After all of the upsets in the early rounds of the Tournament and the run by St. Peter’s, we are left with the usual blue blood teams in the Final Four. Now, true, North Carolina had a down year and was a lower seed but the others all fall in the #1 or #2 category. The last several games were all blowouts but we have had our share of entertainment. It looks like the St. Peter’s coach will be the new coach at Seton Hall for a lot more money and it’s his alma mater. Cannot blame him for that.
Interesting comment from Reggie Miller yesterday (remind me why he does any of these games??) about how great the college transfer portal was. Now, SU does agree that the students deserve a bit more flexibility to transfer the same way their coaches can but there was a player on Miami yesterday who had played at 5 different schools. The last time I checked the goal of college was to get an education. I am sure these guys are not transferring because one school has a better Political Science Department. SU is all for improving your chances for a pro career in the NBA but the reality is that 95% won’t ever get there. It seems very disruptive to me but I suppose it allows schools to quickly improve their rosters for a season.
Greg Bird lives. Apparently, after a “strong spring” (2 words not normally associated with Greg Bird), he is one of the few left-handed bats on Toronto and will be a DH / 1st base option for the Blue Jays. Still only 29 years old. SU will be rooting for him. Toronto is the popular pre-season pick to win it all this year.
The Yankees and Aaron Judge are close to a long-term deal. Surely, getting vaccinated NOW will be a requirement, right? There are 9 games in Toronto that he won’t be able to play in as things stand now. You want your $250 million? Get the shots. SU read that the Red Sox made Story get vaccinated before signing his $140 million deal.
SU rarely, rarely puts out a trivia question as I do not trust everyone to not google the answer (I mean no one would do that right?). But long-time subscriber M. Levine offers up this question: “Who is the only Kansas Men’s basketball coach to have a losing record in the school’s history?” Provide your response in the comments section first and have the enduring admiration of thousands around the world.
The AL East is a really good division aside from the Orioles.
Did you know that the Pittsburgh Pirates’ payroll of something like $35 million is lower than Max Scherzer’s salary in 2022 which is in the ballpark of $44 million? SU thought that was interesting – and not a good look for baseball.
Sports Update Intergalactic 
I think there might be 4 teams below Scherzer’s deal. It is not sustainable and is a real black eye for the game. A team cannot go year after year not even trying to win. I’d suggest a minimum payroll of 50% of the team mean and a tax cap at 200%. $134 million is the 2022 number. Any team below the minimum should pay a tax penalty, just like those above. I would also force the owner to sell if they fall under the minimum for more than two years. If you can’t afford to compete there is another billionaire out there who will give it a shot and the owner will still make a killing on the sale. There used to be a public trust between a city and team. There should be an obligation to put forth a competitive product. In a city like Tampa that public trust should go both ways. If you wont support a successful team with at least close to average attendance the owner should have the right to move.
Great points, Jeff! Maybe you can insert yourself in the next CBA negotiations.
I feel sorry for all those Cinderella teams and all smaller schools. If they find a hidden raw talent. Teach him so he develops into a really good player. Then in his junior or senior year he thanks everyone for a that they had done for him but ” I got a call from Kansas or Duke or Gonzaga, etc etc and off he goes. THAT’S SO UNFAIR…and I can’t see those smaller schools ever making it to the top. It’s kinda sad.