Thinking out loud … while wondering whatever happened to O.J.’s iconic white Ford Bronco.
— The Celtics recently worked out the guy I’d actually like to see them take at No. 3 in next week’s NBA draft, Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield. Dead-eye shooter. Mature player. Nice kid. He’s about as complete as you can be coming from college. But if not Hield, Boston should take that pick and a few others and deal them away for an established player/star.
— Not sure that Chicago’s Jimmy Butler, the former Marquette star, is that guy. Reportedly, the Celtics want him, but at what cost? I’m in the Kevin Durant-or-nothing corner. The Bulls are presently coveting a shot at Kris Dunn somewhere in that 3-5 range in the first round, according to several sources.
— Friars fans are gathering to see just where Dunn and Ben Bentil land on Thursday night at G Pub in downtown Providence, starting at 7:30 p.m. Should Bentil sneak into the first round, it will be the first time in PC’s 89-year basketball history that the team will have two first-round selections in the same year.
— The last time the Friars had two players taken in the same NBA draft? In 1997, when Austin Croshere was selected 12th in the first round (by Indiana) and God Shammgod was taken with the 45th pick in the second round (by Washington). Having multiple draftees has been much harder to accomplish over the past 27 years — in 1989, the draft was reduced to two rounds, down from 10 rounds in 1974 to 1985. Unbelievably, the league used to draft until there was literally no one left in the ’60s, up to an astounding 21 rounds.
— In ’85 the draft was shortened to seven rounds, before cutting it down to the present two-round affair in ’89. I’d be in favor of adding another round to the selection process, as most second-round selections are cast off to the D-League or stashed away on a foreign team anyway. Even a “territorial” pick, like what used to occur in the ’40s and into the ’60s with teams preselecting players from nearby schools, could help bring back local interest in a big way.
— The TV ratings for the current NBA Finals are holding pace with last year, if not a little bit ahead in most metrics. A 16.2 rating for ABC at 11:30 p.m during Game 5 (were you up watching then?) was the highest in that time slot for the Finals since 2004. Maybe America is rooting for Cleveland to finally win something after 52 years?
— While the NBA seems to be holding its own as a popular kid in the sports world, the NHL is quickly skating into relative irrelevance — if such a thing exists. The Pittsburgh-San Jose Stanley Cup Final this year was a ratings disaster, down 28 percent from a year ago. A lot had to do with the markets of the respective teams, of course.
— The problem with the NHL is if it’s not Original Six, it’s nothing. Not having a Canadian team in the playoffs didn’t help, either.
— Should hockey still be considered among the “core four” major sports in America? Perhaps, but if the soccer pitch hasn’t already surpassed the ice rink, it may soon slip by. Hockey is more of a regional (think Rust Belt) sport and a novelty (if nothing else) in the southern states. But soccer? An entire generation in this country now has grown up with the sport — playing soccer, watching soccer. And another generation (or more) of immigrants grew up with futbol before immigrating to the U.S.
— You’ve heard it before, but soccer has long been the “world’s sport.” We’ve only just joined the party. The sport is a part of the fiber that makes up a Briton, a Portuguese or an Argentine, just as hockey may be a generational sport for many New Englanders. And that’s the issue. There’s strength — and popularity — in numbers. There were nearly 40,000 fans at Gillette Stadium last week for Peru’s 1-0 upset over Brazil. What would the Czech Republic vs. Finland in ice hockey draw here?
— Nearly 40K fans last week, and more than 40K this week are expected for the Copa America quarterfinal in Foxboro Saturday at Gillette, as Argentina faces Venezuela. The winner gets the U.S. in the semifinals of what is traditionally South America’s tournament — they only invited North Americans to the party this year because it’s the centennial event. And because they recognize the U.S. is competitive on the pitch and in the stands, and good for the pocketbook.
— Brown’s hoop schedule for next season is out, and the Bears will have a record 16-game home schedule at the Pizzitola Center on campus. Of note: Bryant (Nov. 28) and Johnson & Wales (Dec. 10) play at the Pizz, as will Maine (Dec. 22), coached by former Rhode Island College head coach and PC assistant Bob Walsh. The Bears will play at Cincinnati, at URI (Nov. 16) and at the Dunk against Providence (Dec. 6), and play in the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic at Mohegan Sun (Nov. 19-20).
