Roger Goodell had it right, accent on the past tense. Before he became a total bottom line sellout, he warned that legalized gambling on sports would fuel suspicions about the games’ integrity, a strong sense that the games are fixed.
And so here we are. As Howard Cosell said upon the passing of George “Papa Bear” Halas, “It was inevitable.”
On Thursday, one NCAA Tournament Round 1 game ended with the underdog, Richmond, defeating Iowa, 67-63.
The final minutes of the game included at least two curious, if not dead-wrong, non-calls that benefitted Richmond.
You can guess the rest. Whackos, along with otherwise reasonable folks, concluded that these non-calls were proof-positive of a fix — the refs were clearly, indisputably on the take.
And because proving a negative can often pass as proof, no one can prove that they weren’t on the take. It’s not just foggy-headed barstool talk anymore.
Thus, with gambling now established as a primary reason to watch games, games that included dubious calls, plays and decisions then were left for standard consumption and debate, are now conclusively seen as evidence that the games are crooked, the books are cooked and every ref on the scene should rot in hell.
What can be seen coming as a “remedy” are even more replay stoppages to inspect sideline TV monitors in order to serve the wish of “getting it right.”
But I don’t see such a remedy as serving the best interests of the sport or its contestants, but of trying to suppress the anxieties of gamblers — the losing side still left to feel as if they were had, as per their money and the human condition.
It is becoming clearer to those who steer our sports that their most important fans, mostly in the form of TV viewers, are those who have taken the sucker bait to gamble, the more games and the more money the better for the legal operations and their investors, often big league teams and leagues.
It wasn’t so much that Iowa was robbed than it was that Iowa was robbed by game officials who had a financial stake in the outcome. Those refs just as easily could have bet Iowa and made sure Iowa covered. Can you prove that didn’t happen?
See how it works? See where we are? The game was fixed!
This isn’t merely the road to which we are headed, this is the road we are on. Goodell, before he sold out, was right.
Bigger games? Bring on TV’s B teams
It’s funny how so many networks’ B teams are better than their A teams.
Soon to be eliminated from the NCAA Tournament are three fellas I’d prefer to hear over the varsity teams — Jim Spanarkel, Steve Lappas and now ex-NBA coach and player Avery Johnson. When they speak, we begin to involuntarily listen because they make here-and-now, applicable sense.
They have a good sense of humor, a better sense of timing, a strong grasp of circumstances and are unafraid to wonder “Why?”
It’s the old test of the best: Would you like to be seated beside them at a game? What better way to get all they’ve got rather than interrupt them with sideline reports from sideline reporters with nothing to add?
Of course, none are huge “names,” thus they must be relegated to secondary status. They can’t attract an audience. Despite the preposterous recent contracts calling for payment of tens of millions of dollars to “name brands” of no particular extra value, no one can. But these three can hold an audience.
Friday, however, coverage began with easily excited Kevin Harlan, Dan Bonner and platitudinal Reggie Miller, plus a sideline reporter — diminishing Bonner’s annual value — working Ohio State versus Loyola Chicago, then CBS’ A team — Jim Nantz, Bill Raftery and Grant Hill, plus a sideline reporter — on truTV’s Auburn-Jacksonville State.
Then, the same with Harlan orchestrating Villanova-Delaware.
None of the telecasts was bad, yet all were needlessly crowded and suffocating — like three-way, off-camera verbal tennis matches that quickly became distracting. Too much is a recipe for too much. Or as the Brits say, “over-egging the pudding.”
Before the hoodie became essential apparel, there was Ralph Terry.
Terry, an accomplished Yankees pitcher who was 23-12 in 1962, died Wednesday at 86. His great passion wasn’t baseball, it was golf. He eventually became a golf pro.
Terry was equally as passionate about golf as about baseball. On the nights he was scheduled to pitch, he’d feel manager Casey Stengel’s wrath as Terry showed up with a fresh, red-faced sunburn, evidence that he’d spent the day on a golf course.
Terry fixed that by playing golf in a hooded sweatshirt, even if it was 85 degrees.
The NCAA, during the Tournament, is still pitching Black Lives Matter as if it’s a legit, scandal-free organization that cares about black lives.
