The Rock Chalkboard

Recruiting ‘what-ifs’ that shaped the 2019 season
Sports are defined by ‘what-if’ questions. What if the Red Sox sold Babe Ruth to anyone but the Yankees? What if the Trail Blazers picked Michael Jordan instead of Sam Bowie? What if John Elway didn’t refuse to play for the Colts?

KU basketball moves up to No. 1 in AP top 25, coaches poll
In the AP poll, the Jayhawks received 47 first-place votes to reach the No. 1 spot. The Jayhawks were No. 2 to Louisville a week ago, both the Cardinals lost to Texas Tech, while the No. 3 team — Ohio State — fell to Minnesota in an early battle between Big 10 teams. Ohio State is now ranked at No. 5 in the AP poll, while Louisville dropped to No. 3. Gonzaga (11-1) is slotted one spot behind KU at No. 2.

Kansas' Devon Dotson named Big 12 player of the week once again
To date, Dotson is averaging 19.6 points, 4.8 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game. He is shooting 50.4 percent from the field and 85.3 percent from the free-throw line, all while contributing 2.2 steals per game. That level of production was on display over the last week, as Dotson averaged 20 points and six assists per contest in two KU blowout wins.

KU basketball slotted at No. 2 in initial NET rankings
The NET — NCAA Evaluation Tool — was put into use last year, largely replacing RPI in terms of comparing and separating out teams across the country. The NCAA's initial release, explained in this story by 247Sports' Kevin Flaherty, noted NET takes into account several factors, including stretch of schedule, venue of games, scoring margin, offensive and defensive efficiency and more.

Bill Self sees KU basketball's Devon Dotson growing as leader
"He's leading the league in scoring, which is a shocker to me that he would be doing that," the 17th-year KU basketball coach said at his weekly press conference on Thursday. "And to be honest with you, I see him continuing to score at the same clip. Now it may go down a little bit, but he’s almost averaging 20 a game."

Bits o Chalk

Jon Gruden accepts NFL's apology for blown call in Raiders' loss, but still not pleased
Although Oakland Raiders coach Jon Gruden said he accepted the NFL's apology from Al Riveron, the league's senior vice president of officiating, for blowing a call on Derek Carr's slide near the sideline, Gruden was far from "fulfilled" by the mea culpa.

Banned Jazz fan sues team, Russell Westbrook
In the lawsuit filed Monday, a copy of which was obtained by The Salt Lake Tribune, Shane Keisel claims that language he and his girlfriend, Jennifer Huff, used toward Westbrook was "the same kind and caliber as that of the other audience members in the section" -- and not racist and derogatory, as the then-Oklahoma City Thunder star alleged at the time.

Josh Gordon banned indefinitely by NFL for PEDs, substance abuse
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Josh Gordon has been suspended indefinitely for violating the NFL's policies on performance-enhancing substances and substances of abuse.

Drew Brees breaks Peyton Manning's career TD mark
Brees broke Peyton Manning's career touchdown record with a 5-yard pass to tight end Josh Hill midway through the third quarter against the Indianapolis Colts, giving him 540 for his career.

Eraser Dust

Toxic Masculinity and the Brokenness of Boyhood - The Atlantic
Feminism may have provided girls with a powerful alternative to conventional femininity, and a language with which to express the myriad problems-that-have-no-name, but there have been no credible equivalents for boys. Quite the contrary: The definition of masculinity seems to be in some respects contracting. When asked what traits society values most in boys, only 2 percent of male respondents in the PerryUndem survey said honesty and morality, and only 8 percent said leadership skills—traits that are, of course, admirable in anyone but have traditionally been considered masculine. When I asked my subjects, as I always did, what they liked about being a boy, most of them drew a blank. “Huh,” mused Josh, a college sophomore at Washington State. (All the teenagers I spoke with are identified by pseudonyms.) “That’s interesting. I never really thought about that. You hear a lot more about what is wrong with guys.”

Tulsa race massacre: Possible mass grave linked to 1921 race riot discovered - CBS News
Scientists in Oklahoma are one step closer to finding possible evidence of mass graves linked to the deadly race riots of 1921. Researchers in Tulsa used ground penetrating radar to survey two sites and found irregularities that could be consistent with large-scale burials.

Why Liam Gallagher Is the Most Stylish Man of the Decade | GQ
Interestingly, unlike some rockstars, Liam has been able to age into his look. Rather than looking desperate, or like he’s clinging to the past, he’s spent the 2010s simply looking...great: a cool father of three who goes on daily jogs in his North London neighborhood, often seen sporting a statement sneaker with a tasteful all-black workout kit, anchored by a light North Face Gore-Tex jacket—hood up, of course. The haircuts and drug use have calmed down, but the penchant for incredible outerwear, his signature, hasn't changed.

New tenants slated for Kalispell CHS location
This is just one piece of the Core development plan to make Kalispell a more walkable town.