5/22 Spurs Dynasty Quickie

This feels like the moment when everyone finally gets on board with how amazing these Spurs are -- and have been since the dawn of Duncan.

It is Tim Duncan -- not Shaq or Kobe or LeBron -- who deserves to have an entire era named after him. The NBA from 1999-2014... "The Duncan Dynasty."

It's not just the titles, although that is typically how we ultimately measure success. The Spurs should have had another last year and seem hell-bent on rolling to one this year.

They are dispatching the Thunder in this series like OKC was a nuisance; what's going to happen in two weeks when they play a team they actually feel viscerally angry about?

It feels like only now that the vast majority of fans are finally recognizing that the Spurs are iconic. This "Big Three" trumps Miami's version, and it's not even close.

Gregg Popovich trumps Phil Jackson -- and possibly/probably any other coach in NBA history (although as with Phil, it's hard to know how much is the coach and how much is the all-time talent).

Sure, the roster is anchored by one of the Top 10 players of all time and bolstered by two of the greatest draft steals ever (three, if you count Kawhi Leonard).

But it's hard to think of a team in NBA history as well-oiled as these Spurs are -- and have been, for a generation. Maybe since Showtime -- the Spurs are on track to match those 5 titles.

The Spurs don't clamor for your attention, recognition or respect -- that has simply become a byproduct of staggering success.

-- D.S.

PS: Thanks to Tony Reali, Aaron Solomon, Erik Rydholm and the folks at the Around the Horn/PTI/Highly Questionable HQ for hosting me yesterday on the 10th anniversary of my ATH debut.

5/21 Lottery Hangover Quickie

*Ten years ago today, I made my debut on "Around the Horn." That's surreal on several levels.

*The Cavs winning the NBA Lottery is the lamest outcome. I'm sure they will take Wiggins, but they should take Embiid, even with the injury risk; let him sit out all next year to get better.

*After last night, any lingering doubts about whether the Heat will roll over the Pacers?

-- D.S.

5/20 Lottery Quickie

*I have become so conditioned -- institutionalized -- to get excited for the NBA Draft Lottery (aka "our playoffs" for Wizards fans) that it's weird to not be involved tonight.

This year's edition has at least three (but I'd argue five) potential franchise-changers: Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker and Joel Embiid (plus Dante Exum and Noah Vonleh), and a slew of players with potential to be playoff rotation contributors down the line, if not starters on playoff teams.

(Thought experiment: Five years from now, how many games would a team whose starting five was Exum, Wiggins, Parker, Vonleh and Embiid win? I'll say at least 50.)

Anyway, it's a big night for bottom-feeders -- but, for once, not for Wizards fans.

*After watching the Spurs hammer the Thunder last night, "Spurs in 5" still sounds right.

*California Chrome/Triple Crown Watch: The nasal strip was approved, for obvious (commercial) reasons. Now the Belmont resumes being a must-see event.

*Name to Know: Lucy Li, the 11-year-old who qualified for the LPGA's US Women's Open. Lucy rules! (And maybe I'm just saying that because my own daughter is named Lucy!)

*Prediction: Kevin Ollie will be in the NBA before his 5-year extension at UConn runs out.

*NFL Draft moved from NYC to another city, rotating annually? Yes, please.

-- D.S.

5/19 Monday Quickie

*For my money, Twitch is the most fascinating sports-media deal of the year. It's the closest thing we've seen to a "next ESPN" by a start-up since... ESPN.

(Stat to know: In March, Consumption of Twitch represented 1.35% of all -- ALL -- downstream bandwidth. That's more than HBO Go. Background on the rumored YouTube acquisition here; required background reading on Twitch here.)

*Pacers beat Heat in Game 1: Is it wrong that my entire lens for this series is a combination of "Well, at least the Wizards played Indy tougher than Miami did" and "At this rate, the Wizards could have beaten the Heat, too."

*California Chrome nasal-strip controversy: This shouldn't be a controversy! The New York Racing Association would be insane not to give the horse an exemption to wear the breathing aid.

*Spurs over Thunder in 5.

-- D.S.

5/16 Happy Birthday Gabe Quickie

*Happy 8th birthday, Gabe. It nearly gives me vertigo to consider how much has happened since May 16, 2006.

*Gabe was thrilled that his favorite NBA team -- the Thunder -- delivered him a post-midnight birthday present of a close-out in the Western conference semis over the Clippers.

*Between LeBron and Durant, it sure looks like Chris Paul is destined to be this generation's Barkley-Ewing-Stockton-Malone superstar who never wins a ring. Happy to be proven wrong, but....

*Miami is going to throttle Indiana. San Antonio is going to throttle OKC. The Playoffs are so much fun, but the end-pairing has been predictable since November. The Finals result, on the other hand....

*Predictions for my Wiz in their offseason: Grunfeld stays (obviously). Wittman extended (I appreciate his work this postseason, but I respectfully disagree). Gortat re-signs. They try to re-sign Ariza, but he gets a more lucrative offer elsewhere -- he is a great piece for a would-be contender. The upside of that is that they invested so much in the Otto Porter pick, gotta let him play next year. The team is in the mix early for Greg Monroe, but he goes elsewhere.

*If you like media wonkery, the leaked NY Times innovation memo is fascinating -- Nieman Lab did a great job of digesting it for you.

-- D.S.

5/15 Wizards Denouement Quickie

You have to understand that long before Florida and before Northwestern, I was a Bullets/Wizards fan -- it is my oldest and longest-standing fan allegiance, going back roughly 30 years.

For almost all of those 30 years, the team has been somewhere between mediocre and terrible. There were brief glints in '87/88 and '97. Up until this season, my three favorite Wizards moments didn't even come on the court -- it was the day of the trade for Chris Webber, the night we won the NBA Lottery to secure us John Wall and the moment the Bobcats passed on Bradley Beal, ensuring he'd come to DC. (I enjoyed the Arenas years a lot -- who didn't? -- but can't help but remember them as tarnished for the way it all ended.)

Three years ago, when I relocated back to DC, I became even more engaged with the team -- I watched a lot (a LOT) of Wizards games, most of them in the range of atrocious. Slowly, we got rid of the knuckleheads. We got Nene. We got Beal. We got Gortat.

This season, I would say that I watched all (and certainly part) of at least 75 or more of the 82-game regular season, subjecting Mrs. Quickie to Wizards basketball throughout the winter.

Like the rest of the fan base, I was rewarded with a pretty good season! And pretty good is pretty great, when you consider that almost all of the previous 30 years were pretty lousy.

Then this playoff run started, and we dispatched the Bulls, which was as thrilling of an on-court result as I have ever experienced. The city cared about the team again, in a way it hadn't in a long time. Is this what it is like in the cities with perennially good NBA teams?

You cannot underestimate the idea of feeling relevant -- of feeling ANYTHING positive about this team, even feeling frustration over bad plays or losses. Because those bad plays and losses were happening in the playoffs, not in December against the Bucks en route to a 20-win season.

Then we beat the Pacers in Game 1. Then we lost three straight, and I figured it was all over -- good job, good effort. Then, in Game 5, we destroyed them -- a new "favorite moment" for me. It re-sparked that, yes, this team was good enough to beat the Pacers in a 7-game series.

My feeling going into Game 6 tonight was "We SHOULD win. We probably won't. But we SHOULD." I can't tell you how amazing -- exotic, really -- that feeling is for a Wizards fan.

And guess what: They should have won this game. They should have. They should have taken this to Game 7 on Sunday and, then, won the damn series.

I can simultaneously be disappointed about tonight -- to have that many miscues and still be in a position to win is inexcusable for a team that is as good as this one -- but so satisfied about getting this far and putting up this much of a fight.

That I finally get to feel that mixture of elation and disappointment -- what so many other teams' fans take for granted -- is a newly minted priceless sports memory for me.

I hope for nothing but this being the start of sustained success where I begin to EXPECT success, rather than merely appreciate it as a novelty. Despite having the best young backcourt in the league, I actually worry -- like any good lifelong Bullets/Wizards fan -- that we will look back in 10 years and this will end up turning out to be "peak Wiz."

But I'll always remember this team and this run for the new emotions it allowed me to feel.

-- D.S.

5/14 Wizards Thunder Quickie

*The Wiz fan in me must overlook the insane ending to the Thunder-Clippers game to note that was the best effort -- at the most critical moment -- I have ever seen the team offer.

*I don't know if the Wiz can win Game 6 back in DC -- if they play like they did last night, they clearly can -- but if this was it, it's nice to feel like they put it all together when it mattered most.

*OK, so back to Thunder-Clippers, round 5: Terrible choices by the Clippers, terrible calls by the refs, but a hell of a comeback by OKC in the final 4 minutes/1 minute.

*Henrik Lundqvist: There are a handful of athletes we can all feel like "Watching them in their prime is Peak Fandom, even if you don't care about their team." That's him in Game 7s.

*Last word to Doc Rivers: "We were robbed." But also: "We did a lot ourselves to not win the game."

-- D.S.

5/13 Wiz-blivion Quickie

*The most remarkable thing about Donald Sterling's interview last night is that the universal presumption was that he couldn't get more loathsome than two weeks ago -- and yet!

*I obviously want the Wizards to win tonight to retain the glimmer of hope they can win the series, but -- at the very least -- I want an extra game in this atypically satisfying season.

*LeBron's career-playoff-high-tying 49 was closer to typical -- and I kind of loved that he seemed so annoyed afterwards. That he didn't get 50, because of that missed FT at the end? Good for him.

*The injury to Marlins ace Jose Fernandez is the most depressing bit of sports-injury news of 2014, whether you like the Marlins or baseball or not.

-- D.S.

5/9 Draft Hangover Quickie

*The story of the night, of course, is Johnny Manziel dropping to Cleveland. The story within the story is that the owner was apparently swayed by the recommendation of a homeless guy.

*The Browns had the best 1st round -- Johnny Football, a lockdown corner to play opposite the sublime Joe Haden and an extra 1st-round pick from Buffalo in 2015 (top 10?)

*Five not-Clowney/Manziel picks I particularly liked: Mike Evans to Bucs, CJ Mosley to Ravens, Brandin Cooks to Saints, Dominique Easley to Pats, Teddy Bridgewater to Vikings.

