The Rock Chalkboard

Jalon Daniels brings experience, 'tremendous arm talent' to QB battle
There's no question Jalon Daniels took a beating as Kansas' quarterback last year. Starting the season as a 17-year-old freshman — with no spring ball — Daniels received little protection from an offensive line that ranked dead last nationally in sacks allowed per game.

'It’s amazing': Morris Twins enjoy time in Lawrence for Roundball Classic
“It’s always a lot of fun coming home,” Marcus Morris said. “We all enjoyed ourselves, we had fun. I got to see a lot of my older teammates so it was a good time.”

Four-star big man Vince Iwuchukwu trims his list to five
Iwuchukwu is a fairly raw and mechanical big man prospect with a high upside who has been a steadfast worker and it has helped him make gradual improvement towards his body and overall skill set.

'Very explosive' Jason Bean ready for Kansas QB battle
“Jason is a very fast guy, very quick, has a whole bunch of abilities,” Daniels said. “I like to learn from people that are older than me. Jason Bean is one of those guys. He’s very explosive, can make a lot of plays, can make a lot of things happen.”

How the numbers 0, 4 and 6 will shape Kansas QB competition
"Functional intelligence" is another favorite phrase of Zebrowski, who described the trait as the "ability to process large amounts of info in a short period of time." "Situational savvy" — knowing where you are on the field — was another thrown out by the KU quarterbacks coach.

Miami Heat sign Jimmy Butler to 4-year, $184 million extension
"Jimmy is the anchor and face of our franchise along with Bam [Adebayo] and Kyle [Lowry]," Heat president Pat Riley said in a statement. "With Jimmy, we get an All-NBA player, an All-NBA Defensive player, tough as nails and a complete player across the board. He's very deserving of this contract as he continually puts himself at the top of the league at his position. Having him in the HEAT organization has been a great, great coup for us."

Countdown to KU football (28): Re-introducing Armaj Reed-Adams
No, there isn't a typo at the top of this story. Armaj Adams-Reed has had a legal name change, a KU Athletics official said, and is now Armaj (pronounced Arr-MAH-jay) Reed-Adams.

Bits o Chalk

'It’s amazing': Morris Twins enjoy time in Lawrence for Roundball Classic
“It’s always a lot of fun coming home,” Marcus Morris said. “We all enjoyed ourselves, we had fun. I got to see a lot of my older teammates so it was a good time.”

Miami Heat sign Jimmy Butler to 4-year, $184 million extension
"Jimmy is the anchor and face of our franchise along with Bam [Adebayo] and Kyle [Lowry]," Heat president Pat Riley said in a statement. "With Jimmy, we get an All-NBA player, an All-NBA Defensive player, tough as nails and a complete player across the board. He's very deserving of this contract as he continually puts himself at the top of the league at his position. Having him in the HEAT organization has been a great, great coup for us."

Japan blanks U.S. 2-0 to win 1st Olympic baseball gold medal
YOKOHAMA, Japan -- A Japanese team of All-Stars fulfilled a determined national mission to win the Olympic baseball gold medal for the first time, beating the United States 2-0 Saturday night behind Munetaka Murakami's third-inning home run.

Jessica Springsteen, U.S. equestrian team win silver medal behind Sweden
It's the first for 29-year-old Springsteen, daughter of famed rockers Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa, who made her Olympic debut in Tokyo. Riding powerful stallion Don Juan van de Donkhoeve, she clipped one rail in the primary round Saturday, as did McLain Ward, leaving the U.S in a tie with the Swedes for first with eight penalty points.

Team USA men's basketball beats France to win fourth straight gold medal at Tokyo Olympics
That will be the lasting memory of this group, and it will be a good one for American basketball as the U.S. men's team finished with a gold medal after a 87-82 win over France on Saturday. The record books will show it was the fourth consecutive gold for Team USA, but it was hardly routine.

U.S. dominates women's 4x400 relay as Allyson Felix becomes most decorated American track star
Felix ran the second leg along with Sydney McLaughlin, Dalilah Muhammad and Athing Mu to finish in 3 minutes, 16.85 seconds and win by nearly 4 seconds over Poland (3:20.53). Jamaica (3:21.24) took bronze.

Eraser Dust

Obama Uninvited Larry David, David Letterman, and Conan O'Brien From His 60th Birthday Party
Comedian Larry David and the talk show hosts David Letterman and Conan O'Brien were uninvited amid concern about the rapidly-spreading COVID-19 delta variant, The New York Times reported Friday. The majority of Obama's former administration staffers, including top adviser David Axelrod, also got the axe, the Times reported.

The secrets behind Noel Gallagher's guitar tone on Oasis's Supersonic | Guitar World
Gallagher’s Epiphone Les Paul through the Dominator is the first guitar track heard, joined around the 30-second mark by a heavier, fuzzier rhythm guitar played by Bonehead using a Gibson SG through a Marshall JCM900 half stack.

NW Montana Fair expects normal turnout | KECI
KALISPELL, Mont. — Tens of thousands of people are expected to hit the Northwest Montana Fair in just a few weeks.

Trump’s Repeating Donation Tactics Led to Millions in Refunds Into 2021 - The New York Times
The aggressive fund-raising tactics that former President Donald J. Trump deployed late in last year’s presidential campaign have continued to spur an avalanche of refunds into 2021, with Mr. Trump, the Republican Party and their shared accounts returning $12.8 million to donors in the first six months of the year, newly released federal records show.

‘Powerful signal’: Biden’s infrastructure bill sends message to China - POLITICO
But a review of proposed spending in Beijing’s latest annual budget and five-year plan indicate that the U.S. faces an enormous challenge merely in keeping up. Here’s a number that is illustrative of the gap: China poured more cement from 2011-2013 than the U.S. did in the entire 20th century.

Children can be affected by Covid-19. Here's why doctors say they need to be protecte - CNN
Since this time last year, more than 45,000 children have been hospitalized with Covid-19, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.