The Hoddle of Coffee: Tottenham news and links for Thurs. April 15

WNBA

I’m a college basketball junkie, but I’ve never really transferred that to the NBA, ever. It’s just not my thing and there are way, way too many games. So imagine my surprise last year when I started watching Indiana Fever games with my wife, very much not a sports fan but who enjoys the snot out of the WNBA? My partner learned about and started following Caitlin Clark (despite her legions of, uh, problematic fans) and was thrilled that she played for our “local” team. And I’ve really come to appreciate the excitement and fun of the WNBA. It’s just a great league to watch, family friendly, and super competitive. I love it. We plan to attend a Fever game or two in Indianapolis once I have a settled medical situation.

Formula 1

Okay, big caveat here — I am a gargantuan F1 casual. I don’t support any one team, or any one driver (though if I have to choose I probably gravitate towards Alex Albon who seems like an underrated driver stuck on a pretty bad team, and as a childhood Mario Andretti fan I’m Cadillac-curious). I do, however, kinda enjoy the spectacle of it all, even if it is a billionaire sport run and driven by wealthy people and funded by shady financial orgs and nation-states. I’ll be honest and say I blitz through recorded qualifying and races and don’t watch the whole thing, but I still find it quite fun. And screw Max Verstappen, the whiny git.

Professional Women’s’ Volleyball

I’ve watched both Major League Volleyball and the LOVB league (which is playing now) whenever I’ve managed to find a live game on in the evenings, and I’ve also watched a fair amount of Big Ten collegiate volleyball whenever it’s on. Again, I’m a casual and don’t follow any one team but I find the sport to be super compelling and fun to watch, and I think it’s awesome that we live in an era where women’s volleyball is not only on TV but apparently widely supported! That rules.

What are the sports that are getting you through the rough times right now? Share them in the comments.

Song of the Day: “Camel Walk” by Itai Armon

Here are your daily Tottenham links.

• It could be worse — we could be Sheffield Wednesday supporters. Not only they certain to be relegated after being deducted 18 points for entering administration, its prospective new owners were told that they will start next season in League One at -15 points, a further deduction. (BBC)
• Adoni Iraola is leaving Bournemouth at the end of the season, and it looks like they might appoint Marco Rose (The Guardian)
• According to Gianluca DiMarzio, Dejan Kulusevski will likely stay at Spurs next season, even if they go down. (Football.London)
• Have y’all seen this yet? ESPN’s Ryan O’Hanlon breaks down exactly why Spurs are facing relegation, and it mostly has to do with recruiting and buying players who can’t pass but are aces at SkillCorner metrics. This is a brand new article that definitely hasn’t posted here before.