John Rooke - Thinking Out Loud
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Thinking out loud…and wondering if panty raids are still popular with the college kids these days…
• Ok, so he didn’t get a perfect game last week, thanks to an umpire’s highly questionable call. For my money, if you need a guy to pitch you to a win this year…Texas’ Yu Darvish is at the top of the list, and the reason why the Rangers will be deadly in a Wild Card game. If they’re in it…
• Not for nuthin’…but it was refreshing to see Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Dustin Pedroia and Jonny Gomes take in the A’s-Blue Jays game last Monday as fans on their day off. Think about it. How many chances do players of their caliber get to actually WATCH a baseball game they’re not playing? Salty said it was refreshing and fun. It was also smart – not only did their opponents notice, but it sends a message to anyone who pays attention. Like maybe the Jays, who have risen to the occasion this week…
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST• Bye, Manny. The Texas Rangers released Manny Ramirez from his Triple A contract so he could try to catch on with another team. The 41-year-old played in 30 games for Round Rock, hit .259 with three HR’s and 13 RBI – not horrible numbers, but not really major league stuff. With Texas desperately in search of another bat for their lineup, without the suspended Nelson Cruz, and Ramirez failing to crack the big league roster…wonder if Manny will take the hint…
• Why you should be happy – the Red Sox have the #1 scoring team in Major League Baseball. Why you should be unhappy – the Red Sox are only 16th in fewest runs allowed, 7th in the AL. What wins championships? Just sayin’…
• Mariano Rivera blew three straight saves? Good grief. Isn’t he, like, 100 years old?
• When David Robertson stepped into Rivera’s spot last Monday night against the Angels, while the fans chanted “we want Mo,” how do you think he felt about replacing a legend? Scared, like anyone else would be. Which is how he pitched…but he ultimately got the job done…
• A really cool gesture from Bob Costas, who is seen as “standoffish,” and big-time, by most observers…as he made a minor league baseball announcers’ dream come true…
• About time, baseball. We have the technology, use it. Instant replay’s time has come, but then again…games are already too long and a major reason that baseball has been surpassed as our #1 pastime. There needs to be repercussions for a manager abusing replay reviews. Because they will abuse the system. You know that’s coming…
• Umm…why can’t we get players like this? Jose Iglesias, my goodness…
• I was out picking blueberries Wednesday afternoon, did I miss something? There was this huge black cloud hovering overhead…in the vicinity of Foxboro…
• Bill Belichick said this week on WEEI Tim Tebow is here to play quarterback. I still feel that given the right situation, he could swing into another spot…but as evidenced by the pre-season opener in Philadelphia where the offense ran read-option plays, Belichick thinks enough of his ability to run the football to put these plays into the offense. It gives the other team something to think about, to be sure. Now, with Tom Brady’s left knee giving Patriots Nation a case of agita, working on Tebow-time at QB makes more sense than ever…
• So Darrelle Revis was popular at training camp this week? Of course. The former-Jet-turned-Buc was all smiles and complimentary of his one-time hated rivals. Removed from the glare of the NY spotlight, there was little reason to put on a show as he continues a comeback from ACL repair. He took part in some drills, but isn’t expected to be ready for game speed until the regular season starts – if then. He’ll get his chance to measure up against TB12 and the coach he once called “ignorant” in Week 3…
• Tweet of the Week I – from @TheFakeESPN: “Patriots unable to light birthday candles for Tebow because they can’t get him to stop blowing…”
• So what are we teaching here? Minnesota football coach Jerry Kill recently recalled a conversation with a recruit he lost – “Coach, I love you. Your camaraderie on your staff, longevity, I love everything about you, love the school,” Kill recalled. “But this other school, they’ve got all this stuff…’
• The “stuff” the recruit referred to would be facilities and the Big 10 schools have spent – ready for this? – nearly $1.6 billion on football facility upgrades since 2001. That’s not just ridiculous, it borders on obscene. And it just so happens to coincide with an influx of TV cash entering Big 10 school coffers…
• Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz: “It just seems to be the nature of collegiate sports. As long as there’s an appetite for it, I’m sure the money will keep getting bigger and bigger and bigger.”
• While Rutgers has a football stadium that is only three years removed from a multi-million dollar facelift, the RAC, however, is getting a makeover…using funds raised by former AD Tim Pernetti for the project. Keeping up with the Joneses is no longer a dream – it’s mandatory…
• The flip side…a year ago, anticipation was hard to contain in Morgantown, WV as the WVU football team prepared to enter the Big 12 Conference after shunning the Big East. They sold more than 37 thousand season tickets. This year – sales aren’t keeping up with that pace, down 12%. Guess the fans are having a harder time embracing Kansas State over Syracuse or Pitt…
• Know what else big-time football is getting ready to do? Kick the little guy to the curb. The Big 10 has announced plans to phase out non-conference games against FCS opponents. Other Power Five conferences will probably follow suit, in an effort to continue the squeeze on NCAA rules changes. If the NCAA – and smaller schools (PC is one of those) – try to squeeze back, expect the Power Five schools to threaten pulling out of the NCAA basketball tournament and play for their own “championship.”