3-for-all is not required
Nets, Knicks and kids of all ages should study the all-in defense Ohio State played Friday versus Loyola Chicago. It didn’t matter that the Buckeyes were 1-for-15 on 3-pointers.
Curt Gowdy Jr., a gracious man who left his longtime executive production position at ABC Sports to become one of the founders of SNY, is retiring.
Gowdy has some great memories of his dad, especially as the voice of the Red Sox. I don’t know how old Junior is, but he looks good for his age. He recalls the late 1950s, when he was assigned to babysit the kids of Boston manager, later GM, Pinky Higgins.
So I figure Gowdy Jr. is somewhere between 72 and 112.
Now that The New York Times is out of denial on Hunter Biden, perhaps it could address the case of Doug Adler, fired from ESPN as a tennis analyst in 2017, his career and reputation destroyed by a reckless, attention-starved NYT correspondent who falsely claimed that Adler called Venus Williams “a gorilla.”
That this man has been ruined by a lie remains an outrageous, but correctible injustice. And I won’t let it go because I can’t let it go.
Be true to your school: This NCAA Tournament is loaded with transfers, graduate transfers and 6-foot-11 recruits from faraway lands.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson recently complained that there’s still systemic racism in the NFL directed at black QBs. That doesn’t explain the land rush to sign Deshaun Watson after he beat criminal charges for nine sexual assaults. At last count, 22 civil suits have been filed against him by female accusers.
Good old, as in 88, Hubie Brown. On NBA telecasts, he still emphasizes the importance of making free throws. Made the same sense today as its did 60 years ago.
In the NCAA Women’s Tournament, as seen Friday on ESPN, South Carolina, playing at home, managed to hold on after a 44-4 halftime lead to beat Howard, 79-21, running and gunning the whole way.
Only male Division I college team with a nickname for a female? The Delaware Blue Hens.
So if the CBS Sports website is loaded with gambling tout “experts,” how come none of them are known outside of the CBS Sports website?
Layoffs to follow: ESPN is spending $165 million to sustain the Fox team of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman. Ready? Let’s holler it together: Nurse!
Roger Goodell had it right, accent on the past tense. Before he became a total bottom line sellout, he warned that legalized gambling on sports would fuel suspicions about the games’ integrity, a strong sense that the games are fixed. And so here we are. As Howard Cosell said upon the passing of George “Papa Bear” Halas, “It was inevitable.” On Thursday, one NCAA Tournament Round 1 game ended with the underdog, Richmond, defeating Iowa, 67-63. The final minutes of the game included at least two curious, if not dead-wrong, non-calls that benefitted Richmond. You can guess the rest. Whackos, along with otherwise reasonable folks, concluded that these non-calls were proof-positive of a fix — the refs were clearly, indisputably on the take. And because proving a negative can often pass as proof, no one can prove that they weren’t on the take. It’s not just foggy-headed barstool talk anymore. Thus, with gambling now established as a primary reason to watch games, games that included dubious calls, plays and decisions then were left for standard consumption and debate, are now conclusively seen as evidence that the games are crooked, the books are cooked and every ref on the scene should rot in hell. What can be seen coming as a “remedy” are even more replay stoppages to inspect sideline TV monitors in order to serve the wish of “getting it right.” Iowa’s Kris Murray is hit as he attempts a late-game three-pointer.truTV But I don’t see such a remedy as serving the best interests of the sport or its contestants, but of trying to suppress the anxieties of gamblers — the losing side still left to feel as if they were had, as per their money and the human condition. It is becoming clearer to those who steer our sports that their most important fans, mostly in the form of TV viewers, are those who have taken the sucker bait to gamble, the more games and the more money the better for the legal operations and their investors, often big league teams and leagues. It wasn’t so much that Iowa was robbed than it was that Iowa was robbed by game officials who had a financial stake in the outcome. Those refs just as easily could have bet Iowa and made sure Iowa covered. Can you prove that didn’t happen? See how it works? See where we are? The game was fixed! This isn’t merely the road to which we are headed, this is the road we are on. Goodell, before he sold out, was right. Bigger games? Bring on TV’s B teams It’s funny how so many networks’ B teams are better than their A teams. Soon to be eliminated from the NCAA Tournament are three fellas I’d prefer to hear over the varsity teams — Jim Spanarkel, Steve Lappas and now ex-NBA coach and player Avery Johnson. When they speak, we begin to involuntarily listen because they make here-and-now, applicable sense. They have a good sense of humor, a better sense of timing, a strong grasp of circumstances and are unafraid to wonder “Why?” It’s the old test of the best: Would you like to be seated beside them at a game? What better way to get all they’ve got rather than interrupt them with sideline reports from sideline reporters with nothing to add? Of course, none are huge “names,” thus they must be relegated to secondary status. They can’t attract an audience. Despite the preposterous recent contracts calling for payment of tens of millions of dollars to “name brands” of no particular extra value, no one can. But these three can hold an audience. Friday, however, coverage began with easily excited Kevin Harlan, Dan Bonner and platitudinal Reggie Miller, plus a sideline reporter — diminishing Bonner’s annual value — working Ohio State versus Loyola Chicago, then CBS’ A team — Jim Nantz, Bill Raftery and Grant Hill, plus a sideline reporter — on truTV’s Auburn-Jacksonville State. Reggie Miller (left) and Kevin Harlan (right). NBAE/Getty Images Then, the same with Harlan orchestrating Villanova-Delaware. None of the telecasts was bad, yet all were needlessly crowded and suffocating — like three-way, off-camera verbal tennis matches that quickly became distracting. Too much is a recipe for too much. Or as the Brits say, “over-egging the pudding.” Before the hoodie became essential apparel, there was Ralph Terry. Terry, an accomplished Yankees pitcher who was 23-12 in 1962, died Wednesday at 86. His great passion wasn’t baseball, it was golf. He eventually became a golf pro. Ralph Terry© Bettmann/CORBIS Terry was equally as passionate about golf as about baseball. On the nights he was scheduled to pitch, he’d feel manager Casey Stengel’s wrath as Terry showed up with a fresh, red-faced sunburn, evidence that he’d spent the day on a golf course. Terry fixed that by playing golf in a hooded sweatshirt, even if it was 85 degrees. The NCAA, during the Tournament, is still pitching Black Lives Matter as if it’s a legit, scandal-free organization that cares about black lives. 3-for-all is not required Nets, Knicks and kids of all ages should study the all-in defense Ohio State played Friday versus Loyola Chicago. It didn’t matter that the Buckeyes were 1-for-15 on 3-pointers. Curt Gowdy Jr., a gracious man who left his longtime executive production position at ABC Sports to become one of the founders of SNY, is retiring. Gowdy has some great memories of his dad, especially as the voice of the Red Sox. I don’t know how old Junior is, but he looks good for his age. He recalls the late 1950s, when he was assigned to babysit the kids of Boston manager, later GM, Pinky Higgins. So I figure Gowdy Jr. is somewhere between 72 and 112. Now that The New York Times is out of denial on Hunter Biden, perhaps it could address the case of Doug Adler, fired from ESPN as a tennis analyst in 2017, his career and reputation destroyed by a reckless, attention-starved NYT correspondent who falsely claimed that Adler called Venus Williams “a gorilla.” Doug AdlerGetty Images That this man has been ruined by a lie remains an outrageous, but correctible injustice. And I won’t let it go because I can’t let it go. Be true to your school: This NCAA Tournament is loaded with transfers, graduate transfers and 6-foot-11 recruits from faraway lands. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson recently complained that there’s still systemic racism in the NFL directed at black QBs. That doesn’t explain the land rush to sign Deshaun Watson after he beat criminal charges for nine sexual assaults. At last count, 22 civil suits have been filed against him by female accusers. Good old, as in 88, Hubie Brown. On NBA telecasts, he still emphasizes the importance of making free throws. Made the same sense today as its did 60 years ago. Hubie Brown Getty Images In the NCAA Women’s Tournament, as seen Friday on ESPN, South Carolina, playing at home, managed to hold on after a 44-4 halftime lead to beat Howard, 79-21, running and gunning the whole way. Only male Division I college team with a nickname for a female? The Delaware Blue Hens. So if the CBS Sports website is loaded with gambling tout “experts,” how come none of them are known outside of the CBS Sports website? Layoffs to follow: ESPN is spending $165 million to sustain the Fox team of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman. Ready? Let’s holler it together: Nurse!