Friday’s 6-pack:
Top 6 picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, which happens in two weeks:
1) Bears (from Carolina)
2) Commanders
3) Patriots
4) Cardinals
5) Chargers
6) Giants
Quote of the Day
“If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.”
Johnny Cochran, lawyer for OJ Simpson, talking about a bloody glove in 1995
Friday’s quiz
Who was the Baltimore Orioles’ manager the last time they won a playoff game?
Thursday’s quiz
When Hall of Fame QB Jim Kelly played in the USFL, he played for the Houston Gamblers.
Wednesday’s quiz
New Mexico State is the last team to beat UConn in the NCAA Tournament; they upset the Huskies 70-63 two years ago, as a #12-seed.
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— OJ Simpson has passed away at age 76.
He was a Pro Football Hall of Famer, a great running back.
He was acquitted of double murder in 1995; his ex-wife and a male friend of hers, after he was arrested following a slow-paced car chase on national TV.
He was convicted of armed robbery in 2008.
The trial in 1994-95 was a huge deal on TV; prosecutor Marcia Clark wound up as a celebrity guest on the Hollywood Squares, and she lost the trial.
While the trial was going on, a friend of mine who is a lawyer told me that OJ would never get convicted; he was correct.
In any event, my dad and I bet $3 on the verdict; I had guilty, my dad had not guilty. When they announced when the verdict would be announced, I drove over to his house, and we each threw $3 on the floor. When they said “not guilty” my dad jumped off the couch, scooped the $6 off the floor and jogged out to the kitchen to tell my mother he won $3 from me.
One bet I didn’t mind losing; just hearing his laugh was worth it.
— NFL schedule gets released next month; obviously the Chiefs play at home on Thursday night in Week 1, but this year, Packers-Eagles are playing on Friday in Week 1, with the game taking place in San Paolo, Brazil, the NFL’s first-ever game in South America.
— Chiefs’ WR Rashee Rice faces eight criminal charges, including aggravated assault, after he and another driver caused a chain-reaction accident in Dallas on March 31. Rice was driving a Lamborghini, the other driver a Corvette.
— Tuesday night in the NBA, Golden State Warriors made 26-41 3-point shots in their 134-120 win over the Lakers in Los Angeles. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were a combined 16-23 behind the arc.
— Jrue Holiday agreed to a 4-year, $135M contract extension with the Boston Celtics; Holiday is shooting 43% on the arc this season, 62% on corner 3’s, which makes his more valuable.
— HBO’s great comedy program C
urb Your Enthusiasm ended Sunday night; 120 episodes over 12 seasons. Great comedy is hard to do; they did it for 12 seasons, stretched out over 20 years.
—
Famous birthdays for April 12th:
Mike Garrett, 80
Ed O’Neill, 78
David Letterman, 77
Andy Garcia, 68
Jerry Goff, 60
Paul LoDuca, 52
Brad Miller, 48
Claire Danes, 45
— As I type this, they’re talking on the Orioles’ TV broadcast about the possibility of MLB eventually going to a slightly smaller baseball, like the ones they use in Asia. The recent rash of injuries to pitchers has MLB looking for an answer to the problem.
— Royals 13, Astros 3
Royals sweep Houston, have now won seven games in a row.
In the first inning, Kansas City scored 9 runs on 11 hits.
— Mets 16, Braves 4
Mets led 7-0 in the third inning.
— A’s 1, Rangers 0
JP Sears got 19 outs, allowed only four baserunners.
Seth Brown’s 2nd inning homer was the game’s only run.
A’s won four of their last five games, after a 1-7 start.
— White Sox 3B Yoan Moncada is out 3 months or so with an adductor strain.
— Field for the Maui Classic basketball tournament in November:
Gonzaga, Kansas, Marquette, Purdue
Syracuse, Tennessee, UCLA and the host school, Chaminade.
— DePaul has hired former Butler coach LaVell Jordan to be its general manager, a new term in college basketball. Acquiring players is a real thing in college sports; it is now a miniature version of pro sports, for better or worse.
— There have been 61 head coaching changes in D-I college basketball, with Kentucky figuring to be #62, if/when they find someone they want who also wants them.
