The Rock Chalkboard

Christian Braun could join a historic group if the Denver Nuggets win an NBA title
Christian Braun is headed to the NBA Finals. On Monday night, Braun and the Denver Nuggets completed the four-game sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers to claim a spot in the 2023 NBA Finals. When The Finals begin on June 1, Braun will have the opportunity to join a rare — and pretty elite — group of NBA players if Denver goes on to win the title.

College football's 11 most dynamic athletes at quarterback entering 2023 season
When you have a playmaker at the quarterback position, production follows. Several of college football's most dynamic athletes heading into the 2023 season happen to play under center. You don't have to go back far to acknowledge how a difference-making quarterback can help teams win championships.

Bits o Chalk

Celtics defense finally flips switch after Joe Mazzulla’s surprising timeout - The Athletic
MIAMI — Coming out of halftime, the Celtics needed something to change if they were going to save their season. But after a few minutes, it was clear that wasn’t happening. Jaylen Brown was trapped in the corner, another turnover was coming and things were about to slip through their grasp.

MLB’s New Rules Have Baseball in Overdrive - The New York Times
Players are stealing more bases, more balls are falling for hits and games are nearly 30 minutes faster than they were last year. Like them or not, the rules are accomplishing their goals.

Report: Terence Crawford will fight Errol Spence Jr. on July 29 in Las Vegas
Welterweight champions Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. have reportedly agreed to a deal to fight on July 29 in Las Vegas, according to ESPN's Mike Coppinger. Crawford, the WBO champion, and Spence, the IBF-WBA-WBC champion, have been on a collision course for years and boxing fans have clamored for them to meet in the ring. Now the two will finally face off with all four sanctioning body belts on the line.

Eraser Dust

Ron DeSantis to open presidential bid by out-Trumping Donald Trump | CNN Politics
Ron DeSantis’ decision to announce his 2024 White House bid in a conversation with Elon Musk on Twitter on Wednesday will make a typically blunt statement about his campaign, the unruly populism of the modern Republican Party and an accelerating conservative media revolution.

A bill that would have required Texas public schools to display the Ten Commandments has failed | CNN
The Republican-controlled Texas State House failed to advance a controversial bill on Tuesday that would have required public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom.

Noel Gallagher Reviewed! | Mojo
Read MOJO’s verdict on Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds’ new album, Council Skies

Montana first to ban people dressed in drag from reading to children in schools, libraries | AP News
Montana has become the first state to specifically ban people dressed in drag from reading books to children at public schools and libraries, part of a host of legislation aimed at the rights the LGBTQ+ community in Montana and other states.

Gen Z has canceled skinny jeans — here's what's replacing them
The men of TikTok have finally caught on — skinny jeans are an ick. That is to say they’re out, uncool, cringe-worthy, totally yesterday.

No Shenanigans - Flathead Beacon
6:58 a.m. A stray dog wouldn’t leave the porch of a house after the homeowner fed it.

9:42 a.m. Someone saw a dog that looked “very skinny” and wanted it checked on.

Florida teacher who showed Disney movie in classroom says school system has closed investigation | CNN
The Hernando County School Board has closed its investigation into a Florida teacher who showed the Disney film “Strange World” to her fifth-grade class, according to a copy of the district’s final report provided to CNN by Jenna Barbee, the educator.

"It's not fair on the fans" – Noel Gallagher again tells brother Liam to "call him" about an Oasis reunion or stop playing with fans' emotions | MusicRadar
Let's put our conspiracy theorist edition bucket hats on for a minute; it wouldn't surprise us if Noel and Liam Gallagher had already hatched a plan for an Oasis reunion in 2025, after their respective solo commitments are done. And the rest of this year, and up until the announcement in 2024, will involve them having fun with the media while they build up to the announcement. Why do we say this? Noel is again fuelling the fire. Well, kind of.