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March 31, 2007

Thank You, Wright and Reyes

Thank you, David Wright.

And thank you, Jose Reyes.

Thank you for being the only two homegrown, born-and-bred, plucked from the cradle superstars on the 2007 New York Mets. Thank you for not being a hired bat or a mercenary arm or a veteran hanging on by the last slivers of his fingernails for the chance to win a ring in orange and blue.

Thank you for giving a fan like me an entry point to a team that otherwise feels like a fantasy league draft come to life ... only one from the 2002 season.

Thank you for last year, David. The one with the .311 batting average and the 116 RBI. The one that allowed you to become only the fourth player in the history of the franchise to have consecutive 100-RBI seasons. The guys that did it before you are named Gary Carter, Darryl Strawberry, and Mike Piazza. Not too shabby.

And thank you for last season, Jose. Thank you for the boundless enthusiasm that reminded us that this used to be a franchise of misfits instead of millionaires. Thank you for the major league-leading 17 triples and 64 stolen bases. Thank you for all of the double plays that were broken up by your blazing speed and unending hustle. And thank you for that lead-off homer against Chris Carpenter in Game 6 of the NLCS — a momentum-establishing shot that propelled the Mets back to St. Louis for Game 7. The last guy to lead off a postseason game with a dinger for the Mets was named Lenny Dykstra. Again, not too shabby.

Thank you, Mr. Wright, for giving the Mets the best third baseman they've ever had, and Lord knows they've had enough of them. Is it too early to make this claim? Does he have to put up better numbers than Howard Johnson at the plate for a while longer, having already surpassed him defensively? Does he need to be better defensively than Robin Ventura, having already surpassed him as a complete hitter at the plate? Could be. But I know he's definitely better than Bob Aspromonte, Phil Mankowski, Tim Bogar, Bill Pecota, and the 10,000 other stiffs who've manned the hot corner at Shea.

Thank you, Mr. Reyes, for giving the Mets the greatest interactive musical fan experience since the first time Freddie Mercury bellowed "We Will Rock You": a bunch of New York baseball fanatics taking the greatest soccer song of all-time in "Ole!" and turning it into the spirited tribute "Jose!" Somewhere in North Jersey, Tab Ramos weeps...

Most of all, Wright and Reyes, thank you for giving Mets fans something to look forward to when this latest attempt to purchase a World Series with sluggers at wholesale prices fails. Yes, New York has the Murders' Row of Flushing; fans are going to see more intimidating bats this season than Alfred the Butler. And, yes, had it not been for that little nugget Yadier Molina, the team would have been in the World Series in 2006.

But, no, I don't have any confidence in a team that's pinning its hopes on the health of Pedro Martinez, who won't actually be "healthy" until July. Or a team that's trotting out Tom Glavine and Orlando Hernandez as primetime starters; players who, at this point in their careers, should be signing Topps cards at a Ramada Inn collectables show instead of throwing pitches in a regular season game. Or a team in which the rest of the rotation is too green and the best bullpen in baseball may have a difficult time holding onto that title.

Could the Mets finish what they started last season? Could they run away with the East, break through the National League and take their next shot at winning the World Series for the first time in over 20 years? ("Boo-friggin-hoo" ... Signed, Cubs Fans).

Sure. Or the pitching will fail, the hitters won't be able to win every game 10-to-9, the Phillies and Braves will pass them in the standings, and Omar Minaya will have his checkbook out again in December.

So thank you, Wright and Reyes. Because win or lose, I know you're always going to be worth the price of admission and worthy of my admiration.

Greg Wyshynski is the Features Editor for SportsFan Magazine in Washington, DC, and the Senior Sports Editor for The Connection Newspapers of Northern Virginia. His book is "Glow Pucks and 10-Cent Beer: The 101 Worst Ideas in Sports History." His columns appear every Saturday on Sports Central. You can e-mail Greg at [email protected].

Posted by Greg Wyshynski at 6:26 PM | Comments (0)

2007 MLB Preview: National League

Also see: 2007 MLB Preview: American League

Things are shaping up to be a great 1-2-3 weekend.

1. Final Four on Saturday. (After my annual golf tournament with my friends. It's called the Shart Open. There's a story from our inaugural event that ends up in a discarded golf towel. You can probably figure out the rest.) Anyway, tee time at 10, a classic college basketball double-header starting 5, staying at a hotel so nobody has to drive. They're keeping the bar open just for us. Yes.

