Your “Oh God – Anything But Golf” Thursday Evening Open Thread

NFL Noise:

• The Bengals are apparently the last team to create a Ring of Honor of some type in their stadium.
  • The first inductees will be Paul Brown & Anthony Munoz.
  • Fans will vote on the next two inductees this season.
    • Knowing the good folks of the Queen City, the winners will be Ickey Woods and the snowballs Sam Wyche was yelling at.

• JuJu Smith-Schuster says he would have signed with the Chiefs had he not re-signed with the Steelers.
  • Uh huh. And I would have married Kathy Ireland had my wife not said “yes” when I proposed.
  • He cites Andy Reid texting him “Lombardi trophy photos” as evidence.
    • Kathy Ireland totally texted me photos too. In 1998. That’s why I don’t have them any more.

• In a move sure to go over well in the court of public opinion, Deshaun Watson’s lawyer has asked the court to force one of the Jane Doe accusers to replead under her real name.
  • His lawyer, Rusty Hardin, is arguing the point that “Texas law does not permit Ms. Doe to file her civil claims using a pseudonym.”
    • Here’s the lawyer-y quote: “While I understand that anonymity often is used as a shield for victims, Mr. Buzbee is using it as a sword.”
  • The best example I could find actually bolsters his argument.
    • Topheavy Studios, Inc. v. Doe, No. 03-05-00022-CV, 2005 WL 1940159 (Tex. App. 2005) – yup; that’d be porn. (A topless dance contest, to be precise.)
      • Denying appeal of grant of pseudonym under Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem.Code Ann. § 51.014 (West Supp. 2004-05).
      • The order specifically allowed for full discovery and stated that Doe’s true name may be used in depositions and in the investigation of the case as long as her name was given to only those individuals who must know her name in order to fully participate in the investigation.
        • Essentially, the order only prevented the disclosure of Doe’s true name to the media or in any public forum.
  • If this were a criminal case, the court could still allow her to be a “Doe” accuser but have to provide her name to the defense, under Chapter 58 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure.
    • There is a specific pseudonym form that has to be filed out.
  • But since this is a civil case, the same protections – Watson’s lawyer posits – should not apply.
    • Especially since two of his accusers have now gone public.
  • The hearing is scheduled for Friday at noon ET.

That was a fun little bit of research that didn’t make me feel dirty at all.

I’m going to bed early tonight, as my beloved IPL T20 cricket begins tomorrow morning bright & early.

Unlike last year when it took place in the UAE, it’s returning to India for 2021. They will be using a rotating bubble to host the games. The bubble cities to start are Mumbai (fka Bombay) & Chennai (fka Madras), and then they will switch after 18 games are played, so each host city will get to host at least nine games each. As usual, there are eight teams,

of 25 players made up of local rostered talent, Indian free agent talent, and up to eight designated import players. (The active game day roster of 11 can have a maximum of four import players in the field.) They too have a salary cap, and in February they held the “player auction”, where all teams have a set budget and then fill out their rosters based on who is available for purchase.

The first match is the defending champion Mumbai Indians (not racist) taking on the Royal Challengers Bangalore. The schedule is here if you need it, and in North America is being broadcast on Willow TV, an all-cricket cable channel catering to the Indian diaspora in North America. I can’t wait.

Tonight’s sports:

• NHL:
  • all games are regional broadcasts only
• NBA:
  • LA Lakers vs Miami – 7:30pm | TNT / SportsnetNow (online)
  • Bulls vs. Raptors – 7:30pm | TSN4
  • Phoenix vs LA Clippers – 10:00pm | TNT / Sportsnet360
• MLB:
  • LA Angels at Toronto – 7:00pm | MLBN / Sportsnet
• Futbol:
  • CONCACAF Champions League:
    • Columbus Crew at Real Esteli FC – 8:00pm | FS1
    • CF Monterrey at Club Atletico Pantoja – 10:00pm | FS1
• Wrasslin’:
  • WWE NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver Pt.2 – 8:00pm | Peacock / USA / Sportsnet360

Balls has got you tomorrow night – only sinners, no saints – and I’ll be back with something this weekend. Keep the server in your thoughts & prayers.