2018 NBA Draft

[6/21/18] OK, I got the NBA Draft playing on ESPN (YouTube TV on my laptop), ESPN2 (WatchESPN on my Fire tablet), NBA TV (YouTube TV on my ipad mini), Yahoo Sports (on my laptop), and CBS Sports HQ (on my laptop).  I guess I'm ready.  Shucks, I forgot to buy pizza.  ... Switch to the Roku and watch from the floor.

1. Phoenix - Deandre Ayton, C, Arizona

2. Sacramento - Marvin Bagley III, PF, Duke

Atlanta will trade the third pick to Dallas for the fifth pick and a future first round.  Atlanta will pick Doncic for Dallas.  And Dallas will pick Trae Young with the fifth pick if available.

3. Atlanta - Luka Doncic, G/F, Real Madrid

4. Memphis - Jaren Jackson Jr., PF, Michigan State

5. Dallas - Trae Young, G, Oklahoma
6. Orlando - Mohamed Bamba, C, Texas

7. Chicago - Wendell Carter, F/C, Duke
8. Cleveland - Collin Sexton, PG, Alabama
9. New York - Kevin Knox, SF, Kentucky
10. Philadelphia - Mikal Bridges, G/F, Villanova

11. Charlotte - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, PG, Kentucky

Charlotte to trade Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to Clippers for the 12th pick and two future second round picks

12. Clippers - Miles Bridges, F, Michigan State
13. Clippers - Jerome Robinson, G, Boston College
14. Denver - Michael Porter Jr., SF, Missouri
15. Washington - Troy Brown, G/F, Oregon
16. Phoenix - Zhaire Smith, SG, Texas Tech

Philadelphia trades Mikal Bridges (no. 10) to Phoenix for Zhaire Smith (no. 16) and 2021 first-round pick.

LiAngelo undrafted

2018 NBA Draft Grades

[6/21/18] Consensus mock draft
1. Phoenix - Deandre Ayton, C, Arizona

2. Sacramento - Marvin Bagley III, PF, Duke

3. Atlanta - Luka Doncic, G/F, Real Madrid
4. Memphis - Jaren Jackson Jr., PF, Michigan State
5. Dallas - Mohamed Bamba, C/F, Texas
6. Orlando - Trae Young, G, Oklahoma
7. Chicago - Michael Porter Jr., SF, Missouri
8. Cleveland - Wendell Carter, F/C, Duke
9. New York - Collin Sexton, PG, Alabama
10. Philadelphia - Mikal Bridges, G/F, Villanova
11. Charlotte - Kevin Knox, F, Kentucky
12. Clippers - Lonnie Walker, G/F, Miami
13. Clippers - Robert Williams, C, Texas A&M / Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, PG, Kentucky
14. Denver - Miles Bridges, F, Michigan State

[6/21/18] Business Insider

[6/21/18] Yahoo 4.0

1. Phoenix - Deandre Ayton, C, Arizona
2. Sacramento - Marvin Bagley III, F, Duke
3. Atlanta - Luka Doncic, G/F, Real Madrid
4. Memphis - Michael Porter Jr., F, Missouri
5. Dallas - Mohamed Bamba, C, Texas
6. Orlando - Jaren Jackson Jr., F, Michigan State

7. Chicago - Wendell Carter, C, Duke

8. Cleveland - Trae Young, PG, Oklahoma
9. New York - Kevin Knox, F, Kentucky
10. Philadelphia - Mikal Bridges, G/F, Villanova
11. Charlotte - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, PG, Kentucky
12. Clippers - Collin Sexton, PG, Alabama
13. Clippers - Lonnie Walker, G/F, Miami
14. Denver - Miles Bridges, F, Michigan State
15. Washington - Robert Williams, C, Texas A&M /

[6/18/18] David Aldridge mock draft

1. Phoenix - Deandre Ayton, C, Arizona
2. Sacramento - Luka Doncic, G/F, Real Madrid
3. Atlanta - Marvin Bagley III, F, Duke
4. Memphis - Trae Young, G, Oklahoma
5. Dallas - Jaren Jackson Jr., F/C, Michigan State
6. Orlando - Collin Sexton, G, Alabama
7. Chicago - Mohamed Bamba, C/F, Texas
8. Cleveland - Wendell Carter, C/F, Duke
9. New York - Michael Porter Jr., F, Missouri
10. Philadelphia - Mikal Bridges, F, Villanova
11. Charlotte - Kevin Knox, F, Kentucky
12. Clippers - Lonnie Walker, G/F, Miami
13. Clippers - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, G, Kentucky
14. Denver - Miles Bridges, F, Michigan State
15. Washington - Robert Williams, C, Texas A&M

Jim Leahey retires

Jim Leahey, who painted a vivid word picture of Hawaii sports for listeners over 60 years as the state’s most recognizable radio and television broadcaster, confirmed his retirement.

“Yes, it is official,” Leahey, 75, told the Star-Advertiser today.
Leahey first disclosed his intention over the weekend at a roast for long-time boss and broadcast partner Rick Blangiardi.

“I just want to quietly go away,” said Leahey, whose final segments behind the mic came as the play-by-play broadcaster for University of Hawaii baseball on KKEA radio last month.

“I enjoyed working with Josh Pacheco and Scottie Robbs, but I’m 75 years old now and don’t want to take a position from guys who are coming up and working hard,” Leahey said after conferring with his wife, Toni.

“It has been a lot of seasons, a lot of memories,” said Leahey, who began working alongside his father, Chuck, in the 1960s and later teamed up with his son, Kanoa.

In the course of a career that saw him alternate between radio and TV — and sometimes do simulcasts across both platforms — Leahey has appeared on KGMB, KIKU, KHNL, KITV, KHET and cable. He also did preseason NFL Seahawks games for a Seattle station.

When Blangiardi took over independent station KIKU (which became KHNL) and masterminded a deal to televise UH sports on a scale of more than 100 events a year, he hired Leahey to do play-by-play. “Some years I was doing as many as seven different UH sports a year,” Leahey said. “It was great.”

A highlight? “The 56-14 victory over Brigham Young (in 1989),” said Leahey said. “BYU came in arrogant, as always. After what was it —not winning for 10 straight years against BYU? — damn that was good. I think it was the best game that UH ever played. The sound, the excitement of that crowd, is something you’ll always remember.”

In his call of the game, Leahey exclaimed, “This is better than statehood!”

***

The Voice

***

[11/21/18] Jim Leahey - distinguished achiever

Bruno Sammartino

Bruno Sammartino, an Italian immigrant who was heavyweight champion of the World Wide Wrestling Federation for a record 11 years in the 1960s and ′70s, long before the federation admitted that its matches were scripted and largely choreographed entertainment shows, died on Wednesday at 82.

