The Rock Chalkboard

Welcome to Blue Wings Rising: Your New Kansas Jayhawks Coverage Destination - Blue Wings Rising
Welcome to Blue Wings Rising, your brand new home for the Kansas Jayhawks here on Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation Network.

How Kansas Jayhawks Basketball Responds to Losses: Do Blowouts Predict Postseason Success? - Blue Wings Rising
Bringing the conversation around to Kansas basketball, the Jayhawks’ stock is low right now after the beat down Kentucky handed on Saturday. Only time will tell whether this is an outlier or an omen of more to come. And looking at past years’ results doesn’t necessarily have a clear indication on predicting the future. But there are some trends that at best can add context to the performance and at worst is fodder for us to talk about.

Player Ratings to the Theme of Child Actors in 1980s Sitcoms - Blue Wings Rising
Just in case you're new to these player ratings (or just need a refresher on how they work), here's how the evaluation process happens. First, I choose a subject and rank things according to my preferences. Your preferences will no doubt vary, but that's part of the fun. Then I assign a player to each star rating based on performance, but please note that not all games and not all ratings are equal. It's not completely stats based, but of course stats play a large role in how a player stacks up to others in a particular game.

Introducing The Rock Chalk Podcast - Blue Wings Rising
To help fill that void, I've decided to turn the Rock Chalk Podcast into a daily show as part of transitioning it to the site. This will allow me to provide frequent enough coverage to devote time to all the Kansas programs, while still hitting all the major topics that you want to hear about.

Bits o Chalk

Top 100 MLB players of all time - Nos. 25-1
Dozens of ESPN writers and editors submitted more than 20,000 votes (see full methodology here) to determine the final order. So who's too high? Too low? Just right?

Stephen Ross promises to cooperate with league, defend 'integrity' of Miami Dolphins, himself
"With regards to the allegations being made by Brian Flores, I am a man of honor and integrity and cannot let them stand without responding," he said in a statement provided to multiple media outlets. "I take great personal exception to these malicious attacks, and the truth must be known. His allegations are false, malicious and defamatory. We understand there are media reports stating that the NFL intends to investigate his claims, and we will cooperate fully. I welcome that investigation and I am eager to defend my personal integrity, and the integrity and values of the entire Miami Dolphins organization, from these baseless, unfair and disparaging claims."

Memphis Grizzlies get tough in win over Knicks -- 'We ain't ducking no smoke'
"There ain't no running in the M, man," Morant said. "We climb up the chimney. We ain't ducking no smoke. We're gonna let everybody know we're here.

Biennial World Cup is a 'threat' to football all other sports - IOC president
"We all would have very much liked to discuss the FIFA proposal for a biennial World Cup together with the FIFA president and IOC member," Bach told about 100 colleagues at the traditional pre-Olympic meeting, with some there in person and others viewing remotely.

Eraser Dust

Rock Hall 2022 Nominees: Who Got Snubbed and Other Big Questions
Beck, Duran Duran, Eminem, Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie, Carly Simon and A Tribe Called Quest are appearing on the ballot for the first time. The other 10 nominees have been up for induction before: Judas Priest, Devo, Pat Benatar, Rage Against the Machine, Kate Bush, Eurythmics, New York Dolls, Dionne Warwick, Fela Kuti and MC5.

The 'best job in America' pays $145,000 and has 14,000 job openings — and offers a generous work-life balance - MarketWatch
Once again, tech workers came out on top, with enterprise architects No. 1 on Glassdoor’s list. They have a median base salary of $144,997 a year, 14,021 job openings and a satisfaction rating of 4.1 out of 5.0, according to the report.

Elton John thanks ‘Arkansas City’ after Kansas City concert | The Kansas City Star
“What a great night @tmobilecenter in Arkansas City! Thank you to everyone who came down - you were all amazing,” the rock-and-roll icon tweeted early Wednesday, along with several photographs from inside the T-Mobile Center.

Reading Between the Lines - Flathead Beacon
“Regarding the possible resignation, that may be the opportunity to ‘temporarily’ have a manager with straight business experience hold things together as we had discussed,” Ingram responded. “MSL [Montana State Library] would not be happy.”

“I think we need to get rid of those 2 books,” Adams replied. “It’ll stoke the … fire.”

Winter storm packing snow and freezing rain is moving across the U.S. : NPR
A major winter storm with millions of Americans in its path brought a mix of rain, freezing rain and snow to the central U.S. as airlines canceled thousands of flights, officials urged residents to stay off roads and schools closed campuses.

Requiring cost estimates for therapy could discourage patients, therapist say : Shots - Health News : NPR
Instead, they are concerned about another part of the law — a price transparency provision. That provision requires most licensed medical practitioners to give patients detailed upfront cost estimates, including a diagnosis, and information about the length and costs involved in a typical course of treatment. That's unfitting for mental health care, therapists say, because diagnoses can take time and sometimes change over the course of treatment.