The Rock Chalkboard

Countdown to KU football (8): One freshman DL to keep an eye on
So then, if you're picking young standouts of the unit, there still has to be the expectation that playing time might be hard to come by. Even so, there has been one freshman D-lineman who has impressed several of his teammates: Tommy Dunn, a three-star defensive lineman (who also played tight end) out of Garland, Texas, in the 2021 class.

College basketball rankings: CBS Sports updates Top 25 And 1 after Emoni Bates to Memphis
Since Bates' announcement, the Tigers have skyrocketed in the latest CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 rankings. Penny Hardaway’s squad is now squarely in the mix and media members have taken notice.

Kansas soccer picks up first win of 2021, 2-0 over Saint Louis | KUsports.com
In addition to leading the Kansas soccer team to its first victory of the 2021 season — 2-0 over Saint Louis at Rock Chalk Park — KU goalkeeper Sarah Peters made a little history on Thursday night.

Bits o Chalk

Phil Mickelson rips USGA over proposal to limit length of drivers to 46 inches
"Word is USGA is soon rolling back driver length to 46 inches," Mickelson wrote. "This is PATHETIC. 1st it promotes a shorter more violent swing (injury prone,) doesn't allow for length of arc to create speed, and during our 1st golf boom in 40 years, our amateur gov body keeps trying to make it less fun."

Video shows police using stun gun on New Orleans Pelicans center Jaxson Hayes
LOS ANGELES -- A Los Angeles police officer briefly pressed a knee to the neck of Jaxson Hayes as the New Orleans Pelicans center gasped "I can't breathe" seconds before another officer used a Taser on him during a struggle, according to body camera video released Friday.

Alcorn State, N.C. Central open college football season in national spotlight
But this year’s Week 0 is unlike any other – at least for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Alcorn State and North Carolina Central will get a first bite of the apple in the Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff on Saturday on ESPN after both programs elected to forgo the spring season due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Sources - Cleveland Cavaliers get Lauri Markkanen from Chicago Bulls in sign-and-trade, part of 3-way deal with Portland Trail Blazers
The Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired Chicago Bulls restricted free-agent forward Lauri Markkanen on a four-year, $67 million contract as part of a three-team, sign-and-trade agreement, sources told ESPN on Friday.

Eraser Dust

The 11-year-old drummer who battled Dave Grohl joined Foo Fighters on stage to perform 'Everlong'
Eleven-year-old Ipswich, U.K. musician Nandi Bushell, who's become famous online for her rock-band covers, found that out when she joined the Foo Fighters on stage to perform the 1997 song "Everlong" during their concert at the Forum in Los Angeles on Thursday night.

RFK assassin Sirhan Sirhan recommended for parole - CBS News
U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy's assassin, Sirhan Sirhan, was recommended for parole Friday after two of RFK's sons spoke in favor of his release and prosecutors declined to argue he should be kept behind bars.

TikTok bans the Milk Crate Challenge amid fear of injuries - Los Angeles Times
For those unfamiliar, this latest feat inviting injury involves stacking milk crates into a pyramid and walking up one side and down the other. Judging from a sampling of the countless videos posted online, this frequently (usually) results in the pyramid collapsing and the challengers, um, cratering. The milk crates may be strong, but they are not stable.

Two Black Men File Lawsuit Against Walmart After They Were Accused of Stealing a TV They Were Returning
Race is a funny thing.

We all know that it’s a social construct, yet we still adhere to principles established by our forefathers, which looks something like this: If two Black men are ever seen carrying a television, even if they are carrying the TV into a store to return it, chances are they probably stole it and should be treated as thieves.

Allegedly.

Watch Liam Gallagher dedicate 'Live Forever' to Charlie Watts at Leeds Festival
Ahead of the R&L shows, he played a special free gig for NHS workers at The O2 in London. Reviewing the show, NME said: “You have not seen joy until you’ve seen thousands of NHS workers leg it back across the O2 Arena, belting out the lyrics to one of the greatest anthems of all time, a song about relying on one another and literally being someone’s saviour.”

White-tailed deer in Ohio first in the world to test positive for COVID - cleveland.com
“These are the first deer confirmed with the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide, although earlier studies have shown both that deer can be experimentally infected with the virus and that some wild deer had antibodies to the virus,” the USDA said in a news release.

Kalispell schools OK early-release Wednesdays | Daily Inter Lake
Students in Kalispell Public Schools will be dismissed two hours early on Wednesdays during the 2021-22 school year in preparation for a potential increase in absences due to Covid-19.

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