The World of Sports

New on Sports Illustrated: Report: Clippers Planning to Sign Center DeMarcus Cousins

<a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/03/31/demarcus-cousins-clippers-10-day-contract-planning-to-sign">
<p class="subtitle">The Clippers and Cousins are reportedly discussing a 10-day contract.</p>
<div><em>View the</em></div>
original article</a> to see embedded media.
<p>The Clippers are planning to sign free-agent center DeMarcus Cousins, <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1377283416933163012">according to <em>The Athletic</em>'s Shams Charania. </a></p>
<p>According to <em>The Athletic</em>, Cousins is in Los Angeles and is starting testing protocols in the lead-up to joining the Clippers. The deal is pending clearance of the NBA's health and safety protocol.</p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1377283257172119559">ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting</a> that the discussions between Cousins and the Clippers are for a 10-day contract. </p>
<p>Cousins opened the NBA season with the Rockets, averaging a career-low 9.6 points per game while shooting just 37.6% from the field and 33.6% from three. He played 25 games with the team.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/02/20/rockets-releasing-demarcus-cousins">He was waived on February 23 amid a Rockets losing streak that eventually spanned 20 games.</a></p>
<p>Cousins has made appearances for four different NBA teams in the last 11 seasons, doing so with the Kings, Pelicans, Warriors and Rockets. Cousins also signed a <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2019/07/06/demarcus-cousins-contract-free-agency-lakers">one-year, $3.5 million deal</a> with the Lakers in July 2019 but <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2019/08/15/demarcus-cousins-knee-injury-updates-lakers">suffered a torn left ACL in August</a> and rehabbed throughout last season before eventually being waived.</p>
<p>The Clippers are currently No. 3 in the Western Conference and 32-17 on the season. Cousins will try and bolster the team's center depth with the team currently relying on the play of Serge Ibaka and Ivica Zubac</p>

New on Sports Illustrated: Report: Clippers Planning to Sign Center DeMarcus Cousins

The Clippers and Cousins are reportedly discussing a 10-day contract. View the original article to see embedded media. The Clippers are planning to sign free-agent center DeMarcus Cousins, according …

31 Mar 2021

New on Sports Illustrated: England vs. Poland Live Stream: Watch World Cup Qualifying Online, TV Channel, Time

<a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/03/31/england-poland-live-stream-watch-world-cup-qualifying-online-tv-channel">
<p class="subtitle">How to watch England vs. Poland in World Cup Qualifying on Wednesday, March 31.</p>
<p>England will face its toughest test yet in World Cup qualifying against Poland on Wednesday. However, the Three Lions will not have to face the reigning Best FIFA Men's Player in Robert Lewandowski. </p>
<p>With two goals on Sunday to give him 47 goals in 42 games in all competitions, the Bayern Munich star led Poland to its latest victory, a 3-0 win against Andorra. But Lewandowski was subbed off with a knee injury that was originally expected to keep him out for five to 10 days.</p>
<p>Not only will Lewandowski miss the England match, but the Ballon d'Or favorite</p>
</a><a href="https://www.si.com/.preview/cn027f49ef20002558?auth=113db840c1384577a8ae8235e2121c1b09428cee&nonce=1617204120568">has since been ruled out for four weeks</a>. This also sidelines him for Bayern's Bundesliga showdown with second-place RB Leipzig and both Champions League quarterfinals against PSG. 
<p><strong>How to Watch:</strong></p>
<p><strong>Time:</strong> 2:45 p.m. ET</p>
<p><strong>TV Channel:</strong> ESPN2</p>
<p><strong>Live Stream:</strong> You can stream the match on fuboTV. <a href="https://www.fubo.tv/lp/soccer/?bgvideo=ucl.mp4&title=Watch%20UEFA%20Champions%20League&subinfo=Stream%20Live%20and%20On-Demand&priceline=Anytime,%20Anywhere%20on%20Any%20Device&cta=Start%207-Day%20Free%20Trial&irad=356367&irmp=376635">Sign up now for a free seven-day trial</a>. You can also watch via <a href="https://www.espn.com/espnplus/">ESPN+</a>.</p>
<p>Wednesday's match will feature the favorites in Group I. The group winner will qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar while the runner-up faces a new high-stakes, play-in tourney.   </p>
<p>So far, England has cruised in its first two qualifiers this week by earning six points from a 5-0 victory against San Marino and a 2-0 win in a trip to Albania. Manager Gareth Southgate will have to do without Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka or James Ward-Prowse for Wednesday's clash at Wembley. His defense won't have to deal with Lewandowski as it looks to jump out to a secure lead in the group. </p>

New on Sports Illustrated: England vs. Poland Live Stream: Watch World Cup Qualifying Online, TV Channel, Time

How to watch England vs. Poland in World Cup Qualifying on Wednesday, March 31. England will face its toughest test yet in World Cup qualifying against Poland on Wednesday. However, the Three Lions w…

31 Mar 2021

New on Sports Illustrated: Paige Bueckers First Freshman to Win AP Women's Player of The Year

<a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/03/31/paige-bueckers-ap-womens-player-of-the-year">
<p class="subtitle">Bueckers is the first freshman to ever be named the AP women's player of the year.</p>
</a><a href="https://www.si.com/high-school/2020/08/27/paige-bueckers-2020-gatorade-athlete-year">Paige Bueckers</a> is in a class all by herself.
<p>UConn’s star guard became the first freshman ever to win The Associated Press <a href="https://bracket.si.com/landing.php">women’s basketball</a> player of the year award Wednesday.</p>
<p>Bueckers helped lead the Huskies to their 13th consecutive Final Four with 28 points in the <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/03/30/uconn-baylor-paige-bueckers-carrington-no-call-foul">regional final win over Baylor</a> on Monday night, just the latest star turn for the phenomenol 19-year-old Minnesota native.</p>
<p>“It’s amazing, surreal for people to think of me that highly and to be in that position as a freshman,” Bueckers said. “To get this award, I’m extremely humbled and grateful.”</p>
<p>Bueckers was informed she won the award by coach Geno Auriemma during a team video session on Monday. She broke down as she accepted it in front of her teammates.</p>
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<p>“A lot has happened over the past year things that could bring people down,” Bueckers said. “To get a reward and find something positive in these times, you cherish them. I was there with my teammates and coaching staff and to get that award with them around me makes you be so grateful for the position I’m in.”</p>
<p><a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/03/26/diana-taurasi-paige-bueckers-uconn-huskies-iowa-ncaa-tournament">Bueckers was an overwhelming choice</a>, receiving 21 votes from the 30-member national media panel that chooses the weekly AP Top 25. Dana Evans of Louisville was second with four votes.</p>
<p>Former UConn greats Maya Moore and Breanna Stewart both won the award as sophomores. All other winners have been juniors or seniors since the AP started honoring players in 1995.</p>
<p>And now comes Bueckers.</p>
<p>“That’s crazy to think about, all the great college players who ever played,” Bueckers said. “The great freshmen who had done great things in their first year in college basketball, It really is surreal that it’s never been done before.”</p>
<p>It’s the 12th time a UConn player has been honored.</p>
<p>Bueckers, who is from Edina, Minnesota, is averaging 20.1 points, 5.9 assists and 4.8 rebounds this season. She became the first UConn player ever to score 30 or more points in three consecutive games and also set the school record for points in her NCAA debut when she had 24 in the opener against High Point.</p>
<p>“Name one player that has taken a team this young to where we are today,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “Who’s done more than her? And if you can give me a better argument, then I would say I’ll vote for them, too. But I don’t think you can.”</p>

New on Sports Illustrated: Paige Bueckers First Freshman to Win AP Women's Player of The Year

Bueckers is the first freshman to ever be named the AP women's player of the year. Paige Bueckers is in a class all by herself. UConn’s star guard became the first freshman ever to win The Associated…

31 Mar 2021

New on Sports Illustrated: Police Looking For Stolen Chattanooga Lookouts Mascot Costume

<a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/03/31/police-seek-stolen-chattanooga-mascot-looie-lookout">
<p class="subtitle">The costume of Looie Lookout, the minor league baseball mascot for the  Chattanooga Lookouts, was reported as stolen yesterday.</p>
<p>CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — Police are asking "Where's Looie?" after a minor league baseball team in Tennessee reported its team mascot was stolen from its ballpark.</p>
<p>The Chattanooga Lookouts told authorities that the costume of its mascot Looie was stolen from an office at AT&T Field on Tuesday, according to a Facebook post from Chattanooga police. The Lookouts said hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise and equipment were also stolen."</p>
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<p>Looie's head looks like a big red baseball cap, with a black brim for a nose. Police are asking the public for any tips on the costume's whereabouts, saying callers can remain anonymous. Anyone with tips can call (423) 698-2525.</p>
<p>The Lookouts kick off their season at home on May 4.</p>

New on Sports Illustrated: Police Looking For Stolen Chattanooga Lookouts Mascot Costume

The costume of Looie Lookout, the minor league baseball mascot for the Chattanooga Lookouts, was reported as stolen yesterday. CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — Police are asking "Where's Looie?" after a mi…

31 Mar 2021

New on Sports Illustrated: Everything That's Wrong About the Future of the UEFA Champions League

