LaVar Ball Starting His Own Basketball League to Compete With the NCAA

By on • ( 2 Comments )

ESPN – LaVar Ball said Wednesday that he’s launching a basketball league for nationally-ranked players who have graduated from high school but don’t want to go to college. Ball’s Junior Basketball Association, which he says is fully funded by his Big Baller Brand, plans to pay the lowest-ranked player a salary of $3,000 a month and the best player $10,000 a month, Ball said. Ball is looking for 80 players to fill 10 teams that will seek to play at NBA arenas in Los Angeles, Dallas, Brooklyn and Atlanta.“Getting these players is going to be easy,” Ball told ESPN. “This is giving guys a chance to get a jump start on their career, to be seen by pro scouts, and we’re going to pay them because someone has to pay these kids.”

The modern day Vince McMahon just continues to roll along with his idea du jour; an alternative basketball league to compete with the NCAA. It’s geared at top players who don’t want to go to college, or ya know shit holes like Lithuania. Ya think LaMelo and LiAngelo might prefer playing in this league rather than taking trains and ferrys to Baltic League games in Kiev?

I gotta admit, this guy is COCKY, and it is contagious. Because on its face, its not a bad idea. If the NBA is so stuck on its “One and Done” rule (which it may actually get rid of sooner than later) then whats the point of a guy going to Duke for 8 months and showing up to a handful of classes posing as a college student like he’s in Never Been Kissed?

The NCAA is more corrupt than a North Korean election so a little competition to maybe keep them on their toes can’t hurt. Having a league that follows pro-style rules makes a ton of sense too.

“Ball said the rules of his league will follow those of the NBA instead of college — 12-minute quarters and a pro 3-point line.”

Having wildly different rules for college and the pros has never made any sense to me. Especially when leagues like the NBA and the NFL use the NCAA as a de facto minor league system. Why make the 3 point line deeper after turning pro instead of just having players get used to it in college and judge them all accordingly? Why do college football players only need to get one foot down for a catch, but in the NFL you need two?

Quotes like this though don’t really help the perception that this is just all a marketing scheme to further LaVar’s own brand.

“Ball said since Big Baller Brand is promoting the league, all players must agree to wear only Big Baller Brand products, including BBB shoes on the court. “We’ll give it to them all,” Ball said. “They’ll be wearing our uniform, our shoes, our T-shirts and our hoodies.”

Don’t get me wrong, nobody thinks LaVar Ball is here to save the manatees. The honesty and transparency is refreshing when compared to the toxic hypocrisy that is the NCAA, but in order to succeed this will need to be more than the latest example of LaVar Ball hawking garbage at an exorbitant price.

So if you’re a high school grad that doesn’t wanna play overseas and risk going to Chinese prison for swiping some sweet shades, then the Big Baller Brand league is for you. Ya know until the NBA inevitably gets rid of the “One and Done” rule, then this league will collapse faster than an IKEA kitchen table.

Russian Olympic Team Hit With More Crushing Sanctions

By on • ( Leave a comment )

NPR – Russian athletes who compete in the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics must wear a simple logo that reads “Olympic Athlete from Russia” — and their uniforms can’t include other words or references to their home country, an International Olympic Committee panel said Wednesday.

The IOC’s Olympic Athlete from Russia Implementation Group released guidelines for uniforms, accessories and equipment two weeks after Russia was effectively banned from the upcoming Olympics because of a widespread and organized doping campaign.

That’ll teach ’em! I honestly don’t how Russia will ever recover from this humiliation. After running one of the most elaborate and sophisticated doping schemes in sports history, Russia has been totally banned from the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Of course, Russian athletes will still be permitted to participate in the games as independents. The IOC wouldn’t want to punish the athletes who signed up for steroids too late didn’t participate in the doping scheme. However, they will be allowed to compete only with severe restrictions. They will not be referred to as Russians; they will be referred to as “Athletes from Russia.” Huge distinction. Also, they will not be allowed to wear the color blue. They will only be allowed to display two of the three colors of the Russian flag. Incredibly demoralizing.

