The Rock Chalkboard

Notebook: Lance Leipold on player absences from practice, Lorenzo McCaskill and the tight ends
Following practice, Lance Leipold met with the media to provide the latest update on the team after the first week. One recent and notable development in practice has been the absence of quarterback Jason Bean. Bean was not spotted by media at practice on Monday. Leipold said Bean missed the practice due to an illness.

WATCH: Jim Panagos, defensive linemen break down veteran position group, points of emphasis during camp
Kansas football defensive tackles coach Jim Panagos will have a lot of veteran players to work with this fall. KU has five super-senior defensive linemen on the roster in Sam Burt, Eddie Wilson, Jelani Arnold and Ronald McGee. KU also has a pair of true junior defensive linemen in Jereme Robinson and Kenean Caldwell, though Robinson is expected to play defensive end this season.

25 Days Until Kansas Football: Video Game All-Stars - Dorance Armstrong - Blue Wings Rising
Thanks to a rating system that includes individualized ratings of college players that we discussed on the Rock Chalk Podcast, we are able to take correct that oversight. This rating combines their base talent level with their actual college production to come up with an overall look at their performance.

Eraser Dust

Don’t Worry, Nathan Fielder Also Hates Himself | The New Yorker
“The Rehearsal” relies on the same dynamics that made “Nathan for You” work; both shows foreground Fielder as an apparently vulnerable, receding weirdo—his shoulders a touch hunched, his graying hair molded into a tech worker’s slablike coif—who also happens to be uniquely skilled at manipulating the people around him. But if “Nathan for You” made consistent use of the disruptive “is he fucking with us or is he for real?” tactics of the late anti-comedian Andy Kaufman, “The Rehearsal”—brilliant, audacious, occasionally disturbing—takes things a step further, by borrowing from the byzantine narrative configurations of another Kaufman: the film director Charlie. Much like “Being John Malkovich,” “Adaptation,” and “Synecdoche, New York,” in which the protagonists engage with reality by confronting a nutty metafictional version of it, “The Rehearsal” probes the divide between art and life, and the potential of the former to transform the latter. What happens, the show asks, when people who struggle to find connection and meaning attempt to achieve it by layering their lives with the scrim of performance?

Reacting to Kevin Durant telling Joe Tsai to trade him or fire Steve Nash & GM Sean Marks | KJM - YouTube
Reacting to Kevin Durant telling Joe Tsai to trade him or fire Steve Nash & GM Sean Marks | KJM

FBI search at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home tied to classified material, sources say
MIAMI — Former President Donald Trump said Monday that the FBI had "raided" his home at Mar-a-Lago in Florida and even cracked his safe, with a source familiar with the matter telling NBC News that the search was tied to classified information Trump allegedly took with him from the White House to his Palm Beach resort in January 2021.

Pentagon acknowledges sending Ukraine previously undisclosed anti-radar missiles | CNN Politics
The Pentagon announced Monday that the US has sent anti-radar missiles for Ukrainian aircraft to target Russian radar systems, marking the first time the Defense Department has acknowledged sending the previously undisclosed missile to Ukraine.

Military drills show China is preparing to invade, Taiwan says - The Washington Post
The Taiwanese foreign minister accused Beijing of using House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit as a pretext for launching exercises designed to prepare for an attack.

Toilet photos undercut Trump claim he never tried to flush presidential records
New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman released photos on Monday that appear to show that former President Donald Trump tried to dispose of documents by ripping them up and placing them in toilets.

Olivia Newton John, singer and actress, dead at 73 | CNN
“Dame Olivia Newton-John passed away peacefully at her Ranch in Southern California this morning, surrounded by family and friends. We ask that everyone please respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time,” her husband, John Easterling, wrote in a statement on the singer’s verified Instagram account. “Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer.”

Stillwater Road in Kalispell closed for improvements | KECI
Stillwater Road in Kalispell is closed from Four Mile Drive north to Wolfpack Way for installation of underground utilities and road improvements.

Glacier Symphony and Chorale ushers in grand new era with 40th anniversary | Daily Inter Lake
Celebrating the 15th anniversary of Festival Amadeus this week, John Zoltek, in his 25th year of leadership as the organization’s founding artistic director and conductor, is also planning for its ascending role in the community and beyond as it prepares for its 40th season. Beginning this fall GSC’s performance home will be the new McClaren Hall in the Paul D. Wachholz College Center at Flathead Valley Community College.

Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson Ordered Pizza Named After Kanye West
But their favorite appeared to be Jon & Vinny's in LA. According to TMZ, Kardashian and Davidson were once seen eating a pizza named after Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, at the restaurant. That same night, the reality star posted Instagram photos of herself and Davidson canoodling at their table — potentially sending a message to her famous ex amid their public feud.

Big Ten on verge of $1 billion in TV deals that will exclude ESPN
The Big Ten is on the cusp of television deals that are expected to pay it in excess of $1 billion and create a college football triple-header featuring Fox, CBS and NBC, The Post has confirmed.

Reacting to Kevin Durant telling Joe Tsai to trade him or fire Steve Nash & GM Sean Marks | KJM - YouTube
Reacting to Kevin Durant telling Joe Tsai to trade him or fire Steve Nash & GM Sean Marks | KJM

Major test of first possible Lyme vaccine in 20 years begins | Health News | Al Jazeera
Researchers are seeking thousands of volunteers in the United States and Europe to participate in a test of the first potential vaccine against Lyme disease in 20 years – in hopes of better fighting the tick-borne threat.