— Not for nuthin’, but if you’d like to be a part of history, the first-ever Ivy League postseason basketball tournament is scheduled for March 11-12 at the Palestra in Philadelphia. The top four teams in the Ivy regular season will advance, and the winner gets the league’s automatic bid to the Big Dance.
— URI’s Atlantic 10 schedule for next season includes six top-75 RPI teams from last year, and all will play at the Ryan Center next year. Rhody got a favorable schedule draw overall, with home-and-home games against Davidson, Dayton, La Salle, UMass and Saint Joseph’s. No road trip to VCU or George Washington, no home games with Richmond or George Mason. The Rams are getting their ducks in a row.
— It shouldn’t come as a surprise, but when you’re ranked No. 1 it’s still a big deal. Especially in the classroom, as 21 Brown athletic teams earned NCAA APR (Academic Progress Rate) Public Recognition honors, more than any other school in the country for 2015-16. Some 1,071 teams across the nation earned APR honors, recognizing them for outstanding high achievement in the classroom.
— The National Association of Collegiate Athletic Directors (NACDA) officially awarded honors for the Under Armour Athletic Directors of the Year this week — including three with local ties. PC’s Bob Driscoll, who we mentioned previously as receiving the honor for 2015-16, and Providence graduate Jim Paquette both were selected in Division 1-AAA, which includes D1 schools that do not sponsor football. URI’s Thorr Bjorn, a UMass grad, was selected in the FCS (formerly 1-AA) division.
— For Driscoll, it’s the second time he’s been picked as an AD of the Year, previously being selected in 2007-08. Paquette is the AD at Loyola University in Maryland, and is also a former associate AD at Boston College. Bjorn was one of four ADs chosen at the FCS level, and in all, 12 athletic directors from around the country at the Division 1 level were honored. That’s a pretty good showing from these parts, huh?
— He’s expected to be a star, soon enough, for St. John’s. Point guard Shamorie Ponds will get a chance to showcase what the rest of the Big East will get to see starting this upcoming season, as he’s been named to the USA U-18 team training camp roster. His head coach? Xavier’s Chris Mack. There will be two training camps before the final roster is chosen, prior to the FIBA Americas U18 championship in Chile at the end of July.
— If you’re wondering why it seems the NCAA Basketball Tournament selection committee seems to favor one set of criteria one year, and another the next year when it comes to at-large selections, you’re not alone. So does the National Association of Basketball Coaches, and the NABC has formed a committee to examine the selection process, including seeding, bracketing and travel issues. But the primary concern for coaches everywhere is what to do to ensure the best possible route of gaining an at-large bid.
— Of note on the committee are Kentucky’s John Calipari, Northeastern’s Bill Coen, St. Joseph’s Phil Martelli and three former selection committee members. Calipari, strangely enough, is the prime mover-and-shaker here, even though his teams aren’t exactly bubble-dwellers. But he’s dead right when he says consistency is all anyone is after. “This year, its top-50 wins,” Calipari told ESPN in March. “Last year it was road wins, two years ago it was RPI.”
— Not-so-shockingly, there was a small-but-vocal movement within Baylor’s Board of Regents to bring football coach Art Briles back after a one-year “suspension.” Reportedly, the vote this week was close, but the school now denies a vote to bring him back even took place. Embarrassment, thy name is Baylor University.
— Naturally, the support for a coach who failed to follow up — or was blinded by the light of gridiron success — during multiple sexual assaults (alleged and otherwise) by his athletes on campus is coming from athletic donors. Apparently, winning at all costs is more important to some than basic human rights? Or the law?
— This is largely the attitude that prevailed in the mid-’80s surrounding the SMU football program in Dallas, when it was given the death penalty by the NCAA for numerous, willful violations in paying several players through a slush fund. Winning came first, no matter how the team got there. Arguably, SMU football still hasn’t completely recovered.
— The late, great sports information director at the University of Texas, Jones Ramsey, was once chastised for telling the media in 1971 there were only two sports in Texas — “football and spring football.” It raised a ruckus at the time, but truth be told, he was accurate. The trouble is, the feeling is very much prevalent today in a much different day and age.
