A confusing, yet very interesting news day
Caitlin Clark, Joey Chestnut, Hunter Biden all fight for the top headline
The news of the day just gets stranger and stranger.
The national media is having trouble deciding which is a bigger story: Caitlin Clark being left off the U.S. Olympic Basketball Team or Joey Chestnut being banned from the Nathan's hot dog eating contest on Coney Island.
Meanwhile, in a stunning reversal of loyalties, Democrats are thrilled that Hunter Biden was convicted of three felonies, while Republicans are upset that he wasn't acquitted.
Many casual observers of sports may well have assumed that Caitlin Clark is the greatest women's basketball player ever to set foot on the court after the incredible season she just finished at the University of Iowa.
But when the Olympic roster was revealed, her name was not among the 12 players listed, even though she is the most prolific scorer ever in collegiate women's basketball. She also scored more points than anyone in collegiate men's basketball.
She is also currently the most recognizable face and most talked about player in the game, maybe ever. Arguably, the most talked about person in all of the sporting world in the last few months.
TV ratings for women's basketball were off the charts as Clark and her Hawkeye teammates marched toward the national championship game, which they ultimately lost to South Carolina.
March Madness was suddenly all about women's basketball, with the men's game taking a seat at the back of the bus. Folks who had never before watched sports of any kind tuned in to watch Caitlin Clark perform magic tricks with a large, round ball.
Selection committee chair Jen Rizzotti says the committee was aware of the "outside noise" to select Clark, but noted "when you base your decision on criteria, there were other players who were harder to cut because they checked a lot more boxes."
Among those boxes were playing ability, position played and adaptability to the international game. Marketing and popularity were not on the list.
Added Rizzotti, "It would be irresponsible for us to talk about her in a way other than how she would impact the play of the team. It was not the purview of our committee to decide how many people would watch or how many people would root for the U.S. It was our purview to create the best team we could."
Amen to that.
Clark, classy as always, shrugged off the missed opportunity by saying simply, "I think it just gives you something to work for. It's a dream. Hopefully one day I can be there. I think it's just a little more motivation. You remember that. Hopefully when four years comes back around, I can be there."
A Gold Medal response, for sure.
I would be remiss, of course, if I didn't mention another women's basketball star named Denise Curry, the Caitlin Clark of her day.
Curry graced the Davis High School gym nearly 50 years ago and went on to become the leading scorer in UCLA basketball history - men's or women's - with 3,198 points.
She was also the leading rebounder with 1,310 and averaged 24.6 points and 10.1 rebounds a game over her four-year career with the Bruins. At UCLA, she set a still-standing school record with 47 points in a 77-76 win over Oregon State and was named the All-University Athlete of the Year.
And finally, Curry made us all hometown proud when she went on to win a Gold Medal in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
She was also a member of the 1980 Olympic team slated to compete in Moscow, but the United States ultimately boycotted those games.
Curry is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame, and most importantly, the Davis High School Hall of Fame.
As for Joey Chestnut, well, it seems he committed a mortal sin in the world of professional eating when he picked a dog other than Nathan's to partner with.
According to Major League Eating (that's really its name), "We are devastated to learn that Joey Chestnut has chosen to represent a rival brand that sells plant-based hot dogs rather than competing in the 2024 Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest."
Plant based instead of Nathan's? I think you need a new agent, Joey.
Besides, we all know our very own Hotdogger serves the best wiener in the world, hands down.
And finally, there is no truth to the rumor that Donald Trump has asked Hunter Biden to be his running mate in the newly formed Felons-R-Us political party.
You can reach me directly at bobdunning@thewaryone.com
Nice coverage of the Caitlin Clark story. I think her 3 point shooting range makes her special, although she certainly has many other skills. Since she does not have any WNBA All Stars on her current team, it would be nice to see how she plays with some of those players rather than against them. Kelsey Plum is on that Olympic Team and I just realized her mother Katie McBride attended UC Davis and played volleyball and her sister also played volleyball for the Aggies. A nice mention of Denise Curry. It’s unfortunate for those Olympic Athletes like her that were on those teams during the boycott year. Denise would have had buckets and rebounds during those Olympic games.
Keep up the good work Bob- Felons R Us, what an apt description.