Tuesday

Almost 70 here today.  Suite.

With 2 in class last night, I took Winniferous out for about a three mile walk.  And I don't think she slowed down one step of the way.  I was smart enough to at least change to running shoes.  But trying to keep up with her stretched a hammy, a groin, and tweaked an Achilles.

I got out on the bike for 15 miles this evening.  On the bike path.  A little windy, but not that much traffic.  I'm pretty satisfied that the spin classes have given me a base fitness level such that my initial outside rides will be more productive. I may hit the country roads this weekend.

ESPN college basketball broadcaster (and frequent color-guy with Erin Andrews on Big Monday) Steve Lavin has been named as head coach at St. John's in NYC.  Lavin's coaching resume includes the head job at UCLA.  Interesting in that all of the major sports leagues seem to hibernate coaching candidates in the TV studio.  It's almost like a guy has a run, it gets old, he's fired, and he takes a 2-6 year sabbatical for good pay in the media.

After the appropriate number of years, he figures that TV analysis is for pikers, and he's ready for a new challenge.  And other jobs cycle through the same things noted above, and the broadcaster/coach shucks his network blazer for the colors of State U.  Usually, in a year or two, the school (or pro team) ends up with a mediocre record, and the administrators/owners mill around the bar computing the buy-out clause in their futures.

Now watching the Oklahoma-Kentucky womens game (being played in KC) with the winner going to the Final Four.  Not much of a game, but the OU coach, Sherri Coale, makes watching easier. Lots of issues with the women's game in general.  Not only does UConn cast a giant shadow, but the teams just don't draw a crowd in a neutral site.  There are swaths of empty seats for this game.

As I have mentioned here in earlier years, the women use something akin to home-team sites for the first two rounds.  That always doesn't work out when the "home team" loses the first game, but locating these games at likely-tournament-bound-team sites gives them a chance for the live gate.

The whole concept of marketing women sports is a conundrum for anyone involved with promoting these activities.  The LPGA has had a slew of problems finding and keeping sponsors for it's events.  The WNBA?  Right.  Not sure about tennis.  I guess the exception might be the Olympians (swimmers, skiers and skaters), but that's a once-every-four-year gig.

Danica Patrick has made some in-roads in auto racing.  But she's not been afraid to show a little skin in the SI swimsuit issue (and maybe FMH?).  The same for golfer Natalie Gulbis who has published her own bikini calendar the last several years.  And I think that a couple of  tennis players have done Playboy.  Sex sells.

Actually, the LPGA has a problem no one likes to talk about with the influx of Asian players.  I was reading the leaderboard from last week's tournament in La Costa, and there were three Asian names (at least) for each Anglo name.  I know that their tour Director tried to insist on English among this new group of players, but that proposal got trashed by the Do-Gooders.

(BTW..Got your tickets for this week's Dinah Shore?)

Not sure where to go with this debate.  On the one hand, you want womens' sports to succeed, but from an entertainment perspective, most people like the mens' games better because of the speed and skill sets.  Can you legislate preferences?

Betime for Bonzo.

BCOT