The NCAA Division I Council is expected to propose, and ultimately pass, a new rule regarding underclassmen considering turning pro. It’d be a step in the right direction, anyway. The proposal would allow players who declare for the NBA draft to participate in the league’s scouting combine, and work out individually for one team, and keep their college eligibility provided they don’t hire an agent and they pull their name from the draft within 10 days of the conclusion of the combine. The benefit would be the student-athlete would get an honest evaluation of skills and likely draft position, and in turn know what their salary would likely be. Since the combine invites only 60 players, and that would include guys from outside the USA, that cuts down the number of people who might leave school early. The combine is held in mid-May, and with the current structure if a player wanted to pull his name back out of the draft, he’d have to do so by April 10. While it would keep college hoops fans on pins and needles an extra month to six weeks, it might keep players from jumping ship early and winding up in the NBA’s D-League at an age where they would normally have college eligibility left. There is that faction that asks “would a kid rather play in front of a college crowd in Cameron Indoor Stadium or Allen Fieldhouse, or in the D-League?” Frankly, those underclassmen playing at traditional powers like Duke or Kansas aren’t as likely to leave too early, and those that would have their hearts so set on doing so an extra month is unlikely to change that. But for those who would listen, this does provide the opportunity to get an honest evaluation of whether or not basketball at its highest level is attainable. I won’t fault someone for leaving school early for the prospect of playing pro ball. I know I left college to go to work for a whole lot less money, and it happens at every school every semester. But for some it might be the wake-up call that, in the long term, opens doors that helps set a kid up for life. If you’re not even invited to the combine, how likely are you to be drafted? Take the scholarship, use it for its intended purpose and set yourself up for a great life. This is the kind of sport-specific rule making the NCAA needs, and I applaud the effort. Other things in the sports world to wrap up 2015: Much is being made of the San Diego Chargers’ Eric Waddle watching his daughter perform as part of a dance troupe during halftime of a game, rather than being in the locker room with his teammates. Listen, I’m all for family-first. I take may sons with me to as many games as they’re willing to go on non-school nights. But it’s understood I have a job to do, and it’s different from going to a game where I can be a fan. If Waddle approached his boss, asked for and received permission to skip the locker room, then where’s the beef? But he had a job to do, and heading to the locker room isn’t hurting his relationship with his kid. Parents on occasion have to make difficult choices. Waddle made the one he felt was right for him. Even without the incident he was likely to play elsewhere next season. I happen to think he should have spent that 10 minutes at his job. The Cubs recently signed Ben Zobrist, who turns 35 in May, to a four-year, $56 million contract. Let’s be honest; he’s not likely to be an everyday player at 39 years old. What they’re paying for is someone who can bridge the gap between now and when they can bring up a younger everyday player. They also get someone who can, and should, help the team handle the kind of postseason pressure only the Cubs will have to go through to win a World Series. If the Cubs can win it all between now and the end of 2019; the cash they’re paying Zobrist will be chump change. As a lifelong Kansas City Royals fan with a deep-seated intense dislike for the New York Yankees, it seems almost laughable that the Bronx Bombers are attempting to duplicate the Royals model for success. This would never have been the case as long as The Boss, George Steinbrenner, was around. The Indianapolis Colts have to have nine specific things happen this week to win the AFC South. Even if all nine come to pass, the Colts would have to get to the Super Bowl for Chuck Pagano and Ryan Grigson to keep their jobs. With their current offensive line, that ain’t happenin’. Lastly, I believe Peyton Manning when he said he didn’t use HGH to recover from injuries. Since when did we get our sports news from Al-Jazeera anyway?
