I was in the Livingston Mall this afternoon and also a week before Christmas. I could literally drive a car down the walkway. Storefront after storefront closed and most restaurants in the food court are also closed . Escalators not working and parking lot riddled with potholes including some big ones . Only a matter time before the Mall is closed especially if Macy's leaves . It will never happen but I always thought that location would be good for an arena/concert venue between 8 to 10,000 capacity. Most likely it gets sold and becomes a residential/commercial development.

Out of curiosity, what is the official offseason workout program allowed now by the NCAA until school resumes in August?

I believe the next season sort of kicks off with June team practices? Then a bunch of regulated sessions?

BY JOE LUNARDI
UPDATED: 5/31/2024 AT 10 A.M. ET

Heather Dinich, ESPN Senior Writer

DESTIN, Fla. -- As the SEC spring meetings concluded on Thursday, commissioner Greg Sankey acknowledged that while college athletics is in "uncharted waters," he believes the NCAA Division I schools can continue to operate together, and his conference is prepared "to take a leadership role" as they all navigate the historic change.

Sankey said the NCAA basketball tournament in March is what binds Division I together, but if it's going to stay together, "there are pressures that have to be recognized."

"We've allowed Division I to grow," he said. "We have conferences solving their membership problem by inviting non-Division I members in, but we haven't modified the bracket size. I think common sense says you have to dig into that. There are competitive issues, there are calendar issues, there are economic issues. But I do think that March can be kept together. That doesn't mean it stays exactly the same.

"We also have to recognize the differences that do exist within the group that pursue that brass ring of the tournament access opportunity."

The SEC has formed multiple working groups to help tackle the weighty issues looming after the House v. NCAA settlement, including one to look at conference rules that might need to be removed or implemented. Another group will take a deeper dive into the league's federal legislative efforts, and another will look into oversight and governance of the settlement itself.

There's also a group of athletic directors looking into roster structures, which Sankey said needs to move expeditiously. Conference leaders agreed, though, that one major next step will be to see a longer-form filing of the settlement, part of which will reveal how the plaintiffs plan to disperse the historical damages, which date back to 2016. Sources said they expect to learn that before July.

"That's the next move," said Texas president Jay Hartzell. "We'll get to see what their plans are. Not that we'll shape it, but the public will start to learn what's going to happen. It will be interesting to see what the reactions are based on how they plan to spend the money. We'll all be watching that."

How that revenue is distributed to past athletes will impact the conversation about Title IX moving forward, as sources told ESPN this week the back pay could be lopsided towards men. That's up to the plaintiffs, though, as current athletic leaders are tasked with figuring out how to allocate it moving forward. While the back pay will provide some clarity, they still need to figure out how the money ties into the federal law.

Oklahoma president Joe Harroz Jr. said questions about the settlement are "the entire universe right now."

"When you look at it, with the settlement it changes so much," he said. "It really is this idea of making sure you're in line with the settlement and that we continue to be the conference that leads the country."

Sankey has repeated every day this week that the critical answers to how the revenue distribution will be implemented to players on each campus -- and how Title IX factors into it -- will be part of a process that plays out over the next several months. The in-person meetings the league has had, though, over the past month, helped the conference discussions this week.

"I think we walk out of here with an understanding that we're heading to a new chapter, we're going to have to manage transition, but fully prepared and committed across the board at the athletic director, president and chancellor level to take a leadership role in that change," he said.


Sankey said the SEC will continue to work with the Big Ten in that role, and said the advisory committee between the two was "an acceptance of the responsibility for leadership."

He said they don't currently have any meetings scheduled, but they both are eager to discuss their end-of-year meetings.

"We're going to have to make independent decisions on a number of key things," he said. "We can't solve every problem together, otherwise you reintroduce antitrust concerns. ... We also have to draw people in, so it's not like two votes change the world. Certainly two conferences agreeing on things and in the right sort of way have influence."

