USA TODAY Sports' Paul Myerberg breaks down how the College Football Playoff will be different this year. USA TODAY

As the Football Bowl Subdivision begins playing Thursday night in all its weirdness and resilience, the college football world we are used to is going to look very different. In many places across the six conferences trying to play this fall, there will be no fans, no bands and no tailgates. Its going to be strange.

But perhaps the strangest omission from the 2020 season will be the utter lack of anxiety and innuendo about the job status of various coaches whose teams lose more than their fans think they should. In a normal year, the coaching carousel is its own cottage industry, weaving together the interests of search firms, agents, news media and boosters. This year, there will be virtual silence on this front.

When you ask people whose job is to track potential head coach openings how many changes they expect to see following the 2020 season, the typical answers range between one and five, most of which would be attributed to retirements or the NFL plucking a college coach. But firing a coach in the thick of COVID-19? Unlikely at best, logistically impossible at worst.

South Carolina's Will Muschamp is among those coaches who could have been on the hot seat this season but likely will be spared.(Photo: Jeff Blake, USA TODAY Sports)

If nothing else, COVID-19 has temporarily brought some common sense to a business that has spent the past couple decades turning fiscal irresponsibility and emotional immaturity into an art form.

Last year alone, Florida State committed just over $18 million to fire Willie Taggart after a mere 21 games. Rutgers, a school that was already swimming in buyouts, added another $8.47 million to get rid of Chris Ash. Arkansas had to shell out $10 million to fire Chad Morris, just a couple years after an $11.9 million buyout agreement with Bret Bielema which Arkansas stopped paying, leading to an ongoing legal dispute.

And if this season had gone off without being disrupted by a global pandemic, wed be speculating now about whos next to start living the buyout life. Will Muschamp at South Carolina? Clay Helton at Southern Cal? Tom Herman at Texas? Up until now, theres always been some fan base so fed up with their coach that the money is no object.

But just look around at how dramatically the landscape has changed. Bracing for the heavy financial hit of playing a season with limited attendance or no fans at all, athletics departments of all sizes have cut sports, cut pay and furloughed workers. Layoffs are expected at dozens of schools. Even Texas, an athletic department that generated nearly $224 million in revenue during the 2018-19 fiscal year, announced Tuesday that it was laying off 35 staffers and leaving 35 more vacant jobs unfilled on top of other cuts and salary reductions.

In that kind of financial environment, do you really think schools are going pay football coaches not to coach?

Which university is going to lay off, furlough and ask for pay cuts and then turn around and admit they have a bunch of cash to pay a fired coach and his assistants and then hire a new coach? said a one person who works in the coaching movement world andspoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the topic.

There are only a few schools where you could even imagine firing a coach even being within the realm of possibility this year, and none of them are big-time jobs. More likely is that any movement would be created by a few older coaches who ride off into the sunset after a very hard year.

And thats going to require a significant mindset change in a sport where fans and big-money boosters typically start grumbling about their coaches at the first sign of trouble, particularly if they had already been tagged as underachievers. Or maybe the mindset wont change and the same people who campaign online that they need to make a change will continue to do that.

The difference this year is their anger has no chance of scaring the people making those decisions.

More than ever, administrators understand that coaches deserve a pass for anything that happens this season. Theyve spent the past six months on Zoom calls, navigating countless unexpected issues from the pandemic. Schedules have changed. Rosters have evolved due to opt-outs. Recruiting has been a mess. Most anticipategames will either be forfeited or lost because of key players or position groups that test positive for COVID-19 and have to be quarantined. Winning and losing is secondary; the goal is simply to get through it.

But will fans be as forgiving? That remains to be seen. No sport is more emotionally-driven in its decision-making than college football, and if somehow the SEC, ACC and Big 12 pull off a season that feels semi-normal, the temperature is naturally going to rise.

At some point, though, reality has to set in. And under these circumstances, firing a coach even a bad one would not only be an optics disaster but a financial fiasco.

