Knucklehead of the Week
Cowboys star Dez Bryant is being sued by Texas state Sen. Royce West, who unwisely rented his luxury home to the mercurial wide receiver. West claims he had to spend more than $60,000 on repairs after Bryant moved out. The lawsuit says the home was “littered with trash and feces, missing blinds and shutters, with cracked windows and blackened carpeting.” Bryant was paying $4,720 in monthly rent in the gated community. West has served as Bryant’s attorney in the past and was part of a support group formed to keep Bryant out of trouble.
I enjoyed watching the NBA draft, which featured few impact players but plenty of impact fashion. I got some solid ideas, so the next time I go to the Art Ball I will be ready.
If Saturday's standing ovation at Great American Ball Park wasn't the loudest and longest in Cincinnati history, today's will be. Pete Rose was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame, and today the 75-year-old Hit King gets his No. 14 jersey retired on a scorching day on the banks of the Ohio River.
One question: What took so long? For years, the Reds fell in line with Major League Baseball and shunned Rose, whose flaws admittedly are numerous. But you can't ignore what he did on the field — 4,256 says it all. Rose is a long shot for the big Baseball Hall of Fame, but the Reds run the Reds HOF. They should have told MLB where to go years ago.
LeBron James turned a lot of skeptics — including me — into believers as he led Cleveland out of a 3-1 hole to knock off Golden State in the NBA Finals. His leadership and guts in the last three games of the series were legendary. With six straight Finals appearances and three titles, it's time to put LeBron on the NBA's Mount Rushmore.
A few more thoughts: Kyrie Irving’s series-clinching 3-pointer will go down as one of the most memorable buckets in history; Kevin Love probably played his way on to next season’s roster by showing up in Game 7; and we know what team J.R. Smith plays for when it’s Shirts vs. Skins.
The Big Ten agreed to a new media rights deal that will net the conference $2.64 billion over six years, although it's unclear how SEC-loving ESPN will have any time slots available for our league. Doing some math, that averages out to $31.7 million per school per year, and it doesn't include revenue from the Big Ten Network.
The Power Five is so far ahead of the next tier. Ohio State athletics raked in more than $167 million in 2015. The University of Cincinnati, a big school with a national profile, brought in $52.5 million.
Trending up: Thunder roster, George Springer, Andrew Beckwith. Kevin Durant had to be impressed by OKC on draft night when it traded overrated Serge Ibaka to Orlando for Victor Oladipo and Gonzaga draftee Damontas Sabonis, who unlike many guys with last names we can't pronounce is ready to contribute. Did you notice Ibaka was even on the court when the Thunder melted down against Golden State?
Trending down: Ben Affleck, Clay Matthews, Florida baseball. Actor/Patriots apologist Ben Affleck showed how not to act during an embarrassing, profanity-laced tirade (18 F-bombs) against the NFL on a new HBO show hosted by an egotistical former ESPN-er. I admire his loyalty to Tom Brady, but get a grip, man. I'll think twice before watching Armageddon for the 45th time.
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