Random sports thoughts

Just a few random few thoughts from events of the last few weeks

• I’ll start with baseball and get that out of the way. I don’t think I’ve seen a sport (even fringe) completely disappear from the main target audience quite like MLB. The level of apathy is so deep, I’m not sure MLB will really truly recover. All the resources out there to market the best players in the game and MLB is still stuck in a time warp of 1980s. As much as we bitch about commissioners and ownership in the other professional leagues, nothing is bad like the MLB. Good luck remaining relevant!
• The Cavs are still hanging around despite some injuries and the rest of the elite teams actually trying hard. I don’t think the Cavs slide is an indictment. They are a year ahead of schedule and with a young core that has several years together before contracts might break it up, there is still a lot of time to develop and become a contender. This team still has warts and will need better FAs and some draft capital, but its at least a fun season and not a mirage. We are too close to the end of the season for this to be a mirage. The standings are taking form as most originally expected. Cavs are overachieving, but they are in the bottom tier of contention, which we expected them to be, if everyone was honest. Quite frankly I expected them to be in this position last year.
• I think the Browns will attack FA and draft heavily on the offensive side of the ball. Much like they did last year on defense, I think they will make some surprising moves to get playmakers on that side and tell Baker ‘here you go, don’t crash it’. As of this writing, Njoku got franchise tagged so Hooper is gone (good riddance) and they will replace him via draft. I think the Browns also get four new receivers, two in FA and two in draft. The WR room will be a lot different. Only DPJ and Schwartz will be returning guys. I see draft going receiver, d-lineman, receiver with first three picks. This team is still close in contention, but needs playmakers badly. The next two months should be a dandy.
• Ohio State basketball is in another rut. Unlike football not many fans care enough. I’ve written and said before, Chris Holtmann is Thad Matta 2.0 and that can be good, but its really more of the same. Guards on team can’t shoot. Very few playmakers who aren’t consistent enough. No real big man, and most importantly, no real identity. There’s talk of the ‘great recruiting class’ but that’s been written at least every year after Holtmann’s 1st year as coach. Ohio St can be incredible at basketball the way they are with football. The resources are there and then some. No excuse to lose in basketball to Rutgers or Nebraska, and especially the Team up North who doesn’t have their coach. Very underwhelming and I imagine if there are early exits in both Big 10 tourney and NCAA tourney, Gene Smith may have some decisions to make.
• The NFL combine always cracks me up every year, because it means very little in full player evaluation. I think people just like seeing dudes compete super athletic feats because that is what the combine is, if we are being honest. Anyways, no hating, but seeing all videos of a dude running super fast, when he already does that, is just weird and funny I guess.
• Loved seeing Duke lose in Coach K’s last home game ever. Never liked that team, always classless and arrogant, and UNC played great in the second half. The whole week long infatuation and tease was nauseating. The dude coaches 18–22 year olds in a sport, stop treating it like he’s inventing cures for sickness. The glorification of college coaches in general is gross and this was just stupid. ESPN and Duke deserved that loss. Don’t tell me UNC wasn’t motivated by all that BS and wanted to beat them badly.