Eventually, the coaching carousel will return to normal. But for now, theres no such thing as a hot seat.

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Opinion: There is no such thing as a coaches' hot seat in college football this season - USA TODAY

When you think of finding a side hustle, you might picture yourself finding an obscure job as a bike courier three nights a week or maybe even walking your neighborhood dogs. Both of these positions can be fun and pay extremely well depending on who you work for.

There are endless opportunities for part-time, enjoyable, profitable side hustles. However, if you take on any of the following side gigs, you could end up with a new career.

1. Day trading

Day trading is the purchase and sale of a stock, bond, or security all within the same day. Many entrepreneurs are drawn to day trading because its fast-paced and risky, but with the right skills, day trading presents a potential for serious profit.

If youre curious about day trading, RJO Futures published a guide on how day trading works. RJOs article explains that whether you trade from a large firm or on your own, youll need three tools:

Be aware that if you enjoy day trading and get good, you might want to go full-time. Its possible to turn day trading into a career, but the learning curve is steep.

2. Investing in real estate

Real estate is a lucrative industry, but its not for everyone. Popular among entrepreneurs, investing in real estate requires long hours of study, extensive research, and getting your hands dirty.

Usually, real estate investors have side hustles to supplement their income. However, many people get into real estate as a side hustle and end up turning it into a career.

If you want to get started in real estate, dont jump to investing right away. Take the expert advice from the folks at Bigger Pockets and start by learning about the industry. Get a part-time job as an assistant property manager to pick up industry knowledge and learn your local landlord-tenant laws. If youre going to invest in real estate to rent out, youll be a landlord at least for a short period of time until you hire a property management company.

If you know someone who can help you make your first investment, you dont need to wait. However, to be successful you have to think outside the box to gain a full spectrum of industry experience.

3. Content writing

Every business needs content writers and many are willing to settle for any level of proficiency. If you have any writing skills, you can easily pick up some content writing gigs on job listing sites.

If you love writing, you might start out writing one blog per week and decide you want to pursue writing full-time. If its truly your passion, stick with it and youll find the right clients who will pay you generously for your work.

4. Coaching

Whatever people are struggling with, theres a coach to save the day. Life coaching and business coaching are the most popular, but you can coach people on anything youre passionate about.

Being a coach isnt easy. Even people who intentionally start a career as a coach struggle. What most people dont realize about coaching is that passion does not equal profit. Coaching is a hard sell, but life coaching is especially difficult. Running a coaching business requires more than business skills you need to be proficient at helping people solve their problems.

If youre good at helping people solve their problems, theres a chance you might get addicted to being a coach. Theres nothing more satisfying than helping people grow and transform their lives.

5. Thrifting

Its not hard to find sellable items at your local thrift stores. However, you need an eye for what people want to buy. If youve got that eye, you could end up with a new career.

For example, Natalie Gomez, a former merchandise planner at Macys, took on thrifting as a side job and wound up making thousands of dollars. Gomez was interviewing for a new job when she realized she was already making a good living selling clothes.

Enjoy your side hustles

Even if you dont turn your side gigs into a career, take on gigs you enjoy. Money is necessary, but its never worth sacrificing your happiness.

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Coco Gauffdismissed that it made any difference. But as she rallied from a one-set hole in the U.S. Open first round for a second straight year, this much was noticeable: silence.

Gauff, the 16-year-old U.S. tennis sensation, was eliminated on the opening day of a fan-less major by No. 31 seed Anastasija Sevastova 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.

It was no upset. Sevastova is ranked six spots higher than No. 51 Gauff.

But it took the 30-year-old Latvian four match points to finish Gauff, who had already rebounded from a 2-4 hole in the second set. As a grinding third set wore on, it conjured memories of Gauffs trio of three-setters from 2019 at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, all of which she won.