*As exciting as the first round of the NBA playoffs were, the Spurs and Heat series are duds. On the other hand! It's a must-win for my Wiz tonight in Game 3 at home in DC.

-- D.S.

5/7 Durant MVP Quickie

*One of the best award speeches you'll see, from Kevin Durant -- great for the week of Mother's Day, too:



*Meanwhile, back in the playoffs, the Heat and Spurs rolled to Game 1 wins, and their series both seem over already.

*Not so in Indiana -- as a Wizards fan, it is incumbent on me to think of tonight's game as a must-win, just as I thought Game 1 was must-win.

*Mark Jackson's ouster in Golden State: Did anyone not see this coming the day they hired him?

*One day until the NFL Draft, and "Who's going to take Johnny Manziel?" remains -- by far -- the No. 1 storyline.

-- D.S.

5/3 Lillard Quickie

*Shot of the Year in the NBA? Shot of the Year in the NBA.




*Kentucky Derby: My pal Joe Drape picks Wicked Strong. California Chrome is the popular pick. I'm going to go with Commanding Curve, as usual without much good reason.

*Weekend reads: This behind-the-scenes reporting of how things went down inside the Clippers last weekend and Spencer Hall on the Istanbul Derby - the world's fiercest soccer rivalry.

*It's May 3 and my Wizards are still playing basketball -- waiting around, even! So many Game 7s today and the rest of the weekend.

-- D.S.

4/30 Silver Reigns Supreme Quickie

*As I said yesterday, that was the most impressive display of leadership by a sports commissioner -- NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, NCAA, FIFA, Olympics, whatever -- in modern sports history.

*There is a parallel universe where Silver possibly stumbles and the players go through with that reported boycott of last night's games, which would have been seismic.

*But, of course, Silver avoided that, while establishing his leadership bonafides -- his statement and press conference were an instant-classic example of how to communicate in a crisis.

*It helps that this issue is one that virtually everyone agrees on -- there was zero contention (beyond the inevitable Sterling lawsuit against the NBA, which vastly fewer people will care about).

*Even if he hasn't sold the team yet, the NBA is in its "post-Sterling era" -- we can return to a fascinating, thrilling playoffs season.

*Speaking of which: My Wiz! First of all, no fan in the NBA appreciates a trip to the 2nd round of the playoffs like a Wizards fan. I'm giddy.

*I can now finally allow myself to think about the options between having home-court advantage against the 8-seed Hawks or playing an exhausted Pacers team that needed 7 games to beat them.

*I actually think that Hawks are the tougher match-up for the Wizards -- that seems unfathomable, but it's true. That said: I have never seen the Wiz play this well, certainly not at this level of pressure.

*Speaking of which (again): I cannot imagine an NBA Playoffs season where a full-strength Thunder doesn't make it out of the first round. But that's where we are. It's stunning.

*I still think OKC wins the next two games, but I feel no certainty about that -- doubting the Grizzlies is exactly where they want you.

*Last point, reiterated: As quickly as the Sterling story emerged (was it really only 5 days ago?), Adam Silver has basically put it behind the league. Sterling is purged. Everyone is agreed it was the right thing.

Unlike most two-sided sports debates, there's really nothing left to talk about -- that alone makes it one of the most unique stories we have seen in sports in a long time.

-- D.S.

4/29 Sterling Versus Silver Quickie

*What will Adam Silver do today? More to the point, what CAN he do?

Will it be enough -- today? For the long-term?

What does "enough" even mean, in a world where there is a consensus that the result has to include Donald Sterling no longer owning an NBA team -- and an equal consensus that they'll have to pry it from his cold, extraordinarily litigious hands.

What happens tonight when the Clippers play at home? What happens when their season is over and Doc Rivers decides if he wants to be a part of the team -- let alone stars like CP3 or Blake Griffin.

The certainty is that the story doesn't end today at 2.

*The Sterling story has eclipsed basically everything else. That doesn't mean I don't still have my eye nervously on the Wizards-Bulls Game 5 in Chicago. Those of us Wiz fans who know better (or are scarred by the past 30 years) recognize that a loss tonight puts us in the most precarious "up 3-2" situation ever. But a win -- oh, a win -- would be beyond jubilation.

*What the heck happened to the Pacers?

*My fantasy baseball season is ruined more by my regret passing on Jose Abreu than the actuality of losing Bryce Harper for the next two months.

-- D.S.

04/28 Sterling Revolt Quickie

*That the Donald Sterling Era in the NBA has reached a tipping point is obvious; that it is an end-game is not as clear. A few thoughts:

- I thought the players did as much as they could, given the timing -- I wouldn't discount the symbolic power of the shooting shirts left in a pile at midcourt, nor the inside-out tops. The name is shamed.

- It will be very interesting to see what happens back in L.A. for Game 5. Given that the players hold virtually all of the power on game night, there are a breadth of options available to them.

- I also think that as early as tonight, you will see every player in the league wearing black socks in solidarity.

- The power of the voices speaking out here is immensely important: LeBron. Magic. Jordan. That last one is very important: A fellow owner. Other owners will need to condemn Sterling, too.

- It's unclear what the league can do -- can they force Sterling to sell? The best new commissioner Adam Silver might be able to do (in what immediately became the only referendum on his leadership) is to suspend Sterling indefinitely, then work behind the scenes to pressure him to sell.

- In the absence of that, the outcome here for the Clippers is entirely unclear: Did Doc Rivers really imply that he could walk away from coaching the team over this?

- Would Chris Paul or Blake Griffin (or both... or every player on the roster) demand a trade? How on earth would any free agent choose the Clippers, given the existing ownership?

- Last point: Agree with many smart folks out there reminding us all that it's not on the players to force a change -- it's on the NBA owners.

*That was a hell of a win by my Wiz yesterday, in the absence of Nene and in a de facto "must-win" position. Not discounting chances of them losing 3 straight, but the Bulls also have to win 3 straight.

-- D.S.

4/27 Sunday Quickie

*"There is no room for Donald Sterling in the NBA." -- LeBron James, with not the first nor the last word on the Clippers' owner, but by far the galvanizing statement of the entire story.

*No Nene for my Wiz in Game 4 today. Ugh.

*If Memphis can't beat OKC the night Kevin Durant has arguably his worst shooting game ever (or ever will), this series gets "o-v-e-r" designation, even if it's "only" 2-2

*Last word: Vinsanity!

Friday 4/25 Wizards! Quickie

*Let's! Go! Wiz! Only the most-anticipated Wizards game I can remember in 30 years of fan consciousness. (And, by the way, I see it as must-win. Do NOT want to be in a position of playing Sunday with the series in the balance.)

*Wrote two things today -- kind of unexpectedly.

(1) Why Mitch McGary was screwed financially by not going pro last year, when his NBA draft stock was in the middle of the Top 10, rather than now, when it is back of the 1st round.

(2) Why Kentucky's Harrison twins didn't "return" to UK -- they were rejected by the NBA. And why John Calipari sold them a bill of goods. (Keep an eye on the formatting.)

Big night tonight. Have a great weekend.

-- D.S.

Thursday 4/24 NFL Schedule Release Mania Quickie

*I do not get the cynical griping about the event-ification of the release of the NFL schedule. It is massively popular. It is a near-perfect mid-week offseason thing. It embodies everything about that most precious of fan ideas -- possibility. That, and the "cross-flex."

*The most interesting thing I read about it was this deep-dive from Peter King, who went behind the scenes with the crew that creates the schedule -- it's fascinating.

*LaMarcus Aldridge is the king of the first five days of the NBA Playoffs. I liked this from SB Nation's Paul Flannery -- it's a great thing for the NBA when the non-superduperstars emerge with the kinds of performances that resonate with fans across the country (see Bradley Beal).

*As it relates to the NFL this season, I didn't think there was anything I'd want to see more than Tim Tebow making a roster, but the idea of a team bringing 50-year-old Herschel Walker into training camp and watching him play (which he says he still can) is pretty close to toppling it.

*At least Pineda owned it.

-- D.S.

4/23 Wizards! Wrigley! Pujols! Quickie

*Is this what other NBA fans have gotten to experience? The ridiculous thrill ride of a close playoff win on the road, taking the most improbable 2-0 series lead in NBA Playoffs history?

It's surreal for me to process -- my Wiz winning that game last night, my Wiz going up 2-0 after 2 games in Chicago, my Wiz earning national cred -- but wow, do I appreciate it.

Funny: I'm so conditioned for #SoWizards that I still think this is some kind of cruel cosmic joke -- that Chicago will win 4 of the next 5 games and stomp on my soul.

It doesn't matter -- I'll still have the feeling this morning.

*Speaking of feelings, today's 100th anniversary of Wrigley Field has me feeling so nostalgic. When I graduated college, I moved into a classic Wrigleyville apartment with two buddies -- just two blocks from the stadium -- and had one of the great years of my life.

Imagine this: Living so close that when one roommate would come home with freebie game tickets from the office, we would just wander over whenever, take in a few innings, then head home. Or we would sit out on our front porch, offering friendly strangers a beer from a cooler -- sometimes they would give us their extra tickets in return.

In reality, that time for me was a million years ago, but it remains more vivid than anything 20 years ago should be.

*500 HR for Albert Pujols is an awesome milestone, when milestones seem to have lost a little oomph. 26 members of the club, and by the end of the season, he should be passing Ted Williams and be well into the Top 20 all-time.

I always like looking down the list and seeing who -- if anyone -- can join him. Among active players, Adam Dunn is next at 444 (no chance), then Giambi (438) and Ortiz (435) and Konerko (434) and Soriano (410)... no chance for those guys, either, although let's not sniff at the "400 Club." How about Adrian Beltre at 376? Let's keep in mind: That's 25 HR a year for the next 5 years.

The most likely candidates are Ryan Braun, sitting at a distant 217, and Robinson Cano, at 205. They aren't even halfway there, with plenty to get in their way; both are over 30. Maybe Evan Longoria at 164 before he hits age 29?

