Ponderous thoughts I was pondering ...

The men (left) got a full weight room; the women got barbells and some yoga mats.

Ponderous thoughts I was pondering while trying my damnedest to stay awake during the four-hour torture that was "Zack Snyder's Justice League" ...

** You have probably seen the posts by players and coaches alike that illustrate the great discrepancies in how the NCAA set up its tournament "bubbles" for the Division 1 tournaments, the men in Indianapolis and the women in San Antonio.

You've probably seen the comparison in weight-training rooms that were set up -- the men having all the latest equipment anyone could want, and the women given one set of hand barbells and an adjustable bench. You've seen the vast differences in the goodies packed in the individual swag bags, or the tales of hot buffet meals for the men and pre-packaged cold sandwiches for the women. 

And it goes beyond all of that. It's basically the NCAA shamelessly promoting the men's tournament in a disparate manner than how it is promoting the women's tournament -- and while the usual gauges of interest would indicate the men's tournament is more popular with the general public, it's not the NCAA's job to operate its tournaments according to perceived interest. The NCAA should be providing equally to all its participants.

That's never been more true than a time when both tournaments are being conducted in their entirety with single host cities. If there was any hint whatsoever that San Antonio intended to shortchange the women athletes that were going to be playing there, there's no way the NCAA should have signed off on it. 

It's not a matter of the men bringing in more revenue for their tournament. The NCAA can more than afford equaling the expenditures for both. And while this may not be a Title IX violation because the NCAA is not subject to the equality statute that is contained within the Education Amendments of 1972, all of the educational institutions that participate are subject to Title IX -- and if they knowingly sent their female athletes to a tournament that was not to be conducted in an equal manner as the men's tournament, perhaps they might be at risk of having legal action taken against them for violating Title IX.

I'll watch both tournaments this week. I may watch the men more than the women, because the coverage is different. But anyone that has read me since the 1970s knows where I stand on the issue. Women athletes deserve equal opportunity and are entitled to it BY LAW, and there isn't a knuckle-dragging asshole on earth that can dispute that fact.

Of course, the knuckle-draggers are quick to offer their comments on social media, and most are thoroughly nauseating in their misogyny. So, I've developed a strategy to combat it.

When I do respond, and I don't often, I choose one of the most insulting comments I can find and offer just one sentence: "And you have a small penis."

Maybe not the most dignified thing I can say, I suppose, but I just love triggering those fools.

By the way, I saw a post on social media that was very encouraging. A group of franchised locations of Dick's Sporting Goods is prepared to donate a full weight-room worth of equipment to the women's "bubble," no strings attached, because it's the right thing to do.

If this comes to pass, I will definitely be making my next sporting goods purchase at the nearest Dick's Sporting Goods store, which is in North Attleboro. I encourage you all to do likewise.

With pressure mounting, the NCAA took notice and apparently is taking action. Senior VP Dan Gavitt said on a Zoom call Friday that the NCAA did indeed drop the ball in preparation for the two tournaments, and would fix the inequities for the women by this weekend. Other issues, such as the uneven number of qualifiers (the men get 68, the women 64) and funding for the women's NIT, will have to be taken up by members later.

I'd say "it's a start," but the start came in 1972. Time to move it along faster.

** The Hockomock League is coming to the aid of Sharon High in this "Fall II" football season by providing playing locations for Sharon's home games while its home field is being renovated. Oliver Ames and Mansfield have stepped forward so far, although the results haven't been to the Eagles' liking -- a 49-7 loss to Foxboro and a 48-7 loss to North Attleboro, respectively.

Sharon does not have another home game scheduled for the rest of the way, but it's good to see the league taking care of its own like this.

North TV's Glen Farley

** Quirky as this short season is, it's quirky for announcers, too. As King Philip is on the road for three straight weeks starting with Saturday's game at Attleboro, Glen Farley and I don't have another game to telecast for North TV until the final game of the season, April 23 at home against Franklin. But that could change.

There are two open dates in April on the Warriors' schedule, and AD Gary Brown said it's KP's intention to fill both. One will be an official crossover game with the team in the Davenport Division that corresponds in the standings with KP's location in the Kelley-Rex Division. But Brown said he expects the other date to be filled with a Davenport team as well, an opening created because King Philip and Franklin are playing only once in the "regular season" instead of twice as they would in a normal season.

At least one of those games should be a home game, Brown said -- and since COVID-19 restrictions still keep us from covering road games, that might be the next opportunity for Glen and I to call a KP game this year.

Me at Super Bowl XLIX media day.

** I made an important decision this week. I retired from my part-time position with the Associated Press as a football stringer, bringing to an official end my career of covering the New England Patriots.

I covered three games in 1971 for the Mansfield News (including the Schaefer Stadium opener), one in 1976 for the Westfield Evening News, the full seasons of 1977-86 for The Sun Chronicle, parts of 1987-89 for The Patriot Ledger of Quincy, all of the regular seasons from 1989-2017 for The Sun Chronicle, the 2018 training camp for The Sun Chronicle and parts of the 2018 and 2019 seasons for the AP. I also served as a football stringer for the AP in an unbroken period from 1982 through 2003.

As the pandemic eliminated almost all work for AP stringers last year and is almost certain to cut into the opportunity for 2021, I figured the time was best for me to just move on. It’s been a fun run, but the further removed I became from daily coverage of the team, the less it interested me. I have other pursuits to entertain me in retirement, and the mobility issues I have from knee surgery last August might prove daunting if I were to return, as a considerable amount of walking up and down the stadium stands and standing around for hours is required to cover a training camp.

I’m 67 and not getting any younger. Time to turn over the reins to younger and hungrier souls. I’ll always be appreciative to the AP for giving me a few extra bucks, a wider audience and the opportunity to see my name and byline on the websites of some of the best newspapers in the nation. And no, I’m not considering a move to work for the Tampa bureau.

So, with thanks to Howard Ulman and Jimmy Golen for giving me the opportunity, I bid the Associated Press adieu -- as well as the Patriots. 

Catch you all soon.