Sports

The O’Bannon Case Doesn’t Make Sense-What is a Scholarship?

Tom Knuppel Sports , ,
The O’Bannon Case Doesn’t Make Sense-What is a Scholarship?

What is a scholarship? Isn’t it a form of payment to allow a student to go to school at the college or university in question?

In the O’Bannon case, it appears to me the student-athletes are getting paid. They are taking a scholarship and in return the colleges are giving them and education and in return use their name and likeness on merchandise and such.

The NCAA will appeal Friday’s ruling in the O’Bannon case, which said the NCAA is violating antitrust laws by prohibiting college football and basketball players from being paid for the use of their names, images and likenesses.

I am not in favor of paying the student-athletes any more than the scholarships they enjoy due to their ability to perform at a higher level than others in a sport. What is a scholarship?

Looking at the Top Heisman Candidates

Tom Knuppel Sports
Looking at the Top Heisman Candidates

   Quarterbacks Lead the List for Heisman Trophy

In the history of the Heisman trophy there has been only one repeat champion and that was Archie Griffin back in the mid 70’s. Repeating is very difficult to do. With that being said what is the likelihood of Jameis Winston pulling it off?

There are some players that have a very good chance to become the 78th winner and walk away with the coveted Heisman Trophy. Here is a short list of them in no particular order.

 

QB Jameis Winston– FSU

The guy is a winner but the committee is going to expect more and more from him while the competition gets more difficult. Do they voters pay attention to off-field antics? Is so, Winston gets passed by this year.

QB  Marcus Mariota– Oregon

This was probably his last year had he not gotten injured and his team and his chances went downhill. This season he appears bigger and stronger and has shown the propensity to run the ball along with strong arm strength. If the Ducks win the Pac-12 without a loss, Mariota is in good shape to win this award.

QB Bryce Petty– Baylor

With Baylor being one of the two or three best teams in the Big 12, all eyes are on Petty to lead them to a conference title. If he can accomplish that feat, then he is on the short list to win the Heisman.

QB Nick Marshall– Auburn

The offensive numbers from Marshall will look staggering as he is likely to achieve over 30 touchdowns and 3500 yards of total offense. Now that he has a year under his belt, this QB is on the rise.

QB Brett Hundley-UCLA

Hundley is the key to success of the Bruins and will have some competition in his own conference. He is the total package and has to out play Mariota to win the Heisman.

RB Todd Gurley– Georgia

This is a talented runner and being in the SEC will give him ample exposure to the media. Since the Bulldogs have a new quarterback this season they will lean on Gurley even more than last season. Any numbers he amasses will look bright to the voters.

QB Keenan Reynolds-Navy

This will be his second season for the Midshipmen and he has turned into one of the best running quarterbacks to grace the collegiate football fields. Last year he passed for 1057 yards and accumulated 31 touchdowns but more impressive was his 1346 yards rushing. This season he will face some tough competition as Notre Dame and Ohio State are on the schedule.

QB Jacob Coker-Alabama

He is just becoming a starter but with a talented Crimson Tide team makes him a candidate for the Heisman award. Being surrounded with talented football players and all the media scrutiny will certainly lend him credence to pull this off.

What’s It Take to Make the Playoffs in MLB?

Tom Knuppel Sports , , , ,
What’s It Take to Make the Playoffs in MLB?

     What’s It Take to Make the Playoffs in MLB?

The numbers say you need 88 wins to get in. In an article in the Business Insider it is noted that using 180 teams (since 1996) that 88 is the optimal number. Only sixteen teams have gotten in with less than 88 wins.

This makes for a dismal trade deadline as now more teams still think they have a shot to make it to the playoffs. Looking at the current landscape, twenty three teams can make it if they get hot like a 110-win team would do. That is a long shot.

With those numbers, that makes only seven teams that would be noted as “sellers” in the market. This is not a good thing for the major league trading deadline.

Kansas Jayhawks- Strength of Schedule is a WOW.