His death was announced on the website of WWE, the organization also known as World Wrestling Entertainment, a successor of the World Wide Wrestling Federation. No other details were provided, but a family friend and former wrestling announcer, Christopher Cruise, told The Associated Press that Sammartino had been hospitalized for two months. Sammartino lived in Pittsburgh.

In an era when the sports world, except for some die-hard wrestling fans, knew that professional matches were staged dramatizations, with heroes and villains, story lines and beefcake actors shamming the violence, Sammartino was one of the most popular performers in the business. He wrestled in Australia, Spain, Mexico, Canada and Japan, and often drew gates of 20,000 at Madison Square Garden, where he had more than 200 matches.

Unlike many heavies on the pro wrestling circuits, he was a soft-spoken, gentlemanly connoisseur of grand opera, especially Verdi. And for one who had bench-pressed 565 pounds as an amateur, he was relatively small: under 6 feet tall and a trim 260 or 270 pounds, with bulging pectorals and biceps and a big head. He looked tiny beside giant rivals like Haystacks Calhoun, who topped 600 pounds.

He sometimes made $150,000 a year, headlining cards featuring the “bad guys” — Killer Kowalski, Hans Mortier, Waldo von Erich, Ivan Koloff, Gorilla Monsoon, Professor Toro Tanaka and George (the Animal) Steele. Feuds and insults fueled the publicity hype, and outrages in the ring sent crowds wild. Every wrestler had a gimmick: ethnicity or nationality, the personas of cowboys, lumberjacks or farmers, and sports reporters went along with the fun.

In 1959, Sammartino signed a $250-a-week contract with Capitol Pro Wrestling, owned by Mr. McMahon and Joseph Mondt, and wrestled in Pennsylvania, New York and other states. Mr. McMahon and Mr. Mondt later formed the World Wide Wrestling Federation and awarded its heavyweight title to “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers in April 1963.

A month later, Sammartino faced Rogers at Madison Square Garden for the title. Rogers was supposed to win. But in a story often told in wrestling circles, Sammartino broke the bad news to him in the ring.

“We can do this the easy way, or the hard way,” Sammartino said. He pinned Rogers in 48 seconds, launching his championship career.

After his second reign ended in 1977, he wrestled on tours. He retired in 1981 from full-time professional wrestling, although he later appeared in exhibition matches. In 2013, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. He had declined induction several times, dissatisfied with what he called lurid story lines, over-the-top theatrics and drug and steroid abuse by professional wrestlers.

NFL Draft 2018

[4/26/18]  The draft begins.

1.  Cleveland Browns - Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma
2.  New York Giants - Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State
3.  New York Jets - Sam Darnold, QB, USC
4.  Cleveland Browns - Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State
5.  Denver Broncos - Bradley Chubb, DE, North Carolina State
6.  Indianapolis Colts - Quenton Nelson, G, Notre Dame

Buffalo Bills trade their first round pick (no. 12) and two second round picks to Tampa Bay for Tampa Bay's first round pick (no. 7) and eight round pick

7.  Buffalo Bills - Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming
8.  Chicago Bears - Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia
9.  San Francisco 49ers - Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame

Arizona Cardinals trade their first round pick (no. 15), third round pick, fifth round pick for Oakland's first round pick (no. 10) and pick...

10.  Arizona Cardinals - Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA
11.  Miami Dolphins - Minkah Fitzpatrick, S, Alabama
12.  Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Vita Vea, DL, Washington
13.  Washington Redskins - Da'Ron Payne, DT, Alabama

New Orleans trades first round pick (no. 27), no. 147, 2019 first round pick to Green Bay for first round pick (no. 14).

14.  New Orleans Saints - Marcus Davenport, DE, UT San Antonio
15.  Oakland Raiders - Kolton Miller, OT, UCLA

Buffalo trades first round pick (no. 22) and 2018 third round to first round pick for Baltimore's first round pick (no. 16)

16.  Buffalo Bills - Tremaine Edmunds, LP, Virginia Tech
17.  Los Angeles Chargers - Derwin James, S, Florida State

Green Bay trades with Seattle for first round pick (no. 18) and seventh round (no. 248) for first round pick (no. 27), third round (no. 76), sixth round (no. 186)

18.  Green Bay Packers - Jaire Alexander, CB, Louisville
19.  Dallas Cowboys - Leighton Vander Esch, LB, Boise State
20.  Detroit Lions - Frank Ragnow, C, Arkansas
21.  Cincinnati Bengals - Billy Price, C, Ohio State

Tennessee acquires Baltimore's first round pick (no. 22) and sixth round (215) for first round (25) and fourth round (125)

22.  Tennessee Titans - Rashaan Evans, LB, Alabama
23.  New England Patriots - Isaiah Wynn, OL, Georgia
24.  Carolina Panthers - D.J. Moore, WR, Maryland
25.  Baltimore Ravens - Hayden Hurst, TE, South Carolina

26.  Atlanta Falcons - Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama

27.  Seattle Seahawks - Rashaad Penny, RB, San Diego State
28.  Pittsburgh Steelers - Terrell Edmunds, S, Virginia Tech
29.  Jacksonville Jaguars - Taven Bryan, DL, Florida
30.  Minnesota Vikings - Mike Hughes, CB, Central Florida
31.  New England Patriots - Sony Michel, RB, Georgia

Baltimore acquires Philadelphia's first round pick

32.  Baltimore Ravens - Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville

Bleacher Report grades

***

4/26/18 - La Canfora mock draft: Mayfield, Barkley, Darnold, Chubb, Rosen, Josh Allen, Derwin James, Quenton Nelson, Roquan Smith, Tremaine Edmunds

4/26/18 - Daniel Jeremiah's final mock draft:  Mayfield, Barkley, Darnold, Josh Allen, Quenton Nelson, Bradley Chubb, Derwin James, Roquan Smith, McGlinchey, Fitzpatrick

3/22/18 - PFW mock draft 1.0:  Baker Mayfield no. 3, Derwin James no. 4?, Saquon Barkley no. 7?, Josh Allen no. 12?

3/22/18 - CBS mock draft has Josh Allen no. 1, Saquon Barkley no. 6, Baker Mayfield no. 9 to Giants

2017-2018 Basketball All-America team

Oklahoma 's Trae Young took college basketball by storm, leading the nation in scoring and assists. Deandre Ayton played his one season at Arizona with power and athleticism few could match. Versatile big man Marvin Bagley III made his lone year a Duke a memorable one.

The talented trio made history Tuesday by being named to the AP All-America team, the first time three freshmen were named to the first team in its 70-year history.

They were joined by Villanova 's Jalen Brunson and Kansas guard Devonte' Graham on the team selected by the same 65-member national media panel that selects the weekly AP Top 25.

Tolu Smith is Hawaii basketball player of the year

Kameron Ng, the dazzling long-range shooter and playmaker with a penchant for crafty work in the paint, was voted No. 2 by coaches and media.

no. 16 beats no. 1

CHARLOTTE — And on the 136th attempt, the basketball gods relented.

