Every morning, I send an email to my sports-averse coworkers detailing the biggest events in the sports world that day. This is to help them better converse with the sport-obsessed among us. I will publish this email every morning as the Bias Bulletin.
1.) The 2012-13 college basketball season doesn’t begin until November. Technically. For all intents and purposes though, the season starts today. That’s because it’s National Signing Day. And with the destination of the top two high school players in the country still a mystery, it should be a nerve-wracking day for many fans. Nerlens Noel, a lengthy, shot-blocking center from Massachusetts is regarded by many as the nation’s top high school player. He will announce, this evening, his choice between Georgetown, Syracuse, and Kentucky. Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, Vegas phenom Shabazz Muhammad will make his decision public tonight. Muhammad is choosing between Duke, UCLA, and Kentucky. Both players figure to be “one-and-done” college players. And if both wind up at Kentucky, we could be looking at one of the most dominant frontcourts since, well, 2011-12’s Kentucky team.
2.) Bobby Petrino is just gonna ride that motorcycle straight outta Fayetteville. On Sunday, April 1, the University of Arkansas football coach got into a motorcycle accident. No big deal, right? Well, there was a female passenger on the bike who wasn’t Mrs. Petrino. But, I mean, that’s a family issue, right? Oh, she was an employee of the University of Arkansas too? But Petrino did tell the truth to his boss about this accident, right? Oh, he didn’t? He lied? He said he was on the motorcycle alone? Well, at least the woman on the back of the motorcycle wasn’t a 25 year old former student who Petrino had just hired to be the football team’s student-athlete development coordinator. ‘Cause that would be a real conflict of interest. Petrino was fired yesterday. Lots of time for motorcycle rides now.
3.) At the NBA’s All-Star break, the Boston Celtics looked dead in the water. Barely a playoff team. Then, something happened. The Celtics’ old legs became fresher. Avery Bradley developed into a useful role player. Everyone stopped worrying about Rajon Rondo being traded. And now? The Celtics are 33-24. If the playoffs started today, they’d be the 4th overall seed. And last night, they played their best game of the season, beating the Miami Heat, in South Beach. It was only the fourth home loss for Miami. And it may have set the tone for the upcoming NBA playoffs. With the Bulls having to fight through Derrick Rose’s injuries, most thought Miami was the next best team. Boston may have altered that thinking last night.
Game of the Day: Washington Nationals @ New York Mets (1:05/MLB Network). Maybe I’m biased (well, of course I am), but if Stephen Strasburg is pitching, you should be watching.