Brought to you by these three great men:
1) Charlie Strong’s recruiting methods…
Is Charlie Strong ahead of the curve in recruiting, and knowingly sitting on a winning hand? Or is he simply bluffing and hoping he can steal a huge pot?
The way Strong recruits has been dissected, discussed, and critiqued often. He didn’t just punt recruiting during the season, but the Texas head coach sure as heck wasn’t trying to score. That was enough to make people wonder just what in the hell was going on, but it’s also fair to wonder if Strong has this figured out more than we give him credit for. Hear me out.
Strong couldn’t be more different than Mack Brown when it comes to the timing of commitments and filling a class. Sure, the former will take early commitments at the time the latter would want his class filled. However, Strong doesn’t get anxious when his targets take other visits and doesn’t put much of a full-court press on a majority of them until the end. Instead, he values late-season evaluations and is confident in a furious close.
Maybe Strong is putting a lot of stock into today’s constantly group-texting, tweeting, snapchatting, social media attention-craving, and want-to-be-part-of-a-group recruit, and his ability to deeply connect with a group of recruits and their families, and have that recruit infiltrate a group. Good players want to play with other good players. They also want to play with coaches they like. Whatever number of group text messages you think a handful of kids Texas is in good position for exchange on a daily basis, multiple that by about 10. That’s today’s recruit – wanting to be constantly connected to others, and in a lot of cases, addicted to the idea of a spotlight at the end of the process. In the end, recruiting is about understanding how to and developing relationships.
It’s possible that Strong’s plan in all of this is to establish part of a class early, start to build tight bonds, let the kids talk about it for months during the season, gather information on who is going where and use the power of a group to create the manic close that makes for a good recruiting class.
Of course, it’s also possible that Texas simply hasn’t been able to build an impressive class already for a reason, and that Strong’s bluff to land the big pot is going to get called.
We’ll see. No matter what happens, Texas should be recruiting better than it is. But pulling this off two years in a row would insinuate planning for and executing a huge close is not an accident.
2) More on recruiting
--- Adding on to the section above, I’m a big believer in the power of an official visit. Sure, there are often times when prospects a school has no chance at take an official visit anyway, but for those who are genuinely still in the decision-making process, a very impactful visit and those prospects on the visit at the same time can play a significant role.
Keep this in mind after the previous weekend saw Texas hosted 19 official visitors (eventual Texas commitments in bold and players that were already commitments in bold and italics):
November 7th official visitors in 2015 class – DeAndre McNeal, Devonaire Clarington, DaVante Davis, Cecil Cherry, Gilbert Johnson
December 5th official visitors – Malik Jefferson, Ryan Newsome, Connor Williams, Tristan Nickelson, Quincy Vasser
January 16th official visitors – Patrick Vahe, Kris Boyd, Holton Hill, DeShon Elliott, Kirk Johnson
January 23rd official visitors – Kai Locksley, Charles Omenihu, Cameron Townsend, Du’Vonta Lampkin*, Tristian Houston, Breckyn Hager, Anthony Wheeler, Matthew Merrick
* - obviously, Lampkin's recruitment turned into a Telenovela
Just something to consider. A project for the future could be examining the effect of large group official visits.
--- Playing the role of Debbie Downer isn’t a goal of mine, but a realistically solid close for Texas still leaves the 2016 class short on difference-makers, in my opinion. That doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be a solid or good class, but this is a program that needs as many immediate difference makers as possible.
3) The future of the Big 12
Once again, the future of the Big 12 is a discussion point, and it certainly won’t be the last time. Unfortunately for the parties involved, there isn’t a clear solution right now other than just being better at football. However, there’s going to come a time years from now when the Big 12 as we know it now will cease to exist. It’s a complex discussion, but there are a few unanswered questions that decision-makers, especially at Texas, will eventually have to address far down the road.
--- What’s the long-term strength potential of the Big 12? Adding schools like Central Florida, Houston, or Cincinnati doesn’t change the conference status from where it is now relative to those other power conferences. Now that the conference can have a title game, there really isn’t a true incentive to add a program like that. Is it a conference that can be saved, or is it a conference that’s simply biding time until projected super conferences occur?