Tough but fair.

Image result for tough but fair saul goodman

Who negotiated this deal for the IOC? Saul Goodman? Team sports like ice hockey should be real a hoot.

“Who’s playing for the gold medal today. Is that Russia?”
“Nope! Just a group of guys who formed a team right before the games started, who all happened to be from Russia. What a coincidence!”

What a joke. Ban Russia entirely or admit that this is just one big charade. I WANT TO SEE PEOPLE UNDER PRESSURE!

The 300s Top 5 List of Who Should Replace John Skipper At ESPN

By on • ( Leave a comment )

As I am sure you have heard ESPN President John Skipper has stepped down due to all his male employees being perverts, declining ratings a substance addiction he wants to address. To that end, best of luck to him. Dougie is going to dive into the details of exactly what down at some point (it could be before or after this is posted, I don’t know, that’s our je ne sais quoi) but until then I figured I would take on the intriguing task of surmising who will be appointed to the helm of the Worldwide Leader In Sports. There is an endless list of viable candidates out there from the pedigree-perfect to the outside-the-box darkhorse types, so let’s check out a few of both, in no particular order.

1.) Drew Bledsoe

Wow, out of the gate a name no one expected. I know right now you think I’m pandering to the New England audience, those who giggle with nostalgia when they hear the name of the beloved 90’s Patriots QB1, but just stay with me here for a second. The fact of the matter is that both times Bledsoe was playing in a stable situation and got hurt and replaced, that back up became a star – in one case a franchise QB and in the other the GOAT. So the play here is to put Bledsoe in the driver’s seat but to promote, probably internally, a young gun into an EVP role so that when #11 becomes embroiled in scandal or has a lung collapse while he is walking from his office door to his desk chair, they’ll be ready to go and primed to become the greatest sports media exec of all time. Or Tony Romo

2.)Marissa Mayer

ESPN has been absolutely demonized lately as one of the worst places on earth for women to work. Just a horrifically misogynistic, sexist place. What better way to start rehabbing that image then to hire a female boss, and a well-known one at that. Now I know what you’re thinking, “But Joey B, Marissa Mayer drove Yahoo into the ground.” True, true she did, yes. But maybe if you surround her with a solid team of top flight subordinates to do things like “budgets” and “business strategy” the Engineer and Product Manager in Mayer could possibly create ESPN a future. Or maybe she’ll just tell everyone they can’t work from home anymore. Idk.

3.) Dana White

One of ESPN’s issues in terms of their declining ratings is that they are just completely out of touch with the newer generations. You know, my generation and the ones just younger than us. We mostly fall into two categories: those enraged with the student-loan soaked world our forefathers have left us with or those so fucking timid they need legit separate rooms at their college to hide in when they feel upset. Well, Dana White would solve the ESPN problem for the former. Instead of well thought out PR announcements and Capital-J Journalism strategies to address large and sometimes sensitive stories, DW would just yell, swear, and belittle Bristol back into the force of nature it once was.

4.) David Benioff and DB Weiss

Thissssss ones a stretch. These guys obviously have no executive experience. They actually don’t have any business experience as far I know. I mean if we’re going into “as far as I know” land they may not have any business acumen. These are the kind of naiveties we end up with when HBO gives two relative unknowns $50,000,000 and says “be cool if we got that back.” However we do know they have one thing: vision. They can depict battles. They can give us twists and turns. They can make incest seem romantic. Not only could they possibly give ESPN some future direction, but I’ve now talked myself into them being able to spin zone themselves out of any kind of quagmire they will undoubtedly be faced with. They might move a little slow though.

