No more NBA/NHL means it's time for college football

It's official, the NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Playoffs have both commenced. Which means one thing and one thing only: it's college football season, baby! How does everyone feel about that??






Now we've still got over two months until kickoff, and there's plenty that still needs to be determined, so I'm just going to verbally vomit about anything college football related in an unorganized fashion. At least I'm being honest with you.

Some big news out of Gainesville, Florida as former Notre Dame quarterback Malik Zaire recently announced his plans to be a Gator as a graduate transfer. Zaire's journey has been an interesting one, as his high hopes from a few years ago were shot down by a broken ankle and DeShone Kizer's ability to capitalize on a great opportunity.

It's a bit of an odd case with Zaire because although he didn't win his job back after recovering from injury, we all know he has talent. At one point, it was very apparent that Zaire had both talent and extreme confidence. I'm interested to see if there are any alterations to his confidence after the way the last few years have played out for him. I mean, I'm a huge Kizer guy, losing your starting job to him is actually understandable. But only recording 23 pass attempts for a 4-8 team just has to diminish your swagger a bit.

Due to injury and a lost starting job, we have a pretty small sample size of Zaire's on-the-field performance. One of his more memorable games was when he and Everett Golson (another former Irish QB that transferred to a Florida school) traded reps in the 2014 Music City Bowl against LSU. Zaire went 12-15 for 96 yards and a touchdown through the air, while also rushing for 96 yards and a touchdown. It's worth noting that this was against an SEC defense, something Zaire will have to face (at least) nine times this year.


Zaire is by far the most athletic QB on the Gators' depth chart, and he can really sling the ball, but his accuracy isn't particularly consistent. It's also important to think about of Zaire's game has built up any rust over the last few seasons.

Following the Gators' spring game in April, redshirt freshman Feleipe Franks was considered to be QB1. Franks went 8 for 14 passing, totaling 119 yards and a touchdown. His squad came out on top 31-0.



It's pretty clear that Franks is more of a pro-style quarterback than Zaire, and to me it seems like he has a good head on his shoulders. He seems confident yet humble. I think what it will come down to is whether Jim McElwain thinks Zaire is good enough to stunt the long-term investment in Franks. Is it worth depriving Franks of reps and ultimate growth in order to roll the dice on Zaire being the guy that will make the 2017 season a special one? At the end of the day, whoever is starting under center for the Gators, I have a feeling that the 2017 season's ceiling is getting rolled by the Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship Game.....again.

Onto the next random thought: with the format of the College Football Playoff being a four team tournament, it is impossible for every Power Five conference to be represented in the Playoff. There's always the possibility of seeing two teams from the same conference in the Playoff, which would leave out two Power Five conferences, but that is a scenario we have yet to see.

In the 2014 season, it was the Big 12 that missed out on the big dance (Playoff teams: Alabama, Ohio State, Oregon, Florida State). In 2015, the Pac 12 watched the CFP from the couch (Playoff teams: Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma, Michigan State). And last season, the Big 12 was absent from the playoff picture again, while we saw Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State, and Washington on the big stage. So which conference will be left out of the Playoff this year? And that's assuming we won't see two teams from the same conference because I think it's a pretty unlikely scenario.

Although there have only been three editions of the College Football Playoff, there's a noticeable trend: it's either the Big 12 or the Pac 12 that misses out on the action. And I think I have a simple answer as to why this trend exists: the Big 12 and the Pac 12 are the bottom two of the Power Five Conferences. The SEC, ACC, and BIG 10 just have more firepower. So which conference's grand prize will be a bowl game outside of the playoff? I'm thinking it's the Pac 12's year to get into the final four.

USC, Washington, Stanford, and Washington State are all supposed to be legit this year. The Pac 12 has some great depth. However, sometimes a conference depth can eat itself up, dishing multiple losses to each team, making the regular season résumé seem a little less qualified.

I know I openly hate the Big 12 a lot of the time, and I'm trying not to be biased I swear. But I just don't see a Big 12 team making it into the Playoff. The conference's top contender is probably Oklahoma State, who I will admit looks pretty damn good so far. I'd be an absolute lunatic to deny how good Mason Rudolph is. Not to mention "Mason Rudolph" is an A+ name for a QB.

