After a good day of baseball and a bad night of college hoops, we take another hack.
Today’s Best Bets: Thursday, March 28th
An Opening Day moneyline, Sweet Sixteen picks, and futures in both sports.
NIT Stu’s 2024 MLB Preview
Where each team’s vibes stand entering Opening Day.
Joe’s Notes: Pat Kelsey Can Be a Good Fit, If Louisville Fans Will Let Him
Meeting expectations and doing well are two different things. Also: What if Josh Schertz stays? Did Boras fumble the Montgomery bag? And Charlie Baker takes on player props.
Stu’s Notes: Why Caleb Williams’s Pink Phone Might Matter
*We* don’t have a problem with it. Also: How Joe Kelly became the face of the Dodgers, Adam Silver vs. Shohei Ohtani, and whether Indiana State or Cincinnati is better for the NIT.
Stu’s Notes: Texas vs. Rick Barnes
How Texas fans will handle the latest reunion. Also: Brock Cunningham’s wins record, Ashley Barnes and Shohei Ohtani, and a little NIT talk.
Stu’s Notes: Is the World Ready for Bad Boy Ohtani?
What if baseball’s greatest player turns heel? Also: The deal with Josh Schertz and SLU, the deal with SMU and Rob Lanier, and good riddance to the G-League Ignite.
Joe’s Notes: The Most Desperate Teams in the NCAA Tournament
Plenty of teams want a Final Four. Only one needs that championship more than the rest. And it’s not Purdue. Also: Conference correlation, the three Ohtani possibilities, and Otz vs. the Jacks.
Stu’s Notes: What if the Opt-Outs Help the NIT?
Pretty good basketball, you guys. Also: Someone opted out of the NCAA Tou*nament, a Seoul Series conspiracy theory, and SOMEONE OPTED OUT OF THE NCAA TOU*NAMENT.
Kelly in Korea: The 2024 Joe Kelly Season Begins
There are two Opening Days this year, and the first is here to display Joe Kelly to the world.
Stu’s Notes: The Four Kinds of Teams Who Win the NIT
Also: What to know about the WBIT & WNIT, Clemson’s hilarious lawsuit, and the drama builds as Joe Kelly season approaches.
Joe’s Notes: UConn Faces a Terrible NCAA Tournament Path
Who’s helped, who’s hurt by the bracket. Also: MLB players vs. Scott Boras, Clemson needs someone to want them, and Colorado State vs. Virginia.
Stu’s Notes: Tom Crean, NIT Friend
Tom Crean is a good man. Also: NIT snubs, attendance vs. ratings, and a message about the curses.
Stu’s Notes: What We Want to Read in the Upcoming Aaron Rodgers Biography
Blu, Kevin, and 9/11. Then: The first Joe Kelly Spin Zone of spring, no more Phood Phights, and is Tucker DeVries wonderful or hateable or both?
Stu’s Notes: Why Don’t More Fans Strategically Stop Play?
Reflections on the fire alarm. Then: Kevin McCullar vs. Bill Self, what’s up with Greg McDermott, and we try to diminish the accomplishments of youths.
Joe’s Notes: NCAA Tournament Selection Is Too Far in the Weeds
We can have nuance without fixating on Q1 wins. Also: Bunting for a hit, Texas/Texas Tech regression, and the Western Conference Play-In Tournament might be loaded.
Stu’s Notes: The Desecration of the MAC
Some things should be sacred. Also: It’s ok if Jon Scheyer lied, Joe Kelly hasn’t allowed a baserunner all spring, and the Sens allowed so many goals.
Joe’s Notes: Why Is the MLS So Bad?
Theories. Also: How’s Jerome Tang liking Kansas State? With Bellinger back, who’s the Cubs’ biggest threat? And what’s going to happen with NIL now that it’s even more legal?