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Bunky
Jan 26, 2019 9:50:10 GMT -5
Post by dex on Jan 26, 2019 9:50:10 GMT -5
FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH:
■ Curt Schilling in the Baseball Hall of Fame?
I say yes.
Even if I was never a fan, finding him boorish, and a star in his own movie.
But the Hall of Fame shouldn’t be a popularity contest. It shouldn’t be about who you liked or didn’t like.
It should be about what happens between the lines, and between the lines Schilling walked with the game’s all-time greats. Everything else is irrelevant.
■ Did you see where Rick Barnes’ Tennessee team is ranked No. 1 in the country? How come we can’t get coaches like that?
■ The mark of a truly great coach? Does anyone ever truly question anything Bill Belichick does?
■ Or that his teams always seem to get better as the season goes along.
■ Don’t invite Donald Trump and Nancy Pelosi to the same party.
■ How talented is Golden State? Klay Thompson, who often gets overlooked on a roster that includes both Steph Curry and Kevin Durant, tied an NBA record on Monday night by hitting 10 3-pointers without a miss en route 44 points. That’s how talented.
■ One hundred thirty-five college football players have decided to give up their remaining college eligibility and enter the NFL Draft.
■ QUIZ OF THE WEEK: When was the last time two brothers were pitted against each other in the Super Bowl? (Answer near the bottom of the column.)
■ LINE OF THE WEEK comes from Bill Belichick in the Boston Herald, when asked if he gets more psyched up for big games: “They all count in this league. Just let me know the next game that doesn’t matter, so I’ll take that into account.’’
■ LINE OF THE WEEK II comes from Tom Brady on his kids, via the Boston Globe: “We get to talk about it on the way home. They’re understanding more and more, but they’re still my kids so they don’t care much about dad. They’d rather hang out with Gronk and Jules and all those other guys.”
■ LINE OF THE WEEK III comes from Pats’ owner Robert Kraft in the Boston Herald on Brady: “The thing that’s most impressive to me, he is still the same guy that he was when he came out of Michigan and I met him, that skinny beanpole coming down the steps with that great physique.”
■ LINE OF THE WEEK IV comes from reader John D. Lachance, via email: “In the beginning it was ‘Tom vs. Time.’ Now it’s ‘Time vs. Tom.’ ‘’
■ Could a football player have any better name than Gronk?’
■ You can make the case that no one could have envisioned this amazing Patriots run, not even Belichick.
■ Steven Tyler’s never done it for me.
■ Opening Day in Major League Baseball this year will be March 28, the earliest ever.
■ Craig Robinson, the former Brown basketball coach and older brother of Michelle Obama, is now in the front office of the New York Knicks.
■ Beto O’Rourke? You say you’ve never heard of him, Bunky? Don’t worry. You will.
■ How are we supposed to react when A-Rod says he would love to get into the Hall of Fame, but knows he put himself into this situation with drug abuse? How? Are we supposed to feel sorry for him? You tell me.
■ Pot shops in Massachusetts reportedly have taken in nearly $24 million in two months.
■ But there’s no truth to the rumor that the new state slogan will be “The Get High State.”
■ Or that if the Chiefs had beaten the Pats last weekend, Patrick Mahomes would now be called “The young GOAT.”
■ And TB12 would now be “The old GOAT”
■ And we’d be looking at everything very differently around here.
■ The older I get the more I like high school sports.
■ The top NBA prospect in the country? Duke freshman Zion Williamson.
■ Or as the back page of the New York Post screamed out Thursday: “DYIN’ FOR ZION.’’
■ QUIZ ANSWER: Jim and John Harbaugh, with Jim at the 49ers, and John at the Ravens in 2013.
■ Go to the movies now, and you feel like a father looking for his daughter.
■ Bonzie Colson Jr., son of the former URI star, is now with the Milwaukee Bucks, after going to St. Andrew’s and Notre Dame.
■ The NBA often looks as though it’s playing with an 8-foot basket.
■ You want to know great Tom Brady really is? Watch the other quarterbacks.
■ No matter what the scary stats say, football is America’s game.
