowds at your golf tournaments can only help your sport gain in popularity.

Hockey – Salt Lake City’s new team is looking for a new nickname

After floundering in the state of Arizona over the past decade, the National Hockey League’s Arizona Coyotes franchise is moving to Salt Lake City, Utah this fall. The Coyotes nickname served the Arizona desert region adequately, but we should expect a new nickname for the hockey team as it starts play in Utah this fall.

Sports fans in Louisiana are still bitter at the state of Utah for taking New Orleans’ original NBA franchise away beginning in 1979. Not only did Salt Lake City snag New Orleans’ NBA basketball team, the ownership kept the nickname of “Jazz”!

The Utah Jazz remains one of the most unlikely nicknames in all of professional sports.

One Salt Lake City newspaper columnist recently provided a list of possible nicknames for the incoming NHL hockey team. Among the writer’s suggestions included the Bighorns, Scorpions, and the Slap Shots (not bad!). Another name on the list which I liked was the Salt Lake City “Skateful Dead”. Now that’s really clever!

However, there was another possible nickname for the hockey team which was mentioned in the article. That name would make Louisiana sports fans boil hotter than a crawfish cooking in a big pot during the springtime.

The Salt Lake City Saints?

No, way! WhoDat say they gonna steal another Crescent City nickname? Let’s hope that the Benson family in New Orleans has the Saints nickname protected by various trademarks, copyrights and a group of hungry attorneys ready to pounce.

Don’t try to push your luck again, Salt Lake City! In case you may have forgotten, the Jazz basketball team is 0-2 in the NBA Finals. They haven’t returned to the championship round since 1998. Are you starting to feel a bit jinxed?

Your city may still have the Jazz, but New Orleans has the voodoo!

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NBA Hall-of-Famer Charles Barkley makes a great living these days by injecting some much needed honesty and, at times, comedy into Turner Network Television’s “Inside the NBA” studio show.

This week, we moved deeper into the first round of the NBA playoffs. That means that one team will win a series and move on. For the losing team, though, the basketball season comes to an end.

That also means it’s time to go on vacation.

Every season, TNT’s Charles Barkley along with former NBA players Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith and studio ringmaster Ernie Johnson seem to devise a clever way to say goodbye to the exiting playoff basketball teams. The banter usually involves a few jokes about the losing team making plans to go fishing or heading out to a beach location such as Cancun, Mexico.

If an NBA team fails to put up much of a fight in their opening post-season playoff series, it can look as if the losing team might have been ready to quit early to leave for their vacation.

1,2,3, Cancun!

In 1998, former NBA star Nick Van Exel was playing for a Los Angeles Lakers team which was on the verge of being swept out of the playoffs.

In a practice session prior to the team’s final loss in the series, Van Exel (the team prankster) didn’t break huddle with the usual chant of “1, 2, 3, Lakers!” He jokingly shouted, “1,2, 3, Cancun!”

Management wasn’t pleased. After the Lakers lost the series and ended their season, Nick Van Exel was traded to the Denver Nuggets.

Upon hearing that story, the TNT basketball analysts have since adopted the battle cry of “1,2,3, Cancun!” when poking fun at an overmatched team being blown out of an NBA playoff series.

“It just popped in my head,” said Nick Van Exel many years later. “It wasn’t like it was scripted. I probably should have trademarked that thing!”

A little traveling music for the New Orleans Pelicans, please!

The New Orleans Pelicans (a #8 seed) were swept 4 games to zero during their opening round series against Western Conference top seed Oklahoma City. The Pelicans failed to score more than 92 points in any of the four games in this short NBA playoff series.

It was U-G-L-Y, and there wasn’t any alibi.

After the third game in this lopsided series, Charles Barkley declared that the New Orleans Pelicans were already toast. It looked as if the Pelicans had given up hope after losing so badly at home.

According to Barkley, the New Orleans Pelicans were not worthy of going to a top-notch vacation destination like Cancun. On the set of TNT’s post-game show a few days ago, Shaquille O’Neal tossed a comedy softball to Charles Barkley.

“I’m disappointed in New Orleans. Where are they going, Chuck?” asked co-host Shaquille O’Neal.

The former Houston Rockets forward launched into a rather funny tirade which put a negative spotlight onto an unsuspecting Texas island community located just southeast of Houston.

“They didn’t even try, man,” Barkley said of the Pelicans. “We’re not even going to send them to Cancun. We’re going to send them to Galveston, where that dirty water be washing up on the shore and you people think you’re at the beach.”

It was made funnier as Barkley repeated the “dirty water” phrase a few more times prior to ending his rant about the Pelicans.

Charles Barkley’s remarks drew hearty laughter from fellow TNT studio analysts Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith (who earned two NBA Championship rings in the 1990’s as a member of the Houston Rockets).

The dirty little secret is that Galveston’s beach water is, indeed, a bit dirty!

If you have ever been to Galveston beach, you know that Charles Barkley is speaking the truth.

The water definitely has more of a brown tint than other Gulf of Mexico beaches located to the east from Gulf Shores, Alabama and into western Florida. That is primarily due to the high amount of sediment being deposited by several rivers in the region which empty into the Gulf of Mexico.

Beginning in Louisiana, the mighty Mississippi River, Atchafalaya River, and Sabine Rivers all terminate into the Gulf of Mexico. In southeast Texas, the Trinity, Brazos and Colorado Rivers add even more daily sediment into the Gulf waters.

In Galveston, many tourists don’t mind taking a dip into the brownish water along the beach on the southeast Texas coast. Some of us prefer a pleasant stroll along the Galveston seawall while we watch the waves wash ashore.

For many east Texas residents, Galveston is the closest traditional beach community available. To find the clear white sand and cleaner-looking water, locals must drive or fly to over 500 miles to Gulf Shores, Alabama and other cities in the Florida panhandle.

Galveston checks enough boxes for many Texas residents to make for a fun vacation – with or without taking a dip intp the relatively dirty beach water.

Galveston, oh Galveston!

Incorporated in 1839, this relatively quiet city along the Gulf of Mexico is one of the oldest communities in Texas. In addition to being the subject of Glen Campbell’s 1969 hit song, Galveston is also known for being the landing spot for a massive hurricane in September, 1900. That storm killed nearly 8,000 Galveston residents and prompted the city to construct a massive 17-foot seawall along the ocean to help protect the city from tidal surge.

Today, Galveston is home to nearly 60,000 residents. The city attracts tourists year-round to visit its many historic homes and buildings, some of the terrific seafood restaurants, and, yes, 32 miles of sandy beaches and sea water with a brown tint.

The city is rather proud of its history and its generally positive tourist business.

Watch out, Charles Barkley! You aren’t getting away with trash talking Galveston!

Some folks in Galveston have returned fire at the 61-year-old Barkley – who knows about Galveston after playing in Houston during the late 1990’s at the end of his 16-year NBA career.

“Mr. Barkley used the phrase ‘dirty water washed up on the beach,'” said Galveston City Council member David Collins on Monday. “If anyone understands being washed up, it would be Mr. Barkley.”

Zing! David Collins just slam-dunked on The Chuckster.

The Galveston Park Board issued a statement of its own this week.

“Galveston is much more than a beach town,” the park board said. “Galveston is a family-friendly and cost-friendly destination, and we think the Pelicans would find well-deserved R&R here in the offseason.”

Here’s a better idea for the New Orleans Pelicans. Stay in Louisiana!

Why should the New Orleans Pelicans want to leave the state of Louisiana? The Pelican state (get it?) has a few of its own beaches with water just as dirty (if not dirtier) than the Gulf of Mexico is around Galveston, Texas.

Check out these Louisiana gems.

1. Holly Beach (aka “The Cajun Riviera”)

This small community in Cameron Parish is located on the Gulf of Mexico near the Texas border. One of my former employers had a major offshore natural gas pipeline which came onshore near Holly Beach. That means that there are plenty of offshore platforms in this region.

Due to the frequency of hurricanes which have passed through this Louisiana coastal town, I am not aware of any permanent vacation structures (cabins, hotels or restaurants) located on Holly Beach. However, the tan sand and “dirty” water make it a suitable playground for the New Orleans Pelicans after the team went a disappointing 0-4 in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

2. Grand Isle

Yet another quiet Gulf of Mexico beach location in Louisiana lies southwest of New Orleans at the terminus of Louisiana State Highway 1. Grand Isle (also famous for hurricane landings) still has some cabins available for New Orleans Pelicans players.

There is great fresh seafood nearby and, of course, miles of beaches with sediment-filled sea water.

3. Venice

About 50 miles south of the Crescent City, Venice has frequently seen hurricane landings along the southeastern Louisiana coastline. Though Venice has miles of dirty water like Galveston, the town lacks a significant beachfront area.

However, the deep sea fishing based in this Gulf Coast community would make for an attractive vacation option for a New Orleans Pelicans basketball team trying to get away from the media and unhappy season ticket holders.

Don’t take Charles Barkley’s advice, New Orleans Pelicans. There is no need to take your money to Galveston, Texas after the early end to your season.

1-2-3, Holly Beach!

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Last week, the PGA Tour rolled-out its new financial bonus incentive plan to professional golfers in hopes of getting players to stop jumping to their well-financed rival, LIV Golf.

The dollar figures initially tossed around by the press sounded quite impressive for several of the top names on the PGA Tour. Established golf stars like Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and a few others were notified last week about their share in this new player retention plan. It will be significant.

Officially called the Player Equity Program (PEP), I think it should be referred to as the “Thank You, Phil Mickelson (TYPM)” bonus plan.

Phil’s move to LIV Golf cemented golf’s first big competition

Phil Mickelson was, by far, the most significant PGA golf star to accept a deal to join LIV Golf in 2022. Without his departure, there is little doubt the PGA Tour would have developed this brand new bonus system to create more loyalty within the more established pro golf tour.

Six-time major golf champion Phil Mickelson accepted a reported $200 million signing bonus from the Saudi-backed LIV Golf in 2022 and quickly gave the new golf league worldwide credibility.

Major golf champions such as Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Sergio Garcia, Louis Oosthuizen, Brooks Koepka, and Patrick Reed also signed-up. Each of those players received significant signing bonuses from LIV Golf in order to leave the PGA Tour.

Tiger Woods was reportedly offered more than $700 million by LIV Golf, but he turned it down. In recent weeks, the media reported (falsely) that Rory McIlroy had been offered up to $800 million to leave the PGA Tour and sign with LIV Golf.

Both Rory and Greg Norman (President of LIV Golf) say that no offer was ever extended.

In modern day golf, the names Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are as iconic in the past two decades as Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer were from 1960 to 1980.

Phil Mickelson earned a lot of money (nearly $95 million) over his thirty years on the PGA Tour. With 45 career victories, he is tied for 8th place all-time. His six major championships (three Green Jackets at The Masters plus two PGA Championship titles and one win at The Open) put him in 12th place on the list of major champions.

When he came onto the golf scene in the 1990’s, Lefty’s “go-for-broke” style on the golf course immediately reminded fans of a young Arnold Palmer. His eager/aggressive play probably cost Phil Mickelson one or two major titles as well. He has finished second in the US Open a record six times.

Phil Mickelson’s popularity with fans made him an effective television pitchman for a variety of products as he earned more money from corporate sponsorships than on the golf course.

After turning age 50 a few years ago, Mickelson won his first two senior events on the PGA Champions Tour. However, Phil just didn’t seem ready to give-up playing golf on the younger players’ tour just yet.

As he has been prone to do during his lengthy career, Phil Mickelson surprised the golf world in 2021 as he captured his most recent major title by winning the PGA Championship a few weeks before turning age 51. He became the oldest golfer to ever win a major golf championship.

Over the ensuing year, Phil Mickelson made some negative comments about the PGA Tour and, surprisingly, the not-yet-operational Saudi-backed LIV Golf. In a nutshell, Phil has expressed concern that the PGA Tour was sitting on a growing pile of money related to resale of televised highlights of the players during tournaments.

In early 2022 (before LIV Golf had played its first tournament in June), Phil Mickelson had expressed some personal concerns about Saudi Arabian government backing LIV Golf. However, he vigorously supported some competition for the PGA Tour as he felt like they had been less-than-forthcoming about their internal finances.

At the time Mickelson accepted the $200 million offer from LIV Golf in the spring of 2022, he was nearly 52 years old. The interest on $200 million at 5% brings $10 million per year for eternity.

To put that into perspective, Phil Mickelson would have needed to win every single event on the PGA Champions Tour each year to approach $10 million in earnings.

Assuming one needs (or cares for) the money, the financial decision was a no-brainer for a golfer over the age of 50 whose earnings potential on the PGA Tour was diminishing.

LIV Golf paid bonuses to Phil Mickelson and others well over $1 billion in 2022 to sign several top players for its new league.

PGA Tour is feeling the loss of star golfers

As a stand-alone entity, LIV Golf has been a money loser of epic proportions.

Hundreds of millions of dollars are being burned annually. It is clearly not a viable financial model, but the Saudi-backed Public Investment Fund doesn’t seem to mind one bit. The pride of being involved in sports on the world stage must provide Saudi Arabia with more satisfaction than a particular return on its golf investment.

The for-profit PGA Tour, though, has been feeling the sting of losing some top players to its wealthy new rival. The lingering loss of Tiger Woods due to injuries hasn’t helped matters, either.

In 2024, the PGA Tour’s television ratings are taking a big hit. In the first few months of this year, there have been 22% fewer television viewers than for those same tournaments in 2023. The final round of The Masters (won by Scottie Scheffler) was down 20% from a year ago, too.

The PGA Tour just opened its wallet to players with the new “TYPM” bonus plan

In order to fend-off more poaching by LIV Golf, the PGA Tour announced more details about its new $750 million Player Equity Program (PEP). The plan will encourage the PGA Tour’s top stars along with rising stars to stick around for several years in order to collect their full share of the bonus pool.

Working much the same as some corporate bonus plans, the golfers will become eligible to receive 50% of their approved bonus level by staying with the PGA Tour for the next four years. In six years, the vested amount grows to 75%. After eight years, the player is eligible to collect his full share of the bonus. The player can cash-out or continue to hold the investment if the PGA Tour value is rising.

Each PGA Tour star player, though, will have a different bonus value based on their popularity and success on the golf course. That means that golfers like Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Speith, and Justin Thomas (among others) will earn a much larger bonus payout than some of the younger or less successful PGA Tour players.

In fact, a whopping 80% of the $750 million bonus program will be doled-out to just 36 of the top PGA Tour golfers based on their career performance. This is intended to deter LIV Golf from poaching even more of the PGA Tour’s remaining players.

The next level is a $75 million bonus pool to be allocated to the next 64 top players (based on a 3-year performance model).

A third tier of $30 million will be split among another 57 PGA Tour golfers who are maintaining their status on tour but haven’t been as successful as the other two tiers.

Finally, a $75 million bonus pool will be allocated to 36 retired (and still living) golfers who have been instrumental to building the PGA Tour. This would players of the stature of Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson, Ben Crenshaw, and other beloved PGA Tour golfers.

All active players must continue to play in a required number of PGA events each year. The golf legends will continue to lend their name to various events to promote the golf tour.

Will it work?

Not likely.

The world #1 ranked golfer last year was Jon Rahm. LIV Golf handed him more than $300 million in bonus money in late 2023 as he moved to the new tour starting in 2024.

In addition to Jon Rahm and Phil Mickelson, LIV Golf has paid $100 million or more to lure former PGA stars such as Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Australia’s Cam Smith, and Chile’s Joaquin Niemann. Those seven golfers have pocketed more than $1 billion from the Saudi Investment Fund (owners of LIV Golf) to join the new golf venture. Other major champions have signed deals valued anywhere from $10 million to $60 million in bonus money.

If the Saudi-backed LIV Golf group wants to buy another player like Scottie Scheffler, they will simply write another outsized check in order to get their man.

PGA players owe Phil Mickelson a big “Thank You”

If Phil Mickelson had told LIV Golf “No, thanks” just two years ago, there is a chance that LIV Golf may never have gotten off the ground. Being one of the world’s top names in the sport, Phil Mickelson immediately brought the media focus onto LIV Golf and opened the door for other PGA stars to feel safer about taking an offer to come aboard.

In the eyes of many PGA Tour fans, though, Phil Mickelson has flipped from hero to heel.

He broke a lot of hearts by taking the Saudi money and leading this wave of defections from the PGA Tour.

Phil Mickelson may now wear a black hat with some golf fans, but PGA Tour players are definitely making more money as a result of his actions.

The remaining PGA Tour players should thank Phil Mickelson for 2024’s higher weekly tournament payouts along with this brand new player bonus pool. Competition (whether fair or not) has done nothing but fatten the wallets of all men’s professional golfers.

Please leave a tip for Lefty.

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Stay close to your phone on Saturday. Due to a growing shortage of so-called “quality” college football draft picks available this year, an NFL team just might be “Dialing for Dollars” trying to complete their traditional seven rounds of draft selections.

You just never know…

The advent of college football’s recent pot-of-gold called “Name, Image, and Likeness” (NIL) has caused a significant number of potential NFL draft choices to reconsider leaving college for the NFL. That’s right! Some players may get paid more to stick around in school for another year.

Decisions, decisions!

Today’s fictitious example concerns All-Conference offensive guard Louie O’Lineman. He just completed Year #4 at a major college football program. Due to COVID-19, the current NCAA rules allow Louie a fifth year of college eligibility this fall. He also has the option to turn professional and enter the NFL draft (which begins Thursday in Detroit with Round 1 and continues into Saturday).

The very sharp 3.4 GPA offensive guard wisely checks around to learn that NFL scouts have rated his skills as no higher than a fourth round selection in this week’s NFL draft. Based on the 2023 NFL rookie class, the average fourth round pick received a contract valued at about $1.2 million/year over four seasons. Of course, that player is subject to being cut from the team before the start of any season, too. The player gets to keep his relatively small signing bonus.

Meanwhile, Louie O’Lineman’s current college football team believes that they are going to make a serious run at the national title this fall. Louie has dreamed of playing for a national championship for his entire career. The university’s relatively new but financially growing NIL “collective” has accumulated millions in donations from its generous athletic supporters. The school’s NIL collective (which isn’t supposed to collaborate with the coaching staff) is redistributing money to keep important athletes in the program.

The college NIL collective offered Louie O’Lineman a $1.5 million offer to stay in school one more year and play college football again this fall.

Is that really happening?

Indeed it is!

Many NFL teams are finding that college underclassmen aren’t as likely to forego their final year of college eligibility in this week’s 2024 NFL Draft.

Over the past decade, about 200 players will opt out of college to start earning money in the NFL after their third year in school. This year, only about 100 underclassmen will be part of the NFL draft. That’s because the majority of those college football players will remain in school another year and collect a similar or larger amount of loot courtesy of these new college NIL collectives.

The NFL’s annual draft has 32 teams making seven rounds of selections. That’s a total of 224 players who will hear their name called by the NFL.

With 100 fewer underclassmen being available this year, that means 42% fewer college football players are part of the NFL’s potential talent pool. As opposed to previous years, the final three rounds of the NFL draft will require deeper scouting and a lot more risk-taking.

For the college football players opting to stay in school, there are risks, too. A career-ending injury is always a possibility. Also, advancing age (that’s right) can make the same player less attractive to an NFL scout at this time next year.

All things equal, the NFL generally prefers to draft a healthy 21-year old college junior than taking a 23-year old fifth year senior. That’s because the average NFL career lasts just 3.3 years. Punters and kickers are the longest-tenured at nearly five years in the league, while running backs (the most frequently injured players) stick around about half of that time at 2.57 years.

Football is a collision sport

The lengthy 23-year NFL career of Tom Brady is a true statistical outlier. Serious injuries and annual competition for positions contribute to making the NFL a revolving door business.

Rookies in the National Football League generally sign a four year contract. With an NFL football player’s average career lasting just 3.3 seasons, more than half of this week’s draft picks may be searching for a new career by the end of their first professional football contract.

Even if a player scores a second or third long-term contract over a lengthy career, the total value of those contracts (which may include a healthy portion of compensation as guaranteed pay) will be prorated over the number of seasons which will be played. .

Time to spin that quarterback roulette wheel early in the first round of the draft

Yet again in 2024, several NFL teams are expected to select a college quarterback with several of the opening picks in the first round.

You will hear the names of USC’s Caleb Williams, LSU’s Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye of North Carolina, and J.J. McCarthy of Michigan called before the midway point of Round #1 on Thursday. You might even hear University of Washington signal caller Michael Penix, Jr. and Oregon quarterback Bo Nix before the end of Thursday night’s first round.

Selecting a quarterback early in the first round generally hasn’t worked out very well

Recent history says that most of those quarterbacks will not make a long-term impact for the teams which initially drafted them.

Last year, three of the first four NFL draft selections were college quarterbacks. Only one of the trio (Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud – the #2 overall pick by the Houston Texans) had a significant impact on his team’s success. Stroud became the NFL’s Rookie-of-the-Year as Houston improved on the field and advanced into the first round of the playoffs.

The Carolina Panthers made former Alabama quarterback, Bryce Young, the overall top pick. Young was chased all over the field in 2023 as his team finished the year with a woeful 2-15 record. The fourth overall selection last year was former Florida Gators’ QB Anthony Richardson. The Indianapolis Colts’ top pick seriously injured his throwing shoulder in one of the first games of 2023 and was out for the remainder of the season.

Two years ago in 2022, only one quarterback (Kenny Pickett of the University of Pittsburgh) was taken in the first round. With the 20th overall selection, the hometown Pittsburgh Steelers made Pickett their starting quarterback as a rookie. After just two seasons in Steel City, Pickett was recently traded to Philadelphia upon the signing of veteran quarterback Russell Wilson by the Steelers.

Three years ago, the 2021 NFL draft saw three quarterbacks taken with the first, second, and third picks in Round 1. Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence went #1 followed by Zach Wilson to the New York Jets and Trey Lance to San Francisco. Two more quarterbacks were taken in the first round, too. Chicago selected Justin Fields with pick #11 while Mac Jones was taken by New England as the 15th overall draft choice.

Of 2021’s class of five first round selections, only Trevor Lawrence remains with the same team which drafted him only two years ago.

This week, Denver obtained 2021’s #2 overall pick Zach Wilson in return for Denver’s 6th round selection this year.

In late 2023, the Dallas Cowboys received #3 Trey Lance for a 4th round selection.

In March, the Pittsburgh Steelers grabbed #11 Justin Fields from the Bears in return for a lowly 6th round selection.

Also in March, Mac Jones (#15 overall) was dealt to Jacksonville to join Trevor Lawrence in return for (you guessed it) a 6th round pick.

Q: Why do teams keep doing it? A: Patrick Mahomes

Some teams have failed to make the playoffs for several years. The post-season drought is reaching the panic phase for the New York Jets (2010), Denver Broncos (2015), Atlanta Falcons (2017), and Carolina Panthers (2017). Team ownership and management must find a way to sell “hope” to satisfy season ticket buyers.

The quarterback position is the most visible to fans and easiest to market. Despite the fact that a generational talent at offensive line might be the smarter long-term pick, the bottom feeder teams in the NFL will generally pass in favor of a selecting a well-known college quarterback.

In 2017, Patrick Mahomes from Texas Tech was selected by Kansas City with the 10th pick in the first round. He has led Kansas City to three Super Bowl wins and has won two NFL MVP awards.

However, Mitch Trubisky from the University of North Carolina was selected with the second overall selection in that same round by the Chicago Bears. Trubisky lasted just four years in Chicago and has now played for Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and will return to Buffalo once again this year.

Guess which team will have the #1 overall selection on Thursday night? Yes, it’s the Chicago Bears. Seven years later, da’ Bears are expected to select yet another college quarterback with the first pick.

Three years from now, a few of the smarter NFL teams will dangle a bargain basement 6th round draft pick to take one or more of the 2024 parade of first round quarterbacks.

Step right up! The NFL’s first-round quarterback roulette “Wheel-of-Misfortune” game begins Thursday night at 7PM CDT on ESPN.

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The loud and large crowd of more than 31,000 fans at the spring pro football game in St. Louis this past Saturday afternoon sounded like a freight train to the opposing team. The team’s rabid supporters joyfully tossed rolls of blue and white toilet paper into the air whenever their beloved home team scored a touchdown. The crowd was totally engaged in this football game.

Some of these fans came dressed in electric blue and white gear. They reminded me of Middle America’s version of the former NFL Oakland Raiders.

For as glorious as the St. Louis BattleHawks of the fledgling United Football League (UFL) looked this weekend, the spring football league’s other seven cities need help – immediately!

The St. Louis BattleHawks are the shining star in yet another slowly-sinking spring pro football league.

No more excuses for spring professional football in 2024

With college basketball and The Masters golf tournament out of the way, I turned my attention on Saturday afternoon to watching my first UFL spring football game of the season.

I have been a quietly hopeful supporter of spring professional football. Though most football fans would agree that they prefer to attend and watch games played in the fall as temperatures moderate, some factions continue to believe there is a niche for spring pro football.

The truth is that the concept of spring professional football continues to be tested in hopes that, finally, one of these leagues can coax the NFL into a future partnership.

Let’s face it. If the UFL (like others) can eventually hitch their wagon to the NFL’s very deep pot of gold, the pioneers will reap some tremendous returns on their investment.

Just like the NFL, the real money for the UFL franchise owners will come from the television revenues. If the UFL’s ownership group can simply break-even with the high costs of operating its football franchises, the television money and (to a lesser extent) merchandising revenues will be where the future upside is.

Don’t hold your breath, though.

Five years of Spring Football failures

In the past five years, we have seen the hopeful beginnings and eventual failure of:

AAF – The Alliance of American Football (2019) – Teams in Arizona, Atlanta, Birmingham, Memphis, Orlando, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, and San Diego. Play was suspended after eight games of the inaugural ten-game season. Bankruptcy ensued.

XFL 2.0 (2020) – This was the second attempt for the XFL (the first was 2001) and owner, Vince McMahon. Teams were located in Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa, and Washington, DC. Play suspended after just five weeks of play. COVID-19 issues were cited, and the league filed for bankruptcy in April, 2020.

USFL 2.0 (2022 and 2023) – The original USFL (1983-1985) failed after moving to a fall schedule to compete against the NFL. The 2022 reincarnation of the USFL was 100% owned by Fox Sports. In 2022, all regular season games were hosted in Birmingham, Alabama. Reports were that Fox Sports spent more than $70 million to launch the league. In 2023, the USFL returned and played games in three of its eight markets (Birmingham, Memphis, and Detroit) plus a regional site in Canton, Ohio. Teams in Houston, New Jersey, New Orleans, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh never played a single game in their home cities. At the end of 2023, the USFL agreed to a merger with the XFL (Version 3.0) in 2024.

XFL 3.0 (2023) – The twice-failed XFL was purchased from Vince McMahon by his former wresting superstar-turned-movie-star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and his ex-wife, Dani Garcia. In 2023, the XFL played in eight local markets (Arlington, Texas, Houston, Las Vegas, Orlando, San Antonio, St. Louis, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.). The XFL lost a reported $60 million last season. At the end of 2023, the XFL owners agreed to merge with the USFL (owned by Fox Sports) to create the new United Football League beginning in 2024.

Here we go again…

The United Football League (UFL) is off to a shaky start in 2024 as seven of the eight teams are failing at the gate.

With the lone exception of the St. Louis BattleHawks (averaging about 36,000 fans in their first two home games), the UFL’s other seven teams have been springtime duds – just like in previous years. After the first four weeks of the season, four of the eight UFL teams are averaging less than 10,000 fans per home game. The three next best teams pull between 10-15,000 paying customers per home game.

With most UFL general admission tickets priced at a fan-friendly cost of $20, there is insufficient revenue being generated by the majority of teams to cover the weekly costs of operation. Those include the stadium lease costs, game-day stadium workers, full-time staff workers, and many other expenses associated with team operations.

Only St. Louis is (perhaps) turning a profit after Week #4 as the UFL moves to the halfway point of Season One this coming weekend.

Why is St. Louis drawing more than double the amount of fans than the other seven teams and what can the other teams do to spark more interest?

The St. Louis area fans shower the UFL BattleHawks with so much love and support for a very good reason. The city and region are trying to show the NFL that they erred in moving the St. Louis Rams franchise to Los Angeles after the 2015 NFL season ended.

The Hello/Goodbye Rams

Prior to moving to St. Louis in 1995, the NFL’s Rams had lackluster fans support playing in a cavernous half-empty stadium in (ironically) Los Angeles. The Rams’ then-team owner (Georgia Frontierre) agreed to move the team to St. Louis in 1995. As part of the deal, a 30% share of the team was sold to Missouri billionaire Stan Kroenke. He retained a right of first refusal to buy the entire team and eventually became the lone owner of the Rams franchise in 2010.

After coming to the Gateway City in 1995, the St. Louis Rams played to enthusiastic sell-out crowds in the city’s new downtown domed stadium with a 65,000 seat capacity. On the field, the St. Louis Rams became a Super Bowl winner in 1999 featuring quarterback Kurt Warner’s “Greatest show on Turf” downfield passing game.

Though the St. Louis Rams had become a success, the NFL still wanted a football team to be located in the #2 television market of Los Angeles. The St. Louis Rams were playing in the 21st largest television market. After twenty years of rabid fan support and success in St. Louis, team owner Stan Kroenke dramatically moved the Rams franchise back to Los Angeles after the end of the 2015 NFL season.

St. Louis football fans are still in shock after the Ram’s team owner’s dirty trick almost ten years ago.

The region feels like the NFL “used” St. Louis for the 20 years of Rams football. It appeared that Rams team owner Stan Kroenke may have been planning a move back to Los Angeles soon after he assumed control of the team in 2010. After the team left St. Louis, the city sued the Rams’ owner for (among other things) breach of contract. Six years later, the parties reached a financial settlement in 2021 with the City of St. Louis receiving nearly $800 million.

In 2023, the XFL (in what turned out to be their smartest move) brought professional football back to St. Louis. The team negotiated a rather expensive lease to play their spring football games in the downtown domed football stadium (now called “Dome at America’s Center”). Now in their second year, the St. Louis BattleHawks spring pro football franchise has been a big hit with local football fans.

“KaKaw” is the Law in St. Louis

Football fans in St. Louis had something to support and cheer about once again. The BattleHawks supporters even developed their own unique bird-like war cry.

The city has fallen in love with its new football team which they feel comfortable is not going to be taken away from them anytime soon.

The UFL’s St. Louis BattleHawks fans refer to their football stadium as the “BattleDome”. They regularly chant a variation of “Kroenke Stinks” (use your imagination) at every home game, too.

The local football fans will never forgive the NFL’s Rams’ owner for walking away from St. Louis. The fans are sending a message to the NFL to show how much St. Louis loves pro football.

Alas, this “Revenge” motivation doesn’t help the UFL’s other seven markets

There are four UFL franchises located in current NFL markets.

They are the Arlington Renegades (Dallas Cowboys), Houston Roughnecks (Houston Texans), DC Defenders (Washington Football Team), and Michigan Panthers (Detroit Lions). All of the NFL franchises in those markets (with the possible exception of Washington) have excellent fan support. The UFL’s spring football teams pose no serious threat to the established NFL franchises. That also translates to less local media interest and exposure, too.

Unlike St. Louis, the other three UFL cities (Birmingham Stallions, Memphis Showboats, and San Antonio Brahmas) have never been home to an NFL franchise. They have, though, been host to one or more previous failed attempts at spring or fall football. Football fans in Birmingham, Memphis, and San Antonio have been burned before. They may feel jaded and be slow to warm-up to the UFL this time around.

Unfortunately for the UFL, only the St. Louis market harbors such a unique and intense “We’ll show ‘em!” attitude toward the National Football League right now.

