IN SPORTS-ADULTS SAY THE DARNDEST THINGS

 

Every day sports reporters flock to practices, press conferences and locker rooms looking for a story.  It might be a lot simpler if they could do a wrap on the event without talking to anybody so called expert.  But for some reason the bosses think it's necessary to attach words to explain what took place.  We call these expressions...quotes.      

It should make sense to have athletes, coaches or former athletes try and put some spin to a story.  You'd think they could help make sense of what took place or what might happen in upcoming games or seasons.  Often though, what we find out is, that the answers we hear are some of the dumbest things imaginable.  Maybe you recall an Art Linkletter show of many years ago called, "Kids Say the Darndest Things".  Art would ask four kids on stage their responses to a question.  Some of the kids were shy but others were off the chart hilarious.  There were often some doozies.  It meant for a wild time because you'd have no idea what would come out of the mouths of babes.  We've graduated though.  The adults are now saying some of the dumbest things ever.  Maybe they're feeling forced to come up with an answer or they haven't pondered the right answer long enough.  I gathered up some of the responses that you might remember.  Take a look at the videos followed by some texts of ones that head the list.    

Let's start with common sense...

Do you remember Arizona Cardinals Head Coach, Denny Green, blowing up at the podium after a loss to the Chicago Bears in 2006?   I don't think the Cardinal fan base thought much of his rant.   

How about Philadelphia Eagles Head Coach Nick Sirianni's first press conference in January of 2021. Talk about rambling.  First impressions on Nick weren't so good but he sure made up for it winning the Super Bowl this past February.

  . 

Playoffs?  Playoffs?  Let's hear Indianapolis Colts Head Coach Jim Mora talk about his team's chances of making the playoffs after a regular season loss to the 49ers in 2001.  He was fired when the season ended.

One of the strangest responses to a reporter's question came from Philadelphia 76ers Allen Iverson in 2002 after missing a team practice.  His nickname was "The Answer".  Not sure if it came from this press conference.  

Let's do some rapid-fire quotes. These have to jog a memory or two:

Oklahoma Basketball Coach Billy Tubbs.  "This year we plan to run and shoot.  Next year we plan to run and score"

Boston Celtic Forward Antoine Walker.  "Why do you shoot so many three pointers?  Because there are no fours".

Coach Weldon Drew, New Mexico State Head Basketball Coach when asked to explain his team's shooting issues.  "We have a great bunch of outside shooters.  Unfortunately, all our games are played inside".  

Orlando Magic GM Pat Williams.  "We can't win at home, and we can't win on the road.  As a general manager I can't think of anywhere else to play". 

Former NBA All-Star Latrell Sprewell on his contract dispute.  "I told you I needed to feed my family, they offered me 3 years at 21 million.  That's not going to cut it...If (owner Glen) Taylor wants to see my family fed, he better cough up some money.  Otherwise, you're going to see these kids in one of those Sally Struthers commercials soon". 

Former NFL QB Joe Theismann.  Nobody in football should be called a genius.   A genius is a guy like Norman Einstein". 

Ex-Chicago Bears William Perry on his size.  "I've been Big since I was little".

Former PGA Tour Golfer Greg Norman.  "I owe a lot to my parents, especially my mother and father".

Former Phillie Randy Ready to Pirates Andy Van Slyke regarding Phillies switch-pitcher Greg Harris.  "He's amphibious", Van Slyke responds.  "What does that mean, he can pitch underwater?"

Yes, adults can and do say the darndest things.  And they'll continue too.  I'm sure of it.  Hopefully the teams you follow have people with some smarts that can explain things properly.   Because if you don't expect a whole lot of crap from your buddies along with some LOL's.  

I'm gonna end this post with a little ditty I came across recently.  It's not at all what I expected.  

Did you even notice Shimizu sitting in the background?  I didn't. 

Have a great day and keep smiling......

