Category Archives: Other sports

Fauci and football

Posted on June 22, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I hate to rain on your tailgate, but… The NFL is planning to begin its season on time, but Dr. Anthony Fauci pulled the reins on that optimistic view Wednesday. “Unless players are essentially in a bubble – insulated from … Continue reading →

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A few bumps in the road for the NBA

Posted on June 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

How’s that season restarting going? A month ago, superstar players got on a Zoom call and reportedly created a united front to support a safe return to play. A lot has changed since. Last week, the 28 NBPA player representatives all voted … Continue reading →

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What kind of college football season will there be?

Posted on June 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

News item: Governor says to expect half-full stadiums for college football. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott told athletic directors from the state’s largest schools to expect 50 percent capacity at football games this fall, USA Today reported, but Texas A&M athletic … Continue reading →

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UT athletes take a stand

Posted on June 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them. Several athletes at the University of Texas at Austin are refusing to participate in recruiting incoming players or show up at donor-related events if university and athletics officials fail to respond to a list of demands geared … Continue reading →

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Here comes high school football

Posted on June 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Surely you didn’t think that Texas’ favorite sport would stay on the sidelines for long? More focus will be on instruction, caution and care than nailing the perfect squat rep when University Interscholastic League athletic programs return to in-person strength … Continue reading →

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Coronavirus and Professional Bull Riding

Posted on June 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s how Professional Bull Riding managed to keep doing what it does during the pandemic. The PBR went on hiatus March 15 at the conclusion of an Unleash The Beast event in Duluth, Ga., that was closed to the public. … Continue reading →

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MLS agrees on its restart, WNBA still considering options

Posted on June 5, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

More sports coming. The MLS Players Association voted Wednesday to approve a revised collective bargaining agreement with the league. The new deal will run through 2025 and clears the way for Major League Soccer to resume its 2020 season via … Continue reading →

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NBA sets a plan, MLB still working it out

Posted on June 4, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Happening today. The NBA is finalizing details of a plan which is expected to be approved by the league’s Board of Governors on Thursday, paving the way for a return from the coronavirus shutdown. The board is poised to give … Continue reading →

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NWSL will be the first American sports league to return to play

Posted on May 30, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see how it goes. The National Women’s Soccer League will become the first U.S. team sport to resume play June 27 with a month-long tournament in suburban Salt Lake City, and the rebuilding Houston Dash hope the unique format … Continue reading →

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Abbott expects there to be college football this fall

Posted on May 25, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Pretty optimistic, if you ask me. Gov. Greg Abbott said he believes college football will begin on schedule in Texas with some fans in the stands, he told KXAN during an interview Friday. “My prediction is yes we’re going to … Continue reading →

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The NBA inches closer to a return

Posted on May 24, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll know more soon. NBA teams are expecting the league office will issue guidelines around June 1 that will allow franchises to start recalling players who’ve left their markets as a first step toward a formal ramp-up for the season’s … Continue reading →

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MLS has a plan to start its season

Posted on May 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

That’s Major League Soccer, and their plan may sound a bit familiar. With no indications of when it could resume the season in home markets, MLS has proposed placing all 26 teams in the Orlando area this summer and playing … Continue reading →

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The NBA takes a baby step towards coming back

Posted on May 2, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This may not amount to much, but it’s a potential sign that there may be more like it coming. The NBA is reopening team practice facilities beginning on Friday for players in states and municipalities that are loosening stay-at-home restrictions … Continue reading →

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The NBA is still looking for its way back

Posted on April 20, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Nobody really knows what the next couple of months look like. On the eve of what would have been the start of the postseason, NBA commissioner Adam Silver on Friday said he could not predict when, if or how it … Continue reading →

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Whither college football?

Posted on April 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

All NCAA spring sports were canceled due to coronavirus, beginning with March Madness and going through baseball and softball and soccer and everything else. Everyone has been looking forward to the fall when things were supposed to be back to … Continue reading →

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RIP, XFL

Posted on April 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Tough break. The XFL suspended operations Friday morning and laid off nearly all of its staff, multiple sources told ESPN. While a handful of executives remain employed, the league currently has no plans to return in 2021. The league canceled … Continue reading →

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The NBA tries to look forward

Posted on April 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Hope + uncertainty = where we are right now. While expressing a hope that bordered on determination that the NBA would be able to salvage its season in some form, commissioner Adam Silver also said the unknowns in the COVID-19 … Continue reading →

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Congratulations, Rudy T!