But this one was different. The atmosphere the screeching of train cars in Queens replaced the raucous Louis Armstrong Stadium crowds pulling for Gauff a year ago. And the result Gauffs first defeat in the first round of a Grand Slam in her fourth main-draw appearance.

I compete just as hard with fans or not, said Gauff, who had 13 double faults and 40 unforced errors. I could have played better today.

US OPEN DRAWS: Men | Women

The environment was a new experience for everybody. No ticketed spectators due to the coronavirus pandemic, and few people at all watching in person.

Gauff could have been reminded of her not-too-distant junior days before she burst onto the scene last summer, becoming the youngest woman to reach Wimbledons fourth round sinceJennifer Capriatiand the youngest to reach the U.S. Open third round sinceAnna Kournikova.

I just got on tour a little over a year ago, so I still have a lot to learn and a long ways to go, she said. Im playing against people older than me who have been in more situations, difficult situations, than I have. I think the biggest thing is I just need experience.

She will get that. Gauff, who is also entered in doubles, will after the U.S. Open head to Europe for her first French Open main-draw appearance. She won her one and only junior Grand Slam title at Roland Garros.

She showed precociousness off the court on June 3, delivering a speech off the cuff at a peaceful protest in her Florida hometown, demanding change and promising to use her platform to spread vital information.

This summer I learned a lot about myself, Gauff said Monday. I learned that I can overcome a lot of things on and off the court. I still hope I can be that way and use my platform in that way.

Sevastova moved to 2-8 for 2020, the wins over Gauff and Serena Williams. The Latvian marveled at Gauffs movement, awareness and backhand.

Its uncomfortable to play her, said Sevastova, a 2018 U.S. Open semifinalist. I wish I would play like this when I was 16 years old.

Williams begins another quest for a 24th Grand Slam singles title on Tuesday. She will hope to have better luck than the group of U.S. women who have gone 1-8 so far. A total of 31 Americans are in the 128-player draw, the most since 1993.

MORE: Seven U.S. Open players put in bubble in the bubble

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KazakhAlexey Lutsenkowon the sixth stage of the Tour de France on a day with late climbs (but not a summit finish) that didnt significantly impact the overall standings.

Lutsenko, not a yellow jersey contender, won his first career Tour stage from a seven-rider breakaway just after the start of a 118-mile day. Spains Jesus Herrada was second, 55 seconds behind, followed by Olympic road race champion Greg Van Avermaet and American Neilson Powlesson his 24th birthday.

The last American to win an individual Tour stage wasTyler Farrarin 2011.

TOUR DE FRANCE: Standings | TV, Stream Schedule | Stage By Stage

Great BritainsAdam Yatesretained the race lead, three seconds ahead of pre-race co-favoritePrimoz Roglicof Slovenia. Another Slovenian,Tadej Pogacar, is third, seven seconds behind. Hes followed by a group 13 seconds back that includes defending championEgan Bernalof Colombia.

Yates, fourth in the 2016 Tour, is expected to give up the lead well before the Grand Tour hits Paris in two weeks.

I still want to win a stage; thats what we came here to do, said Yates, who took over the maillot jaune on Wednesday after Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe was penalized 20 seconds for taking a bottle inside the last 12.5 miles. Well play it day by day, see what happens.

The Tour continues with stage seven on Friday at 7 a.m. ET on NBCSN and NBC Sports Gold. A mostly flat stage, after early hills in a windy region of France, is an hors doeuvre for Pyreneean stages on Saturday and Sunday.