A No. 16 seed has finally beaten a No. 1 in the NCAA tournament. And even if you could see it coming somewhere, some time, in the future, it wasn’t supposed to be this.

College basketball has never seen a bigger upset than Maryland-Baltimore County 74, Virginia 54.

But it happened Friday night in the South Regional, taking down a team that just last week completed a golden 31-2 season with both the ACC regular season and conference tournament titles. And it was executed by team ranked 188th in the country according to the Ken Pomeroy efficiency ratings, a team that lost to the likes of Stony Brook and was beaten 44 points by Albany in the middle of its conference season.

It’s too improbable for words, except that it happened.

“Unbelievable — it’s really all you can say,” UMBC coach Ryan Odom said.

Wie wins in Singapore

SINGAPORE >> Michelle Wie holed a 36-foot putt from off the green on the final hole to win the Women’s World Championship by one stroke today and capture her first LPGA tournament since the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open.

With four players in contention to win on the last hole, Wie managed to separate herself from the pack when she drained her lengthy birdie putt on the 72nd hole at the Sentosa Golf Club for a final round of 7-under 65 to finish at 17-under 271.

The 28-year-old from Honolulu, who led the tournament after three rounds a year ago before fading on the last day, leaped into the air and clenched her fist in celebration as the ball disappeared into the bottom of the cup.

But she still faced an anxious wait before being declared the champion.

“Winning is everything. I mean, there is no better feeling than when you think you sink that winning putt. It’s a high, for sure,” Wie said.

“You go out there, and it’s this feeling that gets you going. It’s this feeling that makes you practice. It’s that winning putt that makes you practice for hours and hours and hours, and even the hard times, it gets you going back. You know that good feeling is on the other side.”


It was Wie’s fifth LPGA Tour victory and the first since winning the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open.

NBA 2017-2018

2/8/18 - Tyreke Evans, DeAndre Jordan, Marcus Smart not traded
2/8/18 - Chicago acquires Noah Vonleh and cash from Portland for rights to Milovan Rokovic
2/8/18 - Jameer Nelson traded from Chicago to Detroit for Willie Reed (to be waived) and second round pick
2/8/18 - Elfrid Payton traded from Orlando to Phoenix for second round pick
2/8/18 - Nuggets trade Mudiay to Knicks who trade McDermott to Dallas who trade Devin Harris to Nuggets
2/8/18 - Cavaliers trade Dwyane Wade to Miami for second round pick (that will be sent to Sacramento)
2/8/18 - three-way trade:  Cleveland trades Jae Crowder, Derrick Rose (to be waived) to Utah and Iman Shumpert to Sacramento and get Rodney Hood from Utah and George Hill from Sacramento.  Joe Johnson goes from Utah to Sacramento.  Sacramento gets Miami's 2020 second round pick (from Miami) and $3 million.
2/8/18 - Cavaliers trade Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye, first round pick to Lakers for Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance
2/2/18 - Greg Monroe chooses Boston (and $5 million) over New Orleans (and $2.2 million)
2/1/18 - Nicola Mirotic and second round pick traded from Chicago to New Orleans for first round pick, Omer Asik, Tony Allen, Jameer Nelson
1/29/18 - Blake Griffin, Willie Reed, Brice Johnson traded from Clippers to Pistons for Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Boban Marjanovic, first round pick and second round pick
1/22/18 - Bucks fire Jason Kidd
12/7/17 - Jahlil Okafor, Nik Stauskas, 2019 second-round choice traded from Philadelphia to Brooklyn for Trevor Booker
11/27/17 - Memphis fires Fizdale after going 7-12
10/23/17 - Phoenix fires Earl Watson after three games
9/29/17 - Westbrook decides to stay five more years with OKC for $205 million
9/26/17 - Dwyane Wade to rejoin LeBron in Cleveland for 1 year, $2.3 million
9/23/17 - Knicks trade Carmelo Anthony to Oklahoma City for Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott, second round pick
8/22/17 - Cleveland trades Kyrie Irving to Boston for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, and Brooklyn's 2018 first round draft pick (and a 2020 second round pick)
7/25/17 - Portland trades Allen Crabbe to Brooklyn for Andrew Nicholson
7/25/17 - Derrick Rose signs with Cavaliers for one year, $2.1 million (the minimum)
7/21/17 - John Wall to agree to stay with Washington for four years, $170 million
7/21/17 - Kyrie Irving asking to be traded
7/15/17 - New Orleans signs Rajon Rondo for one year
7/11/17 - Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to sign with Lakers for one year, $18 million
7/11/17 - Dewayne Dedmon to sign with Atlanta for two years, $14 million
7/9/17 - Toronto to trade Corey Joseph to Indiana for C.J. Miles
7/9/17 - Toronto to trade DeMarre Carroll to Brooklyn for Justin Hamilton, 2018 first round pick, second round pick
7/8/17 - Wizards match Nets offer sheet to Otto Porter Jr. for four years, $106 million
7/8/17 - Jamal Crawford to sign with Minnesota for two years, $8.9 million
7/8/17 - Hawks won't match Knicks offer to Tim Hardaway Jr. for four years, $71 million
7/8/17 - James Harden signs extension giving him a six year deal for $228 million guaranteed
7/8/17 - Jeff Green to sign with Cleveland for one year, $2.3 million
7/7/17 - Tyreke Evans to sign with Memphis for one year, $3.3 million
7/7/17 - Celtics to trade Avery Bradley and a 2019 second round pick to Pistons for Marcus Morris
7/6/17 - Tim Hardaway Jr. signs four year, $71 million offer sheet with Knicks
7/6/17 - Rudy Gay signs with Spurs for 2 years, $17 million
7/6/17 - Kings sign Vince Carter for $8 million
7/6/17 - Kelly Olynyk to sign with Miami for 4 years, $50+ million
7/6/17 - Dirk Nowitzki to re-sign with Dallas for 2 years, $10 million
7/6/17 - Clippers sign Milos Teodosic for 2 years, $12 million
7/6/17 - Andre Roberson to stay with Oklahoma City for 3 years, $30 million
7/5/17 - Nick Young to sign with Warriors for 1 year, $5.2 million
7/5/17 - Danilo Gallinari headed to Clippers, Clippers to send Jamal Crawford, Diamond Stone, Rockets 2018 first-round pick, and cash to Atlanta, Atlanta to send Paul Millsap and Wizards 2019 second-round pick to Denver
7/4/17 - Gordon Hayward to join Celtics for 4 years, $128 million
7/4/17 - Nets offer Otto Porter max deal of 4 years, $106.5 million
7/4/17 - Miami waives Chris Bosh
7/4/17 - George Hill signs with Kings for 3 years, $57 million
7/4/17 - Kings sign Zach Randolph for 2 years, $24 million
7/3/17 - Darren Collison to sign with Pacers for 2 years, $20 million
7/3/17 - Kevin Durant agrees to accept a measly $53 million for 2 years
7/2/17 - Paul Millsap to sign with Denver for 3 years, $90 million
7/2/17 - Memphis signs Ben McLemore for 2 years, $11 million
7/2/17 - Kyle Lowry to return to Toronto for 3 years, $100 million
7/2/17 - Kyle Korver to remain with Cleveland for 3 years, $22 million
7/2/17 - Taj Gibson leaves Chicago for Minnesota for 2 years, $28 million
7/2/17 - Serge Ibaka to return to Toronto for $3 years, $65 million
7/1/17 - Andre Iguodala to re-sign to Golden State for 3 years, $48 million
7/1/17 - Joe Ingles to re-sign with Utah for 4 years, $52 million (7 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists)
7/1/17 - 76ers to give $23 million for J.J. Redick? / only $11 million for Amir Johnson
7/1/17 - New Orleans to retain Jrue Holiday for 5 years, $126 million (at least)
6/30/17 - Oh yeah? Steph Curry re-signs with Warriors for 5 years, $201 million
6/30/17 - Minnesota signs Jeff Teague (away from Indiana) for 3 years, $57 million
6/30/17 - Minnesota trades Ricky Rubio to Utah for top-14 protected first round pick
6/30/17 - Blake Griffin to re-sign with Clippers for 5 years, $173 million
6/30/17 - Pacers trade Paul George to OKC for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis
6/28/17 - Clippers to trade Chris Paul to Rockets for Patrick Beverly, Lou Williams, Sam Dekker, 2018 first round pick (reactions) / Clippers also get DeAndre Liggins, Darrun Hilliard, Montrezl Harrell, Kyle Wiltjer and $661,000.
6/28/17 - Phil Jackson and Knicks part ways