I'm going to predict that we won't see another addition to the 500 HR Club, full stop -- it will go the way of the "300 Club" in pitching wins, which has a weirdly similar 24 players making the cut.

The one guy with a chance to crack 500 seems to be Giancarlo Stanton (123 HR at age 24).

But if the choice is "anyone" vs. "no one," I'll bet on "no one."

-- D.S.

4/22 Aereo Durant Moyes Quickie

*Is the most important sports story today the Aereo case in front of the Supreme Court? (Good context of the stakes from Re/code's Peter Kafka and from the NYT's David Carr.)

*I don't care that the Thunder ultimately lost, this Kevin Durant shot is ridiculous -- shot of the year in the NBA:



*It was inevitable: Manchester United fired overmatched first-year manager/replacement-for-legend David Moyes. I know it's a tough gig and probably the hardest seat in sports to fill over the past few years, but still.

-- D.S.

4/21 Back from Vacation Quickie

*Meb Keflezighi. What a result at the Marathon.

*Got back last night just in time to listen to/watch the second half of the first Wizards playoff win in a Game 1 since 1986 -- ponder that for a second. A remarkable win on so many levels.

*The NBA Playoffs are off to a fantastic start, aren't they?

*I don't quite mind the extra few weeks between the old NFL Draft date and the new one -- I can wait. Sure seems like it's Clowney at the top, with the QBs sliding.

*Joakim Noah: NBA Defensive Player of the Year. And should be 1st-team all-NBA this season, too. One of my very favorite NBA players.

*This was fun: While we were in Gainesville, the kids and I huddled over an iPhone watching Florida's women's gymastics team tie for a national title.

*Filed under "It's Early Yet, But So What?" My fantasy baseball team just went over .500 -- it's rare enough that individual weeks where I am over .500 can be counted on two hands. That's over 10 years of playing, by the way, not in a single season.

-- D.S.

4/8 UConn Dynasty Quickie

*Decent argument to be made that UConn's 4 titles in the past 15 years makes them a quasi-dynasty.

*Even better argument to be made that Shabazz Napier belongs in the top tier of all-time college hoops players, because of three very important qualifiers:

(1) He played a meaningful role on TWO national-title teams (putting him in the rare air of Hurley-Laettner-Hill and Noah-Horford-Brewer).

(2) In the second one, he wore the "carry-the-load superstar champ" role of Carmelo, Kemba, Danny Manning, Glen Rice and Anthony Davis.

(3) This one was most interesting to me: He joined an extremely exclusive fraternity of players who played meaningful roles on two NON-CONSECUTIVE national-title teams.

The sport is defined by its championship tournament, individual brilliance within that tournament and the exclusivity of winning multiple titles.

Because of that, I'd argue that Napier ends his career in the top tier of all-time ("all-time" meaning: 64-team era since 1985) talents:

The 10 I'd pick: Manning, Larry Johnson, Laettner, Hurley, Hill, Carmelo, Noah, Davis, Napier, with one spot open for your particular favorite snubbee.

*Looking ahead to next year: By far the most intriguing team is SMU, snubbed by the Tournament committee, but whose two wins over UConn sure do look good this morning.

-- D.S.

4/7 One Shining Moment Quickie

*John Calipari wins, regardless of whether or not Kentucky wins the national title tonight. The mere fact his squad has made it this far (even with preseason No. 1 expectations) is affirmation enough.

*I remain bludgeoned by Florida's loss to UConn: I was "title or bust" for this squad; wow, I will miss these seniors; the game wasn't even close.

*It's an open question whether you'd rather have "thoroughly beaten" or, like Wisconsin, "you coulda/shoulda/woulda won." I guess the latter would be harder to take.

*It's one thing for UK's frosh to come in and go "one-and-title" -- that's amazing. It's another for UConn's seniors to get the rare TWO titles over four years. Napier & Co. join an exclusive group.

In the past 20 years: '92 Duke players on '91 team (Hurley, Laettner, G Hill, T Hill, B Davis, Antonio Lang), two players on '98 Kentucky's team who were also on '96 team (Jeff Sheppard and Allen Edwards), '07 Florida on '06 team (Noah, Horford, Brewer, Humphrey, Green, Richard, Hodge, various bench-warmers).

Kentucky has three bench-warmers who were on the 2012 title-team roster: Long, Malone, Polson.

*I am genuinely baffled over who to pick to win. Both teams are on such a roll. UConn gets the edge defensively; UK gets the edge inside. It's honestly hard to fathom one of these teams will be "national champ."

-- D.S.

4/4 Final Four Quickie

*Let's go back two weeks: My expectations for Florida are nothing short of "championship or bust." That makes Saturday's semi against UConn a must-win.

*Count me among the folks who think that Florida has an advantage having already played UConn -- and lost, short-handed, at the buzzer, in Storrs. This team doesn't quite resemble that one.

*Wisconsin-Kentucky is fascinating: Wisconsin is playing at as high of a level as that program has EVER played; Kentucky is on a remarkable roll. My head says Wisco; my gut says UK.

*Thunder snap Spurs' winning streak: The NBA Playoffs are going to be phenomenal.

*Who wants Chris Johnson? (A much easier analysis: Pete Carroll has more than earned his contract extension -- hard to displace Belichick and I guess you can make a case for Harbaugh, but it's arguable he has ascended to Best Coach in the NFL status. Which is remarkable.)

Enjoy your weekend!

-- D.S.

4/3 Playoffs? Playoffs! Quickie

*My Wizards are back in the NBA Playoffs for the first time since 2008. I'm beyond excited.

This is not to be understated: In the past 25 years, they have been to the playoffs a grand total of 5 times, including 4 first-round exits (including the amazing '97 Bullets team featuring Webber and Howard that was cursedly broken up). No one appreciates the mere notion of "playoff eligibility" than a Wizards fan.

*MLB: Mark Buehrle had the best game of the day yesterday, but give me the suddenly ageless Tim Hudson, who pitched into the 8th, allowed only 3 hits and K'ed 7. He turns 39 in July.

*Big day in DC: Kain Colter is meeting the media.

*If I had the No. 1 pick of the NFL Draft, Jadeveon Clowney is the most can't-miss defensive prospect. (Sammy Watkins is the most can't-miss on offense, but hard to take a WR with No. 1 pick.)

3/29 Elite Eight Quickie

*This Kentucky team reminds me of the 1992 Michigan team where the "Fab Five" earned a 6-seed and zipped all the way to the title game. UK now claims the top TWO best games of the tournament.

*I clearly should have picked my Elite Eight by including the two teams that beat Florida this season (Wisconsin, UConn) and the one that came closest (Kentucky in SEC tourney title game).

*So Mike Trout will be entering free agency at age 29? His deal will make Miguel Cabrera's look modest. Unlike Cabrera, he'll still be worth it.

-- D.S.

3/24 Sweet 16 Quickie

*"The Best Round of 32 Game Ever" -- college basketball immortality, frankly -- was worth the (presumably) premature dispatch of Wichita State, against (a clearly underseeded) Kentucky.

*I celebrate the outcome: I am mostly a "process over outcome" person, but in this exceptional case: If Wichita State was going to get bounced in the Round of 32, isn't it amazing that they did it in an insanely hard-fought game against an insanely talented team that finally put it all together?

*Compare that to the brutal ending for Creighton, which was never in their game and got annihilated by 30. For all of Doug McDermott's brilliance, it makes the ending all the more ignominious.

*Stanford's upset was remarkable: They made zero 3s and played with no true point guard. In that case, YOUR team (in the Tournament or not) has no excuse not to make it to the Sweet 16.

*Let's reset for the Sweet 16:

- Louisville vs. Kentucky is great but UL will throttle UK.

- The best match-up is Dayton-Stanford. One of these teams will be one win from the Final Four.

- The most dangerous team is Tennessee; it's an open question whether four days off is going to cool them off.

- Things are lining up for a Final Four of Florida, Michigan State, Arizona and Louisville -- just like... well, most of the country predicted.

-- D.S.

3/22 Mercer Mania Quickie

*Mercer over Duke is a quintessential NCAA Tournament result.

*I tweeted this right after the game: There is nothing quite like the "Duke first-round NCAA Tournament loss." It's a national celebration of schadenfreude, transcending basically everything.

*If I had to rank my most desired outcomes every year in the NCAA Tournament, they rank "My team wins the national title," then -- a close second -- "Whenever Duke loses (ideally right away)."

*My 5-year-old son Jonah, who was watching the game with me, appreciated my enthusiasm over the upset-in-progress and the ending, but really didn't like when I said that I "hate" Duke.

And he's right. "Hate" is not just a bad word to flaunt in front of a kid (who can't grasp the nuances of the word) but inelegant. The reality is that I love seeing them lose.

(Post-script: Astutely, he asked what I would do if HE played for Duke. Would I "hate" them/him? I sheepishly said I would be rooting like crazy for him to win.)

*The glorious Mercer win eclipsed everything else that happened over the First Thursday and Friday. Let's give SF Austin a shout-out for knocking off a VCU team that -- if we're being honest -- choked.

*Looking ahead to today:

(1) Florida BETTER win (FWIW: Pitt has had a LOT of trouble with elite defenses this season)...

(2) Your Everyone-Should-Be-Rooting-For-Them team is North Dakota State, in a very winnable game vs. San Diego State...

(3) My Upset Special (it's on my bracket, so it MUST be right) is UConn over Villanova.

I went 27-5 in the first two days, which is OK (I'm in the 92nd percentile nationally) but certainly not spectacular. More importantly, I lost two Sweet 16 teams: Duke (like almost everyone else) and VCU.

-- D.S.

3/21 Tournament Friday Quickie

*What an entertaining First Thursday -- from Dayton at the very start to Harvard's upset (or "upset") to the slew of terrific endings/chokes last night, a great day.

*Luke Winn nailed it: It's not just enough to have an elite defense -- you have got to be able to score efficiently, too.

So here are the teams that are Top 10 in adjusted D and Top 20 in adjusted O: Florida, Louisville, Wichita State. (UVA is on the cusp, and Arizona, Kansas and Michigan State are Top 40 at least.)

*I was 12 out of 16 yesterday -- same as my 5-year-old, for what it's worth. I missed Harvard, Texas, Saint Louis and Dayton. My 7-year-old was 14/16.