<a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/03/31/champions-league-future-format-expansion-swiss-system-criticism">
<p class="subtitle">There will be more games, more money guaranteed to the elite clubs and more that's focused on everything except the sanctity of sport and competition.</p>
<p>More. Always more. Everything that happens in football now is about expansion. Make every tournament bigger. Play more games. Produce more content. Generate more revenue. On Wednesday, the UEFA Executive Committee discussed plans to reform the Champions League from 2024 onwards, specifically the idea of rejigging the group stage to the so-called Swiss System, which will, of course, ensure more games.</p>
<p>A formal announcement had been expected on Wednesday, but that has now been pushed back until April 19, largely because a small group of the super-rich clubs—understood to be a coalition of the Spanish sides and at least two clubs with U.S. owners—has rejected UEFA's proposal for a 50-50 share in a joint venture that would control the commercial rights of the Champions League. That, in turn, has created a backlash from other members of the European Clubs Association (ECA), most notably Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain. But whoever actually is in charge, nobody expects anything other than agreement on the adoption of the Swiss model.</p>
<p>Quite how serious the hold-up is is not yet clear, but this is a critical moment. If UEFA gives up control of the competition, it is finished as a serious governing body. It will no longer have any influence to check the whims of the superclubs. The Champions League will have become an autonomous Super League in all but name, and there will not even be the pretense that Europe’s premier competition is being run for the good of the game, or for anything other than enriching the already extremely rich.</p>
<p>That the formal acceptance of that has itself been delayed by greed is not surprising. This whole business is about greed. It’s about the acceleration of a process that has been going on for a little over three decades. It’s about the triumph of neoliberalism in football.</p>
<figure><img height="349" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTc5OTg5NzA3OTkwNTA4ODg4/uefa-champions-league-future-money.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
<p>But let’s begin with the basics. Nobody denies that the group stage of the Champions League, as it stands, is a gloomy trudge. Andrea Agnelli, the chairman of Juventus and the ECA, got that right. After the draw, you can go through each group, highlight the two obviously richer teams and be relatively confident they will progress. Very occasionally some quirk of the seeding will lead to an unusually tight group (as when RB Leipzig, whose coefficient is low because it is a relative newcomer at the elite level, was drawn alongside PSG and Manchester United this season) or some big club (usually Inter) will mess up, but generally the gulf between rich and poor is too great for those games to be anything other than highly predictable.</p>
<p>The shift in tone as the tournament moves into the knockout stage is obvious. This season's was not a classic round of 16, far from it, but it did feature one tie of exceptional drama and quality:</p>
</a><a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/03/09/juventus-champions-league-elimination-cristiano-ronaldo-pirlo-porto">Porto’s away-goals victory over Juventus</a>. The second leg was a tie that had everything: a favored side in trouble, an unlikely comeback, a stupid red card, a dogged rearguard action, an unexpected game-changing free kick, one last dramatic twist. It was a game that transformed Cristiano Ronaldo, <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/03/11/capello-pirlo-cristiano-ronaldo-juventus-porto-wall-champions-league">for turning his back in the wall</a>, into a villain and, implausibly, Pepe, a hero. It highlighted the immense promise of Federico Chiesa and confirmed the emerging talent of Sérgio Oliveira. It brought joy, and it brought sorrow. Crucially, there were consequences: progress to the quarterfinal for Porto and yet another premature exit for Juventus. There was jeopardy—and that feels like the key.
<hr />
<p>It’s perhaps, though, worth pausing and going back to basics, perhaps the most basic question of all: what is sport? Football boomed in the English public schools in the 19th century. It was partly because, with its demand for physical endurance, courage, strategy and calmness under pressure, it was seen as a tool for honing the skills required to run the Empire. It was also partly because Muscular Christianity, the prevailing doctrine of most of those schools, saw physical activity as worthwhile in itself, not least because it prevented what they euphemistically called “solipsism” (for it is a "truth universally acknowledged" that a boy left to his own devices will masturbate, a practice that at the time was thought to be not just a moral fault but to be physically debilitating; the sermons of the Reverend Edward Thring, headmaster of Uppingham School, contain numerous references to the belief without ever actually naming the practice that so concerns him, and he was far from alone).</p>
<p>The Football Association was formed in 1863 by teams of former public schoolboys, largely because they wanted a standardized set of rules to play under, no matter which school or university they had come from. As the game spread, and spectators began to pay to watch, the early ideals began to shift. Professionalism was introduced in 1885, which for many was a betrayal of the early ideals of the game, but it was essential to allow working-class players to give up their day jobs to focus full-time on football and to travel to away fixtures.</p>
<p>The league was founded three years later to provide structure, partly to establish a meaningful competition to determine a champion, and partly because regular games meant regular income for clubs. At that point, though, the legislation forbade directors to profit from their clubs: the idea was that clubs held a specific social, perhaps even moral function and that revenues should be reinvested. Other countries never had such legislation, and it was almost a century later that it was lifted in England. By then, football was establishing itself as a television sport and the world was adopting an increasingly untrammeled capitalistic outlook.</p>
<p>The tipping point for European football came in 1987-88 when Spanish champion Real Madrid beat Italian champion Napoli in the first round of the European Cup. For Silvio Berlusconi, the owner of AC Milan, this wouldn’t do. Forget sporting merit, forget the unseeded draws that had been such a key part of the European Cup’s charm since it had begun in 1955, he saw a financial imperative to ensure the biggest sides didn’t crash out after just one game.</p>
<p>And so, in 1991-92 came the first group stage, initially comprising two groups of four. It has gone through various formats since, expanding and expanding to the modern format with eight groups. For a while it worked even from a sporting point of view. In the 1990s, the group stage had a palpable tension, a sense that these were the best sides on the continent—and they did come from all over Europe: the likes of Nantes, Panathinaikos and Dynamo Kiev all reached the last four in the 90s.</p>
<p>But the finances of the Champions League created a self-perpetuating elite: the superclubs. The Champions League final has become the preserve of the three Spanish giants, Juventus, Bayern Munich, PSG and a smattering of Premier League teams. When Ajax reached the semifinal two seasons ago, it felt like a fairy tale, so disadvantaged are Dutch clubs. Yet Ajax is a four-time European champion. The distribution of prize money is such that Barcelona made twice as much from reaching the last four that season as Ajax did, just because it comes from a country with a bigger TV market.</p>
<p>It’s a structure that has broken domestic football. France, Italy and Germany are effectively monopolies, even if COVID-19 has created some unpredictability this season. Spain is essentially the preserve of two clubs, with Atlético Madrid providing an occasional challenge. Even in the Premier League, where vast domestic TV rights mean Champions League revenues are less relevant, the last three seasons have seen the champions win with 98 or more points, totals that would have seemed unimaginable even a decade ago.</p>
<div><em>View the <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/03/31/champions-league-future-format-expansion-swiss-system-criticism">original article</a> to see embedded media.</em></div>
<p>Which brings us to the existential question: what is football for? Is it about something inherent in the game, about competitiveness—and skill and beauty—for its own sake? Or is it about the production of content to generate revenue for the big brands? Increasingly, it feels the latter is true.</p>
<p>Jose Ángel Sánchez, the general director of Real Madrid, has compared the club to Disney. He was an architect two decades ago of the galacticos project, which was of limited footballing success but raised the profile of the club enormously. Juventus may come to see its signing of Ronaldo in the same way, despite a series of early exits from the Champions League. Increasingly, it feels, football is moving away from a focus on actually winning matches. At least one club is exploring the possibility of producing a semi-fictionalized soap opera set in its offices. Everything is about the generation of content and the promotion of the brand.</p>
<p>That has profound implications for how football may look. In traditional terms, Porto’s success against Juventus was a brilliant game of football. But in a content production sense, it may be that the more attractive game was Juventus’s victory away to Barcelona at the end of the group stage. The result didn’t matter, as both sides had already qualified, but there was <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/03/10/messi-ronaldo-haaland-mbappe-champions-league">Lionel Messi against Ronaldo</a>, two enormous names wearing the shirts of enormous brands, pitted against each other. Who cares if three months later barely anybody could recall the result; content generation is not about posterity.</p>
<hr />
<p>This brings us to the Swiss model. There will be 36 teams, four more than at present. They will each play 10 games, based on seedings to ensure a range of opponents. All results will be logged in one huge league table, with the top eight sides progressing immediately to the last 16 and the next eight playing off against the third tranche of eight for the final eight places in the knockout phase.</p>
<p>At present, the group stage comprises 96 games after which 16 teams are eliminated. The new format will take 180 games to eliminate 12. The football calendar is already straining with the volume of matches. Last season, even before the pandemic, Liverpool was forced to play a youth side in a League Cup tie because it was playing in the FIFA Club World Cup 24 hours later. This season has been characterized by complaints about scheduling from Jürgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola and others, as they have seen their players succumb to a series of the sort of soft-tissue injuries that result from fatigue. In England, presumably, the League Cup will have to be abandoned or modified, striking at the revenues of smaller clubs, increasing the advantage of the elite even further.</p>
<p>But let’s assume time is flexible and players can play forever without breaking down. Imagine a team wins its first four games in this new structure: it would effectively have qualified and could afford to rest players for its final six games. The scope for arranging mutually beneficial draws late in the competition would be enormous.</p>
<p>And where, exactly, is the tension? Perhaps there would be some intrigue in who finished eighth and who ninth, but the only real drama would be around 24th and 25th, about whether (to go by UEFA coefficient) Villarreal or Bayer Leverkusen or (to go by this season’s groups) Red Bull Salzburg or Olympiakos won the right to lose to Porto or Sevilla or in a playoff. <em>Oh, brave new world, to have such drama as the payoff for surrendering to the elite!</em></p>
<figure><img height="349" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTc4NTM0ODQ0NzI3MzA2MDU2/andrea-agnelli-juventus.jpg" width="620" />
<figcaption>Juventus and ECA chairman Andrea Agnelli.</figcaption>
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<p>The Swiss model is, as anybody who has given it a moment’s thought must realize, a terrible idea—at least if the aim is sporting merit, integrity and jeopardy. If the aim is an endless slew of games between big or biggish teams, few of which mean anything, though, then it is ideal. And perhaps that is what football wants. Perhaps the modern audience places brand recognition above more traditional sporting considerations.</p>
<p>In which case, you begin to wonder whether this is sport at all. Why not just follow the path of wrestling and script the whole thing, as the Argentinian writers Jorge Luis Borges and Adolfo Bioy Casares suggested in their 1967 short story “Esse est Percipi,” which imagines a world in which all football is actually just a script read out by an actor playing a commentator on the radio, a subterfuge persisted with to distract the masses from the misery of their everyday lives.</p>
<p>The superclubs are a symptom of a collapse of the traditional values of football, and their solution to that collapse is to trample them some more. They have correctly identified the problem: the group stage is boring. But their solution is to take the problem that causes that—massive inequality—and make it worse.</p>
<p>Forget even romantic notions of clubs as hubs of their community, of symbolic vessels of local identity. Forget the charitable work many actually do in their areas, working with disadvantaged children, coordinating food-banks and supporting hospitals. All of that was secondary, all of that came from the boom in football in industrial Britain in the late 19th century and the birth of the professionalism.</p>
<p>Go back to something even more basic. Go back to why anybody plays sport, for the joy of exercise and occasional virtuosity, for the thrill of matching yourself against a peer, and ask yourself what the proposed new format has to do with that.</p>
<p>So opposed are the superclubs to any sense of merit, that the plan is for two of the four new places created in the pre-knockout phase to go to those sides with the highest coefficient who haven’t already made it: more revenue in perpetuity, another safety blanket against running the club so badly you fail to qualify despite all the advantages available to you (and you can see why Agnelli would be attracted by that).</p>
<p>It feels as though a crisis point is being reached, as though the farmers are circling the golden goose, knives drawn, and the only question that remains is who pays for the dry cleaning afterwards. At some point, UEFA has to call the bluff of the superclubs. This slice by slice despoilment is only delaying the inevitable crunch. At some point, UEFA has to cut the superclubs adrift, let them go and let them sink or swim with their content production. It has a duty to football, and the new model of the Champions League, a Super League by stealth, is barely that anymore.</p>

New on Sports Illustrated: Everything That's Wrong About the Future of the UEFA Champions League

There will be more games, more money guaranteed to the elite clubs and more that's focused on everything except the sanctity of sport and competition. More. Always more. Everything that happens in fo…

31 Mar 2021

New on Sports Illustrated: Mark Emmert Says NCAA ‘Dropped the Ball’ in Supporting Woman Athletes