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2020 Tour de France standings for the yellow jersey, green jersey, white jersey and polka-dot jersey through stage six of 21 Overall (Yellow Jersey) 1. Adam Yates (GBR) 27:03:57 2. Primoz Roglic (SLO) +:03 3. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) +:07 4. Guillaume Martin (FRA) +:13 5. Egan Bernal (COL) +:13 6. Tom Dumoulin (NED) +:13 7. Esteban Chaves (COL) +:13 8. Nairo Quintana (COL) +:13 9. Romain Bardet (FRA) +:13 10. Miguel Angel Lopez (COL) +:13 12. Thibaut Pinot (FRA) +:13 16. Julian Alaphilippe (FRA) +:15 20. Richard Carapaz (ECU) +:41 38. Sepp Kuss (USA) +7:52

Sprinters (Green Jersey) 1. Sam Bennett (IRL) 129 points2. Peter Sagan (SVK) 117 3. Alexander Kristoff (NOR) 93 4. Caleb Ewan (AUS) 75 5. Matteo Trentin (ITA) 71

Climbers (Polka-Dot Jersey) 1. Benoit Cosnefroy (FRA) 23 points 2. Michael Gogl (AUT) 12 3. Nicolas Roche (IRL) 11 4. Primoz Roglic (SLO) 10 5. Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) 10

Young Rider (White Jersey) 1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) 27:04:04 2. Egan Bernal (COL) +:06 3. Enric Mas (ESP) :15 4. Sergio Higuita (COL) +:34 5. Dani Martinez (COL) +4:18

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COLUMBIA, Md. (WJZ) University of Maryland head football coach Mike Locksley made a plea to the public Thursday asking for anyone with information about the homicide of his son Meiko Locksley three years ago.

Howard County police announced they have doubled the reward to $20,000 for information in the homicide three years after Locksley was killed.

We believe that there is someone out there who knows what happened. And I implore anyone who may have any information regarding this incident, no matter how small, whether they saw or heard something that night to please report that information to the police, Police Chief Lisa Myers said.

Meiko, who was 25 at the time, was found with a single gunshot wound to the chest in the 5500 block of Harpers Farm Road in Columbia around 10:20 p.m. on September 3, 2017. He was transported to Shock Trauma where he was pronounced dead.

You know, three years ago today we received a knock on our door down in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, that wouldforever change our world our familys lives, Mike Locksley said. Were here today with as a family and with Meikos loved ones to reach out to the public to again ask that if anyone has any information in regards to this case that you come forward.

Police said they started their investigation immediately, and despite serving several search warrants they have not yet gotten the clues needed to close the case.

We canvassed the community to find anyone who may have seen or heard something. We tried to learn as much as we could about Meiko,and his acquaintances and contacts, Capt. Cory Zirk said. We have even served search warrants seeking evidence and information in this case. And while I cant provide all of the details of the investigation, over the last three years,I can assure you that we have left no stone unturned.

Police suspect Meiko was targeted and they dont know at this time if the motive was drug-related or some sort of dispute.

We dont think this incident was random, Zirk said. Our detectives believe that this act of violence was likely committed by someone Meiko knew whether the motive was arobberyor had something to do with drugs, or an ongoing dispute remains to be confirmed.

Police are urging someone to come forward with information.

Someone out there knows what happened over the course of three years. We know that new information can come to light, relationships and friendships and other circumstances may change, Zirk said. If there was something holding you back from giving information to the police back then, we are asking you to reconsiderand come forward now. You may have that one small detail that may seem insignificant to you, but maybe the last piece of the puzzle for our detectives.

Mike Locksley was coaching at the University of Alabama at the time of his sons murder before later moving to Maryland to coach the Terrapins. His sons unsolved murder is never far from his mind.

I grew up in the southside of Washington, D.C., where violence and gun violence was a normal occurrence, and I understand the code that goes along with growing up and these environments, he said.

Still, the family is pleading for answers.

Mike Locksley got emotional talking about his son.

First of all, I was very proud of him in a way he carried out last name. He was a great son, caring was not perfect as no child is, he said. He dealt with struggles with mental health issues, and he was a talented athlete, smart. Gone too soon. But were very thankful for the 25 years we did get to spend with him.

We wantclosure. Were not mad. Were not angry anymore were hurt. We miss him, Locksley said. We would just hope that if someone has any information that they would just come forward to maybe bring some closure. The Circle of Life isnt built for parents to bury children, for us thats been really tough to endure for the last three years.