The Big 12 is a tremendous basketball conference, but that doesn’t prevent it from being viewed as weaker than the ACC, SEC, Big Ten and Pac-12.
--- Who is going to be leading Texas when the time comes, and what role does Texas want to play? Is it going to aim to please, do what it thinks is best for it no matter what, or a combination of both? Right now, it’s fair to ask how much leading is going on at Texas in regards to its own projects because during this period of transition.
--- Is a conference network for the Big 12 worth enough money to create a fuss about? Oklahoma’s president seems to think so, but is there any research that supports this while also keeping an eye on projected media distribution?
--- What are college football’s revenue streams going to look like in the future? With all the discussion surrounding ratings, revenue, and the amount of money places like ESPN spend, what’s the future for college football on television? It feels like right now the way we consume media has hit a wall, and could be dramatically different a decade from now.
Again, we’re probably a long time away from this, but it’s never too early for the people that matter to start thinking about it.
4) Texas hoops
No matter what happens this week in terms of results, the Longhorns should emerge from this week with legitimate growth as a team. According to Shaka Smart on Monday, the situation, playing the road at West Virginia and then Kansas, requires it to happen. So while Texas fans will want a split, let’s be realistic: that’s unlikely to happen.
However, even if the expected result does happen, the more important thing will be simply to look and see how Texas competes - how aggressive it is, how together it is as a team, and how it responds to adversity. Not only is this a team trying to compete this season and emerge in March as a team playing its best basketball, but this is also a coaching staff trying to establish what this program is about. And this week could provide a critical development in that area.
5) A crack at a almost-way-too-early Texas baseball lineup
In a little over a week, the Longhorns will begin their official practices prior to the 2016 season. As always, we’ll be rolling out preview coverage during those final weeks prior to first pitch, but in the meantime, here’s a jumbo nugget to toss some Stubb’s Spicy BBQ sauce (amazing if you’ve never tried it) or Plucker’s Baker’s Gold sauce on and chew on in the meantime:
3B – Kody Clemens (L – freshman)
2B – Joe Baker (R – sophomore) / Zane Gurwitz (R – junior)
RF – Patrick Mathis (L – sophomore)
C – Tres Barrera (R – junior)
SS – Bret Boswell (L – redshirt sophomore) / Joe Baker (R – sophomore)
DH – Michael Cantu (R – sophomore) / Chase Shugart (L – freshman)
1B – Kacy Clemens (L – junior) / Chase Shugart (L – freshman)
LF – Tyler Rand (R – freshman) / Brady Harlan (L – freshman) / Chase Shugart (L – freshman)
CF – Zane Gurwitz (R – junior) / Tyler Rand (R – freshman)
Friday – Kyle Johnston (sophomore righthander)
Saturday – Connor Mayes (sophomore righthander)
Sunday – Nolan Kingham (freshman righthander) / Morgan Cooper (redshirt sophomore righthander)
Tuesday –Josh Sawyer (junior lefthander) / Nick Kennedy (freshman lefthander) / Beau Ridgeway (freshman righthander)
Closer – Chase Shugart (freshman righthander)
6) NFL, NBA
--- Will we ever see a final couple of minutes like the Packers/Cardinals game this past week? Hard to fathom any game being able to match a game that decided to drink all the Four Loko, and managed not to throw up on itself.
That Aaron Rodgers was a throw humans aren’t supposed to be able to make, and Larry Fitzgerald literally wasn’t going to be denied a score. Incredible theater.
Looking ahead to Sunday, it’s hard not to pick the Panthers at home. But if Carson Palmer brings his “A” game, the Cardinals have the defense to give it a chance in the fourth quarter.
Is everyone, myself included, overlooking the Broncos’ ability to make the AFC Championship Game very competitive? Doubtful. The incredibly banged up Steelers outplayed the Broncos pretty much the entire game last Sunday, and the Broncos don’t look capable of threatening the Patriots much on offense. However, the loss of Jerod Mayo could play a pivotal role.