You've also got the Big 12's usual suspect Oklahoma in the mix, but since Bob Stoops stepped down as head coach it's tough to get a read on how the young buck Lincoln Riley will do with a roster that has lost plenty of talented skill players. Kansas State, West Virginia, and Texas are also expected to have good seasons in 2017, but let's be honest, we will not be seeing any of them in the final four. If anything, these teams will celebrate an upset and ruin the chances of Oklahoma/Oklahoma State's playoff chances. I firmly believe we'll see the Longhorns there in a few short years, but Tom Herman will need some time adjusting the roster to his type of recruits.

Last but certainly not least, Rest In Peace to Kent State offensive lineman Tyler Heintz, who passed away Tuesday morning after a team workout. The cause of his death is currently unknown. Obviously an extremely unfortunate occurrence. Heintz was an incoming freshman, and this was his first week on campus for summer classes/practices. It's always scary for parents sending their child away to college, but no parent expects such an immediate and horrible tragedy. Truly a shame.

Anyways, that's what college football ramblings I've got for now. Stay tuned for more posts now that the season is nearing. Just feels good to have discussion around the sport that actually feels relevant again. In the mean time, get hype:

Envisioning "Homer at the Bat," 25 years later

Last weekend, the Baseball Hall of Fame honored The Simpsons episode "Homer at the Bat," a third season classic in which Mr. Burns hires ringers to play for the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant's softball team.

The episode originally aired on Feb. 20, 1992, so it's the 25th anniversary of the original airing this year.

Rather remarkable on a number of levels. The episode still holds up really well, based on the original 10-man lineup. There's three players already inducted into the Hall of Fame themselves, two players currently managing MLB teams, and a whole lot of steroid accusations.

The Simpsons just wrapped up its 28th season, certainly remarkable in its own right. Most say the show entered its decline phase in the late '90s; I personally say it was watchable up until 2004 or so, and once beefed with Simpsons twitter over such. Either way, the show has lasted quite some time.

Remaking episodes, movies, etc. can always be dicey. So what I put together is more of an idea of what players the Simpsons writing staff would try to secure for such an episode if it were to be made today. It's not necessarily the all-star team, but it's not the San Diego Padres opening day lineup, either.

The best part of the original, of course, is the odd ailments which befall all of the ringers (save for one, before he's replaced by Homer as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the ninth.)

Not every ailment/incident was necessarily indicative of what the players were like in real life. Some were, some weren't, but they were all hilarious. So I've made my best attempt at determining the best way each player would meet their demise in the 2017 version of "Homer at the Bat," using mainly traits from the players in real life - but also incorporating Simpsons characters into the skits.

Here's your starting lineup for the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant as it gets set to take on Shelbyville.

Catcher: Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants
Original episode: Mike Scoscia, Los Angeles Dodgers

Posey, truly, is maybe the only recognizable name to casual fans at catcher right now. Yadier Molina's last name certainly is, and if it were just last season, renowned weenie AJ Pierzynski would be an A-plus candidate for this spot, but he's since retired.

Posey is in the news lately, too, for kind of sort of maybe not having Hunter Strickland's back when he drilled Bryce Harper?

Demise: During a practice open to the public, Posey decides not to partake in a brawl after Harper is hit during batting practice. Fat Tony happens to see Posey's actions, deems him a rat, and does what Fat Tony does best.

First base: Carlos Santana, Cleveland Indians
Original episode: Don Mattingly, New York Yankees

For as deep as first base is, there are very few "characters" at the position. You've got some washed up big names like Albert Pujols and Joe Mauer, you've got uber-talented guys like Paul Goldschmidt and Joey Votto who no one really knows about, the recently-retired David Ortiz who I'd qualify at first, and you've got very good players like an Anthony Rizzo, Eric Hosmer and Edwin Encarnacion, just to name a few more...

...Santana is about as middle of the road as it gets; a genuinely good player who recently played in the World Series, but casual fans probably won't know who he is. Frankly, I'm not sure I've ever seen an interview with him.

Having said all that, everyone knows who Carlos Santana is.

Oye come va indeed. 

Demise: Mr. Burns confuses himself, thinking he'd recruited the Carlos Santana as seen above, to play the national anthem. Furious that this Carols Santana can't sing, Burns sends him home in a rage. He asks Smithers if a "Big Papi" is still available, but Waylon replies that "Mr. Ortiz seems to be retired, sir."

Second base: Jose Altuve, Houston Astros
Original episode: Steve Sax, Chicago White Sox

Coin toss between Altuve and Dustin Pedroia, but I'm going with Altuve because I want to see him standing next to another ringer Mr. Burns brings in (seen below. You'll know what I mean.)

