TWIST: This Week in Sports Talk is a weekly recap of the three (and only three) things you need to know this coming week to talk sports. Whether it’s with your boss, the gang at the office, your team, your barber, your barista, your secret crush, or your in-laws, do the TWIST and we guarantee you’ll be talking sports like a champion in no time.
To kick it off this week, we start with the reminder that Major League Baseball’s Opening Day is this Thursday, March 29. You might not want to schedule any important meetings that afternoon. Just sayin’. All eyes are on the Evil Empire – er, we mean the New York Yankees – who have a powerhouse roster, and who will surely have a target on their backs all season.
And here’s an image that will become a brain tattoo for many of us: on Friday night, New England Patriots’ Rob Gronkowski headed down to Miami for an EDM event hosted by Shaquille O’Neal. First Gronk danced alone. Sans shirt, of course. Then he and Shaq had a dance-off. Then Gronk climbed onto Shaq’s shoulders, and kept dancing. For those keeping score, that’s a 6-foot-6 person busting a move on the shoulders of a 7-foot-1 person. Alrighty then. Rock on, dudes.
Meanwhile, for Those Who Do Not Follow Professional Sports, here’s what you need to know this week (and not a single thing more).
3 for the week of March 18, 2018:
1. March Madness brings the crazy. Must know: As of this posting, we’re halfway between the Elite Eight and the Final Four, and this has been a historic year of Cinderella stories and shocking reversals of fortune. On Saturday, No. 9 seed (Kansas State) played No. 11 seed (Loyola-Chicago) in an Elite Eight game – that’s never happened in the history of the NCAA Tournament. Nice to know: The story everyone is following is Chicago-Loyola and its continued run of buzzer-beating upsets. They made it to the Elite Eight after a thrilling win against Nevada, and on Saturday beat Kansas State to make the Final Four for the first time since 1963. They’re only the fourth No. 11 team to make the Final Four in the history of the league. Team Chaplain Sister Jean has attended every game – at the Elite Eight match-up, she was sporting a pair of custom-made Nike sneakers. Never underestimate the power of shoes. Also on Saturday, the Michigan Wolverines advanced to the Final Four. The two teams meet next weekend. Extra credit: The courts have become sodden with the tears of highly-seeded teams: powerhouse Kentucky is out after a loss to Kansas State. Top seeds UNC and Virginia were eliminated in earlier rounds. Michigan has been on a strong run, with charming freshman guard Jordan Poole getting a lot of love from the press and the fans. Duke and Villanova are also still in the game (so far).
Marques Townes of the Loyola Ramblers in the Sweet 16 game against the Nevada Wolf Pack (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
2. There’s going to be more football next season. Must know: Yep, you heard that right: there are not one, but two new leagues in formation. Vince McMahon (he of the WWE) will revive the XFL (which was originally launched in 2001 and died an ignominious death). And Charlie Ebersol (son of Dick, former head of NBC Sports) has announced the launch of the Alliance of American Football, which will debut the weekend after the Super Bowl in 2019. Nice to Know: Ebersol’s new league will play by slightly different rules to speed up the game: kickoffs and onside kicks will be eliminated, the play clock will be reduced by 15 minutes, and there will be fewer commercial interruptions. The viewing experience is to be highly interactive: there’ll be real-time betting throughout the game (for example, you’ll be able to bet at the half as to how many points will be scored in the second half). Both entrepreneurs are convinced that there is available player talent, viewer interest and sufficient distribution for their new leagues to succeed. No word yet on their policies about player conduct during the National Anthem. Extra Credit: Meanwhile, the NFL announced some new rules for the upcoming season, including the catch rule that was so controversial last year.
The Alliance for American Footbal, the XFL, and the NFL all made news this week
3. NFL Free-Agency Frenzy. Must know: The first phase of free agency is over, and the second phase is underway, as is positioning for the draft on April 26-28. Nice to know: This week the New York Giants traded Jason Pierre-Paul (the dude who hurt his hand when a firecracker he was holding exploded). That releases room in their salary cap and has people speculating about their draft strategy. The New York Jets traded three second round picks to move up from #6 to #3 in the draft. The view is that Jets management believes there are three good quarterback draft candidates, so even in the worst case, one will be left if they’re at #3. Extra credit: Experts say that right now, it looks like the Cleveland Browns will take QB Sam Darnold from USC with their #1 pick (that had seemed to be the Giants’ target at #2).
USC Quarterback Sam Darnold
In other news, the NBA is headed for the post-season. This week the Houston Rockets broke the Portland Trail Blazers’ 13 game winning streak.
Team Dandelion Chandelier is doing alright in our friendly March Madness pool – as of this posting, we’re number 6 out of a group of 30 players. Of course, the prizes stop at the top 5. So we gotta move up one! Go, Michigan!
That’s it. You’re good to go. See you next week.
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