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Thanks to the Supreme Court's recent decision to let states decide whether they want to legalize sports gambling, Ohio will be able to green-light one of America's favorite pastimes. Sorry, neighborhood bookies, but this will happen as soon as the state legislature figures out how many millions it can pull in from bets on Bengals and Browns games, etc.
»RELATED: Who will referee billion-dollar sports betting industry?
I’m OK with legalizing sports gambling. Why not bring it into the light and tax it? As a bonus, blowouts will have a tinge of point-spread excitement and, believe me, there’s nothing like people-watching in a sportsbook. I’ve even heard some cynics mention that baseball will be exciting to watch. Every play will matter, from that ninth-inning home run to that bad-hop ground ball with two outs that opens the floodgates.
Nice call by the OHSAA to tweak its transfer rule. Now transfers who don't move into a school district will have to sit out the second half of the season and the postseason. Currently, transfers sit out the first half of the season. Basketball seemed to be the Wild West in this case, but kids transfer in other sports, too. Football and baseball come to mind. This rule and the competitive balance rules are positive steps, especially for public schools that can't draw from all over the countryside.
The Cavaliers pulled a classic Roberto Duran ("no mas") in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals in Boston. Cleveland looked good early and had a lead before deciding that it was just too much work to play defense. And J.R. Smith embarrassed himself with a cheap push to the back of Al Horford. Game 3 was scheduled for Saturday night in Cleveland. We'll see if this downtrodden bunch has enough pride to make this a competitive series.
Pacers star Victor Oladipo's breakout season continues even though his team was dispatched in the first round of the NBA playoffs by the Cavaliers. Oladipo will drive the pace car – a new Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 – at the Indianapolis 500. The ZR1 means it goes really fast. This 755-horsepower beast has a top speed of 212 mph. Buckle up, Vic.
Trending up: Phoenix Suns, Scooter Gennett, Memphis Belle. The Suns won the NBA draft lottery, which gives them the right to draft Deandre Ayton, who won't mind the 110-degree days since he went to college at the University of Arizona. Adding this kid who looks like a young Wilt Chamberlain should give the Phoenix metro area something to get excited about other than adding 90,000 residents per year.
Trending down: Christian Kirk, J.R. Smith, Robinson Cano. News broke last week that Kirk, a second-round draft pick of the Arizona Cardinals, was arrested in February after leaving the raucous Phoenix Open. Kirk allegedly was throwing rocks at vehicles. He was charged with property damage and disorderly conduct. Police said Kirk had glassy eyes and had trouble answering simple questions.
Knucklehead of the Week
Krista Glover lives the life of a pampered PGA Tour wife, thanks to the ball-striking skills of her husband, Lucas. He has won more than $20 million in his career, but that’s not good enough for Krista. She is facing domestic violence charges after an alleged altercation with her husband and mother-in-law after Lucas Glover missed the 54-hole cut at The Players Championship. According to a police report, Lucas Glover said his wife gets angry when he plays poorly. Talk about some pressure putts. The former Miss Maine Teen USA also reportedly called poor Lucas a loser after drinking all day.
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