The Rock Chalkboard

New-look Kansas men's basketball team expecting to have speed, athleticsm in abundance | KUsports.com
“We’ve got some guys who can run — from the guards to the bigs — and I think that was strategic,” newcomer Jalen Coleman-Lands said after last week’s scrimmage at Late Night in the Phog. “That’ll be our game style for this upcoming year.”

Process might be 'painful' for KU football, but AD Goff confident in what Leipold is building | KUsports.com
The Kansas football team’s current four-game losing streak hasn’t affected the way Athletic Director Travis Goff views the Jayhawks’ head coach, Lance Leipold.

KU guard Holly Kersgieter named preseason all-Big 12 | KUsports.com
Kansas junior Holly Kersgieter was one of 12 players named to preseason all-Big 12 women's basketball team, the Big 12 announced Wednesday.

Bits o Chalk

San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane being investigated by NHL after allegedly using a fake COVID-19 vaccine card, source says
According to a source, the investigation centers on whether Kane submitted a fraudulent vaccination card, as well as on the domestic assault allegations made by his estranged wife, Anna Kane, in the recent divorce filing. The NHL has begun interviews on the case, and there is no timeline for a completion of the investigation.

Co-owner Renee Montgomery says Atlanta Dream didn't initially know 'magnitude of situation' with Courtney Williams, Crystal Bradford
Speaking on Instagram Live with Girls Talk Sports TV, Crenshaw said he believes the Dream are not bringing either player back because the organization is embarrassed that video of the fight came to light, as well as a YouTube video Williams posted talking about the altercation. Both circulated on social media Sunday.

Chris Taylor, Cody Bellinger unlikely heroes as Los Angeles Dodgers walk off with NL wild card over St. Louis Cardinals
Chris Taylor admittedly thought the same thing. But then he saw Pujols and Steven Souza Jr. line out, Cody Bellinger work a walk, and Cardinals reliever Alex Reyes hang a slider out over the plate. Taylor clobbered the pitch for a two-out, two-run walk-off homer, propelling the Dodgers to a 3-1 victory over St. Louis and pushing them into a highly anticipated NL Division Series showdown against the division rival San Francisco Giants.

Eraser Dust

Pfizer Asks F.D.A. to Authorize Its Covid-19 Vaccine for Children 5 to 11 - The New York Times
The agency has promised to move quickly on the request and has tentatively scheduled a meeting at the end of the month to consider it.

First Thing: Texas abortion ban temporarily blocked | US news | The Guardian
Texas’s near-total abortion ban has been temporarily blocked after a US federal judge ruled that it violated the constitutional right to abortion, in the first legal challenge to Senate Bill 8.

Should pregnant women get COVID vaccine? These two say yes | The Kansas City Star
“It was 10 times more intense than any child that I have seen pass on a case,” Brummer said of her research on unvaccinated pregnancies. And then a nurse friend told her of caring for a new mother on a ventilator. The baby had died, and the dad was in the intesive care unit. All had COVID.

Vaccine mandates are working, with vaccination rates topping 90% : NPR
Elsewhere, other employers also report success with mandates. Tyson Foods, New York City schools, major hospital systems in Maine and the NBA are among those with vaccination rates topping 90%.

The foul-mouthed farmer sticking his neck out for Democrats’ agenda - POLITICO
As Klobuchar read back Tester's expletive-infused words, he recalled protesting: “‘Come on. I didn't say fucking.’ And she said, ‘Oh no, you said fucking.’” After digesting that Klobuchar was right, Tester kicked himself: "‘Goddammit. I’m trying to wean myself off of this.’”

100-year-old goes on trial in Germany accused of Nazi war crimes - CNN
He is accused of being an accessory to murder in 3,518 cases dating from his time as a guard at the Nazi concentration camp in Sachsenhausen, according to the Neuruppin public prosecutor's office.