Draw your own conclusions. …
Eligibility in college basketball seems more fluid than ever. Devan Cambridge, most recently at Texas Tech after stints at Auburn and Arizona State, has been cleared by the NCAA for what would be his seventh college season, including two medical redshirt seasons and the extra COVID year — and, naturally, is looking for a fourth team with which to complete his college career.
Elsewhere, Louisville’s Aly Khalifa was denied an extension of his five-year clock by the NCAA, while a district judge denied 6-10 College of Charleston center Ante Brzovic’s request for a preliminary injunction to allow him a sixth season. One of Brzovic’s legal arguments: Denying him the extra year also denies him a six-figure NIL payday. …
According to The Athletic, 137 basketball players entered the transfer portal this spring even though they had no eligibility left. And there was speculation that NCAA people had discussed awarding everyone an automatic five years of eligibility. Would that make it inaccurate, at least on the sports pages, to call them four-year schools?
Given that This Space needed 6½ years to get a Bachelor’s degree — and Cal State Fullerton’s College of Communications is not in the habit of handing out redshirt years — I’ve got no business using that terminology anyway. …
Still, if I were a current NCAA athlete, I’m not sure I’d want a committee led by Nick Saban and Sen. Tommy Tuberville discussing decisions that would affect my future, and bank account. …
Today is Kershaw Day, and it will have been 229 days since future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw last pitched in a major league game when he takes the mound against the Angels. If you’re a Dodger fan, take a deep breath and enjoy the sight. …
If the Indiana Pacers and Denver Nuggets face each other in the NBA Finals, I say they should bring back the ABA’s red, white and blue basketball for the occasion.
The American Basketball Association, in its 10 years of existence from 1967-68 to 1975-76, came up with three inspired ideas: That ball (and the inspiration remains alive in the two-tone balls used in the WNBA and in international play), the 3-point shot (which, as we see now, may have been too inspirational), and the Slam Dunk Contest (ditto). …
For those who are too young to remember the sheer wackiness of the ABA, may I direct you to Terry Pluto’s 1990 book, “Loose Balls,” an oral history told by those who were there. …
Which leads us to today’s quiz: Since the 1976-77 merger, five former ABA teams have won NBA titles. How many times have two former ABA teams met in the NBA Finals? …
The Kings’ hiring of former Detroit and Edmonton general manager Ken Holland to run their front office is a good call, we think. His task may be less about big moves — as he acknowledged in his introductory presser — than it is re-establishing the idea around this franchise that there’s only one truly acceptable outcome to an NHL season.
(And if he has any ideas how to contain Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, so much the better.) …
In the meantime, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if Edmonton — or any Canadian team, period — were to win the Stanley Cup and end what’s now a 31-year-old Curse of Marty McSorley. After all, hasn’t that country suffered enough? …
If you’re a casual sports fan, did you also find that this week’s PGA Championship sort of snuck up on you? It shouldn’t be that way with one of golf’s four majors. In retrospect, moving the tournament from August to May in 2019 was a mistake. …
Quiz answer: Survivors from the ABA met once for the Lawrence O’Brien Trophy, with San Antonio beating the then-New Jersey Nets in 2003. The Spurs captured four of the five titles won by former ABA teams (2003, ’05, ’07 and ’14), and Denver won the other in 2023. …
Things I wish I’d written, from the New York Daily News’ Mike Lupica last Sunday: “The Pirates only fired their manager this week because there’s no way for Pirates fans to fire their owner.”
Then again, if he’d waited he could have included the Colorado Rockies. Same principle. …
Bud Black was fired by the Rockies on Sunday, likely a consequence of Saturday night’s 21-0 loss to the Padres, but he’s been through this before. Black, pitching coach for Mike Scioscia’s 2002 World Series champion Angels — boy, that seems like centuries ago — was fired by San Diego general manager A.J. Preller in June, 2015 with his veteran roster sitting at 32-33, six games out of first place and four out of a wild card spot. Triple-A manager Pat Murphy was promoted to replace him, finished the year 42-54 and was not retained.
The Padres’ bench coach that year, who was 0-1 as interim manager between Black and Murphy? Guy named Dave Roberts. You may have heard of him.
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