*My favorite stat: 80% of billion-dollar brackets were busted after the very first game of the tournament. (I kind of love that people are focused on the billion-dollar bracket, despite its absurdity.)

*Today's best games: Duke-Mercer right at the top of the day, Oklahoma State-Gonzaga at 4:40, SF Austin vs. VCU in the early-evening and Kansas State-Kentucky in the late-evening set.

Enjoy it.

-- D.S.

3/17 Selection Monday Quickie

A few thoughts about the bracket:

*"Championship or bust" for Florida: It's one of the greatest things in sports -- "title or fail." Those are the stakes for Florida this year. I'm all-in on the Gators winning it all.

*I have never seen a bandwagon as strong as the one carrying Michigan State from the 4-seed (underseeded, to be sure) to the Final Four (and, in the case of ESPN's experts, all the way).

*OK, I'll bite: I have Michigan State upending UVA en route to the Final Four. (However, I am NOT on the Louisville bandwagon -- if they didn't have to play Wichita, I'd be more bullish.)

*Match-ups giving me the most pause: Wisconsin-Creighton and the VCU-UCLA sub-region. And tons of teams that are seemingly clear favorites scare me as probable underperformers.

I think the guts of the bracket -- 64 to 8 -- are as murky to predict as any in recent memory. That's a good thing (if not so great for my chances at picking a bracket successfully).

-- D.S.

3/13 Thursday Quickie

*Thanks to the University of Maryland's Merrill College Povich Center for Sports Journalism for having me out last night to talk about Entrepreneurial Journalism.

*I'll be back on campus tonight to watch my alma mater Whitman HS play in the boys' basketball state semifinals against Annapolis HS. Go Vikes!

*Yesterday, I also got to sit in on an Aspen Institute "Project Play" session with a bunch of really smart people talking about redefining youth sports. I'm super-intrigued by Dick's Sporting Goods' #SportsMatter concept that created a crowd-funding platform to help youth teams that need it.

*My favorite deal of NFL Free Agency week wasn't even a free-agency move -- it's the Eagles trading for Darren Sproles. Chip Kelly is going to do ridiculous things with him.

*Four days until Selection Sunday -- today is annually one of the best college hoops days of the year, with a slew of conference tournaments going all day and bubble teams in must-win positions.

-- D.S.

3/11 SXSW Hangover Quickie

*Huge thanks to SXSW for having us as part of their inaugural "SX Sports" event. And thanks to Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury for being such a good sport for our session with him.

*Joel Embiid's back problems: He should never play another minute for Kansas again. I don't care if he is medically "cleared" for the back half of the NCAA Tournament -- everyone should be focused on his long-term future as a basketball player and caution should prevail.

*Phil Jackson to the Knicks: Posting and Toasting's Seth Rosenthal has the best take on this. I could try to pull out my favorite points, but just take the 3 minutes to read his argument.

-- D.S.

3/4 LeBron Quickie

This was LeBron at the height of his mastery over basketball -- and the height of efficiency:

Making threes at a ridiculous rate, and when he did shoot 2s, they were high-percentage (if also high-effort) shots near the rim.

Unstoppable. Just watch: -- D.S.

3/1 2nd Birthday Quickie

*Happy 2nd birthday to my swee' pea, Lucy. (Whew: The first two years of the third kid go MUCH faster than the first two years of either of the older kids.)

*Bummed to be missing the fabulous Sloan Sports Analytics Conference this year (here's my take on it from 2010), but thanks to GW's Sports Management program for letting me host a 1:1 conversation with Geoff Reiss, head of Sports for Twitter.

*Steph Curry remains in the Top 3 most must-see players in the NBA (LeBron, Durant). FWIW, Kevin Love is No. 4. I'm ready to put John Wall in the Top 5. (Anthony Davis is his main comp.)

*My father-in-law is in town from Gainesville today for Lucy's birthday, which means we'll get to watch the Gator basketball game together -- he's a die-hard fan, and that's always a treat.

-- D.S.

2/25 Trout Dirk Kansas Quickie

*Mike Trout is a bargain at $30M a year. And Trout is loving life to be hitting free agency at age 28. (Expect the Nats to pay Bryce Harper something similar -- without the free agency at his peak. If they have to pay a premium to tack on a few extra years, so be it.)

*That Dirk shot was awesome.

*Do you buy Kansas as a Final Four contender? Absolutely. There are 7 teams in the KenPom Top 30 for both adjusted offense and defense: Louisville (17/7), Florida (9/10), Kansas (5/27), Wichita St (16/13), Villanova (8/20), Syracuse (22/9), Pitt (25/22). (Arizona is JUST on the outside: 32nd on offense, but No. 1 on D.)

If I had to pick 8 teams with the best shot at the Final Four, Kansas is among them -- along with Florida, Wichita St, Syracuse, Arizona, Louisville, Michigan State (13/34) and either Wisconsin (6/40) or Virginia (43/4).

UVA feels too nouveau riche this season and will eventually run into a superior defense that they can't score on. Still: Would a Hoos fan really turn down a trip to the Sweet 16?

March starts in just a few days....

-- D.S.

2/24 Monday Quickie

*Jason Collins' return to the NBA -- this time as the first openly gay player in the history of major pro sports leagues -- is the biggest sports milestone of the year (and one of the biggest ever).

*Jadeveon Clowney running a 4.4-whatever in the 40 is so ridiculous that for all the talent at QB (and Sammy Watkins might be the most talented WR to see the draft since Calvin Johnson) that you have to put him in the mix at No. 1 -- whether or not he fits the Texans' needs, he is the most talented player in the draft.

*The Jim Harbaugh/Browns thing is fascinating. Bill Barnwell has the best analysis.

*So long, Sochi. Perhaps more than any other sports event, the Winter Olympics are a fun little quadrennial blip. It was enjoyable in individual moments, with the US hockey failures completing things on a down note.

-- D.S.

2/16 Birthday Quickie

Wait, so you're saying that on the night before my birthday that:

*Florida basketball would secure their best win since the 2007 national-title game...

*Bradley Beal would produce the most exciting moment of NBA All-Star Saturday Night...

*And John Wall would "win" the "dunk contest?"

All that and my kids behaved at the fancy-ish restaurant we took them to last night.

Not a bad way to end one year and herald the next!

-- D.S.

2/14 Valentine's Day Quickie

An annual ritual -- a few things I love in sports right now.

*I love these Washington Wizards. They drive me batty, but at least they're competitive. I cannot remember the last Wizards team I liked this much -- probably the Webber/Howard mid-90s Bullets.

*I love this Florida Gators basketball team. The past few years have been very good teams (I thought last year's team was good enough to win the title). This year's team is better than all of them.

*I love this short film from Grantland about Steve Nash in his career twilight. Nash just turned 40. I'm exiting 40 this weekend. So much of what he says resonates with me.

*I love the state of sports-writing right now -- at the top, better than it has ever been.

*I love that my kids' burgeoning interest in sports lets me (re-)experience what it's like to fall in love with sports as a kid.

-- D.S.

2/13 Jeter LeBron Etc Quickie

*You can not root for Derek Jeter yet still appreciate his phenomenal career. He jumps to the top of my list of "Have to get to the ballpark to see him in person" in 2014.

*College football has had many dumb moments. This may be the dumbest: "Offenses that snap the ball before 29 seconds remain on the play clock would receive a 5-yard delay-of-game penalty."

*LeBron. Whew.

*Just when I think my Wizards can't find new ways to lose games, they do. Pretty amazing phenomenon, actually.

(This clip of Harden's game-winning layup doesn't include the controversial dead-ball foul that preceded it. Ariza grabbed him, but Harden is the league's craftiest at drawing fouls.)

-- D.S.

2/12 Rushmore Quickie

Because everyone is doing it....

NBA Rushmore: Jordan, Russell, Magic, LeBron.

College hoops Rushmore: Alcindor, Robertson, Ewing, Carmelo.

NFL Rushmore: Jim Brown, Payton, Montana, Peyton.

College football Rushmore: Grange, Herschel, Tebow, Manziel.

MLB Rushmore: Ruth, Ted Williams, Walter Johnson, Bonds.

-- D.S.

2/10 Michael Sam Quickie

*The Michael Sam story has me awestruck. (via SB Nation's OutSports, here is the fascinating backstory.) Needless to say, I wish him only the best.

A few things: Sam is a hero... the anonymous detractors were appalling... I know it was pushed a bit, but the timing before the combine feels totally appropriate... I agree with the theory that he will get drafted by a team with a strong owner-GM-coach troika and team culture (Seattle, SF, Philly).

*Marcus Smart's shove merited the suspension he got -- a bright line of big-time sports is that you can't push a fan, no matter how vile, and they couldn't NOT suspend him (that it was only three games is telling) -- but the fan's behavior was just as inappropriate, if not more.

(No, it won't have any bearing on Smart's NBA future. If it isn't clear by now, it should be: He should've gone pro a year ago. I appreciate his reasons for coming back, but if he wanted to be a great pro, he was better off getting pro coaching and focus as early in his career as possible; OSU doesn't prioritize his pro career.)

*The Olympics have been a ton of fun to watch with my kids. My 5-year-old plays hockey and is fascinated by the speedskating (as he should be -- it's pretty amazing to watch).

-- D.S.

2/7 Opening Ceremonies Quickie

Happy 40th birthday, Steve Nash -- one of my all-time favorite athletes (and not just because we're close to the same age)...

*Everyone ready for the Olympics to start?

*I have a very (very) hard time believing that Jameis Winston -- a lock as the No. 1 overall pick of the 2015 NFL Draft (as he would be a lock as the No. 1 overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft) -- would put off the NFL any longer than he is required to.

*I'm not sold on the new Dunk Contest format, but I like that John Wall is participating. I don't think he'll win, but I do think he'll win All-Star Game MVP. (And I am certain Bradley Beal will win the 3-point contest. Although Damian Lillard playing in every event is the most fascinating participant of the weekend.)

*Arizona basketball just isn't that impressive anymore. It's not like I was picking them to win the national title anyway, but still.