--- This story on former Steeler Antwaan Randle-El struggling to get down the stairs and suffering from memory loss at age 36 is upsetting. Yes, football players know the risk and what they sign up for. But it’s tough to read something like that and not wonder what the future holds for the sport, and if there is any conceivable way more situations like Randle-El’s can be avoided.
--- Never change, Russell Westbrook. Seriously, don’t.
--- While we’re on the subject of the Thunder, get ready for the talking heads to start discussing Kevin Durant in a way that makes you wonder if the demise of Durant has begun. Actually, it’s already started.
I’m not sure if there is any sort of relationship, good or bad, an athlete has with his parents that Jason Whitlock won’t spin into something. Yes, someone actually used the argument that Durant’s mom needs to sit in the suite instead of courtside, and that person expects to be taken seriously. Anyway, the discussion about Durant has already started. He’s not an “alpha dog.” His window has closed. He’ll never match Steph Curry, and on and on.
Durant is 27, and basically the same age when LeBron James won his first title and Michael Jordan won his. He’s currently having - based on PER, win shares/48 minutes, rebounding percentage, true shooting percentage, and defensive and offensive ratings - one of his best seasons ever, and is on his way to posting another top-25 all-time win shares season. Also, the former Longhorn currently boasts his best plus-minus per 100 possessions ever, and it’s not really that close (14.3 to 11.3). The Thunder, under a new head coach, are 20-5 in their last 25 games.
Durant is playing great, MVP level basketball. So is Russell Westbrook. The problem right now for Durant? The Thunder just aren’t quite as good as the historically good Warriors and flying death-machine Spurs. Does that mean Durant’s window, at age 27, has closed? Of course not. But it does mean that when it comes time for Durant to figure out his next contract, he needs to make sure he’s in a situation that can consistently create elite teams. In the meantime, the Thunder are good enough to make noise in the playoffs and crack the seemingly invincible top two teams.
7) Scanning the rest of the sports globe…
--- For those of you that, like myself, wanted to punch your television or computer when the MLB displayed its “blackout” image for a game that wasn’t on in your area, it’s time to rejoice. Thanks to a class action lawsuit, you’ll now get to watch your favorite team no matter what, and MLB will now offer single-team streaming options.
--- Back in December, Joe Lemire wrote a very intriguing baseball piece for USA Today that focused on baseball’s next data frontier – injury prevention. Keeping that in mind and looking at the success of teams like the Royals recently, I wonder this:
With more injury prevention data on the horizon, and the likely ability that teams will be able to monitor pitchers with more than just eyeballs in the future, are we on the verge of a seismic shift in pitching staffs that starts to value shutdown relievers even more?
According to the research in the article, fatigue is by far the biggest reason for injuries. We’re probably going to reach a point where the fatigue levels of starting pitchers are going to be able to be estimated, with data, in real time. Maybe that doesn’t make a massive difference in overall innings, but it could make one in certain individual starts, especially with power pitchers that have to labor through tough innings early.
Like most things in baseball, it’ll take the old school guys on the bench more time than it should to accept and implement data, and there is a certain pride factor that will be involved with a starting pitcher on the mound. No competitive pitcher wants to leave the mound early in the start, especially if he feels like he can get outs. However, those organizations that are able to research, discover, and correctly implement data like this are going to be ahead of the curve, and years from now, the construction of a pitching staff could look significantly different. Hopefully, the amount of injuries will look different too.
Of course, major league teams can only work with what they get, and what happens at the youth stages is a different story.
--- Oklahoma State absolutely throttling Kansas in Stillwater last night, a day after Oklahoma lost at Iowa State, reinforced a key aspect about Big 12 hoops this year: it’s tough to win on the road no matter who it is and who you are. Not only should Texas fans feel slightly better about their team’s win over Oklahoma State, but it also gives them hope that if Texas can simply win four or five of its final six Big 12 home games and steal a win or two on the road, it is going to be firmly on the NCAA Tournament radar.
Right now, the Longhorns boast the No. 1 strength of schedule in the country, and they still have yet to play Oklahoma (No. 2), Kansas (No. 5), West Virginia (No. 14), and Baylor (No. 24) in conference play. Texas currently holds the No. 25 RPI in the country.
