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"Many of us opposed to the ACC’s proposal of including 346 basketball teams in the 2021 men’s NCAA tournament are asking the same question. To wit: Will players be given juice boxes and participation trophies?But seriously: The college regular season already plays out mostly unnoticed by the general sporting public. A come-one, come-all March Madness would only make it less relevant. And as far as safe-guarding players&#039; health against COVID-19, inviting more people for more games in March would only increase exposure.Just wondering: What’s in it for the ACC?Hoop du jour: Does anybody use the word “scrappy” anymore? It fits the Toronto Raptors after they extended the Celtics to a Game 7.Nostalgia: In 1974, Lou Brock, who died this week at 81, stole 118 bases. Over 12 seasons he averaged 65 steals. The stolen base once added excitement to the game ... but now I’m badly dating myself.NFL pick: I’ve got Washington over Philadelphia on Sunday. Washington might be an unreliable pick most weeks, but the Eagles&#039; injury woes resurfaced in training camp, most dramatically in the loss of a pair of starters along the offensive line.The last resort: To guard against a worst-case scenario in which the coronavirus sweeps through their quarterback room, the Eagles signed 41-year-old Josh McCown to the practice squad, with McCown doing his prep work remotely from his Texas home. Unusual times call for unusual measures.New rules: Under COVID-19 restrictions, NFL sideline reporters might have less access to the field. Taking into account what they add to games, I believe zero viewers have a problem with this.Idle thought: It wouldn’t be bad for the sport if NBA officials refrained from calling so many touch fouls on the perimeter.Premature: I’m embarrassed for the Bucks&#039; Giannis Antetokounmpo, who will be handed this year’s MVP award in the wake of an underwhelming postseason performance by both him and his team. At a time when playoff credentials carry such weight, the voting for hardware should be put off until all games are finished.Shortsighted: Assessing how Novak Djokovic’s disqualification from the U.S. Open will reflect on his image, John McEnroe says, “He’s going to be a bad guy the rest of his career.” C’mon, John, you cannot be serious. People could have said the same about you in the ’80s before you developed into an avuncular TV figure. Djokovic’s reputation will recover.Innocent target: When Serbian media avengers leaked the social media account of the lineswoman Djokovic accidentally took out, she received thousands of abusive messages. The poor woman, of course, had nothing to do with Djokovic’s expulsion. Bullies gonna bully in any language.Off the cuff: From this vantage point, the NFL’s most formidable division appears to be the NFC West (Seahawks, 49ers, Rams, Cardinals), especially if Arizona’s Kyler Murray improves from his rookie year. Meanwhile, no matter how ordinary, the NFC East will be overrated, the way the Cowboys are often overrated.No surprise: Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley sounds exactly like a football coach when he says he won’t reveal positive COVID tests among his players and risk a “competitive disadvantage.” Outrageous. Yet, we’ve already heard that nearly half of the Power Five schools playing this fall won’t disclose testing data. If you expect a more enlightened approach, you don’t know what makes coaches tick.New age: A reassuring message for pop-pops and mee-maws intimidated by social media — at 92, former Dodgers announcing legend Vin Scully recently joined the Twitter-verse. And immediately improved it.Bob Molinaro is a former Virginian-Pilot sports columnist. His Weekly Briefing runs Fridays in The Pilot and Daily Press. He can be reached at bob5molinaro@gmail.com and via Twitter@BobMolinaro."
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