Don’t forget the I-70 West Tomahawk chop

There is still one NFL team left in the state of Missouri. Just 250 miles to the west down I-70 are the NFL champion Kansas City Chiefs. Unlike St. Louis, team ownership of Kansas City’s NFL franchise has rebuffed any offers to move their team after becoming a part of the league in 1970.

Football fans in St. Louis are painfully aware that Kansas City’s recent success in winning multiple Super Bowls has occurred after the Rams bolted for California. Double ouch!

Football fans in St. Louis and the “Show Me” state of Missouri have embraced the UFL’s BattleHawks for reasons which are unique to their local market.

The other seven UFL cities must find a way – quickly – to create some of their own local marketing magic if this latest spring pro football venture is going to survive into Year #2 in 2025.

KaKaw!

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Today’s word is “feckless”. Let’s verify the definition according to a respected dictionary source.

Most of the time I’ve heard the word feckless being used, it was immediately followed by the word “leadership”.

Yep, that describes the NCAA recently!

Weak

On Wednesday, the top overseer of college athletics cemented its position in the athletics wing of the Feckless Hall-of-Shame by announcing its latest ruling. Though pro golf’s PGA Tour is currently begging for a nomination into this special group, the NCAA just keeps outdoing itself with one head-scratching action (or inaction) after another.

After already opening the proverbial Pandora’s Box by allowing scholarship athletes the right to transfer from one school to another without penalty a limited number of times without having to sit out for a season, the NCAA further loosened the rules and will now permit unlimited transfers.

Here is the opening portion of this week’s declaration courtesy of the NCAA’s own website:

The Division I Council on Wednesday unanimously adopted a package of rules changes to allow transferring student-athletes who meet certain academic eligibility requirements to be immediately eligible at their new school, regardless of whether they transferred previously.

Specifically, to be immediately eligible after a transfer, undergraduate student-athletes would have to have left their previous school while academically eligible and in good standing (not subject to disciplinary suspension or dismissal) and meet progress-toward-degree requirements at their new school before competing. For graduate transfer student-athletes to be eligible, they would have to earn a degree from their previous school, leave while academically eligible and be enrolled as a full-time postgraduate student while continuing to satisfy minimum academic standards.

The story includes a quote from the NCAA’s Chair of the Council, Lynda Tealer – deputy athletics director for the University of Florida. (Note – please try to contain your laughter after reading this quote)

“With these rule changes, NCAA members continue to prioritize long-term academic success for college athletes who transfer, while supporting their opportunity to compete immediately.”

Academic success? Most of the athlete-students (that’s my new word as I say “Adios” to the term “student-athletes”) who are piling into the NCAA’s very own Transfer Portal today are leaving their current school to find more playing time and/or additional NIL money being offered to them by another school.

Ineffective

From a legal perspective, it’s understandable to see why the NCAA made this ruling.

Let’s say that a very smart (and well financed) non-athlete student with a stellar GPA wanted to transfer to a new school every year just to experience college life in different university settings. As long as that student was academically eligible to meet the transfer requirements of the new school, the move was likely to be approved. A “regular” student could, indeed, transfer three or more times if meeting the transfer requirements of the new school.

Do many traditional college students actually transfer annually – just for the fun of it? I’d wager that it would be less than 1/10th of a percent.

The NCAA was facing a dark cloud of several lawsuits which were challenging limiting the athlete-students’ transfer restrictions. Some claimed it amounted to restraint of trade while others categorized it as a violation of anti-trust laws.

The NCAA had a choice. The organization could have gone to court to vigorously argue and defend its position. Instead, the governing board did a 180 degree about-face, backed-down, and dropped any restrictions on transfers. “Cluck, cluck, cluck!”

Worthless

The NCAA’s athlete-student Transfer Portal will heat-up even more with the loosening of any transfer restrictions announced this week.

How hard is it to transfer from one college to another?

The academic requirements for high school students getting into college for the first time are fairly straightforward. The rules for transfer students, though, vary from school to school and state to state.

Let’s take a look at the transfer requirements for four institutions within the state of Louisiana.

First, let’s try to transfer into UL-Monroe.

According to ULM’s website, this is required:

To be eligible for immediate admission, a transfer student < 25 years of age must meet one of the following requirements:

• Completed an Associate’s Degree (AAS, AA, AS, AALT, ASLT, or AGS) or higher from an accredited institution
• Completed a minimum 18 hours of transfer credit with a cumulative GPA of 2.0 and completed college level Math and English with a grade of “C” or above.
• Meet first-time-first year admission requirements and be in good standing with prior institution.

Next, let’s go to Louisiana Tech University where the requirements are a little stiffer for potential incoming transfer students:

A transfer student must:

• Have earned 24 hours or more (exclusive of developmental deficiencies) with:
  • Cumulative GPA of 2.25 or higher;
  • No developmental deficiencies; and
  • Have completed a college-level English and mathematics course;

OR

• Have earned fewer than 24 hours (exclusive of developmental deficiencies) with:
  • Cumulative GPA of 2.25 and
  • Meet all other admissions standards for first-time freshmen,

OR

• Have earned an Associate Degree or higher from an accredited institution.

At LSU, the academic requirements are slightly more difficult to come play ball for the Tigers:

• 30 or more transferable (academic, non-remedial) credit hours from a regionally-accredited college or university
• 2.5 academic GPA on all transferable college work attempted
• Grade of “C” or better in a college-level English course that fulfilled a general education requirement at the institution where it was taken
• Grade of “C” or better in a college-level math course that fulfilled a general education requirement at the institution where it was taken

In our fourth and final example, let’s examine the transfer requirements for a private university. If someone wants to transfer and play sports at Tulane University in New Orleans, this is what the Greenies currently require:

• Common Application
• High school transcript(s)
• College transcript(s)
• Optional: ACT or SAT test score*

When reviewing transfer applications, Tulane looks for strong transfer applicants with at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA or higher with coursework in English Composition or College Writing, higher level Mathematics (such as Calculus or Statistics), and ideally foreign language. To be eligible for admission to Tulane, all transfer applicants must have attended a regionally accredited college or university and be in good standing at their most recent education institution.

Irresponsible

There is one thing which is certain. More athlete-students will now put their names into the NCAA Transfer portal with the newly loosened transfer provisions.

This also means that the chances of seeing your favorite college football, basketball (men or women) and baseball/softball player’s stay for three or more years at the same school will continue to decline.

The athlete-students will spend time checking the NCAA Transfer Portal in hopes of grabbing more playing time and, perhaps, more NIL loot by transferring elsewhere.

Major college coaches will likely spend less time on the high school recruiting trail unless the school’s NIL collective (piggy bank) can get prospective players to sign a multi-year contract upon agreeing to play athletics for the school.

For fans of college athletics like you and me, the chances of seeing our favorite football, basketball, or diamond star for multiple years at the same school are fading fast. College fans tend to enjoy watching their favorite players grow and improve as they stay multiple years.

For television, a decline in school loyalty by key college athlete-students could start to translate into lower fan interest in college athletics over the coming decade. If college athletics continues to morph into the equivalent of minor league professional sports, only the most rabid college programs will continue to flourish.

The big-time schools will continue to get richer, while the lesser names will sink lower.

Thanks for (mostly) nothing, NCAA!

By failing to lead and get the college athletic directors and major conferences together to broker tough deals on several key issues during the past decade, the NCAA has abdicated most of its control over major college athletics.

It is only a matter of time before the largest college conferences like the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, and the ACC (if the ACC survives, that is) negotiate their own deal and walk away from the NCAA. Many expect them to create their own organization and take the largest share of the television money along with them.

The ineffectiveness of the NCAA to adapt to changes and lead major college athletics through this period of explosive growth in television revenues may relegate the NCAA (if it survives) to a much smaller role in college athletics.

Feckless? Absolutely.

If the NCAA was a NYSE-listed stock, it is time to sell it.

The good ship NCAA appears to be aimlessly drifting and lost at sea. With its slow reactions and lack of decisive and effective leadership, the next few years may bring significant structural changes within major college sports. In other words, this could get even wilder.

Meanwhile, millions of college sports fans are being overlooked as greed dominates the thoughts and actions of the primary participants.

It is never a good idea to omit consideration of your paying customers (the fans of college athletics) during turbulent times. I learned a valuable customer service lesson early in my business career.

“The customer may not always be right, but the customer is always the customer.”

We, the customers who helped create the tremendous wealth in college athletics, are watching.

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About a month ago, my wife and I were on a brief vacation in Arkansas. We were fortunate enough to meet-up with a long-time friend of mine (we’ll call him K.C.). I had not seen him since we were in the eighth grade together.

During and after lunch with our lovely wives, we continued to chat about our youthful escapades playing sports together while in elementary and junior high school. His Dad was one of our youth sports coaches. In fact, his father’s coaching helped our 5th and 6th grade basketball teams win the Shreveport youth league championships!

When baseball season rolled around, our primary youth baseball coach was “Mr. J”. He was the father of one of my buddies from down the street. The good news is that Mr. J had once played professional baseball as a first baseman for the Double A level Shreveport Sports!

The bad news? I was the kid who was playing Mr. J’s old position (first base) on our youth league baseball team during fifth and sixth grades.

Though I tried my best, it always felt like Mr. J was paying extra-close attention to my every move at first base. I probably didn’t help matters by keeping one eye looking HIS way after bobbling a ground ball or when I might forget to “str-et-ch” my leg, arm and glove to reach an incoming ball being thrown across the infield by our excellent third baseman (K.C., of course) on a close play at first base.

Fortunately, I was moved to right field in future seasons.

After our brief reunion in Arkansas, I learned that my friend (K.C.) had written several editorials for a community newspaper over the years. After our meeting, he forwarded a terrific story he wrote years ago about youth baseball. He has given permission to publish it here.

With another season of youth baseball now upon us this spring, K.C.’s story is quite funny and still rings true. If you ever played youth baseball or have been one of the parents, grandparents, or family friends in the stands supporting the youngsters kids playing baseball, you should enjoy this. The story was called “Play Ball!”

Spring! The daffodils bloom, the robins sing, and in every hamlet in America– from under the hoods of cars, and inside dusty garages, and within the invigorating spray of their morning showers–little league coaches and umpires are practicing the season’s clarion call.

“Play ball!”

Baseball, the most hopeful of games, where even with two out in the bottom of the last inning, down 8-0, the coach will shout, “OK, batter, let’s get us started!”

While I realize the game is occasionally marred by the actions of adults whose humanity is all too obvious, it’s a pastime like no other. There’s more community at the ballpark than in most neighborhoods in the world. Mechanics and physicians and realtors form a family that exults and agonizes together; and parents cheer for every child, knowing this could be the game—by virtue of a sharp hit or sterling catch—the child proves to the world he is a ball player.

Guidelines for parents

Based upon my years of experience as a little league parent, here are a few guidelines I would suggest to make this season’s experience the best possible, both for you and your child.

(1) Although your child will more than likely make it to the majors, most of the players, statistically speaking, will not. Thus, you can be a huge comfort to the other parents by helping them keep the game in perspective. “It’s just a game”, you might say occasionally, or “I know your child, the right fielder, will make a fine dentist.”

(2) You’ll notice most coaches and fans give a double dose of every nugget of encouragement, as in, “Big stick, baby, big stick”, or “Eye on the ball, buddy, eye on the ball”, and so should you. I’m not sure why this is so, but baseball is steeped in tradition, and the surest way to prove to everyone you’re a bush leaguer is to resort to the single admonition approach.

There is a subtle rhythm to baseball’s encouragement that is missing from other sports. The phrase “Kill ‘em” (football) is a real dud of an encouragement when you think about it. But in baseball, it’s, “Make it your pitch, baby, your pitch”, and “Little chatter, out there, little chatter”, and “Brang it, now, brang it!” (i.e., “bring it”—southern admonition to the pitcher to throw the ball really hard). Baseball is the only game where coaches and fans sing to their players.

(3) You’ll want to join the other parents and coaches in pelting your child with advice as he steps into the batter’s box:

“OK, now, you’re a hitter.”

“Keep that back foot planted, and step into the ball.”

“OK, take a step back, no BACK!… back TOWARDS the catcher!”

“Keep your head in there; and don’t try to kill it!”

“Come on, now, JUST RELAX!”

This barrage of advice is essential, because only by learning to ignore all this racket can your child develop the concentration necessary to become a big league hitter.

(4) When your child is walking up to the plate, always shout, “Come on now, just like in the back yard!” My father used to say this to me, and though it didn’t help me hit the ball, it gave everyone the impression that at least I had, indeed, hit it sometime.

(5) The three foot grounder hit by your child that leads to the catcher overthrowing first, who overthrows second, who overthrows third, who throws wildly home, is a HOME RUN. Buy the ball, have your child autograph it, drip some strawberry snow cone juice on it, and plop it on the trophy shelf. What your child will remember is sliding home and being mobbed by his teammates. Home run.

(6) Always be positive! For instance, when the last fourteen batters have walked, and your child glares discriminatingly at ball four as it sails over the backstop, you shout “Good eye, baby, good eye.”

Or when the last fourteen batters have walked, and your child strikes out on three pitches that bounce ten feet in front of the plate, you shout “Way to swing the bat, baby. We didn’t pay $50 to take a walk.”

Perspective

Sometime during the season, when the umpire makes a rotten call that costs you the game, or your child is unjustly sitting on the bench, or even when he hits a home run, you will need to keep things in perspective. Here are some thoughts that might help.

I recently made a list of my three most vivid memories of my youngest son’s youth baseball career and asked him to do the same. Here are our lists.

My memories:

(1) The time he made a diving catch of a grounder at second and threw the runner out at first to win the game;

(2) The time he caught a line drive at third and doubled the runner off at first, all captured perfectly by the local cable television camera; and

(3) The image of him rounding third to score the winning run in a playoff game.

His memories:

(1) Getting snow cones after the games;

(2) Getting jerseys at the start of the season; and

(3) Getting trophies at the end of the season just for playing.

All the rest of the stuff, he says, is kind of a blur.

The payoff pitch

The 1998 baseball season, which featured the great home run race between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, was the season that brought many of us back to the joy of the game.

In late September of that year, I took my two sons to St. Louis to see Mark (he was on a first name basis with all of us) go for the all-time season record, and he did not disappoint. In two games he magically hit home runs number 67, 68, 69, and 70.

People have asked what it was like seeing him make that historic run around the bases on his 70th home run, and I tell them I don’t know.

I was too busy watching my two sons watching him run the bases. That was joy unspeakable, pure and priceless. Just like snow cones, shiny trophies, and new jerseys.

So pack ‘em to the park, baby, and let’s play ball!

Thanks, K.C. in Arkansas!

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When you look at the PGA Tour golf statistics, why should anyone be surprised that Scottie Scheffler just won his second Masters Green Jacket in three seasons on Sunday?

In the past five weeks, Scheffler has won three golf tournaments on some very tough courses. During that span, he won the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in Orlando, the Players’ Championship on the TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, Florida, and now The Masters at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia.

On Sunday, Scottie Scheffler shot a four-under par 68 to pull away from the field and claim his second career major championship (and Green Jacket) at The Masters. He finished with an 11-under par total. That was a very comfortable four shot margin over the runner-up and rising star, Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg.

Prior to his fourth and final round at Augusta National on Sunday, Scottie Scheffler was a bit nervous.

“I was sitting around with my buddies this morning, I was a bit overwhelmed,” said Scheffler. “I told them, I wish I didn’t want to win as badly as I do. But I love winning. I hate losing. I really do.”

There is incredible pressure stepping onto the first tee on Sunday in the final round at The Masters when you’re leader of the tournament by just one shot.

There are a dozen golfers within striking range of the lead. You must wait for hours as the other golfers take to the golf course attempting to post a low score by the end of the final round and apply the pressure. Thousands of Masters patrons (called “fans” in other golf tournaments) surround you as you play every shot. Millions more are at home scrutinizing your every move via television as The Masters is beamed all around the world.

Pressure? What pressure?

Scottie Scheffler is human. The Masters has an experienced field comprised of, well, “masters”. The golfers in this golf tournament include several previous Masters champions, the past year’s winners on the PGA and other world tours, and a contingent of former PGA Tour members now playing for the new LIV Golf league.

Stepping onto the #1 tee in the final round of The Masters with the lead at 7-under par, Scottie Scheffler knew that there were several golfers just ahead of him trying their best to post a low score on Sunday, take home the coveted Green Jacket, and the $3 million first prize.

Over his final 18 holes at the season’s first golf major, Scottie Scheffler remembered to heed the advice of his long-time sports psychologists.

Meet Meredith Scheffler

This year, Scottie Scheffler’s wife, Meredith, wasn’t with her husband to provide support. She was back in Dallas this past weekend as the couple is less than two weeks away from having their first child.

However, it was two years ago at the 2022 Masters when Meredith gave her golfing husband some solid personal advice before taking the first tee in the final round.

“Meredith told me this morning, ‘If you win this golf tournament today, or if you lose this golf tournament by 10 shots, or if you never win another golf tournament again, I’m still going to love you. You’re still going to be the same person. Jesus loves you, and nothing changes that.’”

That calmed Scheffler’s nerves as he played a golf course which demands precision on every shot. He won the 2022 Masters by three shots to claim his first major championship.

Two years later, his wife Meredith was back in Dallas, Texas. This time, Scottie Scheffler would depend on another member of his sports psychology team.

Introducing Ted Scott from Lafayette, Louisiana

Two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson won the tournament in 2010 and 2012 with the assistance of Ted Scott as his caddie. The pair worked together for 15 years through 2021. That was when Bubba Watson decided it was time for the pair to go their separate ways as Watson struggled with a lingering injury.

Afterwards, professional golf caddie Ted Scott considered returning home to Louisiana to become a golf instructor. What he didn’t know was that rising PGA star Scottie Scheffler had other plans for Bubba Watson’s long-time former caddie.

Scheffler met Ted Scott at the PGA Tour’s weekly Bible study. They had the chance to spend some time together during the week of the 2021 Zurich Classic of New Orleans as Scheffler and Bubba Watson partnered for the annual team event. Afterwards, Scheffler decided that he wanted a fellow Christian believer to be on his golf bag whenever he became available.

Before taking the job as a looper for then 25-year old Scottie Scheffler, Ted Scott (who is about 20 years older) wanted assurances that his new professional golfer would end his bad habit of getting angry on the golf course and, at times, hostile toward his own caddie.

Deal!

Scottie Scheffler has worked hard to improve his on-course attitude in recent years. He was downright stoic for the final 18 holes on Sunday at The Masters. Scheffler has relied on his experienced Christian caddie, Ted Scott, to help him maintain a calmer and more resilient presence while on the golf course.

“He keeps things loose”, said Scottie Scheffler. We have a lot of fun together. I respect him a lot as a person, and I respect his work ethic as a caddie. And so, for me, it’s been a pretty easy relationship so far just because I respect him so much.”

Sunday afternoon at The Masters, Scottie Scheffler was standing in the 15th fairway deciding whether to play it safe and lay-up in front of the lake or attempt to carry a 225-yard shot over the lake toward a very slick green shaped like an inverted oval bowl.

In the 1986 Masters, another prominent golfer made the wrong decision at the 15th hole when faced with that very same shot. Jack Nicklaus won his sixth and final Masters at the age of 46 after Seve Ballesteros fired his second shot into the lake on #15 to card a bogey and lose the lead.

In 2024, Scottie Scheffler trusted his caddie. He played a smart shot away from the water guarding the 15th green. The ball landed to the right of the green in a fairly benign sand trap. That was the safest and smartest play given the situation. Scheffler easily secured his par on the hole and maintained the lead with just three holes to go.

After adding a birdie on the par-3 16th hole on Sunday, Scottie Scheffler went on to claim his second Masters title in three years and ninth overall on the PGA Tour.

Game, set, match!

This season, Scottie Scheffler has become the World #1 ranked golfer in dominating fashion. Winning three times already in 2024, he has finished in the top ten on eight different occasions.

He is ranked #1 in putting average with just 1.66 putts per hole.

Scheffler is also #1 on the PGA Tour in scoring average at 68.84 shots per round. That’s a full shot lower than #2 Xander Schauffele’s 69.92 average per 18 holes.

The average PGA Tour player hits the green 62% of the time. Scottie Scheffler ranks #1 on that list, too. His golf ball lands on the putting surface nearly 75% of the time. That is 2% higher than the #2 player (Corey Connors).

Fun fact – all nine of Scheffler’s career victories have come during the months of February (2), March (5), and April (2). Though he is riding the hottest winning streak of his relatively short professional golf career, the #1 ranked golfer in the world will be taking a break soon.

The two-time Masters champion flew home to Dallas Sunday night to be with his wife, Meredith, to celebrate the win and start the countdown until the birth of their first child (expected by the end of April).

“I will go home, soak in this victory tonight,” said Scheffler. “Will definitely enjoy the birth of my first child. My priorities will change here very soon. My son or daughter will now be the main priority, along with my wife, so golf will now be probably fourth in line. But I still love competing. I don’t plan on taking my eye off the ball anytime soon, that’s for sure.”

Scheffler’s biggest personal sports psychologist gets most of the credit

Professional golfers make a lot of money, but they also spend a lot of cash paying for swing coaches, personal trainers, and even sports psychologists. Golfers must play well to earn money, and the pressure to succeed can be overwhelming at times.

Training your mind to have the mental discipline to handle success and disappointment on the golf course (often coming just minutes apart) separates the greatest golfers from the rest of the pack.

Unlike most PGA professionals, Scottie Scheffler’s most effective teacher in how to remain calm and confident under extreme pressure has come from a very reliable (and free) source.

“I believe that today’s plans were already laid out many years ago, and I could do nothing to mess up those plans,” Scheffler said Sunday. “I have been given a gift of this talent, and I use it for God’s glory. That’s pretty much it.”

Aha! There you have it!

The “secret” for Team Scottie Scheffler (his wife, his caddie, and the player) has been revealed. Don’t be surprised if the PGA Tour’s weekly Bible study and Sunday morning church service starts to show an increase in attendance during the coming weeks and months.

The Teacher’s classroom has plenty of room, and His lessons are beneficial for a lifetime. However, success may take some time as you learn to put the lessons into daily practice.

Though it takes a lot of discipline and mindful repetition, it might just change you forever.

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University of Kentucky men’s basketball fans are still rejoicing this weekend. Their long-time coach, the one with an incredible $33 million buyout provision, just left the state and moved to Fayetteville, Arkansas.

John Calipari is now being called “Gone” Calipari by many Kentucky’s Big Blue fans.

In northwest Arkansas, Razorback Nation seems thrilled to have purchased the former basketball coach away from the University of Kentucky. Ironically, the Pigs needed a very big check written by a wealthy chicken mogul in order to pull this all together.

How Kentucky men’s basketball fans became so spoiled

Legendary University of Kentucky men’s basketball coach Adolph Rupp led the Wildcats for an incredible 41 years from 1932-1972. Ironically, Coach Rupp was forced into retirement in 1972 after turning 70 years of age. That was because he reached the mandatory retirement age for state employees in Kentucky during that time.

While at Kentucky, Adolph Rupp’s teams won 82% of their games, 27 Southeastern Conference titles, four NCAA national titles and one NIT championship. After his retirement, the school built an enormous 23,000 seat arena (named for Coach Rupp, of course) to accommodate the incredible demand for basketball tickets every season.

In Kentucky, their men’s basketball team means as much (or more) as college football does in Tuscaloosa, Alabama…or Athens, Georgia…or Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

In the 50+ years since Coach Rupp retired, the Wildcats men’s basketball team has been successful but never as dominant as they had been in the past.

Subsequent coaches produced a lot of wins but not the number of national titles which Big Blue Kentucky Wildcats fans longed for.

Coaches such as Joe B. Hall (1978 championship), Eddie Sutton, Rick Pitino (1996), Tubby Smith (1998), Billy Gillespie, and, most recently, John Calipari (2012) have added a total of four national titles to the Kentucky trophy case. Kentucky basketball fans want more.

Kentucky’s love/hate relationship with Coach John Calipari

John Calipari was one of the best basketball recruiters (high school and transfer players) in the nation – even before he came to the University of Kentucky.

During his nine years at the University of Memphis, Coach Calipari was able to stock his basketball teams with some incredible talent.

John Calipari led Memphis to an incredible 61 victories in their 62 Conference USA games and no less than a Sweet Sixteen appearance during his last four years with the team. After Kentucky fired Billy Gillespie in 2009, Coach John Calipari became the Wildcats’ coach for the next 15 years.

As he did in Memphis, Coach Cal routinely signed the top high school recruiting classes during his long tenure at Kentucky.

Unfortunately, Coach Calipari’s incredible ability to recruit McDonald’s high school All-Americans came with some downsides, too. Most of those five-star recruits barely stayed long enough to unpack their bags in Lexington. With Kentucky’s frequent appearances on national television, many recruits were using the college program as a one or two year training camp prior to entering the NBA draft.

Then again, Coach Calipari used the procession of blue-chip high school players to perpetually tease the Big Blue fans into believing a national title was right around the corner. Though John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats won a national championship in 2012, many fans wondered why his teams didn’t win more.

It worked – until it didn’t

Big Blue basketball qualified for the NCAA post-season tournament 12 times in the past 15 seasons. In addition to its 2012 national title, Kentucky’s 2015 men’s basketball team went undefeated for an entire regular season. After winning their 38th game in succession, the Wildcats lost to Wisconsin in the March Madness national semifinals to finish the year at 38-1.

After nearly every season in John Calipari’s time at Kentucky, a parade of first or second year players left the program for the NBA draft.

The pattern had been established

Coach Calipari recruits another stellar class of high school All-Americans to come to Kentucky. However, his youthful Kentucky teams frequently were out-played and out-coached at some point in the NCAA post-season tournament nearly every year.

Fans and alumni at the University of Kentucky became spoiled by seeing a line-up of impressive young talent but quickly tired of slipping on the same banana peel in the NCAA tournament. Just a few weeks ago, #3 seed Kentucky lost in the first round to #14 seed Oakland University (Michigan) of the Horizon League.

Big Blue Nation basketball fans had seen enough.

At some point, the coach must accept the blame for the shortcomings of his perpetually highly touted teams. Coach John Calipari never did, and most Kentucky fans wanted him to be fired.

The coach’s incredible contract at Kentucky included a buy-out provision which would have paid him $33 million if he was fired from his job.

Enter Arkansas

The Razorbacks recently lost their most recent men’s basketball coach, Eric Musselman. He guided the Hogs to the NCAA Elite Eight in two consecutive years (2021 and 2022).

This year, though, Arkansas finished with its first losing record since 2010. Somewhat surprisingly, Coach Musselman was lured away by Southern Cal after the season ended.

Arkansas was now in need of a men’s basketball coach who could generate enough excitement to fill-up the school’s 19,300 seat Bud Walton Arena – the fifth largest college basketball arena in the country.

Arkansas needed a new men’s basketball coach. Kentucky’s current coach was looking for a new start. But $33 million stood in the way of making this happen. It was time for Athletics Director Hunter Yuratek to “Call the Hogs”.

Fortunately, Arkansas’s AD received a positive response from one prominent supporter.

John Tyson (chairman of nearby Springdale, Arkansas-based Tyson Foods) utilized some of his $3 billion fortune to pay any costs required to pay-off Kentucky and fund a new five-year deal to bring John Calipari to Fayetteville to coach the Razorbacks.

For the 70-year old John Tyson, his corporate brand will be more popular than ever in the states of Arkansas and Kentucky. It was pure marketing genius to boost sales in 2024 and the corporate image for years to come.

Who wants the pressure of dealing with Kentucky’s rabid basketball fans?

Upon hearing the news about this week’s departure of Coach John Calipari, Kentucky’s Big Blue Nation celebrated. Though the team’s loyal (and impatient) fan base believes that Kentucky is a premier coaching destination, not everyone wants the pressure which goes with the job. Kentucky’s basketball fans are spoiled and want their team in the hunt for a national championship every season.

Who wants the job? Not as many as Big Blue Nation might have first believed.

National champion UConn’s head coach, Dan Hurley, said, “No, thanks”. Then, Baylor men’s basketball coach Scott Drew just told Big Blue that he will remain in Waco. Though many fans wanted the program to bring back former coach Rick Pitino (now at St. John’s), the coach supported the hiring of one of his former Kentucky basketball players for the job.

“I love Mark Pope and his family and he would be an unbelievable choice,” said Pitino this week.

And just like that, Brigham Young’s current coach (and former Kentucky basketball player) Mark Pope was announced today as the new men’s basketball coach for the Wildcats.

University of Kentucky Athletics Director Tommy Barnhart seemed pleased and, quite likely, very relieved.

“Mark Pope not only brings an impressive record in nine years as a head coach, but also a love of the University of Kentucky and a complete understanding of what our program means to the people of our state,“ said Barnhart. “As a captain on the ‘96 championship team, Mark was a beloved and respected teammate. He fully embraces our high expectations and standards.”

Translated – Mark Pope understands that there is a short leash at Kentucky.

All’s well that ends well

Kentucky fans are much happier than they were a week ago. Coach John Calipari is gone. The school’s financial supporters didn’t have to pay the $33 million ransom to make Coach Cal walk the plank. Today, the school just hired “one of their own” who understands that winning national championships is expected at the University of Kentucky.

Arkansas fans are happier than they were a week ago. After losing their head coach to USC, a very wealthy supporter stepped-up to help the Hogs bring John Calipari to Fayetteville and raise expectations at Arkansas.

John Calipari is downright giddy about his life from just one week ago. He escaped from the ungrateful fans at Kentucky and will still earn $7 million per year at Arkansas. Not bad for a 65-year old coach.

Coach Mark Pope should be happier (perhaps) than he was a week ago. He is going home to Kentucky and will try to bring more national championships to those overzealous Big Blue fans.

Yes, John Tyson’s checkbook is now at least $33 million lighter.

However, the chicken mogul is basking in the glow of fan appreciation (in both Arkansas and Kentucky). Perhaps it will translate into higher product sales and growth of the stock price of Tyson Foods (NYSE: TSN).

Perhaps the two happiest people should be the Athletics Directors at both Kentucky and Arkansas. I think they should celebrate by having lunch together soon at Chick-fil-A.

Gentlemen, how would you like your chicken today – grilled or fried?

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The azaleas are in bloom. The fairways are immaculate. The greens are slicker than a politician making promises before an election.

Other than the always-lurking weather changes at Augusta National Golf Club, the 2024 Masters seems ready to host the first golf major of the year starting Thursday.

Speaking of weather, Thursday’s opening round is looking rather iffy as the golf grinches at the Augusta office of the National Weather Service are currently forecasting a 100% chance of rain with one to two inches possible.

If the local meteorologists in northeastern Georgia make weather predictions on par (get it?) with my local forecasters down here in the bayous, Thursday’s opening round may turn out to be just fine.

The wind, though, is another matter. Breezy conditions are expected Thursday and Friday with winds gusting up to 30 miles per hour. This will cause golfers more headaches while attempting to hit shots into (and putt on) those lightning-fast greens at Augusta National.

Isn’t The Masters glorious?

With the conclusion of college basketball’s March Madness, America’s sports attention turns to The Masters golf tournament again this week.

When my family finally purchased a color television in the late 1960’s (yes, I am that old), I rooted for Arnold Palmer while my Mom watched The Masters just to see the colorful azaleas in bloom around the golf course.

Though Arnie contended often and won four green jackets, Mom’s record of enjoying the flowers at this annual spring golf tournament remained undefeated.

Getting an admission ticket into The Masters golf tournament – even to watch a practice round – is one of the hardest items to acquire in American sports.

If you aren’t one of the thousands of legacy season ticket holders, a lottery is held in late May or early June every year for the rest of us. Statistically speaking, you have a 0.5% (or 1 in 200) chance of scoring a ticket to attend even a practice round on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday before the tournament begins. If you’re really lucky and win one of these lottery-based tickets, you still must pay $100 for a practice day or $140 for admission to one of the Thursday-Sunday tournament rounds.

