Dan Hicks remembered, Lindsey Vonn undergoes another surgery, and a playoff idea gains support

Thursday brings another round of football, with college games filling the weekend. The season’s getting shorter, which is a good reminder not to take those Saturdays for granted.

Dan Hicks’ death is a major loss for sports

Broadcaster Dan Hicks, best known for his golf and Olympic coverage, has died at 64. His death was attributed to an “acute illness,” though further details weren’t available.

Hicks called some of sports’ most memorable moments, including the men’s 4×100-meter freestyle relay at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, NFL playoff games and Notre Dame football. One of his most enduring calls came at the 2008 U.S. Open, when Tiger Woods sank a long putt: “Expect anything different?!”

That moment still gives me chills. Hicks had a way of making a big occasion feel even bigger, while sounding completely at home in it. He called a Notre Dame game just last month, which makes the news all the more startling. Weekend golf and NBC’s Saturday broadcasts won’t feel quite the same without him.

Lindsey Vonn has another operation

Lindsey Vonn is continuing her recovery from a serious leg injury last February. She underwent surgery this week to replace her ACL, after doctors spent more than five hours removing plates and screws from her leg.

“Surgery went well!” Vonn wrote in an Instagram post. She said she was back home from the hospital and felt she was on the final stretch toward a full recovery. This was her ninth surgery since February. It’s been a long road, and she’s clearly been through a lot.

Dan Mullen pitches a playoff path for Group of Six teams

With the College Football Playoff expanding to 24 teams next year, there’s been plenty of debate about the new format. UNLV coach Dan Mullen has suggested a way to give Group of Six teams a clearer route into the field: have the four top G6 teams play two play-in games the weekend before the playoffs begin.

The games could be spread across the day, with Army-Navy in the middle. It’s a compelling idea, especially if the goal is to give late-season games more meaning. Whether the Power Four conferences would agree to two G6 teams reaching the playoff is another question.

A trip back to old television

I tried the Back When app after hearing about it recently, and ended up spending a couple of hours browsing. It streams old TV programming as if it were airing live, commercials included.

I came across a Braves-Dodgers game with Tom Glavine pitching and Tommy Lasorda in the dugout, along with a Pittsburgh-West Virginia game from 2000. There were also episodes of Still Standing, Roseanne and Cheers.

The old commercials were part of the appeal. One broadcast even had a Bowflex ad I remembered immediately. It was a surprisingly absorbing little time capsule, and I can see why people would get pulled into it.

That’s the Thursday roundup. There’s plenty of football ahead, and the week’s not over yet.