<a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/03/31/mark-emmert-ncaa-dropped-ball-support-women-athletes">
<p class="subtitle">Emmert: “It's pretty self-evident that we dropped the ball in supporting our women's athletes, and we can't do that."</p>
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<p>NCAA president Mark Emmert said Wednesday the NCAA has "dropped the ball" regarding its support of woman athletes during the 2021 men's and women's NCAA tournament.</p>
<p>Emmert's comments come in the wake of the NCAA's</p>
</a> <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/03/19/ncaa-acknowledges-unequal-accommodations-at-womens-tournament">acknowledging unequal accommodations at the women's tournament</a> compared with their male counterparts. The NCAA came under significant fire on March 18 after <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/03/19/ncaa-committee-asks-investigation-womens-ncaa-tournament-weight-room">photos revealed a starkly different weight-room situation</a> between the men's and women's tournament sites. There has also been criticism regarding the difference in the food and gift bags offered to teams at the men's and women's tournaments.
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<p>"I and everybody in the NCAA have been so disappointed in the shortcomings that have been starkly abundant and recognized here in San Antonio," <a href="https://twitter.com/NicoleAuerbach/status/1377253312886665222">Emmert told the media</a> on Wednesday. "I am sorry for that. That is something that we should have never allowed to happen.”</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/03/19/ncaa-committee-asks-investigation-womens-ncaa-tournament-weight-room">NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics sent Emmert a letter</a> on March 19 seeking an investigation into the unequal accommodations. </p>
<p>"I write to express the committee's shock and disappointment over the disparate treatment in the NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament and the inequitable availability of strength training facilities," the committee's <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/03/19/ncaa-committee-asks-investigation-womens-ncaa-tournament-weight-room">letter said</a>. "This appears to extend to limited food options and other tournament amenities."</p>
<p>"It undermines the NCAA's authority as a proponent and guarantor of Title IX protections, and it sets women's college athletics back across the country."</p>
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<p>Dan Gavitt, the NCAA senior vice president of basketball, released a statement apologizing for the disparity shortly after the committee's letter.</p>
<p>"We have intentionally organized basketball under one umbrella to ensure consistency and collaboration," <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1373036661521539073?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1373036661521539073%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.si.com%2Fcollege%2F2021%2F03%2F19%2Fmark-emmert-ncaa-womens-tournament-inequality-comments">Gavitt said</a>. "When we fall short of these expectations, it's on me. I apologize to women's basketball student-athletes, coaches, and the women's basketball committee for dropping the ball on the weight rooms in San Antonio."</p>
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<p>The 2021 NCAA women's tournament will come to a conclusion with the national championship on Sunday. No. 1 seeds South Carolina and Stanford will battle in the Final Four on Friday in the national semifinals, with the winner advancing to face either Arizona or UConn.</p>
<p>Emmert has been the NCAA's president since 2010 after a seven-year stint as president of the University of Washington. </p>

New on Sports Illustrated: Mark Emmert Says NCAA ‘Dropped the Ball’ in Supporting Woman Athletes

Emmert: “It's pretty self-evident that we dropped the ball in supporting our women's athletes, and we can't do that." NCAA president Mark Emmert said Wednesday the NCAA has "dropped the ball" regardi…

31 Mar 2021

New on Sports Illustrated: Russell Westbrook Fires Back at Stephen A. Smith for Downplaying His Accomplishments

<a href="https://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2021/03/31/russell-westbrook-stephen-a-smith-comments-response">
<p class="subtitle">“I was a champion once I made it to the NBA.”</p>
<h2>“I was a champion once I made it to the NBA.”</h2>
<p>After a slow start to the season, Russell Westbrook has been on a tear lately. Over his last 20 games, he’s averaging 24.6 points, 11.7 assists and 11.1 rebounds. Over his last three games, he’s averaging a ridiculous 25.6 points, 16.0 rebounds and 15.0 assist.</p>
</a><a href="https://twitter.com/espnstatsinfo/status/1377075986391560200?s=12">The only other player</a> to have a three-game stretch averaging at least 25, 15 and 15 is Wilt Chamberlain.
<p>On Monday, Westbrook <a href="https://twitter.com/SInow/status/1376713519677120515">recorded the first</a> 35-point, 20-assist triple double in the history of the NBA. It was a reminder of what Westbrook, even in <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/03/01/blake-griffin-russell-westbrook-nba-aging-daily-cover">his current diminished state</a>, is capable of. But for Stephen A. Smith, it was a reminder of what Westbrook <em>hasn’t been</em> capable of: winning a championship.</p>
<p>Appearing on <em>First Take</em> on Tuesday morning, Smith said he doesn’t care about Westbrook’s unprecedented triple double because he’s never won a title.</p>
<p>“Westbrook’s numbers last night mean absolutely nothing to me because, even though that’s great numbers, that’s what Westbrook can do. We all know this,” Smith said. “He’s a former league MVP. He’s the most athletic point guard we have ever seen in NBA history.”</p>
<p>But, Smith said, Westbrook’s teams haven’t won when it counts the most: “It’s the same stuff every year.”</p>
<div>
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<p>Smith’s argument isn’t worth paying too much attention to. It’s a classic example of the <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2018/06/13/warriors-nba-championship-ring-culture-steve-kerr-scottie-pippen-paul-pierce">“ringz culture”</a> that places an outsized emphasis on winning championships and diminishes the individual accomplishments of great players who didn’t have the right supporting cast at the right time.</p>
<p>But the comments didn’t sit well with Westbrook (<a href="https://twitter.com/MasterTes/status/1377088252541292548">or his wife, Nina</a>). Russ responded to Stephen A.’s criticism after Tuesday night’s loss to the Hornets.</p>
<div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/Hoop_District/status/1377092719563137027"></a></blockquote>
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<p>Westbrook mentioned how the narratives constructed by media members can have a profound effect on a player’s career, even when they don’t know much about the player’s life off the court. He also explained that he doesn’t have the same obsession with championships that other observers might. He’s proud of himself for making it out of his old neighborhood and to the NBA, regardless of whether he has lifted the Larry O’Brien trophy.</p>
<p>It’s worth reading the whole thing, so I’ll drop it in full here. (<a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/washington/wizards/russell-westbrooks-long-and-thoughtful-response-stephen-smiths-criticism">Thanks to NBC Sports Washington</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/FredKatz/status/1377092464624943105"><em>The Athletic</em>’s Fred Katz</a> for transcribing it.)</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“That’s how my life’s been since Day 1. I’ve been playing basketball for my whole life. Like my wife mentioned [on Instagram], it’s important that you don’t let people deter you from your goal, deter you from your plan, deter you from the things you have destined in this world. A prime example is I watch these college games and these kids and these announcers, man, they get on the TV and say anything about a kid. They don’t know him, they don’t know his family, they don’t know where he’s from. They don’t know his struggles, they don’t know his pain; they don’t know anything about the kid. But one thing said on TV can determine how you perceive this kid on TV, which will allow him to be able to reach his goals, which will allow him to not be able to get drafted, which will allow him to not take care of his family, which will now not create generational wealth, which now makes our people and the minorities, underserved communities—this is way bigger than basketball.</p>
<p>“I sit back, I don’t say much. I don’t like to go back and forth about people. But one thing I won’t allow to happen anymore is let people create narratives and constantly talking s--- for no reason about me because I lay it on the line every night. And I use my platform to be able to help people all across the world. Nobody can take that away from me. I’ve been blessed to be able to have a platform to do it. A championship won’t change my life. I’m happy. I was a champion once I made it to the NBA. I grew up in the streets. I’m a champion. I don’t have to be an NBA champion.</p>
<p>“My legacy, like I’ve mentioned before, is not based on what I do on this court. I’m not going to play basketball my whole life. My legacy is what I do off the floor, how many people I’m able to impact and inspire along my journey. That’s how I keep my head down and keep it pushing because it’s very important that you don’t let the negativity seep in. It’s been like that my whole career, honestly. There’s no other player that takes heat that I take constantly. But it’s a positive, I’m doing something right if people are talking about me. That’s how I feel and I put my best foot forward, stay prayful [sic], keep my family close and keep it like that.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Smith’s typical rabble rousing didn’t merit a response that thoughtful, but I’m glad Westbrook gave it. It’s a far more healthy way to think about a player’s career than how much jewelry they’ve collected. </p>
<h2>The best of SI</h2>
<p>Inside the secret Gonzaga alumni tradition <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/03/30/gonzaga-sunday-alumni-games-john-stockton-daily-cover">created by John Stockton that bonds the Zags' past with their present</a>. ... Is Mike Woodson the right guy <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/03/29/mike-woodson-indiana-hire-scott-dolson">to lead Indiana basketball back to prominence</a>? ... Sergio Agüero, who will leave <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/03/30/sergio-aguero-manchester-city-premier-league-history-legacy">Manchester City in the summer, may be the greatest player in the club’s history</a>. </p>
<h2>Around the sports world</h2>
<p>Michael Strahan closed the <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/michael-strahan-trademark-tooth-gap-april-fools-day-giants-221906180.html">gap between his front teeth, but is it an April fools’ joke</a>? ... Iowa star Jordan Bohannon says <a href="https://www.thegazette.com/subject/sports/hawkeyes/iowa-mens-basketball/jordan-bohannon-coming-back-if-iowa-nil-legislation-bill-20210330">he will return to the Hawkeyes next season if the state passes its name, image and likeness bill</a>. </p>
<h3>Russ also had a vicious dunk</h3>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CIoZGIDY2wA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
<h3>Justin Fields saw Zach Wilson’s viral throw and said, “I can do that”</h3>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/BillLandis25/status/1376958096430530564"></a></blockquote>
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<h3>Bill Belichick isn’t mad; he’s just disappointed</h3>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/theMMQB/status/1376949247724118021"></a></blockquote>
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<h3>And at 320 pounds, no less</h3>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/theMMQB/status/1376960887727218688"></a></blockquote>
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<h3>It’s only fitting for baseball teams to be sponsored by loan companies</h3>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/AndySlater/status/1376975620358483979"></a></blockquote>
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<h3>Houston assistant Alvin Brooks and Baylor assistant Alvin Brooks III will face each other in the Final Four</h3>
<div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/Coach_AB3/status/1376955771875954696"></a></blockquote>
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<h3>I can’t explain why, but 10–7 looks like a worse record than 9–7</h3>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/FourVerts/status/1376965279427727362"></a></blockquote>
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<h3>Former NFL lineman Orlando Franklin looks like a different person after retirement</h3>
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<h3>Better than a banner</h3>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/BruceArians/status/1376943006838784004"></a></blockquote>
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<h2>Not sports</h2>
<p>Here is a follow-up to the creepy <a href="https://slate.com/human-interest/2021/03/baltimore-sexy-funeral-goth-house-realtor.html">Raiders/funeral home real estate listing: an interview with the listing agent</a>. ... The Louvre has made <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/qjp7g7/the-louvre-museum-online-gallery">its entire collection available online for free</a>. ... A Tokyo man confessed to <a href="https://kotaku.com/man-arrested-following-daring-pokemon-card-robbery-1846574146">stealing Pokémon cards after rappelling down the side of a building</a>. ... <em>Game of Thrones</em> is <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/game-of-thrones-play-in-the-works-for-broadway-will-revive-iconic-characters-exclusive">being turned into a Broadway play</a>. ... An elite Australian private school <a href="https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/parenting/school-life/trinity-college-in-perth-bans-mullet-haircuts-labelling-them-unacceptable/news-story/3a2e3a07b085bd17c88c396cfd268922">has banned the “untidy, non-conventional” mullet</a>. </p>
<h3>Congratulations to Spotify for inventing radio</h3>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/DylanByers/status/1376887078445744133"></a></blockquote>
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<h2>A good song</h2>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0lmyAvuvTnQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
<p><em>Email dan.gartland@si.com with any feedback or</em> <a href="https://twitter.com/Dan_Gartland"><em>follow me on Twitter</em></a> <em>for approximately one half-decent baseball joke per week.</em> <a href="https://www.si.com/tag/hot-clicks"><em>Bookmark this page</em></a> <em>to see previous editions of Hot Clicks and find the newest edition every day. By popular request</em> <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0KhJJa6nSLoPreU3oJpmMZ?si=jLW6kicrT0e9w5slye4SiA"><em>I’ve made a Spotify playlist of the music featured here</em></a><em>. Visit our</em> <a href="http://si.com/extra-mustard"><em>Extra Mustard page</em></a> <em>throughout each day for more offbeat sports stories.</em></p>

