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Yes, we all know Kevin VanDam announced his retirement at the end of the 2023 Bass Pro Tour regular season. All of the fans, myself included, were surprised. But then he finished the season high enough in the points to qualify to fish this REDCREST. So, we all kind of delayed that “good bye” , even just in our heads, like we’re all prone to do. It softens the blow a little bit.
But today, I was at the launch ramp. It occurred to me that I might be taking some of the last photos of this kind. I didn’t really overhear any conversations about it—maybe a few hushed whispers, but nothing out loud. But I think a lot of people could feel it, including KVD. He was smiling and seemed like he was just trying to enjoy the moment, but there seemed to be an energy just under the surface that was more bittersweet. Then again, maybe it was just my thoughts and feelings I was projecting onto what I was seeing, but probably not.
For me, and I would guess a lot of people, he had a huge influence on the world's approach to bass fishing, especially tournament bass fishing. His reign really got rolling right around the same time I started getting more serious about tournaments. What he shared about his bass fishing approach and strategy just made sense to me. Then his unprecedented record of success made the information even more compelling and undeniable. So, when I think of tournament bass fishing, I assume he’s part of it. It’s hard for me to picture it any other way.
Maybe I’m getting ahead of myself. I hope so. I’m writing this just a couple hours into today’s competition. He’s going to need a really big day to make the cut to tomorrow. Then I remind myself, he is one of the fiercest bass tournament competitors ever.
Am I just trying to delay the inevitable for as long as possible, you know, to soften the blow? Maybe, but never count KVD out.
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What could Michigan football's punishment be from NCAA for sign-stealing saga?
After a two-day hearing in June from the NCAA Committee of Infractions (COI) related to its investigation into Michigan football's alleged in-person scouting violations, it looks as if the NCAA is nearing an announcement of how the organization will punish the Wolverines. According to a report from Maize Blue Review's Josh Henschke, a decision could come as early as this week. In a prior ESPN report from Dan Wetzel and Pete Thamel, they wrote in an article a final resolution from the NCAA is expected before the start of the 2025 season. In that, all signs (pun intended) point to the NCAA wrapping up this investigation and deciding on what penalties to levy against Michigan football. For many who follow college football, it will be a relief to see this saga come to an end as events related to Connor Stalions and the Wolverines have remained steady in the news cycle since the middle of the 2023 fall season during Michigan's National Championship run. That being said, many are eager for the results and what it will mean for one of college football's most storied programs moving forward and whether or not there will be any implications with past accomplishments. Let's break down the hottest questions leading up to the NCAA's decision and evaluate what the most likely punishments will be for Sherrone Moore's program,. Will Michigan have any wins vacated spanning from 2021-23? Prediction: Not happening As time has worn on, and even after the NCAA officially cited Michigan for 11 violations (six of which were deemed of the Level I variety) in August of 2024, there have been no credible reports suggesting the Wolverines' past accomplishments are in any sort of danger. That includes all wins spanning from 2021-23, Big Ten titles and the 2023 National Championship. In fact, the only people who have seemed to have suggested that those accomplishments could be in danger have seemed to come from online trolls of rival fan bases. According to words from Thamel on the College Gameday Podcast in August of 2024, he is completely confident the Wolverines will not have to vacate any wins. "So the vacating thing I can say with full throated confidence,” Thamel said. “They take away wins when it involves players who aren’t eligible. And there are no players implicated in here directly by name or anything. Looking back there will be nothing. The actual likelihood of that happening considering Tennessee, considering the political climate, considering the NCAA has basically come out and said, ‘We don’t want to punish them.’ The Tennessee case that Thamel referenced when the Volunteers received an $8 million fine, vacated wins from the 2019-20 season and a six-year show-cause penalty for former head coach Jeremy Pruitt, included a situation where the NCAA deemed 16 former Tennessee players were ineligible due to the 2019 and 2020 seasons due them receiving impermissible benefits. Therefore, due to having players on the field who were deemed ineligible, the NCAA chose the route of vacating wins from the program. As Thamel pointed out in the podcast, the wiping away of wins from the NCAA usually comes when there are ineligible players involved. In this instance for Michigan football, no players have been deemed ineligible, making it extremely unlikely the NCAA would go that route in punishing the Wolverines. Will Michigan receive a future postseason ban? Prediction: Unlikely In the aforementioned quote from Thamel, he did leave the possibility of a postseason ban a little more open than he did for the vacating of wins, but explained the usual practice of the NCAA in not wanting to punish current players for past violations that they have zero affiliation with. Additionally, if Michigan's program believed any sort of postseason ban was on the table, or if there were credible reports of that possibility surfacing, the momentum on the recruiting trail likely would have stagnated. Instead, the Wolverines had a very strong summer in landing several top prospects as Moore's program has the 11th-best recruiting class in 2026, according to the Rivals Industry Rankings. In essence, nobody seems worried about the future of the program and any punishments that could impact future Wolverines as it relates to the NCAA's investigation. Will Sherrone Moore be punished? Prediction: Yes...but to a lesser extent Moore is already set to serve a punishment related to the in-person scouting investigation for the deletion of 52 text messages with Stalions alleged to have happened in October of 2023, on the same day that media reports revealed that Stalions was leading an effort to capture the play calling signals of future opponents. However, the penalty for Moore, which , as of now, is a two-game suspension for Weeks 3 and 4 of the upcoming season when the Wolverines play Central Michigan and Nebraska, is a self-imposed one from the university. The NCAA, after reviewing all of the facts, could levy further punishment against Moore by adding additional games or other measures. What Moore has going in his favor is that the texts were recovered via "device imaging" and Moore subsequently produced them to enforcement staff, according to the prior mentioned ESPN report. He has been accused of committing a Level II violation, according to the draft of the notice of allegations obtained by ESPN. Level II violations, according to the NCAA's website, are "violations that provide or are intended to provide more than a minimal but less than a substantial or extensive recruiting, competitive or other advantage; includes more than a minimal but less than a substantial or extensive impermissible benefit; or involves conduct that may compromise the integrity of the NCAA collegiate model as set forth in the Constitution and bylaws." While the school faces several Level I charges, Moore himself is only reported to be facing a Level II violation. The two-game suspension seems likely to hold up and it wouldn't be surprising if the NCAA tacked on a couple more games. Beyond that, it would be shocking to see Moore receive a penalty as severe as a show-cause, but the Wolverines being without him for multiple games and practices this season seems very likely. Show causes for Jim Harbaugh and Connor Stalions? Prediction: Likely Some would argue that the NCAA has an axe to grind with Harbaugh. Whether that's true or not, the organization has come down harshly on the ex-Michigan coach in the past by handing him a four-year show cause order for recruiting violations that involved impermissible contact with recruits during the pandemic. In essence, that means that any college that were to hire Harbaugh over the four-year period of the order would have to justify the decision to the NCAA, while a suspension for Harbaugh would likely follow. That seemed like a harsh penalty for his program breaking recruiting contact rules during a very odd time in the world, but given the history with Harbaugh and the NCAA, it seems likely the organization would have no issue with coming down hard on him again. In the grand scheme of things, show cause orders are not going to play much of a factor for the Wolverines or Harbaugh since he is now the head coach of the LA Chargers and likely has no plans of returning to the