2. First game of the baseball season on Sunday night (8 PM EST, ESPN2) featuring the Cardinals hosting the Mets here in the home opener. (Also, Dallas/Phoenix in the NBA.)

3. Opening Day for the rest of baseball (except for the Giants and Padres, who begin on Tuesday) and the NCAA Championship Game (which will be fantastic no matter who wins on Saturday).

Now that's a fine three days of sports.

We gave you a few random thoughts on the AL teams, so now the NL, division-by-division, in predicted order of finish. Playoff predictions, along with individual awards, at bottom.

NL EAST

Philadelphia Phillies

What's good: Freddy Garcia. He's had only one losing season out of his eight in the majors, and the move from AL to NL has been known to rejuvenate a pitcher. Also, I like Adam Eaton and Jamie Moyer in the four and five spots. This is by far the best starting rotation in the division.

What's bad: Garcia has a sore arm, Brett Myers is slightly crazy, Cole Hamels is untested over the long haul, Eaton is injury-prone, and Moyer broke into the majors the same year "Top Gun" was released. In other words, things could fall apart in a hurry.

Atlanta Braves

What's good: Andruw Jones playing for a billion dollar contract.

What's bad: They had to give up Adam LaRoche in the Mike Gonzalez trade, so now Scott Thorman (.234 avg in 128 career ABs) gets the full-time gig. Also, I don't like Kelly Johnson (.241 in 270 career ABs) as a replacement for Marcus Giles at 2B and lead-off.

New York Mets

What's good: Carlos & Carlos Inc. might top 80 HR and 250 RBI combined.

What's bad: An interesting bet — what number will be higher, the total combined home runs hit by Delgado and Beltran or the combined age of Tom Glavine and El Duque (78)?

Florida Marlins

What's good: Scott Olsen. He came on strong last year. Also, Anibal Sanchez, who threw a no-hitter against the Diamondbacks. If they can put it together again in '07, the Marlins may make some noise.

What's bad: Nobody in South Florida would care.

Washington Nationals

What's good: A lineup featuring 3B Ryan Zimmerman, RF Austin Kearns, 1B Dmitri Young, and LF Ryan Church three through six has the potential to do some damage.

What's bad: The rotation is an utter mess. To put it in perspective, they are disappointed that Jason Simontacchi, who last played for St. Louis in 2004, is going to have to start the season on the DL instead of the five spot in the rotation.

NL CENTRAL

Houston Astros

What's good: Great, great move getting Carlos Lee. With him batting clean-up, Lance Berkman is going to be that much better in the three hole and Morgan Ensberg is going to have a lot of opportunities hitting fifth. (There's actually a chance he could hit second, in front of Berkman, which would be even better.) Along with Detroit getting Gary Sheffield and Boston getting Samurai Slim, the Lee move was one of my favorites of the offseason.

What's bad: The back of the rotation is a little soft. I'm not sure how much Woody Williams has in the tank, and Wandy Rodriguez has yet to put it together.

St. Louis Cardinals

What's good: The team lost Jeff Suppan and Jason Marquis for somewhere in the neighborhood of $75 million and are actually going to have a better rotation with newly acquired Kip Wells (I have high hopes) and the duo of Anthony Reyes and Adam Wainwright. I'm not sure about Braden Looper as a starter, but I wasn't a huge fan of his when he was in the 'pen, either. At least this way he can only screw up one game a week.

What's bad: The most dependable outfielder right now is Chris Duncan. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan. But I wish Jim Edmonds was 10 years younger and Juan Encarnacion played for somebody else.

Chicago Cubs

What's good: Lou Pinella (experienced winner and teacher) and Carlos Zambrano (210 SO in '06, clear ace, looking for a new deal).

What's bad: Lou Pinella (old school nut job) and Carlos Zambrano (115 BB in '06, a little bit insane, the kind of guy you hope takes a line drive off the cup).

Cincinnati Reds

What's good: With 500 AB his for the taking, 3B Edwin Encarnacion could be on the verge of a break-out season (even more than the 15 HR and 72 RBI in 117 games in '06).

What's bad: If I told you the over/under on games played by Ken Griffey, Jr. was 115, even the most die-hard of Reds fans would have to think long and hard before putting their money down.

Milwaukee Brewers

What's good: 1B Prince Fielder is the next Ryan Howard. He could pop for 40 and 120 this year.

