Sports this 'n' that

The Albany Patroons won their home opener on Saturday night, beating Rochester for the 2nd time in a week. Tonight, they host the Ohio Cardinals, but will they have had enough time to effect repairs on the scoreboards?

Seems the scoreboards weren't working, so the shot clock had to be kept at press row, creating a great deal of chaos for those who were there, over a thousand fans, plus players, coaches, and game officials.

It's called growing pains, people. The North American Premier Basketball League (NAPBL) is new, and some kinks have to be worked out, even at an old venue like the Washington Avenue Armory.

What's worse is that two of the three local dailies covered the game. I don't have to tell you which one didn't, but we might as well say that El Cheapo Media, the owners of the Record, couldn't be bothered to send anyone to cover the game, due to the usual reasons.
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Even when he's thousands of miles away in a foreign country, LaVar Ball, the worst stage parent in the world, can't keep his mouth shut.

The Los Angeles Lakers had lost nine in a row prior to beating Atlanta on Sunday, but the elder Ball was claiming that coach Luke Walton had lost the team. We get it. The real life incarnation of Fred Sanford wants to coach the team himself, if at all possible, but unless he can prove his claims, they have zero merit. Every team in the NBA goes through cycles of losing, and the Lakers are no exception. Does La Loudmouth realize son Lonzo was injured during part of that recent losing streak? Does he really care? Injuries, of course, are a bane on any team in any sport, but that doesn't matter to LaVar. It's all about keeping his name out there. Not good.
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NFL referee Jeff Triplette retired after Saturday's Titans-Chiefs playoff game, ending a career of 25 seasons in the league, all but 3 as a referee. His next job should be selling magnifying glasses. That way, he can see things a little clearer.
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The Divisional round of the NFL playoffs are now set:

AFC: Tennessee @ New England, Jacksonville @ Pittsburgh.
NFC: Atlanta @ Philadelphia, New Orleans @ Minnesota.

While we'd like to see some fresh blood in the AFC title game, the power brokers in the league are the only ones who aren't suffering from Patriot fatigue. Atlanta would like to get back to the Super Bowl for a rematch with New England, but I don't see it happening. Picks coming on Friday.