John Rooke - Thinking Out Loud
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Thinking out loud…and wondering if my number might be up?
• If you post regularly on Facebook – or even semi-regularly – you’ve probably seen the latest game/craze take over your Newsfeed…and probably learned a few things about many of your friends along the way. Normally, I abhor the game requests you get from these “friends,” but this one isn’t like “Farmville” or any other insipid inspiration. Simply put, you give a friend a “number,” and they respond with that number of things you might not know about them. Educational and entertaining all at the same time, generally speaking…
• In that vein, my number is 7…thanks to my friend John. I’ll lead off with this for my Number 1…Hi, my name is John. And I’m a Mexican food addict. Also really enjoy Indian, but TexMex is haute cuisine, to me. Must have spice…
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST• Anyone remember the name Jack Taylor? You should. He’s the basketball player from tiny Grinnell College in Iowa that scored an incredible 138 points in a single game last year…and now, he’s at it again. Taylor put up a mere 109 points last weekend in a 173-123 win for his team, the 3rd highest point total EVER for an individual player (behind his 138 and a 113 point game in 1954 from Clarence “Bevo” Francis. To put his performance in perspective, Taylor scored 53 points in the first nine minutes of the 2nd half…whoa…
• In case you were wondering…after two games this season, Taylor (who is a 5-10 junior guard) leads the nation (all divisions) in scoring average at 90 points per game. Some teams won’t reach 90 in a single game this year…
• Oh, and Bryant’s Dyami Starks led all Division I players in scoring through three games, averaging a cool 33.3 points per game. Not quite 90 per, but it’ll do…
• Remember when Robert Morris beat Kentucky in the post-season NIT last March? Yeah, that was awesome. Payback for that indiscretion came last weekend, as the Colonials visited Lexington, KY…and were decked 87-49. Never mind that the two teams are drastically different from almost nine months ago…revenge knows no bounds, sayeth the Wildcats…
• You know the recruiting wars are turning into an exercise of ridiculousness when a recruit pulls a fast one like 6-9 Cliff Alexander did on signing day. The nation’s #3 overall recruit for 2014 decided to be coy with his school announcement, reaching for an Illinois hat and then suddenly slipping on one that said “Kansas.” May not mean much to you…but to thousands of Illini, they need re-fills for high blood pressure medication…
• In case you were wondering…good early season wins for the Big East include PC’s OT win over Boston College, Xavier beating Tennessee, and a road win for Creighton over St. Joseph’s. Bad losses? Marquette losing to 10th ranked Ohio State isn’t bad, until you consider they scored only 35 points and shot a pitiful 19% from the field. Mercer beat Seton Hall, but then Mercer almost won at Texas, too. The league is 0-3 against Top 25 ranked teams so far…
• Kris Dunn’s return against Vermont was certainly a welcome surprise, but is consistent with the original prognosis for his return…he’s hurt, and he’ll be hurt for the rest of this year. How much can he take? Dunn will now need to learn how to “play hurt,” play with some discomfort in his right shoulder, and hopefully not experience a setback on the floor. If he can get through the remainder of the season, he’ll have his problems corrected next spring. And the Friars can be an NCAA-caliber team…
• I’ve decided in my next life to be an ambassador for the US Virgin Islands…
• Pretty good week to be a Friar. Women’s cross-country is ranked #1…men’s hockey is ranked #3…men’s soccer reached the NCAA tournament, and won in the first round…and the excitement continues to build for men’s basketball. What to do for an encore?
• Something to look forward to? Beginning next March, you’ll have the option of tuning into one of THREE different broadcasts for the national semifinals at the Final Four. While TBS carries the “national” perspective, TNT and truTV will carry the same game, but focus on the individual teams. Let’s say, it’s Kansas and Kentucky in one game…TNT would go with Kansas-acquainted announcers and a “home” feel for the Jayhawks, while truTV would concentrate on Kentucky. You want it down the middle? Go to TBS. CBS gets the national championship game, and gets it all to themselves. Interesting concept…
• Number 2…I have traveled to all 50 states. Made the last one, South Dakota, in my 50th year of life…thus reaching “50 in 50.” Now, there’s still a lot to see and much I haven’t done…but I feel like I’m making some progress…
• Figures. Oft-injured Patriots WR Danny Amendola should be on the field, and tough-guy Wes Welker may not be for the Broncos Sunday night, after sustaining a concussion last week against Kansas City. Is that the definition of ironic?