What's bad: Ben Sheets has got great talent, no doubt, but after averaging more than 220 innings '02 through '04, he's averaged barely more than 130 over the past two. There's a psychological damage that a team suffers when their ace goes down again and again. If it happens this year, he's officially in Mark Prior territory.

Pittsburgh Pirates

What's good: Jason Bay, Freddie Sanchez, and Adam LaRoche.

What's bad: Everybody else.

(Really, how much else is there to say?)

NL WEST

Colorado Rockies

What's good: Word that Todd Helton will hit clean-up between Garrett Atkins and Matt Holliday makes a resurgence from last year's debacle that much more likely. Expect a monster year.

What's bad: Anybody who picks Byung-Hyun Kim for their fantasy team should be forced to pay double their league entry fee for extra suckage.

Arizona Diamondbacks

What's good: Four potential 200-inning starters (Brandon Webb, Randy Johnson, Doug Davis, Livan Hernandez).

What's bad: Two potential 100-inning injury-plagued seasons from Johnson (vertebrae of glass) and Hernandez (whose right arm is the pitching equivalent of Jenna Jamison's ... um ... knee).

San Diego Padres

What's good: Greg Maddux and David Wells have a combined 563 wins.

What's bad: It's not 1995.

Los Angeles Dodgers

What's good: With the Juan Pierre/Rafael Furcal combo at the top, smart hitters Nomar Garciaparra, Jeff Kent, and Luis Gonzalez make up the heart of the order. These are professional hitters who know how to work a count and drive runners home.

What's bad: Garciaparra, Kent, and Gonzalez will all most likely spend at least one stint on the DL this season.

San Francisco Giants

What's good: Barry Zito should be helped by moving to the NL and not having to pitch to Anaheim and Texas over and over again.

What's bad: Funny quote on just how old the Giants really are, courtesy pitching coach Dave Righetti (speaking about the bullpen): "We've got to get the ball over the plate. That's a priority. We've got an older team and we don't want guys out there standing on the field for a long time."

***

Cards take the wildcard over the Braves, then lose a tough series to the Phils. Philly then goes on to beat the Astros, who beats Colorado in the other ALDS. Phillies beat the Angels in the Series, giving the city of Philadelphia a much-needed champion and making Ryan Howard a hero for life.

NL Cy Young: Roy Oswalt
NL MVP: Matt Holliday
NL Rookie: Troy Tulowitzki (COL)
NL Manager: Clint Hurdle (COL)
NL Biggest Disappointment: San Francisco Giants
First NL Manager Canned: Grady Little (Though I think it happens after the season. And yes, I know they just picked up his option.)

Seth Doria is a freelance writer and blogger in St. Louis. For full team previews and other daily notes, visit The Left Calf.

Posted by Joshua Duffy at 6:18 PM | Comments (0)

March 30, 2007

Sports Q&A: NFL Discipline; Bets

Terry from Gary, IN writes, "Tennessee Titans cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones and Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry are scheduled to meet with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to discuss their vast legal troubles. What can be expected as a result of the meeting?"

Wait a minute, Goodell's discussing Jones' and Henry's legal troubles? In one day? This should at least be a three-day conference, especially if they discuss on a charge-by-charge basis. If Jones and Henry can come out of that meeting with no more than four-game suspensions each, then they should celebrate, but not in the ways to which they are accustomed (those which lead to DWIs, slapped strippers, and/or gunplay). Now, if Goodell emerges from the meeting wearing a do-rag and packing heat, then God help us all.

This may be the first time in history that players will be patted down and sent through a metal detector before meeting with an NFL commissioner. This is not your father's NFL, for sure. I doubt Pete Rozelle ever had a meeting quite like the one for which Goodell is in store, although Rozelle was probably quite uncomfortable with Raiders owner Al Davis sitting across from him. I bet they didn't talk about strip clubs, multiple DWIs, and guns, but maybe I'm not giving a young Al Davis enough credit. I hope Goodell has a huge office, because with a number of bodyguards, lawyers, advisors, rappers, posse members, and translators set to attend, it may be difficult for the three main principals to find a seat.

And once they do, how are these three going to relate to each other? I'm sure Jones and Henry will find plenty in common. But what about poor Goodell? How can he bridge the huge generational gap between his upper class upbringing and that of Jones and Henry? He can't do it alone. I'm sure the Reverend Al Sharpton will offer his help, but I think the Beastie Boys are a much more satisfactory choice. Goodell can make the two players feel right at home by speaking to them through a plexiglass window via a telephone.