2017 Free Agent Buzz

6/22/17 - Bulls trade Jimmy Butler and 16th pick (Justin Patton) to Wolves for Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn, and no. 7 pick (Lauri Markannen).

6/22/17 - NBA Draft (grades, transaction tracker)
1. Sixers: Markelle Fultz
2. Lakers: Lonzo Ball
3. Celtics: Jayson Tatum
4. Suns: Josh Jackson
5. Kings: De'Aaron Fox
6. Magic: Jonathan Isaac
7. Wolves: Lauri Markannen [traded to Bulls]
8. Knicks: Frank Ntilikina
9. Mavericks: Dennis Smith
10. Kings: Zach Collins (traded to Portland)
11. Hornets: Malik Monk
12. Pistons: Luke Kennard

6/21/17 - Dwight Howard and 31st pick traded from Atlanta to Charlotte for Miles Plumlee, Marco Belinelli and 41st pick
6/20/17 - Lakers trade D'Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov to the Nets for Brook Lopez and 27th pick
6/19/17 - Jerry West joins Clippers
6/19/17 - Celtics trade no. 1 pick in first round to 76ers for no. 3 pick in first round plus first rounder in 2018 or 2019

6/19/17 - consensus mock draft (ranking)
1. Sixers: Fultz (1)
2. Lakers: Ball (2)
3. Celtics: Jackson (3)
4. Suns: Fox (4)
5. Kings: Fox (which means Tatum (5) I assume)
6. Magic: Jonathan Isaac (6)
7. Wolves: Markannen (9)
8. Knicks: Monk (8)
9. Mavericks: Smith (7)
10. Kings: Zach Collins (11)
11. Hornets: Donovan Mitchell (12)
12. Pistons: Luke Kennard (13)
13. Nuggets: Zack Collins (which means Frank Nitikina (10) I assume)
14. Heat: Donovan Mitchell (which means OG Anunoby (14) I assume)

5/17/17 - Mock Draft 1.0
1.  Boston: Markell Fultz, PG, Washington
2.  Los Angeles Lakers: Lonzo Ball, PG, UCLA
3.  Philadelphia: Josh Jackson, SF, Kansas
4.  Phoenix: Jason Tatum, SF, Duke
5.  Sacramento: De'Aaron Fox, PG, Kentucky
6.  Orlando: Dennis Smith, PG, North Carolina State
7.  Minnesota: Malik Monk, SG-PG, Kentucky
8.  New York Knicks: Jonathan Isaac, PF-SF, Florida State
9.  Dallas: Frank Ntilikina, PG, France
10. Sacramento: Lauri Markkanen, PF, Arizona

NFL coaching changes 2017-2018

2/11/18 - Indianapolis hires Frank Reich as head coach
2/6/18 - Josh McDaniel spurns Colts and will remain with New England
2/5/18 - Detroit hires Matt Patricia as head coach
1/22/18 - Giants hire Pat Shurmur as new head coach
1/22/18 - Cardinals hire Steve Wilks as new head coach
1/20/18 - Tennessee hires Mike Vrable as new head coach
1/15/18 - Tennessee parts ways with Mike Malarkey
1/8/18 - Bears hire Mike Nagy as new head coach
1/6/18 - Gruden to return to Raiders
1/2/18 - Bruce Arians retires as Arizona head coach
1/1/18 - Bears fire John Fox as head coach
12/31/17 - Colts fire Chuck Pagano after six seasons
12/31/17 - Jack Del Rio out as Raiders head coach
12/4/17 - Giants fire Ben McAdoo as head coach

Keith Jackson

Keith Jackson, the folksy voice of college football who for decades weaved backwoods wit through Saturday afternoon ABC broadcasts, has died. He was 89.

Jackson died Friday night, according to ESPN and other media outlets.

In a 52-year broadcasting career, Jackson covered a wide-ranging array of sports for radio and TV, including a rowing competition in the former Soviet Union, but he was best known as ABC’s voice of NCAA football — and for the homespun phrases he used in reporting it.

To Jackson, linemen were not guards and tackles, they were “the big uglies.” Running backs didn’t drop the ball, there was a “fuumm-bull!” Of an undersized player, he might say, “He’s a little-bitty thing, a bantam rooster. But he’s young. If he keeps eatin’ his cornbread, he’ll be man-sized some day.”

And, of course, there was “Whoa, Nellie!,” his signature phrase.

Or was it?

Strangers in restaurants, airports, stadium parking lots and downtown streets would sidle up to Jackson and bellow, “Whoa, Nellie!” Jackson, however, always maintained that he might have — might have, mind you — used the phrase a time or two early in his career but that mostly it was the work of impersonators, primarily Roy Firestone, who were responsible for the spread of the phrase.
“This ‘Whoa, Nellie!’ thing is overrated,” he said frequently. “There were all kinds of stories going around. People said I had a mule in Georgia named Nellie. Well, we had a mule in Georgia, but her name was Pearl.”

Despite his protests, however, Jackson enthusiastically proclaimed, “Whoa, Nellie!” in a beer commercial late in his career.


