Second Thoughts

81-yard FG gives coach more to mull

LaVar and Lonzo Ball (shown) have come up with signature shoes, one which comes with a $495 price tag.
LaVar and Lonzo Ball (shown) have come up with signature shoes, one which comes with a $495 price tag.

Florida football Coach Jim McElwain might have a decision to make when his team makes it inside its own 30-yard line this season after watching kicker Eddy Pineiro make an 81-yard field goal in practice.

"81 yarder with pads on," Pineiro wrote in a Twitter caption for a video showing the stunt. "No excuses! Ready for the season to start."

Pineiro posted the video of the successful attempt Tuesday on social media. The redshirt junior sets up the kick on his own 29-yard line. He runs up to the football, wearing full pads, and rips it into the wind. The ball starts out to the left of the posts before ducking inside the right upright.

"I don't know why it took so long to get out here, but it's real. All right? There wasn't any doctoring up the yard marker or whatever," McElwain told SEC Country on Wednesday.

Pineiro quickly is becoming a Gators fan favorite, even wearing a No. 15 jersey, worn there previously by Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Tim Tebow.

As a sophomore last season, Pineiro made 21 of 25 field-goal attempts. He made all 32 of his extra points. He was named second-team All-SEC and hit 3 of 3 of his attempts from 50 yards or longer. Pineiro made 11 field goals of at least 40 yards, the most by a Gators kicker since 1996. He also made two 54-yard field goals.

Pineiro was a star soccer player at Miami Sunset High School, where he also made a 77-yard field goal in 2015.

$495 shoes

One day after the Big Baller Brand ZO2 sneakers hit the market with a price tag of $495, LaVar Ball explained the reasoning behind the price Friday.

In an interview on ESPN Radio's Dan Le Batard Show, Ball offered a simple response: "I figure that's what the shoe is worth. When you are your own owner, you can come up with any price you want."

The ZO2 is the first signature shoe for Ball's son, Lonzo, who is expected to be one of the top picks in the 2017 NBA Draft after an impressive season at UCLA.

Per ESPN reporter Darren Rovell, not even Jordan sneakers have approached the $495 mark in the past two years, with the highest price coming in at $400.

Ball compared buying a pair of ZO2 sneakers to buying a Rolls-Royce, saying not everyone has the disposable income to do so.

Last week, Ball revealed that Nike, Under Armour and Adidas all balked at signing his son to an endorsement deal. Rovell reported the companies didn't want to co-license with Big Baller Brand, nor did they want to use Ball's prototype shoe.

Ball has yet to publicly reveal what company is making the ZO2 sneakers.

Generous Blazers

After getting swept by the Golden State Warriors in Round 1 of the NBA playoffs, Damian Lillard ensured that all the Portland Trail Blazers' postseason bonus money went to the team's staff members.

According to Jason Quick of CSNNW.com, the star point guard went "from player to player" to ensure that the $16,000 each player received instead went to trainers, massage therapists and others involved with the team.

Quick also reported that veteran free-agent big man Chris Kaman was the one who inspired this back in 2014-2015.

"Three seasons ago, when veteran Chris Kaman joined the team, he became appalled that the Blazers were keeping their playoff checks. Kaman, who became close with Lillard, told him if he ever led a team he should insist on getting the guys to donate to underscore the importance of unity and having one's back."

Sports on 05/06/2017

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