Good luck finding a place to stay anywhere near Augusta, Georgia (population 200,000) during Masters week. The regulars have most of the hotels booked a full year in advance.

Would I go if I won a lottery ticket for next year’s Masters?

You bet! I would camp out in my car if necessary.

A tradition like no other…

Today’s Par-3 contest (won by Rickie Fowler at 5-under par) featured a relaxed atmosphere on the day before the start of the golf tournament. The professional golfers were allowed to bring their loved ones onto Augusta National’s 9-hole short course and make it a fun family event. The non-golfers in the group were required to wear the same traditional white jumpsuits which the caddies must wear. Watching the golfers’ toddlers running around on the fairways in tiny jumpsuits made for some great television.

On Thursday morning around 6:45AM Central time (weather permitting), 84-year old Jack Nicklaus (winner of six Masters’ titles), 3-time winner Gary Player (a very spry 88), and two-time champion Tom Watson (74) will hit the ceremonial first tee shots on #1 to officially signal the start of this year’s golf tournament. Watson took the spot left by beloved former Masters champion Arnold Palmer after his death in 2016.

The limited field at The Masters has just 90 golfers including five amateurs. Though half of the field is from the United States, the 45 golfers from 22 other countries truly make The Masters a worldwide golf spectacle.

Former Masters champions – including oldies-but-goodies such as 64-year old Fred Couples, Vijay Singh (61), and 58-year old Jose Maria Olazabal –will tee it up this week. Once the second round is completed, the field will be cut to the top 50 players (and ties) for the weekend’s third and fourth rounds.

If you get hungry from walking the hilly terrain of Augusta National Golf Club, the prices for food and beverages at The Masters remain budget friendly.

The highly-touted Pimento Cheese sandwich is still just $1.50 this year. You will pay only $3 for a Bar-B-Que Pork, Club, or Classic Chicken sandwich. A bag of chips or peanuts is a reasonable $1.50. Let’s eat!

Will the golf pirates of LIV Golf plunder a green jacket this year?

This will be the second Masters tournament in which LIV golfers have competed. There will be 13 LIV golfers among the field of 90. That represents 14.4% of the entries in this year’s tournament.

LIV Golf (which is now in its third season) has signed several former Masters champions. The group is led by 3-time winner Phil Mickelson. He joins two-time champ Bubba Watson along with Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, Patrick Reed, and Charl Schwartzel in the field.

Let’s not forget about the defending champion, Jon Rahm!

The 2023 Masters winner, Spain’s Jon Rahm shocked the PGA Tour last fall by accepting a deal worth more than $300 million in signing bonuses to join the upstart LIV Golf league.

In addition, a variety of other Masters qualifications allowed current LIV stars such as Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Cameron Smith, Tyrell Hatton, Adrian Meronk, and Joaquin Niemann into this year’s tournament.

The oddsmakers have placed four of the LIV golfers (Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Joaquin Niemann, and Bryson DeChambeau) within the top ten betting favorites for the title this weekend.

Since Jon Rahm was on the PGA Tour in 2023 when he won The Masters, this year might find the green jacket being slipped onto one of the 13 LIV golfers in the tournament. Augusta National Golf Course places a premium on shot-making, putting, and calm nerves. LIV Golf paid dearly to sign many of their top golfers who had proven themselves under the pressure of major golf tournaments in the past.

Whatever happened to that proposed PGA Tour and LIV Golf merger?

Almost a year ago, the PGA Tour Commissioner announced that a men’s golf merger with the owners of LIV Golf would take place before December 31, 2023. That didn’t happen, but neither party has closed the door on consummating a deal, either.

In late January, the PGA Tour signed an agreement with a US-based private equity group called Strategic Sports Group. The deal was worth a reported $3 billion. Half of the money has been targeted to make the PGA Tour golfers equity partners in this new endeavor.

Jordan Spieth served on the PGA Tour board and said the deal was terrific news for the players.

“The coolest thing about it is the players are now owners,” said Spieth. “They now are equity owners so they want to push it themselves; they want to make the product better themselves. Not that they didn’t before, but you directly benefit from owning a piece.”

Afterwards, the PGA Tour carefully stated that they were still willing to include the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (owners of LIV Golf) as a future business partner, too. As of this post, there had been no change in the status of the two golf leagues. They continue to operate separately – just as before.

Some professional golfers at The Masters this week have some strong opinions and feelings about LIV Golf and the PGA Tour.

There has been a palpable tension among some players. Many pro golfers who have remained loyal to the PGA Tour have an opposing viewpoint about the players who exited for the guaranteed money, the team element, and shorter annual schedule offered by LIV Golf.

Though the PGA golfers have done much of the whining, their own long-standing golf tour has significantly increased the purses to help compete with LIV Golf. Men’s professional golfers in both leagues are doing just fine – financially speaking.

What if one of the 13 LIV golfers should don that famous green jacket in victory this Sunday evening?

I would expect some of the PGA Tour golfers will become “Masters green” with envy as tensions build heading into this spring and summer’s three other major golf tournaments.

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Quick! Name three of the best men’s college basketball players in the nation this year.

That’s what I thought, because I wasn’t able to name any particular trio, either.

Answer: 7’4” center Zach Edey (Purdue) received 57 of the 62 top votes for the Associated Press Men’s Player of the Year. Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht finished a distant second with three votes and Jamal Shead (University of Houston) picked up the other two.

That’s it. Just three men’s basketball players out of thousands of talented college athletes received a vote for the Player of the Year.

Last week, Purdue’s very tall center Zach Edey became the first men’s hoopster in more than 41 years to win the top individual award in back-to-back years. Another giant (7’4” Ralph Sampson of Virginia) won this title three times in a row ending in 1983.

Iowa’s high-scoring Caitlyn Clark picked up all but one vote to take the women’s top player award from the AP for the second straight year, too. The only other person to receive a vote on the women’s side was Cameron Brink of Stanford.

The Player-of-the-Year voting was based on a player’s regular season performance. The past three weeks of March Madness competition had no bearing on their selection.

Women’s college basketball has been catching fire. But why?

Speaking of Caitlyn Clark, the soon-to-be-leaving Iowa Hawkeye scoring machine has helped to grow the television ratings for women’s college basketball in the past two seasons. For the first time ever, there was nearly parity this season as viewers have begun to gravitate more toward the women’s games on television.

Last Monday’s Elite Eight game featuring the Iowa women’s team playing defending champion LSU brought a then-record 12 million viewers.

Every game at this level will feature great players.

However, this game had Iowa’s Caitlyn Clark – the leading scorer in women’s college basketball – playing against LSU’s 6’3” post player Angel Reese and the team’s fiery coach, Kim Mulkey.

LSU was trying to defend its 2023 national championship title. The Iowa vs. LSU game last week had lots of talent, passion, personalities, and a terrific story line.

The result was a new record television audience for women’s basketball.

Just a few days later, Iowa defeated UConn on Friday night in a Final Four thriller. The match-up once again featured a good storyline and some very familiar names.

Would Caitlyn Clark’s Iowa team be able to make it into a second straight national championship game? To do that, the Hawkeyes would have to down perennial contender UConn with its All-American guard, Paige Bueckers, and the team’s Hall-of-Fame coach, Geno Auriemma.

The game featured some well-known basketball players, a familiar coach, and two well-known basketball schools playing in a “win-or-go home” Final Four environment.

Just days after setting a television viewership record, this game shattered the mark set last Monday with an estimated 14.2 million people watching Friday’s second game of a Final Four doubleheader.

That is nearly three times the average Women’s Final Four television viewership from just a few years ago.

On Sunday afternoon, the women’s championship game was played on ABC. It featured a similar high-interest formula to create a buzz for many basketball fans.

There was Iowa’s senior guard Caitlyn Clark trying to lead her team to a national title. South Carolina came into the game undefeated and trying to win its third title in eight years. The Gamecocks brought a deep and talented team lead by a giant center in 6’7” Kamilla Cardoso. Plus, there was South Carolina’s (pardon my pun) sometimes cocky head coach, Dawn Staley, who seems to enjoy being (in pro wrestling terms) a baby face to some or the heel to others.

Though the game was tied at halftime, South Carolina pulled away to take the championship with a 87-75 victory and finished an incredible 38-0 perfect season.

Another game, another viewing record established for women’s basketball! An estimated 18.7 million television fans watched the South Carolina vs. Iowa game.

The television audience for men’s college basketball keeps shrinking

On the men’s side of March Madness, the television ratings have been in a slow decline for several years.

The 1978 battle between Larry Bird’s Indiana State Sycamores and Magic Johnson’s Michigan State set the all-time record with more than 35 million viewers. That classic 1983 Final Four game between the University of Houston and underdog NC State pulled 32 million television fans.

The final time which thirty million fans watched a March Madness men’s game was in 1994 when Coach Nolan Richardson’s University of Arkansas team beat the mighty Duke Blue Devils.

Beginning in 1995, twenty million or more television viewers generally became the norm for the Men’s Final Four games.

In the past two years, neither the men’s Final Four semifinals nor the championship game have been able to attract more than 18 million television viewers.

What is causing the erosion of fan interest in men’s college basketball?

For the same reasons why the women have been seeing increases, the men’s tournament has seen a dramatic decrease in multi-year star basketball players playing for the same school (and coaches). That can be blamed on several things:

1. The NBA’s “One and done” rule allowing the most talented players to enter the NBA just one year after leaving high school. By the way, that rule was adopted after a guy named LeBron James went directly into the NBA from high school.
2. The NCAA’s Transfer Portal allowing players to immediately transfer from one college to another in the following semester.
3. The increasing amount of NIL dollars being paid in recent years to players to either start their college career at one university or to later transfer to another – in most cases for more money.

For some of the men, times have never been better.

For long-time fans of men’s college basketball, times have never been worse.

Monday night’s 2024 men’s championship game features a battle of two 7-foot giants playing on a couple of very good teams. Purdue’s Zach Edey is 7’4” and will face a (ahem) big test in UConn’s 7’2” colossus named Donavan Clingan. Though both are very talented centers, the two big men possess the combined on-court charisma of watching Frankenstein go up against Lurch from The Addams Family.

If you have watched the 36-3 UConn Huskies during March Madness, the entire team plays like a well-rehearsed symphonic orchestra and displays very little emotion. Though the team has been quite successful, they play a rather boring style of basketball. Much the same can be said of the 34-4 Purdue Boilermakers.

In addition to the lack of star power in Monday’s men’s finale, the two head coaches (UConn’s Dan Hurley and Matt Painter of Purdue) are relatively bland personalities, too. Without a Coach K of Duke or some other high profile coach to root for (or against) on either team, it makes it harder to get fired-up to watch this UConn vs. Purdue match-up unless you have a personal interest in one of the two teams.

It’s a certainty that the championship game between these two #1 seeds (which is happening for just the tenth time in modern history) will feature many excellent plays made by some superb college basketball players.

For fans at home, it will be a game filled with “Who Dat?” comments as the majority of players on both squads are relatively unknown to the average college basketball fan.

Will the men’s title game on Monday night have more television viewers than the 18.7 million watching the women’s championship game on Sunday afternoon?

The women’s college basketball game is here to stay – at least for now.

As mentioned earlier, the NBA allows men to be drafted into the professional ranks at age 19 (or one full year after high school graduation). By contrast, the WNBA will only allow teams to draft women’s college basketball players who are graduating seniors or those who are turning twenty-two years old during this year.

The WNBA is 50% owned by the NBA. The men’s league has quietly subsidized the money-losing WNBA for many years. Unlike the NBA, the WNBA does not have a developmental league to allow younger players to play regularly and improve. Since the women’s professional league has yet to turn a profit, it doesn’t make economic sense to fund a developmental league (at least at this time).

That’s why women’s college basketball players will likely remain better known to those of us home viewers in the post-season going forward. With four years for college basketball fans and television viewers to become more acquainted with the top women’s players, teams, and their coaches, the chances are high that women’s college basketball is going to maintain or grow in popularity.

Get used to it, guys!

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Last fall, my small high school held a reunion which included a few years of graduating classes (a few years before and few years after our graduation year) so that we would have a nice sized gathering of friends on hand. It was a fabulous evening!

If you haven’t seen most of your former classmates in several decades, it takes a bit of time to get used to seeing “Sally” with her new lighter-shade of hair color. Ol’ Bob may not as much hair as he used to, either. Some of us have added a few pounds (OK, I’m about 30 pounds heavier than my rail-thin former self as a senior in high school).

Once you finally recognize a long-time friend via their eyes and smile, it is a wonderful thing to behold. It was such a treat to see so many of my old friends – all together – for what might be our last time. You just never know, right? The three hours spent at my high school reunion last year may have been the fastest three hours of my life.

What does this have to do with sports? Plenty!

In case you haven’t noticed, there have been a number of us OG’s (Old Guys) making the sports headlines recently.

Remembering Hal Sutton (???)

Shreveport’s Hal Sutton, the 1983 PGA Championship winner, is now 65 years of age.

Though he still has family back in northwest Louisiana, the 14-time PGA winner and former Ryder Cup captain moved to Texas several years ago. After decades of playing professional golf, Hal Sutton has transformed into a golf instructor and golf course designer.

Sutton has spent much of his time in the past year designing and completing a new golf course in Columbus, Texas (halfway between Houston and San Antonio) which is set to open in June.

Until Hal Sutton passed away recently!??

Apparently, the print version of the March, 2024 PGA Magazine inadvertently listed Hal Sutton in their obituary section as having died on January 19, 2024.

That was big news to him! Hal posted a funny response via Twitter/X.com after several friends and fans notified him about this very surprising revelation.

“Just a correction, the PGA Magazine put me in the obituaries as having passed away January 19th!!! I didn’t and I’m alive and well – just putting the finishing touches on Darmor Club before our opening June 1. Thanks to all who have checked up on me (smile emoji).”

Ironically, the person who actually did pass away on January 19 this year was one of Sutton’s former instructors and close friend, Jackie Burke. Mr. Burke was 100 years old.

Hal Sutton (obviously relieved to know that he is still among the living) added, “I don’t know but it was a reminder to be grateful for life. A lot of people checked on me so I was thankful for that.”

Indeed! Note to Shreveport’s Northwood High School and Centenary College – please keep Hal Sutton on your reunion lists!

A 51-year old WWE wrestler makes a final comeback this weekend!

As we covered in a recent story, former WWE wrestling superstar-turned-Hollywood star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was as a primary investor and owner in 2023’s reincarnation of the XFL. The spring football league lost a reported $60 million last season. Over the winter, the XFL merged with the USFL to return as this spring’s UFL.

Fortunately for Dwayne Johnson and a few others, last weekend’s first games in the new UFL showed some improvement in the television ratings. Time will tell, though.

Whether “The Rock” wanted to regain some of his former wealth (his net worth was estimated at a whopping $800 million a few years ago), Johnson agreed to make another (and, perhaps, final) return into professional wrestling’s squared circle this weekend.

On Saturday and Sunday in Philadelphia at WrestleMania 40 (yes, we ARE that old), the wrestling legend will become part of a tag-team event featuring his real-life distant Samoan cousin, Roman Reigns.

They will take on the duo of Cody Rhodes (son of former wrestler, Dusty Rhodes) and his tag partner Seth Rollins in Saturday night’s top match.

The man known as “The Rock” has trained for several months getting ready for this return wrestling match – and his next movie, too. Dwayne Johnson’s immense box-office popularity has been a direct result of his extraordinary professional wrestling persona.

Though he has remained in terrific shape, the 51-year old Johnson said that getting into wrestling shape once again is not the same thing. It hasn’t been easy.

“Suplexes, a launch off the top rope, a catch, like bodies hitting bodies,” said “The Rock”. “It’s things like that that you have to do and have to prepare for. And you’re getting bruised up, you’re hitting the ropes. It comes back fairly quickly … like riding a bike.”

On Saturday night within an outdoor wrestling ring in the middle of the NFL Philadelphia Eagles football stadium, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will have the audience in attendance and those watching on Pay-per-View in the palm of his hands.

One night later on Sunday, Johnson will be (perhaps?) on the sidelines as his Saturday night partner (and three-year WWE Champion) Roman Reigns puts his title on the line against recent fan favorite Cody Rhodes.

As we’re dusting off this weekend’s oldies-but-goodies show, would it surprise anyone if Sunday night’s main event somehow included a surprise return of The Rock’s 59-year old former foe, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin?

If those two senior citizens start going at it like they did a few decades ago, the local paramedics should stay alert Sunday night in Philly.

83-year old golf announcer Verne Lundquist takes his final bow at The Masters next week

Back in 1986, a 46-year old Jack Nicklaus rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole at Augusta National Golf Club to provide a one-stroke margin of victory in The Masters. CBS Television’s Verne Lundquist’s famous “Yes, Sir!” call as the golf ball dropped into the cup is replayed every year and still evokes a joyful memory of one of the most thrilling golf comebacks in history.

In addition to golf, the understated (as announcers go) Verne Lundquist was the primary play-by-play voice for the CBS Saturday afternoon SEC football games for more than two decades. His enthusiasm on the air could make even the most boring games fun to watch.

Merton Laverne Lundquist (who became known as Verne Lundquist at the behest of a local radio station program director) has worked behind the microphone for decades. Lundquist handled hundreds of NFL and college football games, the Winter Olympics, and was a mainstay for the Dallas Cowboys radio network from 1970-1984.

A long-time television sports anchor at Dallas television station WFAA, Verne Lundquist also hosted a very popular local version of the syndicated television show “Bowling for Dollars”. Though he doesn’t like to remember those days, others do!

“Honest to God, maybe once a week, I’ll be in a public place like a grocery store or an airport, someone from Dallas will say, ‘I grew up watching you on Bowling For Dollars’”, chuckled Lundquist.

Now 83 years of age, Verne Lundquist will be signing off for the final time next week after 40 years of covering The Masters golf tournament for CBS. Before the tournament begins on Thursday, April 11, he wants to chat with a couple of special people before the telecasts begin.

“I want to see Tiger (Woods) at the end of the Champions Dinner on Tuesday night. I just want to say goodbye to him and thank him. Same with Jack (Nicklaus),” said Lundquist. “Those two guys have had a terrific impact on my professional career and I’m in deep gratitude to them both.”

Long-time CBS Masters host Jim Nantz recently said that Verne Lundquist’s timely calls of several historic golf shots at golf’s first major championship of the year will live for decades to come.

“What I’m saying here is that Verne’s going to always have a home with Augusta. He’s going to be a part of Augusta forever,”

Will Verne Lundquist soon be gone from the CBS and The Masters coverage team? Yes, sir!

Let’s just hope that television broadcasting legend Verne Lundquist does not receive the same type of “Goodbye!” surprise as former PGA Championship winner Hal Sutton did recently. Thanks for the memories, Verne!

The post Senior Citizens of Sports Strike Again! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

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Hopefully, you have been enjoying this year’s men’s and women’s NCAA March Madness college basketball tournaments as much as I have. The mix of terrific talent, great coaching, and, let’s be honest, some exceptionally fortunate timing (I’m talking to you, NC State men!) have made for an exciting two weeks of college hoops.

By the way, my SwampSwamiSports picks on CBSSports.com have been both bad and good. My men’s predictions (which had the University of Houston winning it all) put me at an embarrassing #1,460,280 position.

I don’t know how many people entered, but that’s really bad.

My women’s predictions have been excellent! Heading into Friday night’s Women’s Final Four, I am ranked #3,554.

Somehow, I still have all four teams alive with UConn as my predicted champion.

How many players on the Final Four teams this year are transfers from another school?

While enjoying the action on television, I couldn’t help but notice a significant trend with the majority of the top men’s and women’s college teams. A text from a friend last weekend also noted the same thing. He suggested that I do a little research on this subject.

For the past two weeks of March Madness basketball action, the television announcers have continued to note that a particular player had transferred after playing basketball for one or more years at another university.

With the advent of the NCAA’s transfer portal and the ability to earn significant bonus bucks via the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) cash promotion machine, several teams in this weekend’s Final Four will feature more transfer players seeing playing time than those initially recruited by the program as they came out of high school.

Such as…D.J. Burns and most of the NC State Wolfpack men’s team

The darlings of this year’s March Madness men’s tournament have been North Carolina State. The #11 seeded Wolfpack men’s basketball team had to win five games in five days in the ACC Tournament just to get into the NCAA field. They have added four more wins in the NCAA tournament to reach the Final Four this Saturday.

NC State also features seven of its top eight men’s players who began playing college basketball for another university prior to coming to Raleigh.

The only non-transfer player in the regular rotation for NC State (which I define as someone who plays 15 minutes or more per game) is freshman guard Dennis Parker, Jr. The other seven top players for the Wolfpack are all transfer students from other universities.

My personal favorite March Madness player, big man D.J. Burns of NC State, started college at Tennessee but was redshirted and didn’t play a game in Knoxville. He quickly transferred to Winthrop University (located in Rock Hill, South Carolina) to play basketball for the next three seasons. D.J. Burns had two years of college eligibility left as he transferred to Raleigh to play for NC State.

Who left the NC State team to make room for these incoming transfer players?

That’s a very good question, indeed!

One dirty little secret about college athletics is that the scholarship awarded to each player is subject to being renewed or discontinued by the coaching staff after every season.

Let’s say that our theoretical high school phenom named “Stevie Slamdunk” signed a full scholarship to play basketball and attend Large State University.

After a glorious signing ceremony held at his high school, Stevie strutted into college and quickly learned that he is now competing with many other top recruits and highly touted transfers. He must compete hard just to earn playing time. At the end of the season, there is no guarantee that his much-celebrated scholarship is going to be renewed for a second season.

With the recent advent of the NCAA’s transfer portal, the process is now working two ways.

As soon as this year’s basketball season ends for the college athlete, the player can say, “I want out!” by entering the NCAA’s transfer portal. The amended rules now permit athletes to move to another school in the next semester (instead of sitting out a full year after transferring as in previous decades).

If another school wants to sign an eligible transfer player, a mutually agreeable deal is negotiated. In today’s environment, the deal likely includes a healthy amount of NIL money for the player doing future (wink, wink) work doing commercials, endorsements, and personal appearances.

The player’s former coach and team will now move into action, too. “Stevie Slamdunk” must notify his current school that he is entering the NCAA transfer portal. The coaching staff at Large State University will now begin searching for talented players willing to transfer into their program – if the price is right.

As each college roundball season ends, a growing number of players are waiving their hands (via the NCAA transfer portal) to announce their availability to overtures from another school.

This new form of musical chairs is definitely helping the moving van business.

What happened to all of those NC State players on last year’s roster?

The NC State Wolfpack men’s basketball team from the 2022-23 season had three players (including a walk-on Senior) complete their college eligibility.

Another four basketball players from last year’s NC State team transferred to another school.

Jack Clark – 6’8” guard – transferred to Clemson this year and averaged 4.7 points/game

Ebenezer Dowuona – 6’11” forward – landed at Georgia Tech and scored 1 point/game.

Greg Gant – 6’8” forward – transferred to UNC Asheville and averaged 1.8 points/game

Isaiah Miranda – 7’1” center – moved west to Oklahoma State. However, he played in only three games for the Cowboys this season (averaging 2.7 points/game) and quit the team “to focus on his professional career”.

Another player vanished from the NC State 2022-2023 squad with higher aspirations.

Terquavion Smith, a 6’4” shooting guard, averaged 18 points per game during his sophomore season for last year’s Wolfpack team. He entered the 2023 NBA draft but was not selected. Smith eventually signed a free agent contract to play with the Delaware Blue Coats of NBA’s developmental G-League. He has averaged 22 points/game with Delaware and recently was promoted to the team’s NBA affiliate, the Philadelphia 76ers.

In summary, eight former NC State players from last year’s 2022-2023 squad have either completed their eligibility, transferred to another university, or are trying professional basketball.

Their roster spots this season were filled with transfer players and an incoming freshman.

One team in the Women’s Final Four has ZERO transfers among its top players!

Meet the 33-5 UConn Huskies women’s basketball team!

Led by 70-year old Hall-of-Fame Coach Geno Auriemma, the top eight UConn women’s players (defined as averaging more than 15 minutes of playing time per game) were all high school recruits initially signed by the Huskies. They have stayed together at UConn since arriving on campus. Led by All-American guard Paige Bueckers, the Big East Champion Huskies are peaking at the right time at the end of this season.

The UConn women defeated #1 seed USC Monday night to advance into NCAA Women’s Final Four event this week in Cleveland, Ohio. In Friday’s nightcap semifinal game on ESPN, UConn will face the 33-4 Iowa Hawkeyes and women’s all-time scoring champion Caitlyn Clark. Iowa outscored the defending national champion LSU Tigers 94-87 on Monday night to earn their trip to Cleveland.

By the way, Iowa’s top five players in their rotation (including Caitlyn Clark) all joined the team as freshmen and have stayed with the school. Two of the Hawkeyes’ top reserve players are transfers.

Let’s count the transfers – by team – in the Women and Men’s Final Four games

On Friday night, ESPN will present the NCAA Women’s Final Four in Cleveland. The women’s field includes only eight of the top 30 players (26.7%) as transfers.

In the 6PM Central first national semifinal, the 36-0 South Carolina Gamecocks (with just two transfer players among its top nine players) face 31-6 North Carolina State (which features four of its top six players as transfers).

In Friday night’s second semifinal game at 8:30PM, the 33-4 Iowa Hawkeyes (with only two of its top seven players as transfers) plays 33-5 UConn (no transfer players among its top eight).

The women’s championship game will be played on Sunday afternoon (April 7) at 2PM Central and shown on both ABC and ESPN.

This Saturday night in Phoenix, the men will take the stage on TBS with its doubleheader of NCAA Final Four games. The men’s field will show an incredible 57.1% (16 of 28) of its key players as transfers from other schools.

In Saturday’s 5PM Central men’s opening semifinal game, the 33-4 Purdue Boilermakers (with only one transfer among its top six players) will play the surprising 26-11 North Carolina State Wolfpack (which features seven of its top eight players as transfers).

Saturday’s nightcap at 8:30PM will find top seed 35-3 UConn (three of its seven top players are transfers) tackling 25-11 Alabama (with five of its top seven players being transfers).

The men’s championship game will be played on Monday night, April 8. The tip-off will happen at the very unfriendly-for-school kids time of 8:20 PM Central on TBS.

Enjoy the games this weekend!

In case you were interested, here are the players for each team (averaging at least 15 min/game of playing time) and their prior schools:

Women’s Final Four teams:

North Carolina State: https://gopack.com/

Aziaih James – Soph – NC State (1 and 2)

Saniya Rivers – Junior – South Carolina (1) and NC State (2 and 3)

Mimi Collins – Graduate – Tennessee (1), Maryland (2, 3, 4) and NC State (5)

Madison Hayes – Senior – Mississippi State (1) and NC State (2, 3, and 4)

River Baldwin – Graduate – Florida State (1, 2, and 3), and NC State (4, 5)

Zoe Brooks – Freshman – NC State (1)

South Carolina: https://gamecocksonline.com/

Kamilla Cardoso – Senior – Syracuse (1 and 2) and S. Carolina (3 and 4)

MLaysia Fulwiley – Freshman – South Carolina (1)

Te-Hina Paopao – Senior – Oregon (1, 2, and 3) and S. Carolina (4)

Ashlyn Watkins – Soph – South Carolina (1 and 2)

Chloe Kitts – Soph – South Carolina (1 and 2)

Bree Hall – Junior – South Carolina (1, 2, and 3)

Raven Johnson – Soph – South Carolina (1 and 2)

Sania Feagin – Junior – South Carolina (1, 2, and 3)

Tessa Johnson – Freshman – South Carolina (1)

Iowa: https://hawkeyesports.com/

Caitlyn Clark – Senior – Iowa (1, 2, 3, and 4)

Hannah Stuelke – Soph – Iowa (1 and 2)

Kate Martin – Graduate – Iowa (1, 2, 3, 4 and 5)

Sydney Affolter – Junior – Iowa (1, 2, and 3)

Gabbie Marshall – 5th year Senior – Iowa (1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)

Molly Davis – 5th year Senior – Central Michigan (1, 2, and 3) and Iowa (4 and 5)

Kylie Feuerbach – Junior – Iowa State (1) and Iowa (2 and 3)

Connecticut: https://uconnhuskies.com/

Paige Buekers – Junior – UConn (1, 2, and 3)

Aaliyah Edwards – Senior – UConn (1, 2, 3, and 4)

Ashlynn Shade – Freshman – UConn (1)

Azzi Fudd – Junior – UConn (1, 2, and 3)

Aubrey Griffin – Graduate – UConn (1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)

KK Arnold – Freshman – UConn (1)

Nika Muhl – Senior – UConn (1, 2, 3, and 4)

Ice Brady – Freshman – UConn (1)

Men’s Final Four teams:

North Carolina State: https://gopack.com/

D.J. Horne – Graduate – Illinois State (1 and 2), Arizona State (3 and 4), and NC State (5)

D.J. Burns, Jr. – Graduate – Tennessee (RS), Winthrop (1, 2, 3), and NC State (4 and 5)

Casey Morsell – Graduate – Virginia (1 and 2), NC State (3, 4, and 5)

Jayden Taylor – Junior – Butler (1 and 2), and NC State (3)

Mohamed Diarra – Junior – Garden City Comm. College (1), Missouri (2), and NC State (3)

Michael O’Connell – Senior – Graduate – Stanford (1, 2, 3) and NC State (4, 5)

Ben Middlebrooks – Junior – Clemson (1 and 2), and NC State (3)

Dennis Parker, Jr. – Freshman – NC State (1)

Purdue: https://purduesports.com/

Zach Edey – Senior – Purdue (1, 2, 3, and 4)

Braden Smith – Soph – Purdue (1 and 2)

Lance Jones – Graduate – Southern Illinois (1, 2, 3, 4) and Purdue (5)

Fletcher Loyer – Soph – Purdue (1 and 2)

Mason Gillis – Senior – Purdue (1, 2, 3, and 4)

Trey Kaufman-Renn – Soph – Purdue (1 and 2)

UConn: https://uconnhuskies.com/

Tristen Newton – Graduate – East Carolina (1, 2, 3) and UConn (4 and 5)

Cam Spencer – Graduate – Loyola Maryland (1, 2, 3), Rutgers (4) and UConn (5)

Alex Karaban – Soph – UConn (1 and 2)

Donovan Clingan – Soph – UConn (1 and 2)

Stephon Castle – Freshman – UConn (1)

Hassan Diarra – Senior – Texas A&M (1 and 2) and UConn (3 and 4)

Samson Johnson – Junior – UConn (1, 2, and 3)

Alabama: https://rolltide.com/

Mark Sears – Senior – Ohio University (1 and 2) and Alabama (3 and 4)

Aaron Estrada – Graduate – St. Peter’s (1), Oregon (2), Hoffstra (3 and 4), and Alabama (5)

Grant Nelson – Senior – North Dakota State (1, 2, and 3) and Alabama (4)

Rylan Griffen – Soph – Alabama (1 and 2)

Latrell Wrightsell, Jr. – Senior – Cal State-Fullerton (1, 2 and 3) and Alabama (4)

Nick Pringle – Senior – Wofford (1), Dodge City Comm. College (2) and Alabama (3 and 4)

Jarin Stevenson – Freshman – Alabama (1)

The post The 2024 “Rent-a-Transfer” Final Four games appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

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When you think of the great quarterbacks who played for the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers, the list is really quite short. Actually, I can only think of two during my lifetime.

Louisiana Tech’s Terry Bradshaw led the black and gold to four Super Bowl rings during the 1970’s. More recently, it was former Miami of Ohio quarterback Ben Roethlisberger taking Pittsburgh to two additional NFL titles during his three Super Bowl appearances with the team.