New on Sports Illustrated: Russell Westbrook Fires Back at Stephen A. Smith for Downplaying His Accomplishments

“I was a champion once I made it to the NBA.” “I was a champion once I made it to the NBA.” After a slow start to the season, Russell Westbrook has been on a tear lately. Over his last 20 games, he’s…

31 Mar 2021

New on Sports Illustrated: Mailbag: What the ATP Players' Group Controversy Reveals About the Entire Sport of Tennis

<a href="https://www.si.com/tennis/2021/03/31/mailbag-atp-union-controversy-ptpa-pospisil-djokovic">
<p class="subtitle">Discussing the major points surround the ATP's labor issues—and what it means for tennis as a whole—after tensions flared last week at the Miami Open.</p>
<p>Hope everyone is well (and on their way to vaccination):</p>
<p>• The</p>
</a><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-the-baseline-sis-tennis-podcast-with-jon-wertheim/id1005210315#episodeGuid=325cce98-87f9-11eb-9151-97814703794f">most recent SI tennis podcast</a> featured Casper Ruud and he was excellent. <iframe height="482" width="100%" src="https://playlist.megaphone.fm?p=DGT3200476459" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>
<p>• <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dave-kindred-local-sportswriter-60-minutes-2021-03-28/">Here’s the Dave Kindred piece a few of you asked about.</a></p>
<p>Onward….</p>
<p>We are lurching toward the business end of the fifth biggest event of the year. Yet most of your questions and chatter revolved around the ATP labor issues. They flared last week when, well, <a href="https://www.eurosport.com/tennis/tension-over-novak-djokovic-s-ptpa-heats-up-in-miami-after-vasek-pospisil-outburst-but-what-next_sto8197946/story.shtml">this</a> happened. It strikes me that this discussion encapsulates so much more than labor relations. It’s really a referendum on the entire sport: the fate of tennis after the Big Three; the viability of the men/women combo; the conflicts of interests; who has value and how much; do we go to events to see stars or because we like the tournaments? So here are some scattered points, trying to incorporate as many of your questions as possible.</p>
<p>1) That independent contractors cannot, as a rule, unionize undergirds this. Most athletes are employed by teams or leagues and have formed unions, which are often quite powerful/competent. Everything from wages—often roughly 50% of the league’s gross revenues—to discipline policies are negotiated. Not so, in tennis. Players operate as independent entities. This is not altogether bad. No one tells them when to practice or play. They can skip events <a href="https://thegrio.com/2021/03/25/naomi-osaka-pulls-out-tournament-homesick/">citing homesickness</a>—totally reasonable, but try floating that explanation to a team owner. They cannot be forced by an employer to make appearances. They have approval rights on every issue. This grants them a level of autonomy. But it strips them of a right to bargain collectively.</p>
<p>2) I’ll come clean and cop to a pro-labor bias. But I’d submit that anyone looking objectively should be sympathetic to the players. And this ought to be a starting point. The ATP and WTA were both founded as 50/50 partnerships between players (labor/talent) and tournaments (management). But if we are working on the premise that both sides are equal stakeholders, why is labor being paid so much less of gross revenues? (By my best reporting, 10-14% at majors; 20-25% at Tour events. That there isn’t transparent disclosure making these number easy to obtain is problematic in itself.) Even after the significant prize money increases of the last decade; even after accounting for tournaments paying accommodations and bonus pool contributions, management still pays a paltry percentage of gross revenues to the labor compared to other sports—and, maybe more damningly, compared to the 50/50 governance configuration. Speaking of….</p>
<p>3) The 50/50 partnership has outlived its usefulness and doesn’t reflect the reality of the marketplace. Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Serena….those are billion-dollar brands. The notion that they can be thwarted by 250-level tournaments is the corporate equivalent of gerrymandering. Putting labor and management on the same side of the table is like putting two players on the same half of the tennis court.</p>
<p>4) The tournaments’ two common fallback responses ring hollow. The majors contend they are non-profits and benefit the overall sport, especially the host nation. (“We’re not a traditional sports franchise. We’re part of a federation.”) This weakens as the sport becomes more global. (Djokovic, for instance, is supposed to play for less than market value so the USTA can…. subsidize Jack Sock’s coach or a training center in Orlando?) The rationale that tournaments lose money year-over-year doesn’t hold up either. Plenty of franchises in sports have operating losses year over year, while their overall value increases dramatically.</p>
<p>5) Timing matters. We’re coming out of a pandemic. Unemployment rates are in double digits. After a rough six months, the U.S. Open is, miraculously, held. And, more miraculously, is essentially paying full prize money. The eve of that tournament is a singularly awful time to stage a labor protest. Likewise, Federer, Nadal and Djokovic are all missing from Miami. Maybe not the best time to discuss an ATP boycott—as players did last week. On the other hand….</p>
<p>6) Time disadvantages the players. The tournaments, as institutions, can play the long game. The players have a shorter earning window. And every hour spent organizing and unifying and sitting in a conference room or on a Zoom is an hour they are not devoting to tennis. All the more reason the players have to be smart about their strategy and execution. It was written in Ecclesiastes: “What has been will be again. And what has been done will be done again. There’s nothing new under the sun.” This is the same debate—with the same battle lines, talking points, and structural advantages for management—that have existed for decades. This, in itself, suggests management is winning.</p>
<p><br />
7) Vasek Pospisil is no villain. On the contrary, he’s a sensitive, accessible guy. But that doesn’t make him the ideal labor leader. I got this from multiple sources: last week he was part of a group that called a meeting with ATP leadership. He grew emotional and pressed ATP leadership on action (and inaction) he found objectionable. Management responded that he didn’t have all the facts and would do well to be better informed. Pospisil felt humiliated and disrespected and discredited, dressed down, as he was, in front of his peers. It’s understandable. And even, perhaps, endearing that he would have these sensitivities. He is passionate about this issue and craves the backing of his colleagues. That said…</p>
<p>8) You can’t have a meltdown like that. You just can’t. Optics matters. And this was horrible. Cursing to an official about your boss—while tanking a match to a co-worker—is not becoming a leader. And completely undermines credibility. After that incident, players were sent a text that read in part: “[A public meltdown] allows the opposition to criticize, minimize, ridicule, and villainize the player movement, while oversimplifying very legitimate grievances as; emotional, unstable, disorganized and unprofessional. Please be mindful of your priorities, and that is where you currently have the most control; between the lines. Don’t give them the satisfaction of impacting that as well.”</p>
<p>9) Unity is critical here. The players’ power here is in direct proportion to their solidarity. Management erodes leverage by dividing and conquering, by finding replacement labor. That can mean overpaying stars to lock up their support. That can mean finding replacement workers at the bottom.</p>
<p>10) The players need to professionalize their efforts. Seven months since its founding, the PTPA is…what exactly? No one seems to be able to articulate this organization. Does it want women involved? Does it not want women? Do they support equal prize money? It’s hard to find something support when you have defined yourself. Likewise….</p>
<p>11) And who is the leader? There are experienced professionals with legal training who would be willing to take up the cause and advise players. (Paging: Don Fehr, Jeff Kessler, executives of a conventional union or union-side law firm.) But instead there is a cacophony voices—of agents, lawyers, emotionally volatile former players; often with personal agendas, reputational damage—in players’ ears. The players give away leverage when they fail to professionalize the operation. They also lose in the short-term. I’m told by multiple sources that the ATP chieftains flood the players with charts and data and power point decks that often leave them unarmed. It should not be incumbent on Novak Djokovic or Vasek Pospisil or Karen Khachanov to counter with econometric models of his own. Someone else needs to be doing this work on the players’ behalf. But when management brings data and labor responds with emotion, management wins.</p>
<p>12) In a sane and functional 50/50 partnership, one party gets the other party’s transparent financial data—or else gets an independent audit. It is indefensible that tournaments won’t provide players with full financial disclosure. Imaging negotiating a pre-nup but not knowing how much your spouse is actually worth.</p>
<p>13) Think creatively. Arguing about how to split the pie is fundamental, but limiting. Maybe there needs to be a minimum salary floor for a certain number of players. Maybe we have independent board seats. Maybe injured players should draw a salary. Maybe draw sizes need to change. Maybe players need more opportunity to earn outside income. (Discuss: why can tournaments—including Miami, which has a seven-figure deal this year—have gambling partnerships but players cannot?)</p>
<p>14) We write this side a line a lot. But at some point tennis needs to make up its mind: does it want to be varsity or jay-vee? If you want to run like a family business—rotting with conflicts, dispensing wild cards to players’ girlfriends, lacking the most basic workplace policies, letting coaches and fathers run events, letting management agencies represent players and then lobbying to suppress prize money—that’s one option. If you want to run this like a credible business, a few fiefdoms will lose power, but it will be to the sport’s overall gain.</p>
<p>15) In this fairly stark <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-03-24/novak-djokovic-other-tennis-players-seek-to-reform-economics-of-the-sport">Bloomberg piece</a>—which I encourage you all to read—titled “The Missed Business Opportunity That is Pro Tennis,” Andrea Gaudenzi, the ATP honcho, warns of tennis “drifting toward obsolescence.” I’d frame it more favorably. The NFL just signed a media deal worth more than $100 billion. Tennis isn’t the NFL. (It’s more global, has twice as many genders, longer playing careers, no head trauma.) More unity, more equity, more professionalism, fewer conflicts, and there’s real value here. It’s just a question of whether the sport gets out of its own way. It doesn’t need to hit more winners. It just needs to cut back on its unforced errors.</p>