• It’s all about the Benjamins. Expecting to pay out stipends to scholarship athletes at some point, the Power Five schools will look to cut expenses somewhere, and they can start by reducing and/or eliminating “guarantees” to smaller schools that travel to the big-time for a pounding and a paycheck. Those paychecks help keep the smaller schools’ athletic departments running. Power Five schools will play other Power Five schools for their non-league games…in basketball, too. This is coming…and it will take some real leadership (if not a miracle) to keep from happening…
• Just WHO is the leadership here? The NCAA? Please. The school presidents? They’ve created this mess, with their greed. The conference commissioners could do something about it…they seem to have the public eyes and ears…but they act at the bequest of their school presidents. Like I said, leadership is needed. Badly. Someone to stand up and say “this isn’t right, and we need to change. There’s plenty of money for everyone.” If we find that person or persons, we’ll be very lucky…
• An interesting problem at “The U…” Miami has one of the nicest baseball field/stadiums in the country. As one of the nation’s top programs, it should. But thanks to a $3.9 million donation from one-time recruit Alex Rodriguez, the conundrum is whether or not to keep his name a part of Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field. Again, he didn’t even play there. Should tell you all you need to know about the “U…”
• Former PC Assistant Athletic Director Blake James is the AD at Miami, and will ultimately have his say. And in case you didn’t know…Ryan Braun DID play there. But his name isn’t up on the stadium. Yet…
• What you’re up against…interesting piece from CBSSports.com, asking the coaches themselves who they feel is the best hoop recruiter out there? Two of the top five have direct/indirect ties to PC, in Florida’s Billy Donovan, and Marquette’s Buzz Williams. If Ed Cooley nabs his Friar 5 for next year, wonder if that will move the needle in his direction at all?
• Congrats to former Friar Bilal Dixon, who earned his Masters’ degree at Towson. He begins playing professionally later this month in Austria…
• A late deal is better than no deal for Fox Sports 1 when it comes to distribution. Or for Time Warner Cable too, for that matter. TWC has had a battle with CBS that could keep the NFL off of “mainstream TV.” So why is it these carriers have such a problem here? Money, of course. It costs MORE to carry these channels than their predecessors. And goodness knows, their profit margin can’t drop one bit for fear of television Armageddon arriving…
• Once football’s regular season starts, TWC and CBS will have a meeting-of-the-minds and should have an agreement. And one thing I hope to see (eventually) with Fox Sports 1, as opposed to ESPN? Less “analysis” and more “action.” I’ll form my own opinions, thank you. Just give me the sports…
• Once upon a time…colleague Scott Cordischi recently wrote a nice piece on the 1976 Brown football team that won the school’s first Ivy title. Some remarkable men were a part of that story. And ICYMI, the last Ivy player to win the Heisman (yes, it really did happen), Princeton’s Dick Kazmaier, passed away in Concord, MA a couple of weeks ago at age 82. Kazmaier won the Heisman in 1951…
• Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal put out a list of the nation’s top minor league markets this week, and Toledo, OH ranked #1 – featuring the International League Mud Hens and ECHL’s Toledo Walleye. Providence/Pawtucket (Bruins, Pawsox) finished out of the Top 10 at #12 overall – behind Springfield, MA (5th) and Syracuse, NY (6th) – and just ahead of Portland, ME at #13. The ranking is down from the last survey in 2011, when Providence and Pawtucket (combined) held the #3 spot…
• Why is Toledo #1? Despite the economic challenges of the region – including a 10% drop in total population over the past four decades – sports attendance has increased 35% over the past five years. And the Mud Hens stink…
• A market’s total score was based on three factors – tenure rank (how long teams have been in place), attendance rank and economic rank. In the economic factor, how well a team kept up its attendance against the unemployment rate was a key figure. 235 markets, 47 leagues and 408 teams were considered in the survey…
• And for anyone who tells you “sports don’t matter,” well…tell them they’re simply ignorant of the facts. Nearly 250 million fans turned out last year for MINOR LEAGUE games in this country…
• Sports don’t matter? Tell that to Robert Kraft, as Forbes Magazine officially released its Most Valuable NFL Team list this week – the Patriots are #2 at $1.8 billion, behind the Dallas Cowboys ($2.3 billion). That’s up 10% from a year ago, with the team 2nd in revenue but also 2nd in operating income. 23 of the 32 teams are worth at least $1 billion. This is no longer a millionaire’s game…
• Tweet of the Week II – from @Projo: “AAA: RI gasoline prices drop one penny.” Oh goody…
• Forget the cash, forget the guns…forget the freedom. Whitey Bulger wants his ’86 Stanley Cup ring? Allegedly it’s a copy of a ring that belonged to Chris “Knuckles” Nilan, an original Nilan says he gave his father – and not Bulger. Hmmm. Should we check to see if Bulger’s name is on the Stanley Cup, too? For the record, it isn’t…
