Sez Me …
The unkempt, stinking litter box that collegiate athletics has become is being filled by the cool cats — the rare, pedigreed felines who care about their profile, money, university prestige, money, and more money.
What was clandestine behavior on campuses for so long now is out in the open, largely without consequence. Hell, it’s practically encouraged. The wild, wild north, south, east and west.
There are no stoplights, no speed limits in this new, NIL and transfer portal world. Everyone has the right to carry — a port.
Collegiate athletics isn’t going to find a Douglas MacArthur, but it needs a commanding general. Man or woman. Someone with a spine. Someone incredibly intelligent. Someone who can make a decision. Someone with Jules Verne vision. Someone who can communicate clearly. Someone who can appreciate the grunts as well as the officers, despite an incredibly large ego, which is necessary for true greatness..
Long ago, MacArthur said: “Nothing is more synonymous of our national success than is our national (amateur) athletics.”
Of course, if the general were alive today, he’d probably slap himself in the face and say: “I shall not return to those thoughts.”
But if asked, he might at least try to correct the Marx Brothers chaos in which collegiate athletics now finds itself.
When a feud between America’s two prominent amateur bodies — the AAU and NCAA — threatened U.S. participation in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, JFK called on MacArthur to straighten things out. The general quickly straightened things out.
This is not the 1960s, when there actually were amateurs, but with college games turning professional, with NIL and the portal, now more than ever there has to be an unquestioned leader swinging the hammer.
It won’t be long before “student-athletes” unionize. Then what? The head of the union is not going to be Shirley Temple.
I’m not against athletes making as much as they can, but this has created a mess. Players are transferring as they please, as if they’re getting on and off a subway.
Not often do I worry about coaches, many of them making many millions, but how do they do this? There are but so many hats to be juggled. Why did Alabama’s Nick Saban, the most successful college coach in history, retire?
They’re not just recruiting preps and junior colleges anymore, but with thousands of kids portaling, they have to look into them all. And even if they find one, the players can stick around for a few free meals, and then bail if they’re unhappy.
San Diego State’s basketball program just lost three players to the portal, and is in the process of bringing in portal travelers and — who knows? — maybe they’ll be better off. This is one of the top 20 programs in America without the wherewithal to keep the players coaches sweated to deliver.
Basketball doesn’t need that many players. It needs to get lucky. Football, with so many more players to fill rosters, is in far more precarious condition.
The Aztecs football program may survive — for a while. But if somebody doesn’t find a cure for this, how can it go on when it’s battling schools that may have unlimited money?
In his two years at USC, quarterback Caleb Williams reportedly made $10 million in NIL money.
Texas ranks No. 1 in NIL dough, $20 million. There’s no chance SDSU can come anywhere close to the power conference schools. All it can hope for is getting their culls.
The solution seems as impossible as solving the homeless crisis. But nothing’s going to get done without bold leadership. The NCAA has lost whatever legs it had.
Getting these schools with their greedy presidents to give up the millions they now easily grab with powerful fists ain’t gonna happen without leadership willing to take care of the wealthy and the downtrodden.
This isn’t something that can be fixed by a worthless committee. It needs a MacArthur. An Eisenhower. Someone who, when in command, commands — and isn’t a weak-kneed politician.
How about Wyatt Earp? Who better at the Not-So-OK Corral?
Padres GM A.J. Preller appears to have made a terrific trade with Miami to acquire Luis Arraez from Miami. Luis is a two-time batting champion. If he wins a batting title at Petco National Park, where fine hitters go to flail, he’s Rogers Hornsby. …
Meanwhile, stop with the blasphemous Tony Gwynn comparisons. …
Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz grabbed a Petco grounder by Xavier Bogaerts and threw 106.9 mph to first base. If he had just thrown it 106 mph, it may not have landed on the Hotel Del’s veranda. …
I need someone terribly wise and canonized to explain how the Eagles engaged in a trade with K.C. …
I don’t grade drafts, but if I did, I’d give the Bears an A if they took Caleb Williams and no one else. …
Chiefs announce: “We’ve just signed the greatest tight end ever.” Nice to have Kellen Winslow back in The League. …
I don’t know if they make cash s anymore, but the best one still in use is Kirk Cousins. …
Vegas wise guys are making book on who will headline at quarterback for the Raiders. Favorites are Tom Brady and Wayne Newton. Wayne figures to have a longer residency. …
Anthony Edwards is being compared to Michael Jordan. I knew it would happen. If Mike had an identical twin he wouldn’t look like Mike. …
Anthony Davis: “We have stretches where we don’t know what we’re doing on both ends of the floor.” Stretches? Only stretches? That should make the Lakers one of the very best NBA teams. …
Coach Darvin Ham has been fired by the Lakers after being given two hopeless years to turn back the hands of time. …
The Lake Show led 165 minutes during its series with Denver — except for those following the end of games. …
They’re talking about Tyrese Maxey becoming the face of the NBA. Tremendous talent, but if he’s in the checkout line at Costco, nobody knows who he is. …
The Clippers. Clipped again. …
Sorry, you leave the floor in possession of the basketball and come down to the floor in possession of the basketball, it’s traveling. …
And the “Euro step” is meant to be used on cobblestones. …
LeBron has been too good for too long to make excuses. …
Suns owner Matt Ishbia: “The Phoenix Suns are doing great.” Lee said the same thing about the South at Appomattox. …
NFL Network has canned “Total Access,” along with more employees than “Gandhi” had extras. Replacing it will be “Half-Ass Access.” …
My bad. Shirley MacLaine won an Oscar for “ of Endearment.” I don’t know what comes over me. …
The Vegas NFL team has announced its first ever “Raiders Cruise.” The last “NFL Team That Used To Be Here Cruise” left Southampton, England, on April 10,1912. …
RIP, Duane Eddy. One of the first popular rock ‘n’ roll guitarists.
Hemingway: “I drink to make other people more interesting.” I see you, Ernest. Bad drunks get too phony to be interesting. …
“I don’t care how long you’ve been around, you’ll never see it all.” — Bob Lemon. And I’ve gotten so close. …
College protesters. A waste. Generation Why?
