The Rock Chalkboard

KU coach Bill Self gives pick for Chiefs-Buccaneers Super Bowl
“I do think it’ll be a fun Super Bowl, and I do believe the Chiefs will win,” Self said. “It should be a fun game.”

QB Ben Easters arrives in Lawrence with long-stated goal of starting
"I'm on track to graduate early," Easters said at the time. "[I want to] graduate in December of my senior year and then get up there and compete for a job my freshman year."

Bill Self mentions 1988 title team in reference to current Jayhawk rut
Regarding the 2008 team, Self referenced a losing skid it went through. The '08 Jayhawks lost three games in a seven-game stretch, including a mark of two of three. But they also had home games in between, which kept the streak from being too long.

How is KU basketball's morale in midst of three-game skid?
“We have isolation,” Self said. “‘Well, everybody is isolated.’ No, they’re not. The only people that my guys — or any guys on any respective team — come across right now are each other. You stop and think about it: We as coaches, we can go home to our families. We can see our kids, all that stuff. Players can’t. Players don’t go out to eat dinner. Players don’t go to a movie. Players don’t do anything for entertainment.”

Kansas football adds 12 enrollees ahead of second semester, spring ball
On Monday, a KU football official sent an updated list of Kansas early enrollees to Phog.net. Many of the names on the list were previously reported on, as the list featured a number of announced early signees from the 2021 class. The Jayhawks have also added a scholarship offensive lineman via transfer and three walk-on players.

ESPN's BPI ranks college basketball's best teams entering Week 10
An unconventional 2020-21 season nears the end of January amid an ever-changing schedule amid the coronavirus pandemic. February is on the horizon, though, and March Madness is almost a month away. In the meantime, to get a further idea of college basketball's best teams entering Week 10, ESPN's Basketball Power Index provides a closer look.

Bits o Chalk

'Home cooking,' Cavaliers exec's chirping fuel LeBron James' season-high 46 points in Ohio return
It had been more than two years since LeBron James played a game in Cleveland, due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Los Angeles Lakers star certainly made up for lost time on Monday, turning in perhaps his greatest performance against his former team.

Andrew Wiggins delivers on both ends in first game vs. Minnesota Timberwolves, praises fit with Golden State Warriors' 'winning culture'
Andrew Wiggins spent six years playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves, but he believes he has found a much better basketball home competing in a "winning culture" as a member of the Golden State Warriors.

Judge dismisses former Los Angeles Angels employee Brian Harkins' defamation lawsuit vs. team, MLB
A defamation lawsuit filed against Major League Baseball and the Los Angeles Angels by Brian Harkins, the longtime clubhouse attendant who was fired for supplying illegal ball-doctoring substances to pitchers, has been struck down in Orange County Superior Court.

Former childhood home in Italy, Reggio Emilia, honors Kobe Bryant with plaza dedication
"The city of Reggio Emilia and its citizens loved, first Joe, and then Kobe Bryant, the child who, once he returned to America, always remembered Reggio with love," Emanuele Maccaferri, the vice president of the Sport Foundation of Reggio Emilia, told ESPN. "On this sad day we want to remember that happy child who left wonderful memories in so many people of Reggio Emilia."

Eraser Dust

The Republican Party is at war with itself as it charts its post-Trump future - CNNPolitics
Some in congressional leadership have signaled their desire to move the party beyond Trump by impeaching and convicting him. Allies of the former President, on the other hand, are proclaiming their loyalty to him in conservative media and in state and local party organizations. Still other Republicans remain fearful of the power Trump may yet wield in GOP primaries or see electoral possibilities in embracing a version of his populist-conservative approach.

Pfizer and AstraZeneca take heat as vaccine delays threaten Europe's recovery - CNN
The European Union is calling out vaccine makers AstraZeneca (AZN) and Pfizer (PFE) over delivery delays that could slow its recovery from the pandemic. Officials are even threatening to take legal action and introduce export controls on doses produced in the bloc as anger mounts.

Larsa Pippen's visit to Tiger King star Doc Antle's Myrtle Beach Safari prompts PETA letter to USDA | Daily Mail Online
PETA has sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture asking them to investigate Doc over allegations that he had violated parts of the Animal Welfare Act during Larsa's recent visit to his Myrtle Beach Safari in South Carolina (per TMZ.)

Janet Yellen confirmed as treasury secretary with bipartisan support - CBS News
The Senate voted Monday evening to confirm Janet Yellen as treasury secretary with bipartisan support. The final breakdown of the vote was 84 yeas to 15 nays. Yellen is the first woman to lead the department in its more than 230-year history.

8 myths about the Covid-19 vaccine: Dr. Wen explains - CNN
ere are common myths I often hear from my patients, but there are things that each of us can say if someone around us expresses these myths.

Man who removed Kalispell Ten Commandments monument ordered to pay restitution
Court documents show that Anthony Weimer is ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $6,900 to reimburse insurance policies held by the Montana Association of Counties for damage repair work to the monument.

Legislation Targets Whitefish Affordable Housing Program - Flathead Beacon
Called “inclusionary zoning,” the requirements are intended to assist working residents with moderate incomes. In Whitefish, a voluntary inclusionary zoning program has been on the books for years, but has produced very little housing

McConnell Relents On Senate Filibuster Stalemate : NPR
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell dropped his demand that Democrats maintain the Senate filibuster — ending an early stalemate in the Senate that prevented party leaders from negotiating a power-sharing agreement.