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Bunky
Feb 2, 2019 11:41:46 GMT -5
Post by dex on Feb 2, 2019 11:41:46 GMT -5
COMMENTARY Loving the magic of these good old days BILL REYNOLDS
Celtics star Kyrie Irving is reportedly is one of the producers of an untitled horror movie about a haunted house in Oklahoma City. [ORLANDO SENTINEL VIA TNS, FILE / STEPHEN M. DOWELL]
FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH:
■ It never gets old. Not if you’re old enough to remember when the Patriots always seemed to be gone when the Super Bowl came around, one of those franchises where the glamour always seemed to be somewhere else. The “Patsies.’’ All of that seems long ago and far away, lost in the swirls of memory, replaced by what once would have been viewed as some sort of football dream, with the Patriots now in the running for their sixth Lombardi Trophy. For these are the good old days. Enjoy.
■ When the 3-point shot in the NBA has become just another jump shot, the line is obviously too close.
■ This will be TB12’s ninth Super Bowl, if you’re keeping score at home.
■ The New York Times says legalized gambling is the new Gold Rush.
■ Does NFL officiating keep getting worse, or does it just seem that way?
■ The word is Kyrie Irving is one of the producers of an untitled horror movie about a haunted house in Oklahoma City.
■ Really.
■ QUIZ OF THE WEEK: Which are the two teams with the most Super Bowl losses? (Answer near the bottom of the column.)
■ LINE OF THE WEEK comes from Steve Serby in the New York Post on the Patriots in the Super Bowl: "So here they come again, America’s Worst Nightmare."
■ LINE OF THE WEEK II comes from Pats' owner Robert Kraft on Tom Brady's future: “I would be quite surprised if he didn’t continue for quite a while as our quarterback.”
■ LINE OF THE WEEK III comes from Gronk on something most people don't know about him: "One thing I love is just getting tickled. You know what I mean? If you're saying you don't like it, you're crazy. ... It just feels good.''
■ LINE OF THE WEEK IV comes from Diane Sanders Hombach in the New York Daily News: "If men could get pregnant, abortion would be a drive by.''
■ Sony Michel has been a key part of the Pats offense.
■ Call it an NFL version of the rich get richer.
■ Atlanta has had no championships since the 1995 Braves.
■ The new hot phrase in the big cities? A "congestion'' fee.''
■ Wonderful.
■ The women's lacrosse coach at Holy Cross? Amanda Belichick.
■ And if you have to ask who she is, Bunky, you probably turned to the wrong column.
■ James Harden had 61 in Madison Square Garden the other night, tying Kobe's all-time record for an opponent there.
■ Get ready for Kamala Harris, a star in the making.
■ The Super Bowl is still the most-watched TV event of the year, but last year's total was the lowest since 2009.
■ No other team in the AFC East had a winning record this season, as the division continues to be a layup line for the Patriots.
■ The Warriors are the overwhelming favorite to win the NBA title, while the Celtics and Raptors are 15/2, and the Bucks are 10/1.
■ Jackie Robinson would have turned 100 this week.
■ R.I.P. Russell Baker, 93, longtime columnist of the New York Times.
■ Did you see where Nike and Major League Baseball have a new partnership? Get ready for the "Swoosh'' somewhere on the uniforms.
■ Julian Edelman, the onetime scrambling quarterback from Kent State, has come a long way.
■ This summer will be the 50th anniversary of Woodstock.
■ But there's no truth to the rumor that half the people who went can't remember it anymore.
■ QUIZ ANSWER: The Patriots and the Browns, with five each.
■ It's probably going to take a while to get over the image of Gronk being tickled, but I'm sure going to give it a try.
■ No tour of the White House for Mookie Betts. He says he's sitting it out.
■ What's the over/under on this being Gronk's last game?
■ The Friars let one go slip away the other night on the road.
■ Bye, bye, Boomers. The Millennials will soon overtake you as the largest generation in the country.
■ But don’t worry, you’ll always have Elvis.
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Bunky
Feb 2, 2019 20:04:43 GMT -5
Post by dex on Feb 2, 2019 20:04:43 GMT -5
Cleveland friggin Browns? Really?
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pcdad
Friar Fanatic
Posts: 3,707
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Bunky
Feb 3, 2019 1:36:55 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by pcdad on Feb 3, 2019 1:36:55 GMT -5
Not Buffalo? ....really?
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friar82
Administrator
BCC Member
Posts: 8,158
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Bunky
Feb 3, 2019 6:03:04 GMT -5
Post by friar82 on Feb 3, 2019 6:03:04 GMT -5
I would have guessed the Scott Norwood Bills myself.
