Scott Adamson, Author at Adamsonmedia.com

Squadron swats Swarm

**Birmingham improved to 13-13 on Friday.** /photo courtesy of **RODTEE Media**

They say it ain’t over ‘til it’s over.

Truthfully, the NBA G League matchup between the Birmingham Squadron and Greensboro Swarm on Friday looked like it was going to be over pretty fast, with the visiting Swarm scoring on the New Orleans Pelicans’ developmental club early and often.

**Scott Adamson writes stuff. Follow him on Threads @sladamson1960 and Adamsonmedia on Facebook.**

But after falling behind by as many as 19 points in the first half, Birmingham flipped the script after intermission to top the Charlotte Hornets’ farm club, 110-96, before 1,776 fans at Legacy Arena.

The Squadron entered the fourth quarter on top by five, and combined stingy defense with sharp shooting to outscore the team from North Carolina 30-21 in the frame and win going away.

The 33-point swing allowed T.J. Saint’s team to improve to 13-13 and stay in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race (one and a half games out of the final spot) with eight games remaining in the regular season.

“It’s a championship essence,” Saint said of his team’s ability to rally. “We came out flat, but it didn’t bother us. We were down seven at the half, but we really challenged them to make a push for the playoffs.”

Malcolm Hill, the G League’s leading scorer and now on a two-way contract with the Pelicans, led the winners with 29 points.

“I’ve nicknamed him the Terminator,” Saint said. “He’s one of the most locked in dudes you’ve ever seen. He puts time in on his own, extra … he’s a gift, man. He’s awesome.”

Jalen Crutcher finished with 17 points, E.J. Liddell had 15, Karlo Matkovic came off the bench to score 14 points and grab seven rebounds, and Dereon Seabron picked up a double-double (12 points, 12 assists).

The victors won the battle for points in the paint, 58-36.

Amari Bailey paced Greensboro (11-15) with 25 points, while Jaylen Sims was good for 17 points and 10 boards.

Other twin-figure Swarm players were Marcus Garrett (14) and Kent Bazemore (11).

The Swarm dominated the first quarter, grabbing an 11-2 lead right out of the gate and holding a 29-16 advantage after 12 minutes. Birmingham was just two of 11 from 3-point range, and Bailey had already racked up 12 Greensboro points when the horn sounded.

The Swarm led by 19 in the second period before the Squad starting chipping away. With just :54 to go before halftime a Landers Nolley trey cut the deficit to 50-46, and Greensboro had to settle for a 53-46 upper hand at the break.

Hill and Crutcher did much of the heavy lifting for the hosts in the first half, scoring 17 and 12 points, respectively.

Hill took over early in the third, tying the game with a free throw (55-all) at 9:50 and giving Birmingham its first lead of the night moments later with a 3-pointer.

His second consecutive trey at the 8:55 mark put his team in front, 60-55.

A Crutcher 3-pointer extended the advantage to 63-55, and then Seabron’s shot from outside the arc inflated the cushion to 66-55.

The Swarm kept their composure, however, whittling away at the Birmingham edge and slicing it to 80-75 with one quarter left to settle this one.

Next up: The Squadron hosts the Long Island Nets on Sunday at 3 p.m. The Nets are currently 14-11 and are in the sixth and final playoff position in the East.

Saluting the heroes: The Squadron is partnering with Children’s of Alabama and will wear specialty hero-themed uniforms featuring the names of Children’s of Alabama patients instead of player names on the back nameplate of the jerseys for Sunday’s matchup with the Nets.

“We are thrilled to honor the patients of Children’s of Alabama, as well as their families, with the hero-themed uniforms,” Squadron general manager Leslie Claybrook said. “When the patients see their names on our players’ jerseys, our goal is they see the players giving their all, like they do, to fight and persevere as true heroes and understand they have the Squadron’s full support.”

Each player’s game-worn jersey will be gifted to their respective Children’s of Alabama patient following the game.

OTD in 1948: The Birmingham Vulcans of the Southern Professional Basketball League saw their season come to an end with a 99-61 blowout loss to the Nashville Vols.

Bufford Maddox led Birmingham with 18 points and Red Glasgow added 14.