Meiko used to play football for the University of New Mexico and then Lackawanna College in Pennsylvania. He was working at a Subway store just minutes away from where he was killed.

We also, as a family, we want to send out our prayers to anyone that has endured losing a child. We send our heartfelt prayers, Locksley said.

Police believe that this is a case that can be solved, but they need people to come forward with information.

Anonymous tips can be left at 410-313-STOP or hcpdcrimetips@howardcountymd.gov.

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UMD Football Coach Mike Locksley Pleads For Information In Son Meiko Locksleys 2017 Homicide, $20K Reward Offered - CBS Baltimore

Coronavirus in Mississippi By Rick Cleveland, Sports Columnist | 24 hours ago

Three facts you should know about author John M. Barry, the former football coach whose masterful historical literary works include both The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Greatest Plague in History and Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America:

Barry, who once coached football at the high school, small college and major college levels, remains a huge fan of the sport who admits to watching replays of games from yesteryear on the SEC Network.

Because of his exhaustive research for his book about the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918-19, Barry has become a renowned expert on pandemic preparedness to the extent that both the (George W.) Bush and Obama administrations sought his advice. During the current pandemic, he has authored articles for scientific journals, as well as opinion pieces for the New York Times, Washington Post and several magazines. On any given day, you might catch him on NBCs Meet the Press, ABCs World News Tonight, PBSs The News Hour or numerous NPR shows.

Despite his love for football and his knowledge of pandemics, Barry doesnt have a hard-set stance on whether or not college football should be played during the current COVID-19 pandemic. The season begins in Mississippi Thursday night when Southern Miss plays host to South Alabama.

Its a very difficult question, Barry said. I will say it would be a travesty for any university to play if students are not on campus. Why do universities exist? To provide entertainment for fans or for education? Any so-called school that does play without on-campus instruction should start paying their athletes.

Many college conferences have decided not to play this fall, including the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), the Big Ten, and the Pac-12. The Southeastern Conference delayed its season until Sept. 26 and will play conference games only. Conference USA will play a full schedule, although one league school, Old Dominion, decided not to play.

Said Barry, I think you can play if you are doing everything right with testing, social distancing, masks and all the protocols and if the rate of community transmission is low. I feel the same way about football as I do about living life. I think we should strive to be as normal as possible and to err on the side of caution.

Southern Miss will adhere to all suggested and ordered protocols, including allowing only 25% capacity (about 9,000 fans) to attend the game. While the community transmission rates in Hattiesburg and Forrest County are improving in recent weeks, there were still 102 new cases last week (down from over 200 in late July and early August).

Beth Wynn / Mississippi State University

John M. Barry (far right), with Mississippi State president Mark Keenum (left) and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey when Barry spoke at MSU in 2017

During the Spanish Flu pandemic that killed at least 50 million worldwide and 675,000 in the U.S., the effect on sports, college football in particular, was similar to what we see today. Some conferences played, some didnt. In Mississippi, Southern Miss did not play, while Ole Miss and Mississippi State played reduced schedules.

One of the most powerful sports stories from the pandemic a century ago was in hockey, Barry said. Professional hockey actually canceled the Stanley Cup championship series when both teams had several players become ill.

The series was tied 2-2-1 with just he deciding game remaining to be played. It never was. One player died. One coach never fully recovered from the disease and died a few years later. It remains the only time in history the Stanley Cup was not awarded after the playoffs had begun.

The so-called Spanish Flu, said Barry, left many of those afflicted with long-term health problems.

There were complications, mostly neurological in nature, that did not show up for years, Barry said. There is so much we dont know about this virus and its long-term health effects. We do know that many who are asymptomatic nevertheless have lung damage and heart problems. Thats why we should err on the side of caution.

Barry lives in New Orleans where he is currently Distinguished Scholar at Tulanes Bywater Institute and a professor at the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. In 1973, he was a graduate assistant, coaching wide receivers, for one of the most successful teams in Tulane history. Benny Ellender was the head coach of a Green Wave team that won nine games and lost three and defeated then arch-rival LSU, ranked No. 8 in the nation, 14-0.