• One more reason why James Harrison is a dope…the erstwhile Steelers’ linebacker, now in camp with the Cincinnati Bengals, said this week HBO’s cameras “don’t deserve to be here,” filming training camp for the series “Hard Knocks.” Even though his boss, Bengals owner Mike Brown, gave them permission. Jeez James. His obvious marketing ignorance aside, the idea is to WIN friends and influence others when you need work, not alienate people and LOSE them along the way…
• (Re)Tweet of the Week III – from Andy Hart of Patriots Football Weekly (@JumboHart): “100% of them have a problem RT @darrenrovell: POLL RESULTS: 52% of respondents say they have bet on preseason NFL game…”
• In light of the Johnny Manziel saga – which grew a bit uglier this week for the former Heisman winner with two more dealers saying he signed autographs for cash – the Louisville football program won’t allow its players to sign on “Fan Day” because of a “national problem” of autographed items being sold. Wake up and join the party, Louisville. Selling autographs has been going on for eons. Isn’t this a little like throwing the baby out because the bath water is dirty? Not to mention, it’s a raw deal for the fans and supporters of a team that could have national title hopes this year, on the heels of the basketball team winning it all a year ago. How about having fans sign official team posters, rather than something generic that could be re-sold for profit? For an athletic program that can seem to do no wrong of late, this is short-sighted at best – or at worst – it’s just stupid is as stupid does…
• Whoa…at Maryland, the athletic department lost $21 million in the past year. Partially due to internal mistakes, and also due to the ACC withholding payments to the school as part of the $52 million exit fee they say Maryland owes the league for withdrawing and moving to the Big 10. And that is being disputed through legal channels, costing the school more money. So really, who’s the real loser here? If you said the student-athletes, move to the head of your class…
• If you haven’t heard it…it’s a helluva story about new Louisville assistant basketball coach Mike Balado, and how he got his job. Some here in Friartown might agree that “Slick Rick” Pitino has always been this way, but it’s a great bit of insight…
• Interesting that the icy relationship growing between Boston College and UConn may be thawing a bit…the 2K Sports Classic in November at MSG will feature the Eagles and Huskies on November 22, almost a full decade since the last time the two played each other in the Big East before BC’s southern departure...
• Hearing peeps from a couple of places that recruit Kaleb Joseph, once thought to be in Syracuse’s back pocket, was really impressed with the proceedings at last week’s PC Elite Camp, and the potential relationships (on and off the floor) that could unfold. While Joseph visits his “dream school” (as ESPN.com called SU), dreams quickly turn into reality when it comes to playing time. Bottom line – he stands to earn more at Providence…
• From the “now I’ve heard it all” department…while parents in Tennessee fight for the right to name their baby “Messiah,” another case pops up over the right to name a child “Sex Fruit.” Honestly, the parents of these children should simply change their own names, rather than subject their innocent children to the ridicule-to-come in future years. Or at least use birth control…
• When panty raids were fun…I saw this item from The Anniston (AL) Star, on college life in the 1950’s. Now, I remember panty raids as fraternity pranks (mostly) from my days in college, but 3000 students stopped from going on a panty raid by tear gas? Yup. At the University of Alabama, in April of 1959. Oh, and an Auburn quarterback was actually expelled for taking part in a panty raid in 1957. His replacement moved from halfback to under center, and the Tigers won the national title that year…
• My buddy “Big E,” who used to – ahem – take part in such collegiate shenanigans back in the day, reminded me of his school orientation session when the subject came up. The dean announced that female dorms were strictly off-limits to males, as the male dorms were to females. First time violators would be fined $20. A second violation would cost you $60. A third time? $180 bucks – big for college kids back then. But not for “Big E.” He asked the dean “how much for a season pass?”
• From the mailbag this week – Tim in Kamloops, British Columbia writes via Facebook: “With a whole host of new cast members on offense, does Tom get more reps than usual to solidify the chemistry or do they protect him more than ever at this stage of his career?” Tim: Considering what happened this past week in practice, they should protect him from here on out – for the remainder of the pre-season. But I’m not convinced they’ll err on the side of caution, and Brady will probably take the reps he normally would be scheduled to take. Early returns are good on the rapport with his young receivers. Hope playing him is not a mistake…
• 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 ...
• 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] . All the best to sometime Flash Boy "The Rookie" (aka Austin Rooke) and intern Trevor Diamond as they embark on their own collegiate careers (and potential panty raids)…
• The recently released “Rhode Island Radio” from Arcadia Publishing is available for sale, and the book tells the story of the 91-year history of radio 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…