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cavbim
Friar Fanatic
Posts: 2,921
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Bunky
Feb 3, 2019 8:30:10 GMT -5
Post by cavbim on Feb 3, 2019 8:30:10 GMT -5
I would have guessed the Scott Norwood Bills myself. It’s the Pat and Broncos each with 5. I googled to make sure. Maybe Broncos autocorrected to Browns Neither versions of Browns have had a chance to lose. Ravens have won twice since moved to Baltimore from Cleveland
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Bunky
Feb 3, 2019 12:41:38 GMT -5
Post by dex on Feb 3, 2019 12:41:38 GMT -5
Makes sense Cav...I'm thinking the Bills lost 4
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Bunky
Feb 9, 2019 8:13:14 GMT -5
Post by dex on Feb 9, 2019 8:13:14 GMT -5
COMMENTARY Fans of Rams, Friars: Be patient BILL REYNOLDS
Picture FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH:
■ Both the Friars and Rams are young basketball teams. Both are, in essence, playing for the future. Hopefully, it will be as early as next season. That’s the reality, here in this season that has never been easy for either of them. So the emphasis now should be on getting better, not necessarily the record.
■ The biggest question for the Pats this offseason? Will Gronk be back?
■ The Pats and the Rams combined for the lowest-scoring Super Bowl game in history.
■ R.I.P. Ken Walker, one of those unsung heroes who made a difference in this state.
■ Donald Trump said he’d “have a hard time” letting his son play football. Barron Trump is 12.
■ Yeah, the Knicks stink, but they’re still the NBA’s most valuable team, worth $4 billion, according to Forbes.
■ QUIZ OF THE WEEK: On Tuesday, Patrice Bergeron became the fifth player to appear in 1,000 games with the Boston Bruins. Who are the other four? (Answer near the bottom of the column.)
■ LINE OF THE WEEK comes from the great Duke freshman basketball player Zion Williamson: "It would be dope to play with K.D. and Kyrie.''
■ LINE OF THE WEEK II comes from The New York Times on the New York Knicks: "Too Young, Too Unstable, Too Bad.''
■ Ah, the city game.
■ Kyrie Irving will be free agent on July 1. Don't say you weren't warned, Bunky.
■ Michael Connelly has written 22 Harry Bosch novels, five "Lincoln Lawyer'' novels, and six others.
■ How lucky are we around here? The Bengals haven't won a playoff game since the 1990 season. That's how lucky.
■ Does any ex-player ever really take a big verbal shot at Coach Bill on the way out the door? Not really.
■ And who would listen anyway?
■ Two Big East teams — Marquette and Villanova — are in the Associated Press top 25, Marquette at 10, and Villanova at 14.
■ The rumblings you hear, Bunky, is the news that many of the game's bigwigs want the designated hitter used in both leagues.
■ There's no truth to the rumor that if Brady were a member of an Indian tribe he would be called "Six Rings.''
■ Or that Robert Kraft is trying to patent the dark suit and sneakers look.
■ Or that next year's Super Bowl will be between Conservatives and Liberals.
■ With the General Assembly getting the winner.
■ How good is James Harden, part II? How about as of last Sunday he had scored at least 30 points in 28 consecutive games. That's how good.
■ The word is 1.5 million people lined the streets of Boston the other day to honor the Patriots.
■ Patrick Mahomes couldn't have had a fantasy season any better than this one.
■ You don't have to read any scientific journals about global warming, Bunky. Just go outside.
■ Is it over for Elizabeth Warren?
■ I'll be surprised if Gronk is back next year.
■ The incoming new president at UConn says he's committed to a major football program.
■ Say what? Isn't this the same school whose biggest football game every year used to be against URI?
■ Kudos to Hendricken cross country coach Jim Doyle, honored as the National Boys Coach of the Year by the National High School Coaches Association.
■ Who goes first, Brady or Belichick?
■ When you find out what traveling is in the NBA these days, let me know.
■ You know we're heading off into the cultural wilderness, Bunky, with the news that the word "dope'' is now used as something that's very cool. Wonderful.
■ QUIZ ANSWER:
1, Ray Bourque, 1,518; 2, John Bucyk, 1,436; 3, Don Sweeney, 1,052; 4, Wayne Cashman, 1,027.