Tom Knuppel Sports , , , , , ,
Kansas Jayhawks- Strength of Schedule is a WOW.

Kansas Jayhawks- Non-Conference Scheduling Tackles the Big Boys

Bill Self has no qualms about scheduling the best teams in the country to prepare his team for a deep NCAA run. Last season, the Jayhawks had the toughest non-conference schedule as they scheduled six teams that advanced into the postseason. They don’t shy away from strength of schedule.

Now in the 2014-15 season they have not backed off one bit as they face some powerhouse teams like Kentucky, Florida, Utah, Temple, Georgetown and UNLV and then go on to tournaments where they could meet Michigan State, Tennessee, Georgia Teach, Rhode Island or Marquette.

What is Coach Self’s philosophy on scheduling?

He said,

“Obviously, next year’s non-conference will be very challenging. We always play a good schedule, but this past year was rated by many to be about as tough of a non-conference schedule that a team has played in years. Certainly, next year’s schedule will be one of the better non-conference schedules that anyone in America plays, as well. When you think about two teams that were in the Final Four last year with Kentucky and Florida, then you throw in the Orlando Classic, which is loaded, including Michigan State, then on the road at Georgetown and Temple along with other tough non-conference contests like Utah and UNLV, all of those will certainly prepare our guys to make another strong push at a conference championship.”

One of the tools that the NCAA Basketball Committee uses to select and seed teams is the strength of schedule which is a factor in RPI. Kansas’ RPI has checked in at No. 5 or better each of the last five seasons, including No. 1 in 2010 and 2011. The Jayhawks ended 2013-14 at No. 4 in the final RPI.

  • 11/14/2014         UC Santa Barbara             Lawrence, Kan.TBA
  • 11/18/2014         Kentucky                            Indianapolis, Ind.
  • 11/24/2014         Rider                                  Lawrence, Kan.
  • 11/27/2014         TBA                                     Orlando, Fla.
  • 11/28/2014         TBA                                     Orlando, Fla.
  • 11/30/2014         TBA                                     Orlando, Fla.
  • 12/5/2014            Florida                                Lawrence, Kan.
  • 12/10/2014         Georgetown                       Washington, D.C.
  • 12/13/2014         Utah                                     Kansas City, Mo.
  • 12/20/2014         Lafayette                              Lawrence, Kan.
  • 12/22/2014         Temple                                   Philadelphia. Pa.
  • 12/30/2014         Kent State                                Lawrence, Kan.
  • 1/4/2015              UNLV                                       Lawrence, Kan.

MORE teams need to boost their RPI through Strength of Schedule.

Early Season College Football Games to Watch

Tom Knuppel Sports
Early Season College Football Games to Watch

      There are some good non-conference games to pay attention to early in the College Football season.

 

Ole Miss vs. Boise State in Atlanta (Aug. 28)

This is an early peak of Boise State to see if they are a legitimate team again this season against a defensive-minded Ole Miss.

 

Penn State vs. UCF in Dublin, Ireland (Aug. 30, 8:30 a.m., ESPN2):

The James Franklin era begins and Happy Valley is still look for something good to happen. This game is five time zones away but they are facing a team that was 12-1 last year and a Fiesta Bowl winner.

 

Clemson at Georgia (Aug. 30, 5:30 p.m., ESPN):

Probably not as illustrious as last year but a chance to watch Todd Gurley play in the backfield for the Bulldogs and Clemson’s four year quarterback Cole Stoudt getting his chance to start.

 

Florida State vs. Oklahoma State in Arlington, Texas (Aug. 30, 8 p.m., ABC):

The national champions return and Jameis Winston can show his stuff against a 10-3 Cowboys team that was depleted due to the draft and graduation.

 

LSU vs. Wisconsin in Houston (Aug. 30, 9 p.m., ESPN):

This is the one I am most looking forward to seeing. It may be the only game Wisconsin loses in the regular season. A neutral site will help the Badgers but the Tigers reloaded and starting a true freshman quarterback Brandon Harris. The defense of LSU will have to be on their game to control the speedy running back, Melvin Gordon, of Wisconsin.

