Knucklehead of the Week
Thabo Sefolosha has a cool name and is a lock-down defender for the Atlanta Hawks, the top team in the NBA’s Eastern Conference. But his season is finished after one crazy night in New York. Sefolosha got caught up in the undertow of the Chris Copeland stabbing last week at a club in NYC. Sefolosha and teammate Pero Antic reportedly didn’t follow police instructions after the Pacers’ Copeland was stabbed. If it’s 4 a.m. and a cop tells you to do something, you do it. Sefolosha ended up with a fractured fibula after scuffling with the boys in blue.
Gotta like these new-look Reds, and I’m not talking about Joey Votto’s shaved head or Aroldis Chapman’s mutton chops (perhaps inspired by Jules in “Pulp Fiction”). Confidence and karma are big in baseball. So are 1-run wins.
The Dayton Dragons have been a community treasure since debuting downtown in 2000. As evidence, I present the sun. High school baseball and softball games have been washed out by the hundreds this month, but today — the Dragons home opener — it's sunny with a high temperature of 70. Amazing.
The baseball hasn’t always been stellar at Fifth Third Field, but the Dragons put on a show. The famed sellout streak is north of 1,000 and who knows when it will end (it does seem easier to get tickets these days). The new massive video board is a sweet addition, as is Milano’s Tap Room. Play ball!
Coach K is The Man. Duke's quickness on defense totally frustrated Wisconsin in last week's March Madness finale. It sounds weird, but Jahlil Okafor's foul trouble didn't hurt the Dukies. He couldn't guard Frank Kaminsky, but Amile Jefferson could. What else we learned:
- Grayson Allen sand-bagged the entire season. Or he ate a bag of Swedish Fish at halftime. That kid was a blur.
- "Going to the monitor" doesn't work when a guy on a couch in Missoula can see something an official standing courtside misses.
- The Big Ten doesn't have to take a back seat to any conference.
- There isn't an actor alive who can identify a Buick.
I feel bad for Bo Ryan, and I understand why he lashed out after his Badgers lost to Duke. Ryan is 67 and this might've been his last shot at cutting down the nets at the Division I level. After a win for the ages against Kentucky, Wisconsin fell flat. To come so close to the big trophy had to be maddening.
Trending up: Jim Harbaugh, Geno Auriemma, Paul George. After the University of Michigan canceled a showing of "American Sniper," Harbaugh vowed that his football players were going to watch it anyway. He concluded a tweet with "Proud to be an American & if that offends anybody then so be it!" The snobby suits backpedaled a few hours later and decided to show the movie.
Trending down: Will Allen, Mat Latos, 1 OAK Club. Former NFL player Will Allen (not our Will Allen, Wayne graduate and ex-Buckeye) is facing civil fraud charges. The feds brought down the hammer on Allen and his business partner, who allegedly ran a $32 million Ponzi scheme. One of Allen's clients was Blue Jackets defenseman Jack Johnson, who has filed for bankruptcy.
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