■ The TV ratings for the Super Bowl reportedly had a 10-year low.
■ What must run through Drew Bledsoe's head when he sees Brady in another Super Bowl?
■ Then again, what must run through Brady's head?
■ The more he talks, the more it seems Kyrie Irving won't be wearing green next winter.
■ From the "just when you thought you've heard it all'' department, along comes the news from The New York Times that "driving naked in Germany is legal, too. But if you get out of the car nude, you face a $45 fine.''
■ Oh.
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Bunky
Mar 2, 2019 9:48:10 GMT -5
Post by dex on Mar 2, 2019 9:48:10 GMT -5
Celtics season slipping away BILL REYNOLDS
Picture FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH:
■ Whatever is up with the Celtics is not good.
More and more they seem like an AAU team that met for the weekend. Friday’s win over Washington was much needed, but it was their first victory in five games.
More and more they seem like the Kyrie All-Stars.
More and more they seem like a team built for an All-Star Game, not the playoffs, a team that wants to outscore opponents, not necessarily beat them. A team that went 5-6 in February. A team that seems to be going out of its way to make Brad Stevens’ coaching irrelevant.
I hope I’m wrong.
■ Mookie Betts is 75/1 to win the American League home run title. Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are 6/1.
■ But there’s no truth to the rumor that the Independent Man wants to come down and take some swings.
■ Just when you thought you’ve heard it all, Bunky, along comes the news that the massage parlor that Robert Kraft was caught in has become a tourist attraction.
■ It’s been a decade since the Yankees have won the World Series.
■ But there’s no truth to the rumor that the Boss will come out of the casket one of these years and order will be restored.
■ QUIZ OF THE WEEK: Nate McMillan and one other player hold the NBA record for the most assists by a rookie in a single game. Who am I? (Answer near the bottom of the column.)
■ LINE OF THE WEEK comes underneath a picture of Kraft in the New York Daily News: “He’s a Patriot, but definitely not a gentleman.”
■ LINE OF THE WEEK II also comes from the Daily News about Kraft, this time the entire back page: “BAN BOB”
■ DITTO FOR LINE OF THE WEEK III: “Kraft American Sleaze.” Also from the Daily News.
■ LINE OF THE WEEK IV is this classic advice from Charles Barkley: “If you’re going to break the law, do not write a check. Get cash, man.”
Say what?
■ This from The College Hill Independent: There are 277 charter schools in Los Angeles County.
■ Kenny Anderson, the former NBA player and New York street legend, reportedly had a stroke the other day. Anderson is 48.
■ The Celtics’ Kyrie Irving and Jason Tatum are all shooting over 86 percent from the foul line.
■ R.I.P. Don Newcombe. The Dodgers great was 92, one of the first black players in the major leagues.
■ The local TV stations do a great job in weather emergencies.
■ LeBron and his personally stocked Lakers were one game under .500 at the All-Star break.
■ Villanova, the class of the Big East the last few years, is a little down this year.
■ Robert Kraft is discovering the flip side of celebrity in today’s celebrity-obsessed culture: when the wolves come out, they come out quick and hard.
■ Any Spike Lee movie is worth watching.
■ Colin Kaepernick is telling virtually anyone who will listen that the owners don’t want him in the NFL.
■ Does Kraft ever get over this incident, or does it follow him into his obituary?
■ The NBA game is not in a good place right now.
■ Don’t invite Michael Cohen and Donald Trump to the same parties any more.
■ QUIZ ANSWER: Rhode Island’s Ernie DiGregorio with 25 (for the Buffalo Braves in 1974).
■ Has the salary gap between professional athletes and the rest of us ever been so great?
■ Just look at Bryce Harper’s $330-million, 13-year contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.
■ Kudos to the URI Rams for winning a big pride game this week in this long struggle of a season.
■ And to Providence College for a gutsy overtime win at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Tuesday night.
■ Robert Kraft reportedly is worth $6.6 billion, and the irony? None of it could
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Bunky
Mar 8, 2019 8:10:52 GMT -5
via mobile
pcdad likes this
Post by wtm97 on Mar 8, 2019 8:10:52 GMT -5
Not a shocker but I got the QUIZ answer immediately - did not know he actually had 25 dimes but remembered he was rookie of the year. Didn’t he also lead the league in FT %?