--- Congrats to Manchester United on another scintillating victory. LVG should stay as long as he wants. Tottenham needs to play Christian Eriksen in more of a goal-scoring role, and ask him to provide more of that. Liverpool needs a lot of roster help. Manchester City and Arsenal won’t be going anywhere. Is Leicester hitting a wall? It has scored just two total goals in its last five BPL matches.
8) Anything and everything
--- Somewhere between my childhood and adulthood, I developed a love for spicy foods, which is weird considering that no one else in my family shares this admiration. But they were all born outside of Texas. I, thankfully, was not, although their childhood locations delivered to me the gift of the Steelers and Pirates. Anyway, I’m the kind of guy that can get lost in a hot sauce store for an hour and will try any sauce at least once.
In the hopes of users turning me on to sauces I’ve never discovered, some of my favorite, traditional hot sauces:
Louisiana hot sauce (habanero) – A serious spicy kick, but great flavor; only need a few drops
Tabasco chipotle – Excellent on things like burritos
Crystal – Probably my favorite to use on fish or seafood; Tabasco a close second
Nando’s extra hot Peri Peri sauce – Good to use on meats or shrimp before cooking; not as hot as name implies
Sriracha and Sriracha garlic chili paste – Can’t have a Cuban sandwich or banh mi without it; only time I use it, though
Don’t understand the hype: Cholula, Frank’s Red Hot, Tapatio, and Valentina.
--- Victoria’s Secret model Elsa Hosk has a set of eyes that could make even the strongest man fall to the floor. Her other assets aren’t bad either (NSFW)
---
--- Say what you want about the Eagles (R.I.P. Glenn Frey), but there aren’t many concept albums, or albums period, better than Hotel California start-to-finish.
9) The best non-sports thing I read this week
Marathons of shows like Mobsters and Gangland are about as irresistible to me as Sour Patch Kids and pecan pie. So when the New York Times wrote a piece this week that detailed how “El Chapo” was captured, again, I was all-in. Dare I say this story was made for the big screen?
1) Charlie Strong’s recruiting methods…
Is Charlie Strong ahead of the curve in recruiting, and knowingly sitting on a winning hand? Or is he simply bluffing and hoping he can steal a huge pot?
The way Strong recruits has been dissected, discussed, and critiqued often. He didn’t just punt recruiting during the season, but the Texas head coach sure as heck wasn’t trying to score. That was enough to make people wonder just what in the hell was going on, but it’s also fair to wonder if Strong has this figured out more than we give him credit for. Hear me out.
Strong couldn’t be more different than Mack Brown when it comes to the timing of commitments and filling a class. Sure, the former will take early commitments at the time the latter would want his class filled. However, Strong doesn’t get anxious when his targets take other visits and doesn’t put much of a full-court press on a majority of them until the end. Instead, he values late-season evaluations and is confident in a furious close.
Maybe Strong is putting a lot of stock into today’s constantly group-texting, tweeting, snapchatting, social media attention-craving, and want-to-be-part-of-a-group recruit, and his ability to deeply connect with a group of recruits and their families, and have that recruit infiltrate a group. Good players want to play with other good players. They also want to play with coaches they like. Whatever number of group text messages you think a handful of kids Texas is in good position for exchange on a daily basis, multiple that by about 10. That’s today’s recruit – wanting to be constantly connected to others, and in a lot of cases, addicted to the idea of a spotlight at the end of the process. In the end, recruiting is about understanding how to and developing relationships.
It’s possible that Strong’s plan in all of this is to establish part of a class early, start to build tight bonds, let the kids talk about it for months during the season, gather information on who is going where and use the power of a group to create the manic close that makes for a good recruiting class.
Of course, it’s also possible that Texas simply hasn’t been able to build an impressive class already for a reason, and that Strong’s bluff to land the big pot is going to get called.
We’ll see. No matter what happens, Texas should be recruiting better than it is. But pulling this off two years in a row would insinuate planning for and executing a huge close is not an accident.