<h2>Mailbag</h2>
<p><em>Have a question or comment for Jon? Email him at</em> <a href="mailto:jon_wertheim@yahoo.com"><em>jon_wertheim@yahoo.com</em></a> <em>or tweet him</em> <a href="https://twitter.com/jon_wertheim"><strong><em>@jon_wertheim</em></strong></a><em>.</em></p>
<p><strong>Enjoy all your work and love that you interact with us on Twitter, even though I’m sure it can be difficult for you often. As I was watching the Osaka/Hsieh match, I was reflecting back on famous Chinese tennis players (including Chinese Taipei) and I could think of several on the WTA, notably Li Na, Peng Shuai and Zheng Jie, I could not think of a single male Chinese tennis player, doubles or singles. Given the significant investment in tennis in mainland China in terms of bringing tournaments in country, and based on commentary during the aforementioned match, the investments they are trying to make in players, no male tennis player has risen through the ranks yet. Perhaps it’s just a matter of time, but I wanted to get your thoughts on this.<br /></strong>—<em>Rika</em></p>
<p>• Great question. A few thoughts: As in the U.S., in China tennis is more popular as a girls’ sport than as a boys’ sport. The folks at the USTA will tell you that getting an athletic, motivated eight-year-old girl to play tennis is one thing. They point to Serena Williams. They stress attire and the chance for self-expression. They tell the parents about the opportunities for college scholarships and the fact that nine of the 10 highest-paid female athletes are tennis players. Making the same pitch to the athletic and motivated eight-year-old boy is something else entirely. Tennis ranks lower on the spectrum. The most marginal NFL or NBA player makes more than all but the very best tennis players. The college scholarships are few and far between—and often go to foreign players.</p>
<p>Also, I’m told by coaches and agents that some players are still caught in the mentality whereby success in competition in the Asian Games and among provinces matter more than success at pro events.</p>
<p><strong>I was interested to see Auger-Aliassime vs. Korda to see Felix finally play someone younger than him...until I realized Korda is actually a month older! It continues to boggle the mind how quickly Felix got himself to the very top of the game. I hope people can be patient with him winning a title since he'd still be considered a prodigy by most any other standards. Any given week...<br /></strong>—<em>Willie T., East Lansing, Mich.</em></p>
<p>• Amen to that. Especially as careers—both men and women—drift deep into the 30s, we need to recalibrate our what-have-you-done-for-me-lately meters.</p>
<p><strong>How do we explain Aslan Karatsev? 27 years old, been on the tour since 2013. Had to wait until 2020 for his first top 50 win. Obviously, some injuries and other difficulties along the way but those are to be expected. A Jewish Russian player who emigrated to Israel at the age of three, goes back to Russia at 16, which is an interesting story in itself. Suddenly something clicks in 2021 and wins against FAA, Schwartzman, Dimitrov, Dan Evans, Jannik Sinner and the red hot Rublev. I understand 20-year-old prodigies coming through, I don't understand how a perennial journeyman suddenly launches into the elite orbit.<br /></strong>—<em>Kasib</em></p>
<p>• This was before Karatsev lost to Korda, but Lindsay, Steve, and I were talking about this on Tennis Channel the other day. I can’t ever recall this set of circumstances: A player spends a full decade as a journeyman—a loaded, pejorative, dismissive descriptor; but here, it fits. A year ago, he was 26 years old, outside the top 250 and playing futures in Kazakhstan. He catches a gear, qualifies for a major, blasts through top players, and reaches the semis. Okay, fun Cinderella story. We’ve seen this a few times. Vladimir Voltchkov and Clarisa Fernández both reached the semis of majors; but then effectively turned into pumpkins. In Karatsav’s case, he keeps going. At his next event, he loses to Thiem, but pushes him to 7-6 in the third—and wins the doubles for good measure. At the next event, he takes the titles. Suddenly, he is 12-2 on the year and will be seeded at majors for the foreseeable future.</p>
<p><strong>Gasparyan!</strong> <strong>Think I have found my new favorite WTA player! That backhand is worthy of Wawrinka.<br /></strong>—<em>Helen of DC</em></p>
<p>• Helen is right. Blasting away in Margarita-ville:</p>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6qiwi4qEOfs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
<p><strong>You make a good point about Serena's camp making too big of a deal about passing Margaret Court's record, which is both dubious and draws more attention to Court’s homophobia. So my question is: if Serena retires falling just short of 24 majors (which is looking increasingly likely), could it actually have the long term effect of getting tennis statistics to stick to Open Era records and forget Court altogether, as they should? Nobody seems to acknowledge that Ken Rosewall won 23 singles majors under similar circumstances to Court's, and I can't recall anyone ever asking the Big Three if they aimed to break that record. So I don't understand why Court's record is treated so differently.<br /></strong> —<em>Brian O'Neill, Montreal</em></p>
<p>• Interesting. Serena has done more to legitimize Margaret Court than any marketing campaign ever could.</p>
<p><strong>I don't think I ever heard the term until a couple of years ago, but now I see</strong> <strong><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/22/realestate/luxury/golf-course-homes-younger-buyers.html">stories about pickleball</a></strong> <strong>and its ever-increasing popularity more than occasionally. I've never seen it played, but after reading about it—OK, skimming the Wikipedia entry for it, it seems sort of…casual, on the order of (but likely more aerobic than) picnic badminton, miniature golf, cornhole and jarts. No offense to those fine games, all of which I've enjoyed, but they all seem like social and recreational activities, not players in the global sports business. Do you see pickleball as competition for tennis, a potential gateway to tennis for new players, just another sport in the marketplace, or something else?<br /></strong>—<em>Srikanth</em></p>
<p>• Tennis needs to, in effect, acquire Pickleball welcome it under a rackets sports tent. Make it Instagram to tennis’ Facebook.</p>
<p><strong>Without the WTA/ATP live app, it is difficult to keep track of the live scores. ATP site is better organized. An app is available for live events with all the details. Why is the WTA forcing one to go to their awful website? So disorganized. Where can we find a good app for WTA events.<br /></strong>—<em>Thank you, Annaji</em></p>
<p>• Um….we’ll crowd source this. TNNS Live is my current go-to. But there’s an opportunity here.</p>
<h2>Press releasing</h2>
<p>• Get into the head of Toni Nadal, the mastermind coach of 20-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal, and dozens of other world-renowned coaches like Boris Becker and legendary Nick Bollettieri at the 2021 World Tennis Conference. Those icons of the game and 60-plus more world-class tennis coaches will divulge their coveted secrets and winning strategies as the TennisONE App plays host to a four-day online extravaganza featuring the world’s top tennis coaches in the World Tennis Conference taking place March 25-28. The event is designed and organized by the Global Professional Tennis Coach Association (GPTCA) and Segal Institute.</p>
<p><a href="https://t1.app.link/WTCPR">Click here</a> to download the TennisONE App to register for the conference now!</p>
<p>• The United States Tennis Association (USTA) and the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) have entered into a new strategic alliance that formalizes the two organizations’ ongoing collaboration to strengthen and elevate collegiate tennis. This alliance between the sport’s national governing body and its college coaches association brings greater focus and resources to both new and existing initiatives that the two organizations believe will not only benefit college tennis, but the entire tennis ecosystem.</p>
<p>Take us out, Ashok of San Diego:</p>
<p><strong>• I am not sure if this has already been discussed in the Mailbag, but regarding the GOAT debate between the Big Three, I think the most comprehensive and accurate measure is simply this: accumulated ranking points over entire career. During short spans, ranking points may not be representative since a player can accumulate more points by playing more and/or winning smaller tournaments etc. But the Big Three have certainly not done that over their long careers. So this measure would then incorporate everything: greater value of majors, weeks at No. 1 (almost by definition), number of titles, longevity etc. I would say it even incorporates head-to-head records, since the Big Three have mostly met at later stages where the results would cause big point swings.</strong></p>
<p><strong><br />
Two things it does not incorporate: streaks (e.g. Federer's 23 consecutive SFs at Slams, or the Djoker Slam of 2015/16) and distributions (e.g. Nadal's clay court concentration). But I'd argue streaks are not that relevant to career spanning GOAT assessments, and total Slams (the most popular measure) also ignores distribution.<br />
<br />
The problem of course is that the ranking point system itself changed in 2009, so one cannot simply add up all the year-end points. In the old ranking system, titles were worth half the points, but losses in earlier rounds earned more than half. For simplicity though, I just doubled the old ranking points from 2001-2008 and added them to 2009-2021 (including 2021 AO). This should benefit Federer more since he played in the old ranking system the longest among the Big Three. However, Federer lost very few matches from 2004-2007 and I have also eliminated his ranking points from before 2001 to balance it out a bit. So it is probably good enough as a first estimate. All the match data is of course available, and it would be great if you could get someone (Sharko?) to do a more accurate translation of the old ranking points to the new system.<br />
<br />
With all that said, here are the numbers:<br />
<br />
Federer: 177000<br />
Djokovic: 151642<br />
Nadal: 151357<br />
<br />
Not surprisingly, Federer is first because of his longevity as well as all-surface excellence. It is quite interesting to note that Djokovic just passed Nadal with his 2021 AO win. But again, Nadal gets more benefit from doubling pre-2009 points here, so the real gap is larger. And this does make sense to me: Nadal's two extra slams are less valuable than Djokovic's all-surface excellence, 100+ more weeks at No.1, all those WTF wins etc. Also interesting to note that, if he keeps the rate of about 9000 points per year, Djokovic will overtake Federer in two to three years, which also makes sense.<br />
<br />
Note: Among the Big Three, I like Nadal the most, so it is disappointing to see him fall behind in the GOAT race. But I would stand by this measure and analysis :-)</strong></p>