The SEC on Thursday also announced new payout amounts for any of its teams that qualify for the 12-team playoff, which begins this fall. Any SEC team that makes the first round will earn $3 million, followed by an additional $3.5 million for a quarterfinal appearance, $3.75 million for a semifinal, and $4 million for participating in the national championship game. That's in addition to travel expenses. Sankey said those numbers were an SEC policy, and each conference can make its own decisions on respective payouts.

Jay Bilas, College Basketball Analyst

The field for the first Players Era Festival, a new in-season men's college basketball tournament that promises to provide each team at least $1 million in name, image and likeness opportunities outside of the competition, is expected to be announced this week and will feature six schools that participated in the NCAA tournament last season, sources said.

Sources said the first-round matchups will be Houston vs. Alabama, Rutgers vs. Notre Dame, San Diego State vs. Texas A&M and Oregon vs. Creighton.

The event will be played in Las Vegas during Thanksgiving week.

EverWonder Studio, the content studio and production company behind the event, will soon announce the launch of "Players Era," an initiative aimed at engaging fans and providing college athletes with the chance to participate in unique NIL activities. Each participating team in the tournament will take part in more than $1 million in NIL opportunities with Players Era sponsors outside of the event.

EverWonder is also expected to announce that the Players Era Festival will expand to at least 18 teams in 2025, adding Gonzaga, Michigan, Syracuse, Saint Joseph's and St. John's to the field, sources said.

It is expected that future events and tournaments under the Players Era umbrella will be added, which could include women's basketball and men's college basketball preseason events, sources said.

https://www.newsnationnow.com/world...with-surveys-suggesting-a-shift-to-the-right/

Instead of the TDS obsession, take a look at Europe. Crime and immigration prevailing in EU election results.

Ortho NJ

Suburban NJ i went to a low tier Italian spot previously reviewed by portnoy and left because all i got was a menu in 20 min..went to another spot on major highway and couldn't believe prices for pasta plates and protein entrees. I spend business time in midtown west and these rates are not far off from del friscos grille. I have had pasta at dfg for a 27 dollar plate, healthy portion. I have had their pork chop i believe about 40, well sourced and treated great on plate

Typically i buy at local supermarket and go to costco and sams for protein i can buy in larger quantities and portion for home use. I do go to chain spots maybe twice a month with pf chang and cheesecake factory being my favs.

Associated Press

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The NCAA and a coalition of states suing the organization announced a proposed settlement of a lawsuit Thursday that would allow athletes to be immediately eligible to play no matter how many times they transfer and would offer some who were sidelined an extra year of eligibility.

Under the agreement, a preliminary injunction issued by a federal judge in West Virginia allowing multiple-transfer athletes to compete would be made permanent. Judge John Preston Bailey would still have to sign off on the pact.

Thursday's agreement comes a month after the NCAA Division I Council fast-tracked legislation that was ratified by the Division I board of directors to fall in line with Bailey's preliminary injunction.

Under the agreement, the NCAA would be required to grant an additional year of eligibility to Division I athletes previously deemed ineligible under the transfer eligibility rule since the 2019-20 academic year.

"We've leveled the playing field for college athletes to allow them to better control their destinies," Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said in a statement. "This long-term change is exactly what we set out to accomplish."

In a statement, the NCAA said the agreement "is just one of the many ways the Association is delivering more benefits to student-athletes, increasing flexibility and making impactful reforms."

Athletes would still be required to meet academic requirements to maintain eligibility. Transfer windows, which are sport-specific, remain in place and require undergraduate athletes to enter their names into the portal at certain times to be immediately eligible at a new school. Graduate students can already transfer multiple times and enter the portal outside the windows while maintaining immediate eligibility.

The agreement would prevent the NCAA from retaliating against member institutions and athletes who challenge the rule or support those who do. This includes safeguarding student-athletes' rights to compete during legal proceedings without fear of punishment from the NCAA.

In addition, the NCAA would be barred from undermining or circumventing its provisions through future actions that could threaten athletes' rights and freedoms, according to the agreement.

