Randy Jackson wants MAC news and notes blown out of the box, dogg

The cultural phenomenon of American Idol amazed me. I can’t say I was ever a tremendous Ido fan, but when it was in its prime, that was THE television event. Long before DVRs or Tivos were a thing, Idol was appointment viewing. Whether that says more about the quality of the show or the ludicrous nature of the hivemind mentality of the general populace is up for debate, but what’s not up for debate is the careers that show launched, both on the stage and from the judges’ box.

Today’s birthday boy, Randy Jackson, was one of the original judges with Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul. He was also the one holding on the longest as they ran through various iterations with Ellen, Steven Tyler, JLo, Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj, and Keith Urban. The only person more long-lasting than Jackson was SuperHost Ryan Seacrest, who is likely a cyborg slowly taking over Hollywood one show at a time. Eventually, he and Steve Harvey will have to deathmatch to see who reigns supreme.

Jackson’s latter years may have been colored by his “Yo, dogg” or “That’s a little pitchy so for me, its a no”, but his career was successful long before that. As a session bass player, Jackson worked with pretty much everyone and was a successful touring musician. So unlike some of these celebrity judges he actually knew music. He didn’t get there by creating boy bands or dancing with an animated cat.

Apparently, Idol is coming back soon on a different network. Yay?

Jackson turns 61 today, and what better way to celebrate than by catching up on all the sports news and notes you need to know in the Hustle Belt Daily Dump...

Webb made big strides at Toledo | The Messenger
If you’re a softball fan in the MAC, this is a good read about a young star that is going to have an impact on the conference for years to come. When true freshmen are tracking like that, it’s good for the program and good for the conference.

NBA Draft Grades | SBNation
No MAC players were selected in the draft, but that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate those who were. Minnesota started their night with a tremendous deal and it just sort of snowballed from there.

Elijah Ratliff commits to Marshall | Herald-Dispatch
Less about who he committed to, more about who he didn’t. As a 6’4” 265-pound DT, he had offers from Akron, BG, Kent State, Miami, Ohio, and Toledo and chose to head south to the Thundering Herd. These are the kinds of recruiting battles that the MAC needs to win.

Nevada Offers a 9 Year Old | SBNation
Look, everyone, can we maybe make some sort of tacit agreement that offering scholarships to kids in grade school for things a decade or so away is about the worst thing you can do? This is getting ridiculous.