Altuve is listed at 5-foot-6, but I'm skeptical he's even that tall. Nevertheless, he can hit, and America better get used to the Houston Astros. They are prettay, prettay, prettay, prettay good. Best record in baseball as we wake up on the first day in June.

Demise: Altuve, wearing lifts, sneaks into Itchy & Scratchy Land to make minimum height for all of the good rides. But he takes his lifts off while on a roller coaster and, well...gets launched quite a long way.

Third base: Adrian Beltre, Texas Rangers
Original episode: Wade Boggs, Boston Red Sox

Duplicating Wade Boggs wouldn't be easy. Guys who slam 60 beers on a cross country flight don't exactly grow on trees. But Beltre does have an endearing quality of his own: his penchant for freaking out when someone touches his head.

Beltre, it would seem, does not have the greatest sense of humor about his head being touched. But fortunately, it would only be an animated version of himself suffering. Maybe he'd go for that one. Maybe.

Demise: How about Hans Moleman is stuck in a sewer hole or something, and Beltre lifts him out of the crevice. As Beltre holds the diminutive Moleman up, Hans goes to pat him on the head to thank him for his rescue; unfortunately, Beltre does not take kindly to the gratitude and proceeds to send Moleman back into the sewer - just as Chief Wiggum & Co. arrive, giving the order to "take him away, boys."

Shortstop: Addison Russell, Chicago Cubs
Original episode: Ozzie Smith, St. Louis Cardinals

I mean, do you have a better idea? There are better shortstops playing (Corey Seager, Carlos Correa, Francisco Lindor, to name a few) but unless you're a big baseball guy, you probably had to look up who they all played for. Or who they are at all. Let's face it, the power vacuum at short with Jeter retired is bigger than the gap of meth distribution in the greater Albuquerque area after Heisenberg offed Gus Fring.

But Russell is the choice for a few reasons: he played on the team that somewhat famously won the World Series last year, he has an affinity for iconic animation, as Jess Mendoza taught us on Sunday Night Baseball earlier this season, and he'll only require a line or two. He's somewhat of an introvert, judging by his Pardon My Take appearance. Not every guest star has to be a loudmouth.

Demise: Gotta be something to do with Pokemon. Let's say Russell is playing "Pokemon Go" and doesn't look both ways before crossing the street and Snake hits him as he's driving a get-away car.

Left field: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
Original episode: Jose Canseco, Oakland Athletics

You need a Yankee if you're going to make this work, and who better right now than Aaron Judge? He has a legit chance to become just the third player ever to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season (Fred Lynn, Ichiro). He's bigger than Rob Gronkowski, standing 6-foot-6, 285 pounds. His last name is 'Judge.' Somewhat amazing he's not a bigger folk hero already.

Demise: Pretty sure the Simpsons writing staff could have some fun with the 'judge' thing here. Aaron could be walking by the Springfield Municipal Courthouse, hear someone call out for Judge Constance Harm but mistake the cue as someone calling for him, and he gets roped into becoming a judge for the day, unable to attend the big game vs. Shelbyville.

Center field: Bryce Harper, Montreal Expos Washington Nationals
Original episode: Ken Griffey Jr., Seattle Mariners

Harper is technically a corner outfielder, but you can't do the episode without the most electric player in the game. Harper gets the nod over Mike Trout because Trout is, well, boring. Harper swears at umps, shows up pitchers, charges the mound, admonishes reporters by remarking "that's a clown question, bro," and will probably be a Yankee in two years. Plenty to love to hate about all of that.

Demise: People forget that Harper is a practicing Mormon, and abstains from alcohol. So let's have him get in a fight with Barney Gumble at Moe's Tavern, just like Boggs in the original.

Right field: Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays
Original episode: Darryl Strawberry, Los Angeles Dodgers

Two words: bat flip. People absolutely hate Joey Bats for one reason or another, which is even more fascinating because he plays in Toronto. Imagine if he played for the Yankees or Red Sox? He'd be the bad boy of baseball on an even larger scale.

Is Bats self aware enough to be part of the joke of appearing on the show? He seems to have slowed his Twitter activity a bit...although if I'm not mistaken, his cover photo is him right after the bat flip heard 'round the world against Texas in the 2015 ALDS.