OTD in 1992: The Birmingham Bandits of the Continental Basketball Association defeated the Tulsa Zone, 128-106.

Skeeter Henry led the winners with 36 points while Eric Johnson notched the double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Chris Collier added 20 points off the bench in a contest that saw the Bandits score the first 12 points in a game played in front of just 347 fans at State Fair Arena.

Rules for the UFL to live by

Say the words, “alternative football,” and you have my attention.

Say the words, “alternative football rule innovations,” and I get weirdly excited.

So, when it was first announced that the modern United States Football League was going to merge with XFL 3.0, I was curious which rules from which circuit would carry over to the United Football League.

While there were already some commonalities, kickoffs and conversions were where the USFL and XFL differed most.

The USFL allowed a traditional PAT along with scrimmage plays for two and three-point conversions.

In the XFL, there were no extra point kicks; one, two and three-point conversions had to be scored via the run or pass.

As for XFL kickoffs, they were unique. The kicker lined up at his 30 while the rest of the team stood at the opponents’ 35-yard line – five yards away from the receiving team.

The kicker and returner were the only players who could move until the ball was fielded.

In the USFL, kickoffs took place from the 20-yard line of the kicking team, making touchbacks quite a feat.

When the UFL begins play on March 30, games will utilize XFL conversions and USFL kickoffs.

Personally, I wish the UFL had flip-flopped what they decided to cull from the old leagues.

I like a PAT option, especially now that extra points are more than automatic chip shots.

And since the NFL is considering adopting the XFL kickoff, it seems like it would’ve been a natural fit for a league that hopes to send players to – or back to – the NFL.

But the rules in play for 2024 are still nice tweaks.

“Early on when we were looking at rule changes, the first thing I noticed was that in the XFL, they didn’t kick extra points,” Birmingham Stallions coach Skip Holtz said. “When they went for one, two or three, they were all offensive scrimmage plays, it was just whether they went from the two or the five or the 10.

“But with us losing (kicker) Brandon Aubrey (who parlayed an All-USFL season into an All-Pro year with the Dallas Cowboys) that rule change did not break my heart. And now, is a touchdown gonna be worth six points? Seven? Eight? Nine? It depends on the conversions, and I think that’s gonna be exciting.”

Stallions receiver Deon Cain returned two kickoffs for touchdowns and racked up 606 return yards last season so, as you might expect, he’s fine with retaining the USFL kickoff rules.

“It was something that obviously was in question with the XFL kickoffs, but I was definitely glad that they made the decision to have the normal USFL kickoff rules,” Cain said. “It brings another element of excitement to the game.”

I also like the scrimmage option to the onside kick.

While traditional onside kicks are allowed at any time during the game, teams will have an alternate way to retain possession in the fourth quarter. If a squad is tied or behind during the final frame, it can try to retain possession after a score with a 4th-and-12 play from its own 28-yard line.

“I think the kickoff rules are safer and still create excitement,” Holtz said. “They bring the return game back into it, which is something that’s been lost right now in the game of football because kickers have become so strong with their legs. We’re really trying to introduce some new policies into the game.”

One kicking rule I wish league officials would rethink, however, involves punts. Any punt that goes out of bounds inside the receiving team’s 25-yard line will be considered a touchback and placed at the 25.

That punishes a good punter who has the ability to pin a team deep with a coffin-corner kick. I love offense, but I also like to see punters who can flip the field.

The UFL will feature the now-familiar “shootout” overtime procedure as well as two forward passes on one play, so there is plenty for us alternative football geeks to love. And yet, the UFL will still showcase a largely familiar brand of pro football.

Going forward, it’ll be interesting to see just how experimental the UFL chooses to be.

On the one hand, you want to give spring football its own identity. On the other, you need to make sure players are prepared if and when they get the call-up to the NFL.

Regardless, it should be a whole lot of fun when they tee it up later this month.

For a complete list of rules, go to www.theufl.com.

The bartender

The drinkery at the Ambassador in Washington, D.C., was typical of most motel watering holes. A flat screen TV hung over the bar and the lounge itself – which blended into the lobby – had five tables with a small candle situated in the middle of each one.

There was no one at the bar, so Mallory decided to grab a stool and watch the last couple of innings of the Baltimore-Boston baseball game.