In between those Hall-of-Fame talents, Pittsburgh’s quarterback duties have been handled by a variety of players unlikely to see the NFL Hall-of-Fame without paying for admission. Check out the list.

“Here we go, Steelers!”

Terry Bradshaw – 1970-1982

Cliff Stoudt – 1983

Mark Malone – 1984-1987

Bubby Brister – 1988-1990

Neil O’Donnell – 1991-1995

Mike Tomczak – 1996

Kordell Stewart – 1997-2001

Ben Roethlisberger – 2002-2021

Every quarterback on that list was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers except Mike Tomczak. The Steelers rarely reach outside of their own organization at the quarterback spot. In the past, they have depended heavily on their own college draft picks to become their primary signal callers.

“There they went, Steelers!”

That long-time quarterback trend in Pittsburgh abruptly ended over the past month.

The entire three man quarterback group for the 2023 Pittsburgh Steelers has completed vanished. If you thought it was because the team was really bad, you would be wrong. Pittsburgh went 10-7 during the 2023 regular season but lost in the opening round of the NFL playoffs at Buffalo.

Can you remember any NFL playoff team shedding its entire quarterback squad following a playoff season? I can’t. If the Steelers’ quarterback trio was so bad, why have all three of them already found a spot on another team?

Let’s investigate the mysterious disappearance of last year’s Pittsburgh Steelers quarterbacks

1. Third stringer Mitch Trubisky was originally selected in the first round out of the University of North Carolina by the Chicago Bears (remember that name) with the 2nd overall pick in the draft in 2017. After four years in the Windy City, he was traded to Buffalo in 2021. Trubisky then signed with Pittsburgh for 2022 and 2023 and played as the team’s third team QB for the past couple of years. Mitch Trubisky was released by Pittsburgh in February but quickly signed a contract to play once again in Buffalo this year.

2. Second-team quarterback Mason Rudolph was drafted by the Steelers in Round 3 of the 2018 NFL draft. This highly successful college quarterback at Oklahoma State became the primary back-up to long-time Steelers’ starter Ben Roethlisberger. Unfortunately, Mason Rudolph displayed a tendency to throw interceptions at key times of the game when inserted into the line-up. In 2023, an injury to starting quarterback Kenny Pickett gave Rudolph a chance to shine. He led Pittsburgh to victory in the team’s final two regular season games to secure a playoff spot. Mason Rudolph just signed a new deal to play for the Tennessee Titans next season.

3. The starting quarterback in 2023 was Kenny Pickett. Drafted near the end of the first round only two years ago in 2022, Pickett was considered to be a hometown hero. A first team All-American quarterback at the University of Pittsburgh, Pickett played his college football games on the same field and stadium used by the Steelers. He quickly became the starter for the Pittsburgh Steelers in his rookie season and again in 2023. Unfortunately, Pickett’s strong self-confidence didn’t necessarily translate into top-tier NFL stats. Some blame it on Pittsburgh’s woeful former offensive coordinator Matt Canada. Others believed that KP had become a locker-room problem for the Steelers. Kenny Pickett was traded by the Steelers earlier in March to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Who will replace those three quarterbacks in Pittsburgh?

Remember Russell Wilson?

The former Seattle Seahawks quarterback was traded to the Denver Broncos just two years ago. After arriving in the Mile High City, Wilson signed a 5-year $250 million contract with Denver and was expected to jump-start the Bronco’s floundering offense.

Only two years later, Russell Wilson finds himself in Pittsburgh. Fortunately for Steelers fans, Russell Wilson will “only” cost Pittsburgh slightly more than $1 million this season as Denver will be forced to honor $85 million of financial obligations owed to their former quarterback.

The Denver Broncos’ current head coach is Sean Payton. The legendary New Orleans Saints coach knows a good quarterback when he sees one. He spent more than a dozen years building a perennial contender in the Crescent City alongside of future Hall-of-Famer Drew Brees. Sean Payton also played college quarterback at Eastern Illinois. He understands the demands of the position.

One year before Payton arrived in Denver, the desperate Broncos, riding a five year losing streak, hired relative unknown Nathaniel Hackett to become their head coach. That’s when the Broncos rolled the dice and leveraged the team’s budget to trade for Seattle’s 34-year old Russell Wilson, a former Super Bowl champion quarterback.

In the process, Denver gave up a first and second round pick in both 2022 and 2023 along with the Broncos’ former quarterback, Drew Lock. That was just the beginning, though.

The Broncos then agreed to a new 5-year contract to sign Russell Wilson for the remainder of his NFL career. With guarantees of more than $161 million, the deal paid the aging quarterback about $50 million per season over five years.

After Russell Wilson’s first year in Denver led to an embarrassing 5-12 record, Denver fired rookie head coach Nathaniel Hackett. His firing came a few months after a group of buyers led by a couple of heirs to the Wal-Mart retail empire had purchased the Denver Broncos for $4.65 billion.

The Walton family did not become wealthy by investing their money into losing ventures.

The new ownership team cleaned house and handed the coaching reins to 59-year old Sean Payton beginning last year in 2023.

Coach Payton’s first year in Denver showed some improvement as the Broncos finished 7-10. However, Sean Payton had seen enough of Russell Wilson – before and during the season. The coach verified that the skills of his expensive 35-year old quarterback were in decline.

He benched Wilson with a few games to go in the 2023 regular season once Denver was clearly out of the playoff picture. Coach Payton was ready to move on. He knew that a serious injury to Russell Wilson would keep any interested potential suitors away.

Enter Pittsburgh

The Steelers are led by veteran head coach Mike Tomlin. Pittsburgh’s defense under Coach Tomlin has been excellent and near the top of the AFC almost every season. The offense? Not so much.

It’s easy to see why Pittsburgh could like Russell Wilson, though. Denver will be on the hook to pay all but $1 million of Wilson’s salary in 2024. The run-heavy offense of the Pittsburgh Steelers might be a good fit for an aging veteran quarterback with limited downfield passing range.

Just like in Denver, Russell Wilson’s ego surfaced prior to signing in Pittsburgh. As he interviewed with other teams, reports surfaced that Wilson insisted that the starting job would be his if he agreed to the trade. Pittsburgh acquiesced.

The Steelers then jettisoned all three of last year’s quarterbacks and made Russell Wilson the only experienced quarterback on the roster.

Step 2 – Trade virtually nothing to acquire Justin Fields

The Chicago Bears bet the farm three years ago on former Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields. daBears picked Fields with the 11th overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft. He has produced just 10 wins against 28 losses in a starting role during his three seasons in Chicago.

Yes, Fields brings a running dimension to go along with his passing skills. He scored 14 touchdowns in three years on the ground (to go with 38 fumbles). Via the air, Justin Fields has tossed 40 touchdown passes and 30 interceptions over three seasons.

The inability for Justin Fields to eliminate mistakes at crucial times of NFL games has minimized his effectiveness on the field. Winners shouldn’t be making that many mistakes by the end of their third season in the NFL.

In April, the Chicago Bears are expected to make yet another top college quarterback prospect their #1 pick in the 2024 NFL draft. Caleb Williams of USC, Drake Mayes of North Carolina, or, perhaps, LSU’s Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels may be selected by the Bears.

After shopping Justin Fields for a few months after the 2023 season ended, the Bears apparently decided to cut bait with their quarterback for (effectively) peanuts. The Pittsburgh Steelers surprised many by acquiring Justin Fields – a former first round pick – for a lowly 6th round draft choice in 2025.

Justin Fields is entering the final year of his NFL rookie contract. The Pittsburgh Steelers will pay him less than $2 million for this season. However, the team must decide soon whether they intend to keep Justin Fields as the price tag for his services will increase tenfold for the 2025 season.

Uh-oh!

The Steelers are getting two quarterbacks at a bargain in 2024 but at what cost?

Many NFL observers believe that Pittsburgh “Stealers” have upgraded at quarterback and saved a lot of money in the process in 2024. That remains to be seen.

My Dad used to say, “If that player was so good, why did his former team let him go?”

That’s a great question!

Russell Wilson’s locker room ego issues have been well documented. He is a highly paid prima donna who has now been booted from two NFL teams in just three years.

Justin Fields played in Chicago with a horrible front office and under a number of coaches. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is a steady hand and may be exactly the kind of leader who will develop the confidence of Justin Fields.

However, it is widely expected that Russell Wilson (by his agreement to come to Pittsburgh) will be the Day 1 starter in Steel City with Justin Fields moving into the back-up role. The younger quarterback has been a long-time fan of Russell Wilson.

“I’ve always looked up to him,” said Fields about Wilson a few years ago. “The kind of person he is on the field and off the field. He’s a great quarterback and a great person.”

Will Russell Wilson’s ego surface if Justin Fields replaces him in the line-up in 2024?

For Pittsburgh Steelers fans, this massive quarterback earthquake feels like a huge gamble

A 10-7 playoff team has dumped all three of its quarterbacks from last year in favor of a 35-year old player in obvious decline and a talented but turnover-prone young quarterback.

These five quarterback decisions in Pittsburgh (three of them booted out and two veteran QB’s acquired on-the-cheap) may translate into a boom or bust outcome for the Steelers in 2024.

Perhaps the Pittsburgh Steelers will prove my Dad’s sage advice to be wrong this year. Call me skeptical.

The post The “Here We Go/There They Went!” Steelers QBs appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

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About twenty years ago, my Mother-in-Law briefly moved to a small town in south-central Texas called Brackettville.

Located two hours west of San Antonio on US Highway 90, the Brackettville region was home to a US military fort which was operational from 1852 until the end of World War II. I also discovered the native jackrabbits of the region to be Texas-sized, too!

Men’s March MadnessTournament – opening weekend update

Speaking of a different kind of Bracket-ville, my CBSSports.com men’s NCAA basketball picks were a big stinker during Week #1 of March Madness. My entry (SwampSwamiSports) is ranked in 1,310,822nd place after the first two rounds concluded Sunday night.

Though I played a lot of basketball growing up, I am still “O-for-March Madness” in creating a winning bracket.

My zeal to pick 30-win McNeese State to advance in the first two games (they lost in Round 1) contributed to my lousy current ranking. The same goes for putting an unintentional hex on the SEC’s Mississippi State and South Carolina to win their first two games as well (they also lost in Round 1).

The good news on the men’s side of “Bracket-ville” is that my pick to win it all (the University of Houston) survived Texas A&M’s frantic “Hack attack foul fest” to beat the Aggies in overtime late Sunday night. The Cougars had four of its players foul-out against Texas A&M. They must regroup quickly as they now face the #4 seed, Duke, on Friday night (8:30PM CDT on CBS).

Things could be worse…I could be a Kentucky basketball fan!

Though I picked #3 seed (and perennially overrated) Kentucky to lose in Round 2, they exceeded expectations once again this year. The SEC Wildcats found a way to lose in the opening round to a surprisingly good #14 seeded Oakland University (Michigan) Grizzlies team from the Horizon League.

Much to the chagrin of Big Blue fans, Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart announced Tuesday that Coach John Calipari will return next season after the Cats lost in the first round for the third consecutive year.

“As we normally do at the end of every season, Coach Calipari and I have had conversations about the direction of our men’s basketball program and I can confirm that he will return for his 16th season as our head coach,” said Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart.

Here is SwampSwami’s truth serum translation: “If we wanted to fire Coach Calipari right now, it would cost the University of Kentucky almost $35 million to buy-out his contract and send him home.”

Kentucky’s long-time basketball coach continues to successfully recruit blue chip players. The problem is that he has become ineffective in recent years in converting former high school prima donnas into a championship college basketball unit.

NC State’s D.J. Burns for President!

At least the #11 seeded North Carolina State Wolfpack came through for ol’ SwampSwami last weekend!

The “Double DJ Duo” (guard D.J. Horne and center D.J. Burns) score nearly thirty points per game for the surprising 24-14 Wolfpack team. Winners of five games in five days to capture the ACC tournament title, the Wolfpack dispatched #6 Texas Tech in the NCAA’s Round 1 and #14 Oakland University during Round 2 to reach the Sweet 16 this week.

A fifth-year senior, NC State’s D.J. Burns is 6’9” and is listed at a svelte 275 pounds. For a big man, Burns has displayed a very soft shooting touch and exceptional passing skills to some wide-open teammates. D.J. Burns’ joyful post-season play has created a growing legion of fans across the country. Burns plays basketball with a twinkle in his eyes even while he is being hacked by opposing defenders who have been unable to stop his cat-quick moves in the low post.

It is possible that NC State’s D.J. Burns may be having more fun than anyone else on the basketball court right now.

The Wolfpack will continue riding its “Double DJ Duo” this week as it faces #2 seed Marquette on Friday night (6:30 CDT on TBS).

Women’s March Madness week #1 recap

When I checked CBSSports.com to see how well SwampSwamiSports was doing in the NCAA Women’s March Madness rankings, I was hopeful that my sterling 28-4 record in Round 1 would have me in a competitive position. Alas, yours truly is mired in 208,659th place for the women’s tournament after the opening week of play.

True to form, the NCAA Women’s basketball tournament usually has very few upsets in the opening rounds. It appears that most of the other entrants stuck with the favorites!

LSU coach Kim Mulkey is slyly deflecting pressure away from her 2023 defending champions

LSU’s women’s basketball coach has done it again.

After learning about an upcoming “hit piece” expected soon from a national sportswriter, Coach Kim Mulkey went on the offensive last weekend to call “BS” to the article – even before it has been published. As expected, the majority of the national media will now focus their attention on the comments of LSU’s fiery coach instead of writing about #3 seed LSU’s chances of defending its 2023 national title.

Last Sunday in Round #2, the LSU women’s basketball team finally came to life in the second half of their encounter with a tough #4 seed Middle Tennessee State team.

Coach Kim Mulkey enjoys taking the heat. Her basketball team has now escaped the scrutiny of the media microscope and, perhaps, might start playing up to its potential.

Iowa’s Caitlyn Clark is hurting the Hawkeyes

If you watched one or more of the opening round games for the Iowa women’s basketball team last week, you observed the same thing that I did.

The leading scorer in women’s NCAA college basketball history has transformed into a world-class whiner on the basketball court during the opening rounds of March Madness. Taking a cue from the NBA’s LeBron James, Iowa’s Caitlyn Clark started complaining to the referees on nearly every foul being called on her and her teammates last weekend.

The Hawkeyes were quite fortunate to escape in the final minute against a spunky #8 seed West Virginia team Sunday night in Round 2.

As Iowa’s senior leader, Caitlyn Clark should expect to face box-and-one defenses for the remainder of the NCAA tournament. Iowa’s other four players must begin to score more points as their team’s leading scorer will have two players in her face for the remainder of this tournament.

If Caitlyn Clark’s overzealous complaining to the referees should continue, expect to see a few technical fouls coming her way soon.

Get your popcorn ready for the Sweet 16 games beginning Thursday!

Men’s March Madness Round of 16 – Thursday, March 28 (Tip-off times are CDT):

Game #1 – 6:00PM on CBS – West #6 seed Clemson (23-11) vs. #2 Arizona (27-8)

Game #2 – 6:30PM on TBS – East #5 seed San Diego State (26-10) vs. #1 UConn (33-3)

Game #3 – 8:30PM on CBS – West #4 seed Alabama (23-11) vs. #1 North Carolina (29-7)

Game #4 – 9:00 PM on TBS – East #3 seed Illinois (28-8) vs. #2 Iowa State (29-7)

Men’s Games – Friday, March 29 (Tip-off times are CDT):

Game #1 – 6:00PM on CBS – South #11 seed NC State (24-14) vs. #2 Marquette (27-9)

Game #2 – 6:30PM on TBS – Midwest #5 seed Gonzaga (27-7) vs. #1 Purdue (31-4)

Game #3 – 8:30PM on CBS – South #4 seed Duke (26-8) vs. #1 Houston (32-4)

Game #4 – 9:00PM on TBS – Midwest #3 seed Creighton (25-9) vs. #2 Tennessee (26-8)

Women’s NCAA Round of 16 – Friday, March 29 (Friday games on ESPN and CDT):

Game #1 – 1:30PM – Region 1 #3 seed Oregon State (26-7) vs. #2 Notre Dame (28-6)

Game #2 – 4:00PM – Region 1 #4 seed Indiana (26-5) vs. #1 South Carolina (34-0)

Game #3 – 6:30PM – Region 4 #3 seed NC State (29-6) vs. #2 Stanford (30-5)

Game #4 – 9:30PM – Region 4 #4 seed Gonzaga (32-3) vs. #1 Texas (32-4)

Women’s Games – Saturday, March 30 (Channels vary – Tip-off times are CDT):

Game #1 – 12Noon on ABC – Region 2 #3 seed LSU (30-5) vs. #2 UCLA (27-6)

Game #2 – 2:30PM on ABC – Region 2 #4 seed Colorado (24-9) vs. #1 Iowa (31-4)

Game #3 – 4:30PM on ESPN – Region 3 #5 seed Baylor (26-7) vs. #1 USC (28-5)

Game #4 – 7:30PM on ESPN – Region 3 #7 seed Duke (22-11) vs. #3 UConn (31-5)

Enjoy the games this entire weekend!

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Much like Charley Brown and his annual attempt to kick that football while Lucy holds the ball for him, this weekend marks the debut for the latest and greatest spring professional football venture – at least since last year.

Welcome to the UFL!

Actually, the new United Football League is the result of a merger between last year’s two spring football leagues – the USFL and the XFL. Two games apiece will be played this Saturday (Fox) and Sunday afternoon (ESPN).

For the past two springs, the carefully (OK, cheaply) operated United States Football League (owned 100% by Fox Sports) played a spring football schedule. During its start-up campaign in 2022, Birmingham, Alabama was the only location where the USFL played its football games. Not surprisingly, the home team Birmingham Stallions won the inaugural USFL title.

In 2023, the USFL opted to play games in half of its eight markets to see if it could generate more fan interest in a few of its home cities. That didn’t exactly work, either. The Birmingham Stallions captured the USFL title once again in 2023.

Also in 2023, the third iteration of the XFL debuted. This time, wrestling’s Vince McMahon was not in charge. However, his former mega-star named “The Rock” (real name: Dwayne Johnson) and his former wife, Dani Garcia, teamed-up to promote and run the league.

Unlike the USFL, the XFL dived head first into playing all of its games in the local markets. They also kicked-off in late February – a full month before its competitor in the USFL started play.

Though the XFL’s St. Louis BattleHawks posted a solid 35,000 fans per home game during 2023, the other seven teams in the league failed to average 15,000 paying customers per home opener. The costs of associated with leasing football stadiums and weekly operations contributed to massive financial losses for the XFL during its first year in 2023.

To make matters worse, the XFL’s 2023 championship team had a losing record for the season! That’s right! The 4-7 Arlington (Texas) Renegades somehow qualified for the playoffs. They won two straight playoff games to finish with a 6-7 record and captured the 2023 XFL title.

One thing is certain. Spring pro football has been a big money loser!

According to one report, the 2023 version of the XFL lost $60 million. Perhaps that explains why 51-year old Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (with a reported net worth of $800 million) has decided to participate in the upcoming April 6 and 7 WWE WrestleMania event in Philadelphia.

Fox Sports’ ownership of the USFL has not provided any specific numbers about how much money the league lost in 2023, but the company had already invested over $70 million into the venture in 2022. If the USFL had been making money for Fox Sports in 2023, they would never have agreed to merge with the money-losing XFL late last year.

Instead of giving up on spring football entirely (perhaps a wise idea?), the ownership of the USFL and XFL announced a merger over the winter. Television ratings for both leagues failed to meet expectations. Neither league could draw more than 500,000 television viewers per week on average. Attendance also lagged projections for most teams in both leagues.

Nevertheless, the joint ownership of this newest spring pro football league (the UFL) must believe that this year is somehow going to be different! The USFL’s original stated goal in 2022 was to build a weekly television audience of one million home viewers per televised game and create a premium advertising vehicle for sponsors.

Two years of spring football later, that lofty goal was never reached.

What will change the momentum in 2024?

With just eight franchises this year (five from the former XFL and three from the USFL), there should be a better talent pool available for the UFL teams to draw from in 2024.

As in the past, all eight of the UFL franchises will train and practice in one central location. The teams will then fly to play games in their home market stadiums every week.

This year, the UFL’s home base of operation will be in Arlington, Texas. Only 42 players are required for each UFL franchise compared to 53 players on the average NFL team’s active roster.

Surprisingly, the UFL football players are unionized. The USFL Players Association helped negotiate the pay scales for the upcoming 2024 UFL spring football season.

Training camp began in late February. Up to 75 UFL training camp players on each team were to receive $850/week. In addition, the UFL players were provided with a weekly housing stipend of $400/week. Once the regular season begins and the roster is reduced, the minimum of 42 active players will be paid an average of $5,500 per game in 2024 for the ten-game regular season schedule.

In a move right out of the WWE playbook, the new UFL will operate with two divisions featuring teams from each of the original leagues (except Houston – which had teams in both leagues). The hope is to build a rivalry between the XFL division teams and those in the USFL division. Theoretically, the 2024 UFL winner will have bragging rights for its division.

Based on last year’s television viewership for spring pro football, I doubt that the average spring football TV viewer in 2024 is going to care very much about that.

There is one very positive change for fans of spring pro football this year. The weekly games will be found only on Fox, FS1, ABC and ESPN this season. Peacock is history!

Meet the 2024 UFL franchises

USFL Division:

Birmingham Stallions – Led by former Louisiana Tech football coach Skip Holtz, the Stallions feature former Kansas State quarterback Adrian Martinez and holdover quarterback from Louisiana Tech, J’Mar Smith. The defense will again be anchored by dynamic linebacker Scooby Wright.

Houston Roughnecks – This team (formerly known as the Houston Gamblers) will play at Rice Stadium in 2024. The go-to running back will again be Mark Thompson from the University of Florida.

Memphis Showboats – The Showboats’ roster includes former LSU wide receiver Derrick Dillon and returning quarterback Case Cookus from Northern Arizona. The defense features former Georgia Bulldogs’ cornerback DJ Daniel.

Michigan Panthers – The Panthers feature former LSU quarterback Danny Etling and Baylor WR Corey Coleman. The defense is anchored by former Ole Miss defensive end Breeland Speaks.

XFL Division:

Arlington Renegades – Former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops returns to the defending XFL champions. Last year’s starting quarterback Luis Perez and linebacker Donald Payne are expected to be among the top players again this season.

DC Defenders – Home of the now-legendary XFL beer snake, DC was 9-1 during the 2023 regular season before being upset in the playoffs. Former Baylor running back Abram Smith looks to lead the DC Defenders offense again this season.

St. Louis BattleHawks – Former LSU Tiger offensive lineman Vidal Alexander will lead the front lines for St. Louis this year. Returning wide receiver Hakeem Butler from Iowa State should see plenty of passes thrown his way again in 2024.

San Antonio Brahmas – Former NFL coach Wade Phillips will lead the Brahmas again this season. Former Notre Dame quarterback Jack Coan will lead the offense in 2024, while former Michigan State defensive end Drew Beasley is coming off an All-XFL season last year. Brad Wing from LSU is going to handle the punting for San Antonio.

SwampSwami Prediction: Birmingham returns nearly all of its championship line-up in 2024 and should be the favorite for the title again this season.

IF the UFL succeeds in Year #1…

Let’s define “success” for the 2024 UFL season as financially breaking even after the league’s championship trophy is awarded on Sunday, June 16.

The UFL is already thinking about expanding to 12 teams in 2025. Perhaps they might wish to see how well this coming 2024 season goes first.

The UFL ownership understands that there isn’t a lot of significant competition for television viewers during the late spring/early summer period. They apparently believe that spring pro football can compete well against the NBA and its two months of playoffs along with early season Major League Baseball games and the weekly professional golf tournaments.

Week #1 starts this Saturday, March 30 with a doubleheader and two more games on Easter Sunday

This Saturday at 12 Noon Central time, the UFL will feature a match-up of the two defending champion teams. The 2023 USFL champion Birmingham Stallions will visit the XFL’s defending title holder Arlington Renegades in a game to be played in the former home of the Texas Rangers baseball team just west of Dallas.

The second game on Saturday will start at 3PM Central. It matches the St. Louis BattleHawks at the Michigan Panthers. Both of the Saturday games will be televised by Fox.

On Sunday, March 31, the DC Defenders travel to San Antonio to play the Brahmas at 11AM Central on Easter Sunday. The final game of the day will be a 2PM Central kick-off for the Memphis Showboats at the Houston Roughnecks. Both Sunday games will be shown on ESPN.

Here is a link to the complete weekly television schedule for the UFL in 2024.

The UFL is going head-to-head against the NCAA men’s and women’s March Madness basketball tournament during its first weekend of 2024. Let’s give the UFL three or four weeks to see how well it is performing on television and in the stands this season.

Why am I starting to feel like Charley Brown trying to kick that football once again this spring?

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If you remember the name of the young Marine on TV who uttered that phrase, you’re likely approaching or past the age of 60. Private Gomer Pyle awkwardly found himself in Sergeant Vince Carter’s wrath every week on television back in the late 1960’s.

Private Gomer Pyle (hometown: Mayberry, USA) was a likable but very quirky and naïve country bumpkin. Known for iconic phrases such as “Gol-ly” and “Sha-zam!” my personal favorite “Gomerism” was “Surprise, surprise, surprise!”

Every season, the NCAA March Madness men’s and women’s basketball tournaments feature several surprise teams which have defied the late-season odds to earn a spot in the field of 64.

This year’s men’s field will feature one team (Grambling State University) which had never even played in the NCAA tournament before this week.

The Tigers had to win their “First Four” qualifier on Wednesday night as they beat Montana State 88-81 in overtime. The #16 seed G-men will now take a bus to Indianapolis and face #1Midwest seed Purdue on Friday night.

Another team (Long Beach State) actually fired their long-time head coach prior to the start of the Big West Conference basketball tournament. The school’s athletic director allowed Coach Dan Monson to finish the season, though. The Sharks of Long Beach State won the Big West title last weekend and will face #2 West seed Arizona on Thursday afternoon in the NCAA March Madness tournament.

Then there’s an ACC team (#10 seed North Carolina State) which had to win five games in five days in their conference tournament just to earn a March Madness spot. The Wolfpack beat Louisville, Syracuse, Duke, Virginia, and North Carolina on consecutive days. They may be tired, but 22-14 NC State is happy to be dancing!

The women’s field is filled with several pre-tournament favorites, but it also has the best collection of team nicknames I’ve seen in years.

There are Dragons (Drexel), Jackrabbits (South Dakota State), Anteaters (UC-Irvine), Black Bears (Maine), Skyhawks (UT-Martin), and Spiders (Richmond), Outside of the animal kingdom, there are the Lancers (California Baptist), Pilots (Portland), Pioneers (Sacred Heart), and the stocking-wearing Blue Hose of Presbyterian College.

Nuts and Bolts…!!!

For all of the lucky teams which made the men’s and women’s March Madness field, there were several disappointed teams which failed to receive an invitation.

The NCAA utilizes its own sophisticated “NET” computerized ratings to determine the relative strength of each team during the season. You might think that the March Madness tournament selection committee will utilize that list to make some of those tough choices for the final teams to make the field. However, it always seems like the smaller market teams such as 27-6 Indiana State (with a NET ranking of 28) keep getting left out of the field.

Wouldn’t it be nice if someone with the NCAA actually admitted the truth?

Just once, I would like to hear, “We chose a mediocre 23-10 Virginia team with a NET ranking of 54 over Indiana State because the Cavaliers will bring more fans watching on television than the Sycamores will.”

Why even bother with a ranking system if the selection committee is driven by television ratings when making some of its final determinations (see also – the College Football Playoffs).

Can you beat the Swami this year?

Let’s start with the Women’s bracket

Last season, Coach Kim Mulkey’s LSU Tigers were handed a #3 seed and navigated their way to a national championship in the coach’s second season in Baton Rouge. Team chemistry was a big reason why LSU claimed the title in 2023.

This season, LSU earned another #3 seed with an impressive 28-5 record. However, the 2024 Tigers are struggling with a lack of depth this season. They also have one very big obstacle standing in their way to repeat as national champions.

South Carolina is the overall #1 seed for good reason.

The Gamecocks have a perfect 32-0 record. They have beaten LSU twice this year. Carolina’s unbeaten season came close to ending twice in recent weeks. The Gamecocks will need six more wins over the next three weeks to grab their third national title in seven years.

Don’t forget high-scoring Caitlyn Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes!

Iowa finished as the national runner-up to LSU last year. The 29-4 Hawkeyes want another chance at a championship ring. Their ability to score from anywhere on the court will make them a tough out in this year’s tournament.

Just like LSU in 2023, another sneaky-good #3 seed in the women’s tournament might be the University of Connecticut. The 29-5 UConn Huskies are coached by their 11-time national champion Gino Auriemma. All-American forward Paige Bueckers scores 21 points per game and leads a talented and deep team this year.

Women’s prediction:

The NCAA women’s tournament winner has never come from lower than a #3 seed. That means to be careful with picking any upsets in the early rounds. Though most fans are picking South Carolina to steamroll to the title, I’m not sold yet. The Gamecocks should waltz into the final eight, but things will tighten up after that. Teams like Notre Dame, Texas, Iowa, LSU, and UConn await.

I believe that UConn will sneak into the Championship game and take down South Carolina to claim the 2024 women’s title.

And now…for the Men’s championship!

The four #1 seeds in the men’s division are UConn (the defending champions), the University of Houston, Purdue, and North Carolina. Last week, Houston drubbed #25 Texas Tech in the Big 12 semifinal game. Then the wheels came off in the tournament finals on Saturday night as Iowa State throttled H-town 69-41 to send Cougar Nation into shock.

Houston Coach Kelvin Sampson saw his team’s point guard smothered defensively by a very good Iowa State team. The team was thrown out of rhythm and other players’ shooting suffered as a result. Coach Sampson will make corrections to get Houston’s offense rolling again.

Purdue was last year’s biggest upset victim at the hands of #16 seed Fairleigh Dickenson. The 29-4 Boilermakers have a top coach in Matt Painter, the likely national player of the year in 7’4” center Zach Edey, and a hungry veteran team. Can they prove worthy of a #1 seed this year?

I was really surprised to see North Carolina receive a #1 seed. The Tar Heels lost in the ACC tournament finals to rival North Carolina State and dropped to 27-7. Carolina senior guard R.J. Davis scores nearly 22 points per game and rarely disappoints. It’s the other blue-chip players for the Tar Heels who must step-up their games in the national tournament.

That leaves last year’s champ, UConn.

The 31-3 Huskies have, by far, the hardest March Madness bracket to navigate in order to reach the Final Four. The East Region’s #2 seed Iowa State is 27-7 and features one of the country’s toughest defenses. Big Ten tournament champion Illinois is the East #3 seed while the SEC tournament champion Auburn will be the #4 seed in this bracket. If that wasn’t enough, last year’s national runner-up, San Diego State, returns as a #5 seed. If UConn can survive that gauntlet, they may be vulnerable to a letdown in the Final Four.

Need a few upset specials?

My early round upsets include taking #12 Midwest seed McNeese (30-3) over #5 seed Gonzaga and, in the second round, to beat #4 seed Kansas. I’m picking #12 South seed James Madison to upset #5 seed Wisconsin in Round 1. Let’s go with #11 South seed North Carolina State to prevail over #6 Texas Tech and then upset #3 seed Kentucky in Round #2. I’ll take #8 West seed Mississippi State to beat #9 Michigan State and then shock West #1 seed North Carolina in Round #2.

Men’s prediction:

I have a Final Four with #2 seed Arizona winning the West to face East #1 seed UConn in one semifinal game. The other semifinal will feature #1 South seed Houston playing #2 Midwest seed Tennessee.