YOU MAKE THE CALL

 

Over the years there have been a number of sports sites with the title, "You Make The Call".  The express purpose was to offer sports fans an opportunity to express their disappointments with referee calls that determined the outcome of games.  Sometimes, very crucial games.

While their existence created a platform, I'm not sure they offered anything regarding the improvement in the officiating profession.  And it should have.  Each sport has their own issues.  The better the athletes become, the harder it is to officiate a game properly.  But that shouldn't be the fans job to correct.  It's each individual sport. Those leaders need to do a much better job of reviewing each referee's game tape, offer critiques and insight to help eliminate some of the poor calls we're seeing.  Let's take a look at the game of Women's basketball.

 A 2024 Women's NCAA battle featuring the Iowa Hawkeyes and the UCONN Huskies. Iowa was leading 70-69 with 10 seconds left and UCONN inbounding the ball.  

As UConn's Aaliyah Edwards screened Gabbie Marshall to give Paige Bueckers a chance for the winning shot, the Iowa guard flailed to her right and immediately knew the screen was indeed illegal, yelling into crowd in celebration after an offensive foul was called.  "I think we knew going in that we needed to get a stop and obviously, at least the ball was going to go to Paige and I'm pretty sure that was the game plan.  I figured they were going to try to set a couple of screens, and I was staying on her hip the whole game.  And if I'm on her hip, the person can't move into you, and they have to give you room to go around it if you're sticking with them on their hip."   

As crucial as that call was, it provided the rule and the reason for the official's whistle. 

This past Sunday Iowa was involved in another screen "mess" as they battled with #4 ranked UCLA.  This time, UCLA had the ball with under seven seconds left in a 65-65 game.  Iowa's Lucy Olsen was the defender as she tried to fight through a screen when she fell down and was called for "falling".  In looking further,

it appears a UCLA player put out her leg was caused the infraction.  A quote from 247 Sports offers this scenario.  "There's a real argument that an illegal screen took place.  Per the NCAA rulebook, the screener must maintain a normal stance with the inside of the feet not wider than should width apart.  It also states that a foul will be called if the screener extends the legs beyond legal width and trips a defender who is attempting to move around the screen."

UCLA hit two free throws and won the game 67-65.  

You've seen two calls involving the screen game.  You make the call.  It seems obvious that games are being decided with no consistency in mind.  

With the Women's game continuing to grow, there needs to be improvement in how the games are being called.  It's time to head to school, refs. That part of the game needs attention, like right now. There needs universal agreement in making things better so we can all see the sport flourish.

LAYUPS, LAYUPS AND LAYUPS.

Good grief.  I'm shocked by the number of bunnies (layups for the common fan) that are missed each and every game.  I get it that the women play below the rim.  So very little if any dunking takes place in their game.  But, what the heck.  If your team has a tendency to miss free throws, a coach puts his team at the line during practice to try and right the problem.  Do they not see this?   I.e.  Iowa unofficially missed 10 layups against Ohio State last Monday.  They ultimately, lost in overtime.  I have to think the coaching staff charts missed layups.  And that should show the problem.  Games are being decided by deficiencies there perhaps more than missed free throws.  Just an observation.  Just sayin....     

TIME TO BE PATIENT HAWKEYE WOMEN BASKETBALL FANS

It's been a roller coaster season for the 2024-25 Hawkeye Women's Basketball team.  It started with eight straight wins before losing to Tennessee 88-78 at the Shark Beauty Women's Champions Classic in Brooklyn, New York. Then a came a home victory over Iowa State 75-69, before losing to Michigan State on the road 68-66. 

Since then, it's been three straight wins, then fives losses in a row followed by six more wins in succession.  That brings them to a 18-7 mark in mid-February.  Is that what Hawks fans envisioned after two consecutive runs to the National Championship game?  Maybe, maybe not.  