Posted on April 5, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Long overdue. 2-Time NBA Champion First place medal Gold Medalist Medium star 5-Time NBA All Star A HALL OF FAMER! — Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) 11:37 AM – 04 April 2020 At last, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame no longer … Continue reading →

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In which I agree with Ted Cruz: Shame on the NBA

Posted on October 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

When he’s right, he’s right. Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey has the support of some lawmakers in D.C., even as the Rockets and NBA have apologized for his comments supporting pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong. Morey over the weekend tweeted … Continue reading →

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On paying college athletes

Posted on September 29, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

In case you missed this news out of California. California is going to pass this likeness rights bill and boy howdy does the NCAA not like it California Senate Bill 206, otherwise known as the Fair Pay to Play act, … Continue reading →

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The MOB’s message to Baylor

Posted on September 23, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve been a member of the Rice MOB since 1988, when I arrived in Houston as a grad student in math. I’m especially proud to have been part of the MOB this weekend. Rice University’s Marching Owl Band delivered a … Continue reading →

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Cricket in Fort Bend

Posted on September 1, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The sport keeps spreading. When Malay Vyas played cricket as a child, there were no fields near his home in western India. So he and his friends took to playing in the streets. He remembers getting grounded after hitting a … Continue reading →

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The Houston Roughnecks

Posted on August 26, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Meet your new XFL team. When the XFL kicks off in February, the Houston team will be known as the Houston Roughnecks. The XFL unveiled team names and logos for all eight teams in the league Wednesday. The Houston Roughnecks … Continue reading →

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Rock me like a Herricane

Posted on August 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I had no idea this existed. Rose Kelley was jogging through Memorial Park one summer evening when she saw a group of women practicing football. One of the women spotted Kelley, with her sturdy frame and strong legs, and figured … Continue reading →

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RIP, AAF

Posted on April 7, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe it’s only mostly dead, but it looks pretty dead. After eight weeks of games and less than one season into Alliance of American Football’s existence, league owner Tom Dundon has decided to suspend all operations, league co-founder Bill Polian … Continue reading →

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Will the AAF be one and done?

Posted on April 1, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Could be. The first-year Alliance of American Football’s inability to secure cooperation from the NFL Players’ Association to use young players from NFL rosters has put the AAF in danger of folding, Tom Dundon, the league’s majority owner, told USA … Continue reading →

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“How Baylor Happened”

Posted on February 17, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

From Deadspin: There’s not much to recommend spending four years in Waco. Driving into town up Interstate 35 from the south, the endless stretch of Texas nothing fills out slowly. It’s flat in the way you think Texas is flat. … Continue reading →

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MLS comes to Austin

Posted on January 19, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Welcome to the big leagues. After a long and often rocky courtship, Austin and Major League Soccer became a match. The league formally welcomed Austin as its 27th franchise with a raucous downtown party Tuesday full of chanting and flag-waving, … Continue reading →

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FIFA World Cup update

Posted on January 14, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Still a year away from a decision. Houston is among 17 American cities vying to become one of 10 host cities selected when the finalists are trimmed by 2021. The 2026 World Cup will also include 10 games each in … Continue reading →

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The Karolyis and Larry Nasser

Posted on December 13, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Ouch. A report commissioned by the U.S. Olympic Committee into the USA Gymnastics sexual abuse scandal was strongly critical of the culture created by longtime coaches Bela and Martha Karolyi, saying that the atmosphere at the couple’s Walker County ranch … Continue reading →

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Houston to get XFL 2.0 team

Posted on December 9, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

For those of you that need more football. TDECU Stadium at the University of Houston will be the home field for Houston’s team in the XFL, the spring football league owned by WWE chairman Vince McMahon that will begin play … Continue reading →

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RIP, Bob McNair

Posted on November 25, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The Houston Texans owner has passed away. The death of Texans owner and founder Bob McNair rocked the NFL, the city of Houston and his players and coaches Friday, sparking rich remembrances of his life and legacy. McNair was 81 … Continue reading →

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USOC moves to decertify USA Gymnastics

Posted on November 11, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

About time. On Monday night, the U.S. Olympic Committee made a long-overdue announcement: It is taking steps towards decertifying USA Gymnastics by revoking its recognition as one of the USOC’s National Governing Bodies (NGBs). Now, what’s to come is not … Continue reading →

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Babygate, 25 years later

Posted on October 21, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Boy, I remember this. Remember Babygate? Scot Cooper Williams came into this world Oct. 16, 1993 and was the center of a firestorm 24 hours later. His father David, an offensive tackle for the Houston Oilers, had missed the team’s … Continue reading →

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