I’m taking Houston to beat UConn in the national championship game to win the school’s first NCAA men’s basketball title.

Good luck on your picks and to all of the teams!

The post “Surprise, Surprise, Surprise!” It’s March Madness Time appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

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Yes, that’s right! The head basketball coach at Louisiana State University in Shreveport is having one heck of a season.

After eleven very successful years as the men’s basketball coach for the NAIA (small college) LSU-S Pilots, Kyle Blankenship was given a rare opportunity to double his fun this season.

Less than two weeks prior to the start of the 2023-2024 college basketball season, the women’s basketball coach at LSU-S resigned. The school’s athletic department budget and staff is, well, quite small at this public university in northwest Louisiana. The clock was ticking with few viable options available to find a coach for the women’s basketball team.

Lucas Morgan, the Director of Athletics at LSU-S, came up with a novel idea. He asked his lone remaining head basketball coach to handle both the men’s and women’s teams for this season.

“There was a very short timeline,” said men’s coach Kyle Blankenship. “He came into my office and just ran the idea by me. At first, I was like, ‘Man, I don’t know if we can make that work.’ He went back to his office, put the game schedules right in front of me, and said there’s only one day that you couldn’t do both – if you could make it happen.”

Coach Kyle Blankenship accepted the challenge. His two teams at LSU-Shreveport have won a combined 54 basketball games (and counting) this season.

But wait, there’s more!

In what must be some type of national record, Coach Kyle Blankenship just guided both the LSU-Shreveport men’s and women’s teams into the NAIA national tournament last week and each won their opening round games.

Unfortunately, the Lady Pilots lost on Saturday in Round 2. However, the #12 seeded LSU-S men pulled-off two consecutive upsets of higher seeded teams to advance to Kansas City’s Municipal Auditorium Arena this Friday at 1PM to play in a quarterfinal game against Langston State University (Oklahoma).

The not-so-glamorous basketball history of LSU-Shreveport

This commuter school opened its doors in south Shreveport in 1967 as a two-year college. By 1975, LSU-Shreveport began awarding degrees to its first four-year graduating class.

LSU-S (which happens to be where my lovely wife and I earned our bachelor’s degrees a few decades ago) is home to about 3,000 local students and has a robust online enrollment for several of its Master’s degree programs.

Alums like me fondly remember the good ol’ days when the school had just three buildings plus the lovely “Snack Shack” portable building which housed a few vending machines and the school’s bookstore.

Basketball was simply an intramural college sport. With no gym on the campus at that time, our games were played in the Louisiana National Guard’s Fort Humbug Armory building south of downtown Shreveport.

Playing basketball on a dusty, slippery wooden floor surrounded by a dozen Army tanks is an experience which many LSU-S students from my generation will always remember!

As the years rolled by, the LSU-S campus started to grow to accommodate its local students.

The Health and Physical Education building was constructed and opened in the 1980’s. However, it took several more years before the LSU-S administration finally agreed to dip its toes into the arena of competitive athletics (including basketball) in 1990. Unfortunately, the LSU-S basketball program was shut down in 1997 due to fiscal constraints.

LSU-S relit the “Pilot” light and resumed basketball after a six-year hiatus in 2003

LSU-Shreveport found the money necessary to resurrect the basketball program again in 2003.

Chad McDowell, a former player at LSU-S during the early 1990’s, was hired to become the new men’s coach.

A highly successful high school coach in Shreveport, McDowell was able to tap plenty of local basketball talent and spruced-up the LSU-S gymnasium with hopes of someday filling its 1,000 retractable bleacher seats.

LSU-S joined the NAIA’s Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) during the fall of 2003 and had immediate success on the basketball court. Coach McDowell’s program operated on a shoestring budget at a school which always fretted about taking the students’ focus away from its solid academic programs.

With each year of success on the hardwood, the LSU-Shreveport Pilots started attracting more attention from the students and local supporters. The gym quickly took on the nickname “The Dock”. The basketball team has been a success every season since reappearing in 2003.

Chad McDowell accepted a promotion to become the school’s Director of Athletics in 2012 and promoted his former assistant Kyle Blankenship into the men’s head coaching job.

A former basketball player at Shreveport’s C.E. Byrd High School and at the University of Tulsa, Blankenship’s teams at LSU-S have been extremely successful since he took over in 2012.

In his twelve seasons as skipper of the Pilots, Kyle Blankenship’s teams have compiled a record of 280-96. That’s a nifty 75% winning percentage over a dozen years at the school in south Shreveport. He has earned conference “Coach of the Year” honors seven times.

Coach Blankenship proved to be ambidextrous in 2023

Once LSU-S lost its women’s basketball coach less than two weeks prior to the start of the basketball season this fall, Kyle Blankenship accepted the challenge to coach both the men’s and women’s teams.

Coach Blankenship told the women that they would need to learn the same offensive and defensive schemes which the men’s team utilized. Though it meant a much quicker pace of play than the women had been used to, Kyle Blankenship saw a great deal of potential with this season’s squad.

“I had a good idea of the women’s team’s possibilities prior to season as the ladies team regularly beat the men in shooting drills,” said Coach Blankenship.

In addition to having a hard working graduate assistant named Devin Jackson helping with the women’s team, Coach Blankenship also depended on his wife to help win over the ladies.

“She’s been the MVP of this whole process,” said Kyle Blankenship said of his supporting spouse, Alexis. “She’s built a tremendous relationship with the women’s team. She does all the things that she’s always done for the men. No way I could have done this without her.”

The coach’s wife even baked cupcakes and cookies for Valentine’s Day for the men’s and women’s players. Nothing creates a bond with a hungry basketball team like some tasty homemade treats!

After some initial adjustments, the LSU-S women’s team went on an incredible 28-game winning streak. The Lady Pilots posted an unbeaten 22-0 record in the Red River Athletic Conference and then swept to the conference tournament title.

The women traveled to Salina, Kansas and won a game in the NAIA national tournament for the first time in school history last week. They defeated Tabor College of Hillsboro, Kansas 69-59 in the opening round. The LSU-S women dominated inside the paint by outscoring their opponents 48-24 down low.

“That’s what we practice every day – pounding, pounding, pounding on the inside,” said 6’3” senior center Destanee Roblow.

Unfortunately, the Lady Pilots lost 86-65 in the second round of the NAIA regionals Saturday to Mayville State University from Madison, South Dakota. LSU-S ran into a buzz saw as Mayville (now 26-3) shot 53% from the floor and pulled away during the fourth quarter.

The LSU-S Lady Pilots finished their season with a 30-3 record.

But don’t forget about the LSU-S men’s team!

After posting a 22-8 regular season record, the LSU-S Pilots also received an invitation to play in the NAIA tournament. Fortunately for Coach Kyle Blankenship, the men’s team was assigned to play at the same regional site (Salina, Kansas) as the LSU-S women were playing.

In the men’s opening NAIA game on Friday against #5 seed Kansas Wesleyan, the Pilots had five players score in double digits and survived an overtime period to win a 95-89 thriller. The LSU-S bench outscored Kansas Wesleyan by an incredible 52-12 margin.

On Saturday, the Pilots raced to a 55-34 halftime advantage over #4 seed Concordia University (Seward, Nebraska) and cruised to a surprisingly easy 91-67 win. The team shot a sizzling 60.3% from the field to earn a spot in this week’s NAIA national championship round in Kansas City.

To capture the national championship, the LSU-S men must win four games in five days in KC to bring the school’s first national title trophy in basketball home to The Dock in Shreveport.

This Friday at 1PM, LSU-S will take on the #1 seed of their region, Langston State University.

The Lions are an impressive 31-1. Langston played their first two NAIA tournament games on its own home court last week and demolished both opponents in cruising into this week’s championship round.

In December, Langston and LSU-S met on a neutral court in Fort Worth. The Lions hit 12 of 14 free throws down the stretch to prevail in overtime 71-59.

Will Kyle Blankenship coach both basketball teams at LSU-S again next season?

Blankenship indicated that he is willing to discuss the dual role again next season as long as his graduate assistant Devin Jackson will receive an opportunity to apply and interview for the job.

“He’s probably the hardest working person at LSU Shreveport,” said Blankenship during a recent radio interview.

With his own season record currently at a gaudy 54-11 (30-3 for the women and 24-8 for the men), Coach Kyle Blankenship has earned a nice vacation coming up soon. He has captained his Pilots with distinction this basketball season.

“Winning is fun,” Blankenship said. “There’s nothing greater than that, and we’ve done that as well as any four-year program in the state of Louisiana over the last twenty years. We hope that will always continue.”

After posting 54 wins already this season, LSU-S Coach Kyle Blankenship is having more fun than any other college basketball coach in America.

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First, let’s celebrate the return of college football this past weekend.  Welcome back! Even as 100 degree days continue here…

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Last night, my NFL Fantasy Football League held its annual player draft.  After winning the league last season with a…

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Dallas Cowboys fans should know the tune.  Sing along to the “Ballad of Jerry Jones”! Come and listen to my…

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At least for a few more months, it really IS good to be the king! In my 12th year of…

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Remember your high school chemistry class?  Our teachers made it clear that certain substances would cause rather severe negative reactions…

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As the PGA Tour’s year winds to a close with two events to go, the talk in men’s golf now…

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The third largest city in Louisiana has been without a college football team since before World War II.  That is…

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As college sports fans try to determine the winners and losers in the latest round of college conference chess, the…

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Colorado did it last week.  Don’t be surprised if Oregon is next. By exiting my newly re-named Pack-12® Conference, the…

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It happened again this week. The National Football League’s Los Angeles Chargers (winners of zero Super Bowls) announced that quarterback…

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In the last couple of weeks, cable television sports giant ESPN has been handing out a lot of pink slips.…

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According to a 1970’s Steely Dan classic song, the gentleman in the song laments about the depth of his sadness. …

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America is celebrating the Fourth of July today!  Around the USA, families and friends are getting together to enjoy a…

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The PGA Champions Tour is only for professional golfers ages 50 and older.  Many events are usually dominated by the…

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Did you know that the USFL is still playing spring football in early summer? This Saturday night at 7PM CDT…

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In a College World Series filled with exciting one-run games and extra inning thrillers, the LSU Tigers and Florida Gators…

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Welcome to the summer of 2023.  Happily, the Southeastern Conference slate of football games for this fall will begin in…

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The purple and gold convoy is rolling northward toward one of America’s best cities.  Omaha, Nebraska is home to the…

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The Denver Nuggets just kept chipping away on Monday night.  They defeated a plucky Miami Heat squad four games to…

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The past week’s surprising voluntary combination of the PGA Tour entities with the LIV Golf organization has left many golf…

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In one of the worst sports television moves in recent memory, the first game of the Women’s College World Series…

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Phil Mickelson, take a bow! Lefty has said for the longest time that the PGA Tour had been hiding critical…

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I just finished reading a book written by former college and NFL coach Bruce Arians.  The title of his 2017…

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Fans of the NBA’s Boston Celtics are starting to feel like they are watching a movie involving Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. They never know which basketball team is going to show up. Heck, the coach and the players don’t seem to have a handle on it, either.

The 1886 novel by Robert Louis Stevenson describes the strange tale of the good Dr. Henry Jekyll and his evil alter-ego, Mr. Edward Hyde.

This year’s Boston Celtics seem to be following a similar script during the NBA playoffs. Just when you think the favored Celtics are going to win, they lose. When you think this team is heading to a summer vacation, they have posted a 4-0 record in playoff elimination games thus far in the post-season. They will get a chance to go 5-0 on Saturday night in Miami.

For those of us old enough to remember the TV game show “To Tell the Truth”, will the real Boston Celtics please stand up?

The NBA Eastern Division #2 seed Boston Celtics have been on the verge of elimination in two consecutive playoff series after coming in as the favored team.

Against East #3 seed Philadelphia, the Celtics were down 3-2 and had to rally in the final quarter in Philly to grab the win. In the deciding Game 7, the C’s blasted Philly 112-88 and advanced to the Eastern Conference finals to play the surprising #8 seeded Miami Heat.

No one could have expected what happened in the first three games of the Eastern Conference finals.

The Miami Heat shocked Boston Garden fans by taking Games 1 and 2 in Beantown with relatively easy wins against the heavily favored Celtics. Game 3 in Miami saw the Heat burn the Celtics once again to grab what is considered to be an insurmountable a 3-0 Eastern Finals lead.

This is where I am required to say that no NBA team has ever come back to win a playoff series when trailing by a 3-0 margin. The current streak is 0-150. Miami Heat fans were already looking ahead to an NBA Finals match-up with the Western champion Denver Nuggets.

In TNT’s postgame show after Game 3, Charles Barkley looked directly in the television camera.

He told his granddaughter that “Grandpa Charley” would be coming to visit her soon after Game 4. Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith laughed but didn’t offer much a dissenting opinion, either.

Hey, the streak is 0-150! According to the odds makers, Miami still had a 92.3% chance of winning this series.

On Tuesday night’s Game 4 in Miami, the suddenly-refocused Boston Celtics finally played up to their capabilities in the second half to take a 116-99 win. Still leading the series 3-1, Miami was now given a solid 73% chance of winning the series.

Thursday night, the series returned to Boston for Game 5. Despite having one of the loudest home court advantages in the NBA, the Celtics were just 4-5 at home during the 2023 playoffs. Miami had another chance to end this series.

Once again, the Celtics responded with their backs to the wall.

Immediately from the opening tip-off, the Boston Celtics rewarded their loud and loyal home crowd with a dominating 110-97 win. Boston led by as much as 24 points as they cut Miami’s series lead to 3-2.

Las Vegas casinos are still giving Miami a 55% chance of winning one of the two remaining games. That isn’t exactly a big vote of confidence.

Miami’s star guard Jimmy Butler (who scored a meager 14 points in Thursday’s embarrassing loss) boldly told reporters after the game, “We are going to win the next game.”

Miami’s next opportunity will come at home on Saturday night at 7:30PM Central on TNT.

The Miami home crowd for Game 6 this weekend will be every bit as loud as Boston Garden was on Thursday night.

However, Miami is now feeling (pardon my pun) the heat of possibly becoming the first team in NBA history to blow a 3-0 playoff advantage. Though Miami won the first two games in this series in Boston, they do not want to return to try for a third victory in a tense Game 7 environment.

Whether they want to admit it or not, everyone in Miami feels the pressure. The Boston Celtics should not pat themselves on the back yet, either. They still have to win on Saturday night or go home.

Pressure can do funny things to a basketball team. Game 6 may turn out to be an extraordinary battle or one team could lay a giant egg Saturday night.

If Boston should get the win to force a Game 7 back in the “Gah-den” Monday, the Celtics shouldn’t get too giddy about their chances to become the first team to rally from a 0-3 deficit.

There have been just three other teams which rallied to make it to a Game 7. They all lost. However, those other teams played Game 7 on the road. Boston would be playing at home.

Miami really needs to win Game 6 at home on Saturday night and avoid putting themselves into a winner-take-all Battle Royale Game 7 in Boston on Monday night.

What have been some of the big factors in this interesting NBA series?

1. Defense – The Celtics finally figured out that they had to stop Miami from getting so many points from wide-open shots in this series. The Miami Heat usually play a methodical game with a lot of passing in search of the open man. Boston gave up an average of 121 points to Miami in the first three games. Miami was hitting a lot of shots, but most of them were wide open. The Celtics have allowed just 98 points in their two wins this week. Watch the scoreboard on Saturday. First team to 100 will probably win!
2. 15 or more Turnovers leads to Doom – In Games 1, 2, and 3, Boston turned the ball over 15 times and lost each game. In Game 4, it was Miami turning the ball over 15 times in Games 4 and then 16 times in Game 5. The Heat lost both of those games. Watch the turnover battle in Game 6. The trend is your friend.
3. Three Point Shooting Contest – As Charles Barkley said Thursday night, it is a lot easier to play good defense when your shots are falling on the offensive side of the court. Boston converted 16 of 39 long distance shots Thursday while Miami made just 9 of their 23 of their 3-point attempts. Both teams seem to lose their defensive intensity in the games when their outside shots have not been falling.
4. Miami’s Walking Wounded – The Heat built a 3-0 lead in this series without two of their regular players available. Guards Gabe Vincent (ankle) and Tyler Herro (hand) may see action in Saturday night’s Game 6. Guard Victor Oladipo had knee surgery in April and is out for this series. If either Vincent or Herro is able to play on Saturday in Miami, the Heat may get a valuable offensive boost.
5. Good Jaylen Brown or Bad Jaylen Brown? The Boston Celtics All-Star guard had been mired in a 3-point shooting slump (12%) during the first four games of this series. He was turnover prone with sloppy ball handling in the Celtics’ three losses. In Game 5, Jaylen Brown went 3-5 from long distance, finished with 21 points and, importantly, had only one turnover for the game. Which Jaylen Brown shows up on Saturday night?

With Game 6 in Miami coming this weekend, the Boston Celtics will feel a wall of noise and take on a very high energy Miami Heat basketball team. If the Celtics find a way to win Game 6 on Saturday, we will be treated to a very rare type of Game 7 this Monday night in Boston.

And IF this series goes back to Boston for a Game 7, you can be sure that the TNT announcers will let you know (frequently) about the 2004 Boston Red Sox. They came back from an 0-3 deficit against the New York Yankees to win baseball’s American League championship. The Red Sox went on to the win the World Series.

In Game 6 on Saturday, the heat (or is it Heat?) is on!

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Let’s start with the obvious.

The only party who really wants Thursday night football to succeed is the ownership group in the NFL.

There is no evidence that the National Football League is actually growing interest in the game by playing on Thursday nights.

The majority of football fans side with the players on this issue. Football is a collision sport which requires adequate rest and preparation for the next game. Blocking and tackling at high speeds in the NFL takes a huge toll on the players’ bodies.

As fans, we want our favorite team’s players to remain healthy and on the field every week, if possible.

A Thursday night football game gives both teams just three days to rest, implement a new game plan, and, for one of the two teams, travel to play in another city. This short week of preparation for any football team – whether high school, college, or professional – likely means a sloppier game with a higher chance of players being injured.

The 32 NFL franchise owners know that. They are not dumb. They are just incredibly greedy.

If the NFL owners were not earning incremental profits by playing games on Thursday night, there is no way that the league would put its players (a very valuable product) in greater danger.

First, let’s cover the history and financial aspects of why we even have Thursday Night NFL football.

The NFL initially televised two football games every Sunday from 12 Noon until 7PM Central time.

Beginning in 1970, the NFL’s first Monday Night Football game was introduced on ABC. It was an instant hit. It has remained a lucrative cash cow for the owners even after moving the game to ABC’s wholly owned cable television ESPN beginning in 2006.

In the mid-1980’s, ESPN negotiated with the NFL to air a Sunday Night Football game every week in prime time. In 1990, ESPN and Turner’s TNT began splitting the Sunday Night Football package every season. In 1998, ESPN paid dearly to gain control of entire Sunday Night Football slate of games.

In 2006, NBC was awarded the exclusive rights to Sunday Night Football (after ESPN took over the NFL Monday Night Football franchise).

The NFL’s revenue skyrocketed by expanding to four exclusive games per week (two on Sunday afternoon, one on Sunday night, and another on Monday night).

That brings us to Thursday. Could the NFL ring the cash register a fifth time every week?

You betcha!

The National Football League began playing on Thursday nights in November, 2006 with Kansas City hosting the Denver Broncos. The games aired on the relatively obscure NFL Network (owned, of course, by the NFL).

Beginning in 2012, the NFL expanded the Thursday night package to 13 games and kept the games on its wholly owned NFL Network.

In recent years, the NFL’s Thursday Night games were expanded and placed on the schedule for the entire season. Teams could plan ahead and get ready when their week arrived for their annual Thursday night-mare game.

Beginning last season in 2022, the NFL embarked on a massive $105 billion deal with Amazon Prime Video for Thursday night NFL games through 2033. That works out to a cool $955 million per season. With 17 weeks of NFL Thursday night games every year, Amazon is paying $56 million PER GAME for another ten years.

During its first season of broadcasting NFL Thursday Night games, Amazon Prime posted a 40% viewership loss from 2021. Fox and the NFL Network previously carried the games.

Amazon Prime Video proudly said that their first year of providing NFL games to its streaming online audience in 2022 brought younger demographics for advertisers. The Amazon viewer was seven years younger (47) than the average NFL television viewer at 54.

So what?

The harsh reality is that Amazon Prime Video expected far more than 10 million viewers per Thursday night game in 2022. They are likely feeling a bit of buyer’s remorse for overspending on this long-term NFL package and losing millions of dollars in Year 1. They have ten more years to go.

The NFL gave Amazon Prime Video a full slate of Thursday Night games last season. Many of those games were bad match-ups, but nearly all of the games featured tired, beat-up players who had just played on the Sunday before. Most Thursday night games have felt like you were watching preseason contests as teams operated on limited game plans with fewer days to prepare.

The NFL has no worries about Amazon being able to foot the annual bill for the next ten years.

The football league is most concerned about the negative press which Amazon Prime Video was receiving after losing millions in their first year of doing business with the NFL.

The National Football League franchise owners want Amazon to become much happier with their TV deal. It doesn’t look good if any of the NFL’s television partners is losing money on their current NFL television deal. The objective of the NFL is to continue raising the value of those TV contracts while increasing the value of the league’s football franchises.

This week, the great and powerful Oz (the NFL) has just tossed a benevolent bone to help make Amazon feel a bit happier.

The NFL’s 32 franchise owners devised a plan to help draw more viewers to Amazon’s Thursday Night games toward the end of each football season. A majority 24 of the 32 NFL owners voted to allow the league to shift certain games from Sunday to Thursday night for weeks 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17.

Perhaps we should thank the NFL owners in Pittsburgh, Chicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, Green Bay, Las Vegas, and New York (both the Jets and Giants) for voting against this change.

These are the games which may or may not be moved in Weeks 13-17 this season:

Week 13 – Seattle Seahawks at Dallas Cowboys

Week 14 – New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 15 – Los Angeles Chargers at Las Vegas Raiders

Week 16 – New Orleans Saints at Los Angeles Rams

Week 17 – New York Jets at Cleveland Browns

According to the NFL’s ruling this week, the league must declare any Thursday night game change no later than 28 days in advance. Teams can only be “flexed” to Thursday night one time per season. No team will play more than two Thursday games in a season with only one of them as a road game. A maximum of two games can be “flexed” each year during Weeks 13-17.

As I reviewed the five Thursday night games on this fall’s NFL schedule, there is a nearly zero chance of the league moving the Week 13 and 14 games being played in Dallas and Pittsburgh. The Cowboys and Steelers are two of the most popular teams with NFL fans.

The Chargers vs. Raiders game in Week 15 is a long-time divisional rivalry game. Unless one or both of those teams is out of playoff contention, it is likely to stay on the schedule, too.

The Week 16 game (Saints at Rams) might be on the chopping block if the Rams stink once again this year.

Finally, moving the Week 17 game (Jets at Browns) will hinge on whether Aaron Rodgers and the J-E-T-S have any shot at the playoffs. This game seems to be the most likely candidate for a Thursday night switcheroo.

If you hold a ticket to one of those five games, there is a chance that the NFL might pull the rug out from under your plans on four weeks’ notice. What if you had already purchased airfare and a hotel room to attend one of those games?

The NFL doesn’t care about the fans. It IS all about money for the 32 franchise owners in the National Football League.

Remember, weeks 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17 are played during the Christmas holiday shopping season. Advertisers are willing to shell-out top dollar to attract a massive audience looking to spend money on holiday gifts.

The NFL Santa Claus Cabal has just promised to reach into its sack of weekly television games and hand one or two nice late-season presents to Amazon Prime Video!

If Amazon believes that any of the last five games on the Thursday night schedule looks like a lump of coal by the end of October, they can ask Jolly St. Goodell to swap one or two different games for the holiday season.

Ho-Ho-Ho, indeed!

In case you don’t follow business news closely, the major internet streaming television providers (like Amazon Prime Video) have been reporting large financial losses each quarter in the past year. This comes even as a record number of television viewers are watching online as millions cut the cord with cable TV providers.

The costs of producing and acquiring the programming for streaming services at Disney, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Peacock and other larger companies is sky high. Disney recently reported massive financial losses in its streaming business (billion$) and took a very significant accounting write-down.

The streaming television business is not a profitable venture for most competitors today. Some stock market analysts predict a wave of consolidations may be coming soon in that business.

Despite the negative financial news, the NFL recently cut a one-time deal with Peacock (NBC’s streaming service) for $110 million for the rights to carry one single NFL Wild-Card week game this season. That is twice as much as Amazon is paying per game for Thursday night match-ups.

The NFL views each of the major internet-based television providers as possible future partners. They continue to hedge their bets by spreading out television rights to as many companies as possible.

The NFL loves to see competition for the right to bid on its TV packages of football games.

However, NFL despises any competition for its football product. That is why the XFL and USFL have almost no chance of long-term survival without the NFL’s involvement to make spring football part of a developmental minor league.

At least for the time being, it’s still good to be the king.

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In 1976, the Denver Nuggets of the American Basketball Association were one of only four ABA teams admitted into the National Basketball Association. In the 47 years since their admission into the NBA, the Denver Nuggets have been seen but not heard from. Prior to this season, the Nuggets had never advanced into the Western Division Finals or, of course, won an NBA title.

That is all about to change very soon!

At the time of this post, the Denver Nuggets are leading the Los Angeles Lakers 3-0 in their best-of-seven Western Conference final series. After taking Game 3 in LaLaLand on Saturday night, Denver is on the verge of finally breaking through and making history in the next week.

If you like to root for the underdog teams as much as I do, please join me as we now jump aboard the Denver Nuggets bandwagon!

Denver’s professional basketball franchise was one of the original members of the American Basketball Association. A businessman from California named James Trindle paid $350,000 ($3.2 million in 2023) for the franchise rights in 1967. Though the Nuggets have been sold several times, Denver’s pro basketball team is worth about $2.15 billion today.

In 1967, the Denver ABA team initially chose the nickname Rockets. Though the city of Denver was not considered a hub of rocketry or space exploration, the owner said that he simply liked the name.

By the mid-1970’s, both the ABA and NBA were on shaky financial ground. At the time, both pro basketball leagues were plagued by faltering attendance and numerous drug-related issues among its players.

Unlike most of the ABA teams, Denver was a relatively stable franchise with solid home attendance. However, the initial owner was (rightfully) fearful that the ABA would not survive. He sold the majority interest in the team to a new owner who firmly believed the NBA would add Denver to the league at some point in the coming years.

In 1973, the team held a public vote to determine a new nickname. Since the NBA already had a team with the Rockets nickname in Houston, Denver wanted its own unique team identity.

The Denver Nuggets were born in 1974.

The team hired a new young head coach in former ABA player, Larry Brown. Coach Brown instituted a fast-break style of offense which engaged more fans. With the opening of the city’s new 17,000 seat McNichols Arena, the Nuggets averaged more than 13,000 fans per game. That was the fourth highest attendance in either the NBA or ABA at the time.

The Nuggets signed North Carolina State All-American guard David Thompson in 1975. If you remember Dr. J (Julius Erving) with the ABA’s red-white-and blue basketball in his hands, David “Skywalker” Thompson played the game in a similar high-flying offensive style.

Unfortunately, David Thompson fell prey to drug issues (cocaine) after a few years in pro basketball. Though he would later admit to having made a big personal mistake, the 6’4” Thompson’s play helped boost the Denver Nuggets on the court and with local attendance.

Perhaps the most famous Denver Nuggets player in franchise history was 6’9” forward Dan Issel. A former University of Kentucky All-American, Issel scored more than 33 points per game in college. He became an ABA legend with the Kentucky Colonels as he led them to an ABA championship in 1975. The following year, he was traded to Denver for one final ABA year prior to the Nuggets being admitted into the NBA in 1976.

Dan Issel would continue playing for the Denver Nuggets through 1985. At the time Issel retired, he was the fourth leading scorer in the history of pro basketball. He entered the basketball Hall-of-Fame in 1993.

The 1980’s version of the Denver Nuggets was led by another future Hall-of-Famer named Alex English. Coming out of the University of South Carolina, the 6’7” English was a scoring machine. He averaged more than 23 points per game for ten straight NBA seasons in Denver. He went virtually unnoticed by many NBA fans, though.

Alex English played during the period dominated by the championship teams of Magic Johnson of the Lakers and Larry Bird of the Celtics. Alex English finished his NBA career in 1991 with nearly 26,000 points scored on teams which rarely made it past the first round of the playoffs.

During the 1990’s, Denver’s entertaining 7’2” center Dikembe Motumbo became the NBA’s second leading shot blocker of all time (behind Hakeem Olajuwon).

An eight-time NBA All-Star and four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Motumbo’s trademarked finger wagging after blocking a shot made him a national fan favorite.

The Denver Nuggets developed a great fan base with decades of sell-out crowds and exciting teams. Unfortunately, none of those Hall-of-Famers were able to lead the Denver Nuggets into the NBA Western Division championship round.

Until this year.

The 2023 Denver Nuggets are soaring in the Rockies’ mile high altitude. The Nuggets currently sport a 3-0 series lead over LeBron James and his hand-chosen Los Angeles Lakers coach and teammates. Once the Lakers are eliminated, the Nuggets and the city of Denver will finally get a chance to experience their first-ever NBA Finals appearance.

Unlike Denver Nuggets teams in the past, this year’s squad is filled with talent, depth, and role players capable of carrying the team on any given night. After finishing with the NBA Western division’s best regular season record (53-29), the 2023 playoff Nuggets are currently 11-3 entering Monday night’s Game 4 in Los Angeles. The second highest scoring team in the NBA this year at 117 points per game, this team has been on a season-long roll.

Let’s now meet the history-making Denver Nuggets!

Starting at center, the 6’11” Nikola Jokic has already accumulated two NBA MVP awards.

This year, he averaged 25 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists per game. Jokic’s game resembles a taller version of Larry Bird. He has an uncanny ability to pass the ball to the open man or get his shots away under significant defensive pressure. Nikola Jokic plays “old school” basketball with his unique ability to score from the three point line, off the dribble, and with a wicked assortment of shots he makes around the basket.

At guard, Denver’s other All-Star is Jamal Murray. The 6’4” former University of Kentucky guard averages 20 points per game. He is a very streaky shooter who can create shots for himself off the dribble or with his smooth outside shot. Murray scored 30 points in just the first half of a recent playoff game against the Lakers.

The other starting guard for the Denver Nuggets is another former Kentucky Wildcats player. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is now in his tenth year in the NBA. The 6’5” guard averages 11 points per game and is quite effective when driving the basketball to the hoop.

Denver’s two forwards each average about 17 points and six rebounds per game. Both 6’10” Michael Porter, Jr. and 6’8” Aaron Gordon are frequently targeted for passes from their talented man in the middle, Nikola Jokic.

Coming off Denver’s bench is one of the most exciting players in this year’s NBA playoffs. Guard Bruce Brown is like a jolt of electricity after he enters the game for the Nuggets. Averaging 11 points nightly during the regular season, the 6’4” Brown is scoring nearly 15 per game in the NBA playoffs. A former second round pick, Bruce Brown’s hustle on offense and defense usually revs the high-scoring Nuggets into another gear.

The architect of the Denver Nuggets game plans is head coach Michael Malone. Like so many NBA coaches, Malone worked his way up the coaching ladder for a dozen seasons. He was an assistant coach with the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, New Orleans Hornets, and Golden State Warriors.

In 2012, the NBA General Managers named Michael Malone as the league’s best assistant coach while he was a part of the Golden State Warriors’ championship team.

Denver hired Malone to become their head coach in 2015. Now in his eighth season with the Nuggets, his teams have made the NBA playoffs five years in a row.

Within a matter of days, the Denver Nuggets will play the Miami Heat (also up by a 3 games to none margin over the slumping Boston Celtics) in this year’s NBA Finals. In 149 previous NBA playoff series, no team has come back from a 3-0 deficit.

