Mad skills

Look, I get it. Desperation is the mother of more desperation, or some such thing.

Which is why I'm not going to snicker (much) at the news that the NBA and ESPN are trying to put together a H-O-R-S-E competition starring some of the top names in pro buckets. The way it would work is -- I think -- players would go to gyms near where they're sheltering in place and compete against one another remotely. And ESPN would telecast it.

Yes, it's kind of a silly idea, but no sillier than the All-Star dunk contest has become. Once Blake Griffin jumped that car, the dunk contest jumped the shark. Now it's just a bunch of supremely athletic guys being supremely athletic. This tends to take the drama out of things.

But you can only air that 30-for-30 about the Spirits of St. Louis so many times. ESPN's got to do something to fill all those endless hours.

Hence, Luka Doncic vs. Giannis Antetokounmpo in H-O-R-S-E. First one to make a left-handed hook shot from behind the backboard wins.

If he proves it.

Skills competitions have always been the court of last resort to fill All-Star weekends and such, and Plague America is an All-Star weekend on steroids. So maybe, in addition to a remote H-O-R-S-E tournament, we should start thinking about a remote Home Run Derby, a remote Closest-To-The-Hole, a remote Shoot-The-Puck-Through-A-Little-Slot-At-The-Bottom-Of-A-Boarded-Up-Goal.

Winner gets a free car. Not that he can drive anywhere in it.

In any event, this is what we have to look forward to for the foreseeable future. At the moment, even college football and NFL seasons are up in the air. Remote Punt, Pass and Kick tournaments, anyone?

In the meantime, the Blob offers a preview of the H-O-R-S-E tournament.

Off the floor, off the scoreboard, off the backboard, no rim. Killer.