So entrenched in college football was he, though, that ABC wouldn’t let him retire the first time he tried. He announced before the 1998 season that it would be his last, that, at 70, he was tired of getting on airplanes. But he was back in the booth in the fall of ’99, the network having lured him with a promise of keeping him close to his Sherman Oaks home by restricting his assignments to the Pacific time zone. He finally called it a career after describing the Texas-USC national championship game at the Rose Bowl in early 2006.

2017 NCAA College Football

1/8/18 - Tagovailoa leads Alabama over Georgia to win national championship
12/3/17 - College Football Playoff committee picks Alabama over Ohio State
12/2/17 - UCF 62, Memphis 55 in OT /  Scott Frost leaves for Nebraska for 7 years, $35 million
12/1/17 - Jimbo Fisher leaves Florida State for Texas A&M (for 10 years, $75 million)
11/26/17 - Texas A&M fires Kevin Sumlin after six seasons
11/26/17 - Florida hires Dan Mullen away from Mississippi State
11/25/17 - UCLA hires Chip Kelly after firing Jim Mora
11/25/17 - Nebraska fires Mike Riley
11/25/17 - no. 6 Auburn upsets no. 1 Alabama
11/25/17 - UCF escapes USF 49-42 to remain undefeated

Jon Gruden to return to Raiders

for $100 million.

The Oakland Raiders will sign Jon Gruden to one of the longest coaching deals in NFL history -- a 10-year contract likely approaching $100 million -- when it is made official Tuesday, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Friday.

The length of Gruden's contract is not unprecedented. The Dallas Cowboys gave Jimmy Johnson (in 1989) and Tom Landry (in 1964) 10-year deals as well.

The Raiders have called a significant news conference for Tuesday, at which time they will introduce Gruden as the team's next coach, a league source confirmed to ESPN.

Gruden, who coached Oakland from 1998 to 2001 and has been working as an ESPN analyst, is returning to the Raiders to replace Jack Del Rio, who was fired after the regular-season finale Sunday.

Gruden will work under general manager Reggie McKenzie, who has turned down a request to interview for the Green Bay Packers' GM opening and is expected to remain with the Raiders, sources told ESPN.

Gruden will become the 12th head coach since 1960 to have multiple stints with one team, and the 16-year gap between jobs with the Raiders is the largest in NFL history for a head coach with the same team.

He had a regular-season record of 38-26 during his first stop with the Raiders and went 2-2 in two postseason appearances prior to being traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for two first-round picks, two second-round picks and $8 million in 2012.

He won Super Bowl XXXVII in his first season with Tampa Bay, and he has a career 95-81 record in the regular season while going 5-4 in the postseason.

Dick Enberg

Dick Enberg, the Hall of Fame broadcaster whose "Oh my!" calls rang familiar with so many sports fans, has died, his wife and daughter confirmed Thursday night.

He was 82.

Enberg's daughter Nicole said the family became concerned when he didn't arrive on his flight to Boston on Thursday and that he was found dead at his home in La Jolla, a San Diego neighborhood, with his bags packed for a trip to see his third grandchild for the first time. The family said it was awaiting official word on the cause of death but believed he had a heart attack.

The family "is grateful for the kind thoughts and prayers of all of Dick's countless fans and dear friends," according to a statement released by Enberg's attorney, Dennis Coleman. "At this time we are all still processing the significant loss, and we ask for prayers and respectful privacy in the immediate aftermath of such untimely news."

Enberg was one of America's most beloved sports broadcasters, with his versatile voice spanning the world on networks such as NBC, CBS and ESPN. In all, he covered 28 Wimbledons, 10 Super Bowls and eight NCAA men's basketball title games, including the Magic Johnson-Larry Bird showdown in 1979.

His work was celebrated with a host of honors, including the National Baseball Hall of Fame's Ford C. Frick Award (2015), the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Rozelle Award (1999) and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's Gowdy Award (1995). He won 13 Sports Emmy Awards and a Lifetime Achievement Emmy. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and UCLA named its media center in Pauley Pavilion after Enberg this year.

Most recently, Enberg had served as the primary play-by-play television voice of the San Diego Padres, retiring in 2016 after seven seasons with the team.

"Baseball," he said then, "has been in my DNA from the time I was in diapers."

2017 Hawaii Rainbows Warriors football

11/27/17 - A season of problems
11/25/17 - Hawaii 20, BYU 30 (3-9) / the Kafentzis who got away
11/21/17 - No. 19 Hawaii moves a notch below no. 20 BYU
11/18/17 - Utah State embarrasses Hawaii 38-0 (3-8)
11/11/17 - Hawaii dropped by Fresno State 21-31 (3-7)
11/4/17 - UNLV holds off Hawaii 31-23 (3-6)
10/28/17 - Hawaii run over by San Diego State 7-28 (3-5)
10/17/17 - John Ursua out for season with torn ACL
10/14/17 - Hawaii manages to get by San Jose State 37-26 (3-4)
10/10/17 - Hawaii debuts in bottom 25, Nevada drops from 5 to 17, San Jose State is 6, UMass is 5
10/10/17 - San Jose State no. 3 (in the bottom 10), 128th in country (Hawaii 109th, 113th in week 6)
10/9/17 - Hawaii isn't last in penalties
10/8/17 - Nevada defeats Hawaii 35-21 for their first win of the season (2-4)
10/7/17 - Chris Naeole resigns citing philosophical differences
10/5/17 - Chris Naeole apparently no longer on staff / no comment and comments
9/30/17 - Hawaii crunched by Colorado State 21-51 (2-3)
9/23/17 - Wyoming 28, Hawaii 21 (OT) (2-2)
9/09/17 - UCLA executes Hawaii 56-23 (2-1)
9/2/17 - Hawaii 41, Western Carolina 18 (2-0)
8/26/17 - Hawaii rallies to defeat UMass 38-35 (1-0)

Rainbow Warrior Football Preview
8/23/17 - QB - Dru Brown
8/23/17 - RB - Diocemy Saint Juste
8/23/17 - WR - Keelan Ewaliko
8/23/17 - OL - Dejon Allen
8/23/17 - DL - Penitito Faalologo
8/23/17 - LB - Jahlani Tavai
8/23/17 - DB - Trayvon Henderson
8/23/17 - Special Teams - Noah Borden
8/23/17 - Coach - Nick Rolovich
8/23/17 - Ferd Lewis predicts 7-5 / Hogue 6-6 (San Jose State missing in the article)

7/23/17 - A look at the Rainbow Warriors entering training camp
7/22/17 - Khoury Bethley commits to Hawaii
2/19/17 - Warriors to open spring training
2/17/17 - Attendance increased for the first time since 2012
2/10/17 - Legi Suiaunoa promoted to defensive coordinator to replace Kevin Lempa
2/2/17 - Hawaii signs 23, none from Hawaii

2017 High School Football

12/17/17 - Cordeiro and Mauga are players of the year
12/12/17 - Cordeiro named Gatorade Hawaii player of the year
11/28/17 - Chevan Cordeiro stuck it out
11/18/17 - St. Louis pulls out the victory in battle with Kahuku 31-28
11/18/17 - Lahainaluna 75, Konawaena 69 in seven overtimes
11/10/17 - HHSAA semifinal: St. Louis runs away from Mililani 47-23
11/10/17 - HHSAA semifinal: Kahuku slips by Waianae 10-7
9/23/17 - St. Louis comes back to edge Narbonne 56-50 at Aloha Stadium
9/20/17 - Kaiser cancels the rest of the football season
7/8/17 - OIA compromise / Iolani in Division II? / a Pyrrhic victory for the OIA (Reardon)
6/18/17 - OIA counter-proposal
6/14/17 - OIA, Dave Reardon has a solution
6/9/17 - OIA won't participate in open division
6/9/17 - Three-tiered tournament passed 63-27 with all 27 OIA ADs voting against it
6/8/17 - Why not OIA-ILH for the whole season?