5.) The Mooch

This might seem to be low-hanging fruit but that just goes to show you how some bad press and a few satirical portrayals can cloud the other half of the story. Anthony Scaramucci has a BA from Tufts and his JD from Harvard (a lot of high-level folks in business get their JD, it’s just a good degree to have if you’re going to be on the exec level). He had a very successful career in investment banking and therefore is worth a fuck ton. He also is from the Met-NY/Tri-state area so would mesh well with the culture in Connecticut. There has been enough scandal in the Mooch’s life lately that he’d probably at least try to not do so much blow  lie low. There’s also sports fandom in his background, as he bought the jersey Piazza was wearing when he hit that national post-9/11 dinger and had it displayed in a couple of different spots including the Hall of Fame.

So there it is. A few candidates for the top job at ESPN which will inevitably go to someone from inside Disney. If that indeed becomes the case I vote for the guy who wrote and sang “You Got A Friend In Me” and all those other songs. At least shit will be happier over there.

 

Totally Uninformed Bowl Game Gambling Picks – Round 2

By on • ( Leave a comment )

A tough opening act for our bowl picks with three upsets on Saturday. The 300’s did call one of those upsets, though, with Boise State beating Oregon outright. With five games on the docket this week, we’ll look to get our heads above water.

Overall Bowl Record (2-3)

BOCA RATON BOWL Akron vs. Florida Atlantic – Dec. 19, 7 p.m. ET
I expect Florida Atlantic to roll, but can’t help but take the points. AKRON +22

FRISCO BOWL SMU vs. Louisiana Tech –  Dec. 20, 8 p.m. ET
Two middle of the pack teams, but SMU plays in a slightly better conference. SMU -4

GASPARILLA BOWL Temple vs. Florida International – Dec. 21, 8 p.m. ET
Florida International has more to prove and is playing closer to home. FIU +7

BAHAMAS BOWL UAB vs. Ohio – Dec. 22,  12:30 p.m. ET
UAB’s only loss since Halloween is to Florida. They feel like the better team at the moment and I expect them to cover. UAB +7.5

FAMOUS IDAHO POTATO BOWL Wyoming vs. Central Michigan – Dec. 22, 4 p.m. ET
It’s the blue turf bowl! Central Michigan has won five in a row while Wyoming has stumbled down the stretch. CENTRAL MICHIGAN +3

(All lines are from from the Westgate Las Vegas as of 12/19, except Wyoming vs. Central Michigan. I couldn’t find that line from Westgate, so that line is from Bovada.)

ESPN President John Skipper Resigns Citing Substance Addiction Issues

By on • ( 1 Comment )

ESPN – John Skipper resigned as president of ESPN and co-chairman of the Disney Media Networks on Monday. George Bodenheimer, ESPN’s president from 1998 to 2011 and its executive chairman until May 2014, will take over as the acting chairman of the company for the next 90 days to help Disney chairman and chief executive officer Bob Iger find Skipper’s replacement. “Today I have resigned from my duties as President of ESPN,” Skipper said in a statement. “I have had a wonderful career at the Walt Disney Company and am grateful for the many opportunities and friendships. I owe a debt to many, but most profoundly Michael Lynton, George Bodenheimer and Bob Iger. “I have struggled for many years with a substance addiction. I have decided that the most important thing I can do right now is to take care of my problem.

So John Skipper, the president of ESPN, resigned from his lofty position yesterday citing substance addiction issues. The guy with one of the most powerful positions in all of sports and media stepped down after literally signing a contract extension through 2021 last month. That is not normal.  I don’t mean to break out the jump to conclusions mat..

..but this all just seems to be coming at an odd time. More and more sexual abuse and harassment allegations continue to pile in every day and now we’re starting to see the movement entering the world of sports. Christ, theres an 800 page book I read about all the wild shit that went on at ESPN over the years.

Just this week we heard that Panthers owner Jerry Richardson was coming under fire for allegations of workplace misconduct against him, then the NFL took over the investigation, then the creepy details came out, and now he’s selling the team. That shit happened QUICK.

