Quinn’s Quickies: Embiid Returning Shouldn’t be Questioned, Bye-bye Dollar Dog Nights, Court Storming Fixed, more

Who doesn’t want a Friday afternoon quickie:

·         Joel Embiid plans to return to the Sixers after knee surgery . . . get this . . . regardless of the team’s record. Ignored in the written story on ESPN.com, the accompanying video has audio of a reporter asking the Sixers’ center if he would consider not playing for the rest of the season. “My question to you is then, ‘Why come back? I mean, you know what I mean? Like, after an injury like this, some people might say, ‘You know what, let me just rest up for next year.’” Why didn’t this reporter just ask Embiid out for a drink? The Sixers have struggled in Embiid’s absence, including losing 3 of their last 10 games as of Friday morning, falling to fifth place in the conference. The reporter’s essentially trying to say, “You’re too good to come back to a team that’s struggling.” It was an embarrassing attempt to by a reporter to cozy up to a star player. We’re actually encouraging athletes to act like prima donnas now? To his credit, Embiid brushed off the question, saying, “The same reason I was pushing the last couple games. I just love playing basketball. I want to be on the floor as much as possible.” He went on to say that he didn’t care where the Sixers might be seeded entering the playoffs. That’s how it’s supposed to work.

·         We couldn’t handle Dollar Dog Night? I hate when the national media jumps on the tired stereotype of Philadelphia sports fans being out of control. The only thing worse is when we give them reasons to do it. The Phillies cancelled the popular promotion after fans at Citizens Bank Park turned a game into a food fight last April, with some hot dogs landing on the field. A senior vice president of the Phillies, John Weber, is quoted by ESPN.com, saying, “It wasn’t just the throwing. It’s the concourse, the crowds of everybody being at the same X amount of stands. But obviously, you know, the throwing was a little bit of a tipping point.” Ya think?

·         Everyone is talking about banning fans from storming the court in court since Duke’s Kyle Filipowski was injured by a Wake Forest fans after Deamon Deacons beat the Blue Devils. Notice I didn’t say upset. Wake was favored in the game. Storming the court isn’t some spontaneous rush of emotion from fans anymore. It’s a phony imitation of what fans used to do after what was generally a huge upset. These kids got their phones out recording themselves doing it so they can post it on social media. I’d bet half of them don’t even really care that their team won, they’re just doing it because it’s “what ya do.” I’ve heard about school administrators getting together to discuss how to solve the problem. How ‘bout you just solve it? These schools easily have the ability to use video and facial recognition to strip kids of the right to attend future sporting events at the university. Prosecute them. Suspend them or kick them out of school. Too harsh? Maybe. Better yet, make a rule that the home team forfeits the game if their fans storm out of the stands. After they unpuckered, I’m guessing administrators and coaches would solve the problem real quick if the NCAA instituted that rule.

·         College football hasn’t had its first 12-team playoff yet, and there’s already talk of a 14-team playoff. Do I hear 16? 32? Remember, it’s about the kids not playing too many games. 64?

Let’s hear your quickies in the comments.