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Bunky
Mar 8, 2019 11:29:44 GMT -5
Post by dex on Mar 8, 2019 11:29:44 GMT -5
I believe so...if not, he was like #2 OR 3
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Cteve
Blue Chipper
Posts: 1,647
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Bunky
Mar 15, 2019 16:15:14 GMT -5
dex likes this
Post by Cteve on Mar 15, 2019 16:15:14 GMT -5
From last fall:
* I remember a lot of things about Gordie. That wasn't one of them. # Glad to hear that. Though a ? about'why leave Gtn' was appropriate.
The projo blew some pretty big stories in the past. I mean embarrassing. However it isn't surprising when you have this fawning attitude --from bunky-- in the face of shaddy situations. Like the Center for International Sport, for eg. So while I won't be "betting against" Ernst I will be following his interactions with the US Att., FBI, IRS.
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Bunky
Mar 16, 2019 9:00:01 GMT -5
Post by dex on Mar 16, 2019 9:00:01 GMT -5
COMMENTARY Rams save their season in Brooklyn BILL REYNOLDS
FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH:
■ Who knew the URI Rams were going to find their season in the Atlantic 10 Tournament?
Who knew they were going to make this tournament exciting, taking down top-seed VCU on Friday to reach Saturday’s semifinals?
Good for them.
And if they can get by St. Bonaventure, Sunday’s final is like playing with house money.
■ Friar freshman A.J. Reeves has stardom in his future.
■ The newest national scandal? College admissions.
■ Did you see where Danny Amendola signed with the Lions?
■ Kudos to Brown basketball coach Mike Martin, the Ivy League’s men’s Coach of the Year.
■ QUIZ OF THE WEEK: What was the first college basketball conference to have three teams in the Final Four, and who were the teams? (Answer near the bottom of the column.)
■ LINE OF THE WEEK comes from Mount St. Charles hockey coach Dave Belisle, on the Mount’s loss to La Salle in the state semifinals: “This is not a tragedy.’’
■ LINE OF THE WEEK II comes from famed movie director Francis Ford Coppola: “If America is great, it’s because it was a country of immigrants.’’
■ LINE OF THE WEEK III comes from longtime column contributor Ray Perry: “Given the choice I’d take Sharon Stone over Roger Stone.’’
■ Forbes magazine called 21-year-old Kylie Jenner “the youngest self-made billionaire of all time.”
■ This from the Associated Press: More than 1,400 towns and cities in the U.S, have lost a newspaper in the last 15 years.
■ But that’s OK, Bunky, because we’ve got kids staring into their phones all day, right?
■ The Lakers are below .500, and the Knicks are the worst team in the Eastern Conference. Not a great year for NBA royalty, right?
■ What would Providence be like without The Dunk?
■ You’ve got to love the latest scandal, all the celebrities trying to beat the system to get their kids into elite colleges.
■ Who could even start to believe that, Bunky?
■ Better yet, get your kid to improve their jump shots. I’ve heard that works.
■ You never forget your last high school athletic event, regardless of what happened.
■ And speaking of Rhode Island high school basketball back in the good ole days, whatever happened to Donald Suggs?
■ You can’t go wrong with a John Hart novel.
■ You’ve been a Friar fan for a long time if you remember who Jimmy Stone was.
■ Do you think there are times Celtics coach Brad Stevens wakes up and says I’m not in college anymore?
■ What are the odds that Coach Bill and TB12 spend a lot of quality time in the offseason together?
■ The five richest zip codes in the U.S? 1, Fisher Island, Fla. (33109); 2, Atherton, Calif. (994027); 3, Palm Beach, Calif. (33480); 4, Palo Alto, Calif. (94301); 5, Harrison, N.Y. (10577).
■ But there’s no truth to the rumor that the richest zip code in Massachusetts is the one the Red Sox’ clubhouse is in.
■ Or just when you hear about a contract no one can believe, rest assured there will be another one coming around the corner.
■ Or that when you hear “summer’’ used as a verb you know you’re in the wrong conversation.
■ “Green Book’’ is a movie well worth it.
■ The storied Lakers need a life raft.
■ So does the Independent Man, but what you going to do?
■ ESPN will now have a daily betting show as the times change right in front of us.
■ Paul Manafort is Donald Trump’s worst nightmare.
■ Do you ever have the feeling, Bunky, that all the civics lessons you once learned in high school now seem like they came from a different planet?