college game anytime soon. As far as Stalions is concerned, who has been the center of attention in the investigation after it was revealed he had people he knew at games of Michigan's future opponents sending sideline signals to him, it seems unlikely he will catch any sort of break from the NCAA. Stalions claimed in April of 2024 in an interview with NCAA investigators, where segments of the interview was released in the Netflix documentary "Sign Stealer," that there were some people who attended games using tickets that he purchased and recorded parts of those games. "I've had friends send me film," Stalions said. "It's kind of like when your aunt gets you a Christmas gift that you already have. You're not going to be rude and be like, 'Oh, I already have this. I don't need that.' It's, 'Oh, thanks, appreciate it.' They feel like they're helping out when I already have the signals, I've already memorized the signals." Obtaining opposing teams' signals is not against NCAA rules in itself, but it was the way Stalions allegedly obtained some of them in what caused the NCAA to tap into the situation to see what was going on before launching an investigation. Even though Stalions maintains his innocence, it's hard to see the NCAA not ordering him a show cause based on multiple reports and all of what Stalions has been alleged to do, including being on the sidelines working for Central Michigan in a game between the Chippewas and the Spartans. Will Michigan receive a fine? Prediction: Absolutely Going back to Thamel's statements in the aforementioned podcast, a large fine for this type of situation would be the most likely outcome in terms of punishment against the university at large. "What is likely as Michigan cuts a big old check," Thamel said in the podcast. On that same podcast, Rece Davis joined Thamel in saying a hefty fine would be the most appropriate punishment for the Wolverines. "That is what the punishments should be, in my judgment,” Davis said. “I’ve said this for years. What drives this enterprise? Money. What sends the biggest message? Taking away money. So if the NCAA wants to be taken seriously consistently as an enforcement body for college sports and college football, particularly, that needs to be the direction in which they go. Fine people. They can do the show cause thing.” In addition to a fine, further recruiting restrictions—similar to what Michigan endured this summer, such as not being able to host recruits for a period of time, could be on the table as well. Final verdict The sign stealing/in-person scouting saga has been a long process that will finally wrap up in the near future. While many rival fans are hoping for Michigan's football program to receive some sort of "death penalty," after gathering information that is available and trying to get a read on the situation as a whole, it seems likely that the online trolls are going to be sorely disappointed. Michigan football is to undoubtedly get punished in some forms, but will likely be able to keep its accomplishments from 2021-23 and be in a spot as a program to move forward from this once and for all. With that being said, nobody truly knows what the NCAA is going to do until the punishment is officially handed out, so it will be interesting to follow to see what happens in the end.
NASCAR makes decision on victory celebrations after Connor Zilisch fall
One of NASCAR's brightest young stars in Connor Zilisch could miss time after falling in Victory Lane following his victory in the Aug. 9 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Watkins Glen. Zilisch slipped on the door of his No. 88 Chevrolet before suffering a hard fall in Victory Lane and breaking his collarbone. He underwent successful surgery on Tuesday, with a timetable for his return yet to be announced. Even in light of the viral incident, NASCAR will not restrict drivers from celebrating in a certain way moving forward, per NASCAR's Mike Forde. Drivers have long climbed on the roof or door of their vehicles on the frontstretch and in Victory Lane to celebrate victories, but accidents stemming from that action are rare. After winning the Cup Series race at Watkins Glen on Aug. 10, Shane van Gisbergen — who will likely be Zilisch's Cup Series teammate at Trackhouse Racing in 2026 — carefully climbed out of his No. 88 Chevrolet — something he does regularly, not just in response to Zilisch's fall. Zilisch did not race in the Cup Series race at Watkins Glen due to his injury. The Xfinity Series will return on Aug. 22 at Daytona International Speedway, with Zilisch leading the regular-season standings by seven points.
Commanders have major hang-up preventing them from paying Terry McLaurin what he's due
It’s been two weeks since Washington Commanders star wide receiver Terry McLaurin publicly revealed his trade request, and a resolution doesn’t appear to be in sight. Thanks to ESPN’s John Keim, we’re starting to get more insight into how the Commanders are approaching negotiations…and how they run counter to their star wide receiver’s financial desires. As we’ve assumed all along, the Commanders are wary of giving McLaurin a lucrative contract that would extend well into the player’s 30s. As Keim notes, the Commanders “rely heavily on analytics,” and those numbers aren’t particularly kind to receivers on the wrong side of 30. They may be onto something. Per ESPN Research, over the past five years, only three receivers 31 years or older have played at least 10 games and averaged 70-plus receiving yards per game (that number jumps to six players if you adjust for 60-plus receiving yards). Further, the team can simply point to the NFL landscape, as other teams are also clearly wary of paying aging wideouts. Among the 24 active wide receivers who are attached to the most guaranteed money, only Tyreek Hill was older than 30 when the deal was signed. McLaurin has continually pointed to his lack of mileage despite his age; he barely played during his first two years at Ohio State, meaning he may not have the same wear and tear as similar players his age. McLaurin is also naturally pointing to the stat sheet, as the receiver has continually produced despite uncertain QB play, uncertain ownership and a handful of different coaching staffs. Per Keim, the Commanders don’t want to pay McLaurin based on his past performance, with the front office preferring to shape any future contracts based on his projections for age-31-plus seasons. The organization also doesn’t want to set a new precedent by paying McLaurin, as it could convince future veterans to push for lucrative deals in their 30s. While McLaurin has taken the drastic measure of requesting a trade out of Washington, the organization is still convinced they have leverage in this showdown. After all, the player is still under contract for the 2025 campaign, meaning McLaurin will have to forfeit game checks if he sits out games. The team could even choose to slap him with the franchise tag next offseason (which could come in north of $30M), meaning they’re in full control of the player’s fate moving forward. The team is also skeptical that another suitor is going to willingly pay McLaurin the type of money he’s seeking. Per Keim, there’s doubts around the league about whether another team would be willing to meet the receiver’s demands. Even if a clear suitor does emerge, Keim makes it clear that Washington’s front office won’t give the star away without receiving a haul. We heard recently that McLaurin wasn’t necessarily seeking a deal that matched fellow 2019 draftee D.K. Metcalf‘s deal with the Steelers. However, Keim says Metcalf’s contract has generally served as a guide for McLaurin, but it’s uncertain whether the Commanders wideout is looking to match the AAV ($33M) or total guarantees ($60M). Ultimately, one source believes the Commanders may agree to pay McLaurin a contract that will pay $28M per year. Of course, it’s uncertain if the player would even accept that offer. If that hypothetical maximum offer doesn’t end in a signing, a divorce may be the logical next step.
Portland Trail Blazers to be sold to Hurricanes owner and pickleball enthusiast
A group led by billionaire Tom Dundon, the owner of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, has reached a tentative agreement to buy the Trail Blazers from Paul Allen‘s estate, sources tell Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams of Sportico. Blue Owl Capital co-president Marc Zahr and co-CEO of Collective Global Sheel Tyle are among the other investors who are part of Dundon’s group, according to Soshnick and Novy-Williams, who say the buyers intend to keep the team in Portland. The Blazers will be valued at more than $4 billion in the sale, reports Shams Charania of ESPN. The Trail Blazers announced their plans to sell the franchise back in May. Allen, the longtime Blazers owner who purchased the franchise for $70M in 1988, died on Oct. 15, 2018, resulting in control of the team being transferred to his sister Jody Allen, the trustee and executor of his estate. The plan following Paul Allen’s death was for ownership of the Blazers to eventually change hands as part of an estate sale, which is the process that’s playing out now. The investment bank Allen Co. (no relation) and the law firm Hogan Lovells were selected to lead the sale of the team. As Soshnick and Novy-Williams note, while the valuation of the Blazers in this tentative deal isn’t yet known, a trust generally has a fiduciary duty in an estate sale to maximize the value of its assets and to sell to the highest qualified bidder. When Sportico last updated its NBA franchise valuations in December 2024, the site estimated the Blazers’ worth to be $3.6 billion. New owners have agreed to buy the Celtics ($6.1 billion valuation) and Lakers ($10 billion valuation) since then. All estate proceeds as a result of the Blazers sale will be directed toward philanthropy, per the late Allen’s wishes. In addition to owning the NHL’s Hurricanes, Dundon has invested heavily in pickleball — he’s the majority owner of the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball. Dundon, who is also the chairman and managing partner of the Dallas-based investment firm Dundon Capital Partners, will serve as the Blazers’ new governor if and when the sale is officially approved by the NBA, per Sportico’s report.
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