The Rock Chalkboard

Report: Willie Fritz, Jeff Monken among top candidates at Kansas
The University of Kansas is narrowing its coaching search and has honed in on two top candidates, according to John Brice of Football Scoop. Following the departure of Jeff Long as athletic director, the Jayhawks are taking a close look at Tulane's Willie Fritz and Army's Jeff Monken, two successful leaders at Group of 5 programs who haven't yet gotten an opportunity to lead a Power 5.

Salary, buyout, contract info for new Kansas AD Travis Goff
Kansas announced the hiring of Travis Goff as athletic director on Monday. In the evening, the Jayhawks released the contract info for their new athletic director, who will be making $700,000 per year to start.

247Sports releases Way-Too-Early Top 22 for 2022
With regard to players potentially entering the NBA Draft, we've used a combination of what players have already announced, inside information from our extensive network of team sites and wiped every player listed among ESPN's top 30 NBA Draft prospects available. A few of those players could return to college. But that provides a realistic starting point. And while we have some information on where certain uncommitted recruits or transfers could end up, we haven't included players as part of a team's roster without them committing to play there. In interest of giving the best possible projection, we've mentioned where said prospects could be leaning, but ultimately these predictions are based on who's already on the roster or committed to play there.

Analysis: What's next after Kansas hires Travis Goff as AD
"He's been incredible here," said one media member who covers Northwestern. "[He has] been an understated part of the complete revamping of the football program over the last decade, especially with regard to facilities. [That] obviously checks out with what KU seems to be going for."

Bill Self, Kurt Watson comment on new Kansas AD Travis Goff
On Monday, Kansas announced the hiring of Travis Goff as the school's new athletic director. Goff replaces Jeff Long, who departed the University after Les Miles was ousted as football coach. (Long hired Miles back in 2018.)

What Chancellor Douglas Girod said about new Kansas AD Travis Goff
Dubbed an "integral part of the department's transformation in facilities and resource development," per his Northwestern Athletics bio page, Goff had been on staff at Northwestern for "more than $400 million of facility work" dating back to his arrival in 2012.

Kansas hires Northwestern's Travis Goff as new athletic director
In terms of resume, Goff, who is from Dodge City, Kan., received his bachelor's from Kansas in 2002 before working in the Jayhawks' athletic department. He went to Tulane in 2007, where he served as an associate athletics director for external affairs. He helped lead a $70 million athletics fundraising campaign and contributed to the program raising nearly $30 million — a Tulane record — in his final year.

Eraser Dust

Death of 'Miracle on Ice' Olympic hockey team star Mark Pavelich ruled suicide
Last month's death of "Miracle on Ice" Olympic hockey standout Mark Pavelich was ruled a suicide, a Minnesota medical examiner said Monday.

North Carolina Tar Heels hire Hubert Davis as new basketball coach, replacing retired Roy Williams
"I am honored and humbled to be given the opportunity to lead this program," Davis said in a statement released by the school. "I would not be here without Coach Dean Smith, Coach Bill Guthridge and Coach Roy Williams; they taught me so much -- and I'm eager to walk their path in my shoes and with my personality. I also would not be here without Chancellor [Kevin] Guskiewicz and Bubba Cunningham. I appreciate their faith in me and I look forward to working closely with them."

Los Angeles Angels fans toss trash cans, jeer Houston Astros in win
A gray, life-sized, inflatable garbage can was heaved over the right-field scoreboard and made its way onto Angel Stadium's warning track at the conclusion of Monday's sixth inning, the latest -- perhaps most glaring -- indication of the anger that still festers around the Houston Astros.

Baylor overwhelms Gonzaga, ends Bulldogs' perfect season to win first men's basketball national title
"First and foremost, I want to thank God for blessing us with this opportunity tonight," Drew said after the game. "I know the guys have worked really hard. And I'm so happy they get a chance to celebrate now. At the same time, I feel for Coach [Mark] Few and his team because they're such class acts. And Coach Few is a Hall of Fame coach and an unbelievable guy. A better person than he is a coach. And you hate when friends aren't feeling good."

Eraser Dust

What Will Georgia’s Election Law Really Do? - Bloomberg
GPB’s Stephen Fowler and Nick Corasaniti and Reid J. Epstein in the New York Times each have comprehensive examinations of what the new law would do. It’s … complicated. Some of the provisions are good-government updates of existing law. Others make it on balance harder to use absentee ballots and (perhaps) to vote early in person. Parts of the law appear to be targeted, at least symbolically, at the various things that former President Donald Trump and other Republicans falsely claimed cost them the 2020 election. And then there are provisions that appear to make it easier for the majority party in the state to simply overturn the actual election outcome

Biden Envoy To Iran On What To Expect In Renewed Nuclear Talks : NPR
Diplomats from the two countries won't meet face to face — representatives from Europe, Russia and China will serve as a go-between. Both the U.S. and Iran insist the other needs to make a concession first — Iran says the U.S. should lift sanctions, while the U.S. says Iran should scale back its nuclear program.

North Korea reportedly won't participate in Tokyo Olympic Games - CNN
North Korea decided to sever almost all of its ties with the outside world in 2020 to prevent an influx of coronavirus cases. The country has not reported a major outbreak of Covid-19, and there have been no indications one has taken place, though experts doubt Pyongyang's claim the country has not seen a single case of the virus.

Authorities ID Kila crash victim | Daily Inter Lake
According to the Montana Highway Patrol, Espinosa was driving a 1995 Chevrolet C25 on Haywire Gulch in Kila. He was reportedly traveling too fast to maintain control when negotiating a curve and the vehicle went off the shoulder where it collided with trees before rolling and coming to rest on the driver’s side.

Gov. Gianforte tests positive for COVID-19 | Daily Inter Lake
The Republican governor's office released a statement Monday evening saying that after experiencing mild symptoms a day earlier, Gianforte was tested "out of an abundance of caution." The first lady, who has not exhibited symptoms, has been tested and is awaiting her results.