■ The Associated Press has Gonzaga, Virginia, North Carolina, and Kentucky as its Final Four. Duke is fifth, and the Big East’s Marquette is 25th.
■ There’s no truth to the rumor the Celtics need a shrink more than a coach.
■ QUIZ ANSWER: The year was 1985. The teams were Georgetown, Villanova and St. John’s — all from the Big East.
■ You know that the money in professional sports has become full-goose loony with the news that the New York Giants have agreed to give safety Landon Collins a six-year $84-million deal. You say you never heard of him, Bunky? Maybe that’s the point.
■ What do you think TB12 thinks of that deal?
■ Brett Cyrgalis in the New York Post called old friend Lou Lamoriello the best general manager in New York area sports history. Think about that.
■ In history.
■ Who knew?
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Bunky
Mar 23, 2019 8:46:34 GMT -5
Post by dex on Mar 23, 2019 8:46:34 GMT -5
COMMENTARY Time for Kraft to fess up BILL REYNOLDS
■ You know it's been a bad offseason for the Patriots when the sleazy Robert Kraft saga continues to drag on.
For this is not doing him any good.
If nothing else, it keeps the story in the news — never a good thing.
And if he does beat the charge — soliciting a prostitute — the perception will be his high-priced lawyers got him off, not exactly a cheering-in-the-streets public victory.
In short, he should call off this public circus, do a mea culpa, and move on.
For Kraft is the owner of the Patriots, and that gives him a lot of juice.
So he should have a press conference, apologize, say it wasn't his finest moment, and move on.
And guess what?
If the Pats get off to a good start next year, no one's going to care about Kraft's public embarrassment.
There are priorities, right?
■ Or better him, than Tom Brady, right?
■ You know the Patriots truly are special when it's their owner who is in trouble during the offseason, and not one of their players.
■ Are we really ready for President “Beto?”
■ Ryan Fitzpatrick, the 37-year-old former Harvard quarterback who signed a two-year contract with the Miami Dolphins last week, has started for seven NFL teams.
■ The word is the Sox are worried about Dustin Pedroia's knee.
■ QUIZ OF THE WEEK: Which school was the highest seed ever to win the men's national college basketball tournament? (Answer near the bottom of the column.
■ LINE OF THE WEEK comes from the Celtics' Kyrie Irving: "When I'm aggressive, the team is aggressive and it helps us."
■ LINE OF THE WEEK II comes from the Pedroia: "The big picture is I'm trying to play the next three years. ... If that sacrifices five days or whatever it takes to do that, then we have to do that."
■ Basketball's future? Duke's Zion Williamson.
■ The Bruins' Zdeno Chara turned 42 last week.
■ St. John's hasn't reached the semifinals of the Big East Tournament since 2006? Say it ain't so Louie Carnesecca.
■ Bill O'Reilly is writing a book on Donald Trump, to be out in September. The word is it's not going to be overly complimentary, but who knows.
■ Basketball player Desmond Cambridge, who has an abundance of talent and who has decided to transfer from Brown, is making a big mistake.
■ Speaking of college basketball, Duke might have three of the top five picks in June's NBA Draft in freshman Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett, and Cam Reddish.
■ Chris Mullin, the onetime great player St. John's, got his team back in the NCAA Tournament, this time as a coach.
■ Speaking of Duke's Zion Williamson, you have to see him to believe hm.
■ And to say he's "one and done" is to simply to state the obvious.
■ And does any phrase make more of a mockery of college sports?
■ But this is the sports world we've created.
■ Which makes you wonder, if you think about it too much.
■ QUIZ ANSWER: Villa-nova, in 1985, a No. 8 seed.
■ Bernard Muir, the athletic director at Stanford, and chairman of the NCAA Selection Committee for its basketball tournament, is a former Brown basketball player.
■ Just when you thought things were getting a little dull along comes Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez.
■ And no, Bunky, she's not in the General Assembly.
■ She's one of the rising stars of the country's "New Left."
■ Did you see where Mike Trout recently signed the richest deal in sports history — 12 years, $426.5 million dollars? Not Babe Ruth. Not Willie Mays. Not Michael Jordan. Not Tom Brady. Mike Trout. You can't make this up, Bunky.
■ Nor would you want to.
■ Which raises the question: What would Joe D. and Teddy Ballgame get in this day and age?