Demise: Easy. Bats is finishing up his meal at Krusty Burger. Satisfied, he goes to emphatically flip his trash into the waste bin, but misfires and knocks lighter fluid into a deep fryer, causing the building to engulf in flames.

Pitcher: Chris Sale, Boston Red Sox
Original episode: Roger Clemens, Boston Red Sox

This was a hard choice between Sale and Madison Bumgarner, undoubtedly two of the top five or so pitchers in the game today. Each pitcher comes with their quirks, as well as recent incidents that could undoubtedly be made fun of on the show: Sale's uniform incident and Bumgarner's dirt bike mishap. I'll go with Sale solely for this idea...

Demise: Did you see the uniforms the Springfield team had to wear in the original episode? If I know Chris Sale like I think I do, he would not be okay with those. So he'll take his scissors to the uniforms again, drawing the ire of Mr. Burns, but also slicing his left thumb in the process, leaving him unable to pitch.

Another question down the line: could the 2017 edition of the Springfield ringers beat the 1992 version? Only time will tell.

I am DONE with Drew Pomeranz

Okay, not exactly an earth-shattering taek, but it bears repeating.

I missed most of the Red Sox game yesterday, but caught a few of the middle innings on the radio. Must've been the fifth inning when I tuned in, and surprise, surprise, Drew Pomeranz was already done after four.

Pomeranz has pitched into the seventh inning exactly once in his eight starts this season, way back on April 11. He failed to record an out in said seventh inning.

Again, none of this is newsworthy per se. Call it revisionist history all you want...but what exactly did Dave Dombrowski see in Drew Pomeranz? Almost a year later, we're waiting to see for ourselves.

There's a reason the Red Sox are Pomeranz's fifth organization since being drafted fifth overall in 2010. There's a reason his original team, the Cleveland Indians, dealt him little more than a year later to the Rockies. There's a reason Colorado, where pitching might as well be synonymous with the Loch Ness Monster, gave up on him after two-plus years at Coors Field. There's a reason Oakland, who acquired Pomeranz in December 2013, sent him packing two years later.

And there's sure as hell a reason the San Diego Padres, who don't exactly have the payroll of their southern California counterparts, who have had just four starting pitchers make the All-Star team since 2000, who had Pomeranz under a reasonable contract through 2019, gave up on him.

Of course, Drew Pomeranz is about the flukiest all-star since Steven Wright. Picture Dr. Evil quoting "all-star" whenever you think of Pomeranz as such. Guy had half a good season and suddenly he's worth your top pitching prospect, Anderson Espinoza?

Did Dombrowski think that the Red Sox organization was just the cure for Pomeranz's ails? That this consistently inconsistent enigma of a pitcher would flourish under the Boston method?

The jury remains out and then some on Espionoza, still just 19 years old. He might become Pedro Martinez, he might become Felix Doubront. Who knows.

But let's say Dombrowski saw something in Pomeranz, just 27 at the time of his acquisition. Let's say Dombrowski believed Pomeranz hadn't yet reached the height of his potential, which isn't impossible. Late bloomers do exist. Take a look at Jake Arrieta on the Cubs, for example.

However, giving up on Espinoza means there'll be another lengthy wait until the next serviceable homegrown pitching prospect arrives at Fenway.

This is hardly a problem unique to the Red Sox, but it has been 10 years since you can honestly say a Red Sox pitching prospect 'made it' with the club. You wanna know who that someone is?

That's right, the Red Sox haven't truly developed a starting pitcher from their own system since the Bullfrog. Before that it was Jon Lester -- who, by the way, wore No. 31 for the Red Sox, the same number Pomeranz was issued. But that is another story for another time.

There's different ways to acquire starting pitching. The Red Sox have had exponentially more success this millennium signing pitchers in free agency or acquiring them than developing them through their own farm system.

By that logic, fine, giving up on Espinoza for someone on the outside makes sense. But we're not talking about Curt Schilling, Josh Beckett, Rick Porcello, Chris Sale or any other pitcher the Red Sox have acquired via trade in recent memory.

We're talking about Drew freaking Pomeranz. I truly wish there were a way he and "Manager John" could just stay in Oakland this weekend and never comeback. Because this Red Sox team is circling the drain and we're not even out of the conference finals in the NBA or NHL playoffs. Even the 2012 team hung on into July before things really went south under the current athletic director of Sacred Heart University (look it up).