2) More on recruiting
--- Adding on to the section above, I’m a big believer in the power of an official visit. Sure, there are often times when prospects a school has no chance at take an official visit anyway, but for those who are genuinely still in the decision-making process, a very impactful visit and those prospects on the visit at the same time can play a significant role.
Keep this in mind after the previous weekend saw Texas hosted 19 official visitors (eventual Texas commitments in bold and players that were already commitments in bold and italics):
November 7th official visitors in 2015 class – DeAndre McNeal, Devonaire Clarington, DaVante Davis, Cecil Cherry, Gilbert Johnson
December 5th official visitors – Malik Jefferson, Ryan Newsome, Connor Williams, Tristan Nickelson, Quincy Vasser
January 16th official visitors – Patrick Vahe, Kris Boyd, Holton Hill, DeShon Elliott, Kirk Johnson
January 23rd official visitors – Kai Locksley, Charles Omenihu, Cameron Townsend, Du’Vonta Lampkin*, Tristian Houston, Breckyn Hager, Anthony Wheeler, Matthew Merrick
* - obviously, Lampkin's recruitment turned into a Telenovela
Just something to consider. A project for the future could be examining the effect of large group official visits.
--- Playing the role of Debbie Downer isn’t a goal of mine, but a realistically solid close for Texas still leaves the 2016 class short on difference-makers, in my opinion. That doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be a solid or good class, but this is a program that needs as many immediate difference makers as possible.
3) The future of the Big 12
Once again, the future of the Big 12 is a discussion point, and it certainly won’t be the last time. Unfortunately for the parties involved, there isn’t a clear solution right now other than just being better at football. However, there’s going to come a time years from now when the Big 12 as we know it now will cease to exist. It’s a complex discussion, but there are a few unanswered questions that decision-makers, especially at Texas, will eventually have to address far down the road.
--- What’s the long-term strength potential of the Big 12? Adding schools like Central Florida, Houston, or Cincinnati doesn’t change the conference status from where it is now relative to those other power conferences. Now that the conference can have a title game, there really isn’t a true incentive to add a program like that. Is it a conference that can be saved, or is it a conference that’s simply biding time until projected super conferences occur?
The Big 12 is a tremendous basketball conference, but that doesn’t prevent it from being viewed as weaker than the ACC, SEC, Big Ten and Pac-12.
--- Who is going to be leading Texas when the time comes, and what role does Texas want to play? Is it going to aim to please, do what it thinks is best for it no matter what, or a combination of both? Right now, it’s fair to ask how much leading is going on at Texas in regards to its own projects because during this period of transition.
--- Is a conference network for the Big 12 worth enough money to create a fuss about? Oklahoma’s president seems to think so, but is there any research that supports this while also keeping an eye on projected media distribution?
--- What are college football’s revenue streams going to look like in the future? With all the discussion surrounding ratings, revenue, and the amount of money places like ESPN spend, what’s the future for college football on television? It feels like right now the way we consume media has hit a wall, and could be dramatically different a decade from now.
Again, we’re probably a long time away from this, but it’s never too early for the people that matter to start thinking about it.
4) Texas hoops
No matter what happens this week in terms of results, the Longhorns should emerge from this week with legitimate growth as a team. According to Shaka Smart on Monday, the situation, playing the road at West Virginia and then Kansas, requires it to happen. So while Texas fans will want a split, let’s be realistic: that’s unlikely to happen.
However, even if the expected result does happen, the more important thing will be simply to look and see how Texas competes - how aggressive it is, how together it is as a team, and how it responds to adversity. Not only is this a team trying to compete this season and emerge in March as a team playing its best basketball, but this is also a coaching staff trying to establish what this program is about. And this week could provide a critical development in that area.