Sure, ABC sales executives are likely crying over the loss of two nationally recognized teams like the Lakers and Celtics playing in another championship match-up. However, America will soon have a chance to watch the Denver Nuggets playing in their first-ever NBA Finals.

After 47 years in the NBA, it’s about time!

Let’s Geaux Nuggets!

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For a little more than one year, the PGA Tour and the new LIV Golf Tour have been trading barbs with each other. A few have been serious shots while others have been downright silly.

This so-called war in men’s professional golf reminds me of teacher Gabe Kotter vs. his class of “Sweathogs” on the 1970’s classic TV show “Welcome Back, Kotter”.

PGA Tour: Why should we even allow you guys to play in our Championship this week?

LIV Golf: Because 18 of our guys were already qualified to play – under your own rules!

PGA Tour: Well, we just don’t like your type anymore. Why don’t you just go away?

LIV Golf: Oh, yeah? Up your nose with a rubber hose!

PGA Tour: How ‘bout this? Twice as far with a chocolate bar!

LIV Golf: In your ear with a can of beer!

On Thursday in Rochester, New York, the upstart LIV Golf Tour will tee-off with 18 of the 156 players in the field for the PGA Championship at historic Oak Hill Country Club. Statistically, LIV golfers comprise nearly 12% of this year’s championship field.

If you think that the past year of trading insults between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf was cringeworthy, what will happen if a player from the LIV Golf tour should win this week’s PGA Championship?

The sports media will be working hard to upgrade this into a Three Stooges-style pie throwing contest going forward.

Most of the LIV Golf brigade accepted large signing bonuses to come play. The money originated from a Middle Eastern country. The LIV golfers play in fewer events, have smaller fields, larger purses and only play three days (54 holes) instead of four.

I am a big fan of LIV Golf’s team concept. On Sunday afternoons, some of the golfers who are further down the leaderboard can create a little excitement, too. If a player gets hot on the final round, it might just help his four-man team earn a large bonus check for posting one of the week’s three lowest team scores.

Many in the media simply do not want to believe that a golfer from this small contingent of players could win the title at the PGA Championship.

Of the 18 LIV Golf players in this week’s field, three have already hoisted the PGA’s huge Wanamaker Trophy. Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson and Martin Kaymer are all former champions. In fact, Koepka and Mickelson have won three of the past five PGA Championships.

Here are the 18 LIV Golf outsiders who qualified to play in this week’s tournament:

Abraham Ancer

Dean Burmester

Paul Casey

Bryson DeChambeau

Talor Gooch

Dustin Johnson

Martin Kaymer – Winner in 2010

Sihwan Kim

Brooks Koepka – Winner in 2019 and 2018

Anirban Lahiri

Phil Mickelson – Winner in 2021 and 2005

Joaquin Niemann

Mito Pereira

Thomas Pieters

Patrick Reed

Cameron Smith

Brendan Steele

Harold Varner III

LIV Golf players I like this week:

Dustin Johnson – He just won last Sunday’s LIV Golf tournament played in Tulsa in a playoff. DJ is one of the most consistent players in professional golf. If his putting continues to be solid, he is a legitimate top contender this week.

Cameron Smith – The reigning British Open champion, Cam Smith finished tied for first with Dustin Johnson in Tulsa last week. He lost on the first hole of the playoff. There may not be a better putter on either tour than Cam Smith.

Brooks Koepka – He finished in a tie for second place at The Masters just a month ago. Koepka is, perhaps, the best suited LIV Golfer to handle the media pressure this week with his “Who cares?” type of attitude.

Bryson DeChambeau – He finished in tied for fifth last week in Tulsa. He has dropped at least 20 pounds since the end of 2022. Yes, it appears that the “Beefy Bryson” of two years ago has vanished. The slimmed down version of DeChambeau has started producing better results on the golf course.

Hunch 1 – Harold Varner III – HV3 shot a 9-under par 61 in last week’s final round in Tulsa and finished one shot out of the playoff. Harold Varner is due for a win.

As Jerry Reed once sang, “When you’re hot, you’re hot!”

Hunch 2 – Talor Gooch – Speaking of being on a roll, Talor Gooch had won two straight LIV events coming into Tulsa. He was only able to post a middle-of-the-pack finish last weekend. The former Oklahoma State Cowboy may have been trying too hard to please thousands of supportive OSU fans in Tulsa.

PGA Tour Golfers I Like this week:

The PGA Tour has seen a group of young golfers dominating play in majors in recent years. Let’s select a few players to watch this weekend:

Jon Rahm – One of the top betting favorites, Rahm won last year’s US Open and continues to keep getting better every season. Jon Rahm can overpower a golf course off the tee. With Oak Hill Country Club playing at a lengthy 7,400 yards, the current World #1 golfer is a worthy favorite this week.

Xander Schauffele – He is still searching for his first major win. However, Xander has finished second, fourth, and fourth in his last three tournaments. Perhaps this will be his week?

Scottie Scheffler – He has a great chance to when anytime he is putting well. Alas, Scheffler is currently ranked #102 on the PGA Tour in putting. On the positive side, he has finished in the top 11 in each of his last five starts.

Hunch 1 – Rory McIlroy – He finished poorly at The Masters and then sulked away from the golf tour for a few weeks. Rory’s wife is from Rochester, New York, and he stays in the city for several months every year. Having played this course several times before, McIlroy may have a significant home court advantage this week!

Hunch 2 – Sam Burns – He plays well at traditional styled golf courses. If Sam Burns is able to keep the golf ball in play off the tee (currently ranked #109 in driving accuracy), he has the ability to go low. Hailing from Shreveport and LSU, fans in the Bayou State will be pulling for their own Tiger to break through with his first major title this weekend!

Here are a few other stories to watch for this week at the PGA Championship:

Will the real Phil Mickelson please show up?

After coming out of nowhere in 2021 to win the PGA Championship at age 50, Phil’s golf game has gone AWOL except for a surprising tie for second place at The Masters tournament last month. In Tulsa last weekend, Mickelson finished a dreadful 45th out of 48 golfers. Ever the optimist, Phil Mickelson could become a factor – if he makes the 36-hole cut.

Calling Jordan Spieth!

Much like his close friend Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth is a very streaky golfer. Unlike Scheffler, Spieth usually contends when his tee shots stay in the fairway. Unfortunately, Jordan Spieth is currently ranked #157 on the PGA Tour in driving accuracy. He is hitting only 55% of the fairways this season. If Spieth can simply put the ball in play, his short game is magical enough to put him into contention.

What about the defending champion, Justin Thomas?

JT also struggles to find the fairways this year. He ranks 117th on the PGA Tour in driving accuracy and only hits the ball into the fairway 58% of the time. His scoring average this year is a pedestrian 70.5 shots per round. If Justin Thomas (like so many others) has a good driving week, the rest of his game may rally and give him a chance to defend the title.

Finally, I “LIV” you with one thoroughly delicious thought.

Expect to hear the ESPN and CBS announce crews verbally waving their PGA Tour pom-poms all four days in Rochester, New York. After all, these two companies have made significant investments to televise the PGA Tour events for several more years.

If a LIV Golfer should happen to win this year’s 2023 PGA Championship, the Wannamaker Trophy presentation will become one of the most awkward and memorable moments in televised golf history.

Must see TV, indeed!

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UPDATE – As predicted yesterday (below), Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers was fired Tuesday, May 16, 2023.

The National Basketball Association is comprised of 30 teams. All things being equal, each team has a tiny 3 1/3% chance of winning the title at the beginning of every season. The league plays an 82 game regular season schedule from October through April to eliminate the woeful and hopeless teams from the playoffs.

Three years ago, the NBA added a rather silly new “play-in round”. The new format pits Teams #7, 8, 9, and 10 in both the East and West against each other. If your team wins two games, you advance to the quarterfinal round of 16.

With twenty NBA teams participating in the post-season, a full two thirds of the league gets some post-season action.

The other ten teams head to the NBA draft lottery. On Tuesday night at 7PM Central on ESPN, you will be able to watch this annual event. The NBA teams which finished this season with the worst record will now have the best statistical chance of receiving one of the top draft picks.

As we have covered here before, the worst teams in the league also have a history of making big errors on draft night, too. That is another reason why many of the same teams end-up in the NBA Draft Lottery nearly every year.

Below are the lucky losers coming out of the past season and (according to the NBA) their chances of winning the top pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. The ten teams in BOLD were also in the draft lottery last season, too:

Detroit Pistons (14% chance of winning #1 draft pick)

Houston Rockets (14%)

San Antonio Spurs (14%)

Charlotte Hornets (12.5%)

Portland Trailblazers (10.5%)

Orlando Magic (9%)

Indiana Pacers (6.8%)

Washington Wizards (6.7%)

Utah Jazz (4.5%)

Dallas Mavericks (3%)

Chicago Bulls (1.8%)

Oklahoma City Thunder (1.7%)

Toronto Raptors (1%)

New Orleans Pelicans (0.5%)

The fact that ten of these 14 teams (71.4%) are back in the NBA Draft Lottery for a second consecutive year says a lot about their team’s executive management.

By the way, Detroit, Houston, San Antonio, Charlotte, Oklahoma City, and New Orleans are making their third consecutive trip into the NBA Lottery. Those faltering franchises have now drafted at least two straight 1st round players who have yet to make a significant improvement to their basketball team.

So, why isn’t the NBA news filled with stories about firings of the executive management staff? This is usually where the team’s boneheaded decisions generally originate from.

Instead, we are seeing another big year of coaching changes. Among those hitting the road after this season are the two coaches who faced off in the NBA Finals back in 2021!

Mike Budenholzer led the Milwaukee Bucks to the NBA championship only two years ago. This year, the Bucks were eliminated in the first round of the NBA playoffs by Miami (4 games to 1). The team immediately fired him.

His opposing coach in the 2021 NBA Finals was Monty Williams of the Phoenix Suns.

Twice a winner of the NBA’s Coach of the Year award, Williams’ Suns team just lost in Round 2 to #1 West seed Denver (4 games to 2). After the Suns’ embarrassing 25-point home loss to the Nuggets in Game 6 last week in Phoenix, Coach Monty Williams was fired over the weekend.

Most of us would understand why the 14 teams in Tuesday’s NBA Lottery would dismiss an ineffective coach. How have two of the NBA’s premier coaches in recent years gone from the penthouse to the doghouse in only two years?

Every professional sports franchise needs a scapegoat so that the fans will keep returning and buying tickets next season.

It is cheaper to blame the current coach rather than accurately fingering the team’s upper management for bad player moves.

The General Manager is responsible for the players being drafted and brought to the team via trades. It is up to the head coach to take that group of players and attempt to get them to perform at the highest level possible every game.

Most NBA coaches earn about $5 million or more per season. However, many NBA players on the team’s roster are now earning much more than their coach.

Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer was paid a reported $8 million last year. According to one source, there were five Milwaukee Buck$ players earning more money than their coach. In fact, there were 156 NBA players across the league making more than a now-unemployed former world championship coach.

The average tenure of NBA coaches is less than four years. Though San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich remains the league’s longest tenured coach at 27 seasons, he has earned five NBA Championship rings while coaching in the Alamo City.

As the Spurs visit the NBA’s draft lottery for the third year in a row on Tuesday night, Coach Pop’s retirement ceremony might be coming soon – whether he likes it or not.

On Sunday afternoon in Boston, Philadelphia 76ers’ coach Doc Rivers became the latest NBA head coach to feel the heat from his team’s disappointing playoff end. Rivers’ former team, the Boston Celtics, rallied to win Game 6 in Philly last week and then stomped the 76ers in Game 7 on Sunday afternoon in Bean Town.

Anyone who watched those two games will tell you that it was the players on the court who deserved the credit or the blame for the outcomes.

Philly’s moody but expensive guard James Harden did another of his “Casper the Ghost” fourth quarter disappearing acts. He went nearly invisible during the four games the 76ers lost against Boston.

Rather than fans blaming Philly’s players for this year’s frustrating end to the season, some sportswriters and Philly fans now want the scalp of their head coach.

Doc Rivers ranks #9 in NBA history for most wins as a coach. He hasn’t coached a losing team in 16 consecutive seasons.

On the other hand, Rivers has been the coach of seven playoff teams where the team blew a 3-2 series lead and then lost in Game 7.

That tells me that Doc Rivers is an exceptional coach during the 82-game regular season. During his 24 seasons as an NBA head coach, Rivers has led his team into the playoffs an amazing 20 times. That is more than 83% of the time.

His detractors will tell you that Doc Rivers is just one for 20 in winning an NBA championship once his team reaches the playoff rounds.

Here is an interesting idea for the NBA to consider.

Perhaps it is time for the first annual SwampSwamiSports.com NBA Coaches Lottery ® to take place on the night following the NBA Player Draft Lottery.

This Wednesday night, I would allow those same 14 worst teams in the league to have a chance to draft a better coach to go along with next year’s basketball team.

In this unique NBA Coaches Lottery concept, the selection order would be reversed from the Players Draft Lottery Night to allow the teams already on the verge of respectability to upgrade their coaching staff. For each currently-employed NBA coach selected during the NBA Coaches Lottery, the coach would receive a sweetener to switch cities. A 50% pay increase and a contract extension for up to four years at the coach’s discretion seems fair.

For example, the New Orleans Pelicans would have the first pick of any current (or fired/unsigned) NBA coach during Wednesday’s NBA Coaches Lottery show.

The Pels also have the right to retain their current coach (and staff) if they choose. However, the Pelicans better be ready to defend the choice or else they will hear the howls from fans for passing-up a new basketball coach!

“With the first pick in the NBA Coaches Lottery for 2023, the New Orleans Pelicans have selected Miami Heat Coach Eric Spoelstra. Toronto is now on the clock!”

Toronto would select second this year while OKC selects third, etc. This process would continue all the way to the team with this year’s worst record selecting at #14.

For Detroit Pistons fans, your team would still have their pick of nearly half of the NBA’s current (or unemployed) coaches by the time the 14th coaching pick arrives. How can you lose?

Alas, I think there is a 99.9% chance that the NBA Coaches Association would veto my idea.

You must admit it would be a lot of fun!

If you watch Tuesday’s NBA Draft Lottery, just remember my idea for an NBA Coaches Lottery to take place the following night. It could quite interesting to see what happens to the coaches, too!

“With the first pick…”

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The moving vans are on stand-by in Oakland, California once again.

This unfortunate city located on the east side of the San Francisco Bay has already lost:

1. A National Hockey League franchise (1976)
2. The NBA reigning World Champions (2019)
3. A three-time Super Bowl winning NFL team (2020)

Now, the final major sports franchise based in Oakland has recently announced that it is making plans to vacate the city. It is quite possible that the four-time World Series Champion Oakland Athletics baseball team will become the second Oakland-based sports franchise to move to Las Vegas, Nevada. They would join the NFL’s Raiders.

Will the last sports team in Oakland please turn out the lights on your way out of town?

If both the fans and the local government leadership in Oakland had done a better job of supporting its sports teams over the past few decades, this city would not be in the sports pickle it is now facing.

Oakland (population 423,000) is a part of the coveted #6 San Francisco television market. Several major league franchises moved into Oakland believing that the overall market was large enough to support multiple major league teams (much like New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago).

The Oakland economy revolves around shipping at the Port of Oakland. Oakland’s diverse population includes nearly 40% of citizens over the age of 25 owning a college degree.

The year-round climate in Oakland is terrific. The average high temperature ranges from 60 degrees in January and warms to just 75 degrees during the heat of August. The low temperatures rarely approach freezing at any time of the winter months.

So, what exactly is the problem in Oakland?

Each sports franchise has its own failure story. There are also a few recurring themes.

Hockey:

The California Golden Seals of the National Hockey League began play in the Oakland Arena in 1967.

Ice hockey simply did not catch on very well in northern California. Nine years later in 1976, the hockey team became the first major professional franchise to leave Oakland.

The franchise moved to Cleveland. After just two years in northern Ohio, the NHL merged the team into the Minnesota North Stars. The North Stars ironically moved south to Texas and are now known as the Dallas Stars.

Bay Area Joke: Did you know the Golden Gate Bridge formerly had a Twitter account?

It was suspended.

Football:

One of the founding franchises of the American Football League in 1960, the Oakland professional football team once held a contest to name the team. According to one source, here is how it went:

March 20, 1960 – A “Name Your Football Team” contest was held.

April 5 – The franchise announced the winning name – “The Oakland Senors”

April 14—Team announced that the nickname was (thankfully) changed to “Raiders.”

The initial announcement of the Senors as the Oakland football nickname became the first of many missteps for this pro football franchise.

The AFL’s Oakland Raiders played their first two seasons (1960 and 1961) in San Francisco. The first Raiders home game was played in historic Kezar Stadium. You might remember it better as the football stadium where Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry movie character finally took down the bad guy. San Francisco’s Candlestick Park also played host for Raiders games during a portion of the team’s first two seasons.

Beginning in 1962, a temporary football stadium in Oakland named Frank Youell Field (capacity 22,000) became home for the Raiders over the next four seasons. By the way, Frank Youell was a highly successful local undertaker in addition to being a financial backer of the Raiders. (I believe he “dug”deeply into his own pockets to fund the temporary stadium in Oakland.)

The 55,000 seat Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum finally opened in 1966. The stadium would be shared with Oakland’s baseball team beginning in 1968.

Here’s another fun fact about the Oakland Raiders.

The team’s legendary owner, Al Davis, was once the head coach from 1963 through the 1965 season. He was named the AFL Commissioner for the next year and purchased a 10% ownership stake position in the Raiders franchise in 1966. He obtained full control of the football team in 1972.

The AFL’s Oakland Raiders were brought into the NFL during the merger of 1970. Though the Raiders had great success on the field in many seasons, the stadium (owned by the county) steadfastly refused to install luxury seating at the facility to allow the team owner to earn more money.

So, Al Davis yanked his football team away from Oakland in 1982 and relocated the Raiders to Los Angeles. The LA Raiders failed to generate much local interest in southern California. Al Davis was able to negotiate significant improvements to his lease with the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum (adding more seating) and brought the Raiders back to Oakland 13 years later in 1995.

After decades of public haggling about the need to build a more modern football facility for the Oakland Raiders, the team surprised its fan base by announcing a move to Las Vegas. The Raiders left Oakland after the 2019 NFL season. They are now known as the Las Vegas Raiders.

Raiders Joke: The NFL may soon show Raiders games on the History Channel.

Because their fans always love to talk about the past!

Basketball:

Did you know that the American Basketball Association (ABA) once had a franchise called the Oakland Oaks? No, they did not put a lot of time into coming up with that nickname!

From 1967-1969, this original ABA franchise was owned by Pat Boone, the legendary singer. After drawing only 2,500 fans per home game, the Oakland Oaks were losing hundreds of thousands of dollars every year for their owner. After two seasons in Oakland, the Oaks were sold and moved to Washington, DC. They played the next season as the Washington Caps. The name became prophetic as gunshots were frequently heard in the vicinity of the Washington Coliseum.

The NBA’s Golden State Warriors initially played in San Francisco but then moved into the new Oakland Arena in 1971. The basketball team played its home games in Oakland for the next 48 years in Oakland. The Warriors constructed a new downtown arena in San Francisco, and the team moved back across the bay in 2019. B-bye, Oakland!

Bay Area Joke: Be sure to bring your country music with you if you go to San Francisco.

They have coin operated toilets, and you’re going to need “Johnny” Cash.

Baseball:

The Athletics baseball team was originally based in Philadelphia. They moved to Kansas City in 1955 after the owner decided that the “City of Brotherly Love” just wasn’t big enough to support both the National League’s Phillies and the American League Athletics.

Once in KC, the legendary Charlie O. Finley purchased control of the A’s franchise during the early 1960’s. Though the team quickly became a winner, the fans failed to support the team in Kansas City.

In 1964, Charlie Finley tried to move the A’s to Louisville. However, Major League Baseball nixed the deal.

In 1968, Finley finally succeeded in relocating his baseball team. This time, it was to the West Coast.

The Athletics came to Oakland and moved into the relatively new Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. The multi-purpose facility was already home to football’s Oakland Raiders.

The A’s won three consecutive World Series titles from 1972-1974 yet rarely drew a capacity crowd in this cavernous (for baseball) 55,000 seat stadium.

Charlie Finley’s wife filed for divorce in 1980. She refused to accept half of the Oakland baseball team as her part of the divorce settlement. In order to generate more cash, Finley quickly tried to move his franchise to Denver and sell it to oilman Marvin Davis.

Fortunately, a local buyer (Walter A. Haas, Jr.) emerged to purchase the Oakland A’s baseball team and keep the team in Oakland. He bought the team in 1980 for only $13 million.

Even though the team would win one more World Series title in 1989, the Oakland A’s continued to struggle with attendance. The team was sold again in 1995 for $72 million. Then it was flipped once more in 2005 to the current ownership group led by John Fisher for $180 million.

Conservative estimates are that the Oakland A’s are worth nearly $1.2 billion in 2023.

Though that potential sale price may sound enticing, the annual cost of operation for the Oakland A’s baseball team far exceeds the annual revenues for the club. Sources indicated that the team owners have been losing upwards of $50 million every single year.

The cash to meet the team’s payroll and operating costs must come out of someone’s pockets.

A few weeks ago, the Oakland A’s announced that they intend to move the baseball team to Las Vegas as soon as possible. Ironically, Las Vegas is already home for the team’s AAA affiliate known as the Las Vegas Aviators.

Depending on what you read (and the story changes week to week), the owner is currently planning to share the AAA team’s ballpark in Las Vegas with the Athletics major league team for a few years.

Yes, both teams might be playing in the same stadium in Las Vegas beginning next season while a major league-sized baseball stadium can be constructed.

The baseball fans in Oakland are incensed. They want Major League Baseball to force the current owners to sell the baseball team and make the new owner commit to keeping the franchise in the Bay Area.

The fans in Las Vegas are confused, too. Do the citizens really want to spend more than $1 billion in public money to help build a new stadium for what has become the worst team in major league baseball?

Back in Oakland, the poorly aging 57-year old Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum is too cavernous for a major league baseball team. The facility has a number of other problems – including a growing rodent population.

The Oakland baseball team pushed to get a public referendum to build a new stadium. The measure failed.

The current owners properly note that long-term attendance patterns in Oakland prove that the market has been unable to support the team. This season, the Oakland A’s are last in the league in attendance with about 10,000 fans per home opener. The 30-team MLB league average is more than 26,000.

To deal with the mounting annual financial losses of the team, the Oakland A’s owner has been cutting player salaries to the bone. As you might expect, the team currently has the worst record in the majors this season, too. This franchise is in a death spiral.

The Athletics have been in Oakland since 1968. The attendance woes have been an issue for decades. Now, the team’s ownership is making plans to abandon Oakland soon.

Oakland A’s Joke: What does the youthful Oakland Athletics fan do when his team wins the World Series?

He turns off the PlayStation 3.

If and when the Athletics leave town, the city of Oakland will be without any major league sports teams.

No other American city will be able to break that record anytime soon. And that is not intended to be a joke!

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Our days of watching those overly excited college football fans rushing onto the field after an exciting victory may soon be coming to an end. That is, if the NCAA and your college football conference have anything to do with it.

This spontaneous act of celebration usually comes under one of two scenarios:

1. Your home football team has defeated a favored bitter rival for the first time in years.
2. Your home team (as a bona fide underdog) has risen to the occasion to defeat a nationally ranked opponent.

Most school and team officials are able to anticipate the possibility that such a rowdy post-game celebration on the field could occur.

For example, let’s head to Baton Rouge. When LSU has a multi-year losing streak against the team’s former coach Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide, there will be a good chance that Tiger fans may come rushing onto the field if LSU should break a losing streak.

The LSU public address announcer will dutifully warn the crowd before the game, during the game, and minutes before it ends. The verbal warnings simply will not work with 102,000 ecstatic fans ready to help celebrate the end of that losing streak with their victorious football team.

Let’s face it. When your college football team defeats its biggest rival – at home – for the first time in years, the home team fans may feel the necessity to release a lot of pent-up emotion.

It certainly doesn’t help matters if many of these fans are inebriated by the end of the game.

Thousands of drunk and sober fans still find a way to jump directly onto the field as the final seconds come off the clock as they quickly swarm the football field in celebration.

This massive rush onto the field puts the opposing team, its coaches, and the game officials in a bit of danger, too.

The opposing team’s players are unhappy about the defeat. The players certainly don’t need the other school’s students taunting them as they try to make their way back to the locker room after the game ends.

The home team’s players are much more understanding. As long as the jubilant fans remain respectful, the players (being college students, too) are happy to oblige the approaching throng.

This onrush of stadium supporters must feel like a giant wave of happiness descending upon the field.

It carries a lifetime of memories for most involved.

Unfortunately, some of those fans also retain long-term memories of minor and severe injuries while trying to scale barriers and jump from ten or more feet down onto the field. Sprained or broken ankles and leg injuries are becoming more common during these bursts of positive pandemonium.

Right on cue, the legal profession has gotten into the act, too. Attorneys for some people injured in post-game celebrations have attempted to recover damages from schools for their clients who have been sustained injuries.

A website promoting sports litigation (yes, there is such a thing) cited a case where a football goal snapped under the weight of fans who had climbed onto it during a post-game celebration. The goal post (which cost $20,000) weighed 600 pounds (prior to the addition of enthusiastic post-game climbers). The goal post fell onto someone’s head below and caused a fractured skull and brain damage.

An attorney sued the university on behalf of the injured fan. The legal position was that the University had not adequately warned all fans that rushing the field after the game was prohibited and potentially dangerous.

The University of Alabama football team knows more about this phenomenon than any other college football team in America.

The most successful team in college football over the past two decades rarely loses more than one or two games in a season. Alabama rarely loses at home or on the road during most recent seasons.

In 2022, the Alabama football team was involved in two separate post-game spontaneous celebrations. Unfortunately, neither event occurred in Tuscaloosa.

A rare loss by Bama to an SEC rival on the road is a big deal to most SEC opposing fans. Last year, Alabama’s football team was swarmed by opposing fans in both Knoxville and Baton Rouge after road losses at Tennessee and LSU.

After 24 years of frustration against Alabama’s football team, gleeful Tennessee fans somehow managed to storm the field, dismantle the goal post, carry it outside of the football stadium and dump it into the nearby Tennessee River!

The Southeastern Conference understands how passionate its fans are. The slogan of cable television’s SEC Network even says, “It just means more”.

It has always been that way here in the Deep South.

The SEC is trying to discourage its fans to end these on-field spontaneous celebrations beginning this season. It will also help the league and its schools to avoid unnecessary injuries to the players, the fans, and thousands of dollars in equipment losses and repairs to the playing surfaces.

Did I also say to help reduce expensive lawsuits?

Large fines have been doled by the SEC for years. Last year, the University of Tennessee was fined $100,000 by the league after its glorious post-game celebration on the field after beating Alabama. The Tennessee athletic donors were more than happy to ante-up to repay the athletics department for the fine and the cost of clean-up.

According to one source, neither Alabama nor Florida has been the site of fans storming onto the home football field after a tense victory. In Bama’s case, the prevailing thought seems to be, “We only celebrate championships.” In Gainesville, Florida, Gator fans consider the turf on Florida Field to be sacred.

A few weeks ago, a report surfaced recently that the SEC is giving thought to a more severe form of punishment to end post-game celebrations on the football field. If the plan is enacted, the league has the right to take away the next home game against that same opponent.

For example, Alabama will not only host this year’s match-ups with Tennessee and LSU in 2023, it would also host the 2024 games – which are currently scheduled to be played in Knoxville and Baton Rouge.

OUCH!

If that rule had been in effect in 2022, it would have meant the loss of millions of dollars in revenue for the athletic departments of Tennessee and LSU.

ANY GOOD IDEAS ON HOW TO RESOLVE THIS PROBLEM?

Perhaps the most civil answer to ending this growing problem lies in the small city of Clemson, South Carolina. Tiger fans now call their post-game celebration the “Gathering at the Paw.”

This unique Clemson University tradition began upon the opening of Memorial Stadium in 1942. Frank Howard, Clemson’s head football coach from 1940 to 1969, allowed ticket holders to come onto the field right after every home game as a positive way for fans to engage with the players.

The post-game celebration became known as “Gathering at the Paw” in 2003 after the school enacted some restrictions to help prevent a bit of rowdy behavior which occurred in 2002.

Once every Clemson football game ends, the two goal posts are quickly removed via a retractable mechanism. The opposing team is also given a little time to safely make its way into the locker room.

Finally, the Clemson fans are invited onto the field using just a few designated ramps (to avoid injuries by fans from jumping over retaining walls). The Tigers football team is then joined on the field by the crowd as they surround the Clemson Tiger Paw logo at midfield. The band then plays the school’s alma mater. The assembled mass of humanity is allowed to linger on the football field for a short period.

This seems like a plausible idea for SEC schools (at least those not named Alabama or Florida) to try beginning this fall.

I would like to see the SEC utilize some of its growing wallet of television money to pay for the initial installation of retractable goal posts at each conference football stadium. Once completed, it would be up to each SEC member school to devise a plan to permit a safer and more orderly entrance onto the football field by home fans.

The SEC’s newly proposed and rather draconian punishment plan for fans rushing the football field is scheduled to be discussed at the league’s upcoming annual meeting in Destin, Florida on May 30. Let’s hope that a more practical solution (such as Clemson’s post-game celebration) might be adopted rather than moving a future football game away from a team with an overenthusiastic home crowd.

Money talks, so I expect Tennessee and LSU will bring some good ideas to the table at the SEC annual meetings later this month.

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As you may have noticed, I do not write many stories about major league baseball on this site.

I like baseball. I started playing in the fifth grade and continued through junior high school. Though I was a reliable hitter, defense (just like in basketball) became a liability once I was moved to the outfield.

If you ask anyone who wears glasses while playing sports, playing outfield under the lights in a night game is a big challenge.

Once that white baseball gets launched into the sky under the bright white lights required for a night game, it is hard to find it quickly. This can become a very nervous moment for a bespectacled outfielder. Due to the glare of the lights, every fly ball becomes another adventure. Let’s just say that I was always happy when the baseball was hit to someone else in the outfield during a night game.

A baseball game remains a terrific place to spend some quality time with your family and friends.

I usually prefer to follow college baseball during the spring (especially LSU games).

The men’s College World Series in Omaha and the Women’s Softball World Series in Oklahoma City are both incredibly entertaining events to watch during early June.

By August, it is usually time to pay more attention to major league baseball as the playoff races start to get serious.

This spring, Major League Baseball deserves a little more of our attention. In 2023, MLB has finally implemented a few significant changes to their game. Traditionally, baseball has been very slow to adopt significant adjustments. Decreasing attendance and lagging television ratings sparked a major overhaul to the sport.

According the MLB website, there are three major rule changes which have been implemented which fans need to become familiar with:

1. Pitch Timer – This rule change is one which most of us have wanted for the past few decades. There is a 30 second maximum between each batter. Once the batter settles in, the pitcher has 15 seconds to deliver the ball (if no runners are on base). If someone is on base, the pitcher an additional 5 seconds (20 seconds) to make the throw to home plate. The pitcher also gets two so-called “disengagements”. That can be used for a pick-off attempt or stepping off the mound for any other reason. The batter may only step out of the box and call one time-out per plate appearance, too.
2. Shift Restrictions – If you haven’t noticed over the past few years, more and more teams have been shifting their infielders and outfielders to overcompensate if a batter tends to hit the ball toward the left or right side of the field most of the time. This year, a new rule was adopted which effectively requires defenders to remain in their traditional positions. Gone are the days of seeing three defensive players shift to the same side of the infield or outfield and leave gaping holes on the field.
3. Bigger bases! If no one had mentioned this change, I doubt most of us fans would have noticed. After trying this concept in the minor leagues, MLB is acknowledging that there have been more injuries as the players (and their feet) have grown larger over the years. The slightly bigger first, second, and third base has meant about a three inch reduction in the distance between home plate and this new “behemoth” first base bag. There is a microscopic 4 ½ inch reduction in the running distance between first and second base (90 feet from the center of each bag). The same dimensions are in play from second base to third, too.