— After decades of being pounded by the bigger state schools, a few of the smaller, private universities (like Baylor and SMU) have simply defied the very system that helped bring them equity on the playing fields in the first place.
— Summer vacation is here for the Patriots, with the end of OTA’s this week. The first open, public training camp practice — and they’re all free — will be July 28 at Gillette. Whether it was a strategic move or not, it was good to see Rob Gronkowski take the field and participate in an actual practice. Nothing like taking away storylines that occasionally grow a life of their own — and questions about “Gronk being injured” would have qualified as one of those.
— Same for Dion Lewis, and while cleared to practice I suspect he’s still not where he’ll need to be once the season kicks off. Expect Lewis to play sparingly, if at all, during the preseason.
— A healthy Gronk, Lewis, Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola should help QB Jimmy Garoppolo earn big-time future bucks — at the very least — if/when he starts those first four regular season games.
— The Detroit Lions will add cheerleaders to their sideline for the first time since 1974. Apparently, team owner Martha Ford and team president Ron Wood cited fan feedback as the primary reason for bringing back cheerleaders — which actually have been a part of the sport as far back as the late 19th century. That’s also about the last time the Lions actually won anything, isn’t it?
— And I know you’re thinking it, but are there any other NFL teams who don’t have some shake-n-bake on the sidelines? Believe it or not, there are six — Chicago, Cleveland, Green Bay, Pittsburgh, New York Giants and Buffalo. Note to self: It must be hard to sell sexy sizzle when shaking on a frozen tundra.
— If you didn’t like ex-NFL official Mike Carey trying to explain the rules on CBS, you won’t have him to kick around anymore. NFL TV sources say he’s out. Carey spent 24 years as a pretty solid official on the field, but he often was dead wrong when trying to predict how current officials would/should make calls on penalties and coaching challenges.
— Sign of the Apocalypse: Dallas Cowboys running back Darren McFadden broke his elbow trying to save his falling iPhone. He’ll miss 2-3 months while recovering after surgery this week. Hey, the guy shelled out a thousand bucks for that thing. Stupid is as stupid does.
— The events in Orlando last weekend left me with a rather hopeless feeling, one I don’t believe I’ve ever experienced before. Normally, I’m pretty optimistic. But for the love of God, can someone — anyone — in a position of leadership stand up in this country and do what is right, rather than what is easy?
— Can broadcasters come back after racist comments? We’re about to find out. Emily Austen, a former Celtics in-game reporter who worked most recently for Fox Sports Florida covering the Tampa Bay Rays, appeared on a Barstool Sports show and made some rather unfortunate insensitive, racist remarks while trying to be funny. Fox immediately suspended her from appearing on any broadcasts, with potential future employment to be decided. The joke, as the saying goes, is apparently on her.
— Former CSNNE reporter Carolyn Manno has drawn Olympic duties in Rio this summer for NBC Sports’ coverage of the 2016 Games. Manno will be a part of the anchor/host roster that includes Bob Costas, Ryan Seacrest, Al Michaels, Dan Patrick, Liam McHugh and Rebecca Lowe. The Summer Olympics begin with Opening Ceremonies from Brazil on Aug. 5.
— Speaking of Rio de Janiero, there are several high-profile athletes who are deciding whether to skip the Olympics because of the threat of exposure to the Zika virus through mosquitos. While the actual threat is now thought to be minimal, it’s still enough of a concern that some NBC staffers — including the “Today” show’s Savannah Guthrie — will not attend the Games for the network. In Guthrie’s case, she is pregnant.
— U.S. soccer star Hope Solo has said she might not attend, and Spanish basketball star Pau Gasol has told reporters that several Spanish athletes are considering skipping the Games. If anyone’s actual health or safety is at risk, why are the Games still being held in Brazil? I’ll give you three guesses ($$$), and the first two don’t count.
— My buddy “Big E” loves to travel. He told me he was sitting in a bar in London and spotted two very large ladies having an animated conversation, so he listened in. Intrigued with their accents, he made contact he now regrets. “You two ladies from Scotland?” No, you idiot, they replied, they were from Wales. “Oh, OK. So you two whales are from Scotland?” He doesn’t remember much after that.
