How to "Save" College Sports; Bay Area World Cup Bust? Stanford Women Rebound
We hear a lot of talk these days about how the wild spending on NIL payouts and transfers in college sports is "unsustainable," and how the federal government must do something to "save" Olympic and women's sports. So we've had presidential commissions, round tables, executive orders, and now federal legislation to address this "crisis." The Protect College Sports Act recently introduced in the Senate would allow the NCAA to limit transfers and eligibility, cap spending on at
Gary Cavalli
1 day ago
Spurs' Stanford Connection; NFL's Sunday Erosion; SEC Cupcakes; Quote of the Week
The NBA Western Conference Finals between the Spurs and Thunder was one of the most memorable and enjoyable series in recent league history. One of the interesting aspects was the presence of former Stanford point guard Mitch Johnson as the head coach of the Spurs. At age 39, Johnson has seemingly won the lottery. He succeeded one of the greatest coaches ever to work the NBA sidelines, Gregg Popovich, after serving as Pop's assistant for six years and previously winning the G
Gary Cavalli
Jun 1
The NBA's Vanishing Breed; All-Freshman Lottery? Gambling's Growing Influence
Other than the repulsive gambling promotions (see below), the NBA's Western Conference Finals have been enormously entertaining. The quality of play by both the Thunder and Spurs is, to put it simply, amazing. And the fact that both teams are led by a foreign-born superstar is a reminder of how the league is now being dominated by players from other countries, and how there is a real shortage of American born white stars. The general consensus is that the four best players in
Gary Cavalli
May 25
Cal Icon Passes; Fox Pushes 24; NFL's Traveling Circus; Stanford's Friday Night Blight; Okorie Going Pro
Cal football legend Craig Morton passed away last week at the age of 83. Morton was an All-American quarterback at Cal, first round NFL draft pick, 18-year NFL veteran, and the first quarterback to lead two different teams to the Super Bowl (a feat later accomplished by Kurt Warner, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady). Morton came to Cal after being a three-sport star in football, baseball and basketball at Campbell High School in the South Bay. During his career in Berkeley, he pa
Gary Cavalli
May 18
The Expansion Nobody Wanted; CFP to 24? Warriors' Awful Annnouncing; Stanford's Big Loss
Bigger isn't necessarily better. Case in point: March Madness. A few days ago the NCAA approved an expansion of its Men's and Women's Basketball Championships to 76 teams. Nobody other than a few committee members, athletic directors and conference commissioners thinks this is a good idea. So we'll now have 12 "play-in," first round games to reach the optimum 64-team bracket. How silly. How absurd. You might say, a different kind of "Madness." I'm not the only one who think
Gary Cavalli
May 11
Short Takes: Giant Disappointment; 49ers' Draft Woes; Needless Expansion; LIV Dying; Stanford Exodus; TV Time; Quote of Note
The San Francisco Giants are borderline unwatchable. They're the lowest scoring team in baseball. Shut out seven times in their first 32 games. Fewest home runs and lowest number of walks and steals in the majors. Lots and lots of strikeouts chasing pitches out of the strike zone. And blown ninth inning leads. Their prized acquisitions, Rafael Devers (above) and Willy Adames, continue to underperform, both hovering near .200. The Giants will be paying Devers around $30M per y
Gary Cavalli
May 4
Cal, Stanford Go 1-2 in NFL Draft; Home Schedules for Bears, Cardinal; Kuminga Revisited
It got little attention from the national and local media, but two Bay Area college alums were the first two players selected in last week's NFL Draft. Former Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza went No. 1 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders. And former Stanford edge rusher David Bailey was the next player selected, going No. 2 to the New York Jets. Of course, they weren't picked on the basis of their performances in Cal and Stanford uniforms. No, while they played well during thei
Gary Cavalli
Apr 27
Stanford's 50-Year NCAA Title Run; NFL's Antitrust Threat; NIL's Side Effect; The Pope vs. The President
Stanford's men's gymnastics team won the NCAA championship Saturday, its 11th national title and sixth in the last seven years, but it marked an astonishing accomplishment for the university. Stanford now has won at least one NCAA team title for the last 50 years. Think about that. Every year for the past half century, since Stanford won the NCAA water polo championship in 1976 under Art Lambert , the Cardinal has taken home at least one national team championship. The next
Gary Cavalli
Apr 20
Stanford (& Cal) Basketball Exodus; Michigan's Hired Guns; Brady & Aikman Sell Out
I used to say there were three things that were certain in this world: death, taxes, and Stanford women's basketball. For 38 years, under Tara VanDerveer, Stanford basketball was one of the premier programs in the nation and dominated the sport on the West Coast. VanDerveer won three national championships, 26 Pac-10/12 championships, and 83% of her games at Stanford. She took her team to the NCAA Tournament every year after her first two seasons, reaching the Final Four 14
Gary Cavalli
Apr 13
Madness Drama: Geno vs. Dawn, Mara's Emergence, Hurley's Magic, BIG's Void
My March Madness brackets had Arizona winning on the men's side and UConn on the women's, so both my picks lost in the semi-finals. UCLA, the most talented team in the country with potentially five first-round WNBA draft picks, crushed South Carolina in the women's final. Tonight's men's championship matchup features a Michigan team that vanquished Arizona in the semis, versus a UConn team going for its third men's title in the last four years. Along with the usual buzz
Gary Cavalli
Apr 6