5) A crack at a almost-way-too-early Texas baseball lineup
In a little over a week, the Longhorns will begin their official practices prior to the 2016 season. As always, we’ll be rolling out preview coverage during those final weeks prior to first pitch, but in the meantime, here’s a jumbo nugget to toss some Stubb’s Spicy BBQ sauce (amazing if you’ve never tried it) or Plucker’s Baker’s Gold sauce on and chew on in the meantime:
3B – Kody Clemens (L – freshman)
2B – Joe Baker (R – sophomore) / Zane Gurwitz (R – junior)
RF – Patrick Mathis (L – sophomore)
C – Tres Barrera (R – junior)
SS – Bret Boswell (L – redshirt sophomore) / Joe Baker (R – sophomore)
DH – Michael Cantu (R – sophomore) / Chase Shugart (L – freshman)
1B – Kacy Clemens (L – junior) / Chase Shugart (L – freshman)
LF – Tyler Rand (R – freshman) / Brady Harlan (L – freshman) / Chase Shugart (L – freshman)
CF – Zane Gurwitz (R – junior) / Tyler Rand (R – freshman)
Friday – Kyle Johnston (sophomore righthander)
Saturday – Connor Mayes (sophomore righthander)
Sunday – Nolan Kingham (freshman righthander) / Morgan Cooper (redshirt sophomore righthander)
Tuesday –Josh Sawyer (junior lefthander) / Nick Kennedy (freshman lefthander) / Beau Ridgeway (freshman righthander)
Closer – Chase Shugart (freshman righthander)
6) NFL, NBA
--- Will we ever see a final couple of minutes like the Packers/Cardinals game this past week? Hard to fathom any game being able to match a game that decided to drink all the Four Loko, and managed not to throw up on itself.
That Aaron Rodgers was a throw humans aren’t supposed to be able to make, and Larry Fitzgerald literally wasn’t going to be denied a score. Incredible theater.
Looking ahead to Sunday, it’s hard not to pick the Panthers at home. But if Carson Palmer brings his “A” game, the Cardinals have the defense to give it a chance in the fourth quarter.
Is everyone, myself included, overlooking the Broncos’ ability to make the AFC Championship Game very competitive? Doubtful. The incredibly banged up Steelers outplayed the Broncos pretty much the entire game last Sunday, and the Broncos don’t look capable of threatening the Patriots much on offense. However, the loss of Jerod Mayo could play a pivotal role.
--- This story on former Steeler Antwaan Randle-El struggling to get down the stairs and suffering from memory loss at age 36 is upsetting. Yes, football players know the risk and what they sign up for. But it’s tough to read something like that and not wonder what the future holds for the sport, and if there is any conceivable way more situations like Randle-El’s can be avoided.
--- Never change, Russell Westbrook. Seriously, don’t.
--- While we’re on the subject of the Thunder, get ready for the talking heads to start discussing Kevin Durant in a way that makes you wonder if the demise of Durant has begun. Actually, it’s already started.
I’m not sure if there is any sort of relationship, good or bad, an athlete has with his parents that Jason Whitlock won’t spin into something. Yes, someone actually used the argument that Durant’s mom needs to sit in the suite instead of courtside, and that person expects to be taken seriously. Anyway, the discussion about Durant has already started. He’s not an “alpha dog.” His window has closed. He’ll never match Steph Curry, and on and on.
Durant is 27, and basically the same age when LeBron James won his first title and Michael Jordan won his. He’s currently having - based on PER, win shares/48 minutes, rebounding percentage, true shooting percentage, and defensive and offensive ratings - one of his best seasons ever, and is on his way to posting another top-25 all-time win shares season. Also, the former Longhorn currently boasts his best plus-minus per 100 possessions ever, and it’s not really that close (14.3 to 11.3). The Thunder, under a new head coach, are 20-5 in their last 25 games.
Durant is playing great, MVP level basketball. So is Russell Westbrook. The problem right now for Durant? The Thunder just aren’t quite as good as the historically good Warriors and flying death-machine Spurs. Does that mean Durant’s window, at age 27, has closed? Of course not. But it does mean that when it comes time for Durant to figure out his next contract, he needs to make sure he’s in a situation that can consistently create elite teams. In the meantime, the Thunder are good enough to make noise in the playoffs and crack the seemingly invincible top two teams.
7) Scanning the rest of the sports globe…
--- For those of you that, like myself, wanted to punch your television or computer when the MLB displayed its “blackout” image for a game that wasn’t on in your area, it’s time to rejoice. Thanks to a class action lawsuit, you’ll now get to watch your favorite team no matter what, and MLB will now offer single-team streaming options.