Pomeranz has been an abject failure. In a similar manner to his frustrating predecessor Clay Buchholz, it's likely he's going to continue to get chance after chance because the alternatives -- failed prospects Henry Owens or Brian Johnson, or journeymen like Kyle Kendrick -- just may, in fact, be worse.

His trade value is less than zero at the moment. Designating Pomeranz for assignment makes little sense at this juncture, but then again, neither does moving him to the bullpen. People forget it was Pomeranz, in relief of Buchholz, who served up a gopher ball to Coco Crisp in Game 3 of the 2016 ALDS to really put the Red Sox in a hole and send David Ortiz into retirement.

My best idea for Pomeranz? Give the Mets a call and offer Pomeranz and a boatload of cash for Matt Harvey. What could possible go wrong with Pomeranz and his injury history and the Mets training staff? Harvey is nothing more than a name at this point; the Mets need to cut bait with him pretty desperately as well.

Believe it or not, Harvey has been worse than Pomeranz this year. He's 2-3 with a 5.56 ERA and a 31-22 K-BB ratio; Pomeranz is 3-3 with a 4.97 ERA and a 45-16 K-BB ratio.

Trading for a pitcher who's performed worse than Pomeranz makes little sense. But then again, neither did acquiring him in the first place. One might say that for as much as there's a reason Pomeranz is on his fifth organization, there's a reason Dave Dombrowski is now on his fourth as a general manager.

Markelle Fultz: Buyer Beware?

I remember it like it was yesterday. The year was 2007, the Celtics had the second-worst record in the NBA, and I even created this group on Facebook back when that was a thing. I was posted up in my living room for the lottery, and as the No. 5 overall pick was unveiled for the Celts, I distinctly recall rolling off of my couch in disgust.

You know the rest. Losing out on a top-2 pick persuaded Danny Ainge to trade for Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, yada yada yada.

Fast forward to last night, roughly 10 years to the day, for the most important lottery for the Celtics since that fateful night in '07. Wouldn't you know it, the ping pong balls popped a different way and all of a sudden, no team in recent memory is playing with house money quite like the Celtics are. Getting swept by the Cavs will barely merit a paragraph in sports sections across the region as Boston turns it's eyes towards that No. 1 overall pick, who I keep hearing should be Markelle Fultz.

If you're thinking to yourself "huh, I remember watching a lot of the NCAA Tournament this year, seeing great games like URI vs. Creighton, but I don't remember seeing any game featuring this Fultz guy..." you wouldn't be wrong.

Fultz played for the Washington Huskies (9-22, 2-16 Pac-12). Eleventh out of 12 is where the Huskies finished in their league, in a league that wasn't exactly your Big East of the glory days.

Fultz was simply outstanding, averaging 23.2 points per game, 5.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists. He was basically Jackie Moon, floundering away on a sad sack team. A team so bad that it cost Lorenzo Romar, who'd been at the school since 2002, his job.

The question is...why was Fultz at Washington to begin with? He said here, among other places, it was his close relationship with Romar. 

Fair. It's not like the Huskies were Fultz's lone option; he had offers from a myriad of perennial powers including Arizona, Cincinnati, Florida St., Georgetown, Kansas, Louisville, Maryland, Memphis, Miami (Fla.), NC St., Oklahoma St., Penn St., South Carolina, UConn, UNC, USC, 

Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, West Virginia and Xavier.

So it's pretty clear Fultz had his pick of the litter in choosing schools. By my count, all but five of the above schools qualified for the NCAA Tournament last year.

Precedent was set one draft ago that missing out on the NCAA Tournament doesn't matter in the eyes of certain NBA executives when evaluating potential top picks, as the Philadelphia 76ers took Ben Simmons out of LSU (19-14, 11-7 SEC). 

Simmons was injured in the preseason and ultimately missed the entire year for the Sixers, so the grade remains somewhat incomplete on that pick.