2/10/17 - Vavae Tata won't return as Kahuku head coach

GSP vs. Bisping

NEW YORK — So much has changed in the UFC in the last four years. The one thing that hasn’t is that Georges St-Pierre is a world champion.

Well, there is one difference: The long-time welterweight kingpin returned after a nearly four-year break and choked out Michael Bisping on Saturday in the main event of UFC 217 at Madison Square Garden to claim the middleweight title.

St-Pierre walked away from the sport in 2013 after defeating Johny Hendricks via a controversial decision in Las Vegas. He took more punishment than he was used to, the pressure he felt was about to make his head explode and he felt most of those he fought were cheating.

On Saturday, though, it was a replay to his heyday, though he was just a bit bigger and a lot more muscular. He survived several hard Bisping right hands, but finished him after cracking Bisping with a counter left.

Hawaii basketball champions

Eran Ganot talks all the time about the history of the Hawaii basketball program, and honoring it. A lot of times doing so is an intangible act, a frame of mind.

Not this time. This time it feels very tangible.

The Rainbow Warriors recently completed a Ganot project — spearheaded by assistant coach John Montgomery and SID Neal Iwamoto — to honor all 13 of UH’s past NCAA or NIT teams by giving each a unique plaque.

They went up on Wednesday in the Stan Sheriff Center tunnel leading to the Bows’ locker room (where other improvements were added in the summer). The wall has been painted green with a background photo design of UH’s second-round NCAA Tournament team of 2015-16, with the plaques laid over it halfway up the wall, spaced equidistant from each other and placed chronologically.

It’s undeniably cool.

“It’s really important to know what you represent, and the people who came before you,” Ganot said this week. “It’s turned to now feeling it, whether it’s bringing back teams, alums are coming by, players, teams, coaches. To be able to visually see that — we’ve done some work in our locker room, now in our halls leaving the locker room.”

Fabulous Five. Tom Henderson. Dynamic Duo. English and Savo. Believabows. They’re all there, with archived photos of each team and notes of season and player highlights.

“It’s a huge thing for our guys. There’s a lot of levels it touches,” Ganot said. “It starts with your current student-athletes to understand what they’re part of. They will be appreciated when they depart from here. For alums who come by here and there, it’s such a great place to show them and obviously it’s honoring them. We gotta continue to do that. And then for recruits, to see that we value the history of this program. To build it, it can’t just be talk. You gotta do some special things and (adding the plaques) was a next step in our initiative there.”

The plaques, combined with the locker room improvements, cost between $15K to $20K. That’s money well spent. Frankly, UH has lagged behind its peers in the area of visually paying respects to its past.


“It’s really cool to see all the past (teams),” said point guard Brocke Stepteau, a member of the 2015-16 team. “It’s one of the things this coaching staff’s really big on, is knowing the history and celebrating the history of the program. It’s good to see that (plaque) of the team I was on a couple years ago that made it to the tournament. To see that celebrated is good; it’s good to build the culture and keep moving that forward.”

Because the average fan visiting the Sheriff won’t have access to the lower tunnel, here’s shots of all 13 team plaques (five NCAA, eight NIT).

Bow's Best Basketball Seasons

Mid-October means a lot to those of us who love college basketball, as our favorite team is back on the court and ready for another great run.

Hawai'i head coach Eran Ganot is hoping that the 2017-18 Rainbow Warriors have some of the success of other exciting UH teams of yesteryear.

Here's my personal pick for the Top 10 greatest years in Hawai'i men's basketball history.

-- Bob Hogue, Midweek, October 18, 2017, page 55

Connie Hawkins

Connie Hawkins, a high-flying basketball sensation who was molded on the playgrounds of New York and inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, but whose career was unjustly derailed when the N.B.A. barred him until his prime years had passed on suspicions of involvement in a college point-shaving scandal, died on Friday. He was 75.

The Phoenix Suns confirmed the death but did not say where he died. Hawkins, who lived in the Phoenix area, joined the team when he was 27 after starring with two lesser leagues and the Harlem Globetrotters. The Associated Press said he had been in frail health and was found to have colon cancer in 2007.

Even as a playground legend, Hawkins had the jaw-dropping flash that superstars like Elgin Baylor, Julius Erving and Michael Jordan would display, turning pro basketball into a national sports spectacular.

“He was Julius before Julius, he was Elgin before Elgin, he was Michael before Michael,” the longtime college and pro coach Larry Brown once said in an ESPN documentary on Hawkins. “He was simply the greatest individual player I have ever seen.”

Pitino put on leave amid federal investigation

Louisville has placed coach Rick Pitino and athletic director Tom Jurich on administrative leave amid a federal bribery investigation.

Interim university President Greg Postel said at a news conference Wednesday that Jurich is on paid leave, while Pitino is on unpaid leave. The coach's attorney, Steve Spence, told the Courier-Journal that Louisville has "effectively fired" Pitino.

Pitino's exit comes after the school acknowledged on Tuesday that the men's program is part of a federal investigation into alleged bribery of recruits. The 65-year-old coach was not named in the indictment that resulted in the arrest of 10 people including four assistant coaches at other schools and an Adidas executive.

it is the latest black eye for the Cardinals program. Pitino and Louisville are in the middle of appealing NCAA sanctions handed out in June following an escort scandal that unfolded nearly two years ago, which could cost the school its 2013 national title.

Jurich has supported Pitino through his transgressions during the athletic director's nearly 20-year tenure at the university.

Pitino, 65, was 416-143 over 16 years at Louisville, including that 2013 NCAA championship.

In the latest investigation, federal prosecutors say at least three top high school recruits were promised payments of as much as $150,000, using money supplied by Adidas, to attend two universities sponsored by the athletic shoe company. Court papers didn't name the schools but contained enough details to identify one of them as Louisville.

Pitino is not named in the federal documents, though the school acknowledged it is under investigation by the FBI.