*Most fascinating thing I read yesterday: "Databall," on the breakthroughs in statistical analysis in the NBA, by Grantland's Kirk Goldsberry. Worth the time to work your way through it.

*Condolences to family and friends of Ralph Kiner.

*I founded and ran the first (and only) monthly reading series dedicated to sportswriting, and it was one of my favorite things I have ever done. Last night, I went to a reading that reminded me how fascinating they can be -- if you are interested in parenting stuff, don't miss "All Joy and No Fun" by Jennifer Senior.

2/4 Great Super Bowl Day-After Reads Quickie

Filing this 8 hours ahead of the actual 2/4...

Grantland's Bill Barnwell: "Seattle's Best"

SB Nation's Matt Ufford: "Deserve has nothing to do with it."


Grantland's Brian Phillips: "Are we having fun yet?"

Yahoo's Dan Wetzel, on Peyton Manning's moment of failure.

SB Nation's Jon Bois with a hilarious cut of the data of the "whooping."

Deadspin's Drew Magary: On the Super Bowl party boat

The MMQB's Peter King: On the game. (God, I vividly remember editing the morning-after Super Bowl MMQB column 15 years ago.)

Big sports moments always produce really terrific day-after observations.

-- D.S.

2/3 Super Bowl Hangover Quickie

*Right about the Seahawks winning, wrong about the margin (but at least I wasn't one of those folks who picked the Broncos!) Should have been spot-on about Percy Harvin winning MVP.

*The Seahawks' defense is exceptional -- to do that to one of the best offenses in NFL history puts this performance among the greatest by a defensive unit in Super Bowl history.

*None of this changes Peyton Manning's place in history, except to the extent that in remembering his greatness, we'll always remember the way his team got shellacked in the Super Bowl.

*My personal favorite ads: Tim Tebow's two spots for T-Mobile, obviously. (As many folks bemusedly observed, he had a way better night than Peyton Manning, which fits with "Tebow ultimately wins" theory.)

*Looking ahead to next year: No reason not to install the Seahawks as favorites to win the Super Bowl again. (The AFC is less clear -- way less clear.)

-- D.S.

2/2 Super Bowl Day Quickie

*Repeating myself from Friday: Seattle wins by 5. Percy Harvin as MVP.

*Speaking of MVPs, Peyton was a lock. And this is by far the most impressive MVP season of his career. (Or any other player's career.)

*"Syracuse-Duke is the best!" is the new "Realignment ruined college hoops rivalries!"

*Go figure: Arizona was overrated. (Meanwhile, this Florida team is better than any I have watched since the back-to-back title teams. The offense doesn't necessarily come easy, but the D is ridiculous.)

*I can't explain why my Wizards play so well against the Thunder, but I'm sure glad they do.

Enjoy the game.

-- D.S.

Friday 1/31 Super Bowl Quickie

Seahawks win by 5, with Percy Harvin as the game MVP...

*Two of my favorites at their best for the biggest game of the season: Bill Barnwell with an exhaustive game preview and Chris Brown with an exhaustive look at Peyton Manning's offense.

*Fun, clever Slate piece by Joshua Keating where he describes the Super Bowl as if US sportswriters were describing a big sports event elsewhere around the globe.

*The NYT Sunday Magazine leads with a big read on the world of NFL gambling in Las Vegas.

*Finally, in a brilliant piece of Super Bowl journalism/entertainment I guarantee you won't see anywhere else, this video from SB Nation's Jon Bois is phenomenally fun.

*If you love Super Bowl ads, be sure to register to be on USA TODAY's "Ad Meter" panel to rate each ad and be part of the group that picks the game's top ad. Sign up here today.

Enjoy the game and your weekend. Tomorrow is the season opener for the 2nd-grade boys' basketball juggernaut that I am coaching -- currently, I am thinking about which song is our layup-line music.

-- D.S.

1/26 Super Bowl Week Eve Quickie

*Your beat-you-over-the-head Super Bowl storylines, in order of beat-ness: (1) Weather, (2) Peyton, (3) Richard Sherman, (4) Russell Wilson, (5) Pete Carroll.

*Pro Bowl haters have it wrong: It will get more viewers than the World Series or NBA Finals. At some point, critical bleating just doesn't match up with what fans clearly want to see.

*Regular-season wins don't mean much in college hoops (particularly between two teams guaranteed to make the Tournament), but Michigan's win at Michigan State was a solid one.

*Terrence Ross scores 51: Pretty amazing stat -- he is the first player in NBA history to average single-digit scoring then score more than 50 in a single game.

*Career-defining win for Stan Wawrinka in Australia in beating back/down Rafa Nadal.

-- D.S.

1/23 Thursday Still Cold Quickie

Last night was the most deflating Wizards loss I can remember -- and that's saying something...

*More inspired Richard Sherman writing: Rembert Browne with one of the best takes yet.

*Olympics: My HS newspaper protege gets the exclusive on the US Opening Ceremonies outfits, and they're terrible.

*College hoops: Understand why Arizona is a resurgent super-power (via Sports On Earth's Matt Norlander)

*Future of sports media: Ted Leonsis totally gets it.

*Good week for Denver continues: My old boss Luke Beatty -- die-hard Broncos fan -- makes a big acquisition and gets a new role.

-- D.S.

Wednesday 1/22 Snowy Quickie

*Must-see: Kevin Durant going off last night...



*No chance: The Warren Buffet $1B NCAA bracket challenge (via WSJ's Ben Cohen).

*Snow: 538 hits its weather wheelhouse.

*Don't call it the "Grantland Model": Ezra Klein & team leaving the Washington Post

*Richard Sherman parody: Equinox gym trash-talk (via Kate Hahn/NewYorker.com)

-- D.S.

Tuesday 1/21 Sherman Quickie

Five things I like today:

*Richard Sherman on... well, Richard Sherman.

*Christina Kahrl on Grantland's Dr. V debacle.

*NBA rumors: Specifically, my Wizards eyeing Greg Monroe.

*Tom Ziller's new daily NBA email: "Good Morning, It's Basketball"

*Early reviews for Beats Music: Editing > algorithms.

-- D.S.

12/31 End-of-Year Quickie

Having just published the annual Quickish year-end best-sportswriting list, here is a listicle of 10 notable personal milestones from 2013, excluding standard ones about my marriage and kids:

*Turned 40!
*Moved into a new house!
*Helped launch an awesome new news product!
*Solo-coached my first youth sports team!
*Highest finish ever in fantasy football! (5th!)
*Finally got a night-guard for teeth-grinding!
*Bought not one but TWO pairs of neon sneakers!
*Bylined a Tebow column in USA TODAY print edition!
*Cut my hair shorter than ever - and realized it didn't work!
*Secured the elusive Bradley Beal t-shirt jersey!

Left on the table for 2014:
*Tebow book!
*Losing the 20 pounds I need to!
*Assorted projects!

Happy new year, everyone -- here's to your Best. Year. Ever. ahead.

-- D.S.

12/23 ThinkPiece Quickie

Wrote this for NiemanLab's year-in-review package, about "stars" vs. "starters." Finding stars who also possess the ability or track record to be starters -- Swisher and Silver, to name two 2013 notables -- is very rare.

More often, stars are more like David Pogue -- that's not to knock him; he is simply about his individual brand, not creating something bigger than himself. And, as I argue, starters are both more prevalent and easier to cultivate.

It's gotten a good reaction -- whether folks agree with it or not. Please give it a read and share it around if you think it's worthy.

-- D.S.

12/15 Very Quickie

*Not unlike Johnny Manziel, Jameis Winston has the chance to finish his college career next year ranked as one of the best players in the sport's history -- a short list that includes Cam Newton, Herschel Walker and, of course, Tim Tebow.

Of course, Winston should skip next year and get ready for the 2015 NFL Draft, for which he is the clear No. 1 pick. (He'd be the clear No. 1 pick of the 2014 draft -- for which he isn't eligible, for some inane reason -- but that's another story.)

*Texas is the best job in college football. But they can't just take their pick of college coaches -- among the top tier, Nick Saban is out. Kevin Sumlin is out. Jim Harbaugh presumably wouldn't take it (although if he WAS going to go back to college, this feels like the only job worth doing that for).

If the model is late-90s Mack Brown -- successful as a head coach at a atypically successful program, with the political acumen to navigate both UT's internal politics and external recruiting trail -- then Vandy's James Franklin has to be a serious candidate, even if his success feels a little faddish.

(I will say that the benefit of Northwestern's awful 5-win season is that if it had been the 10- or 11-win Rose Bowl year that a lot of us were hoping for, Texas would have clearly made Pat Fitzgerald an offer he would have had a very hard time turning down.)

Enjoy your NFL Sunday and for those of you with fantasy stakes on the line, good luck.

-- D.S.

12/10 Tuesday Quickie

*I'm overly obsessed with seeing "older" athletes -- that's why he wouldn't qualify for most people's "must-see" lists, but I was thrilled to see Andre Miller in person last night, even if the Wiz blew the game.

*Mack Brown being out at Texas is a "when not if" situation. Just a good reminder that Texas is the single-best job in college football, and nothing else is even close. I'd put Florida a distant second, which makes Will Muschamp's failures all the more disappointing.

*If I'm Jerry Jones, I absolutely try to hire Kevin Sumlin from Texas A&M. (I do the same thing if I'm the Texans.) If the Cowboys can't win the NFC East in this kind of terrible down year for the division, it ain't happening under this regime.

-- D.S.

12/09 Monday Morning Quickie

*That was an amazing day of football yesterday. Between the snowy visuals and all the TDs and the record-setting (number of TDs, longest FG kick, McCoy Eagles rushing record), it was awesome.

*Of course, I got throttled in a regular-season fantasy finale in which I advance to the playoffs with a win but miss the playoffs with a loss. (Adding insult to injury, my opponent then thwacked me in QuizUp later in the evening.)

*My three most notable storylines from yesterday:
- The Ravens-Vikings final two minutes was as stunning as any final two minutes I have ever seen -- it is, statistically, even less probable than Auburn's "Kick Six."

- Peyton Manning is something to behold, but I still think the Broncos fall short of a Super Bowl win.