New on Sports Illustrated: Mailbag: What the ATP Players' Group Controversy Reveals About the Entire Sport of Tennis

Discussing the major points surround the ATP's labor issues—and what it means for tennis as a whole—after tensions flared last week at the Miami Open. Hope everyone is well (and on their way to vacci…

31 Mar 2021

New on Sports Illustrated: Cheryl Reeve: We All Win When Trans Athletes Are Included

<a href="https://www.si.com/wnba/2021/03/31/cheryl-reeve-minnesota-lynx-transgender-athletes-jaycee-cooper-powerlifting">
<p class="subtitle">The GM and coach writes that there is no room in women’s sports for divisiveness and discrimination.</p>
<figure><img height="413" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTc5OTY3MTk4MDY2OTc2MDg4/gettyimages-1228638272.jpg" width="620" />
<figcaption>Cheryl Reeve</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As the general manager and head coach of the Minnesota Lynx, I spend a lot of time thinking about what makes a winning team. It takes more than just signing individual athletes, no matter how talented they are or how hard they work. I look for players who are confident enough in themselves to know when the moment calls for them to lead, and also when it’s time to let their teammates shine. Because athletes are leaders on and off the court, I always encourage my team to engage with the issues that affect the world around us. I am proud when my team shows up for Black lives, fights against pay disparities in women’s sports and celebrates our LGBTQ fans. And today, I am proud to speak up in support of the right of transgender women and nonbinary athletes to compete in women’s sports.</p>
<p>When we welcome all woman athletes, including transgender woman athletes, to bring their full authentic selves to the game, we are stronger as individual players and as a team. I have dedicated my life to women’s basketball long enough to know that the true threats to women’s sports lie in obstacles like severe pay disparities, lack of investment in women coaches and an overall lack of resources dedicated to women’s sports from scholastic competition through to the elite level. Transgender exclusion pits woman athletes against one another, reinforces the harmful notion that there is only one right way to be a woman and distracts us from the real threats to women’s sports.</p>
<p>I am proud that my team’s home state, Minnesota, protects transgender athletes from discrimination. In fact, Minnesota was the first in the nation to protect transgender, gender-nonconforming and nonbinary people in a state human rights act. And the Minnesota State High School League—like the Internal Olympic Committee, NCAA and other professional sports leagues—has an inclusive policy that allows athletes to play on the team consistent with their gender identity. Nevertheless, far too many transgender athletes still face discriminatory hurdles constructed by those who want to unjustly ban them from women’s sports.</p>
<p>JayCee Cooper, a powerlifter in our home state of Minnesota, is suing USA Powerlifting, with the help of Gender Justice and Nichols Kaster, over USAPL’s discriminatory ban that prevents transgender women from participating in the sport. In addition to violating Minnesota state law, this ban also goes directly against Principle 6 of the Olympic Charter, which states that any form of discrimination has no place in Olympic sports. This ban simply cannot stand, and we are confident that it will not stand.</p>
<p>I’m closely following this case and am proud of JayCee for leading the fight to ensure our teams and leagues live up to the values inherent in sports—respect, dignity, perseverance, equality, and inclusion. JayCee is an exceptional athlete who walks the walk when it comes to upholding our shared values—and she isn’t afraid to fight to be able to play the sport she loves and bring that opportunity to others.</p>
<p>There is no room in women’s sports for divisiveness and discrimination. Equity and basic fairness are not “zero sum.” Everyone wins when we extend athletic opportunities to more women and when we treat one another fairly. I’ve seen firsthand the power of inclusion to make sports better, and we all win as a global sports community when access is expanded, not diminished. I hope you will join me in supporting athletes like JayCee, and in standing up for the right of all women athletes to be our true authentic selves on and off the court.</p>
</a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Cheryl Reeve: We All Win When Trans Athletes Are Included

