Well, it didn’t take long for some college football coach to take advantage of the new NCAA rules on student/athlete endorsements.   And is it a big surprise that it would be Nick Saban, the winningest coach in college football history, and the highest paid public servant in the state of Alabama.    At the Texas High School Football Coaches annual convention last week,  Saban noted that incoming Alabama superrecruit QB Bryce Young has already “looked at ungodly sums of (endorsement) money” prior to taking a step onto the Tuscaloosa campus as a freshman.  Young’s estimated $1.1 million in up-front  endorsements is the result of last month’s lifting  of rules restricting payments on name, image and likeness (NIL) rights to college athletes.

Saban’s incredulity regarding his high school gem’s immediate success in this new world reeks of hypocrisy.   These new rules clearly give a recruiting advantage to big time programs like Alabama that can promise lots of TV and press exposure, which of course can translate to  endorsement dollars.   That message was not lost on those Texas high school football coaches.  Roll Tide !

These new rules will just make the strong even stronger, and rob smaller programs of high school talent.   Leave it to Nick Saban to lead the money charge.                                 WHAT THE HECK !

I’m not ready to jump on the Simone Biles mental health bandwagon.   I was a big fan prior to these Olympic games, but at the risk of being cancelled for an offbeat view, what in the world is the owner of 31 Olympic and World Chamionship medals doing in Japan this week ?   Initially citing “mental health” issues, this truly American champion clarified her situation yesterday by defining her issue as the “twisties”, a truly clinical definition of a frightening state of disassociation that prevents athletes from completing a skill.  Oddly, I’ve never heard an NFL QB, or a college basketball free throw shooter, or a soccer goalkeeper use that term to describe a personal struggle to perform.   They call it stage fright, or “the yips”.

Now, admittedly, I do not have all the information surrounding Simone Biles mental or physical state, thus I may have to eat my words.   What really troubles me is the near unanimous public cultural reaction to the situation from other athletes, politicians,  pundits, entertainers and other commentators.   Today’s culture seems to applaud Biles’ courage and bravery for withdrawing from the team competition, thus denying her teammates an opportunity for gold, and some poor young girl from making the Olympic team.   A previous generation might choose commitment to teammates,  battling through physical ailments, overcoming stage fright, and stepping up in major events as positive attributes (and benefits) of participation in sports.

As I observe Simone Biles cashing an estimated $6 million in endorsement checks so far with Hershey’s, Nike,  Athleta, Oreo Cookies, Mattress Firm, Uber Eats, and Kelloggs,  is it too much for the public and her teammates  to expect more than an excuse of “twisties” ?       The last chapter is to be written this week, as Simone Biles contemplates participation in the individual event finals.   I can only hope and pray that Aaron Rodgers doesn’t experience “twisties” this NFL season as several 300 pound men bear down on him in the pocket !                                                              WHAT THE HECK !

WHAT THE HECK !

Well, Jane is now happy.   The Lightning did indeed lose last night to The Montreal Canadiens, thus delaying the players and their families a much-needed break.   And now Jane has a smile on her face because the team can now get serious tomorrow night, and win the Stanley Cup at home, at Amalie Arena, in the middle of an approaching tropical storm.   Thanks Jane !         WHAT THE HECK !

 Let me get this straight.   Because cops are evil and racist, we need to reduce local police forces (that’s “Defund The Police” for those of you in Birdsboro), replacing as many as possible with unarmed community peacemakers and counselors to deal with family and neighborhood spats.   This is much easier and cost effective than improved training and controls to weed out bad cops.   At the same time, cease arrests for minor crimes, replace the bail system with as many “get out of jail free” cards as can be printed,  and forgive entirely the sins committed by those in our country illegally.      These modern methods will result in inner city bliss and a significant reduction in violent crime as residents begin to follow more closely the Ten Commandments in the absence of those nasty police.     What cool ideas !    I wonder what the crime statistic numbers will show as these policies are implemented in cities like Chicago, Atlanta, New York,  Portland and Seattle.     WHAT THE HECK !

Yesterday, Tampa’s beloved mayor, Jane Castor, revealed a level of stupidity and naivety unmatched in the world of sports.  On so many levels, this episode reveals why some people need to simply keep their mouths shut, or on social media, keep themselves from hitting the SEND button.

The Tampa Bay Lightning professional hockey team has been cruising through the NHL final series with the Montreal Canadiens, taking a 3-0 lead in games, with the final and possibly decisive game scheduled for tonight.  The first two games were played in Tampa at our Amalie Arena to a full house of screaming fans, while the team’s third victory was achieved in Montreal.   Of course, other than the players, coaches, and support personnel, no other Americans (friends, families, wives) were permitted to join the party in Canada. Thus the Lightning are faced with the possibility, assuming a fourth and decisive fourth win tonight, of lifting the Stanley Cup alone,  in a foreign, seemingly now unfriendly country.  Poor guys !

But then yesterday, our fine mayor attempted to solve the problem with the following words to a Tampa television station, “what we would like is for the Lightning to take it a little bit easy, to give the Canadiens just the smallest break, allow them to win one at home, and then bring it back to the Amalie Arena for the final and  the winning of the Stanley Cup.”  Follow -up questions revealed that no, it is not April Fool’s Day, and yes, she is dead serious.                            WHAT THE HECK !