Joe Kelly did not pitch in today’s game. Also: A pant problem, Rick Pitino might have a twin, and Andy Enfield should be sticking around Los Angeles.
Stu’s Notes: Why We’re Sentenced to Quadrant Talk
You know who did this to us. Also: Creighton joins the Big East, Penny vs. Pitino, and the Bulls are not the Bears.
Joe’s Notes: Arizona Loves Arizona. That Might Matter.
Desireé Reed-Francois left the SEC for an athletic department with a nine-figure landmine in its budget. Also: The Pac-2 has a commissioner, what UConn’s loss doesn’t say, and the new face of good vs. accomplished.
Joe’s Notes: It’s Still UConn and Purdue…Right?
Arizona and Houston have closed the gap, but has UConn widened it back? We regroup. Then: Kirk Schulz likes to talk, the Canes are always beefing, and we enjoyed our annual Mac McClung weekend.
Stu’s Notes: Rob Manfred Begins His Five-Year Retirement Tour
Rob Manfred is retiring. In 2029. Also: Learning which hockey players are good, Austin has two Dillos, and the best fireballs so far in the young stock car season.
Joe’s Notes: Why Caitlin Clark Became a Phenomenon When Kelsey Plum Didn’t
What’s different about Clark, and what’s changed in women’s basketball. Also: That signing deadline might be a good idea, UConn vs. Marquette, and NASCAR brings chaos as it returns.
Stu’s Notes: The NIT TV Schedule Is Official
And our favorite tournament is moving up. Also: What’s holding up an NIT video game, Scott Boras is holding up Jordan Montgomery’s signing, and the Super Bowl should stay on Sunday.
Joe’s Notes: The Case Against Conference Tournaments
Conference tournaments are a moneygrab which makes competition worse. Also: The Big 12 is in bad shape, Jimmie Johnson’s Daytona 500 hopes are on the line, and there’s a reasonable rhyme to the Cubs’ deliberate rebuilding pace.
Joe’s Notes: What’s Going on With the Pac-2?
Summing up a noisy week in WSU/OSU news. Then: Pitchers and catchers, home-court advantage, and why now for Ohio State and Chris Holtmann.
Stu’s Notes: The Latest MLB Fiasco – Fanatics Made Bad Uniforms
Major League Baseball reloaded its foot-shootin’ gun. Also: Technology destroyed morale, golf got too drunk, and can the NIT and NCAA T*urnament coexist?
Joe’s Notes: What Don’t Power Conferences Like About Charlie Baker’s Proposal?
The Baker Proposal evidently needs refining. Also: That NCAA Tournament expansion talk, the CFP’s game of chicken, and Bill Self’s five years without a bench.
Stu’s Notes: John Calipari Isn’t Bringing Championships to Kentucky
Once a national champion at Memphis, Calipari’s performance in Lexington has never matched the promise of 2013. Also: Patrick Mahomes’s kids names, the world vs. Caitlin Clark, and Morgan Rielly didn’t want to fight.
Stu’s Notes: What Does ‘Comeback Player of the Year’ Mean?
Is it about the comeback? Or do you have to be a player? Also: Chekhovian doinks, Joe Barry chaos, and MLB vs. Flopping.
Stu’s Notes: The Other Reasons Trevor Bauer Hasn’t Signed
It’s more than the assault allegations. Also: The Bears try to get softer, Nick Saban inches towards professional wrestling, and a study on Target Field’s target.
Joe’s Notes: Trade Deadlines and Inefficient Markets
The odd economics of trades in professional sports. Also: Ranking the Boras Four, the Bulls’ empty deadline, and looking towards Opening Day.
Stu’s Notes: The Big Ten’s Big NIT Hopes
The dream of Midwestern NIT prominence is not yet dead. Also: Kelvin Sampson is a baseball coach, Armando Bacot and the grind, and a women’s basketball question we promise is earnest in its nature.
Stu’s Notes: Will Wade’s Buyout – The Man Has Done It Again
Hahahahahahahahaha. Also: Tylor Perry’s repeat MVP quest, Joel Embiid’s on midlife crisis watch, and Las Vegas doesn’t want the A’s.
Joe’s Notes: Dartmouth Basketball, a Union, and Employment in College Sports
What to make of yesterday’s ruling. Also: Is Tony Bennett a good coach? Are the Packers winning the offseason? And why the Cubs’ projections are, unfortunately, not wrong.