But going back in the annals of draft history - in both the one-and-done era and yesteryear - you'd be hard pressed to find a No. 1 overall pick who hailed from a team that performed as badly as Fultz's Huskies this year. Take a look below; I'll go all the way back the last 25 years with No. 1 picks and their team results, excluding high school and international picks:

2015: Karl-Anthony Towns, Kentucky

Team result: 38-1; Lost in Final Four

2014: Andrew Wiggins, Kansas

Team result: 25-10; Lost in second round of NCAA Tournament

2013: Anthony Bennett, UNLV

Team result: 25-10; Lost in first round of NCAA Tournament

2012: Anthony Davis, Kentucky

Team result: 38-2; Won National Championship

2011: Kyrie Irving, Duke

Team result: 32-5; Lost in Sweet 16

2010: John Wall, Kentucky

Team result: 35-3; Lost in Elite 8

2009: Blake Griffin, Oklahoma

Team result: 30-6; Lost in Elite 8

2008: Derrick Rose, Memphis

Team result: 38-2; Lost in National Championship

2007: Greg Oden, Ohio State

Team result: 35-4; Lost in National Championship

2006: Andrea Bargnani, International

2005: Andrew Bogut, Utah

Team result: 29-6; Lost in Sweet 16

2004: Dwight Howard, High School

2003: LeBron James, High School

2002: Yao Ming, International

2001: Kwame Brown, High School

2000: Kenyon Martin, Cincinnati 

Team result: 29-4; Lost in second round of NCAA Tournament

1999: Elton Brand, Duke

Team result: 37-2; Lost in National Championship

1998: Michael Olowokandi, Pacific University

Team result: 23-10; Missed NCAA Tournament

1997: Tim Duncan, Wake Forst

Team result: 24-7: Lost in second round of NCAA Tournament

1996: Allen Iverson, Georgetown

Team result: 29-8; Lost in Elite 8

1995: Joe Smith, Maryland

Team result: 26-8; Lost in Sweet 16

1994: Glenn Robinson, Purdue

Team result: 29-5; Lost in Elite 8

1993: Chris Webber, Michigan

Team result: 31-5; Lost in National Championship

1992: Shaquille O'Neal, LSU

Team result: 21-10; Lost in second round of NCAA Tournament

1991: Larry Johnson, UNLV

Team result: 34-1; Lost in Final Four

You get the idea. Everyone with the exception of Ben Simmons and the immortal Michael Olowokandi led their teams to at least the second round of the NCAA tournament in their final (only) collegiate campaigns.

Now you're probably thinking "uh hey Lev, you realize Anthony Bennett and some of these other stiffs never amounted to squat in the NBA, right?" 

Glad you asked. Of the above list, lets call Bennett, Oden, Brown and Olowokandi busts. You can call several others disappointing (Barganini, Smith, perhaps Bogut), but for the sake of this argument, the four above unquestionably returned the least amount of value on their No. 1 overall selections.

How did the No. 2 overall picks in said years look in their final years of college?

2013: Victor Oladipo, Indiana

Team result: 29-7; Lost in Sweet 16

2007: Kevin Durant, Texas

Team result: 25-10; Lost in second round of NCAA Tournament

2001: Tyson Chandler, High School

1998: Mike Bibby, Arizona

Team result: 30-5; Lost in Elite 8

One future Hall of Famer and three other reasonably good players.

A few other things: how many of the No. 1 overall picks in the selected window went on to win NBA Championships? Or more directly, how many were a key reason for a championship (sorry, Andrew Bogut). I've got Shaq, Duncan, Bronny and Kyrie as pivotal players on title teams.

On the flip side, being a great winner in college doesn't equal automatic success in the NBA, either. Going beyond the top pick, look at guys like Carmelo Anthony, any of the mid-2000s Florida guys, etc. Goes both ways.

There's no shortage of permutations to crunch the numbers and shift them to fit an argument on whether or not Fultz is potentially a cautionary tale because he played on a godawful Washington team. And that's before we get into who the likely alternative No. 1 overall pick could potentially be, from the House of Ball.

All this to say I'm not declaring Fultz a bust before a single NBA minute, nor am I entertaining the notion the Celtics should trade the pick. Just something to think about here as Danny Ainge tries to solve a problem, which is a great problem to have.

Rare occasion: Caleb talkin' baseball

It's not too often that I contribute nearly anything at all in regards to baseball discussion, but that's mostly due to the fact that I don't have a clue as to what I'm talking about on the topic. I don't consider myself a baseball fan, but that's not to take away from the sport itself or any fan devoted to America's pastime. I, like a large portion of sports fans, lack the patience for such long games and such a long season. Playoff baseball is a whole different beast; it certainly keeps even the bandwagon fans on the edge of their seats.

