Today’s softball over the middle of the plate will be the last in the 50 states photo contest. Thanks for all those who participated.

The Rock Chalkboard

KU basketball knows 'one thing for sure' entering 2020-21 season
"Last year, everybody knew it was [Devon Dotson] and [Udoka Azubuike]'s team," Self said in a KU Athletics video. "The year before, we were unknown, but everybody kind of had a feeling that it was Doke and Dedric [Lawson]'s team — then Doke goes down. ... The year before, going into the season, everybody knew it was Devonte' [Graham] and Svi [Mykhailiuk]'s team. The year before everybody knew it was Frank [Mason] and Josh [Jackson]'s team, and Devonte's. This year, what do we know? We know one thing for sure."

Kansas football defense struggling to produce takeaways in 2020
Such a category has been declining over the two-year tenure of Les Miles. Under former KU coach David Beaty and defensive coordinator Clint Bowen, the Jayhawks finished the 2018 season ranked in the top 10 in the nation in takeaways (16 interceptions, 11 fumble recoveries) and turnover margin (+16).

Film room: Analyzing three Kansas football highlights at Baylor
On film reviews, I'm always intrigued by what happens when the game is still in jeopardy — and that was certainly mostly the case early on for KU. It's the time when players are still playing the hardest, while ideally neither team would be gassed or having lapses in focus (though it can still happen).

Kansas football to unveil Gale Sayers, John Hadl statues
The ceremony, which will take place at halftime on Saturday, will feature the unveiling of statues of Sayers, a legendary running back, and John Hadl, who played multiple positions for the Jayhawks, including quarterback and halfback. He also appeared on defense and special teams.

Ethan O’Connor could have breakout sophomore season
O’Connor was a part time player as a freshman but could make a nice jump and be an impact guy this spring for the Friars. We had a chance to see him at a workout at the STARS training facility back in August and he was really impressive.

Bits o Chalk

NBA Finals - Predicting who wins Lakers-Heat, and why
The bubble did not produce a fluke finalist. The Los Angeles Lakers ranked among the league's three favorites all season. The Miami Heat did not, but they have been a different team in Orlando -- new starting lineup, remade identity, more powerful two-way force. They faced a slightly tougher slate of playoff opponents than the Lakers, and outscored them by 4.5 points per 100 possessions -- two points fatter than their regular-season margin.

Tennessee Titans, Minnesota Vikings close facilities after Titans players test positive for the coronavirus
The Tennessee Titans have closed their facilities until Saturday after three players and five team personnel members tested positive for the coronavirus, the NFL announced Tuesday.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin likely out vs. Chargers; Week 6 return possible
Godwin also could miss the Buccaneers' game against the Chicago Bears in Week 5, which is scheduled for a Thursday night and would be a quick turnaround from Week 4, a source said.

Serena Williams withdraws from French Open with Achilles injury
"I really wanted to give an effort here. It's my Achilles that didn't have enough time to properly heal after the [US] Open," Williams said at her news conference. "I was able to get it somewhat better, but just looking long term in this tournament -- will I be able to get through enough matches? For me, I don't think I could. Struggling to walk, so that's kind of a telltale sign I should try to recover."

Eraser Dust

Here are the words people looked up after the first presidential debate - CNN
Xenophobia "is the fear and hatred of strangers or foreigners or of anything that is strange or foreign," the dictionary says. Lookups for the word rose during the debate, according to the dictionary.

Glass Fire: Napa Valley's Castello di Amorosa winery loses $5 million worth of wine -- but $30 million castle unscathed
While the property losses sustained in the Glass Fire by the Napa Valley’s castle on a hill, the Castello di Amorosa winery, were significant, the Tuscan-style castle itself that noted vintner Dario Sattui had built over 15 years emerged unscathed — and the $5 million worth of lost wine was only a fraction of the inventory.

Liam Gallagher hits out at Noel Gallagher over '(What's The Story) Morning Glory?' celebrations
In the clip, Noel praises his brother’s voice on the record but when a fan pointed that out Liam shot back: “Without that voice he’d still be ironing Clint boons knickers,” in reference to Noel’s past as roadie for Inspiral Carpets.

$2.2 trillion HEROES Act includes second round of stimulus checks - CBS News
The House Democrats' revised stimulus bill would restore some popular programs that were devised to help families weather the coronavirus pandemic. Chief among them: $1,200 per adult stimulus checks targeted to middle- and low-income families.

‘Borat’ Sequel Lands At Amazon; Sacha Baron Cohen Film Release Date Pre-Election – Deadline
Amazon Studios has acquired worldwide rights to the sequel of the 2006 film Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. The film, which stars Sacha Baron Cohen in the title role once again,will premiere late October on Amazon Prime and its subscribers in 240 countries and territories.

Poll of the Day