Ellender, awarded a 10-year contract after the season, turned down an offer to become the Ole Miss coach he always regretted that, Barry said. Ken Cooper subsequently got the Ole Miss job, and two years later Tulane fired Ellender.

As for Barry, he quit coaching and began writing highly acclaimed books. Now 73, he has a new one in the works. You might not be surprised to learn it will be about the current pandemic.

Donate to our newsroom to help keep our reporting accessible to all. We rely on donations from readers like you to allow us to produce in-depth, sustainable journalism that provides accountability to those in power. Please consider supporting our small nonprofit newsroom with a tax-deductible gift.

Rick Cleveland, a native of Hattiesburg and resident of Jackson, has been Mississippi Todays sports columnist since 2016. A graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi with a bachelors in journalism, Rick has worked for the Monroe (La.) News Star World, Jackson Daily News and Clarion Ledger. He was sports editor of Hattiesburg American, executive director of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. His work as a syndicated columnist and celebrated sports writer has appeared in numerous magazines, periodicals and newspapers. Rick has been recognized 12 times as Mississippi Sports Writer of the Year, and is recipient of multiple awards and honors for his reporting and writing.

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by Rick Cleveland, Mississippi Today September 2, 2020

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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Coach-turned-author John Barry still loves football but urges caution during pandemic - Mississippi Today

This past April a friend sent me a link to a TikTok by @gardenmarcus. The video started out with Marcus posing in his garden, then cut to him churning his backyard compost and tending to his plants. I was initially confused as to why my friend sent this to me. I was waiting for a setup and punchline. I expected some sort of funny skit. But then I got the payoff. Marcus came across an unexpected growth of ginger and turned it into a lesson: Remember you have to have patience with yourself and be persistent in your actions in order to reach your goal. I followed his account after watching that TikTok and have been looking forward to hearing his encouraging affirmations since then.

Garden Marcus, a.k.a. Marcus Bridgewater, says he lives by the motto kindness, patience and positivity. He has grown his TikTok following to more than 400,000 by sharing uplifting videos and tips from his garden in Houston a welcome reprieve from the usual silly videos on the social media platform. In 2017, Marcus cofounded Choice Forward, an organization that offers life coaching, seminars and workshops, spreading his positivity beyond TikTok.

Garden Marcus in his garden in Houston.

(Dana Hammarstrom)

When and why did you start your TikTok account? I started TikTok at the end of December 2019 because my friend/media strategist strongly encouraged me to do so. He was certain that my commitment to kindness, patience and positivity would resonate with users and bring exposure to Choice Forward.

How did Choice Forward start?

After years of traveling, writing and learning from various spiritual leaders, I developed a set of ideas that helped me lead a positive and productive life. A key set of concepts within the philosophy I developed are Choice Dichotomies, which create a framework that guides choice-making. I shared them with others when I felt like they could help, but I mostly kept them to myself. In 2017, our now cofounder suggested I consolidate my work and find ways to share it with others. Thus, Choice Forward was created.

Whats something important youve learned during your gardening journey?

The most important thing I have learned from gardening is something I think about every day, both in and outside of my garden: We cannot make anything grow, but we can foster an environment where growth is a byproduct of living.

What kind of response have you received from the community TikTok, gardeners, mental health enthusiasts and people of color?

I have been humbled and floored by the responses I have received to my videos! People around the world send me messages every day letting me know that my videos make them smile, cry, garden, create healthy habits, stay positive in light of adversity and more. I feel so fortunate to be having this impact on people.

How does gardening help you and others? What are some ways you are maintaining stability during our current social climate?

Gardening is therapeutic for me. I love spending time caring for my plants and admiring their unique characteristics. Aside from gardening, I journal, meditate, call loved ones and share stories with friends. I have daily routines that help me maintain my health and stability; these routines help me stay focused during challenging times.