Think about that for a second. This is the NFL; the definition of the old boys club. There’s no young tech billionaire owner in the NFL like the NBA has in Mark Cuban. Its all old, rich, white guys who probably think they’re beyond reproach. Welp, its 2017 boys and its become real apparent, real quick to a lot of entitled rich guys like Richardson that ain’t the case anymore. Now we have P. Diddy coming out saying he wants to buy the Panthers.

This NEEDS to happen. Besides the fact that I could just post Chappelle’s Show clips of Making the Band all day, he would bring some much needed diversity into the club that is NFL owners. Diddy would bring a new voice as both a black man and a much younger perspective on everything from the racial issues of the league to the promotion of the product.

Back to Skipper though, it seems like this guy has been underwater for some time. That scathing Boston Globe piece came out last week slamming the Worldwide Leader for its workplace environment that was toxic to many women. Buccigross was the main fall guy in that piece as he was outed for sending overly flirty text messages and unsolicited shirt pics. Not on the level of some shit we’ve heard from Weinstein, but obviously wicked inappropriate. I don’t understand what these guys don’t get. When I’m at work I pretend everything I say and do will be recorded and used against me in the future. So just don’t try and fuck all your coworkers or be a weirdo in the office and you’ll be good. We’ve all got skeletons in our closet, but keep that shit in the closet at home.

We all of course remember the short lived Barstool Sports show with the Pardon My Take guys PFT and Big Cat that lasted all of one episode before ESPN cancelled it.

ESPN was taking heat from Sam Ponder and other female employees about the network associating with Barstool, which they were pissed about. What I don’t get is, you know what Barstool is about, you know what their audience is, you know there may be controversy, but you green light the show anyways. Then you pull the plug after one episode and some blowback from disgruntled parties? Either stick with your decision and give the show a chance to make it through some growing pains or just don’t do it at all. If Skipper and ESPN were so concerned with the negative reaction AND they were knowingly embroiled in behind the scenes legal battles with former employees regarding sexual harassment, then why not kick the can down the road and try the show later on? Its just poor management.

Hopefully Skipper gets whatever help he needs for his substance issue, but with the timeline of everything and more allegations making their way into the sports world I would not be surprised if we start hearing some less than flattering details leaking out sooner than later.

Minnesota Vikings Clinch NFC North, Fans More Concerned With Teddy Bridgewater

By on • ( Leave a comment )

Minneapolis StarTribune -Teddy Bridgewater roamed the sideline as the margin on the scoreboard grew wider and wider. Chants of “Ted-dy Ted-dy” started inside U.S. Bank Stadium…

Bridgewater has crossed many milestones in his recovery, but none more significant or rewarding than hearing his name called to enter an NFL game again…

When that moment arrived early in the fourth quarter, fans gave him a standing ovation so loud that Bridgewater placed his hands over his ear holes because he had trouble hearing the play-call inside his helmet…

The reaction in the stadium and along the Vikings sideline spoke to Bridgewater’s popularity. He remains a beloved figure inside the organization.

Minneapolis StarTribune – Teddy Bridgewater starting Week 17 could depend on Vikings’ playoff seeding.

Look, I get it. Teddy Bridgewater was supposed to be the next big thing for the Vikings. A first round pick, he went 17-11 in his first two seasons and guided the Vikings to the playoffs in just his second year. He would’ve won that playoff game, too, had the Vikings employed an adequate kicker.

Image result for blair walsh gif

He suffered a brutal injury before the 2016 season that cost him all of that season and most of the 2017 season. He seems like a good guy, doing the best he can to get back on the field and compete. I wish him the best.

But this is the NFL. It’s not for the sentimental. The show goes on. The Vikings are thisclose to a first round bye in a weak NFC. They have a great shot to make it to the Super Bowl, which as we all know is being held in Minneapolis in February. Even if they don’t make it to the Super Bowl, every playoff game they host screws over the NFL as it reduces the amount of time they have to get the stadium ready for the big game. I’d also pick the Patriots to beat them by about 40 points. What’s not to root for?