- Not many folks are saying it, but I will: Chip Kelly for NFL Coach of the Year (and right now I'd put Jacksonville's Gus Bradley as runner up).

*No surprises in the bowl reveals -- Auburn-Florida State should be a fun one, but I expect that the Tigers will roll.

*Kobe's first game back was a bit of a dud -- hardly a surprise -- but file away how much better the Raptors looked without Rudy Gay.

-- D.S.

12/08 End of the BCS Quickie

The BCS is a pretty shoddy system, but last night was an epic reminder that -- yes -- college football's regular season IS one big playoff.

In addition to "Every Saturday counts," college football's motto should be "These things have a way of working themselves out."

And so we end this college football season with no controversy at the top -- it will be FSU vs. Auburn, and I fully expect Auburn to continue the SEC's dominance with another title.

Given that Auburn was 0-8 last season -- before Gus Malzahn got there -- it's a pretty solid argument that Malzahn has had the greatest first year at a school in college football history.

As for Ohio State, it's hard not to experience some schadenfreude. They'll be fine, but that's the reality of life at the top -- championship or fail.

Otherwise, let's all just marvel at Malzahn's offensive schemes, Tre Mason's game for the ages and a wildly entertaining SEC title game.

The SEC will be back in the national title game -- and will probably win again.

And, now that we're expanding the playoff to four teams -- with the SEC champ guaranteed a spot, no matter how many losses -- it's hard to see when the streak will end.

-- D.S.

12/07 Tailgate Quickie

*Auburn over Mizzou, Ohio State over Michigan State -- and, absurdly, the SEC will be shut out of the national-title game.

*Northern Illinois: That's why you play the whole schedule. (And why you never know with Michigan State.)

*World Cup draw: Ouch. Yikes. Yeesh. That said! I predict we will beat Ghana (finally) and draw with Portugal, putting us in a position to advance to the knockout round.

*Cano did what he had to do: He'll regret not playing on a championship team, but -- then again -- it's not like he was playing on a championship team in New York.

*Malzahn staying at Auburn: In the absence of a not-forthcoming offer from Texas, he might as well lock it in while the getting is as good as it gets.

*Texans fire Kubiak: Anyone not see that coming? Good for Houston for dumping him now and giving themselves a running start to find a replacement. I'd try to hire Kevin Sumlin from Texas A&M (who just signed an extension but clearly would not be begrudged for leaving for the NFL), but that's just me. Trade the No. 1 overall pick for a couple of 1sts (hello, St. Louis) and pick Manziel plus Best Available (probably not in that order).

*Kentucky hoops: From what you can see, they don't look like an elite team that will be able to win six straight in March. They are certainly not last season's debacle, but they are much closer to the uber-talented Wall-Cousins-Bledsoe 2010 team that fell well short of a national title than the Davis-MKG team that won one in 2012.

*Can't wait for Kobe's return tomorrow.

-- D.S.

Sunday 12/01 Auburn December Quickie

It's a glorious morning for those of us who traffic in instant history: Auburn's jaw-dropping win over Alabama was the single-greatest finish in college football history.

If you consider the context, participants, stakes, history -- all of it -- nothing can match it. It not only ended Alabama's national-title hopes, but it elevated Auburn's.

All in a rivalry game and all in the single-most-stunning play you will ever see. Just when you think sports can't sports any more dramatically... sports.

Let's move on to what will be a cataclysmic debate this week: Given the SEC's string of national titles and given Auburn's -- or Missouri's -- (vastly) superior resume, should a 1-loss SEC champ get into the BCS title game ahead of an unbeaten "brand-name" team from a power conference?

The answer -- simply enough -- is absolutely.

When you compare Ohio State's resume -- devoid of literally any high quality wins, let alone the multiple high quality wins of either Auburn or Mizzou -- it simply doesn't compare.

Even if/when Ohio State beats Michigan State next week, the Auburn-Missouri winner will have racked up yet another high-quality win -- far more impressive than Michigan State.

(Forget top 2 in the country: Can we agree that Ohio State might only be the 6th-best team in the SEC, reasonably set behind Auburn, Alabama, LSU, Texas A&M, Missouri and South Carolina?)

You could say that a BCS finale that shuts out a clearly superior 1-loss SEC champ in favor of two unbeatens with relatively paltry resumes is the fitting end to a flawed system.

I would prefer it if the BCS belied its checkered history and -- not unlike the way Breaking Bad ended things for Walter White -- sent itself out with a bit of dignity that comes with rejecting a kneejerk "But they're unbeaten!" rationale for what we all know to be true:

The Auburn-Missouri winner deserves a shot at the national title in a way that Ohio State simply doesn't. (OK: If you want to make it interesting, let Ohio State and Florida State play in two Saturdays for the right to face the Auburn-Mizzou winner... but that's a 4-team playoff, of course.)

None of this should overshadow the most remarkable finish to a college football game in the history of the sport.

-- D.S.

11/29 Thanksgiving Hangover Quickie

(1) So, basically, Thanksgiving NFL in review comes down to whether you think Mike Tomlin intentionally tried to get in Jacoby Jones' way or not.

My instinct is no, because you can't fake Tomlin's "holy-smokes-I-better-scoot-over" reaction and because something like that becomes a thing that defines a coach (and not in a good way), which Tomlin wouldn't want. I appreciate that the entire thing looked iffy, but no.

(2) After watching yesterday's debacle in Detroit, we're all agreed that Aaron Rodgers is NFL MVP, right? (And a big/must win for Dallas, even if there should be no expectation they'll do anything if they make the playoffs.)

(3) It was an absurd moment, but $50K doesn't seem like enough of a punishment for Jason Kidd messing with the integrity of the game. (Then again, if the NBA suspended Kidd for a game or two, it would become apparent how much better the Nets are without him.)

(4) There isn't a more consequential inconsequential rivalry game than the Egg Bowl. Congrats to Mississippi State fans.

(5) Good weekend for rivalry games, but today is kind of threadbare. There's Arkansas-LSU at 2:30 if you want it, but Oregon-Oregon State should be worth it at 7.

(6) Otherwise, the best game you'll watch today is Warriors-Thunder at 8 on NBA TV (even if regular-season NBA is almost entirely inconsequential).

Get to that shopping, y'all.

-- D.S.

11/28 Thankgsivukkah Quickie

*The best holiday tradition in sports is Thanksgiving day NFL.

(FWIW: No. 2 is Christmas Day NBA and No. 3 is New Year's Day NHL.)

*Don't forget to set your fantasy lineups.

*Lions over Packers, Cowboys over Raiders, Ravens over Steelers.

*I still think LeBron will eventually end up in Cleveland.

*This Jason Kidd "Hit me" thing is hilarious. He's a terrible coach otherwise, so more power to him.

*Katherine Webb should be rooting for Auburn.

*The No. 1 rule of Turkey Bowls: Don't get hurt.

-- D.S.

11/25 Thanksgiving Week Kick-Off Quickie

*Best way to start off the week: Diagnosis of plantar fasciitis. So basically I'm rolling with Nene.

*This is not just a good but a GREAT NFL season. Pretty amazing that over 7 days, the Patriots could be involved in two of the top 5 (top 3?) games of the season so far. Three other observations:

-- Gabe is a massive Carolina Panthers/Cam Newton fan, so the past 7 weeks have been kind of amazing for him (and for me to watch).

-- Mike Glennon: Offensive Rookie of the Year. Didn't see that coming.

-- We can debate his lack of ultimate (read: Super Bowl or even AFC title) success, but it's hard to think of a QB who makes the waning minutes of games more manic and fun than Philip Rivers.

*The Derrick Rose story is painful. The Kobe Bryant story is hilarious. The NBA will be so much worse for missing Rose this season -- but so much better with Angry Super-Paid Kobe the next two.

*My Football Four college football playoff ballot this week: (1) Alabama, (2) FSU, (3) Auburn, (4) Missouri. My protest abstention from listing Ohio State continues. They have a similar resume to Northern Illinois.

*College hoops is still ramping up, but Louisville ain't Louisville (clearly) and as impressed as I am with Duke's offense, the defense is going to keep them from winning the NCAA title.

*Nothing drives (self-)delusions of your child's exceptional athletic future like buying a pair of "youth small" wide receiver gloves.

-- D.S.

11/20 Wednesday Quickie

*Was the Panthers-Pats game-ending call right? The best analysis of the situation came from Grantland's Bill Barnwell, who explained how the Pats blew the game before the refs blew the call.

*Is Robinson Cano worth $300M? Put it this way: No player is worth $300M, except Bryce Harper hitting free agency at age 25 or 26. So: No, Cano is not worth $300M.

*Wiggins, Parker and Randle have (rightfully) gotten all of the attention, but OK St PG Marcus Smart put on a show last night, reminding everyone he is as NBA-ready as anyone in college hoops.

(But it doesn't feel like OK St has nearly the same "national title or bust" expectations as the Big Three frosh.)

Let's not overlook Wisconsin's Frank Kaminsky, who had a school-record 43 last night. Wisconsin basketball is... fun?

*The Heat succeeding despite Dwyane Wade being out -- and, admittedly, this isn't the playoffs, but merely a mid-November game -- is a pretty good reminder that LeBron is amazing.

*The most fascinating player in the NBA is a guy who hasn't even played this season yet -- Kobe. Can't wait for that return.

*Big night tonight in the NBA: 13 games. If you enjoy schadenfreude, keep an eye on the Pacers routing the Knicks -- and the struggling Nets at the... Bobcats?

But the best game will mean staying up late: Grizzlies at Warriors, with a 10:30 ET tip time. Will have to catch the AM highlights for that one.

-- D.S.

11/16 Saturday Quickie

*Yes, #BatKid was the best story of the year.

*The most interesting player in college football is UCLA LB/RB Myles Jack, and it isn't close.

*The Pacers are legit. They won't beat the Heat in the playoffs, unfortunately, but they are legit.

*Duke is going to be even better next year when Jabari Parker sticks around to play with Okafor.

*Is it too much to ask for a Northwestern win over Michigan and Florida win over South Carolina? (Probably.)

*The Maryland-UConn women's game was a ton of fun. UConn is astonishing to watch up close.