The GM and coach writes that there is no room in women’s sports for divisiveness and discrimination. Cheryl Reeve As the general manager and head coach of the Minnesota Lynx, I spend a lot of time th…

31 Mar 2021

New on Sports Illustrated: Remembering the Best (and Worst) of Pitchers at the Plate

<a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/03/31/baseball-pitchers-hitting-bartolo-colon-home-run-daily-cover">
<p class="subtitle">An ode to MLB's free swingers, non-swingers and jacket-wearing runners.</p>
<p>In the grillroom of McArthur Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Fla., this winter, two retired pitchers were talking baseball. Jim Kaat pitched 25 seasons in the big leagues, in four decades, for six teams, while one-time Phillies prospect Bill Parcells topped out as a teenager in New Jersey, only to become a football coach of some renown. Still, both men fondly recalled the oversize sweats—some were feed bags fashioned into baseball pants—they wore to practice sliding in the 1950s should they ever have to leg out a double. “We wanted to be baseball players, not pitchers,” says Kaat, 82. “We wanted to learn to bunt, slide, run the bases and help ourselves out with the bat.”</p>
<p>Major league pitchers have been batting for 150 years now. Their walk-up music, in the mind’s ear, is “Entry of the Gladiators,” the theme of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, for pitchers have often looked silly at the plate. Last season they laid down their weapons entirely when the National League used designated hitters, as the American League has done since 1973. Pitchers are unlikely to bat at all in 2022, when the universal DH is expected to be enshrined permanently in a new collective bargaining agreement. That leaves 2021 as their final trip around the bases, a valedictory lap for men who tend to run awkwardly, wearing warmup jackets, after reaching on an error, or a dropped third strike, or some form of suspected chicanery. In 1964 the severely nearsighted Reds pitcher Ryne Duren was accused by the Cardinals of thrusting his knee into a pitch to reach first base. It was more useful than his bat. As one writer put it, “[Duren] couldn’t hit the ground with a safe.”</p>
<figure><img height="814" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTc5OTg3MjU4MjQ4NTM3NDMy/dcov_pitchershit.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
<p>If this is the obituary for pitchers as batters, there are multiple causes of death, including asphyxiation. With every inelegant swing, Brooklyn pitcher Preacher Roe choked up a little higher on the bat, his hands slowly climbing the barrel like a koala ascending a eucalyptus trunk. Deep into a count, Roe risked having more lumber below his fists than above them. He was so lost at the plate that the left-handed pitcher tried switch-whiffing. “Roe often would take two strikes hitting right-handed, then finish the strikeout left-handed,” his Dodgers teammate Pete Reiser told a reporter after Roe retired in 1954 with 215 strikeouts in 620 at bats. “Anything to try to change his luck.”</p>
<p>Roe wasn’t unlucky as a hitter. He was un-good. Most pitchers are. A difficult enough task for everyday players, hitting is infinitely more challenging for anyone attempting to do it every fourth or fifth day. “When the other players on the club are taking their licks in batting practice, the pitchers are sprinkled around in the outfield and delegated to chase fly balls,” noted <em>Los Angeles Times</em> baseball writer and foreign correspondent Harry A. Williams. “Chasing balls for other people is not calculated to benefit a man’s batting eye.”</p>
<p>That was in 1913, after which a few pitchers <em>did</em> do significant damage with a bat. Babe Ruth used to make an annual bet with Yankees pitcher Lefty Gomez that Gomez wouldn’t get five hits on the season, a wager Gomez usually ended up winning, by a narrow margin, in late September. One afternoon Ruth handed Gomez his own bat and told him to a hit a home run with it. While attempting to knock the dirt from his spikes in the on-deck circle, Gomez smashed himself in the ankle instead and had to be hospitalized. But at least he hit something. At least he <em>held</em> something—that Ruthian Louisville Slugger, full of latent energy. Some pitchers couldn’t be bothered schlepping 42 ounces to the plate.</p>
<figure><img height="827" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTc5NTI4MTU3MzgzMTA3NzIx/preacher-roe.jpg" width="620" />
<figcaption>A four-time All-Star with Brooklyn for his superior talents on the mound, Roe floundered at the plate. He struck out in more than one-third of his at bats across 12 seasons.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>On April 2, 1982, A’s righthander Steve McCatty approached the batter’s box in Yuma, Ariz., in the final week of spring training. Oakland manager Billy Martin didn’t want his ace to risk injury by swinging—or God forbid, to get a hit and have to run the bases—so McCatty strode to the plate with a 15-inch bat, purchased that night at the souvenir stand, an effort umpire Jim Quick found humorous but beneath the dignity of even a Cactus League game. A batboy brought McCatty some real lumber, which Cat left on his shoulder as he watched three pitches sail by. Quick, quickly, punched him out.</p>
<p>“In my opinion, there is nothing as dull in baseball as watching pitchers try to hit,” said Hall of Fame first baseman George Sisler, who played during the Warren G. Harding Administration, by which time it was already long-established that pitchers—like the anti–Venus de Milo—were valued for only their arms. “A pitcher isn’t expected to hit, and he knows it,” Tigers pitcher Bill Donovan said in 1908. “Therefore, he doesn’t pay attention to that end of the game.”</p>
<p>As a rookie with the Phillies in 1980, Bob Walk wasn’t paying attention to that end of the game when he absentmindedly strolled to the plate with no bat at all, packing light for what he must have known would be a brief round trip from the dugout. Most pitchers bring a bat to the plate for the same reason kids bring a glove to the bleachers: on the slim hope they’ll get to use it to some positive effect.</p>
<p>“Pitchers can’t hit,” Casey Stengel once said. “You can’t even teach ’em to bunt.” So perhaps it is time—long past time—to confine them to the mound, to take away their bats, to turn the whole pitching profession into Lumber Liquidators.</p>
<img height="345" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTc5NjcyNDIyMTEzMzU1NzM2/daily-cover-promo-new.jpg" width="620" /></a>
<p>But what of the guys who <em>could</em> hit? Hall of Fame Braves lefty Warren Spahn clobbered 35 long balls in his career, the third most all-time among pitchers. He hit at least one home run in every NL ballpark. “We’ve made nonathletes out of pitchers,” he complained to <em>The New York Times</em> in 1999, the same year his successors in the Braves rotation were featured in a famous Nike commercial. Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, envious of Cardinals slugger Mark McGwire, pumped iron and took batting practice before declaring, in front of <em>Melrose Place</em> heartthrob Heather Locklear: “Chicks dig the long ball.”</p>
<p>The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani pitches and plays DH with equal proficiency. “Adding to my HOF credentials,” tweeted pitcher Dan Haren, who had a perfect day at the plate for the Diamondbacks in 2010, “I’m the last pitcher in history to have a 4 hit game.” Pitcher Madison Bumgarner, who has 19 career home runs, was so at ease as a Giants slugger that he blew a celebratory snot rocket after crossing the plate with his first grand slam in 2014.</p>
<p>Still, most pitchers who hit safely get seeing-eye singles, which may be why Cardinals flamethrower Bob Gibson drew a pair of peepers on his bat. Gibson hit a home run into the upper deck in San Diego in 1971, though he chalked up that blast to a juiced ball. “Under normal circumstances,” he said, “I’d have to hit a ball, then chase it and hit it again to get it that far.” Still, Gibson batted six points above the Mendoza Line over 17 seasons and hit 24 home runs, one of them in the 1967 World Series. He continued hitting prodigious dingers in Old-Timers’ Games, rocketing one into the upper tank at Busch Stadium in 1991 while batting left-handed as a goof. Gibson, a right-handed hitter, was 56 at the time.</p>
<p>More often, though, the pitcher’s slot in the batting order is like the ballad at a heavy-metal concert: a cue to use the restroom. “The time to get a hot dog and a beer is when the pitcher comes to bat,” Joe Altobelli said when he was managing the Orioles, but the fan who acted on that impulse risked missing a spectacle—heroic or ridiculous, possibly both at the same time. When Roe, a year before retirement, hit one over the fence in Pittsburgh, his Dodgers teammates Jackie Robinson, Ralph Branca and Roy Campanella lay down a carpet of towels to guide him into the dugout as if he were a movie star strolling into a premiere, which he was, in a manner of speaking: It was Roe’s first—and last—dinger.</p>
<figure><img height="465" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTc5NTI4MjIxODA3NjE3MTAz/maddux-glavine.jpg" width="620" />
<figcaption>Hall of Fame pitchers Glavine and Maddux, who combined to hit six home runs in 45 seasons, famously bulked up in a 1999 Nike ad and remarked: “Chicks dig the long ball.”</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In 1963, baseball writer Neal Russo of the <em>St. Louis Post-Dispatch</em> compiled a partial list of pitchers—including the Cardinals’ Clint Rehm as well as the Dodgers’ Sandy Koufax and Hank Behrman—who had singled cleanly to the outfield but were thrown out at first base after standing too long in the batter’s box gazing in wonder and disbelief at the ball they had just put into play.</p>
<p>There is a cognitive dissonance when pitchers connect with the ball, a disbelief in some cases. “The impossible has happened!” Mets announcer Gary Cohen shouted when Bartolo Colon, who more often swung out from under his helmet, went yard at Petco Park in 2016. Over a thunderous ovation from the crowd in San Diego, Cohen said, “This is one of the great moments in the history of baseball!” It was a wry bit of hyperbole; Cohen had ages of time to fill as Colon circled the bases. “I wanna say it was one of the longest home run trots I’ve ever seen,” said analyst Ron Darling. “But I think that’s how fast he runs.”</p>
<p>Colon’s dinger was also a victory lap for hurlers, perhaps the last great triumph of a pitcher at the plate, one final blow to disprove—however briefly—Addie Joss’s ancient theory of why pitchers can’t hit. Joss, who pitched for Cleveland in the first decade of the last century, said that a man accustomed to watching a ball go away from himself cannot comprehend a ball coming toward him.</p>
<p>Tony Cloninger could. On July 3, 1966, at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, the hard-throwing Braves righthander hit two grand slams against the Giants, then added a gratuitous single. Cloninger had nine RBIs, one for every inning he pitched in a complete-game, 17–3 win. He became the first player in NL history to hit two grand slams in a game and remains one of only 13 players in either league to do so.</p>
<p>And even that was not the finest two-way performance ever wrought by a pitcher. Rick Wise no-hit the Reds in Cincinnati on June 23, 1971, while belting two home runs in the Phillies’ 4–0 win. His bat was dispatched to Cooperstown, where it was displayed under glass like King Tut’s death mask, a relic of mythical fascination.</p>
<p>For many pitchers, the home run was the greater achievement than the no-hitter. At 40, Nolan Ryan hit the second home run of his 27-year career on May 1, 1987, the same night he took a no-hitter into the sixth inning against the Braves. “Realistically, the odds are not very good,” he said of throwing another no-no. “I would think better than hitting another home run, though.” He was right. Four years later to the day, Ryan threw his seventh no-hitter. He never went yard again.</p>
<p>Jack Kofoed, a sportswriter from 1912 until his death in 1979, saw nearly everyone play during the decades that baseball was America’s pastime. “I used to think the worst hitter I ever saw was Eppa Rixey,” wrote Kofoed, of the Phillies pitcher who went 1-for-26 (with a double) in 1914. But then he saw Ryne Duren: “Rixey was a regular Joe DiMaggio compared with [Duren].”</p>
<p>Duren made a spectacle of himself, in spectacles, for 10 seasons, three of them with the Yankees. He might throw his first warmup pitch 100 mph to the backstop, then use a handkerchief to theatrically clean his glasses. (He owned seven pairs.) Catcher Elston Howard painted his own nails with Mercurochrome just so Duren could read the signs. When Duren was on his knees, repairing the mound with his hands, Gus Triandos of the Orioles asked Yogi Berra what Duren was doing. “Trying to find the rubber,” Berra replied.</p>
<figure><img height="465" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTc5NTI4MjgxNjY4NzIzNzkx/ryne-duren.jpg" width="620" />
<figcaption>Duren’s glasses offered him no help with a bat. He struck out in 66 of his 138 trips to the plate (48%) and laid down only 10 sac bunts.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For a man who could hardly see, Duren managed seven career hits. Three of them came in one season, in 1963. But he wasn’t the worst-hitting pitcher of the 1950s and ’60s, when Tigers lefthander Hank Aguirre boasted of winning an anti–Silver Slugger—what he called a Lead Bat. His swing was, in the words of the writer Milton Richman, that of a man “flailing away futilely at the plate like someone trying to swat houseflies off his nose.” Aguirre once received a five-minute standing ovation at Tiger Stadium for getting a base knock.</p>
<p>Like Duren, Giants righthander Ron Herbel wore glasses at the plate, but they didn’t help. There was no Herbel remedy. He got six hits in nine years, half of them in a torrid 1967 season, when Herbel went 3-for-28. Bob Buhl went oh-for-1962, when—as a member of the Braves and Cubs—he was hitless in 70 at bats. In a 15-year career, Buhl batted .089 and slugged, if that is the right word, .091. The fans weren’t <em>Buhl</em>ing; they were booing.</p>
<p>Many pitchers, however, were proud of their prowess at the plate, even if those skills were a fading memory of their high school days. With two outs and two on in the bottom of the eighth inning of Game 2 of the 1965 World Series, Dodgers pitcher Ron Perranoski pitched around Twins second baseman Frank Quilici to get to Kaat, who felt mildly insulted. He singled up the middle to extend Minnesota’s lead to 5–1 and seal the win.</p>
<p>On his 1973 Topps card Kaat is racing out of the box, bat still in hand, a baseball player, not a pitcher. That was the year the DH came to the AL, robbing fans of more glorious moments like this one: White Sox pitcher Billy Pierce, on his ’56 Topps card, is two steps out of the box, looking back with pride at the ball he has just put into play. It is five feet in front of home plate.</p>
<p>It was another White Sox pitcher, reliever Terry Forster, who was, by one measure, the best hitting pitcher of all time. David Letterman infamously called him a “fat tub of goo,” but Forster’s lifetime average of .397 over 16 seasons is the highest among pitchers with at least 50 at bats and 15 years’ experience.</p>
<p>“It’s embarrassing to see pitchers who can’t bunt, who can’t slide, who can’t run the bases without spraining an ankle,” says Kaat, Forster’s former teammate. Kaat was hitting .289 with the Twins in July 1972 when he broke his left wrist while—despite all that practice—sliding into second to break up a double play. That’s how it is with pitchers. Getting on base was often more harmful than striking out. In 1973 a 37-year-old Gibson tore cartilage in his right knee while scrambling back to first base on a line drive to third. Twelve years later, reigning NL Cy Young winner Rick Sutcliffe went on the DL after injuring his left hamstring while trying to beat the throw to first and avoid a double play. Until that moment, Sutcliffe said, “I didn’t know a hamstring existed.”</p>
<p>There was often a perverse pleasure watching pitchers hit, or try to. As with so many other of the game’s traditions—twi-night doubleheaders, no pepper signs, fans tearing up sod in postseason celebrations—we don’t miss them until they’re gone. “The way they’re . . . bastardizing may not be the right word, but the way they’re <em>tinkering</em> with the game, with analytics and shifts and some other proposals?” says Kaat, who won 283 games and got 232 hits. “ . . . I’m kinda sad to see it.”</p>
<figure><img height="827" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTc5NTI4MzQ1Mjg3OTI2ODYz/koufax-swinging.jpg" width="620" />
<figcaption><em>The finest hurler of his generation, Koufax was lost at the plate. He finished his 12-season career with a .097 batting average.</em></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>That goes for pitchers’ being stripped of their bats, too. Koufax, Kaat’s counterpart in Games 2, 5 and 7 of the 1965 Series, was a career .097 hitter. In ’55, his rookie season with Brooklyn, Koufax made 12 plate appearances and struck out all 12 times. There was a sad poignancy whenever he slipped out of his warmup jacket before entering the box, like a palooka prizefighter publicly disrobing before taking a certain beatdown. Batting humanized the finest pitcher of his generation. His rotation mate Don Drysdale was a beast: His .300 average in 138 at bats led all Dodgers regulars in 1965. But Koufax was so poor at the plate that he gave up golf. “When you’re a bad hitter like me, you want to swing hard at something,” he said, “so when I play golf, I try to tear the cover off the ball.” He feared his violent drives were hurting his shoulder and stayed off the links during the baseball season.</p>
<p>Kaat, meanwhile, plays golf almost every day. He plays the way Roe struck out: left-handed and right-handed, often both in the same round. Working on Kaat’s golf swing not long ago, the club pro at McArthur told him: “Make believe there’s a guy playing third base and you’re hitting a line drive down the left-field line.”</p>
<p>That’s a sight we haven’t seen often enough—a pitcher roping one down the line—but soon we’ll be robbed of even subtler pleasures, like a pitcher’s taking three strikes and then his seat. There was something noble, pure, even purposeful about a pitcher’s striking out. In a game that’s already too long, pitchers’ fanning expeditiously served a vital purpose. When Braves pitcher Larry McWilliams struck out twice in the same inning of a 1979 game, he performed a public service. Jose Canseco wasn’t a pitcher, but he also struck out twice in one inning, and what he said after should be chiseled on the headstone of every pitcher who swung in vain: “Somebody’s got to make the outs.”</p>
<p><em><strong><a href="https://www.si.com/tag/daily-cover">Read more of SI's Daily Cover stories here</a></strong></em></p>