Case Keenum has had a great season. The third-stringer to start the year has gone 9-3, has completed 67.9% of his passes and has thrown 20 touchdowns and only 7 picks. Instead of rooting for Teddy to take the starting job back, why not enjoy the run you’re on? Dance with the one who brought you.

Keenum has long reminded me of Doug Flutie. Underrated and a bit unconvential. If the Vikings bench him for Teddy for the playoffs, the comparison will be even more appropriate. Vikings fans should read up on the 1999 Buffalo Bills. They had a similar situation that year and, spoiler alert, it hasn’t gone well for that franchise since. Of course, the Vikings would be better served looking at the 2001 Patriots for the proper way to handle this situation. When in doubt, do as Bill does.

The MMA World Has Lost A Quiet Legend – Robert Follis Passes Away

By on • ( Leave a comment )
Image result for robert follis

MMAJunkie – Robert Follis, a former coach at Team Quest and Xtreme Couture, is dead. His girlfriend, Myrna Fukuno, on Sunday confirmed the news via Facebook.

A cause of death was not revealed.

Former teammates, students, and MMA industry vets paid tribute to the coach on social media. In message after message, they spoke glowingly of him as a mentor and a friend who drew great joy from helping others.

Really sad news. For the many who didn’t, and still don’t, know who Robert Follis is, he was simply one of the better pure MMA coaches out there. He was known for, among other things, not just training his fighters techniques to win a cage fight, but also teaching them to hone their mind, to mine confidence from within themselves – which as you can see from the many tributes to him on social media left a huge impact on some of the biggest names in the sport.

Follis got his start at Team Quest, the vaunted gym started by Matt Lindland and Dan Henderson. Although he was seen as primarily a grappling-based coach, he had been quick in the past to note he was first and foremost “an MMA Coach” -his passion was blending the plethora of martial arts that go in Mixed Martial Arts and manipulating them into working together. He did that with great success both at Team Quest and then at Xtreme Couture, where until he departed this fall he was the go-to guy for among others, recent 155lb title challenger Kevin Lee.

I’ve known who Robert Follis was for awhile and in my humble, blogger opinion he always deserved so much respect because not only was he that good of a coach, but he did it in anonymity. He wasn’t a Vasquez or Kavanaugh or another “name brand” coach, not that there is anything wrong with that. It just takes a certain level of humility to put in the work he did on behalf of his fighters without ever really being recognized for it.

So crack a beer or better yet, go for a roll and some sparring for Robert Follis today. RIP.

Totally Uninformed Bowl Game Gambling Picks – Round 1

By on • ( Leave a comment )

College football bowl season kicks off tomorrow with five games on the docket. This year’s bowl season will feature 40 games, culminating with the College Football Playoff National Championship game on January 8.

We here at The 300s aren’t experts on all 130 Division I Football Bowl Subdivision teams, but we have wasted more Saturday afternoons in October than we care to admit. So if your fantasy football season was a train wreck, jump on our train as we pick every game this bowl season. After all, what the hell else will there be to watch on TV the day after Christmas? Might as well make things interesting.

(All lines are from from the Westgate Las Vegas.)

NEW ORLEANS BOWL Troy vs. North Texas
Troy has won six games in a row and is 5-1 away from home this season. Meanwhile North Texas is 3-4 on the road and coming off a loss in their conference championship game. TROY -7

CURE BOWL  Georgia State vs. Western Kentucky
Bit of a toss up here, so I’ll go with the team with the better passing attack. WESTERN KENTUCKY +6.5

LAS VEGAS BOWL Oregon vs. No. 25 Boise State
The Mountain West champs are getting points. Also, Oregon went 0-3 against ranked teams this season, never losing by less than three touchdowns.  BOISE STATE +7

NEW MEXICO BOWL Marshall vs. Colorado State
Marshall has lost four of tits last five games and has to travel across the country to take on Colorado State. COLORADO STATE -5.5

CAMELLIA BOWL Middle Tennessee vs. Arkansas State
Arkansas State is coming off a tough loss but is the better team. ARKANSAS STATE -4

Friday Morning Randomness

By on • ( Leave a comment )

As a kid I always dreamed of going on Double Dare and crushing the famed obstacle course. If this happened to me on the Double Dare obstacle course I probably would have died of embarrassment. This video might be the most awkward 60 seconds of television you see today and one of the meanest pranks ever played one someone.