-- D.S.

11/15 Weekend Quickie

*I'm taking Gabe to see No. 1 UConn play No. 8 Maryland in College Park tonight. Should be an awesome atmosphere and a great experience for Gabe (and me).

*That Warriors-Thunder ending was as amazing as it gets.

*A few weeks after thinking the Colts were a darkhorse contender for the AFC title, I think they'll be lucky to win a playoff game. Maybe they only show up versus the good teams.

*While Miguel Cabrera was more deserving of AL MVP than he was last year, he still isn't as valuable as Mike Trout.

*Andrew McCutcheon as NL MVP caps a dream season for Pirates fans. What a wonderful player.

*The college football weekend slate is a relative dud, compared to last Thursday night. I guess Georgia-Auburn is the big game worth watching, if only to see if Auburn stays relevant in advance of its game with Alabama.

*Also a slow weekend in college hoops (especially relative to last Tuesday, which will be a recurring theme all season long). Ohio State-Marquette on Saturday, I guess? But not really.

-- D.S.

11/11 Curbed Quickie

*Thank you to everyone who has served the country. My paternal grandfather served in the Pacific theater during World War II. We honor everyone who honors the rest of us with their service.

*The deal within which Vox Media is buying Curbed brings together two of my favorite companies and many of my favorite people. Really thrilled for everyone involved.

*Gabe's favorite NFL team is the Carolina Panthers, so he was beyond elated at yesterday's season-defining win. They're not winning the Super Bowl, but outperforming expectations is nice, too.

*The Wizards' loss in Oklahoma City last night was an epic disappointment, but it affirmed what I have been saying about Bradley Beal for two years: He will be a superstar NBA player.

*My fictional college football playoff foursome: (1) Alabama, (2) Stanford, (3) FSU, (4) Baylor. Ohio State's resume -- if you can even call it that -- is tantamount to an unbeaten MAC team.

*I appreciate why the Braves are moving to the 'burbs, but it feels like a mistake.

-- D.S.

College Hoops Tip-Off

The opening day of the college hoops season always brings me back to my wonderful stint as college basketball editor for ESPN.com -- hey, it was only 17 years ago!

Last year, I totally whiffed in picking Kentucky to repeat as champs. That won't stop me from picking them to win it all again this year.

*Final Four picks: Kentucky, Michigan State, Duke, Creighton.

*Will Andrew Wiggins reach the Final Four? No.

Shortest. Preview. Ever.

-- D.S.

11/08 Stanford Quickie

(1) Stanford's win over Oregon was the single-best win by any team this college football season.

The win is not just enough to put Stanford in the theoretical "What if there was a 4-team playoff right now?" bracket, but enough for me to rank the Cardinal at No. 2 ahead of unbeatens like FSU, Baylor and (give me a break) Ohio State.

The consolation that Stanford will be shut out of the national-title game is that they will be matched up with a "But we're undefeated WAH!" Ohio State and absolutely destroy them.

Anyway, last night's game was a pretty amazing example of why college football is the best.

(2) If it wasn't already, the Redskins' season is over after last night's collapse -- I'm no fan of Mike Shanahan anyway (let alone the Redskins), so I'm looking forward to the inevitable regime change. If anything, the result felt like adding insult to insult.

(3) ICYMI, Grantland's Brian Phillips on the Incognito-Martin story is the best thing on it that I have read this week. Check it out here. But meanwhile, that bullying quote relayed by Martin lawyer David Cornwell -- cripes.

(4) I love my relationship with Georgetown's Sports Industry Management (SIM) program. Last night, I got to lead a conversation with PTI creator Erik Rydholm, and he only affirmed my opinion that he is the most brilliant person in sports media. There is not much better than listening to someone really smart talk about... well, basically anything, but certainly things you also think about a lot. Thanks for the time, Erik.

Enjoy your weekend!

-- D.S.

11/06 Election Hangover Quickie

*That Richie Incognito is loathsome is undisputed. I remain more fascinated with the culpability of head coach Joe Philbin -- not just "what did he know and when did he know it?" but this essential proposition: He either had no idea what was going on (which makes him stupid and negligent) or he did have at least some idea what was going on (which makes him a liar and fairly evil). So: Stupid or evil? Which is it, coach? I think he didn't know but SHOULD have known -- not that this is an excuse, but this was an inexperienced head coach overwhelmed by the full spectrum of the job.

*I think Nick Saban would leave Alabama for Texas -- I think that basically every college coach would leave their current situation for Texas. But WILL he? What other challenges does he have at Alabama? How much does the Big 12's relatively soft schedule factor in? I have long thought that the best college football coaches were wildly underpaid -- if I was Texas, I would offer him $10M a year for 10 years and force him to  turn down the combination of unprecedented money and unprecedented resources.

*Too bad about Aaron Rodgers. Presuming he's healthy to return to full strength for the season's final 5-6 weeks, the Packers should still get into the playoffs, at which point he can resume falling short of another Super Bowl title. In the meantime, the Packers will likely not be fun to watch.

-- D.S.

11/3 Sunday Quickie

(1) The only material change to the CFB top 4 is that FSU jumps back over Oregon for the No. 2 spot, on the strength of clobbering Miami. Oregon will vault back to No. 2 if/when they beat No. 4 Stanford on Thursday night. Baylor moves into the top 4 with a win over Oklahoma Thursday.

(Nope, don't want to talk about either Florida or Northwestern.)

(2) Today's NFL schedule lacks a good game between two good teams (Bears-Packers tomorrow night comes closest), but we're close to must-win territory for borderline would-be playoff teams -- Dallas, Baltimore, Carolina and San Diego.

(3) The Sixers are 3-0. This is the most amazing November storyline in the history of the NBA.

-- D.S.

10/31 Halloween Quickie

(1) Red Sox win the World Series. "Good. Crazy." I'm no Sox fan, but begrudging congrats to Sox fans.

(2) The presumptively tanking Sixers beating the Heat is the most delightful result possible of the NBA's slate of season-opening games.

(3) Happy Halloween. As Gabe said this morning: "Best day of the school year!"

-- D.S.

10/29 Tuesday NBA Tip-Off Quickie

(1) I have resigned myself to the idea that the Red Sox will win the World Series.

(2) I am committed to appreciating LeBron even more this season -- someone who is playing at the top of his game... and anyone's game, all-time.

(3) That said, LeBron's dominance and the presumption of yet another title for the Heat -- no different than last year -- is bad for the league.

(4) Finals pick: Heat over Spurs in 5. Then LeBron leaves for Cleveland and Bosh leaves for one of the teams in Texas, and Miami's moment is over.

(5) My favorite NBA storyline this year is the return of Kobe.

(6) I am pleasantly optimistic about my Wizards this season, despite mixed feelings about the Marcin Gortat trade. It's nice to say "Playoffs or bust."

-- D.S.

10/28 Monday Quickie

(1) Can you remember a stranger way back-to-back World Series games have ended? Walk-off obstruction, walk-off pickoff. The only question is how the Series can top this weekend in Games 5 and 6 (and 7*).

(2) The five best storylines coming out of yesterday's NFL games:
*Megatron's 329.
*Chiefs are 8-0.
*The Eagles are awful.
*Is Brees, not Manning, midseason MVP?
*This is one odd season so far.

(3) Alabama, Oregon, Florida State and Stanford: That's my playoff foursome, if the college football season ended today.

Like the NFL? Don't forget to check out The Q, from USA TODAY Sports.

10/23 Very Quickie

(1) "Your phone is the new Jumbotron." That was my pithy add to the OnDeck West conference in San Francisco this week. I interviewed Pac-12 commish Larry Scott to open the conference yesterday. It was a ton of fun -- thanks to the OnDeck folks for having me. Met a ton of great people and found myself thinking of a lot of great ideas.

(2) Ohio State over Mizzou? Really? My USA TODAY Sports colleagues have picked the latest "if the season ended today" college football playoff of Alabama, Oregon, FSU and Ohio State. I cannot understand how anyone can look at Ohio State's resume and rank them ahead of Missouri. This is the farcical side of the playoff system.

(3) Cardinals in 7.

-- D.S.

10/14 Throwback Quickie

10 years ago today: The Bartman moment, one of the most indelible in baseball history.

Here is what I wrote the morning after, in the Daily Quickie -- note that "Steve Bartman" wasn't yet known as the name:

Two Words For You:
BLAME.  GAME.

He will forever be known as "That Fan," short for "That Fan Who [Nearly/Totally (TBD)] Cost The Cubs The World Series".

That Fan is an obvious (and worthy) scapegoat, but let's spread the responsibility around: Dusty, Gonzalez, the radio announcers, Prior, Farnsworth, Derrek Lee, the headset manufacturer, Pudge, Beckett, the masses on Waveland, Dick Jauron, Ernie Banks, Andre Dawson, the fans sitting around That Fan, Paris Hilton, Bernie Mac, Harry Carey's ghost, the media.

Whether the city has a complete meltdown depends on how Game 7 plays out tonight (understanding that Kerry Wood is as hot as they come right now, but on the flip side, so was Prior):

If the Cubs win:
All is forgiven ...

If they lose:
Yikes ....

Then I had an item asking if Alex Gonzalez was the new Bill Buckner:

Lost under the "That Fan" pile-on is Alex Gonzalez's Bobble -- this generation's Leon Durham moment, improbably from a shortstop who led the NL in fielding percentage.

What irony in his trendy name-shortening: "A-Gon." Because his error? Pure "AGony."

Rally-kindling instead of rally-killing: The Bobble doesn't quite rise to the mythic level of Buckner-esque proportions, but That Fan was merely guilty of amateurish behavior; what's the pro's excuse?

10 years later, Gonzalez's role in the debacle is still vastly underrated.

Yeesh: Whenever I read back through an old Quickie -- especially something from that first year or two -- I am reminded how tight I wrote, as compared to now. I got worse as I took more space....

Also: 10 years later, the Quickie is so mobile-friendly -- a decade ahead of its time, I guees.

-- D.S.

09/30 Anniversary Quickie

10 years ago today, I proposed to Mrs. Quickie.