There's no question this season was going to be one for growth. You knew that would be apparent with five new freshmen, one portal transfer and a new head coach, Jan Jensen.  Then came the February 2nd win over #4 ranked USC on the day Caitilin Clark had her jersey retired.  That win refueled the fan base.  For a team that looked like it might miss the NCAA Tournament altogether, hope returned.  Now, it's going to be interesting to see what transpires with upcoming games against #9 Ohio State on the road (Feb.17) and back home to face previous #1 UCLA (Feb. 23).  The Bruins were beaten by USC Thursday night 71-60.  It would have been Carver Crazy had UCLA came in undefeated.  Now, more than ever it is coming down to this.  One game at a time.  And then when the season is over, we can make an assessment.  It's the future that has Iowa bordering on hysteria.

Next year, Iowa has three top recruits coming to Iowa City.  Leading that group is guard Addie Deal, a top 10 recruit from California, followed by a top 40 forward Journey Houston from Davenport and the second rated center in the 2025 class in Layla Hayes from Alaska.  Iowa has at least two more open scholarships for next year.  Maybe more if someone else transfers.  Will Jensen opt to sign more high school players or hit the portal to add at positions of need (i.e. backup point guard or power forward)?  That's the dilemma.  With every move that Iowa makes in the 2025 class, it's going to impact any commitments for 2026.  Case in point.  Let's say the Hawks add a power forward in 2025.  If it's a person with one year left it might not have a negative effect.  However, let's say it's someone with more than a season of eligibility left.  Does Addison Bjorn or McKenna Woliczko then decide to look at some other program where they can play immediately?  It remains to be seen.  Players are much more ready to play right away then they were in previous years. They won't sit for very long.  That's a certainty.

So, we're at this juncture now.  If you scan the message boards of the various Hawkeye websites you can see Recruiting Threads of years 2025, 2026 and now 2027.  Potential recruits are scrutinized or praised for whatever they could bring to the Hawks nest.  Every recruit that has visited Iowa City has their own little fan base.  "Come to Iowa.  You look great in Black and Gold.  You'll love our fans", are just some of the comments they receive.  

The day Clark had her number retired was one where a who's who of basketball recruits were on hand.  The number one ranked player in 2026, point guard Kate Harpring from Georgia was there as was the top player in Iowa for next year, the multi-dimensional Jenica Lewis. Throw in 2026 forward Addison Bjorn out of Kansas City, 2027 guard Finley Chastain of Dallas and 2028 guard Jhaliana Guy from Bettendorf and it's easy to see why fans are excited.  But hold on. 

This past week I was traveling back from Colorado.  I figured since Iowa was playing in Nebraska in Lincoln, I'd take in a game where it was a little easier to come by an Iowa ticket.  I got there early and had several conversations with people around the program.  "Why hasn't anyone committed from the big weekend?", I asked.  The general consensus was there was a some surprise from the Iowa staff as well that no one had pulled trigger. What else could Iowa have done to show recruits what playing at Iowa would be like?  No program nationwide could match the experience a recruit would have had from Clark's Day.  No one.  

So, this is the conclusion I've come to.  I'd be surprised if anyone commits before their high season is over.  Then the floodgates might open.  If a recruit sees one person recruited to her position at a program, she will most likely move on.  Likewise, if....a player makes as decision and commits the remaining Iowa scholarships might go quickly.  Because of that, I see Jenica Lewis as a key component for Iowa's future. Her commitment would be a huge beginning for the 2026 class. 

Will Jenica open the floodgates?

There is ramped up enthusiasm for the remainder of this year.  If Iowa plays well next week against Ohio State and UCLA, who knows how far this team can go.     

 But in the end, there will be one word needed to be stressed for now and the future.  

PATIENCE.      

P.S.  After publishing this post, I got to thinking about the UCLA game coming up on February 23rd.     McKenna Woliczko from California suffered an ACL injury this winter.  Her high school season is over with.  I wondered if Woliczko might take an official visit that day or if some other young guns might show up.  All sorts of thoughts started running through my mind in the what if's.  Then I hit the brakes.  Woah, Nellie.  Heck, I'm no different than everyone else.  Patience.  Patience.  We're talking about Patience, man.