The Rock Chalkboard

CONFERENCE CALL: Week One
The 2019 Big 12 football season is finally here. On Friday night, Oklahoma State and Oregon State kick off the season before nearly the rest of the conference fills out the Saturday slate of games. Then Oklahoma wraps up the first weekend with a Sunday night showdown against Houston.

Big 12 Teleconference: Three things Les Miles said on Monday
Naturally, the new KU coach was asked about his quarterback play on the conference call and what the position will resemble for the first week. Miles chose to withhold all details outside of hinting that the Jayhawks could in theory play two quarterbacks in the first game, but here is how he addressed the subject the first time it was brought up...

10 unanswered Big 12 questions entering season
The Las Vegas over/under is set at three wins. Miles seems considerably more optimistic, telling reporters that he loves the potential of his offensive line and talking up the front seven, an area many would point to as a potential weakness after the loss of players like Daniel Wise and Joe Dineen. And then Desmond Howard went out on ESPN's College GameDay and declared that Kansas would go bowling. That may be a bit much, but could Kansas be just a little better than Vegas is predicting? Talking season is ending, so we’ll find out on the field. And a strong start could be key for Kansas to hold onto the key parts of a strong recruiting class that currently ranks third in the Big 12, per the 247Sports Composite.

7 starting jobs up for grabs on KU’s 1st published depth chart | KUsports.com
While the QB battle between junior Thomas MacVittie and senior Carter Stanley has received the most attention throughout the preseason, five other starting spots on the offensive two deep came with two names separated by an “or” instead of one definitive starter.

GAME PREVIEW: vs. Indiana State – Kansas Jayhawks
The Kansas Jayhawks kick off the 2019 season on Saturday, as they host the Indiana State Sycamores at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas. The game will kick off at at 11 a.m. and will air on FSN with Alex Faust (play-by-play) and Jordan Palmer (analyst) on the call.

Freshman RB Velton Gardner 'fighting hard to carve out a role' | KUsports.com
“Yeah, it’s been an adjustment, but the older running backs, they got me and stuff like that,” said Gardner, a newcomer from Dallas. “When I do wrong they help me and give me advice on what to do better.”

Bits o Chalk

My Husband Is Dying Every Day
Just recently, Ron’s best friend, who played for the Raiders, called me and said, “He’s getting worse isn’t he, Deb?” And I said, “Yeah.” And he hasn’t seen him in person for a couple of months. He said, “I can hear it on the phone ... He’s angry all of the time.” And I said, “Exactly.”

Jags LS offers to buy tickets from salty Colts fans
Overton, who played five seasons with the Colts (2012-16), made that offer on Twitter on Monday morning after seeing reports on social media that Colts season-ticket holders, upset over the abrupt retirement of quarterback Andrew Luck, wanted their money back. He said he plans to donate the tickets to Riley Hospital for Children in downtown Indianapolis.

Rodgers backs Luck; calls fans' boos 'disgusting'
"I thought it was pretty disgusting," Rodgers said Monday. "He's making a really tough decision and then before that, he makes the decision, I don't know why that doesn't stay in house to kind of protect him a little bit. Although when I think about it, I thought it would've been more of a standing-ovation type thing and a thank you than boos.

Serena beats Sharapova for 19th time in row
So facing a break point early in the second set, Williams conjured up a backhand passing shot so good, so powerful, so precise, that Sharapova had no chance to reach it. Williams watched the ball land in, then raised a clenched left fist toward the night sky.

Ex-WR Baldwin: No second thoughts over retiring
Former Seattle Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin says he has found the first few months of his post-NFL career to be more challenging than relaxing, but he has no second thoughts about the decision he made to walk away from football and doesn't think he'll ever get the urge to come back.

2019 NFLRank - Predicting the NFL's best 100 players for this season
We asked a panel of more than 40 ESPN NFL experts to rate players based on how good they will be in the 2019 season in comparison to their peers. Emphasis was entirely on predicting potential greatness for the upcoming season, rather than past performance or positional value. From those ratings, we were able to rank the best of the best.

Eraser Dust

Foo Fighters Want to Start a Petition to Reunite Oasis
Hawkins added, “We’re trying. Let’s sign a petition. Everyone here, okay?” Grohl asked the audience, “How many people wanna see Oasis play a show? The crowd erupted as Hawkins stated, “It’ll happen… too much money… they would make a lot for sure.” The Foos do have a history with the Gallaghers inviting Liam to play their inaugural Cal Jam festival and guest with them onstage. Watch video of the exchange below.

Box Store Boom Giving Way to Smaller Commercial in North Kalispell - Flathead Beacon
Nearby, Riddle’s Jewelry is relocating from the Kalispell Center Mall into a location next to MOD Pizza. Firehouse Subs is opening in the former Bojangles across Highway 93, rounding out the new 2019 commercial arrivals in north Kalispell.

Rouhani Backs Off Meeting With Trump, Saying U.S. Must First Lift Sanctions : NPR
A day after what looked like a possible diplomatic breakthrough with the U.S., Iranian President Hassan Rouhani backed off the idea of direct talks with President Trump, saying Washington must first lift sanctions against Tehran.

Amazon fires: Brazil will reject $20 million of aid from G7 - CNN
"We are thankful, but maybe those resources would be more relevant to reforest Europe," Onyx Lorenzoni was quoted as saying by G1 Globo late Monday night. CNN has contacted the Brazilian presidency for comment.

Augusta Popeye's considering no more chicken sandwiches after long lines causing accidents
The manager of the Popeye's Chicken on Belair Road says they are considering no longer selling the new chicken sandwich anymore because the long lines are starting to cause accidents.