»RELATED: 5 things to know about the Big Ten for 2018
The Big Ten is too good to sell out like this. Let the ACC and Pac-12 sell their souls, but the Midwest’s flagship league should know better. It is an embarrassment and Delany should be sacked by Nick Bosa. But he’ll probably get a big raise because of the extra revenue coming in due to his scheduling shenanigans.
The Battle 4 Atlantis is one of the cooler Thanksgiving Week college basketball tournaments. It's played in the Bahamas in a building that looks like a giant ballroom. The blue lighting makes you half expect the Little Mermaid to throw up the first jump ball.
»RELATED: 7 things to know about Battle 4 Atlantis
UD draws Butler in the first round this year in the Flyers’ first appearance in the event. The Bulldogs are solid, but they aren’t as strong as they’ve been in recent seasons. Hopefully everyone will have a good time and the Flyer Faithful will pack plenty of sunscreen.
Urban Meyer canned Ohio State wide receivers coach Zach Smith due to domestic violence allegations . It didn't take Meyer long to find a suitable replacement: Brian Hartline. The former Buckeyes receiver already was on staff doing quality control, whatever that is. Meyer's move underscores the depth of college football coaching staffs. Consultants, analysts, interns, unpaid this and that. I don't think Kings Island employs as many people as Ohio State football.
Good move by the Cavaliers to sign Kevin Love to a four-year deal. Love is a good-to-great player, and if he can stay healthy he'll be the cornerstone of Cleveland's rebuild. Love always seemed intimidated by LeBron James looking over his shoulder. Now that the pressure has lessened, maybe we'll see him average 25 points and 13 rebounds.
The Cardinals were so impressed with Daniel Poncedeleon's seven no-hit innings against the Reds last week that they sent him back to the minors. It was Poncedeleon's big-league debut, so he reported to Triple-A Memphis with a 0.00 ERA. I'm guessing that he's mentally tough enough to overcome the shock of being demoted.
Eddie Pepperell shot a 67 in the final round of the British Open, the best round of the day. Afterward the British golfer admitted to being hungover. Seems he drank too much after a disappointing third round. I love it when athletes open up and tell the truth. Pepperell just became my favorite golfer.
Trending up: Tony Vittorio, Francesco Molinari, Todd Gurley. Good to see Coach V back in baseball. Vittorio, who coached baseball at UD for 18 years, is the new skipper at Wilmington College . Vittorio won 463 games with the Flyers before hitting a rough patch and stepping down last year. He's a great teacher and a great guy. Good luck to V and the Quakers.
Trending down: Tim Tebow, Aaron Judge, Dayton 2 Daytona. Tebow had surgery on his right hand last Tuesday, ending his baseball season. The former quarterback made great strides this season at Double-A Binghamton, batting .301 in June and .340 in July. He doubled in the Eastern League All-Star Game. His foray into baseball is not a joke, but it's on hold.
Knuckleheads of the Week
French police decided to turn back protesting farmers on the Tour de France course last week by using tear gas. The farmers threw hay bales onto the course during Stage 16, creating a great natural detour. You should be able to ad lib when you’re a finely tuned athlete, right? The police didn’t approve of the course alteration and bungled their response to the rabble-rousing farmers by spraying tear gas. Some of the gas blew back onto the course and into the eyes of competitors. Four-time champion Chris Froome was among the riders who had to clear their eyes. Sounds like a scene from a Monty Python movie.
About the Author