"These allegations come as a complete shock to me," the coach said in a statement Tuesday night. "If true, I agree with the U.S. Attorney's Office that these third-party schemes, initiated by a few bad actors, operated to commit a fraud on the impacted universities and their basketball programs, including the University of Louisville. Our fans and supporters deserve better and I am committed to taking whatever steps are needed to ensure those responsible are held accountable."

Louisville was already reeling from the sex scandal. The program has been ordered to vacate up to 123 victories in which ineligible players received improper benefits -- a period that includes the 2013 title, its third -- along with the 2012 Final Four appearance. The NCAA also placed the school on four years' probation and ordered the return of money received through conference revenue sharing. McGee received a 10-year, show-cause penalty.

Pitino is 770-271 over a 32-year coaching career with stops at Hawaii, Boston, Providence and Kentucky, where he won the 1996 NCAA title. He has also coached in the NBA with the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks.

so many home runs

Giancarlo Stanton's smacks, Aaron Judge's jolts and all those dizzying long balls helped Major League Baseball move another poke closer to the inevitable.

Nearly two decades after the height of the Steroids Era, the sport is on track to break its season record for home runs on Tuesday — and not just top the old mark, but smash it like one of those upper-deck shots that have become commonplace in the Summer of the Slugger.

There were 5,677 home runs hit through Monday, 16 shy of the record set in 2000.

Juiced balls? Watered-down pitching? Stanton's renaissance? Sensational starts by Judge and Cody Bellinger?

"I don't think that we are ever going to have a single explanation for exactly why we've see so many," baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said. "But players are bigger and stronger. They're playing a little differently, in terms of the way they swing. Pitchers throw harder. The one thing I remain comfortable with: Nothing about the baseball, according to our testing, is materially different."

There were 5,610 homers last year, an average of 2.31 per game, and this year's average of 2.53 projects to 6,139. That would be up 47 percent from 4,186 in 2014.

"The game has changed," New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "From when I started, there's a lot less stolen bases, there's a lot less bunting, there's a lot less hitting-and-running. You don't give outs away, and you let guys swing the bat."

Already 108 players have hit 20 homers this year, just two shy of the record set last season — and up from 64 in 2015, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

"The ball seems to soar from people that are hitting it farther than maybe they did a year ago ... and they kind of look like the same person," Minnesota manager Paul Molitor, a Hall of Famer hitter, said before Monday night's game at Yankee Stadium.

Along with sailing shots come strikeouts, which will set a record for the 10th consecutive year. There were 37,083 whiffs through Monday, an average of 8.25 per team per game that translates to 40,103 over the full season.

"The focus is hitting homers and tolerating strikeouts," Reggie Jackson said. "I don't really like all the strikeouts, and I was the king."

Baseball officials are worried about decreasing action and have been alarmed by the strikeout rise. This year's total is up from 38,982 last year and headed to an increase of nearly 8,000 from the 32,189 in 2007. The strikeout spike coincides with a rise in fastball velocity; four-seamers have averaged 93.2 mph this year, up from 91.9 mph in 2008, according to MLB data.

"These bullpens are making it extremely difficult. From basically the starter on you're going to have elite, hard-throwing guys that are looking to strike you out every single time," said Baltimore's Mark Trumbo, last year's home run champion. "The game right now is as max effort as I've seen it. Guys are throwing harder. At the plate sometimes you have no choice. It's hard to steer the ball around when it's 98 miles an hour and up in the zone."

"These bullpens are making it extremely difficult. From basically the starter on you're going to have elite, hard-throwing guys that are looking to strike you out every single time," said Baltimore's Mark Trumbo, last year's home run champion. "The game right now is as max effort as I've seen it. Guys are throwing harder. At the plate sometimes you have no choice. It's hard to steer the ball around when it's 98 miles an hour and up in the zone."

Jackson set a record with 2,597 career strikeouts, maxing at 171 in 1968. Six players already have reached 171 this year, led by the Yankees' Judge at 198. He could break Mark Reynolds' season record of 223, set in 2009.

"You'd have been on the bench," Jackson said. "But I don't know if you set a guy on the bench with 90 RBIs and 40 homers. That's Judge. You ain't going to sit that on the bench."

Steroids fueled the home run surge in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and power subsided after the start of drug testing with penalties in 2004. The home run average dropped in 2014 to its lowest level since 1992, then started rising during the second half of the 2015 season.

*** 9/29/17 ***

TORONTO — Kansas City's Alex Gordon broke Major League Baseball's season home run record with 12 days to spare, hitting the 5,694th long ball of 2017 on Tuesday night.

Gordon's home run off Toronto reliever Ryan Tepera broke a mark set in 2000 at the height of the Steroids Era. The drive, which drove in the last run in the Royals' 5-2 loss, was his eighth this season and the 159th of his 11-year big league career.

Power subsided after the start of drug testing with penalties in 2004. The home run average dropped in 2014 to its lowest level since 1992, then started rising during the second half of the 2015 season.

"My biggest take on it is that players are trying to hit more home runs," San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy said. "Their philosophy overall, a lot of these position players, is to get the ball in the air and also pull the ball and get the ball in the air and hit it as far as you can. So you're increasing the launch angle, whatever you want to call this, stay away from the groundballs. And so they're sacrificing a little bit more contact to do a little bit more damage."

*** 10/2/17 ***

In a season of record-high home runs and strikeouts along with record-low complete games, there were some constants in Major League Baseball: Houston's Jose Altuve and a Colorado Rockies player won batting titles.

There were 6,105 home runs hit in the season that ended Sunday, topping the 5,963 in 2000 at the height of the Steroids Era.

Miami's Giancarlo Stanton hit 59, the most in the majors since Barry Bonds set the record with 73 in 2001 and Sammy Sosa hit 64. Drug testing with penalties began three years later.

Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees led the AL with 52, breaking the rookie record of 49 set by Oakland's Mark McGwire in 1987. There were 117 players with 20 or more, up from 111 last year, and 41 with at least 30, up from 38.

Along with the round-trippers came quick returns to the dugout. Strikeouts set a record for the 10th straight season at 40,104, topping last year's 38,982.

Boston's Chris Sale led pitchers with 308 strikeouts, the first to reach 300 since Arizona's Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling in 2002. Washington's Max Scherzer topped the NL for the second straight year at 268.

In an era when analytical departments tell managers not to give away outs, sacrifice bunts dropped to 925, down from 1,025 last year and the fewest since 806 in 1900, when there were just eight teams. Kansas City's Whit Merrifield's 34 stolen bases were the fewest for an AL leader since Luis Aparicio of the Chicago White Sox had 31 in 1961. Miami's Dee Gordon led the NL with 60.

The average runs per team per game rose from 4.48 to 4.65, the highest since 2008. It had dropped to 4.28 in 2014, its lowest since 1992.