• In case you were wondering…combined, Julian Edelman and Amendola have more receptions, targets and yards out of the slot than Welker. Edelman has actually played more snaps than Welker, and the Broncos have run more offensive plays than the Patriots have. Welker does, however, average more yards per catch…
• There is still no question in my mind that the officials Monday night blew the call at the end of the game against the Patriots in Carolina. Or rather, they swallowed the whistle. Yes, the Patriots lost that game well before the call ever occurred, and lost it because they couldn’t take care of the ball themselves (hello, Stevan Ridley). The play in the secondary was atrocious. But the call/non-call against Rob Gronkowski as he was held by Luke Kuechly was egregious, and if you take the time to read the actual NFL rule book, it shows there’s really too much interpretation allowed of the officials in similar situations. A hold, should be a hold, should be a hold, should be a hold. Period…
• And it WAS a hold. Or interference. There is no mistaking it. The interpretation by the officiating crew was self-serving at best. I mean, what do you expect them to say? We screwed it up? Stupid is as stupid does…
• Tom Brady made his 185th start at QB for the Patriots last Monday night. Sounds like a lot, right? It is. In fact, no quarterback has ever made more in NFL history under just ONE head coach. Dan Marino had 184 starts with Don Shula as his coach. Brady and Bill Belichick will be forever entwined, even in the record books…
• Your TB12 also became the 6th NFL QB to reach 4K career completions…3rd fastest to reach the mark, ahead of such luminaries as Marino, Brett Favre and John Elway…
• Number 3…my youngest son’s name, Austin, comes from my familial background in Austin, TX as a college student. But being the (so far) only Rooke born outside of Texas (he was born in Providence), my late mother decided he shouldn’t be the ONLY family member not born over Texas soil. So, she slipped me a bag of dirt from her garden almost 19 years ago, and I threw it under his birth bed before he joined the madness. Voila! He was born “over” Texas soil…
• If you wondered how big-time football programs can justify paying their coaches $5 million per year – and more – you really haven’t done the math. In Alabama’s instance, while Nick Saban earns about $5.5 million per year, the school has reaped more than $34 million in gross royalty revenue since the first of his three national titles. They’re #2 nationally (behind Texas) in selling team merchandise. And the school – which actually owns the trademark to the word “Alabama” – has spent millions more defending their right to use trademarks associated with the school and team. Nothing amateurish about that…
• Who’s printing money on the hoop side? Louisville. The Cardinals’ athletic department saved $4 million in their exit fee to the American Athletic Conference (former Big East) because athletic director Tom Jurich gambled and decided to leave 27 months prior to playing in the ACC…without knowing then what conference they’d go to. Louisville’s impending departure was kept from going public for several months, before the league ultimately split up between football and basketball schools. On top of those savings, with a publicly-funded $238 million home court (KFC Yum! Center) bringing in donations and luxury suite $$$, Louisville raked in $35 million in profits last year off the court while winning the national title on the court. The rich will get richer…
• One more astonishing number…Louisville earns a PROFIT of $1.35 million for every home basketball game. By comparison, Kentucky only earns $360K per home game. At Providence, the profit has been about $80K per game, after rent and various expenses are figured into the equation, based on athletic budget numbers available from 2010. And yet, the Friars are expected to compete with – and beat – programs like these. You may quit your whining now…or pony up. Just sayin’…
• Tweet of the Week I – from @darrenrovell: “For the record, the Cowboys stadium is worth what it is because Arlington forked over $325M, not because Jerrah uses a flip phone…”
• Did you catch the Pittsburgh Steelers’ throwback uniforms last weekend against Detroit? The same unis were worn last year to honor the franchise’s 80th season…replicas of the gear worn back in 1934. Sometimes, throwbacks need to be thrown back, if not away…
• Tweet of the Week II – from @patsajak: “Surprise call from Miley Cyrus agent. Wants her to fill in for Vanna, but thought of her licking letters just too repulsive…”
• Want a new, fresh and different candidate for the Heisman Trophy this year? Why not Boston College running back Andre Williams? Williams leads the nation in rushing attempts, yards, attempts per game, yards per game, rushing plays of 20+ yards, and rushing plays of 30+ yards. The past two games he has rushed for 634 yards, more than he’d ever had in a single season at BC previous to this year…
• Number 4…I’m a history buff, and as I get older, I find myself craving more and more information about the past. The 50th anniversary of JFK’s assassination has fascinated me to the point where I’m setting the DVR for everything I can find on President Kennedy’s career and the tragedy surrounding his death. I even went looking for – and found – Lee Harvey Oswald’s grave this past summer…
• Not for nuthin’…I WAS a big conspiracy theorist, especially with the JFK murder. Not any longer. I’ve come to the realization that indeed, a crazy, whacked-out former Marine who lived in the Soviet Union for a while actually pulled the trigger that killed the President. The FBI bears some responsibility here for not monitoring him, before and during the Dallas trip. And Oswald may not have been shooting for JFK, either. Then-Texas Governor John Connally, who was riding in the front seat of the car and was also struck by the bullets, may have been the intended target. But sadly, we’ll never really know…
• I was only a small child when JFK’s assassination rocked our world in 1963, but I vividly remember my mother sitting me in front of the television to watch the funeral procession. I remember the caisson carrying his casket. I remember the voices of Walter Cronkite and Harry Reasoner on the TV. And I remember my mother crying throughout the entire procession…
• Overheard this one the other day...two West Virginia football players were walking in the woods. One of them said, "Look, a dead bird." The other looked up in the sky and said, "Where?"