But even as a technically "non-fan" of the MLB, the game still provides one of the best atmospheres for attending a game. I personally believe college football tops any atmosphere in all of sports, but it's more of the day-long tailgating and pre-kickoff traditions that really push it in front of the others. Attending a baseball game, though, is just a fantastic experience. Ironically enough, the slow, casual pace of a game is a major positive aspect of being in the crowd. A summer night drinking $9 beers calls for relaxed vibes, which is precisely what a baseball stadium provides.

More than any other sport, baseball stadiums just have an aura to them that makes you want to spend a game at every possible venue. Even the newer stadiums, the non-Fenway/Wrigleys of the world, are a legitimate attraction.

But enough about the intangibles, the thing I love the most about live baseball games is the execution of music. There's nothing worse than the over saturation of sound effects during play of an NBA game. It's awful. College sports have the bands tearing it up with the brass instruments, beating the drums, playing the school's fight song. That's all fine and dandy, but what's tight about MLB stadiums is the personal soundtrack aspect. Songs selected by and tailored to individual players really allows them to reinforce their brand. To assist in creating an identity for each player and his hometown fans.

Which brings me to walk up songs: The ultimate "all eyes on me" moment. I've been trying to contemplate what exactly my walk up song would be, had I not been an atrocious baseball player and made it to the bigs, and it's harder than I thought. So I thought I'd list three, perhaps to switch up between during the everlasting baseball season:



Always a classic, gets the crowd going. However, you can't be some chump with a minimal contract walking up to this. You need to have one of those headlining salaries, letting everyone know how many bands you've got in your multiple mansions.




I'm not entirely sure exactly how long a walk up song plays for before they shut it off, but all I'd need is the intro to this all-time great jam. You'd be the smoothest dude in the league walking up to the plate with this blaring throughout the stadium.



Just an adrenaline rush of an intro. The type of intro that perks your ears up and leads into immediate head bobbing.

What I find to be more intense and personal than walk up songs is a song dedicated to the closer as he makes his way from the bullpen. Only happens once a game, and it's always in the most crucial moment. Now obviously "Major League" crushed this for Charlie Sheen with Wild Thing,



but hands down, no discussion, without a doubt, walking out of the bullpen and tossing a few warmups to Voodoo Child would get a crowd rocking like you've never seen before.


Slowly walking from the bullpen to the mound during the build up of Hendrix shredding would be incredible. Not to mention that closers seem like a bunch of dudes that would be into voodoo practices. Whatever mountain is up to bat across from you, your chopping that sucker down with the edge of your hand. Picturing this really makes me wish I didn't suck so badly at baseball and didn't throw like a toddler playing catch in the yard with his dad.

And while we're on the topic of personal intro songs, I'm sticking by my claim that if I were to ever walk from the tunnel to the UFC octagon, you can bet that I'd stick with a stadium classic/college football tradition in Enter Sandman



So yeah, kind of an odd rant that had very little to do with actual baseball, but still an interesting topic of discussion.

What would your walk up/closer song be?

Wichita State not-so-shockingly moving to American Athletic Conference

One thousand five hundred and thirty-eight.

That is the number of miles between the Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Conn. and Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kan.

To be totally fair, geography in college athletics is like "wins" or "runs batted in" in baseball - it doesn't matter anymore (according to nerds, anyways). It's not like BC and Miami or Washington State and Arizona or Nebraska and Rutgers are next-door neighbors in their respective conferences.

But what the ACC, Pac-12, B1G and all the other power conferences have is stability. The American Athletic Conference has stability like the National Inquirer has credibility.

Make no mistake about it, despite the absurd traveling distance between UConn and Wichita State, this is a great move for the American - from a basketball perspective.

UConn and Cincinnati - and to a lesser extent, Memphis and Temple - are all legitimate basketball programs. Yes the Huskies were rather horrid this year but any one of those four teams appears on your nonleague slate and you'll at least give a nod of a approval, if not pop your eyes open.

UConn and Cincy will bounce for the ACC or B1G or Big East the first chance they get, no question about it. The next major wave of conference realignment is probably still eight or so years away, when the Big 12's "Grant of Rights" deal expires. In the meantime, the next tier of conferences - the American, the Atlantic 10, the Mountain West, etc. - are the ones to keep an eye on.

Which makes you think...why didn't the A-10 get out ahead of the curve and shoot Wichita State an invite?

The A-10 has taken its share of lumps this decade, but rather than be reduced to a lower-tier conference, it has reloaded quite nicely. Temple, Xavier, Charlotte (and in an abbreviated stay, Butler) are gone, replaced by VCU, Davidson and George Mason. Maybe still a net negative but hardly a death kneel.