 

Alabama vs. West Virginia in Atlanta (Aug. 30):

This game is currently schedule to be a CBS game.

More Pampering for the NBA Players?

Tom Knuppel Sports , ,
More Pampering for the NBA Players?

NBA Players Looking to Get More Pampering

Sure the season is a grind. I understand the fact that moving around from city to city every few nights can get exhaustive. But let’s face it, NBA players, you have a great life to work with and get well compensated for it.

Now the NBA is considering giving the players more time off at the All-Star break. The season already goes from late October/early November until June for playoff teams. Now a week off makes that go on forever. It is an eight and a half month season.

What do you get now? Well you get first class flying accomodations on high quality airlines, you have your meals paid for, you get five star hotel stays and many more perks in your job. Surely, you can live on four days off in February instead of eight days off.

From the Miami Sun-Sentinel

The move, which would give players seven days off between games in mid-February, would result in an increase of one or two back-to-back sets per team for the coming season, a party familiar with the process said.

  “That’s the model they’re using right now while they’re filling in the schedule,” an NBA source familiar with the process told the Sun Sentinel Friday. “Could they go back and use some of those dates if needed? That’s possible. But the week off looks like what’s going to happen.”

  The release of the 2014-15 NBA schedule has been pushed back into August to allow the league’s television partners to adjust for the dramatic shakeup created by free agency, including the shift of LeBron James from the Miami Heat to Cleveland Cavaliers.

  With the elongated All-Star break, the possibility of then starting the 2015-16 season a week earlier also has been deliberated recently, although that dynamic has yet to gain traction, according to an NBA source familiar with the situation, with such a move potentially requiring an adjustment in the collective-bargaining agreement.

This is for the 2014-15 schedule and it is all about continuing a news cycle for the NBA all year.

It must be tough having those working conditions with the paltry salaries they get.

Sports Added Here Starting August 1st

Tom Knuppel Sports , , ,
Sports Added Here Starting August 1st

OFFICIALLY on August 1st this BLOG will turn into a SPORTS BLOG several days a week.

 

It will not be ALL sports as one or two days, depending on how I feel, I will add content of other kinds.

 

My thoughts from the month of July was not of interest to many people. For the past 4 days this BLOG had less than 10 readers each day.

SPORTS may not get many more than that but I have more avenues to market it .

 

Thanks for the READERSHIP for July.

I have TWO MORE days of political blogs and about 8 more to put up.

 

Thanks

 

Tom

Why Don’t NFL Teams Train Where They Play?

Tom Knuppel Sports , , , ,
Why Don’t NFL Teams Train Where They Play?

Why Don’t NFL Train at Home?

I can understand any team that has a dome like the Rams having issues playing at home. It is a possibility they can rent those facilities for concerts and other activities. But why don’t team practice where they play?

Here is part of an article from the Kansas City Star:

Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said on Saturday that the club will decide whether to continue training camp at Missouri Western State University by the end of the calendar year.

Nineteen of the NFL’s 32 teams now train at their own facilities, and it’s a possibility the Chiefs will follow that trend in 2015.

Why not practice at Arrowhead Stadium? Why can’t the Bears practice at Soldier Field? Do the Bears own that facility?

Why rent a facility that is miles from home base?

It appears 13 teams do that.

Thoughts?

Expectations Tempered for SLU Hoops

Tom Knuppel Sports

Expectations Tempered for SLU Hoops

 

Last season the Billikens made a run in the NCAA tourney but those days are gone. SLU has lost five seniors that all had experience. This season will be a rebuild for Coach Jim Crews. Now he has six incoming freshman to work on that rebuild.

Three guards, Devell Roby, Miles Reynolds and Marcus Bartley will learn the frontcourt duties while forwards Brett Jolly and Malik Yarbrough will man the boards. Center Austin Gilman will put his name into the middle of the lane to be counted on.

Grandy Glaze, 6’6” Forward will be the only returnee with experience. Things will be tough for the Billikens.