On the back of a bucking bronco, bareback rider Jamie Howlett tries his best to hang on for eight fierce seconds. That’s how the cowboy from Australia feels at the moment. Only in this case, there’s no horn to signal an end. Howlett and the rest of the rodeo riders remain in a holding pattern with events from Florida to Canada to Texas to California on pause due to the coronavirus pandemic.
With Governor Steve Sisolak directing that schools will not re-open through the end of April, in conjunction with the Stay at Home Order announced yesterday, the possible restart of spring sports was pushed back again.
Athletic directors at the nation’s biggest sports schools are bracing for a potential financial crisis related to the coronavirus pandemic. According to a survey released by LEAD1, an association of athletic directors from 130 major college football schools, 63% forecast a worst-case scenario in which their revenues decrease by at least 20% during the 2020-21 school year. Even an abbreviated football season could cause schools to lose that much.
The most famous timeout called in the history of the NCAA Tournament has been variously called the biggest mistake, the biggest choke, the most embarrassing gaffe, all because that timeout didn’t actually exist. Eric Montross calls it a perfectly executed defensive strategy.
Jim Klug’s office phone rings off the hook with anxious anglers inquiring about the status of their upcoming fly-fishing trips. It’s a stressful time for the co-owner of a fishing travel company as he postpones and re-books international and domestic expeditions due the coronavirus pandemic. The best way for him to slip away from the stress — even if for a brief moment — is to follow a bit of his own advice: Go fish. Whether it’s reeling in trout, hiking, snow activities (until the snow melts, of course) or any other endeavor, the call from the wild delivers a much-needed respite in these turbulent times.
The Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association has announced plans for the spring season if schools open back up Governor Steve Sisolak has indicated that schools will not re-open prior to Thursday, April 16. The NIAA staff has been putting together contingency plans based on schools opening with extracurricular activities on that day. Should schools open and after school activities be permitted on April 16, the plan, currently, is to begin interscholastic competition on Wednesday, April 22.
Besides the draft, the other big event on April’s NFL calendar is the release of the regular-season schedule. Teams have known their opponents since late December, but Howard Katz and his scheduling department continue to parse through over 50,000 scenarios pumped out by nearly 1,500 computers across the world. Now that most of the significant free agency moves have taken place, here are some AP projections (suggestions?) on how we see some of the significant scheduling questions being answered:
The Humboldt County Rodeo Club was in Fernley on March 14-15 for its next round on the schedule. Cade Bell finished second in each performance of the tie-down roping, which was good enough to give him the average title. He had a time of 16.620 seconds in the first go-around and 15.690 in the second for a total of 32.310. He won the average by three seconds. Bell and his team roping partner Jayce Blake were fourth in the average in team roping. They won the first go-around of the performance with a time of 8.08. They stopped the clock at 19.110 in the second go-around.
It turns out Trevor Lawrence and his girlfriend didn’t do anything wrong when they were trying to help coronavirus victims and their families. What sounded like a noble effort but might have been an NCAA violation is OK after all.
Sabrina Ionescu capped off a unprecedented college career by entering an exclusive club. Oregon’s star guard was a unanimous choice Monday as The Associated Press women’s basketball player of the year, receiving all 30 votes from the national media panel that selects the Top 25 each week during the season.
On March 13, the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association sent a memo announcing the suspension of all NIAA sanctioned sports until further notice beginning, Monday, March 16.
The fall of legendary UNLV basketball Coach Jerry Tarkanian 30 years ago was swift and absolute, with enough political intrigue to rival the court of a Russian czar. Yet the underhanded tactics used to oust him opened wounds on the soul and spirit of Las Vegas that have yet to heal. That’s my opinion after reading “Rebel with a Cause,” a recently published book about the Tark’s life, written by Danny Tarkanian, Tark’s eldest son and staunchest defender.
Morning sun in the elementary had the high school softball and baseball team come over for a reading celebration of “Slide into a Good Book.” Mrs. Dominguez is always full of energy and knows how to get the kids’ attention.
Before all sporting events were suspended and schools were closed, the Winnemucca Junior High School wrestling team hosted Battle Mountain and Pershing County on March 12.
