DOUG’S SPORTS SNIPPETS
We all have very busy lives so I thought to help the sports fanatics out there from time to time I would compile some quick-hitting bits from the world of sports.
So here you go …
CAITLIN CRAZE
Have we ever seen any one athlete have the kind of impact on his or her sport as Caitlin Clark has?
On Monday night the WNBA’s Indiana Fever made Clark the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft and what a windfall that decision is making.
One hour after she was selected Clark’s Fever jersey in all sizes sold out on Fanatics website.
Reportedly Fanatics won’t ship her jersey to customers who back-ordered them until August because of Nike’s manufacturing times.
Clark became Fanatics’ top-selling draft pick jersey in draft night history surpassing Trevor Lawrence in 2021.
Some were up in arms about the salary discrepancy between Clark’s contract and her counterparts in the NBA. Her first four-year WNBA contract is worth a total of $338,056. Remember the WNBA profits aren’t anywhere close to that of the NBA’s.
Don’t be overly concerned about Clark’s finances, however. She inked a $20 million-plus signature shoe deal with Nike earlier this week.
*More and more WNBA teams are moving their home games against the Feverl to larger venues to accommodate the incredible ticket demand.
Washington is moving its June 7 game to Capital One Arena, which seats 20,000. Las Vegas moved its May 25 game against Indiana to T-Mobile Arena, which also has a capacity of 20,000.
*Seeing Clark play during her rookie season will be costly.
Median ticket prices for Fever road games in the secondary market are as follows:
$615: Minnesota Lynx, July 14
$600: Chicago Sky, June 23
$583: Los Angeles Sparks, May 24
$530: Washington Mystics, June 7 (data pulled before move to Capital One Arena)
$354: Las Vegas Aces, May 25
PACER PRIDE
Maybe it’s due to the Caitlyn Craze, but have people forgotten that the Indiana Pacers start the NBA Playoffs this Sunday April 21 at the Milwaukee Bucks. The Pacers are a 1 ½-point favorite and No. 6-seed in the Eastern Conference, while the Bucks are the No. 3 seed.
It is a best of seven series with a format of 2-2-1-1-1.
The winner of the series will face the winner of the No. 2-seed New York vs. No. 7-seed Philadelphia series.
HOCKEY ANYONE?
The NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs get under way tomorrow (Saturday April 20).
Dallas and the New York Rangers finished with the most points in the regular season, but the Carolina Hurricanes, a No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, are favored to win the Cup.
By the way, the Chicago Blackhawks finished with second-fewest points (52) in the league ahead of only San Jose. Chicago will once again hope it gets the first pick in the draft just like it did a year ago.
The NHL lottery selection will take place next month, an exact date is not yet set.
The NHL draft will take place June 28-29 in Las Vegas.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL FEELING MORE & MORE LIKE NFL
Did you hear?
The upcoming college football season will have a two-minute warning and helmet communication as approved by the NCAA.
For game pairing FBS teams, each squad has the option to use coach-to-player helmet communications for one player on the field.
There will also be a two-minute warning in the second and fourth quarters.
CUBS RETURN TO WRIGLEY THIS WEEKEND
After a 5-4 road trip out west, the Cubs open a four-game series against the woeful Miami Marlins today at Wrigley Field.
The two teams will play a doubleheader tomorrow since Thursday’s game was washed out.
Despite some significant injuries, Chicago has gotten off to an 11-7 start. Its record could’ve been better had it not blown two games on its latest trip. The Cubs lost an eight-run lead in San Diego and were one-out away from securing another W in Arizona.
Nonetheless, pitcher Jameson Taillon is making his first start of the season tonight, which is a big boost for the northsiders.
The ace of the rotation, Justin Steele, who injured his hamstring in the season opener at Texas, will throw a live bullpen session Sunday. If that goes well, he will begin his rehab assignment and could be back in the lineup in the not so distant future, which would be terrific news.
Steele is arguably the single most irreplaceable player on the Cubs’ roster.
TRANSFER TURMOIL
It goes without saying that the Transfer Portal in college sports is out of control.
With that said, it’s here to stay.
This week the NCAA Division I Council approved emergency legislation that would allow players to transfer as many times as they would like as long as they are in good academic standing.
The legislation won’t be final until it is formally approved by the NCAA’s executive board on Monday.
The only stipulation … an athlete cannot transfer midyear and play for a second school in the same season.
*The Transfer Portal spring window for football has now closed so players can no longer put their name in the portal
The Transfer Portal spring window for basketball closes May 1.
However, graduate transfers and players impacted by coaching changes that take place after May 1 can look to transfer as well.
*There are currently more than 1,600 players, including walkons, in the Portal for basketball and the number could climb to more than 2,000 by the May 1 deadline.
BOLTING THE BIG TEN
Some big names from Big Ten basketball are in the Transfer Portal and in some cases have already found new homes.
Wisconsin leading scorer A.J. Storr played one season in Madison and wanted greener pastures. He has landed at Kansas and his asking price was at least $1 million.
The Badgers also lost Storr’s backcourt mate, Chucky Hepburn. He is in the Portal, too.
Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said guard A.J. Hoggard won’t play in East Lansing if he opts to withdraw his name from the NBA draft. That would mean Hoggard would join the long list of players in the Transfer Portal.
Michigan big man Tarris Reed Jr. is headed to back-to-back national champion UConn.
There is bound to be more opt to leave Big Ten Country in the coming days, too.
CAMERON CRAZINESS
You would think some school’s like tradition-rich Duke would be immune from having players enter the Transfer Portal. Think again.
The Blue Devils’ roster has been completely decimated.
Currently they have two guys back, two off to the NBA and five in the transfer portal.
Of course this doesn’t count the historic recruiting haul head coach Jon Scheyer has coming in that includes six players, all ranked among the top 50 high school seniors in the Class of 2024. He will definitely need No. 1 prospect Cooper Flagg and Co. to be as good as advertised or it may not be a year to remember in Durham.
HOOSIER HAUL
IU’s Mike Woodson needed to make some noise this off-season in the Transfer Portal and certainly has.
Woodson, who will be on the hot seat entering the 2024-25 season, landed the No. 1 Portal player in Arizona big Oumar Ballo, the 7-footer who started his career at Gonzaga. It has been speculated that IU had to drop $1 million or maybe even more to get him.
The Hoosiers also brought in Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Myles Rice from Washington State.
IU, which finished a disappointing 18-13 overall, 10-10 in the Big Ten and didn’t make the NCAA Tournament this past season, isn’t done yet either so stay tuned.
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