At 104-58, the Los Angeles Dodgers had the best record in the major leagues for the first time since 1974. Cleveland (102-60) and Houston (101-61) combined with the Dodgers for MLB's sixth season with three 100-win teams, the first since 2003.

Bobby Heenan

Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, one of the most renowned managers and commentators in the history of professional wrestling, died on Sunday. He was 73. Although a cause of death has not yet been confirmed, Heenan had been battling throat cancer since 2002.

After early success in the World Wrestling Association (WWA) and the American Wrestling Association (AWA), Heenan was signed by the WWE in 1984. His first managerial client as part of the promotion was WWE Hall of Famer Big John Studd.

Throughout his years as a manager, Heenan formed what would come to be known as the Heenan Family, a group of superstars whom he managed. Among them were Andre the Giant, Ric Flair, Paul Orndorff, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Rick Rude, Mr. Perfect and Harley Race. All of those names also hold their rightful places in the WWE Hall of Fame.

Heenan was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2004.

The undeniable charisma and wit displayed by Heenan as a manager soon transitioned to the commentary table, where he formed an acclaimed pairing with Gorilla Monsoon. Their verbal exchanges, which included Heenan's one-liners with Monsoon's flabbergasted responses, set the standard for professional wrestling commentary.

Tim Tebow baseball player

Tim Tebow contributed to the greatest rise in minor league baseball attendance in 23 years.

That number is quite appropriate because only one man, Michael Jordan, has done more for minor league baseball crowds than Tebow did this year. And Jordan -- who wore No. 23 for the NBA's Chicago Bulls -- had the benefit of playing Double-A with bigger ballparks to fill.

Thanks to Jordan, the Birmingham Barons' 1994 season attendance of 467,868 fans, with an average of 6,884 fans per game, still stands as a franchise and league record. Although Tebow's popularity didn't fill that many seats, the impact of the former NFL quarterback is undeniable.

The Columbia Fireflies, the Class A team Tebow played for through June 28, saw their attendance increase by nearly 54,000 fans, a 21 percent rise from 2016. The second team Tebow played for, the St. Lucie Mets of advanced Class A, saw attendance rise by 35,803 fans, up 37 percent from last year.

And that's just the beginning.

On the road, Tebow's Fireflies drew a crowd, too: to be exact, 2,591 more fans than the home teams averaged against other opponents. Baseball America calculated that Tebow was worth nearly $1.6 million in additional tickets, parking, concessions and other revenue for the rest of the South Atlantic League.

For the owners of the Fireflies, Tebow was the greatest value in all of sports. The New York Mets paid his salary -- $10,000 for the season -- and the Fireflies reaped the benefits, including merchandise revenue for what figures to be one of the 20 highest-selling clubs in the minors.
At most venues, Tebow went down the line and signed every autograph opportunity until he was finished.

Although Tebow hit just .226 with eight home runs and 52 RBIs, there were highlights on the field, including a home run in his first at-bat after he moved from Columbia to St. Lucie and an unforgettable moment when Tebow reached through the netting while in the on-deck circle to shake hands with an autistic boy during a July 29 game in Charlotte, North Carolina. Tebow then walked to the plate and hit a three-run home run in front of one of the many crowds packed in to see the former Heisman-winning quarterback take his shot at baseball.

50 greatest black athletes

The Undefeated partnered with SurveyMonkey to poll the public on the 50 Greatest Black Athletes. In April, 10,350 adults were asked to rank 200 athletes on 20 different surveys.

Respondents were asked how great of an athlete each person was/is using a scale of 1 to 10 stars. The athletes were ranked in order based on their average scores to form a top 50 list. From there, the top 60 athletes (including the first 10 who didn’t make the cut to 50) were used to create a final ranking. Each athlete was ranked on four factors: overall ranking, dominance, inspiration and impact on society. Average scores were calculated from each factor to create a composite score.

Athletes were ranked in order by their composite score to determine our final list, which will be unveiled in groups of 10 per week for five weeks. We’ll have more on how the public voted – broken down by race, age, gender, education level and census region – after the final group is revealed. The Undefeated’s Justin Tinsley, Jerry Bembry and Aaron Dodson wrote the biographies of the athletes, although they didn’t agree with some of the rankings. But the people have spoken, and the results should spark some serious debate.

***

Here's a sample of how controversial (and ridiculous) the rankings are.  Here's number 60-50:

    No. 60: Floyd Mayweather Jr.
    No. 59: Randy Moss
    No. 58: Kobe Bryant
    No. 57: Scottie Pippen
    No. 56: Moses Malone
    No. 55: Dominique Wilkins
    No. 54: Russell Westbrook
    No. 53: Walt Frazier
    No. 52: Evander Holyfield
    No. 51: Kevin Durant

Kobe ranked behind Pippen and Dominique and Clyde?  Dominique wasn't even rated as a top 50 basketball player!  (Admittedly though, not by me.)

OK, let's scroll down the count-down.

50.  Tim Duncan

49.  Isaiah Thomas

48.  Earl Campbell

47.  Derek Jeter

46.  David Robinson

45.  Joe Frazier

44.  Barry Sanders

43.  Reggie Jackson

42.  Larry Fitzgerald (what?)

41.  Ernie Banks

40.  Roberto Clemente

39.  Ray Robinson

38.  Arthur Ashe

37.  Ken Griffey Jr.

36.  Bill Russell (you're kidding)

35.  George Foreman

34.  Herschel Walker (really? well he was good in college)

33.  Florence Griffith Joyner

32.  Carl Lewis

31.  Michael Johnson

30.  Jim Brown (I'd rank him in the top 5, only 23 in dominance?)

29.  LeBron James

28.  Stephen Curry (above LeBron and Bill Russell and Kobe?)

27.  Jackie Joyner-Kersee

26.  Wilt Chamberlain (I'd rank him in the top 5 too)

25.  Bo Jackson (he wouldn't be on my list)

24.  Sugar Ray Leonard

23.  Joe Louis

22.  Pele (he'd be top 10 on my list)

21.  Wilma Rudolph

20.  Gale Sayers (what's he doing here?)

19.  Emmitt Smith (ditto)

18.  Satchel Paige

17.  Julius Erving (well he was awesome in the ABA)

16.  Shaquille O'Neal (well he did star in Kazaam)

15.  Venus Williams (what?)

14.  Usain Bolt

13.  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

12.  Walter Payton

11.  Magic Johnson

10.  Jerry Rice

9.  Gabby Douglas (really? Well they did make a movie about her)

8.  Simone Biles (huh?)

7.  Hank Aaron

6.  Serena Williams

5.  Jesse Owens

4.  Willie Mays (I'm a fan, but this high?)

3.  Muhammad Ali (I'd put him no. 1)

2.  Jackie Robinson (I'd put him no. 2)

1.  Michael Jordan

No O.J.?  No Barry Bonds?  I guess I understand..  What about Mike Tyson? Tiger Woods is not black?