What do you think the future holds for you and Choice Forward?

I hope we get to continue empowering people, strengthening communities, and sharing kindness, patience and positivity.

Garden Marcus favorite plants: orchids, bromeliads and pothos.

(Micah Fluellen / Los Angeles Times)

Whats your favorite plant?

I have three favorite plants: pothos, orchids and bromeliads.

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Garden Marcus shares gardening tips and positivity on TikTok - Los Angeles Times

A group is compling information about the history of Hubbard Park since 1940. The group is having a tough time getting decent information about teams and players that played at Hubbard Park from the 1950's through the mid-to-late 1960's.

If any readers have information that they could provide to the group, especially about teams and players from 1950 to the late 1960's, contact Delbert Christensen at 319-270-7382 or at dchris3531@hotmail.com.

Twins sign first-round pick

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) The Minnesota Twins signed first baseman Aaron Sabato on Tuesday to a deal that included a $2.75 million bonus for the first-round draft pick from North Carolina.

Sabato was taken with the 27th overall pick earlier this month. He signed for about $180,000 above the value for his draft slot assigned by Major League Baseball.

The 6-foot-1, 235-pound Sabato set a Tar Heels freshman record with 18 home runs in 2019. As a sophomore in the virus-shortened 2020 season, Sabato batted .292 with seven homers, 18 RBIs and 22 walks in 19 games.

Last week, the Twins signed Tennessee outfielder Alerick Soularie, their second-round pick, and Marco Raya, a high school right-hander from Laredo, Texas, they picked in the fourth round.

Cubs sign three draft picks

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SPORTS BRIEFS: David Nurse to hold camp at The Arena - Sioux City Journal

FAYETTEVILLE -- A documentary film on the life of Eddie Sutton, who first rose to national prominence as a college basketball coach at the University of Arkansas, has been four years in the making.

But the wait to watch it won't be much longer.

The 93-minute film simply titled EDDIE will make its debut at 8 p.m. Monday on ESPN, the network announced Thursday.

"Our team is super excited about it and just very grateful and honored that ESPN saw value in the movie and decided to put it on their network," Christopher Hunt, the film's director and a co-producer, said on Thursday. "It's really a dream come true."

The first steps of making the film, Hunt said, were in the summer of 2016. The film's producers include Hunt and business partner David Tester -- whose company is 1577 Production -- along with Wendy Garrett in association with Takashi Entertainment, which helped sell the project to ESPN.

"It's an incredible look at my Dad's life, his success and his struggles," Oklahoma State assistant coach Scott Sutton, who is Eddie Sutton's son, said in a Twitter post about the film. "Chris Hunt and his team put their hearts into producing and releasing this show. Hope you guys enjoy it."

Eddie Sutton, who died May 23 at age 84, was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on April 3. He had an 806-236 record in 37 seasons as an NCAA Division I head coach at Creighton, Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma State and the University of San Francisco.

In 11 seasons at Arkansas from 1974-75 through 1984-85, Sutton had a 260-75 record and nine NCAA Tournament appearances, highlighted by the 1978 Final Four. He also coached five first-round NBA Draft picks with the Razorbacks, including Sidney Moncrief, the No. 5 overall selection in 1979.

Moncrief along with fellow "Triplets" Ron Brewer and Marvin Delph -- the nickname for the three 6-4 stars of the 1978 Razorbacks -- were interviewed for EDDIE in February of 2018 on the Walton Arena court.

"The reality is, Coach Sutton's years at Arkansas were his most successful years," Moncrief said Thursday. "He coached so many players who had substantial NBA careers, and he had the most impact on our state than he did anywhere he coached.

"If you're really honest about it, when you think about Eddie Sutton, you should think Arkansas first because of all the things he accomplished at Arkansas."

The film not only chronicles Sutton's many coaching highlights but also his struggles with alcoholism.