If you've never read it, the (nominally zany) origin story was published on The Awl at the end of 2010.

Takeaway: I'm very lucky.

-- D.S.

9/29 Sunday Quickie

With Lane Kiffin getting fired, it was always "when," not "if." Is USC still a great job? Yes.

Getting ready for a great Week 4 for The Q. Please pop by this afternoon to keep up with the best takes on the biggest storylines of the day (and there are plenty).

Meanwhile, off yesterday's day in college football, I am participating in a very cool USA TODAY Sports panel that is picking a "if-the-season-ended-today-and-the-playoff-was-in-place" four-team bracket.

After yesterday, mine is (1) Georgia, (2) Alabama, (3) Clemson, (4) Texas A&M. Georgia's win over a very good LSU team was so wildly entertaining and impressive that the combination of UGA's wins over LSU and South Carolina -- plus taking Clemson to the edge at Clemson in a toss-up first week of the season -- makes Georgia the clear-cut No. 1 team for me.

My explanation to my panel colleagues:

The whole point of the expanded playoff is that we are supposed to get beyond "and-oh" superficialities and reward the teams with the best resume — who did you play, who did you beat and what was the context?

This week, it is baffling that anyone could put any team but Georgia at No. 1. Where Oregon and Ohio State have yet to play anyone great, UGA has now beaten TWO superb teams and taken a third, on the road, right up to the edge. Their resume right now is so vastly superior to that of Oregon or Ohio State — or any other team that is "unbeaten" -- that if you don't have them ranked No. 1, it is hard for me to believe you are taking the new playoff process seriously, versus just propagating the legacy system of "Oh, your record is so sparkly!"

By the time Oregon and Ohio State finish their ENTIRE schedules, they won't have played as many tough games combined as Georgia has played before the end of September. If resumes matter, then Oregon and Ohio State don't.

-- D.S.

9/27 Mariano Quickie

Another week flies by working with the amazing Q team. Please give it a look -- and come back! (And tell friends!)

Inspired by Jim Delany (of all people), I put this together yesterday, a regular refrain from me: Do people realize the massive opportunity that would come from combining college football's compensation problem and the NFL's age-limit problem? Huge.

Anway, the real thing I wanted to say is that I cannot think of an athlete -- in this era of "Trolling Wins" and "Contrarianism Rules" -- who has more universal appreciation than Mariano Rivera. All the best to one of the all-time greats, in any sport. If you are any age from 25-65, he has loomed as large as anyone -- but done it without much fanfare, beyond the awesomeness we can all see for ourselves. The ultimate "show, don't tell."

College football look-ahead:

*When LSU beats Georgia, they'll deserve to be in that mythical "football four" playoff group. And if Georgia beats LSU, they'll deserve to be No. 1, even with the loss at Clemson. LSU will win.

*I want Wisconsin to beat Ohio State, but it's not going to happen, setting up an incredible match-up next Saturday night in Evanston.

*Notre Dame is going to get exposed by Oklahoma in South Bend. No weirdness like last year.

*Ole Miss will keep it interesting for, say, three quarters. Then it'll be all Bama.

*So Florida lost its QB and its most disruptive defensive presence, all in the same week. It's a good thing it's Kentucky. (Famous last words...)

Enjoy your weekend. Check out The Q!

9/20 Weekend Quickie

Another week, another week I haven't updated the blog -- I'm immersed in The Q. Hope you've had a chance to check it out. 

Learned a ton this week, just like we learned a ton last week.

Had great coverage of the Trent Richardson trade -- in the first half-hour afterward, I'd put our coverage up against anyone's.

Increased our output of posts and refined how we manage the stream, both really good developments.

Added a new talent -- FTW's Nate Scott, who was my partner-in-crime on USA TODAY's Ad Meter project last winter, and who is just a brilliant, congenial person to work with.

My goal is to make huge strides week-over-week -- mostly in how we're executing. The audience and revenue will take care of itself (as it already is).

Brief college football tailgate:

My if-the-season-ended-today playoff field: Alabama, Georgia, A&M, Clemson.

Check out the full file here, from the entire playoff panel. In the absence of my beloved BlogPoll, this has been a wonderful outlet.

As for this weekend's games:

Clemson might have locked in a spot next week with the win last night at NC State -- but it wasn't that impressive and being the 4th seed means it's a tenuous spot. Who might take them out? No one -- this week's games are really really mediocre. (Stanford, who plays Arizona State? Hell, ASU should have a loss from Wisconsin right now, and I'll grade them out as such.)

With zero upsets on tap, the only game that really matters is Kansas State-Texas, if only to see what happens when Texas loses AGAIN.

Enjoy your weekend. Visit The Q!

-- D.S.

9/13 Quickie: Introducing The Q

How busy has it been this week?

So busy that I haven't even been able to get to my own blog to announce the launch -- last Sunday -- of a brand-new product I have been a part of creating: The Q.

You can find it at q.usatoday.com.

The value proposition and format should feel familiar to you, although the initial scope of coverage is all NFL, all the time. (For now. Cough.)

But there are some big differences from anything you might think this resembles, aside from the all-NFL focus:

*It is built not just "mobile first," but really with the mobile audience as the only one in mind. Oh, you absolutely can (and should!) check it out on your work computer during the weekdays. It will look great (and even have a few desktop-only enhancements). But the thing is really geared for consumption on the phone (so feel free to check it out on your phone at work, in addition to at home, on the go, etc.)

*There is a great team of editors, producers, developers, designers and talent working on it. I'm a bauble. The real key is the core editorial team, plus the amazing developers and designers and USA TODAY Sports staff working on it.

*You really do need to check it out, because it represents the next stage in an evolution I have been working on since the Daily Quickie launched 10 years ago, through Quickish and now The Q. There are some amazing implications for sports fans and the media industry baked into it, which I'll get into over the next few months. I'm really excited for it.

So please: Check it out. Give it a try. Tell your friends, co-workers and folks in your social network(s). It needs all the support it can get, and you're a huge part of that, as you have been all the way from the start, all those years ago.

Huge thanks for your patience here and elsewhere as I have put so much time and energy into working on it.

Enjoy your weekend. I think Alabama wins, but I don't feel particularly strongly about that. If anyone can foil Nick Saban two years in a row, it's Kevin Sumlin and Johnny Manziel.

-- D.S.

09/06 (It's a New Day) Quickie

The NFL season hasn't even started yet and it has already gotten its signature performance from Peyton Manning...

Anyway, things have been busy the past few months. For those who email asking "Man, what happened to Quickish?" it's a fair question.

The answer is that I have been working on a new USA TODAY Sports product that you will get a sneak preview of on Sunday afternoon, if you go to USATODAY.com.

It's not a secret (heck, I advertised for help!) It's a new quick-hit, quick-twitch platform that, at least to start, will focus on the NFL.

It is not Quickish or Quickish 2.0, although it would be nuts not to use the lessons from Quickish in building something new that represents an evolution in a space I have spent a lot of time in: Quick-hit, real-time(-ish) topical news delivery and consumption.

We have some talented folks on board to make it happen day to day, moment to moment -- if nothing else, there's your clear differentiation from Quickish -- and I'm really excited for fans to try it.

It's not the end of Quickish.com -- I'm thinking about ways to pivot the platform and the value proposition to make it relevant (and sustainable, given that it would just be me working on it).

But it is the start of something new and really cool. Please come by USATODAY.com on Sunday afternoon to get a preview, then use it constantly after that. Please immediately save it to your mobile home screen. Please tell your friends!

Can't wait for you to check it out.

Meanwhile, can't ignore tomorrow's college football schedule and a few picks:
Georgia over South Carolina.
Florida over Miami.
Michigan over Notre Dame.
Upset alert: Western Kentucky over Tennessee.

-- D.S.

9/3 (Tuesday) Quickie

Today's Name to Know: Jameis Winston. "Jameis Football," amirite?

Today's REAL Name to Know: Diana Nyad.

Terrelle Pryor: Has a player from the "Supplemental Draft" ever ended up a starting QB in Week 1?

Roger Federer: Is this what the end looks like? Hope you appreciated him while he was at the top.

Tim Tebow: Will he end up on the Patriots at some point this season? Oh, why not: I'll say "Yes."

-- D.S.

9/1 (CFB Hangover) Quickie

*I'm totally fine with "Johnny being Johnny." It's who he is and good for the sport. You can dislike him for it, but isn't that part of the fun?

*The "making money" hand gesture (by Manziel and Tajh Boyd, among others) should be THE move in college football this year. Not that this is Manziel's intent, but nothing captures the absurdity of college football's unpaid system of amateurism like the subtle signal. By next week, it will draw a penalty, of course.

*Speaking of Boyd, he was on my Top 5 preseason Heisman list, and I'm totally comfortable with that. Huge win for Clemson, which will only make their perennial mystifying loss all the more baffling.

*Your win of the week: Eastern Washington over Oregon State, which was even better than North Dakota State's win over Kansas State. FCS!

*Florida isn't flashy, but I was happy with how solid they looked in a season opener that typically displays some creakiness. Playing without their RB1 or CB1, they stifled a solid Toledo team.

*Did Northwestern have its defensive players lay down in order to slow down Cal's up-tempo offense, which was leading the team to a late-night upset win? Maybe? Possibly? (Probably?) But that move is a strategic advantage to be exploited. Sanctimony over it is for fans who are winless.

*Very solid win by LSU over TCU -- given the opponent, arguably the fourth most-impressive win of the day (behind Clemson beating Georgia, EWU over Oregon State and Washington clocking Boise State). Alabama is up there, too. Don't let the yardage output fool you.

*Five top-ranked teams I don't know enough about yet, despite gaudy outcomes yesterday: Oregon, Ohio State, Michigan, Texas, Notre Dame.

*Looking ahead to next week: South Carolina at Georgia, Notre Dame at Michigan, Florida at Miami (Upset special: Western Kentucky over Tennessee in Knoxville.)

*Great read by my colleague Paul Myerberg, who had all-access to ESPN's College Gameday crew.

*If I had a Top 25 ballot, I'd rank Clemson at No. 1 (resume-ranking FTW), followed by Alabama, LSU, Eastern Washington and Washington.