[Internal KMARK]:

Well…took a week off…plenty to write about. This should be easy. Could have this wrapped up before the Mariner game. Grab a Diet Coke and start writin! Could dual screen the baseball with the Huskies football game. Ultimate Seattle Friday?Golly man, can you believe we have 47 more consecutive days of football. What an economy! I guess the NHL just started too. Do these people know Puck….? Just pick something and get it done…Where to start….How bout:

- James Franklin should be fired. Yeah, yeah! They remember Penn State losing back to back games and embarrassing themselves at UCLA. I could go deep on this. Franklin did an amazing job restoring Happy Valley to national respectability, but his inability to outcoach his peers in big games means this team will never be a real power. That sounds worthy of a whole post. But what if I wanna talk about…

- The Big 10 wrapping up a $2b investment from the University of California Pension Fund that values the conference at $20b. Seems like big news to me! We cover the intersection of money, college athletics, and valuations all the time in this space. Are 20 years of media rights and conference-wide sponsorships really worth $20b? Why are teams like Rutgers receiving nearly identical equity stakes in the newly formed Big 10 Enterprises as Michigan, Ohio State, and USC? Schools are using the capital injection to fund operating expenses and capital improvements. But they used to cover those largely with donations (the best form of debt). There’s more to this story and how it impacts the SEC. This could be Hard In the Paint material. I just need to know that I won’t cover…..

- The Yankees and Phillies flaming out of the playoffs and their two managers who were previously highlighted in this outlet as being extremely on the hot seat. Aaron Boone needs to go even if another October collapse isn’t entirely his fault. The pressure on him is compounding annually and creating a distraction for the clubhouse. Still, this isn’t on him. Ownership’s complete abandonment of any type of competitive energy has leaked onto the field. The Steinbrenners need to sell. They’ve grown radically too comfortable with Brian Cashman’s ability to reach the playoffs year in and year out. The Yankees are a passive investment for them, but that doesn’t win championships. When you watch the Yankees, they should have a considerable talent advantage. It’s baseball. That doesn’t guarantee a title. But they should have a noticeable advantage in terms of lineup depth, pitching quality, star players, and coaching aptitude. They have veteran players, but where are the difference makers (other than Judge)? I know it’s arbitrary, but the Yankees only had 4 All-Stars this year (Judge, Chisholm, Fried, Rodon). On the scale of All-Stars, Chisholm and Rodon are nowhere near the top. That’s a failing. Almost makes you think they miss Juan Soto right about now. Yikes. This would be a bigger story if not for….

- Everything that happens on an NFL Sunday. Can you remember that far back? Or should we look ahead? No need to unpack the Cowboys ruining the Jets (the only winless team in football). NY hired the consulting agency The 33rd Team to advise them on selecting a new GM and coach. 33rd Team co-founder Mike Tannenbaum was formerly a Jet GM. He did so well at running them into the ground that they let him hire the next two guys to do the same. Weird strategy. Does it have to be this way in NYC? IDK. Maybe Gang Green bounces back this week against….check schedule….the Broncos (no). If we’re being honest, last week’s NFL slate was a dud and this week is no different. Sure the Lions play in KC Sunday Night, but is anyone actually having fun watching the Chiefs. It’s the Dog Days of the NFL, so we should focus on….

- Another absolutely fantastic slate of college football. Here’s where I should go deep! Look at this schedule:

1. Ohio State (1) vs Illinois (17)

2. Alabama (8) vs Missouri (14)

3. Indiana (7) vs Oregon (3)

Pick any one of those out and breakdown the matchup. Readers will love it! You don’t even need to unpack Michigan-USC or Florida-Texas A&M. Those are just bonus games. Probably won’t even watch Georgia-Auburn. Will get enough football in me that I don’t need to see Arizona State-Utah. Man, I’m so fired up! Too bad I probably should write an entire….

- NBA PREVIEW. Hell naw. Can’t do that. For now. Maybe next week.

Well, look at that. 1000 words (rounded up). Messed around and wrote a whole damn post. Let’s just stick with this and….

SCENE! See you next week.