The ESPN Daily: Baker Mayfield vs. the world, how it came to this for the Knicks and Tua’s big decision
The Patriots are being accused of videotaping an opposing sideline, the Knicks are mired in a competitive slump and Derrick Rose is hitting game winners. I was just about to say, “What is this, 2007?” But Rose didn’t start playing until 2009, so it’d be more like, “What is this, the landscape of American pro sports near the end of the previous decade?” Doesn’t quite flow as well. Here’s today’s ESPN Daily:
How it came to this … The Knicks are in trouble. They’re at the bottom of the East, they’re being outscored by double digits per game and they just fired a coach. You could write the preceding sentence in any number of recent years, but for some reason this time around, it just seems particularly harrowing — so much so that in the first news conference after David Fizdale was fired, team ownership was nowhere to be found. In today’s ESPN Daily podcast, Ramona Shelburne joins Mina Kimes to talk about the Knicks’ current culture of dysfunction and to give a step by step look at how one of the NBA’s most iconic franchises got to this point.
Baker’s beefs … People joke a lot about the Browns not living up to expectations this season, but look: This is a franchise that’s had one winning season since 2003. Even though they’re at 6-7 right now, that’s still a damn sight better than — just to pick a recent Browns record at random — 3-13. They’ve still got a chance to finish strong, and part of that has to be attributed to the way Baker Mayfield is able to use even the smallest slight to motivate himself. You know how most people have that one person whose disapproval fuels their desire to do better? For Baker, it’s more like an entire chorus of haters and naysayers, all of whom are extremely aware of his ire.
We’d be here all day if we listed every beef the man has nurtured in his … not even two full seasons in the NFL, my goodness. It feels like he’s been around forever. Anyway, here’s a list of Baker’s most memorable feuds, with that one thing that is absolutely crucial to understanding anything of this nature: context.
Tua’s big decision … At the beginning of the season, Tua Tagovailoa was projected to be the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft. But as often happens in a sport in which huge collisions are a fact of life, an injury might have changed all that. Now, it’s possible that he’s fallen in the rankings, and while he still might have played his final game in college, there’s a lot at stake for Tua if he falls too far.
“If I come back, the risk is: What if I get hurt again? But the reward could be maybe I jump back to the top of the charts, the boards for all these teams.”
— Tua Tagovailoa, on his potential return for his senior season
It’s not an enviable position to be in. To give you a sense of the complexities of the whole thing, we’ve got a full timeline of what Tua has to consider when making a choice that could define his entire career. So, you know, no pressure, man..
Cracking the free agent code … How often has this happened: Your favorite team goes completely all-out to sign a free agent, spending enough money to buy a small warship, and when the guy gets there, he’s … fine, I suppose? Maybe puts up a season in which he performs as well as like … 90 percent of his best year with his former team? It’s not fun, right? And yet, it seems like in baseball, that’s just how it goes.
Or, at least, how it used to go.
See, a funny thing happened in the past few years: Not only are big free agents performing well on their new teams, they’re straight up excelling. What the heck is going on here? Sam Miller’s got a theory
Oh, and after you read that, make sure to check out our winter meetings live blog for the latest rumors, predictions and blockbuster trades.
150 for 150 … Name a college football program and you’ll probably immediately associate it with a coach — such as Knute Rockne for Notre Dame or Bobby Bowden for Florida State. Few figures in sports have more power or influence than iconic college football coaches, and the sport has had its share of exceptional ones over its history. As the 150th year of college football approaches its end, we’ve got the definitive ranking of the best 150 coaches in the game … and you’ll have to click to see which of two coaches from the same school is No. 1.
The Harder Way … This season, Penny Hardaway returned to his alma mater of Memphis to lead the Tigers to what would hopefully be an NCAA championship. They’ve been doing pretty well so far … but the sudden ineligibility of potential No. 1 draft pick James Wiseman might have thrown everything into chaos. In the first two episodes of “The Harder Way” (get it? Eh? Eh?) we’ve got an inside look at how Hardaway and his team are dealing with this unexpected hurdle.
“You know, someday I’ll do a tell-all and tell the leading events of how I left Indiana. And I promise you, I’m not the one to boo.”
— — Paul George, on his exit from the Pacers Read more
On this date in 2000, Alex Rodriguez signed his famous, 10-year, $252 million contract. It was considered extravagant back then, but today, you’d barely bat an eye at it.
No. 16 DePaul at Notre Dame (women’s basketball, 6:30 p.m. ET, ACC Network)
Winthrop at No. 14 Kentucky (women’s basketball, 7 p.m. ET, SEC Network+)
Tulsa at No. 21 Arkansas (women’s basketball, 7 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
Colorado State at No. 23 Tennessee (women’s basketball, 7 p.m. ET, SEC Network+)
Clippers at Raptors (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
TCU at No. 11 Texas A&M (women’s basketball, 8 p.m. ET, SEC Network+)
Pelicans at Bucks (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Kind of wild that a lot of the same QBs who excelled near the end of the last decade — Brady, Rodgers, Brees — are still playing. We even had an Eli Manning sighting on Monday night. And he actually looked pretty good for a half! Not bad for a two-time Super Bowl champ. This has been your ESPN Daily for Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019.