• Okay, okay…just one more. What does the average Alabama football player get on his SAT’s? Drool…
• This week’s feeling old moment: Len Bias, the Maryland Terrapin star who overdosed on cocaine after he was drafted by the Boston Celtics and died in 1986, would have turned 50 years old this week…
• Run, run, run for a cause…the Arthritis Foundation is hosting the Providence Jingle Bell Run on Sunday, December 7th at Slater Memorial Park located at 451 Newport Avenue Pawtucket, RI. Registration starts at 9:00 am, with the race starting at 10:00 am. After the race will be prizes for best costumes and information about Arthritis and its related diseases. The Jingle Bell Run/Walk began in 1984 to raise awareness of the most common cause of disability in the United States, while also raising needed funds for research, health education and government advocacy to improve the lives of people with arthritis…
• Not even sure where to go with this one…but if you missed it, it’s worth a look. It’ll make you laugh. This kid’s 15 minutes (seems like 15, anyway) of fame from a TD Garden performance was well-planned. Good on ‘ya, mate…
• Number 5…I’m an Eagle Scout. Achieved the honor before I turned 13, too. You might say it was the beginning of my OCD behavior…
• You into the whole “Breaking Bad” thing? AMC’s hit series is about to go into a box set DVD series, ready for sale next week. And actor Bryan Cranston’s character Walter White is part of an alternate ending to the show…which borrows from previous TV show “dream sequence” endings on Newhart and Dallas. Pretty funny, actually…
• New words for the English language that have come into vogue this year – “selfie” and “twerk.” Zen question of the week – can you take a proper selfie while twerking?
• I lied. Too good not to share. My buddy "Big E" asked me how many Oklahoma freshman football players does it take to screw in a light bulb? None. That’s a sophomore course…
• Jose Canseco is always good for a laugh, or a snarky comment. Yeah, I value his opinion like I value a plugged nickel. But this – this is simply indescribable...
• Just another athlete sought for sexual battery charges? Florida State QB sensation Jameis Winston’s latest troubles – he’s been accused, but no formal charges have yet been filed – are just the tip of his iceberg. Say goodbye to the Heisman Trophy, too…guilty or not. Winston stood an excellent chance of becoming the 2nd consecutive freshman (after Johnny Manziel) to win college football’s prize before the latest soap opera story became public. Now? FSU’s national title hopes may also be slipping, and Manziel might be in the running for a repeat…
• Ya’ know…if I’ve got that kind of God-given talent and ability, and I’m on the precipice of something huge for me and my team…the absolute LAST thing I’m doing is thinking about my social life. But that’s just me. Some of these prima-donnas really believe the world revolves around their own personal axis. That’s scary…
• Number 6…I always thought I’d be a lawyer and/or a trial attorney when I grew up. But when I tore up my knee playing basketball in high school, and a buddy of mine did a story on me for the high school newspaper on how I became an athletic trainer so I could stick around on the team with my friends, I was fascinated by the tape recorder he used to get my quotes for the story. Six months later, I was co-editor of the paper. Damn basketball. I blame you…
• Got excited about that Celtics’ win-streak, didja? Facts are facts. This team is closer to the lottery than it is to the playoffs. Rajon Rondo’s eventual return will be worth watching. In the East, they actually might flirt with a post-season spot. But in the long run, no one in their right minds can say that’s in the best interests of the organization…outside of Danny Ainge and Brad Stevens, perhaps…
• Number 7…My 10x great-grandfather is none other than Peter Minuit, director of the Dutch colony of New Netherland who (as legend goes) purchased the Island of Manhattan from Native Americans in 1626 for about 60 Dutch guilders, or about $24. So when I say I own New York, I really mean it. I once ran over Barbara Streisand while coming out of a store in Manhattan, and didn’t even apologize. Told her my people would call her people…
• From the mailbag this week – Pat from Philadelphia, PA writes via Facebook: “So sorry to hear that Providence had to fly all the way to the Virgin Islands just to play in a basketball tournament. It must be brutal having to depart the sovereignty of our nations’ borders for the sake of the spirit of competition…” Pat: Since I know you, I’m pretty sure you have your tongue firmly planted inside your cheek as you write your diatribe. But know this – the US Virgin Islands are aptly named that way because they, too, are under US sovereignty. So…in a sense, we never really left the homeland. I wrote this week about hitting my 50 states in 50 years…and yes, the count includes territories, too…
• Interested in having your questions on local RI sports (including the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics) answered in a somewhat timely fashion? Send ‘em to me! It’s your chance to “think out loud,” so send your questions and comments to [email protected]. We’ll share mailbag comments/Facebook posts/Tweets right here! Follow me on Twitter, @JRbroadcaster…and on Facebook, www.facebook.com/john.rooke ...
• We’re off this week traveling, but don’t forget to join us for GoLocal Sports on 103.7 FM, every Saturday from 7:00-9:00 am! Call in (401) 737-1287, or text us at 37937…and send email to the show - [email protected] .
• The book “Rhode Island Radio” from Arcadia Publishing is available for sale, and it tells the story of the 91-year history of the medium in our state through photographs, clippings and memories from many of the personalities who have graced our airwaves. If you’re in search of the gift that says “Rhode Island,” you’ve found it. Or, find it in local bookstores and online right here…