And what can Jones and Henry possibly say to convince Goodell to give them the minimum suspension? Short of bribery, which I'm sure they've considered, what other option do they have except to plead for leniency? A few tears never hurt, and it's always good to classify yourself as a "victim" in cases like this. Lawyers for Jones have already indicated they'll fight any punishment the NFL sentences, which is certain to go down in history as the most futile defense in legal history. Meanwhile, Henry's hopes to impress Goodell by remaining alcohol-free from now until Tuesday. Whether or not Henry can stay out of the driver's seat of a car remains to be seen.

Goodell plans to implement a new player conduct policy by next month; whether or not the fates of Jones and Henry fall under these new guidelines is unsure. Had these new guidelines been in place upon Jones' and Henry's entry into the NFL, they probably would have been banned for life from the league, or at the very least, banished to the Canadian Football League.

Whatever Goodell decides, Jones and Henry will probably get off easy considering the number of transgressions with which they have been involved, regardless of whether or not they were convicted. They should accept their punishments with humility and realize that, were they not professional athletes blessed with the money to afford the best lawyers, they would probably be in jail. Which is, quite possibly, where they belong.

Oscar from Ramer, AL writes, "Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas was recently reprimanded by the NBA for making bets with fans during a game on March 21st. Is this really such a bad thing, compared to the behavior of other NBA players?"

In case you missed the details, Arenas admitted after the game that he bet a fan $10 that he would make the winning shot in a game against the Portland Trail Blazers. He failed, shooting an airball, then later posted on his blog that he had the fan's email address so he could pay the bet off. NBA spokesman John Acunto spoke to Arenas about the issue, and said Arenas assured him he "wouldn't do anything like this again." A skeptical Acunto added, "Although I wouldn't put money on it." NBA commissioner David Stern also weighed in, tersely stating that "I bet he doesn't do it again." Baseball great Pete Rose pledged his support by purchasing season tickets to the remainder of Wizards games, and Michael Jordan wants his old job back.

I say the NBA should embrace this kind of honor in the league. Arenas is not a troublemaker, he's an ambassador of goodwill for the NBA. I'm sure he's not the first player to make a bet with a fan during a game, but he's got to be the first to make a serious effort to make good on a losing bet.

It's too bad this incident didn't happen after November 19, 2004, the infamous date of the Indiana Pacers/Detroit Pistons brawl in Detroit. It was an incident that tarnished the league, but what better way to offset the image of Ron Artest rushing into the stands to throw punches at fans than Arenas racing into the stands to pay off a $10 wager. Now, if said fan welshes on that bet, then send Artest to get him, or at least make that fan defend a Kobe Bryant fallway jumper and face smack. I think the fact that the NBA just reprimanded Arenas and didn't fine him shows that they don't see his behavior as that egregious.

What's a little good-natured banter amongst fans and players if all it leads to is a friendly $10 wager? It's not like Arenas looked to purchase a table dance, a dime bag, or a few rounds of ammunition, all common $10 purchases made by NBA players, and also items readily available in the stands at most NBA games, particularly those of the Clippers.

It's likely the fan was heckling Arenas, and Arenas chose his unique response in lieu of returning trash talk, which is what most other NBA players would have done. Arenas lost a heckler and gained a fan, a fan who happens to be $10 richer, assuming Arenas actually paid him, which I'm sure he did. Arenas just didn't report it on his blog, which is what got him in trouble in the first place. That's got to be an appealing scenario for fans who have just spent $50 to get in to a game: the ability to recoup $10 on that purchase.

Simply put, the NBA has enough on it's plate (global expansion, Rasheed Wallace, Clyde Drexler's dancing) to quietly overlook Arenas' small bet, and others that are sure to follow. And it's the players responsibility to remain discreet about their transactions with fans sitting courtside, especially those with gambling addictions. If you're going to bet, Gilbert Arenas, you have to do it responsibly.

Get Your Questions Answered!

Do you have a question or a comment? Want to tell me I'm an idiot? Need help with your homework? Having a "Hair Vs. Hair" match at WrestleMania 23? Then send me your questions/comments/insults/hairstyle with your name and hometown to [email protected]. You may get the answer you're looking for in the next column on Friday, April 20th.