“What’s your pleasure?” asked the bartender, a 60ish man with tightly curled white hair and a deeply lined face.

“Vodka and orange juice,” Mallory said. “Well brand is fine.”

Mallory’s bar routine back in Asheville, North Carolina, involved getting to Will O’ The Wisp early in the evening, where her drinking buddy Arlie would usually already be there – and be well on the way to getting lubricated.

Mallory would throw back some drinks, make the last call around 11, and spend the walk back to her apartment daydreaming about how much better her boyfriend’s life would be if she wasn’t in it.

Well, this getaway to the nation’s capital was her chance, and it was nearing its conclusion. Amidst all the planning that went into her solo trip, Mallory hadn’t really taken stock of the real reason for the “vacation.”

Yes, she had visited the Entertainment and Sports Arena to watch the Washington Mystics play the Atlanta Dream, but that was all just window dressing, really. In actuality, she was running away from what had become her home and running toward her original home.

At some point later that night, she’d go back to her hotel, send her boyfriend, Mike, a “Dear John” text, and then disappear from his life forever.

It was like entering the Federal Witness Protection Program, only she wasn’t the target of criminals – at least not in the traditional sense.

It wasn’t that she didn’t love Mike – she absolutely did. But the situation was untenable, and there was no way she could explain why; he simply wouldn’t believe her.

That was a sobering thought, and Mallory didn’t want to be sober yet.

So, one drink became two and two became six, and as the buzz kicked in, she noticed the bartender seemed to be keeping a close eye on her.
“Oh, don’t worry,” Mallory said. “I’m not driving anywhere. In fact, I’m just a couple of doors down.”

The bartender laughed.

“Good to know,” he said. “I send for a lot of cabs and I needed to make sure you were riding and not driving anywhere. My name’s Carl, by the way.”

Other than ordering drinks, Mallory had stayed quiet most of the night, but as patrons ducked in and ducked out for a quick snort, Mallory decided it might be nice to have someone to talk to.

“Nice to meet you, Carl,” Mallory said. “I’m staying here for a couple of days and got to watch a WNBA game live. I’ve grown to love basketball over the past several years, and it was nice to be at the arena to see it live.”

“Are you here by yourself?” Carl asked.

“I am,” Mallory said. “I’m from North Carolina and I’m kinda running away from home. I, uh … I just need to get away from my boyfriend. It’s for his own good.”

“Trust me … it makes sense – perfect sense,” said Carl, wiping down the counter. “I took a solo road trip myself a couple of years ago. Drove all the way to the West Coast and back, just to see the sights.”

“Cool,” Mallory said. “That had to be a lot of fun.”

Carl managed a weak smile and paused before answering.

“It was more therapeutic than anything,” Carl said. “I had just lost my wife. We had planned a cross country trip together but she died suddenly. Not unexpectedly, but suddenly.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that,” Mallory said. “I’m sure that would’ve meant a lot to her – you know, being able to travel the country with you.”

“Well, we still got to go,” Carl said. “She was cremated, so I took her with me. At every stop we’d talked about – places in Oklahoma, New Mexico, Nevada – I’d scatter some of her ashes. Thing is, she didn’t have to die … if only I’d done what you’re doing, things would’ve been different for her. ”

Mallory ordered one more drink, downed it, and laid down a 100-dollar bill.

“Thanks for your hospitality, Carl,” Mallory said. “And advice. Just keep the change.”

Carl crumpled the bill, stuffed it into his pocket and gently grabbed Mallory’s right shoulder.

“You’re doing the right thing, Mallory, even though it hurts.” he said. “Be safe … and know he’ll be well.”

Mallory nodded, and gave him a knowing wink. She then scurried out of the bar, walked out of the main door of the Ambassador, punched in coordinates on her phone, and eyed the night sky.

If things were different, she would head back to Mike immediately, give him a big, lingering hug, and tell him she loved him more than anything on earth.

And it was true – she did.

But mating with a human was the ultimate taboo on her planet, and she knew if she didn’t leave earth, the bounty hunters from Luyten b would find Mike and kill him.

Sadly, Carl – and his wife – had already been given an object lesson in how cruel interplanetary justice can be.