There's the whole matter of Wichita not being anywhere close to the Atlantic Ocean but again, geography is irrelevant. You can't exactly skip rocks into the Atlantic from the campus of Saint Louis University.

But wait, Lev, the A-10 would have an odd number of  teams! How can you make a schedule with 15 teams?!

The ACC - which just produced the national champion - has 15 teams for basketball.

The A-10 also competed with 13 teams not long ago while waiting for Davidson to arrive.

The A-10 and American have been fairly neck-and-neck in terms of tournament bids received since the American's inception in 2014. The A-10 has earned 15 bids (11 at-large) over the last four seasons, the American has earned 12 (eight at-large).

UConn won the national championship in 2014 and that's clearly a mega counter point. Adding on the Shockers, which have made the tournament six seasons running and are widely expected to be a top-10 team in the preseason next year? The scales they are a-tipping.

If (when) the Big East decides to go to 12 teams for basketball (remember, it's not a football conference anymore), the A-10 will once again have a slew of candidates ripe for the picking. Would Wichita State's inclusion in the A-10 be enough to sway a program like Dayton from leaving for the Big East? Doubtful.

But even then, it could have been a strong preemptive strike to take on the Shockers, who made it abundantly clear they were searching for a new home.

There's also the matter of UMass, which pretty desperately needs a new home for football. Well, just a home period.

With Wichita State in the fold, the American maintains a 12-team football membership (Navy is a football-only member), while it becomes a 12-team league in basketball. Could the island of misfit toys that is the American be interested in adding UMass as a full member - which would no doubt appease UConn a bit?

The "Power 5" are the "Power 5" and the Big East really makes it six in basketball. The American just drained one from the parking lot in an effort to keep up, while the Atlantic-10 may have just clanked one off the rim.

What Makes the Masters So Special?

*Disclaimer: If you are a genuine golf fan, go ahead and enjoy the Masters. If this is the only golf tournament you plan on watching all year, keep reading and let's debate.

With the Masters coverage beginning, I once again am sitting here wondering why in the world people make such a big deal about it. I will admit, I'll be tuning in at various points this weekend to check in on this tournament that I just don't care about. But that's simply due to me being a sheep; I want to be somewhat aware of the action that will be taking over sports chatter for the next four days.

It also should be noted that in no way, shape, or form do I consider myself a golf fan. But that's what really baffles me about the Masters; there are so many people that could not care less about the sport of golf all year, yet the Masters inexplicably gets their juices flowing. Do non-NASCAR fans tune into Daytona (or whatever the most significant race is) annually because of its significance within the "sport?" Not to my knowledge. And don't try and hit me with the "tradition unlike any other" garbage. Just within the sports world the Super Bowl, March Madness, and the Stanley Cup Playoffs are all undoubtedly better traditions in every aspect. Just the fact that it's one of four majors within golf kind of diminishes the ultimate prestige of it.

Many people claim the aesthetic visuals of Augusta truly set the Masters apart from any other golf event. Just Google-image it then or something. There will be thousands, maybe millions, of pictures of this scenic course that you can stare at for however long you'd like. Do you tune into Arizona Cardinals home games simply because they have the nicest turf in the NFL?

And to those of you who claim this tournament simply has a special atmosphere to it:





Atmosphere? At a golf tournament? There is no such thing as differentiated atmosphere in golf, a sport where fans are prohibited from making noise. The atmosphere is consistent: it's quiet, it's boring, and it's repellent for casual fans who are seeking to get into the sport. The atmosphere puts me to sleep, which brings me to another popular argument for casual fans tuning into the Masters:

The old "Nothing better than napping on your couch with the Masters on a Sunday" claim. If there's a movie or show on your TV that puts you to sleep, you categorize it as a terrible production. Yet somehow when it comes to the Masters, that's a major selling point. Anything worth watching should keep you awake and engaged.

And lastly, as the great Happy Gilmore once said, "Gold jacket, green jacket, who gives a shit?" For whatever reason, the champion receiving a green sport coat is an argument for the tournament's greatness. If you really get all hot and bothered about a grown man receiving championship apparel, I've got news for you: it happens in literally every other major sporting championship. In fact, the other champs receive shirts and hats. So, please inform me, what in the world is so special about the Masters for those who don't typically follow golf? Other than these Photoshops I made three years ago and have been recycling ever since: