The Daily Mauling: 2.8.2023

Feb 8, 2023 - 2:02 PM

The Rock Chalkboard

Big 12 football: Projected regular-season win totals for every team in 2023
Are the Jayhawks about to make it back-to-back years of bowl eligibility? KU rocketed out to a 5-0 mark last season before an injury to dynamic quarterback Jalon Daniels derailed that start, and the Jayhawks have him back in 2023 — hopefully for a full season this time around — after being sidelined for virtually all of Big 12 play. They'll sure want him, too, for a 2023 schedule that could be tricky. Non-conference play sees Kansas host Illinois in Week 2, and there's also a trip to Nevada in Week 3. Big 12 play will feature its fair share of tests as well. Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas State are all part of that slate, as are games against three newcomers in BYU, UCF and Cincinnati. The Bearcats come on the road in the final week of the season, and weather in Cincinnati that time of year isn't exactly inviting. Add in the three remaining games — road trips to Iowa State and Oklahoma State, and a home game against Texas Tech — and the ballpark of 6-6 seems reasonable again for Lance Leipold's group.

College basketball's Top 10 National Player of the Year contenders
"There’s narratives created early in the year, and there’s other really good players, and sometimes those guys get the benefit of the doubt of being out in the minds of people,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. "Maybe they have a good game here and there, and that reminds everybody, oh yeah, they’re really good."

Goat Emoji News

LeBron James breaks Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's NBA scoring record
"Oh, that's tough!" James told Bronny as he watched the record-breaking basket on his son's phone. "You got that saved? Send that to me."

Lakers Big Man Roasted After LeBron James Broke NBA Record
One of the best photos of the moment came from the opposite end of the floor, as it shows a slew of fans eagerly trying to capture the historic scene while James rises up. But in the corner of the now-famous image, you can see Bryant sealing off Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and calling for the ball from his future Hall of Fame teammate.

Thomas’ confidence to call his own number — at that moment — got a rise out of NBA Twitter.

LeBron still feels like he could win championships ‘for any franchise’ - Silver Screen and Roll
“I think about how much longer I’m going to play the game. I think about that I don’t want to finish my career playing at this level from a team aspect. I’ll still be able to compete for championships because I know what I can still bring to any ball club with the right pieces,” James said then.

The Story of LeBron James’s 38,390 Points - The New York Times
Teammates. Competitors. Victims of his memes. They each have a story about James’s road to breaking the N.B.A. career scoring record.

Eraser Dust

State of the Union 2023: Five takeaways from Biden's speech - BBC News
Joe Biden delivered an animated and at times combative State of the Union speech at a pivotal moment for his presidency. It came as he is poised to launch a re-election campaign and is dealing with Republicans controlling one chamber of Congress for the first time.

Memphis officer took, shared photos of bloodied Tyre Nichols, documents show : NPR
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Documents released Tuesday provided a scathing account of what authorities called the "blatantly unprofessional" conduct of five officers involved in the fatal police beating of Tyre Nichols during a traffic stop last month — including new revelations about how one officer took and shared pictures of the bloodied victim.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders Criticizes Biden’s Agenda as ‘Woke Fantasies’ - The New York Times
Ms. Sanders is the first Arkansan to deliver a State of the Union response since Bill Clinton.

New Zealand police find 3.5 tons of cocaine in Pacific Ocean
New Zealand police said Wednesday they found more than 3 tons of cocaine floating in a remote part of the Pacific Ocean after it was dropped there by an international drug-smuggling syndicate.

IRS urges millions of taxpayers to delay filing | FOX31 Denver
The Internal Revenue Service is telling millions of taxpayers who received special state tax refunds or payments to delay filing their 2022 taxes.

“There are a variety of state programs that distributed these payments in 2022 and the rules surrounding them are complex,” the IRS said in a statement. “We expect to provide additional clarity for as many states and taxpayers as possible next week.”

Kalispell Police investigate reported shooting at west side hotel | Daily Inter Lake
Authorities found two people at the scene. First responders took the victim to Logan Health Medical Center for treatment of minor injuries while officers placed a suspect into custody. (Ed note - this dude was arrested right in front of my office. it was crazy to watch)

Nissen family puts land under conservation easement with the Flathead Land Trust | Daily Inter Lake
“I could see where things were going around here and I wanted to do what I could to save at least a little bit [of land],” Nissen said.

Flathead Warming Center sees uptick in donations, support | KECI
"We have seen an increase in new donors to the warming center, to have the amount of approximately $10,000. And we have a weekly volunteer orientation and we have seen a greater turnout for the past two weeks," said Tonya Horn, executive director of the Flathead Warming Center.

A Tale of Two Chefs - Flathead Beacon
Because winter in the Flathead Valley can span five months or more, Reynolds is rewriting roughly 80% of his program as a kind of seasonal seventh-inning stretch, giving his staff a short break and him an opportunity to recharge creatively while rebooting the menu. Meanwhile, the restaurant gets a deep scrub while Reynolds immerses himself in cooking literature, searching for inspiration to divine novel twists on classic cuisine.