These changes had been tested within the minor league baseball systems prior to implementation at the Major League Baseball level this season. Let’s review how well these adjustments are working.

The pitch clock timer has been an overwhelming success. Baseball games have been criticized by most fans for taking too long. In 2023, the average game times have dropped by 25 minutes during April.

Specifically, the average Major League Baseball game took 3 hours and 3 minutes last season. It is now down to 2 hours and 38 minutes this year. That is a 13% reduction. MLB game times are now their shortest since 1984.

One interesting complaint about the speedier games has come from concession stand vendors. There has been a decrease in sales with less time to sell food and beverage products this season.

Related to the pitch clock timer, the larger bases may be a contributing factor to an uptick in stolen bases in 2023.

For the record, it is still 90 feet from first to second base. With the bases being slightly larger, though, the base runners have gained a microscopic ½ % shorter distance to run.

Most players believe that the increase in stolen bases this year is related to the decreased number of throws coming from pitchers over to first base. The decrease in the number of pick-off attempts at first base is due to the new limits on pitcher “disengagements”. Base runners do not have to endure countless pick-off attempts anymore. They now feel more confident to take a chance to steal second base.

Major League Baseball must be pleased by the results seen in 2023.

The current increase in attempted stolen bases projected to be the highest number in more than ten years. More action on the field helps to keep fans more engaged at the stadium and for those watching via television.

That brings us to changes related to the new prohibition of defensive “shifts”.

MLB believes this improves the likelihood of more balls being put into play and more infield and outfield hits. The league believes the change will showcase the athletic prowess of MLB players to make more difficult defensive plays from the players’ natural positions on the field of play.

Though I may I disagree with this particular change, it is easy to see why it happened.

Visualize a right handed batter hitting the baseball toward the left side of the infield or outfield the majority of time when he makes contact with the bat. In recent years, MLB teams have started to move the third baseman toward the left field line, the shortstop toward the traditional third base position, and the second baseman all the way over to the left side of the infield.

The outfielders would shift positions, too. They would move further to the left side of the outfield based on the statistical probability that the batter (generally) will not drive the ball toward the right side of the field.

These defensive shifts were leaving a gaping hole on one side of the infield and in the outfield.

The batter must execute a difficult swing modification in order to exploit this defensive overshift. It is difficult to “time” a baseball swing with a 100 mph fastball coming at you.

This was made worse in recent years after MLB hitters were instructed by their managers to swing for the fences on nearly every at bat.

This is a very specific example of analytics being used by sports teams and having a negative effect on the sport for its fans.

The offensive statistics led baseball managers to encourage batters to try to hit a home run on most swings rather than trying to get any type of base hit. With that swing mentality, recent years have yielded a surge in the number of strikeouts from batters.

Home baseball fans do not like to see their favorite players striking out two or three times per game.

The recent “swing for the fence” mentality in baseball mirrors why basketball teams have begun to take so many three point shots in recent years, too. Even with a lower conversion rate, the statistics confirm that the results are generally more effective for the team.

Bomb’s away!

In response to baseball’s long-ball offensive mentality, the defenses quickly adapted. They began to implement an exaggerated shift. Most of today’s hitters lacked the required bat control to take advantage of massive defensive overshifts. The batter had become statistically unlikely to hit the baseball toward the wide open side of the baseball field.

The defense has been increasingly winning this chess match. This led to fewer runs being scored and a bad look (increased strikeouts) for the home team’s batters.

Major League Baseball took a bold step by implementing these changes. They deserve credit for taking risks.

The league is actively attempting to increase fan satisfaction with shorter baseball games and more runs being scored. After the first month of play in April, it appears that the changes have generally succeeded.

The players and baseball fans are beginning to grow more accustomed to the adjustments.

Through the first month of the 2023 season, MLB attendance is up nearly 5% over 2022. Perhaps the novelty of these seeing these changes in person is driving much of the renewed interest in baseball.

In 2023, Major League Baseball will happily accept any and all positive trends!

The post Talkin’ Baseball – 2023 Changes appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

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This Saturday night at 7PM CDT on ABC, the XFL Version 3.0 season will come to an end with its championship game being played in San Antonio. The 10-1 DC Defenders of the North Division will square off against the South Division champion Arlington (Texas) Renegades.

The Renegades come into the finale with a record of just 5-6 after surprising the South Division regular season champion Houston Roughnecks (7-4).

Did I say that Saturday’s XFL championship match-up of DC and Arlington will be played in (wait for it) San Antonio’s Alamodome?

San Antonio’s own XFL team (the Brahmas) drew less than 15,000 fans for the team’s five home games this season. Does the XFL really expect the fine citizens of San Antonio to fill a 50,000 seat football stadium to watch two other XFL franchises duke it out this Saturday night?

If the XFL folds after this year’s third attempt, the phrase “Remember the Alamodome” may be a fitting epitaph.

To recap, the best team in the eight-team XFL (the DC Defenders) will play against the fifth best team in the league (Arlington Renegades) for the championship on Saturday night at a neutral site in San Antonio.

DC finished with a league best record of 9-1. Two other North Division teams (the Seattle Sea Dragons and St. Louis BattleHawks) concluded their regular season at 7-3, while the Las Vegas Vipers finished fourth at 2-8.

Seattle won a tiebreaker for the right to play against DC for the North Division crown. Last weekend in Washington, DC defeated Seattle 37-21. Attendance in Washington was 18,664. It was the largest crowd of the season in DC.

Down in the XFL’s South Division, the only team which finished the year with a winning record was the Houston Roughnecks at 7-3. Arlington was in second place at 4-6. San Antonio (3-7) and Orlando (1-9) brought up the rear of the lowly South Division of the XFL.

Last weekend, Arlington went to Houston in the semifinals and surprised the home Roughnecks 26-11 to advance into the XFL championship game this Saturday. Houston’s home playoff game attendance was just 13,568 at a relatively new football stadium on the University of Houston campus.

Here’s an interesting thought. This Saturday night, there is a 50% chance that the 2023 XFL champion could be the team from Arlington, Texas with a 6-6 final record!

Oops!

How could any professional sports organization allow a team without a winning record to win its league championship??

You haven’t read this yet, but the XFL has lost a ton of money this season. Unlike its competitor in the USFL, the XFL boldly went forth with a plan for all eight franchises to play five home games apiece in their ten game regular season schedule.

The St. Louis BattleHawks were the only successful draw in the XFL this year. The team averaged a little more than 35,000 fans per game to lead the spring football league in home attendance. St. Louis football fans sent a clear message to the NFL that the Rams should not have been moved to Los Angeles at the end of the 2015 season. The city has been in mourning ever since.

If the NFL actually cared about St. Louis, they would never have allowed the Rams to move to the 2nd largest television market.

None of the other seven XFL franchises was able to pull more than 15,000 fans per home game. The second best draw in 2023 was San Antonio with 14,983 per game. The Las Vegas finished with the lowest average home attendance at just 6,028 per game.

With an average ticket price of just $20 for most XFL teams, the weekly revenue generated by ticket sales was not enough to cover the costs of stadium leases and operations at most XFL locations.

Television advertising revenue was being counted on to generate significant cash for the XFL.

Just five of the forty televised XFL regular season games were able to draw more than one million television viewers. Most of the other 35 XFL regular season games (televised on ESPN, ESPN2 or FX) drew an average of about 500,000 TV viewers each.

Check out the television ratings for several other sports events conducted in recent weekends:

NBA playoffs 4.5 million viewers

WWE Friday (Fox) 2.5

Auto Racing – NASCAR 2.2

NHL playoffs (Sunday) 2.2

WWE Monday (USA) 1.8

Auto Racing – Grand Prix 1.5

PGA Golf (New Orleans) 1.47

Major League Baseball (Sun) 1.4

UFC Fight Night (Sat.) 1.2

Women’s Gymnastics (Sat.) 1.02

USFL Week 3 (Sun. – Fox) 0.56

XFL Playoffs (Sun.- ESPN) 0.48

LIV Golf (CW Network) 0.3

Only LIV Golf (which just began its first year of network television) had fewer TV viewers than the XFL and USFL spring football games in the past couple of weeks.

One year ago, the USFL executives stated that a weekly audience of one million or more television viewers would be enough to consider their games a success. Last weekend’s spring football games brought a total of about one million total viewers for both the USFL and XFL.

Ratings matter!

In the case of the USFL, the league agreed to split the television advertising revenues with the networks carrying their games. The TV networks did not want to pay the USFL any financial guarantees for the rights to carry its weekly schedule of games.

Based on the number of previous failed attempts at spring professional football, the USFL had zero leverage. It was in a weak bargaining position if it was trying to find a reputable sports network to carry their weekly games.

I suspect that a very similar issue arose this year with the XFL and its television partners.

The television networks want to make money when airing sporting events. Football games require a battalion of technicians and related personnel to put on the show. Football is a very expensive television production.

In comparison, how many cameras and staff are required to televise a tennis match or a bowling show? What about basketball or hockey? None require the large number of professional staffers and expensive broadcast equipment as a professional football game does.

Football needs strong financial support in order to justify the high costs of operation.

Let’s review what we have learned in the past two years about spring professional football:

1. Neither the XFL nor the USFL have built a sustainable weekly television audience of one million or more regular viewers.
2. The level of play is better than expected, but it still looks and feels like a minor league game.
3. The XFL games have seemed more exciting on television by playing in front of home crowds. However, most of those crowds were not large enough to cover the high costs of playing in those football stadiums.
4. The USFL games are a bit less exciting. The league has seen continued low attendance even after playing half of its games in 2023 in front of local fans. However, the USFL has proven to have a much more economic business model.
5. The NFL is not currently involved in either league. We now realize that the vast majority of these spring football players will never play a down in the NFL.
6. Without a deal to become a developmental league for the NFL, these two spring football leagues are a dead end proposition for the majority of its players. The fans now realize this, too.

A merger of the XFL and USFL is not likely as neither league is making money. However, the USFL is 100% owned by Fox Sports. The USFL should have the better chance to survive as long as the parent company doesn’t mind losing money. Perhaps the losses shown by the USFL serves as a tax write-off for Fox?

The fans of spring football have spoken!

Other than in St. Louis, none of the 15 other teams comprising the XFL and USFL have been well supported in home stadiums or by television viewers at home. It is hard to justify the continued financial losses of either league.

The quality of play on the field has been good enough to whet the appetite of any football fans willing to watch the USFL or XFL. The lack of television viewership and fans willing to buy tickets to watch professional spring football games speaks the truth in 2023.

Despite a really good try by the USFL and XFL, this simply isn’t working.

Our appetite for spring professional football may be like trying to eat another piece of cake once you are already full. Sometimes it is better to digest it for a while and then come back for more a little later.

The post Can Spring Football be Saved? appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

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Yes, I am saying it once again this year, too. Based on the results of Round 1, the NBA wanted its flagship cities and the league’s top stars to advance into the second round of the 2023 playoffs.

Call me a conspiracy theorist if you will, but let’s establish the facts first.

NBA First Round Playoff Results:

East #1 Milwaukee Bucks lost to #8 seed Miami Heat – 4 games to 1

East #2 Boston Celtics defeated #7 seed Atlanta Hawks – 4 games to 2

East #3 Philadelphia 76ers swept #6 Brooklyn Nets – 4 games to 0

East #4 Cleveland Cavaliers lost to #5 seed New York Knicks – 4 games to 1

West #1 Denver Nuggets beat #8 seed Minnesota Timberwolves – 4 games to 1

West #2 Memphis Grizzlies lost to #7 seed Los Angeles Lakers – 4 games to 2

West #3 Sacramento Kings lost to #6 seed Golden State Warriors – 4 games to 3

West #4 Phoenix Suns defeated #5 seed Los Angeles Clippers – 4 games to 1

Now, let’s now review the results based on each city’s TV market size:

Miami (#18 TV market) defeated Milwaukee (#37)

Boston (#10 TV market) over Atlanta (#7)

Philly (#4 TV market) beat Brooklyn (#1 market)

NY Knicks (#1 TV market) over Cleveland (#19)

Denver (#16 TV market) defeated Minneapolis (#14)

Los Angeles Lakers (#2 TV market) beat Memphis (#51)

Golden State (#6 TV market in San Francisco) over Sacramento (#20)

Phoenix (#11 TV market) beat Los Angeles Clippers (#2 market)

In the eight NBA first-round playoff series, the teams in the larger television markets won only half of the series.

HOWEVER…

The nation’s two largest television markets (New York and Los Angeles) still have their most popular NBA team advancing into Round 2 while the less popular franchise is heading to vacation.

The New York Knicks are the Big Apple’s fan favorite.

The same can be said in Los Angeles as LeBron James and the Lakers advanced while the injured Clippers went home.

Let’s review the television markets which remain as the NBA’s second round of playoffs begin.

There are teams playing in New York (#1), Los Angeles (#2), Philadelphia (#4), San Francisco (#6), Boston (#10), Phoenix (#11), Denver (#16) and Miami (#18). For those keeping score, the TV markets eliminated in Round 1 were #7 Atlanta, #14 Minneapolis, #19 Cleveland, #20 Sacramento, #37 Milwaukee, and #51 Memphis.

Wait! If the NBA first round of playoffs were rigged, then why didn’t the Atlanta Hawks (#7) defeat the #10 Boston Celtics and the #14 Minnesota Timberwolves prevail over the #16 Denver Nuggets?

The Celtics are one of the NBA’s most successful franchises and feature a possible NBA MVP candidate in forward Jason Tatum. The Hawks had a talented team but don’t have a significant national following.

Love them or hate them, the Boston Celtics are the NBA’s most popular team nearly every year.

So that leaves one final question.

Why would the NBA allow Denver (#16 TV market) to take down the #14 market in Minneapolis? Easy! The Nuggets have the NBA’s current two-time MVP in versatile center Nikola Jokic. The Minnesota Timberwolves do not feature any stars of that caliber.

The NBA is and always has been a star-driven league. In a game where only five athletes are on the court at one time, basketball affords the most talented individual on a team to become a focal point for NBA fans.

What about Memphis star Ja Morant? He is one of the top players in the NBA this year.

Indeed! Ja Morant was the biggest NBA star whose team was sent home in the first round of the playoffs.

Ja Morant was also the same player suspended for eight games without pay in March for “conduct detrimental to the league.” Ja Morant was caught on camera brandishing a handgun in a nightclub located just outside of Denver.

It is safe to assume that the NBA may not desire to showcase a young star that brought several days of negative headlines to the league. Ja Morant also plays basketball in one of the smallest TV markets in Memphis.

So, enjoy your summer vacation, Grizzlies! You didn’t fit the script for the 2023 NBA playoffs.

Did I mention that the NBA’s television contract is coming up for renewal soon?

With a nine year contract which began in 2016, the National Basketball Association’s current TV deal called for $24 billion in exclusive broadcast rights paid by partners ABC/ESPN and Turner’s TNT cable channel. The current agreement remains in effect through the 2024-2025 NBA season.

Traditionally, the NBA and other major sports leagues will negotiate their new media deals at least one year ahead of time. That would make this summer’s NBA playoffs a perfect time to showcase the league and help give a bump to its slowly sagging ratings.

Television ratings for the NBA’s regular season have been generally flat since the early 2000’s. The basketball league’s snooze-worthy 82-game regular season schedule (October through early April) rarely pulls more than two million viewers on its national broadcast schedule.

By comparison, any regular season football game in the NFL is likely to fetch at least 17 million television viewers. The NFL draws about ten times the average number of viewers of an NBA game. Of course, the NFL only plays 17 regular season games compared to the NBA’s 82.

That is why so many media outlets are willing to pay handsomely in order to capture a piece of the NFL’s huge television viewership.

Though the NBA used to have a monopoly on Christmas Day sports fans with an all-day buffet of games, the NFL recently started to schedule games on the same day. The NBA simply cannot compete head-to-head against an NFL regular season game.

That means that the NBA languishes in relative obscurity until its excessive 2-month playoff season which begins in April and stretches through mid-June.

The executive suite of the NBA would love to sweeten its upcoming TV contract negotiations with a big jump in ratings during the playoffs this spring.

And that’s why we will be seeing all of the NBA’s biggest stars playing in the biggest television markets for Round 2 of the playoffs beginning this week.

In the East, it will be Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Jalen Brown going up against Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid and James Harden. In the other East semifinal, it is Miami’s underappreciated Jimmy Butler taking on Julius Randle and the red-hot New York Knicks.

In the West semifinals, the match-up of Golden State’s Steph Curry and Klay Thompson goes up against the Los Angeles Lakers dynamic duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Denver’s two-time league MVP Nikola Jokic will match talents with the Phoenix Suns duo of Devin Booker and Kevin Durant.

You couldn’t have planned these second round match-ups any better if you were trying to achieve the maximum possible television audience.

The NBA front office is thrilled. So are ESPN and TNT! The NBA’s second round match-ups will likely deliver the highest television ratings since the current nine-year television contract began in 2016.

How convenient!

A significant increase in television ratings this year – beginning right now – will mean billions of dollars in additional television revenue in the league’s upcoming TV contract negotiations. The NBA splits the media revenues almost 50/50 with the players.

Expect to see several Game 7 match-ups during the coming six weeks as the NBA playoffs vie to take center stage for your sports television viewing.

These second round match-ups are simply ideal.

It makes me wonder if the NBA may have received a little help from the WWE in developing this year’s playoff script.

The post Are the 2023 NBA Playoffs Rigged? appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

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Beginning Thursday, Kansas City returns to the NFL spotlight. This time, the primary story will not be about Patrick Mahomes and the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs.

The NFL draft is coming to KC this week for three straight days beginning with Thursday night’s slower-than-molasses Round 1. ABC, ESPN, and the NFL Network will provide television coverage beginning at 6PM Central time for another four and one half hours.

NFL teams will have (and, generally, take) ten minutes to make their first round selection as the first 32 college football players are chosen and announced. On Friday night, it’s Rounds 2 and 3 starting at 6 PM with up to seven minutes between picks. Saturday’s finale features rounds 4, 5, 6, and 7 (with five minutes between selections) starting at 11 AM and mercifully ending somewhere around 5PM.

The NFL draft will take place around Kansas City’s historic Union Station.

The incredible architecture of this railroad hub of the Midwest (still featuring Amtrak service) has been transformed into a regional tourist mecca. Kansas City’s Union Station is part of the Chicago- to-Los Angeles route while another train travels intrastate to St. Louis and back. Union Station has been modified to feature a top notch science center, planetarium, large movie theater and assorted retail shops.

In a very good PR move, the NFL is now holding its annual draft at a different city each year. For decades, the draft was always held in New York City. Even Detroit (which has never even played in a Super Bowl) will get to host the NFL draft next year in 2024.

As you make that critical decision as to how much of this event you plan to watch, let’s take a hard look at some of the facts surrounding the NFL draft:

HOW OFTEN DOES THE OVERALL #1 DRAFT PICK ACTUALLY TAKE HIS TEAM TO A SUPER BOWL TROPHY?

First, the bad news. During the Super Bowl era beginning in 1967, there has not been one team with the overall #1 pick which has advanced into the NFL’s top game in the very next season. Sorry, Carolina Panthers fans! You might want to hold-off on buying any 2024 Super Bowl tickets.

During the 57 years of the NFL’s Super Bowl era, there have been 12 of the #1 overall NFL draft picks who have led the team which initially drafted them to a Super Bowl victory:

1967 – Bubba Smith (Baltimore Colts)

1970 – Terry Bradshaw (Pittsburgh Steelers)

1971 – Jim Plunkett (Oakland Raiders)

1974 – Ed “Too Tall” Jones (Dallas Cowboys)

1983 – John Elway (Denver Broncos)

1989 – Troy Aikman (Dallas Cowboys)

1991 – Russell Maryland (Dallas Cowboys)

1993 – Drew Bledsoe (New England)

1997 – Orlando Pace (St. Louis Rams)

1998 – Peyton Manning (Indianapolis Colts)

2004 – Eli Manning (New York Giants)

2013 – Erik Fisher (Kansas City Chiefs)

In addition, five other overall #1 draft choices would win a Super Bowl ring with a different team than the one which drafted him. They are:

1973 – John Matuszak (Selected by Houston – won SB with Oakland)

1981 – George Rogers (Selected by New Orleans – won SB with Washington)

1996 – Keyshawn Johnson (Selected by NY Jets – won SB with Tampa Bay)

2002 – David Carr (Selected by Houston – won SB with NY Giants)

2009 – Mathew Stafford (Selected by Detroit – won SB with LA Rams)

Statistically speaking, there is a surprisingly good chance (21% or 12 out of 57) that the Carolina Panthers may find actually select a player which will help lead the team to a Super Bowl victory during some not-too-distant year.

It has now been ten years since the last #1 overall selection (2013 – Erik Fisher in Kansas City) would be drafted and play for a Super Bowl champion team. Statistically speaking, the odds indicate that we are overdue. Will Carolina get lucky?

WHO SHOULD BE THE FIRST PLAYER DRAFTED THIS YEAR?

I just finished reading a great book written by former college and NFL coach Jimmy Johnson. He coached football teams to national championships in college (Miami Hurricanes) and in the professional ranks with the NFL Dallas Cowboys. The book is a terrific read for any football fan.

Coach Johnson’s first rule on evaluating a player had to do with his intelligence. That doesn’t necessarily mean grades in the classroom or testing at NFL combines. He was looking for players who displayed a sincere willingness to listen and accept instruction from the coaching staff. Jimmy Johnson understood that his players needed to be able to make changes from week to week to keep opponents off guard.

In an earlier post, I discussed that there will be a large number of college quarterbacks who will be selected very early in the first round of Thursday night’s NFL draft.

A long-time friend of mine and I had a great conversation last week about this year’s draft class. When looking at this year’s college football players to be drafted in the first round, how many of these players can you already visualize making the NFL Hall-of-Fame some day? When evaluating the top names of this 2023 NFL draft class, some have clearly shown themselves to be the best in their specialty.

For quarterbacks, did you think that Kentucky’s Will Levis was the best quarterback in college football for the past few years? No, he wasn’t. Not even close. Yet, some people believe that he might be selected by Carolina with the first pick because of his ideal size and terrific arm strength. He looks the part of today’s NFL quarterback.

The same can be said for Ohio State quarterback C. J. Stroud. He was very good in college but was he, by far, the best college quarterback for the past two years? Nope.

Let’s add Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson into this discussion. Last year’s 6-7 record posted by the Gators speaks volumes as to how little difference that Richardson actually made for his team last season.

There is just one quarterback available on Thursday night who was clearly at the top of the heap for the past two years.

Alabama’s Bryce Young was the field general who rallied the Crimson Tide offense in countless games. However, his 5’10” and 190 pound weight (being generous on both counts) has many professional teams concerned to make him their top pick.

Bryce Young is very smart and was, by far, the most accurate passer of the aforementioned college quarterbacks who are likely to be first round draft picks. Former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees had a Hall-of-Fame career and was just about the same size as Bryce Young.

In my best Roger Goodell voice, “With the first pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, the Carolina Panthers select Bryce Young, quarterback, University of Alabama.”

WHO ELSE DOES SWAMPSWAMI LIKE THIS YEAR?

I want to consider any player who was OBVIOUSLY the best at his position in college football last season and shown improvement while in college. Here are a couple of other “standout” names I like:

Running back – Bijan Robinson (Texas)

Offensive line – Peter Skoronski (Northwestern)

That’s it. Just three.

I am not sold on the impact which Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter and Alabama linebacker Will Anderson, Jr. will have in the NFL. They played alongside of some extremely talented college players on their SEC teams. The NFL will require them to take another step up. I wonder if they may have “peaked” in college?

WHAT AM I LOOKING FORWARD TO WATCHING DURING THE DRAFT?

In general, the good teams will make good decisions. The bad teams will continue to make bad ones.

Good teams – Watch closely as Baltimore and San Francisco may dangle their current quarterbacks to the NFL market as trade bait. Expect the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots to quietly stockpile more undervalued players who have proven to be coachable talents. And what will the Cincinnati Bengals do to keep their team together to stay near the top?

Bad teams – The lowly Houston Texans need to make a lot of good moves in this draft to begin turning around their sinking ship. I wouldn’t count on it with most of their current executive management group still in H-town. Speaking of bad teams, will the New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, and Arizona Cardinals find a few receivers to catch footballs thrown by their very expensive quarterbacks?

Interesting teams – The Dallas Cowboys have done well in the off-season deal making. Let’s see if Dallas is able to grab a quality tight end or running back to solidify the offense.

The New Orleans Saints just spent a lot of money on Derek Carr at quarterback. I wish I had more confidence in Dennis Allen as the team’s head coach. With the current talent, the Saints could be really good this year. However, I said the same thing last year. Coaching matters.

Speaking of coaches, keep an eye on former Saints coach Sean Payton and his Denver Broncos. Denver has just five picks in the draft. The Broncos won’t be heard from until Round 3. They have two third round picks. Will Coach Payton make a deal to move up and get a better pick? Don’t bet against him.

On Thursday night, it is time for the annual football soap opera called the NFL Draft from Kansas City. Get your popcorn ready!

The post NFL Draft Preview – Don’t Get Your Hopes Up! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

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It’s hard to believe that a young lady born in early 1900’s as Fanny Rose Shore is now best remembered as the founder of a women’s professional golf tournament where the winner leaps into a lake in celebration.

In 1972, the LPGA’s Colgate-Dinah Shore-Winners Circle Classic in southern California was born. Throughout its 51 years and rotating sponsors in California, the tournament’s spirit was always reflected by everyone’s affection for the founding host, Dinah Shore.

Last week, the LPGA major tournament’s newest sponsor, Chevron, relocated the event to The Woodlands, Texas. I was fortunate enough to have spent a few days at the golf course as it transformed into the Chevron Championship.

Chevron and the LPGA organizers did a terrific job at continuing the spirit of Dinah Shore at this year’s event – right down to the unique victory leap into a lake by the winner.

Born as Fanny Rose Shore in Tennessee, the young woman battled through polio in her early years. Though one of her legs would remain shorter than the other, she was a cheerful youth who excelled in the classroom and in sports. She also loved to sing. She attended nearby Vanderbilt University and participated on the swimming and fencing teams.

Armed with a degree in Sociology, Fanny Rose Shore’s singing talent earned an appearance on Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry Show with its large national audience listening via the clear channel 50,000 watt WSM 650 radio.

After singing the popular 1930’s song “Dinah”, a radio personality began to refer to her as “That Dinah girl.”

The nickname stuck.

Dinah Shore became a popular singer and entertainment personality for the next forty years. She cranked out hit records during the 1940’s and 50’s. She became one of the first female television hosts with her own popular television variety show series into the 1960’s. During the 1970’s, Dinah Shore’s interpersonal skills and disarming Tennessee charm helped extend her career as she became one of the forerunners of television talk and interview shows.

Much like Lucille Ball, Dinah Shore had become an early trailblazer for women in the entertainment business.

It was Dinah Shore’s longtime love for athletics which opened the door for her involvement in women’s professional golf. A talented tennis player and golfer, she was a big attraction at celebrity tennis and golf events.

In 1972, the LPGA Tour had 29 weekly events. The average weekly purse was about $30,000 to be split among the top half of the field.

The inaugural Dinah Shore golf tournament (held annually in April) would debut with a total purse of $110,000. It was the first LPGA event to top $100,000 in prize money for participating players.

Dinah Shore remained personally involved with the event every year until her death in 1994 at age 77. She personally promoted the golf tournament for months beforehand and attended the entire slate of events during tournament week. The Dinah Shore name attracted national television coverage as the host even spent time in the broadcast booth as a guest analyst to welcome viewers to the golf tournament.

After a generally successful 50-year run at Mission Hills Country Club in Palm Springs, California, the tournament began to lose its luster and needed an injection of new life.

Enter Chevron and the state of Texas.

The new sponsor upped the payout by over 40% this year to more than $5 million. The four day tournament regained national television coverage via Golf Channel and NBC. The event (one of five “majors” on the LPGA Tour) was moved to the Jack Nicklaus signature golf club located 35 miles north of Houston (Chevron’s home) in The Woodlands, Texas.

Though California may be grieving over the loss of this longtime LPGA event, the new tournament sponsor promised to keep Dinah Shore’s “touch” in mind though it would now be played in Texas.

Last week, each day of the Chevron Championship featured special events which were patterned directly from the Dinah Shore golf event in California. At the conclusion of the week, the winner received the tournament trophy which still bears Dinah Shore’s name.

Here are a few comments from attending my first LPGA event in more than 50 years:

The professional women golfers really hit the ball a long way!

Even the tiniest LPGA golfers are able to hit the golf ball 240 yards or more off the tee. A few golfers are regularly hitting the ball over 275 yards. It is quite impressive.

The women’s short game skills are every bit as good as the men’s tour.

The greens at the Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course were a bit smaller than the LPGA tour average. Many featured slopes which quickly ushered some shots off these lightning-fast greens. Whether chipping back onto the green or via lag putting, the LPGA tour players displayed incredible skill in getting down in two shots on most occasions. It reinforces the need to spend more time practicing your short game.

The Golf Channel/NBC television crews worked some really long hours!

The television operations crew put in some long hours in the elements last week. The tournament featured three hours of live television coverage during midday and then returned for two more hours between 5 and 7PM. The weather forced temporary delays on a few days. These underappreciated workers were based in a battalion of production trailers located just offsite in a very muddy quagmire which featured a fine assortment of local snakes.

The pace of play is far too slow.

Most LPGA golfers hit the ball off the tee quickly and purposefully walk down the fairway. However, the leaders still took an average of 5 hours and 20 minutes to play 18 holes on Saturday and Sunday. Once the players arrived at the green, it wasn’t hard to locate the problem.

So, why are the golfers so slow on the green?

I watched as most of today’s professional golfers now walk along the line of their upcoming putt and stop (usually twice) to form a “bridge” with their feet over the potential line. The golfer apparently believes that their feet are able to judge which way the ball is going break as it heads toward the hole. The former way (look at the shot from both sides of the hole) has been replaced by this quite silly-looking routine. All greens are fast at this level. That is why each golfer should spend enough time on the practice green before starting play.

Start enforcing the penalties for slow play!

This weekend at the Chevron Championship, one player (Lucy Li) was fined after completing her third round for slow play. She first received a warning and, later, a fine. With play now routinely exceeding five hours, amateurs (especially college golfers) and professional golfers should receive a two shot penalty for every slow play violation during a round. Tournament officials should place “traffic cops” along the course to enforce pace of play and the rules.

Did I say snakes?

The name of the city which hosted this event is The Woodlands. In addition to a few deer which were randomly meandering across the property, the golf course featured several lakes. With a lot of water and woods nearby, the local snake population was enjoying spring weather and, in all likelihood, doing their best to help repopulate their own species.

The tradition at the former Dinah Shore golf tournament in California has been for the winner to take a flying leap into a designated special pond just off the 18th hole. In California, that pond was man-made.

At the Jack Nicklaus club in The Woodlands, the large lake along the 18th hole was home to many of the aforementioned snakes and water creatures. When interviewed by the television crews, many LPGA golfers were hesitant to commit to jumping into the lake water if they should win the tournament on Sunday.

