Fox Sports is talking shit, so let me just say this: Nobody in that company should actually be happy with the ratings for the Crown.
Now, on to serious sports:
1. Walter Clayton’s NIT Track Record
Walter Clayton Jr. won Most Outstanding Player at the NCAA T*urnament’s Final Four, which is kind of like winning a Gold Glove as a designated hitter.
To give you an idea of how competition compares between the NCAA T*urnament and the NIT: Walter Clayton Jr. played eight NCAA T*urnament games in his career. He never scored fewer than eleven points. He played one NIT game. He scored eight. Also? He lost that NIT game. He went 6–2 in the so-called “big dance.”
Ironically, Florida fans know this best. Their Gators were the ones who beat Clayton and Iona in that 2022 NIT opener. So if you see a Florida fan celebrating this week, give them a laugh. They know how meaningful their accomplishment is. (Not very meaningful! Not meaningful at all!!)
2. The Sens Are Playoff-Bound
Four years ago this past winter, I became an Ottawa Senators fan. The short version is that I wanted to support the most irrelevant Canadian NHL team. That felt right, as an NIT fan. Since I forgot the Senators existed until a friend mentioned the Senators existing (shoutout neglected checks and balances, am I right), my choice was clear.
I’ve enjoyed life as a Sens fan, mostly because of Brady Tkachuk and that season when they played Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) by ABBA in the locker room after wins. Actually, way more things than that. Gabriel Pizza. The Sens being In Session. Opposing teams getting Sens-ed. Tim Stützle, the little German boy.
We don’t blog as much about the Sens as we’d like to, but we do still watch. And last night, we watched history. For the first time since 2017, the Ottawa Senators are headed to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In very Sens fashion, they clinched while losing 5–2 to the Blue Jackets.
3. Easton Stick Is a Free Agent
When I saw two nights ago that Trey Lance had signed with the Chargers,* I was as jazzed as anybody. Easton Stick and Trey Lance in the same QB room? The last time that happened we got one of the greatest college football teams of all time.
Then, I started doing the math. Two quarterbacks plus Justin Herbert equals three quarterbacks. Expert NFL analysis: That’s getting close to too many. So, I looked it up, and while a silly number of sites had Stick still with the Chargers, nfl.com had it right. He’s a free agent now. Unrestricted—which is titillating—but a free agent. Hate it. Steelers, come get this man.
*I know the news came out five nights ago. I only found out last night.
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