The federal court in the Northern District of West Virginia would maintain jurisdiction to enforce its terms and resolve any disputes that might come up, according to the agreement. The lawsuit had been scheduled for a jury trial next year.

One of the players highlighted in the lawsuit was West Virginia's RaeQuan Battle, who had cited mental health issues in his decision to transfer to West Virginia after previously playing at Washington and Montana State.

Battle, the first person from the Tulalip Reservation in Washington state to play Division I basketball, had said he has lost "countless people" to drugs, alcohol and COVID-19 over the years and believed West Virginia had the proper support system to help him flourish personally and academically.

After the NCAA denied his request to play immediately at West Virginia, Battle missed the first month of the 2023-24 season before the December court injunction allowed him to play the remainder of the schedule.

Battle recently participated in workouts ahead of next month's NBA draft.

"The NCAA needs to recognize underlying issues that affect student-athletes in every decision," West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said in a statement. "Real life issues often are at stake."

The U.S. Department of Justice, which joined the lawsuit in January, was involved in the settlement. Besides Ohio and West Virginia, other states securing the agreement were Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, as well as the District of Columbia.

https://www.newsnationnow.com/danab...Your Morning Newsletter - WEEKDAYS 2024-05-10

News Nation this week if you want a balanced view of the crisis.

Praise the lord.

Polarizing umpire Angel Hernandez immediately retiring from MLB​

By Christian Arnold

Ángel Hernández, one of MLB’s most infamous umpires, announced he is retiring from baseball.

“Starting with my first Major League game in 1991, I have had the very good experience of living out my childhood dream of umpiring in the major leagues,” Hernandez said in a statement. “There is nothing better than working at a profession that you enjoy. I treasured the camaraderie of my colleagues and the friendships I have made along the way, including our locker room attendants in all the various cities.

“I have decided that I want to spend more time with my family. Needless to say, there have been many positive changes in the game of baseball since I first entered the profession. This includes the expansion and promotion of minorities. I am proud that I was able to be an active participant in that goal while being a Major League umpire.”

The surprising news ends Hernández’s 33-year umpiring career which has been marred by controversial calls and constant complaints about the job he had been doing.

Major League Baseball and the Hernández were negotiating a financial settlement over the past two weeks and came to an agreement during the holiday weekend, according to USA Today.

Hernández, 61, worked his last game back on May 9 as the home plate ump in a game between the White Sox and Guardians in Cleveland and hasn’t umpired a World Series game since 2005.

Hernández has been a lightning rod for controversy and is universally viewed as the worst umpire in the game by players, managers and fans of the sport.

The poor reputation he has dates back almost two decades with player polls by Sports Illustrated in 2006 and 2011 ranking him as the third-worst umpire and an ESPN poll in 2010 putting 22 percent of the respondents as viewing Hernández as the worst in MLB.

Hernández umped just 10 games during the 2023 season because of a back injury, but he got 161 calls according to Umpire Auditor.

The controversial ump once again found himself in the spotlight earlier this year on April 12 when Rangers rookie Wyatt Langford struck out on three straight pitches that were clearly out of the strike zone, and seven other pitches were called strikes that were outside of the zone in that game.

Hernández, a Cuban-American, had previously sued for racial discrimination back in 2017 claiming that he had been passed over World Series assignments and a crew chief position due to his race.

That lawsuit was dismissed in 2021 and an appeals court upheld that ruling last year.

“Hernández has failed to establish a statistically significant disparity between the promotion rates of white and minority umpires,” the appeals court wrote in its ruling. “MLB has provided persuasive expert evidence demonstrating that, during the years at issue, the difference in crew chief promotion rates between white and minority umpires was not statistically significant. Hernández offers no explanation as to why MLB’s statistical evidence is unreliable.”

Hernández began his career as an umpire at the age of 20 in the Florida State League and became a full-time MLB ump in 1993.

— Additional reporting by Joel Sherman