■ Or are there banks big enough?
■ The word is there's a new bombshell book on the Yankees coming out very soon, which is not flattering to anyone, Derek Jeter included.
■ Be still my beating heart.
■ Welcome to the heart of "March Madness."
■ Or "March Sadness," as my ex-wife used to call it.
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Bunky
Apr 6, 2019 9:17:01 GMT -5
Post by dex on Apr 6, 2019 9:17:01 GMT -5
COMMENTARY Baseball holds a special place in history BILL REYNOLDS
FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH:
Pro baseball has existed for 150 years.
Roll that figure around on your tongue, Bunky.
One hundred fifty years.
All 30 teams will wear special “MLB 150” patches on their uniforms this season in honor of the 150th anniversary of the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings, the first openly all-salaried professional baseball team.
It’s a game that grew up with the country in ways that other sports did not, a game that came to teach us about race and social class, and a lot of other social issues that had nothing to do with the infield fly rule.
It’s also a game that’s helped teach us both about history, and the ability of this country to keep growing, keep evolving.
America’s game, in so many of the important ways.
■ LeBron will not be in the postseason for only the second time in his NBA career.
■ The only way to deal with the over-the-top salaries in professional sports these days is not to deal with it.
■ I don’t believe in horoscopes, but read mine every day. Go figure.
■ What is the chance of super freshman Zion Williamson going back to Duke next year? No chance. None.
■ And is there a more odious phrase in college sports than “one and done?”
■ QUIZ OF THE WEEK: Who are the two male college basketball coaches with the most Final Four appearances? (Answer near the bottom of the column.)
■ LINE OF THE WEEK comes from sports writer Joel Sherman in the New York Post: “At the corner of unacceptable and intolerable, the Yankees lost a season-opening series to the Orioles.”
■ “From the outside: My Journey Through Life and the Game I Love,” by Ray Allen, with Michael Arkush,” is worth it.
■ How talented is James Harden? He averages 36 points a game in the NBA. That’s how talented.
■ Brittany Spears reportedly has 56.4 million Twitter followers.
■ How bad are the Knicks? As of Friday morning, they were 40½ games out of first place. That’s how bad.
■ R.I.P. Joe Bellino. And if you don’t know who he is, Bunky, do a little football research.
■ Despite being 150 years old, there’s no truth to the rumor that the pace of baseball was better then than it is now.
■ Or maybe there is.
■ It’s almost a decade since the Yankees last won a World Series, if you’re trying to keep track of these things.
■ Kentucky reportedly has given John Calipari a lifetime job, after UCLA just made a run at him.
■ The word is there are people in New York who believe Sam Darnold is about to become the best quarterback in the AFC East. Are they just delusional, or flat-out bonkers?
■ Looking for a new crime novelist who writes like a dream? Check out “The Wife,” by Alafair Burke, the very talented daughter of the great novelist James Lee Burke.
■ Baseball in cold weather is very close to torture.
■ Scandals come, and scandals go, but big-time college basketball keeps getting bigger and bigger.
■ I never saw a better left-handed swing than Fred Lynn’s.
■ This from the Associated Press: Rhode Island, West Virginia, Mississippi and Pennsylvania are “all failing to collect the taxes they were counting on with legalized sports gambling.”
■ Just when you thought you’ve heard it all, along comes the news that journeyman quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, 36, has signed a two-year contract with the Dolphins.
■ What, Doug Flutie wasn’t available?
■ Hats off to the recently retired Art Martone, the onetime sports editor here at The Journal who had been running the show at NBC Sports Boston for the last 9½ years.
■ Can the Red Sox have a do-over?
■ When Duke becomes a “one and done” school, what is the message to college basketball?
■ Or is there simply no pretense anymore?
■ Memo to Joe Biden: the unofficial rules have changed, about touching women, and you better change with them, or you soon will be yesterday’s news.
■ QUIZ ANSWER: John Wooden and Mike Krzyzewski with 12 each.
■ It’s going to take me a while to get my head around “Beto.”
■ One of the newest words in baseball supposedly is “biomechanics.” n And when you figure out what it means, Bunky, let me know.
■ The Rolling Stones have postponed their June 8 concert at Gillette Stadium so Mick Jagger, 75, can recover from a heart-valve replacement procedure.
■ Or as the old song says, “What a drag it is gettin
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