— In spite of criticism that comes ESPN’s way — and most of it is deserved — the network deserves huge ups for adding Turner Sports’ Craig Sager to the lineup for Game 6 of the NBA Finals. Sager got to work his first Finals assignment (with former Friar Doris Burke), strangely enough, after 17 seasons working the NBA for TNT and more than 30 years for Turner’s properties (including CNN and TBS).
— Sager is known for his flamboyant dress, but also for his basketball knowledge and ability to connect with pro basketball’s coaches and players. Originally diagnosed with leukemia in 2014, he’s been working this season through chemo treatments after the cancer returned.
— Curt Schilling should stick with radio. The medium is made for an opinion-maker who sometimes cannot self-edit his own comments. As a guest host filling in Thursday for Kirk Minihane on WEEI this week, Schilling was superb. Insight, wit, the ability to laugh and self-criticize — and not take oneself too seriously — were all on display. His chemistry with Dennis & Callahan was strong. The radio station had best think this over pretty quickly, before someone else snaps him up. Because someone will.
— Tweet of the Week, from @PeteAbe of The Boston Globe: Little question No. RedSox need a starter or two. But their rotation ERA is 4.52. AL average is 4.44. Orioles at 4.77. Everybody has issues.
— This much is true, and I would also argue for additional help in the pen. When was the last time Matt Barnes (among others) didn’t throw down the middle of the plate? His fastball gets whupped like a rented mule on a 10-mile hike. Just sayin’.
— Ichiro Suzuki just passed Pete Rose’s all-time base hit total? Mule muffins. What, 1,278 of those hits came in the Japanese League? Now I will say this: The fact he continues to stroke it at age 42 for the Miami Marlins is just as impressive to me as the all-time hits record, if not more so.
— Hendricken won its fifth straight Rhode Island state Division 1 baseball title this week, sweeping South Kingstown in two games at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket. The juggernaut rolls on, but let’s throw a changeup here. The RIIL should hold an open tournament for all divisions and school sizes — just like it does for basketball.
— Watching the new ESPN “30 for 30″ film series on O.J. Simpson this week, and remembering the sordid tales surrounding his arrest on murder charges 22 years ago, I wondered what happened to the white Ford Bronco that Al Cowlings drove on the police chase seen by the entire free world on television back in 1994? From 1995 until 2012 — a span of 17 years — it did nothing. It sat in storage, owned by three people — including Simpson’s former agent Mike Gilbert. This was not the Bronco that had the blood stains on it — that one was owned by Hertz (O.J. was a Hertz spokesperson) and impounded, then destroyed after the trial was completed.
— Cowlings’ Bronco was the one seen on the TV chase with Simpson in the back seat, allegedly holding a gun to his head, leading almost the entire LAPD on a made-for-TV moment back to his home in Rockingham. The three “investors,” of which Gilbert was one, offered Cowlings $75K for the car. After the deal was completed, the Bronco has been in and out of storage, has made a rare appearance or two at memorabilia shows, and only had 10 miles put on the odometer from 1995 to 2015. While new appearances are scheduled, the current owners are not in a rush to sell — they’ve had offers of up to $275K for the car. Kelley Blue Book says it is worth about $1,800.
— Edward the tennis nut from Providence posted on Facebook this week: Novak Djokovic holding all 4 major championships at this time is just a super feat, last done in 1969. Wimbledon will definitely miss Rafa Nadal, who owns an incredible 14 major championships. Nothing like grass court season. Edward: I can always count on you for a little grass court perspective. Personally, I was a huge Rod Laver fan as a kid, and I actually played with a Laver racquet. He was the last player to hold all four major titles at once, claiming the true Grand Slam in ’69, and he is the only player to ever do it twice (also in ’62). Laver, followed by Borg, Connors, McEnroe, Lendl — was there ever a better era for men’s tennis?
— Interested in having your questions on local Rhode Island sports (and yes, that includes the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics) answered in a somewhat timely fashion? Send ’em to me! It’s your chance to “think out loud,” so send your questions, comments and local stories to jrooke@weei.com. We’ll share mailbag comments/Facebook posts/tweets right here! Follow me on Twitter, @JRbroadcaster, and on Facebook, www.facebook.com/john.rooke.
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