"Coach Sutton is not the first person to deal with alcoholism, and he won't be the last," said Darrell Walker, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock coach who was an All-America guard for Sutton with the Razorbacks. "It's happened to members in my family. No person is immune to it.

"Alcoholism is a disease. Does that make Coach Sutton a bad person? Absolutely not. That just means Coach had a problem.

"Coach was honest about his situation as he got older in life and he knew he had made some mistakes. But I think when you see this film on his life, it's going to really make you respect him even more as a person as well as a basketball coach."

ESPN has licensed EDDIE through August, so expect to see the film shown several times on the company's various networks. After the ESPN broadcasts, the film is expected to be available for rental.

"We are still working out those details and hope to have a very exciting announcement in the coming days," Garrett said in an email, "making the film available to a world-wide audience on a long-term basis. "

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Legendary Memphis and Shelby County high school basketball coach John Clayton, right, died Wednesday evening. He was 86. Clayton is pictured with his son, Clay, at a reunion with many of his former players in 2008.(Photo: File photo/The Commercial Appeal)

Faced with the task of summing up his father, Clay Clayton took a deep breath.

I will do my very best, he said Thursday morning.

John Clayton, a native of Collierville and a Hall of Fame high school basketball coach in Memphis and Shelby County, died Wednesday night. He was 86.

Clayton, who was a two-year letterman in football and basketball at Northwest Mississippi Community College and a graduate of Memphis State University, began his coaching career at Bartlett in 1957. Clayton took over at Frayser in 1958 and led the team to six straight division titles, a regional championship in 1965 and the Memphis City Championship in 1967. As coach at Raleigh-Egypt from 1971-76, Claytons teams won three Best of the Preps awards.

Upon retiring from coaching, Claytons 378 wins were the eighth-most in Memphis-Shelby County history. His .711 winning percentage was 11th.

But Clay said his father headmaster at Rossville Christian Academy (1976-85), assistant principal at Germantown (1985-89) and principal at Houston (1989-97) leaves a legacy well beyond sports.

Oh, my goodness, if you go back to (1957-58) when he went to Bartlett and tried to do the math all the way up to '97 whats that? Forty years of impact to kids, from junior high kids up to high school kids, Clay said. Id be scared to try to even do the math of the number of young men and women he was able to influence.

Hopefully his winning percentage there was as good as it was on the basketball floor.

Clay said two of his fathers favorite things later in life became golf and the annual reunion lunch with many of his former players. The latter began in 2008, when more than 25 of Claytons former players surprised him.

Jeff Hopkins, who went on to be the baseball coach at Memphis and later Collierville, called me and said, Hey, lets see if we can surprise Coach, Clay said. He was so surprised. He got to see a lot of these guys he hadnt seen in a long time, and it was something he looked forward to every year.

I cant tell you how much he meant to his players, said Hopkins. Since Ive been talking to people, theres a number of them whove said its like losing a family member. Thats how close he was to all of us.

Golf was more of an acquired taste.

He was very humble, but he was very competitive, Clay said. I dont care if we were playing basketball on Friday night or shooting squirrels in the woods. He picked up golf later in his life, probably when he was about 58. I played in high school and he used to fuss at me and say thats the silliest thing in the world to beat that white ball around when theres so much work to be done. But he picked it up and became infatuated with it. He shot his age at 69 and had two hole-in-ones at Memphis National.

Clayton was a standout player at Collierville, where he helped lead the team to the Shelby County Championship in 1951. He is a member of the Northwest Mississippi Community College Hall of Fame, the Rossville Academy Hall of Fame and the Memphis Amateur Sports Hall of Fame.

In addition to Clay, Clayton is survived by his wife, Laverne.

Visitation is set for 1 p.m. Monday at Fisherville Baptist Church in Collierville. The funeral will begin at 3.

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John Clayton, Hall of Fame high school basketball coach, remembered as 'very humble' but 'very competitive' - Commercial Appeal

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