The NFL Combine
As I am writing this, the NFL is conducting it’s annual Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. This is the yearly event held in Indianapolis that allows those entities who are concerned with the acquisition of talent for the various professional football clubs to gather together to get a look at what are considered to be the top 300 or so available collegiate players who have declared for the upcoming draft. Athletes who play all positions will be put through various, drills, sprints, leaps, and weight lifts, as a group and as individuals. Names like Johnny Manziel a quarterback from Texas A&M, Jadeveon Clowney defensive end from South Carolina, Sammy Watkins a wide receiver from Clemson, Jake Matthews a Texas A&M offensive tackle, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix an Alabama safety, or Buffalo’s linebacker Khalil Mack will be tossed around on the field at Lucas Oil Stadium this week as the national sports media, the various front office and scouting personnel from the 32 different pro teams get a chance to observe, test, grade, interview, and evaluate the young men as they go through their paces.
Indianapolis has hosted the combine since 1987. The city is centrally located and relatively easy to get to. Not only do the clubs look at the athletes, but they also talk business with each other. It appears that the Cleveland Browns apparently attempted to trade one of their first round draft picks to the San Francisco 49ers for the right to negotiate a contract with Head coach Jim Harbaugh. The deal fell through but it is an example of the kind of things that can happen in the side rooms and over lunch during the combine. The combine can help or hurt a player’s chances in the draft. Linebacker Michael Sam’s times were disappointing and that means he will not be taken as highly as he might of been. Pittsburgh defensive tackle Aaron Donald, on the other hand, has impressed everyone with a standout performance that will most likely push him into first round consideration. As the week goes on there will be other stories that will affect the upcoming draft. The Colts will be looking at offensive and defensive line talent.
Pacer Trade
Danny Granger is a Philadelphia 76er now. In the last year of his contract and the odd man out in the starting five, he just has too much talent to be in limbo. Granger has been the top guy at the Fieldhouse and was the face of the franchise so it’s not easy to say farewell to him. But the deal works out well for him and for the Pacers. As you have probably heard, the players we got for him, small forward Evan Turner and center Lavoy Allen, will give the team some solid bench strength which will be needed, especially during the plays.
The Pacers are fighting hard for the number one seed in the playoffs. Indiana is currently the NBA’s number one ranked team with a 43-13 record. There are about eight weeks left in the regular season so the playoffs will be here before you know it. As I have said before, this is probably the best Pacer team ever and they have a real chance to establish the most productive regular season in Pacer history, besting the 61-21 record of the 2003-04 season. This is a contract year for several key Pacer players, including Lance Stephenson, so they will be playing their hardest to land a big new contract A championship would be a wonderful tribute to Bobby “Slick” Leonard, who will be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in August.
The Winter Olympics
The Winter Olympic Games closed on Sunday. The games made it through without any terrorist incidents but they were not without safety issues and were by far the most expensive games ever put on. The United States finished second in the total medal count with a total of 28 medals including 12 bronze, the most of any country. The Russians led with a total of 33 medals and the most gold and silver medals. The violence in Ukraine was a tragic backdrop to the closing of the games.
Daytona 500
With the weather being what it is, it hard to believe that the 2014 auto racing season is upon us again. The first major automobile race and the granddaddy of all the NASCAR events, the Dayton 500, was run last Sunday evening. Dale Earnhardt Jr. won his second Daytona 500 after a six hour rain delay caused the race to finish under the lights. It was Dale Jr’s first win in 55 races. His father, the legendary Dale Earnhardt, won the race only once and met his end in the last lap of the 2001 Daytona race. Danica Patrick finished 40th after being eliminated in a 13 car wreck on lap 145. Danica had led laps 85 and 86. Indiana’s Jeff Gordon finished 4th. Tony Stewart was 35th.