The Rock Chalkboard

Dineens looking forward to Sunflower Showdown's brother vs. brother matchup | KUsports.com
Joe’s recollections this week brought his mind back in time to that setting, as the former University of Kansas linebacker and the rest of his football-loving family have more anticipation than usual for this week’s Sunflower Showdown, which will pit Jay, a KU linebacker, against Jax, a Kansas State fullback

KU basketball video: Coach Q scares the players for Halloween
Coach Q scares the players for Halloween

Bill Self, KU players praise Ochai Agbaji after Pitt State game
Ochai Agbaji is used to it when people come up to him around town or on campus and recognize him. Of course, such a site wouldn't have been especially common around campus to start the last season — at least when Agbaji didn't have his KU basketball gear on and with him — because the freshman wasn't especially highly-heralded. In fact, he was redshirting to begin his freshman year.

David McCormack likes offensive fit next to Udoka Azubuike
David McCormack didn’t hesitate when the ball came to him at the top of the key. The big man swiftly collected himself, jumped and sent the ball into the hands of Udoka Azubuike, who had sealed his man off. Azubuike then did what he does best: emphatically dunk the ball.

Bill Self, KU players praise Ochai Agbaji after Pitt State game
Ochai Agbaji is used to it when people come up to him around town or on campus and recognize him. Of course, such a site wouldn't have been especially common around campus to start the last season — at least when Agbaji didn't have his KU basketball gear on and with him — because the freshman wasn't especially highly-heralded. In fact, he was redshirting to begin his freshman year.

Full Squad Ahead: KU rolls to 102-42 win over Pitt State | KUsports.com
Just 82 seconds after checking in for his unofficial debut, Moss netted his first points as a Jayhawk thanks to the extra pass by freshman Christian Braun. The 3-pointer by Moss, a graduate transfer from Iowa, stretched KU’s lead over Pittsburg State to 18 points at the time.

Bits o Chalk

Jimmy Garoppolo's 4 touchdowns lift tested 49ers to 8-0
On Tuesday, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was asked if he was OK with not getting much of the attention for his team's unblemished start.

Sixers' Joel Embiid, Wolves' Karl-Anthony Towns banned 2 games each after throwdown
The suspensions, announced Thursday by league vice president Kiki VanDeWeghe, also noted the players' "continued escalation following the incident."

Trent Williams -- Lack of reaction to cancer scare to blame for Redskins rift
Washington Redskins Pro Bowl tackle Trent Williams says he no longer trusts the organization and felt they were vindictive in how they waited until the last minute to try to trade him. He also remains upset over how long he said it took them to take care of a cancerous growth on his scalp.

Mike Malone rips Nuggets' 'embarrassing' effort in loss to Pelicans
"I'm embarrassed," Malone said at his postgame news conference. "That was an embarrassing effort defensively. Gave up 37 fast-break points. You can give all the transition defense rules that you want. To me, transition defense boils down to one thing -- effort. Get back. You can tell them. You can lead a horse to water, whatever analogy you want to use. We did not get back."

Eraser Dust

California fires: The Maria Fire menaces Ventura County, but weather conditions give firefighters hope - CNN
The strong winds that have fanned multiple fires raging across California are expected to subside Friday, giving firefighters a better chance at containing the blazes.

Trump ditches New York to become a Florida resident, court documents show - CNNPolitics
The President changed his permanent residence to his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, in late September, and first lady Melania Trump followed suit in October, in forms filed with the Palm Beach County Circuit Court.

Barcelona court acquits five men of rape because unconscious victim didn't fight back - CNN
A court in Barcelona cleared five men of sexual assault charges on Thursday after saying the crime did not fit the legal definition of rape because the unconscious teenage victim didn't fight back.

Trump abandons plan to freeze fuel efficiency standards of cars - The Verge
The White House appears to be abandoning its plan to freeze the fuel efficiency standards of cars at 2020 levels, reversing a cornerstone policy of Trump’s campaign, reports The Wall Street Journal. The administration is now considering a 1.5 percent annual increase instead.

Deadspin and the Mavening of Sportswriting - The Ringer
A Mavened publication has certain qualities. First, the owners take whatever editorial line the publication was pushing and do the opposite. Sometimes, this is as simple as taking good journalism and making it bad.