Tom Brady is retiring again, and since only one Brady gets to be the face of sport and it can’t be him anymore, I’m pretty sure that means we’ve got this guy:
(I don’t know what’s going on with that tweet either it’s just easier to embed a tweet than to worry about photo credits in the internet age)
Yes, Brady Tkachuk is the new face of American sports. So, let’s get to know the guy:
1. Brady Tkachuk Is Fun
You can already tell this, from the photo above, but Brady Tkachuk likes to have a good time. Further confirmation:
2. Brady Tkachuk Is Younger Than Most Think
Everyone who knows of Brady Tkachuk goes through an experience where they find out his age and react with surprise. Some of us—me right now, for example—go through it multiple times. Somehow, the captain of the Ottawa Senators is only 23 years old. He debuted right after his 19th birthday.
3. Brady Tkachuk Will Kick Your Ass
According to voters at HockeyFights.com, Brady Tkachuk has a 19-4 career record in NHL fights. And I’ve only voted on a few of those.
Tkachuk’s willingness to both start shit and finish it is perfect for modern America, where much of our culture revolves around wanting to beat the crap out of one another but we mostly “do it” from our phones, iPads, and laptops. Dunking on someone on social media is not the same as beating them up on a sheet of ice in front of thousands of bloodthirsty spectators. We need more of the latter if we’re going to relearn how to respect one another.
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So, yes, we have our next face of American sports. Does it matter that he plays in Canada? No. He’s from St. Louis, and that’s the thing about Canada—we can always claim them when it’s advantageous to us to do so. That’s what Canada’s there for.
Last NITe
Clemson was the big winner last night, losing to Boston College in Chestnut Hill to somehow retain their ACC lead but fall further and further into our loving NIT embrace. Northwestern also took a convenient loss in Iowa City, Virginia Tech went down in Miami, Texas A&M avoided disaster in Fayetteville, and Wake Forest dodged a bad good win at Duke. On the other end, Kentucky won one they shouldn’t have at Mississippi and Nevada beat San Diego State in one where…I know they’re walking a tightrope, but the optics are bad.
My personal favorite thing of the evening was Fordham testing the Patrick Ewing Theory out on…Kyle Neptune? The guy with a losing record for Villanova?
Fordham, for those who don’t follow the dregs of the Atlantic 10, is traditionally bad. They haven’t finished in the top half of their league in fifteen years, and they’ve finished dead last eight times over that stretch. This year? Well, the A-10 kind of sucks, but Fordham’s still in fourth. And last night, they beat Saint Louis, which is a small problem for the Billikens but a good measure of where Fordham’s at.
The Rams are a little bit of a sleeping giant in the basketball world, playing in the heart of the Bronx and having once lost nine straight NIT games over a twenty-year span. If college basketball is going to rise again in the Big Apple, it might not be St. John’s carrying the torch. Look west, young man. Or east, if the Johnnies are playing at MSG. I never know where to locate the Johnnies in my head.
Anyway, very low chance Fordham makes this NIT but I’m excited for them, and I hope you are too. They’re getting there. Even with the head coach who was supposed to be saving them already gone.
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The menu this evening:
8:30 PM EST: Seton Hall @ St. John’s (CBSSN)
Speaking of New York City, the Game of the NITe is going down at Carnesecca Arena, with Seton Hall playing with fire and St. John’s holding a whole lot of gunpowder. Each team’s in the thick of NIT contention right now, which makes it hard to tell what either needs to improve their chances, but we love the complexity. That’s what keeps this so special.
9:00 PM EST: Oklahoma State @ Oklahoma (ESPN2)
Another huge one here, with round two of Bedlam! bringing two of our NIT title contenders into a direct clash. Oklahoma’s got a tight window to fit through if they’re going to make the field, but winning this is still a good bet. Build some momentum. It’ll make it that much better when you end up 17-16 and clearly a 2-seed.
10:30 PM EST: New Mexico @ Utah State (FS1)
A third course? Fate is too kind. New Mexico and Utah State not only are right in our wheelhouse, but they score points like Steph Curry scores…well, that’s points too, I guess. Should be fun.
7:00 PM EST: Georgia @ Auburn (SECN)
7:00 PM EST: Pitt @ UNC (ACCN)
Intriguing ones for the road teams here. Pitt probably doesn’t want to win, Georgia definitely does, I’m personally still trying to figure out if I like UNC. As an entity. The vibes there are so volatile. It’s like one of those optical illusions where you stare at purple and then look away and see yellow, except it’s you staring at Duke and then seeing Dean Smith.
9:00 PM EST: LSU @ Mizzou (SECN)
9:00 PM EST: Florida State @ NC State (ACCN)
Missouri’s got an interesting one here. For the last few weeks, the Tigers have been pushing their NIT aspirations to the wayside. It’s been getting uglier and uglier for their hopes and dreams. They’re still in reach, though, and this would be a big one to lose. Watch for the trap game. It’s Tiger vs. Tiger, after all.
Similar situation in Raleigh.
6:30 PM EST: Penn State @ Purdue (BTN)
7:00 PM EST: Tennessee @ Florida (ESPN2)
Penn State cannot afford to win this game. Florida can maybe afford to win that game, but it shouldn’t try.
7:00 PM EST: Tulsa @ Cincinnati (ESPN+)
9:00 PM EST: SMU @ Tulane (ESPNU)
No need to mess around here. Disaster lurks in the AAC.
8:00 PM EST: Southern Illinois @ Bradley (ESPN+)
It’s a big showdown night in the Missouri Valley, where SIU and Bradley are—in addition to being good-vibes schools within the state of Illinois—among the league leaders as we approach the wire. It’s rivalries across the board, but this one takes top billing.
6:30 PM EST: Creighton @ Georgetown (CBSSN)
8:30 PM EST: Minnesota @ Rutgers (BTN)
Creighton and Rutgers are too far from the NIT for losses here and losses here alone to make a meaningful difference, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do the thinking emoji if they do go down.
8:30 PM EST: Villanova @ Marquette (FS1)
And finally, our man Shaka Smart continues on his quest to prove the haters wrong. Kick their ass, friend.