Its Official: Disney Has Bought FOX for $52 BILLION. So What Does That Mean for the Avengers and X-Men?

By on • ( 2 Comments )

Yahoo – After weeks of rumors, the deal is done — Disney will buy up large chunks of Rupert Murdoch’s Fox media empire for $52 billion. The list of what it won’t take is shorter: the Fox News cable channel, broadcast networks and Fox Sports, which are expected to spin off as their own business. The Disney conglomerate adds the Fox movie and TV studios (including big-name franchises like X-Men, Avatar,Alien and The Simpsons), it now has majority control of Hulu, cable channels like FX/FXX and more.

Thats Billion with a B. I’m always a little surprised when giant acquisitions like this actually go through with all the concerns around monopolies. Remember when DraftKings and FanDuel announced a merger last year? Well the United States government disagreed and basically nixed that entire deal. Whoops!

Now onto what everyone cares about from this gigantic deal; the X-Men are finally back under the Marvel umbrella via Disney. It remains to be seen what exactly Disney and Marvel will do with Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, but I am stoked for potential crossovers down the line (and maybe a Fantastic Four movie that doesn’t blow goats).

Its probably a little too late in the game to expect any current X-Men to show up in Avengers 3 or 4 as they bring Phase 1 to an end. Sure, maybe there’s some easter eggs or brief cameos thrown in, but X-Men has a ton of shit already going on they probably need to handle first. There’s the upcoming “Dark Phoenix” movie with my girl Sansa Stark seemingly taking the reigns of the franchise as X-Men does a second take on Jean Grey’s Phoenix character, which they royally fucked up in X-Men 3. *shutters*

Phoenix is slated for a November 2018 release. I haven’t seen much about that one yet, but I’m a huge fan of the X franchise so I’m always juiced for a new one. They’re not always critically acclaimed, but they always do their own thing and take some chances rather than rolling out the same old storylines. They did an entire movie around time travel for christ’s sake in “Days of Future Past.”

There’s also the incredibly intriguing spinoff/horror movie “The New Mutants” coming out in 2018, which the director has already hinted at being a trilogy.

The one thing that does worry me about this acquisition though is Marvel hitting the wrap it up box on the current X-Men universe before rebooting them AGAIN.

Disney/Marvel was not shy about rebooting Spiderman and introducing a third Peter Parker in less than 10 years.

Granted, the GOAT X-Men Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman is allegedly retired from the game so people probably wouldn’t cry too hard if Marvel went in another direction with a new flock of mutants.

Also, good luck fixing some of the inconsistencies that already exist now that both studios are under one roof; most notably the fact that there are two Quicksilvers. One, played by Aaron Taylor Johnson who (spoiler) got gatted in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Then there’s the FOX version of Quicksilver, Evan Peters, who is still alive and well.

So that character will either require some rickety duct tape explanation for being alive (and deciding which actor will actually play him) or he’ll most likely just get kicked to the curb, which is a shame.

I’m sure there are more of these inconsistencies as FOX owned the rights to X-Men, but not all of the individual X-Men characters, which is why garbage spin off shows with fringe mutants like The Gifted and Inhumans even existed in the first place.

All I ask is that the executives over at the Mouse don’t neuter Deadpool. It took years of Ryan Reynolds campaigning to get that movie made the way it was made and it was a goddamn mega-hit. Don’t fix what ain’t broke.

Now give me a Magneto vs Iron Man battle ASAP.