Photo from Google Images
Even though we are currently living in a world with no sports and required to social distance, the show must go on! The live, virtual 2020 NFL Draft sounded like a technical disaster. Surprisingly, it was great! Thursday’s first round picks we saw a more formal Roger Goodell and thankfully the production crew didn’t leave out the fan “booooo’s” for him. By Saturday, Goodell was chilling in his basement recliner looking like he was about to read us all a bedtime story and that huge jar of M&M’s next to him was almost empty.
I will never understand why ESPN still puts Booger McFarland on the air. There was too much Mel Keper Jr. for my liking on ESPN’s coverage. ABC’s lineup with Rece Davis, Jesse Palmer, Maira, Taylor, Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard felt just like watching College Game Day. ABC’s team has covered the players for their entire college careers and they actually know what they are talking about.
The SEC remained dominate, again. For the 14th consecutive year, the SEC had more players drafted than any other conference in the country. 13 of the 14 SEC teams had players drafted. (Way to-go, Ole Miss.) The power five conference break down;
SEC: 63,
B1G: 48,
AC 12: 32
ACC: 27
Big 12: 21
The National Champions, the LSU Tigers, finished the Draft with 14 total draft picks tied for the most in NFL Draft history (cough, 2004 Ohio State).
The University of Tennessee’s, DE/OLB, Darrell Taylor was drafted in the second round at #48 by the Seattle Seahawks. The San Francisco 49er’s got the biggest steal of the 2020 Draft with WR Jauan Jennings at the 217th pick. His raw physical tools are a coaches dream, if they can coach a Pitbull. ESPN overused the “tragic storyline” for players drafted, but they left off of “Had to play for Butch Jones” on both Taylor and Jennings’s players summary screen shots.
The more intimate footage of the coaches, GM’s and player homes and families this year was great. One topic that was not covered is the relationship status of Arizona’s Head Coach, Kliff Kingsbury. I need an update and I would like to know where I can apply for that job.
Episodes three and four of ESPN’s documentary on Michael Jordan aired on Sunday and again, it was fantastic TV. The short shorts and the sheer poundings those players took in the 1980’s & 1990’s reflects just how soft the current NBA game is today. How did the NBA get so soft?
Dennis Rodman is a weird MF-er. Fun fact: I was checking in at a hotel in LA and in walks Rodman with a camera crew. He’s taller than his 6’7 stature when he is wearing platform shoes. All 5’0 of me could barely see over the hotel check in counter. He stood next to me and we both looked at each other and he said something like ‘you are a shorty’ and I could only respond with ‘nice hoops’. I was sarcastically referring to all of the hoop piercings he had in his face. The hotel manager quickly greeted him and took him and the camera crew up the elevator. The guy checking me in had no clue who he was but said they were filming “some Michael Jordan movie”. It’s safe to stay “nice hoops” didn’t make it to the final cut of The Last Dance.
Watching how Phil Jackson was able to coach Rodman is impressive. Jackson’s understood that coaching isn’t a one-size fits all mentality and that is why he has coached 11 NBA Championship teams. I’m still amazed by the physical-ness of the NBA back then. ESPN, play more of those games right now. There is no way there can still be an MJ vs. LBJ debate. LeBron, as great as he is, would have been eaten alive by the Bad Boy Pistons. The game footage of how physical they played in the 80’s and 90’s is incredible, incredible!
I won’t tell you how many times I hit stop-rewind-play on Horace Grant calling the Pistons “straight up bitches”. That was the deepest insult back in the day? Times sure have changed because now everything is insulting. One thing that won’t change is my laughter every time I hear “straight up bitches”. (Sorry, Mom. It’s funny.)
Carmen Electra is still a smoke show!