STAMFORD, CT – I’m currently watching one of my daughters stand on first base and not running, even though her teammate just grounded one up the middle. Run sweetheart! She’s more interested in other things, I guess. After this I have to run home to get ready to play some old man’s league hockey. I’m coaching kids, blasting one-timers, and loving summer. The problem is, I haven’t been paying much attention to sports. I’m gonna have to channel my inner Junoir here, to come up with something. That used to mean faking my way through it, but now it can also mean use AI to churn something out. Ah, screw AI. How about a few thoughts on the Summer Fun, WNBA Salary Drama, Three Young QBs to Watch.
WNBA Salary Drama: Show Me the Money
Considering the WNBA has never made a profit, including a $40 million dollar loss last year, it’s easy to criticize the ladies for their “pay us what you owe us” shirts. Who owes whom here?
But digging a little deeper (and I do mean “little”), I see that the NY Liberty was sold for $10 to $14 million in 2019. Six years later, based on the sale of a partial stake of the team, the Liberty was valued at $450 million.
I’m no accounting wizard, but that seems like strong progress. If a knowledgeable buyer thinks they’re worth that much, it sure looks like the league is on the ascent. Buck up, greedy owners.
Three Young QBs to Watch
Caleb Williams: the ’24 draft’s top pick could not have conceived of a better off-season, with the hiring of offensive whiz Ben Johnson, solidifying the O-Line, and adding some new weapons, including first round TE pick Colston Loveland. “Colston Loveland” sounds like the protagonist in a romance novel. Not that I read those… Anyway, Caleb has to take a leap under those conditions, with Daniels and Maye having better rookie seasons than him a year ago. If not, the B-word conversations might start.
Michael Penix: everyone seems to expect Penix to play well this season, but I wouldn’t put him in the Pro Bowl just yet. A low completion percentage in ‘24 is cause for concern and most of the team’s offseason work was on defense. My guess is that he’ll be better, but somewhere around average.
Jordan Love: I might be pushing it to include him in the “young” QBs group, but this seems like a make-or-break year for Love. The Packers’ group of meh WRs forced them to do something they almost never do, draft a WR in the first round. Matthew Golden, the Texas speedster, was brought in to be the number one guy. If Golden pans out as the lead dog, the supporting cast of weapons is formidable. And with Josh Jacobs providing a strong running attack, Love has to be better than just decent, or the Packers may start to question whether he is the guy.
That’s it for me. Happy Summer, folks! Come back tomorrow for Ward, Angry.