This year’s winner, Lilia Vu, was equally concerned about taking such a leap of faith:

“Cole (caddie) and I passed by 18 during the practice round and discussed would you jump, and I was like, ‘Yeah, I would jump; if I won here, of course I would jump,’” she said with a laugh. “Yesterday or the day before we saw a snake on 17 pond so I was kind of thinking about that today, but I think the emotions were high and just adrenaline (said) ‘Got to jump into that pond.’”

Fortunately, the initial Chevron Championship Texas lake leap made by Lilia Vu and her caddie came off without a hitch.

Here’s a suggestion, Chevron. Next year, just do the trophy presentation along a pier above the lake on #18…along “the Dinah shore!”

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In the coming days, Disney (stock symbol: DIS), the parent company of ESPN, may be reducing the headcount at its sports division once again. ESPN laid off about 300 on-air and technical staffers in 2020.

The parent company’s encore CEO Bob Iger (who returned to the company last November to help reverse the company’s flagging stock price) had indicated recently that more layoffs are forthcoming for Disney and its ESPN division.

All of this comes as Disney’s ESPN is negotiating a new contract to cover NBA basketball games. The new deal is expected to cost more than the $1.4 billion already being paid to the basketball league every season.

Of course, it makes no sense. “Fire the cameraman! We’ve got to save money to pay for NBA games!”

ESPN has lost its way and has boxed itself into a financial corner. How did this happen?

The Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN) was founded in 1979 during the early years of cable television. It immediately became a “must have” cable television channel for most of us sports fans.

When it was getting started, ESPN struggled to fill a 24-hour sports schedule in the early years.

They were starting from scratch. ESPN cut deals with small conferences to telecast college basketball games. The legendary Dick Vitale’s long career as a college basketball analyst began in 1979 in the early days of ESPN. Dickie V helped build the popularity of ESPN during its critical early years.

College baseball and softball games would become part of the early schedule. Tennis matches, sports car racing, fishing shows, rodeos, and nearly any athletic event (including cheerleading competitions) helped ESPN to fill its 24-hour schedule at a reasonable cost of production.

ESPN’s frequent “SportsCenter” programs provided Americans with an opportunity to watch video highlights from earlier college and professional games involving your favorite teams. If your favorite baseball or basketball team played a late night West Coast game, SportsCenter would eventually show the highlights and the final score.

Prior to that, you would hope that your local newspaper did not “go to press” before the West Coast games had been completed. Otherwise, you were out of luck.

In 1979, there was no significant competition for ESPN. Cable TV was in its infancy with only about 15 million subscribers nationwide.

WTBS in Atlanta started off the national cable television trend. The local UHF station went to satellite and became “The Superstation” in 1976. TBS turned the Atlanta Braves into mid-America’s baseball team from April through October. Founder Ted Turner later assembled the Cable News Network (CNN) to go national in 1980.

MTV (when they actually featured music) began on cable television in 1981. The Weather Channel debuted in 1982.

In those early days, The Weather Channel’s “Local weather on the eights” was actually true. Today, it means you have to wait until 18 or 48 minutes past the hour. (Do they really think we’re that dumb? Don’t answer that.)

Another early cable television favorite channel was the Madison Square Garden Network.

They famously provided a national television audience for Vince McMahon’s fledgling wrestling outfit called WWF (later WWE). The MSG Network also carried New York Yankees baseball and New York Rangers hockey games. It is now known as the USA Network.

However, it was ESPN which was able to execute a vision to become America’s premier sports programming network.

In 1979, the sports programming for the traditional “Big Three” networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) was generally confined to Saturday and Sunday afternoons. The NFL and NBA were the exclusive domain of the traditional TV networks as local television signals covered most of the country without cost to customers. Major League Baseball was relegated to a Saturday afternoon “Game of the Week” on NBC. Good luck if your favorite teams weren’t the Yankees, Red Sox, or Dodgers.

Fox Sports? They did not come into existence for another 15 years in 1994.

During the 1980’s, ESPN’s skyrocketing popularity allowed the network to require local cable television operators to pay them a monthly fee based on the number of cable households in the local market. This was quite uncommon at the time. Did you know that your local cable television operator was being PAID by some of cable channels (like some of those home shopping networks) to carry their programming?

ESPN’s founders sold their fledgling operation to ABC five years later in 1984. ABC would late be acquired by Disney in 1996.

As ESPN’s popularity grew, so did the public’s appetite to see more sports on weekdays and at night on the weekend. ESPN was able to successfully bid for the rights to cover more and more college and professional sports. The network was more than happy to keep passing those additional costs along to customers at home.

Network fees charged by ESPN to cable operators have grown significantly over the years. It’s one thing to be charged an extra few dollars per month per household for your favorite sports channel and hope that your cable television customers won’t mind paying the extra money.

ESPN started to see more competition for the rights to broadcast major league sports and major college athletic conferences. To keep growing and provide sports viewers with their favorite sports at home, ESPN reached into YOUR pocket and paid dearly for the rights to NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, and major college sports. To recover those ballooning costs, ESPN reportedly charges cable television operators about $13 per month per household for its family of sports networks.

Economics 101 reminds us about the elasticity of demand.

Here’s an example. When your favorite pizza parlor charged $10 for a large pizza, you returned fairly often. When the price rose to $15 for the same pizza, you started to think about other options or simply didn’t go as often. Once the price climbs to $20, most of us will find a cheaper dining option. At some point, you will reach your limit and refuse to participate.

And that is where we are with ESPN.

Sure, they still provide customers with (generally) good sports programming. However, there comes a time when a service provider is now charging you more than you are willing to pay.

ESPN misjudged its customers and how much they were willing to pay for services. Cable television operators became faced with difficult choices, too. If they drop ESPN, will their customers drop by a proportionate amount?

As a customer, you get to open that monthly bill and make a judgment. How much is “too much” to pay for your cable television sports programming every month.

The rising cost has led millions of former cable television customers to cut the cord.

The market has been speaking in recent years. ESPN has not been listening.

ESPN believed that its customers would agree to pay higher costs to see the NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball, college football, the NHL, and other sports.

With cable television systems losing customers by the millions in recent years, ESPN’s base revenues are shrinking, too.

Disney recently reorganized its mammoth company into three divisions – Entertainment, Theme Parks, and ESPN. The prevailing thought has been that Disney might sell ESPN outright or, perhaps, try to spin-off the ESPN division as a separate stock entity.

That isn’t a “win” for Disney shareholders, though.

Suppose you owned 150 shares of Disney stock today. The company announces, “Congratulations! We are splitting up into three entities. You will now own 50 shares of Disney Entertainment, 50 shares of Disney Theme Parks, and 50 shares of ESPN stock.”

Disney’s combined market value would plummet as ESPN shares would be quickly dumped.

It appears that Disney may be stuck with ESPN right now. Unless…

Perhaps there is a wealthy corporation (Hello, Amazon?) willing to pay Disney to take ESPN off their hands. Even if the deal involves a loss for Disney in the short term, ESPN would become someone else’s problem.

ESPN has tried to become all things sports to all people. The market has changed significantly since its beginnings in 1979. The competition has increased and become tougher. ESPN’s viewership keeps dwindling. Don’t forget about the internet!. It promises to keep causing market disruptions for years to come.

In the meantime, ESPN just keeps on doing what it has been doing (even after laying off the poor cameraman, that is).

This story reminds me of the decline of former retail giant, Sears Roebuck & Company.

As Sears grew nationwide during the 1900’s, it continued to try to be all things to all people. Niche operators developed and nibbled away at portions of Sears’ expansive retail business. Over time, the company became too slow to respond to changing market conditions. It was a bloated and stubborn organization with significant overhead, debt, and not enough customers remaining willing to support it.

In the past two decades, store after store has closed. Sears has nearly disappeared from the retail landscape.

ESPN’s product life cycle peaked a long time ago. Will they become the next Sears?

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That great American philosopher Frank Sinatra famously recorded a hit song about the need to have confidence in your own abilities in order to accomplish big goals. His 1959 song “High Hopes” won an Oscar for “Best Original Song” from the motion picture A Hole in the Head.

“Just what makes that little old ant

Think he’ll move that rubber tree plant

Anyone knows an ant can’t

Move a rubber tree plant!

But he’s got high hopes, he’s got high hopes
He’s got high apple pie, in the sky hopes
So any time you’re gettin’ low
‘stead of lettin’ go
Just remember that ant
Oops, there goes another rubber tree plant”

The month of April means that we are in the middle of the college football spring practice season. Most major universities will conclude spring football practices by playing a scrimmage game for the fans to watch. These games rarely reveal any significant indicators about what the future actually holds for the new football team.

However, the spring games allow football fans and the players a chance to get excited about the fall football season coming in just a few months.

Two major college programs recently hired new football coaches. Fans of the Colorado Buffaloes and Nebraska Cornhuskers are downright giddy as expectations of future bowl game appearances and conference championships dance in their heads.

Will the new football coaches be able to deliver the success which these loyal fans are starved for?

Former NFL star Deion Sanders jumped into college football coaching at Jackson State University a few years ago. In two years, he quickly transformed the JSU Tigers into winners on the field and rejuvenated student and alumni interest in the school’s proud football program.

Self-nicknamed as “Prime Time” as a football player, former NFL defensive back Deion Sanders was talented enough to earn a place in the pro football Hall-of-Fame. His ability to cover opposing wide receivers and outstanding punt return skills made him a very special player. However, his over-the-top verbal rhetoric made him either a fan favorite (if he played on your team) or a top target for the opposing team and their fans.

Upon retiring from the NFL, Deion Sanders became a popular football analyst on television.

He then decided that he wanted to try his hand at coaching. Sanders became the offensive coordinator for a high school in the Dallas, Texas area where his two sons played football.

In 2020, Deion Sanders surprised the sports world by being named head football coach at Jackson State University. During his two years at the school, the JSU Tigers won the Southwest Athletic Conference in both seasons. The offense was led by the coach’s son – quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

The Pac-12 football program at the University of Colorado has been mired in a period of decline. Last year, the Buffaloes finished just 1-11. Since 2006, the Buffs have won more than six games only one time (2016). The football team has appeared in just three post-season bowl games during that 16-year period.

Though Deion Sanders’ magic at Jackson State came against a slightly lower level of competition, fans in Colorado are really buying-in. This week, the school in Boulder announced that season tickets for this fall were now sold out for the first time in 27 years.

This Saturday at 1PM Central time, the Colorado Black and Gold spring football game will be played in front of a sold-out stadium. ESPN will be on hand to jump aboard the “Coach Prime” bandwagon, too.

At the exact same time on Saturday in Lincoln, Nebraska, the Nebraska Cornhuskers will kick-off their annual spring football game in front of a sea of thousands of red-clad fans with high hopes, too.

“Once there was a silly old ram
Thought he’d punch a hole in a dam
No one could make that ram, scram
He kept buttin’ that dam

‘Cause he had high hopes, he had high hopes
He had high apple pie, in the sky hopes

So any time you’re feelin’ bad
‘stead of feelin’ sad
Just remember that ram
Oops there goes a billion kilowatt dam”

Nebraska’s new head football coach is Matt Rhule. Much like Deion Sanders at Colorado, the hiring of Matt Rhule has excited the Cornhusker fan base. Perhaps their football fortunes are finally about to improve.

Unlike the athletically gifted Deion Sanders, Matt Rhule was a walk-on college football player. He became a linebacker for the Penn State Nittany Lions under Coach Joe Paterno. He earned all-academic honors while graduating from Penn State with a degree in Political Science. He later added a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology from the University of Buffalo.

Like many college football coaches, Matt Rhule moved from school to school to gain the coaching experience needed to advance to higher levels of responsibility.

Rhule became the head football coach at Temple University (Philadelphia) in 2013 at age 38. The Owls went just 2-10 in his first season. The team improved to post 10-4 records during years three and four of his tenure at Temple.

After the 2016 football season, Matt Rhule left Temple and moved to Waco, Texas to accept a difficult job at Baylor University. The Bears were coming off the Coach Art Briles era. A sex scandal involving the football program rocked the university and the sports world. The entire football coaching staff was either fired or voluntarily left Baylor before Matt Rhule took over as the new head coach.

After posting a 1-11 record in his first season at Baylor, Matt Rhule led the Bears to a 7-6 record in Year 2 and then posted an 11-3 mark in 2019. The Bears were ranked #8 at the time they played in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans (losing the game to #5 Georgia).

The turnaround job at Baylor made Matt Rhule one of the hottest coaching commodities in the nation. The NFL’s Carolina Panthers offered him their vacant head coaching position in 2020. Unfortunately, Matt Rhule (like other college football coaches) was not as effective in the NFL. By the middle of his third season in Charlotte last fall, Matt Rhule was fired by the Panthers.

The coach still had an outstanding track record of producing winners in college football. The Nebraska Cornhuskers remembered that and quickly negotiated a deal to sign Matt Rhule.

The Huskers have a long history of winning football teams and are supported by incredibly faithful fans. Nebraska’s 80,000 seat Memorial Stadium has been sold out for every home game since November, 1962. Through good times and bad, the Nebraska football sell-out streak reached 389 consecutive home games by the end of the 2022 season. The fans still came even as the Nebraska football team finished with a 4-8 record.

Much like the excitement happening at the University of Colorado, Nebraska is ripe for a revival of Big Red football. New head coach Matt Rhule wants to lead the Cornhuskers into a post-season bowl game soon.

Also like in Colorado, Nebraska has not posted a winning record in the regular season since 2016.

Coach Matt Rhule’s Nebraska Cornhuskers and Deion Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes formerly played against each other annually as members of the Big 12 Conference. In 2011, Nebraska bolted for the Big Ten. In the same year, Colorado left to join the Pac-12 Conference.

In the second week of this fall’s 2023 college football season, Nebraska will travel to Boulder and renew this former Big 12 Conference rivalry.

The two new head football coaches will meet on the field with high expectations for their respective programs. Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders at Colorado and Matt “Glad to be back in college football” Rhule are going to do their best to turn around the football fortunes of these two proud programs.

No matter which team wins the Week 2 match-up in Colorado on September 9, fans of both of these great football programs already have high hopes for the future!

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If you live in the Houston area, there will be three professional football teams vying for your attention soon.

The USFL is kicking off its second season this weekend. This comes as the XFL Version 3.0 still has two more weeks to play in their inaugural regular season.

The USFL’s Houston Gamblers franchise will now compete for H-town’s affection along with the woeful NFL Houston Texans and the XFL’s South Division-leading Houston Roughnecks. At least the XFL Houston Roughnecks are playing good football. The Roughnecks are 5-3 with two regular season games to go.

For the second straight year, the USFL’s Houston Gamblers will not play one single home game in Texas. The Gamblers have been placed into the Memphis “pod” this year as the USFL wisely branches away from playing every single game in Birmingham, Alabama this season.

Sweet Home Alabama – Sort-of

In 2022, the eight-team USFL started operations on a shoestring. The costs of starting a new football league are daunting. The USFL smartly minimized costs of operation, travel, hotels, facilities, television equipment and everything by playing its entire slate of regular season football games in a beautiful new football facility on the UAB campus in Birmingham.

While the hometown Birmingham Stallions drew 15-20,000 for their home games, the stadium was nearly empty for the other three games being played each weekend in Alabama’s largest city. With only a smattering of fans in the stands for three of every four weekly games played in Birmingham, most USFL football games looked as if you were watching a scrimmage game on television.

To help remedy this visual tragedy, the 2023 version of the USFL has added three more cities which will host a weekly doubleheader of games.

In addition to Birmingham, USFL games will be played this year at Ford Field in Detroit (home of the Michigan Panthers), the Simmons Bank Liberty Bowl in Memphis (home of the Memphis Showboats), and the Tom Benson Hall-of-Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio (which, oddly, does not have its own USFL franchise).

Birmingham will remain the home facility for the Stallions and the New Orleans Breakers. Detroit will become “home” for both the Michigan Panthers and the Philadelphia Stars. Memphis becomes home field for the Showboats (formerly known as the Tampa Bay Bandits) and the Houston Gamblers. Canton, Ohio will be home turf for the Pittsburgh Maulers and New Jersey Generals.

Why are USFL games being played in Canton, Ohio when there isn’t a team there?

Last season, the Tom Benson Hall-of-Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio hosted the USFL’s two semifinal games as well as the league championship game played on the following weekend. Birmingham’s football facility had been booked for more than a year with prior lease commitment to host a soccer tournament.

The playoff attendance in Canton for the final two weekends of USFL games impressed league officials.

So, the USFL rewarded Canton with a regular season slate of “home” games for nearby Pittsburgh (100 miles to the southeast) and New Jersey. I doubt that many USFL fans will actually make the trek to Canton from the Steel City or New Jersey. It will be up to Canton (population 80,000) to drum-up enough local support for these USFL football games.

Ironically, it will be much cheaper to attend a USFL game in Canton than to visit the nearby NFL Hall-of-Fame. It will cost just $10 for a USFL general admission ticket. However, a ticket to the adjacent NFL Hall-of-Fame facility will set you back more than $40.

The Tampa Bay Bandits have morphed into the Memphis Showboats!

Last season, the Tampa Bay Bandits (like every other USFL team not named Birmingham) did not play a home football game in the state of Florida. That’s why many are puzzled about why the USFL decided to move this faux Florida team to Memphis, Tennessee in Year 2.

Here is what former Dallas Cowboys fullback and now USFL President of Football Operations Daryl “Moose” Johnston had to say:

“It was a tough decision to shutter the Tampa Bay Bandits franchise,” Johnston said. “But with the opportunity to get to Memphis and to work with a group that’s in Memphis to buy into our USFL vision and to become a part of that family was just too good of an opportunity to pass by. As we sit here now and talk about the city of Memphis, one of the things that is very critical for the USFL family is to engage in the community. I think Memphis right now is a community that could use a little bit of love from all over the country, and we hope to be able to get our guys and our staff into that community and really start to engage and start that healing process from what’s happened there recently.”

Translation – The budget-conscious USFL looked at a map and saw that Memphis was a really good geographic fit (at least for Year #2) and gave the league an affordable stadium lease. Memphis is only 250 miles northwest of the USFL’s league operations in Birmingham.

All eight USFL teams spend the week sharing the practice facilities in Birmingham. Each weekend, two games apiece will be played in two of the four USFL hub cities (Birmingham, Detroit, Canton, or Memphis). Games played in Detroit and Canton will require charter air flights to and from those cities. For weekend games in Memphis, though, the league could opt for bus travel. It is just four hours away from Birmingham via I-22.

If football fans in Memphis show up to support the USFL’s games played in their market, the league will plant a permanent flag in town next year (assuming there is a third year of USFL operations).

Tampa Bay Bandit fans may still get another USFL team next season in Year #3 (again, assuming there is a league next year). The USFL has hinted that true home games for all of its teams may begin as early as next season.

Why doesn’t the USFL play more true home games like the XFL?

Money, of course! You can’t blame the USFL for taking its time to see if spring professional football is economically viable and attracts enough viewers on television (and advertisers to support the costs) as well as those in the stadium.

The cost of leasing and operating a football facility in each of the USFL’s eight markets is quite expensive.

Just ask the XFL. Unlike the USFL, this year’s inaugural XFL opted to play football games in each team’s home city. Other than St. Louis, the XFL’s home field attendance has been underwhelming.

Through the first eight weeks in 2023, the XFL’s average home attendance has been a very weak 13,000 fans per game. That number includes some terrific support being shown for the XFL’s St. Louis BattleHawks franchise. St. Louis has drawn more than 35,000 fans to each of its three home games thus far in 2023. If you take St. Louis out of the equation, the other seven XFL teams are seating just 11,000 fans per home opener.

Now you understand why the USFL is being slow to take their football games on the road.

Metrics for success, anyone?

Last year, the USFL stated that they considered an average television viewership of one million fans per game would make their spring football league a viable advertising vehicle. Unfortunately, the USFL’s weekly television audience finished at about half of their stated goal.

This season’s USFL games will be telecast on Fox, NBC, FS1, and USA Network.

Fortunately for all of us, NBC’s Peacock internet network won’t be a major part of the television plans for this year. Peacock exclusively handled a few USFL game in 2022 and was widely ignored by viewers. The internet outlet will only be used to simulcast NBC’s games in Year #2.

Also notable, the USFL will only play games on Saturday and Sunday this season. Last year, the league tried a few Friday night games. Those television ratings were even lower than the weekend games. This was a smart business move. Football fans will know that the USFL will air two games on Saturday and two more on Sunday for the entire regular season this year.

As for home attendance, the USFL would be quite happy to find an average of 20,000 fans in the stadium (being seen and heard on network television) every week to add more excitement to the games.

OK, Swami. Which USFL team will surprise us in 2023?

Birmingham finished the 2022 USFL regular season with a 9-1 record and then won the league championship. Of course, Birmingham played all ten of their regular season games with the support of their local fans. The Philadelphia Stars finished as runner-up in 2022.

I reviewed the recent USFL player draft (yes, the league had a draft in March). The Pittsburgh Maulers had a dreadful 2-8 season in Year #1. The team struggled to score enough points to be competitive in most games.

The 2023 Pittsburgh Maulers drafted some very impressive offensive talent recently.

In the first round, Pittsburgh selected a talented gunslinger quarterback named Lindsey Scott from the FCS runner-up, Incarnate Word in San Antonio. The 5’11” Scott passed for an NCAA record-setting 60 touchdowns in 2022. That’s an average of five TD passes per game!

In the seventh round of the draft, Pittsburgh added Lindsey Scott’s favorite college target. Wide receiver Taylor Grimes had 16 touchdown grabs in 2022. In the eighth round, the Maulers drafted yet another wide receiver. C.J. Turner from Southeastern Louisiana finished as the Lions’ all-time leader in yardage, receptions, and touchdowns.

Yes, Pittsburgh’s offense should be much improved this season.

For the record, the Las Vegas experts favor last year’s USFL champion, the Birmingham Stallions. My surprise pick (the Pittsburgh Maulers) are considered the league’s biggest longshot. A $10 wager in certain Nevada city on the Maulers would earn $90 if Pittsburgh should happen to win the USFL championship this year. Wagering Rule #1 – never listen to my advice!

I am hopeful that the USFL will improve its television product this year. If the USFL’s TV viewership and attendance at the four pod sites are sub-par once again this season, don’t be surprised if the league’s financial backers (Fox Sports) pull the plug and end their losses.

Spring football as we currently know it (both the USFL and the XFL) might be gone for good before the spring of 2024.

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In the movie Happy Gilmore, it took the former hockey player several weeks to finally conquer his intensity and temper in order to excel at professional golf. With timely help from his golf instructor, Chubbs, Happy Gilmore slowly transformed from a hockey-stick swinging long-driving freak into a tour champion.

Growing up in Spain, Jon Rahm grew to admire other Spaniards who were able to channel their personal intensity on the golf course into victory and a green jacket at The Masters.

On what would have been the 66th birthday of the late Seve Ballesteros, Jon Rahm became the fourth Spaniard to don the famed Green jacket on Sunday evening. He also joined two time Masters winner Jose Maria Olazabal and the 2017 champion, Sergio Garcia, with a place in Masters history.

Seve Ballesteros won the second of his two Masters Green jackets at Augusta National Golf Club exactly 40 years earlier on April 9, 1983. Jon Rahm was quite aware of that fact on Sunday afternoon. He patiently crafted a final round 3-under par 69 to slowly pull away from a fading Brooks Koepka in the final twosome.

Jon Rahm left his family in Spain to play college golf in the US at Arizona State University. He racked-up an impressive eleven college golf titles at ASU. He finished his Sun Devil golf career as runner-up to Phil Mickelson’s 17 career wins at the school.

Sunday turned out to be a simply marvelous day for Arizona State University at The Masters.

The 28-year old Jon Rahm turned the tables on his Arizona State golf mentor by finishing in first place at The Masters. Phil Mickelson rallied from ten shots down during the final round to post a career low 7-under par 65 at Augusta National Golf Club. Lefty climbed the leaderboard to finish in a tie for second place.

With the one-two ASU finish at The Masters in 2023, perhaps Arizona State University should consider changing the school colors from maroon and gold to Masters Green and Yellow. Well, at least for the remainder of the spring semester.

Much like the movie character Happy Gilmore, Jon Rahm has gradually learned how to master (get it?) both his intensity and golf game. As a reward for his newfound patience on the golf course, he collected the second major championship of his young career.

Winner of the 2021 US Open, the 6’2” Jon Rahm is still known for his incredible power off the tee and on the golf course. To win at the famed Augusta National Golf Club, Rahm also displayed some incredible touch around the lightning fast greens, too.

Jon Rahm (whose full name is Jon Rahm Rodriguez) was near the top of the leaderboard all week along with four-time major winner Brooks Koepka. They were the only two golfers to climb to -10 or better last week.

Rahmbo (that’s what his yardage book has printed the back cover) will be one of the favorites in May’s PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York.

Fellow Arizona State alumni Phil Mickelson’s runner-up finish at The Masters was the 12th in a major championship to go along with his six major titles. Lefty trails only Jack Nicklaus. Big Jack posted an incredible 19 second place finishes to go along with his record 18 major championship victories.

PGA Tour vs LIV Golf – Chapter 1

With Jon Rahm’s win at Augusta, the PGA Tour has taken a 1-0 lead in the four major championships of 2023 featuring players from both professional tours.

However, LIV Golf’s Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka tied for second place. Patrick Reed tied for fourth place, too. LIV Golf took three of the top six positions in The Masters.

All in all, it was a surprisingly good showing from that trio from LIV Golf. Brooks Koepka was feeling better after dealing with knee problems. He recently won the LIV Golf event in Orlando with Patrick Reed finishing in fourth place.

It was 52-year old Phil Mickelson who surprised nearly everyone except himself at The Masters.

One of the most beloved golfers of all time on the PGA Tour, Phil Mickelson flipped to a heel after accepting $200 million in bonus money in moving to LIV Golf in 2022. Though he had shocked the golf world by becoming the oldest winner of a major championship (the PGA) at age 50, Mickelson’s golf game has disappeared after signing with LIV Golf.

Coming into The Masters, Phil Mickelson had finished 27th, 32nd, and 41st (out of 48 players) in his three LIV Golf starts in 2023. Winless Phil remains “0 for LIV Golf” though his investment account seems quite happy with the move.

On Sunday at The Masters, Phil Mickelson began play at -1 and ten shots behind third round leader Brooks Koepka.

In the final round, Phil Mickelson rediscovered the golf skills of his youth. Masters magic happened. Mickelson hit an incredible 16 of 18 greens in regulation Sunday. He birdied five of final seven holes to shoot a 31 on final nine and 7-under par 65 for the day as he finished at -8 and in a tie for second place.

Afterwards, Phil Mickelson finally addressed the assembled media:

“I had so much fun today,” he said. “To come out today and play the way I did and hit the shots when I needed, it’s so much fun.

“I knew I was close. I’ve been hitting quality shots. This doesn’t feel like a fluke. I stayed very present and didn’t make any loose swings or those bad swings at an inopportune time. I stayed … calm throughout and then executed and had a blast.

“I’m grateful to be a part of this Tournament. And to be here competing and then to play well, it means a lot.”

Phil Mickelson’s final round 65 set a new Masters record for the lowest score by a competitor age 50 years and older. With the second place finish, Mickelson also became the oldest player ever to finish in the top five at The Masters.

It’s time to call-out the Augusta National patrons. The thousands assembled at the 18th green on Sunday gave three-time Masters winner Phil Mickelson a lukewarm round of applause after he rolled in a birdie on the final hole to post the lowest score of the day. Shame on you!

To Phil Mickelson, it’s time to ditch the all black outfits and SMILE a little bit more, too!

Slow Play Must be Swiftly Enforced and Penalties Assessed

Two of the most decisive and fastest players in golf were paired together in the final group on Sunday. Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka are not going to be the cause of slow play on the golf course.

However, the group ahead of them caused the two leaders to wait on nearly every shot – all day long. Patrick “The Turtle” Cantlay was paired with normally-paced Victor Hovland in the next-to-last twosome on Sunday at The Masters.

Despite nearly perfect playing conditions in the final round, Patrick Cantlay was seen creeping a significant distance behind playing partner Victor Hovland on several holes. Cantlay shot a three over par 75 on Sunday to slothfully and mercifully finish in 14th place. This twosome took nearly five hours to play the final round as the sun began to set.

After the round, Brooks Koepka was asked about the slow play ahead of him:

“Yeah, the group in front of us was brutally slow. Jon went to the bathroom like seven times during the round, and we were still waiting.”

This isn’t a new issue for Patrick Cantlay. Five years ago in 2018, his pokey play on the golf course elicited a rather barbed comment from then-CBS analyst Nick Faldo:

“You’ll have time to go make a coffee or double espresso before he hits the ball.”

This year, Major League Baseball instituted a pitch clock to force pitchers and hitters to speed up the action. Thus far, MLB games are being played 20 minutes quicker. It is working!

It’s time for golf to get with the program, too! USGA Rule 5.6b states:

“When it is your turn to play, it is recommended that you make the stroke in no more than 40 seconds after you are able to play without interference or distraction. You should usually be able to play more quickly than that and are encouraged to do so.”

Unfortunately, your first “bad time” in golf comes as only a warning but no penalty. However, your second bad time means a one stroke penalty will be added to your scorecard. A third comes with a two stroke penalty. If you receive a fourth bad time in one round, you are disqualified.

If Average Joe Golfer is expected to play 18 holes of golf at the local municipal golf course in four hours or less (usually taking 100 or more strokes to do so), then any professional golfer (including Patrick Cantlay) should be expected to do the same.

Tiger Woods’ bad foot caused him to withdraw from Sunday’s final round. Since he may be sidelined for awhile, perhaps the PGA should provide Tiger with a golf cart at next month’s PGA Championship to help dole out some penalties for slow play.

The idea of seeing “Marshal Woods” handing out penalties to pro golfers would be delightful!

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Thursday begins Easter weekend at the famed Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. The azaleas will be in bloom as thousands of patrons will be on hand to watch the 2023 Masters golf tournament unfold.

Prepare yourself for an unfolding drama as golfers from the PGA Tour tee-it up against 18 players from the rival LIV Golf tour.

The Masters traditionally invites all former champions to participate in this limited field golf tournament as long as those golfers are healthy enough to tee it up.

This week, former champions Sandy Lyle (1988) and Larry Mize (1987) have announced that this will be their final time to play in the field.

For those of us old enough to remember, Larry Mize’ win in 1987 came on the second hole of a playoff with Australia’s Greg Norman. With Norman already on the putting surface of the par-4 11th hole, Larry Mize was faced with a difficult 140-foot chip shot across the 11th green. The odds were against Mize being able to get up and down in two shots from there.

The famed Masters green jacket was moments away from being placed onto Greg Norman.

In one of The Masters’ most iconic moments, Larry Mize chipped the golf ball onto the 11th green and watched as it rolled across the green and into the cup for an improbable birdie.

The deflated Greg Norman missed his putt to tie Larry Mize.

Norman had just finished in second place for the second consecutive year.

Nine years later, Greg Norman teed-off in the 1996 Masters final round with a six shot lead. Still trying to win his first green jacket, Norman faltered on the back nine and shot a final round 78. He finished in second place for the third time as Nick Faldo won the title.

It was tough to watch the long-time World #1 golfer self-destruct during the final round in 1996. One sportswriter accurately penned the sentiments of many golf fans by saying, “It was like watching a man drown”.

Can you imagine how badly it must have felt for Greg Norman?

For the second time, Greg Norman had been involved in a memorable loss at The Masters. After the round, Faldo gave his Aussie friend a hug and said, “I don’t know what to say to you. I just want to give you a hug”.

After that loss, Greg Norman’s professional golf career started a long downhill slide. Though he finished his PGA Tour career as a Hall-of-Famer with 20 wins and two major championships (The Open in 1986 and 1993), Norman would not win another major after his collapse in Augusta in 1996.

Greg Norman became the most famous runner-up in the history of The Masters.