New on Sports Illustrated: Remembering the Best (and Worst) of Pitchers at the Plate

An ode to MLB's free swingers, non-swingers and jacket-wearing runners. In the grillroom of McArthur Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Fla., this winter, two retired pitchers were talking baseball. Jim Kaat p…

31 Mar 2021

New on Sports Illustrated: 2021 NCAA Men's Tournament: Final Four Opening Odds and Betting Preview

<a href="https://www.si.com/gambling/2021/03/31/final-four-opening-odds-betting-preview">
<p class="subtitle">SI Gambling insider Frankie Taddeo shares the latest betting information for Saturday's Final Four matchups in the NCAA men's tournament.</p>
<p>After four exciting Elite Eight matchups, the 2021 Final Four of the 2021 NCAA men's tournament is officially set.</p>
</a><a href="https://www.si.com/college/college-basketball/game/2319994">The No. 1 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs</a> are the only undefeated team this season at 30–0 and have looked unstoppable; outscoring opponents by a combined 96 points in four tournament victories. 
<p>In order to get to the championship game, <a href="https://www.si.com/college/college-basketball/game/2319995">the Bulldogs face a UCLA club that is the biggest surprise of March Madness</a>. The success of the Pac-12 conference, which sent four schools (Oregon State, UCLA, USC and Oregon) to the tournament, have posted an incredible 14–3 (82%) against the spread (ATS) mark—with the Bruins now representing the conference in the Final Four.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.si.com/college/college-basketball/game/2319996">Michigan, the No. 1 seed in the East Region</a>, fell to <a href="https://www.si.com/college/college-basketball/game/2319997">No. 11 seed UCLA</a>, 51-49 as 6.5-point favorites. The Bruins are the first team in NCAA tournament history to make it to the Final Four as a No. 11 seed who participating in play-in round of 68. </p>
<p>On the other side of the bracket, NCAA fans and bettors will get treated to No. 1 Baylor taking on No. 2 Houston. The Bears make their first Final Four appearance after earning a 81-72 win over Arkansas and will now face a Houston Cougars club that has won 11 consecutive games following their 67-71 victory over Oregon State in the Elite Eight.</p>
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<p><em>The Vegas Whispers' sharp information, shared directly by SI’s Vegas Insider Frankie Taddeo, struggled in the Sweet 16 after an excellent opening weekend and currently stands at 4–5 ATS in March Madness plays shared here at SI Gambling. The NCAA tournament betting plays have followed up major financial success, thanks to</em> <a href="https://www.si.com/gambling/2021/03/09/sec-tournament-betting-breakdown"><em>Alabama (+220)</em></a><em>,</em> <a href="https://www.si.com/gambling/2021/03/09/big-ten-tournament-betting-breakdown"><em>Illinois (+375)</em></a> <em>and</em> <a href="https://www.si.com/gambling/2021/03/08/acc-tournament-betting-breakdown"><em>Georgia Tech (+2500)</em></a> <em>all delivering conference tournament championship victories in the SEC, Big Ten and ACC, respectively, for all SI PRO members.</em></p>
<p><em>In addition to the Vegas Whispers, the unofficial respected plays and information have gone 32-25-0 ATS since February in college basketball for SI PRO subscribers.</em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://www.si.com/signup/sports-illustrated-fantasy-pro-website">Join today and start beating the books with us!</a></em></p>
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<h3>Against the Spread and Straight Up Numbers in the NCAA men's Tournament</h3>
<p>In the opening round, favorites went 21–11 straight-up (SU) but posted an 18–13 (58.1%) ATS mark.</p>
<p>Favorites went 10–6 SU and 9–7 ATS in a thrilling second round that saw No. 15 Oral Roberts (+330), No. 12 Oregon State (+225), No. 11 Syracuse (+155) and No. 8 Loyola Chicago (+285) pull off outright upsets.</p>
<p>In the Sweet 16, favorites went 6–2 SU and 5–3 ATS, with only two underdogs winning straight-up, when No. 12 Oregon State (+255) and No. 11 UCLA (+245) notched victories over No. 8 Loyola Chicago and No. 2 Alabama, respectively. One eye-popping trend in the Sweet 16 was games cashing 6–2 to the "under" against the totals posted by oddsmakers.</p>
<p>In the Elite Eight, favorites went 3-1 SU and 2-2 ATS, with only one outright upset by an underdog when UCLA at odds of +260 came through for their backers. Once again, backing the under against the posted total was the way to go as three of the four Elite Eight games stayed under the betting projections by sportsbooks. </p>
<p>Through the first three rounds of the NCAA tournament, <a href="https://www.si.com/gambling/2021/03/26/ncaa-mens-tournament-sweet-16-bets-sunday">favorites are ahead 40–20 SU while underdogs hold a slim advantage at 30-29 ATS</a>. Over the last 12 games of the tournament, betting the 'under' is red-hot going 9-3 (75%).</p>
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<p><em>SI’s tournament newsletter analyzes everything you need to know about the Big Dance: what just happened and what’s happening next.</em> <em><a href="https://link.si.com/join/signup">Sign up for Morning Madness here</a></em><em>.</em></p>
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<h3>Historical Trends in the Final Four</h3>
<p><strong>Last 10 Tournaments—Favorites:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Straight-up (SU): 15-5 (75%)</li>
<li>Against the spread (ATS): 9-10-1 (47.4%)</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Last Two Tournaments—Favorites</strong><strong>:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Straight-up (SU): 3-1 SU (75%)</li>
<li>Against the spread ATS: 2-2 (50%)</li>
</ul>
<p><em>Note: We can not track by ‘Better’ seed in this round because often the “same” seeds can meet each other after emerging from their Region. (ie No. 1 vs No. 1; No. 2 vs No. 2)</em></p>
<p>Twice in the last three tournaments the underdogs have come out ahead in ATS wagering - 2019 (2-0) and 2017 (2-0). However, one interesting trend to highlight is that <em><strong>five of the 10</strong></em> (50%) underdogs that have covered ATS have won the game outright - 2019 (Texas Tech +3), 2015 (Wisconsin +5), 2014 (Connecticut +7), 2012 (Kansas +3), and 2011 (Connecticut +2) and advanced to play in the championship game. </p>
<h2>Betting Odds and Breakdowns</h2>
<p><em>Editor's Note: Odds are subject to change.</em></p>
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<h3>No. 2 Houston vs. No. 1 Baylor</h3>
<p><strong>Spread</strong><strong>:</strong> No. 2 Houston +5 (-110) | No. 1 Baylor -5 (-110)</p>
<p><strong>Total</strong><strong>:</strong> 135 Over (-110) | Under 135 (-110)</p>
<p><strong>Moneyline</strong><strong>:</strong> Houston +180 | Baylor -210</p>
<p><strong>Game Info</strong><strong>:</strong> Saturday, April 3, 5:14 p.m. ET/2:14 p.m. PT | CBS</p>
<p><strong>Records</strong><strong>:</strong> HOU: 28-3 (SU); 20-10 (ATS) | BAY: 26-2 (SU);18-10 (ATS)</p>
<p><strong>Site</strong><strong>:</strong> Lucas Oil Stadium</p>
<p><em>Editor's Note: Odds are subject to change.</em></p>
<p>The line has ticked up slightly since the opener displaying No. 1 Baylor (26-2 SU; 18-10 ATS) as 4.5-point favorites over No. 2 Houston (28-3 SU; 21-10 ATS) at <a href="https://dksb.sng.link/As9kz/yqk4?_dl=https%3A%2F%2Fsportsbook.draftkings.com%2Fgateway%3Fs%3D280890255&pcid=100987&psn=SportsIllustrated&pcn=ROSMedia">DraftKings Sportsbook</a> now reflecting a line of 5-points.</p>
<p>The Baylor Bears have been sensational all season posting an outstanding 26-2 record. One of the keys to their success is the play of one of the best backcourts in the country led by Jared Butler (16.5 points per game). Baylor also gets solid production from MaCio Teague (15.9 points per game) and Davion Mitchell (14.0 points per game). All three talented guards shoot above 39.6% from three-point range forming arguably one the nation’s best trio’s from beyond the arc.</p>
<p>Those three players were instrumental in their 81-72 win the Elite Eight over Arkansas, helping the school advance to their first Final Four appearance since 1950. Teague poured in a game-high 22 points and five rebounds, Butler contributed 14 points and five assists, while Mitchell added 12 points and six assists despite experiencing foul issues the majority of the first half. The formidable trio combined to shoot 5 of 10 (50%) from three-point range in the victory, but will likely need greater production against Houston in the Final Four.</p>
<p>The Bears head into the Final Four after earning wins over Hartford (-25.5), Wisconsin (-6.5), Villanova (-7.5) and Arkansas (-7.5). The only time Baylor has really faced adversity was in the Sweet 16 against Villanova. The Bears, down 30-23 at halftime, dominated in the second half in the Wildcats en route to earning a 62-51 straight-up, and ATS win. Baylor is 3-1 ATS thus far in the tournament, but they have been tough for bettors to trust posting a 5-6 ATS record over their last 11 games.</p>
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<p>No. 3 Houston, champions of the American Athletic Conference (AAC), have reeled off 11 consecutive victories that has resulted in a 6-5 ATS mark. The Cougars soared past Cleveland State (-20.5) in the opening round before earning a come-from-behind 63-60 win over Rutgers in the second round where they failed to cover the 7.5-point spread. Houston dominated Syracuse in the Sweet 16 earning a 62-46 victory as 6.5-point favorites, anchored by their efforts on the defensive end holding Buddy Boeheim and the Orange to just 5 of 23 (21.7%) shooting from beyond the arc. In the Elite Eight, the Cougars were up by 17 points at halftime and were able to hold on to defeat Oregon State, 67-61. However, for their backers, Houston failed to cover the 7.5-point spread and are now only 2-2 ATS in the NCAA tournament.</p>
<p>Houston is led by the American Athletic Conference co-Player of the Year Quentin Grimes who is averaging 18.0 points per game and 6.0 rebounds on the season. The dynamic junior guard has filled up the stat sheet in every game of the tournament going for 18-4-4 in the win over Cleveland State in the first round, 22-9-1 in the victory over Rutgers, followed up by 14-4-1 in the Sweet 16 facing Syracuse. In the Elite Eight victory over the Beavers, the all-around talent poured in 18 points while once again shooting over 40% from beyond the arc for the third time in four tournament games.</p>
<p>The key matchup here is likely Butler’s Davion Mitchell, who is arguably the best defensive guard in the nation, against Grimes. Mitchell's defensive prowess has clearly been a pivotal factor in the Bears four tournament victories, leading the club with eight steals. The versatile Mitchell has also shooting 58.3% from the field on the offensive end. Baylor will need Mitchell to avoid foul trouble to ensure being on the court for 30-plus minutes if they have any hopes of containing Grimes on Saturday.</p>
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<h2>No. 11 UCLA vs. No. 1 Gonzaga</h2>
<p><strong>Spread</strong><strong>:</strong> No. 11 UCLA +13 (-110) | No. 1 Gonzaga -13 (-110)</p>
<p><strong>Total</strong><strong>:</strong> 143.5 Over (-110) | Under 143.5 (-110)</p>
<p><strong>Moneyline</strong><strong>:</strong> UCLA +720 | Gonzaga -1050</p>
<p><strong>Game Info</strong><strong>:</strong> Saturday, April 3, 2021 8:34 p.m. ET/5:34 p.m. PT | CBS</p>
<p><strong>Records:</strong> UCLA: 22–9 (SU); 17–14 (ATS) | GU: 30-0 (SU); 16-12-2 (ATS)</p>
<p><strong>Site</strong><strong>:</strong> Lucas Oil Stadium</p>
<p><em>Editor's Note: Odds are subject to change.</em></p>
<p>The opening line displays No. 1 Gonzaga (30-0 SU; 16-12-2 ATS) as 13-point favorites over No. 11 UCLA (22-9 SU; 17-14 ATS) at <a href="https://dksb.sng.link/As9kz/yqk4?_dl=https%3A%2F%2Fsportsbook.draftkings.com%2Fgateway%3Fs%3D280890255&pcid=100987&psn=SportsIllustrated&pcn=ROSMedia">DraftKings Sportsbook</a>.</p>
<p>As expected, No. 1 overall seed Gonzaga has faced little resistance so far in their first four games of the NCAA tournament rolling past Norfolk State (-33), Oklahoma (-15.5), Creighton (-11.5) and USC (-9) by an average of 24.0 points per win. The Bulldogs produced yet another statement win on Tuesday night - crushing No. 6 USC, 85-66, as 9-point favorites in the Elite Eight. Gonzaga earned their 30th consecutive victory this season in impressive fashion, dominating the Trojans from the opening tip to the final whistle. The Bulldogs were efficient all game building a 49-30 halftime lead en route to maintaining that margin the second half and earning a 19-point victory.</p>
<p>The Bulldogs are 4-0 ATS thus far in the tournament thanks to being the most balanced team in the field. Gonzaga’s Jalen Suggs, a projected top-five overall NBA lottery pick, was stellar in the Elite Eight filling up the stat sheet with 18 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists. On the block, Gonzaga also received solid production from talented big-man Drew Timme who chipped in 23 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals. The Bulldogs lead the country in scoring with an average of 91.6 points per game.</p>
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<p>No. 11 UCLA has won five games in the tournament. The Bruins came from 14 points down in the second half to defeat Michigan State (+2.5) in the play-in game, and then followed it up with victories over BYU (+3.5), Abilene Christian (-5.5), Alabama (+7) and Michigan (+6.5). The Bruins have posted a financially beneficial 6–1 ATS mark over their past seven games, cashing on the moneyline as the underdog in four of their five tournament victories.</p>
<p>By far their most impressive win in the tournament came in the Elite Eight when the club defeated No. 1 Michigan, 51-49, in a defensive battle. Leading scorer Johnny Juzang, who scored a game-high 28 points, has scored in double figures in every tournament game for the Bruins. Juzang was amazing, carrying his club to the win scoring 54.9% of UCLA's points and hitting timely shots whenever Michigan tried to close the gap.</p>
<p>On paper, Gonzaga looks like the stronger team, but UCLA (like the rest of the Pac-12) has been undervalued by oddsmakers this entire tournament. For bettors, this game will likely come down to UCLA’s ability to slow down the prolific Bulldog offense. In order to keep pace with the best team in the country, Mick Cronin will need better balance from Jaime Jaquez, Jules Bernard, Tyger Campbell, and Cody Riley who have all averaged double figures in scoring this season. However, only Campbell (11) was able to contribute more than four points in the win over Michigan and against Gonzaga that will simply not be enough to help bettors who choose to back the Bruins by grabbing the 13-point spread. </p>
<p><strong>MORE FROM SPORTS ILLUSTRATED</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/03/31/ucla-reaches-final-four-mick-cronin-johnny-juzang">Forde: UCLA Embraces Unusual Role in Wild Ride to Final Four</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/03/31/gonzaga-usc-drew-timme-jalen-suggs">Woo: Tone Setting Timme Puts Gonzaga Two Wins Away from History</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/03/31/final-four-gonzaga-baylor-houston-ucla">Dellenger: A Bizarre Season Ends With a Fitting Men's Final Four</a></li>
</ul>

New on Sports Illustrated: 2021 NCAA Men's Tournament: Final Four Opening Odds and Betting Preview

SI Gambling insider Frankie Taddeo shares the latest betting information for Saturday's Final Four matchups in the NCAA men's tournament. After four exciting Elite Eight matchups, the 2021 Final Four…

31 Mar 2021

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