--- Back in December, Joe Lemire wrote a very intriguing baseball piece for USA Today that focused on baseball’s next data frontier – injury prevention. Keeping that in mind and looking at the success of teams like the Royals recently, I wonder this:
With more injury prevention data on the horizon, and the likely ability that teams will be able to monitor pitchers with more than just eyeballs in the future, are we on the verge of a seismic shift in pitching staffs that starts to value shutdown relievers even more?
According to the research in the article, fatigue is by far the biggest reason for injuries. We’re probably going to reach a point where the fatigue levels of starting pitchers are going to be able to be estimated, with data, in real time. Maybe that doesn’t make a massive difference in overall innings, but it could make one in certain individual starts, especially with power pitchers that have to labor through tough innings early.
Like most things in baseball, it’ll take the old school guys on the bench more time than it should to accept and implement data, and there is a certain pride factor that will be involved with a starting pitcher on the mound. No competitive pitcher wants to leave the mound early in the start, especially if he feels like he can get outs. However, those organizations that are able to research, discover, and correctly implement data like this are going to be ahead of the curve, and years from now, the construction of a pitching staff could look significantly different. Hopefully, the amount of injuries will look different too.
Of course, major league teams can only work with what they get, and what happens at the youth stages is a different story.
--- Oklahoma State absolutely throttling Kansas in Stillwater last night, a day after Oklahoma lost at Iowa State, reinforced a key aspect about Big 12 hoops this year: it’s tough to win on the road no matter who it is and who you are. Not only should Texas fans feel slightly better about their team’s win over Oklahoma State, but it also gives them hope that if Texas can simply win four or five of its final six Big 12 home games and steal a win or two on the road, it is going to be firmly on the NCAA Tournament radar.
Right now, the Longhorns boast the No. 1 strength of schedule in the country, and they still have yet to play Oklahoma (No. 2), Kansas (No. 5), West Virginia (No. 14), and Baylor (No. 24) in conference play. Texas currently holds the No. 25 RPI in the country.
--- Congrats to Manchester United on another scintillating victory. LVG should stay as long as he wants. Tottenham needs to play Christian Eriksen in more of a goal-scoring role, and ask him to provide more of that. Liverpool needs a lot of roster help. Manchester City and Arsenal won’t be going anywhere. Is Leicester hitting a wall? It has scored just two total goals in its last five BPL matches.
8) Anything and everything
--- Somewhere between my childhood and adulthood, I developed a love for spicy foods, which is weird considering that no one else in my family shares this admiration. But they were all born outside of Texas. I, thankfully, was not, although their childhood locations delivered to me the gift of the Steelers and Pirates. Anyway, I’m the kind of guy that can get lost in a hot sauce store for an hour and will try any sauce at least once.
In the hopes of users turning me on to sauces I’ve never discovered, some of my favorite, traditional hot sauces:
Louisiana hot sauce (habanero) – A serious spicy kick, but great flavor; only need a few drops
Tabasco chipotle – Excellent on things like burritos
Crystal – Probably my favorite to use on fish or seafood; Tabasco a close second
Nando’s extra hot Peri Peri sauce – Good to use on meats or shrimp before cooking; not as hot as name implies
Sriracha and Sriracha garlic chili paste – Can’t have a Cuban sandwich or banh mi without it; only time I use it, though
Don’t understand the hype: Cholula, Frank’s Red Hot, Tapatio, and Valentina.
--- Victoria’s Secret model Elsa Hosk has a set of eyes that could make even the strongest man fall to the floor. Her other assets aren’t bad either (NSFW)
---
--- Say what you want about the Eagles (R.I.P. Glenn Frey), but there aren’t many concept albums, or albums period, better than Hotel California start-to-finish.
9) The best non-sports thing I read this week
Marathons of shows like Mobsters and Gangland are about as irresistible to me as Sour Patch Kids and pecan pie. So when the New York Times wrote a piece this week that detailed how “El Chapo” was captured, again, I was all-in. Dare I say this story was made for the big screen?