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 9:10 PM | Comments (1)

March 29, 2007

2007 MLB Preview: American League

Also see: 2007 MLB Preview: National League

The Final Four is awesome. We have four great teams that matchup perfectly against each other. This past college basketball season was one of the best in a long while, and, for once, the best four teams are still standing at the end. It's going to be a fantastic weekend.

With that said, it's also time to turn the page (or at least peak ahead). While the NCAA tournament is the best postseason in the world, and the NFL does the best job of quenching our thirst for violent drama, baseball is still the soul of American sports. And it's that time again.

There's not a team in the league without a worry or two, and I'm by no means above using those worries to crack a few jokes. I guess that's just the kind of guy I am. Here are a few thoughts, division-by-division, in order of predicted finish.

We'll start with the AL today and go with the NL in the next few days.

AL EAST

Boston Red Sox

What's good: Moving Jonathan Papelbon back to closer. With Curt Schilling, Samurai Slim (my own personal nickname for Daisuke Matsuzaka — Dice K sounds like it was made up by a white suburban kid trying to be a rapper) and Josh Beckett anchoring the front of the rotation, Papelbon is much more valuable as a closer.

What's bad: J.D. Drew in a clubhouse with Manny, Big Papi, Schilling, and Jason Varitek. He just doesn't fit in. I don't care about his spring stats. This was a bad move. (I mean, really, really bad. Like not wearing a condom for a one-night stand bad.)

New York Yankees

What's good: With all the Alex Rodriguez nonsense, he's essentially going into a contract year. The fact Red Sox fans and Yankees fans absolutely hate him increases his value exponentially in my eyes. I'm expecting big things.

What's bad: Turns out Jason Giambi has been injecting bull semen to maintain his power. Seriously, when is baseball going to get serious about testing for these drugs? I mean, come on! Integrity of the game! Mike Lupica! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Toronto Blue Jays

What's good: Roy Halladay. After breaking down in '04 and '05, he returned to form in '06 at 16-5, with a 3.19 ERA and 132 strikeouts to only 34 walks. Will he ever top 200 strikeouts in a season again? Probably not. But he's still the man.

What's bad: Paying Frank Thomas big money off his "come on baby, just one more fat deal" season. I don't think he's getting to 39 HR and 114 RBI again.

Baltimore Orioles

What's good: Daniel Cabrera, Adam Loewen, and Hayden Penn (who will be in the rotation by the All-Star Break) are all super talented and still developing. With Leo Mazzone on board, there's significant hope.

What's bad: Unless I missed the news, Peter Angelos still owns the team. Also, they're not as good as Boston, New York, or Toronto.

Tampa Bay Devil Rays

What's good: The Rays are the best AAA team in the majors.

What's bad: The luck. Nothing seems to go right for these guys. Either they built the stadium on an old Indian burial ground or owner Stuart Sternberg likes to kick puppies, but this organization has bad juju.

(Or maybe it's just the $24 million payroll.)

AL CENTRAL

Detroit Tigers

What's good: Curtis Granderson, Placido Polanco, Gary Sheffield, Carlos Guillen, Magglio Ordonez, Ivan Rodriguez, Craig Monroe, Sean Casey, Brandon Inge. That's a quality lineup with a bunch of hitters not prone to prolonged slumps. Give GM Dave Dombrowski all due credit. He's one of the best in the game.

What's bad: Granderson needs to do better than a .335 OBP. Also, 174 strikeouts are too many.

Cleveland Indians

What's good: The 3-4 combo of Victor Martinez and Travis Hafner is brutal. It's like asking a pitcher with a piranha attached to his balls to wrestle an alligator. The two could combine for 75 HR and 200 RBI.

What's bad: I'm not a big David Dellucci guy, especially in the two hole between Grady Sizemore and the alligator-piranha combo. I'd rather see new 2B Josh Barfield in that spot, with Dellucci down in the nine spot (or clean-up, as my parents used to call it when they wanted me to not feel bad about being the worst hitter on my t-ball team).

Minnesota Twins

What's good: How does 19-6 with a 2.77 ERA, 0.997 WHIP, 245 SO, and 47 BB sound? Johan Santana is by far the odds-on favorite to repeat as AL Cy Young.

What's bad: Without Francisco Liriano (out for the season) and Brad Radke (retired), the rotation behind Santana is suspect. Carlos Silva bottomed out (the Twins hope) with an 11-15 record and 5.94 ERA (and an astounding 38 HR allowed). Ramon Ortiz is running a three-year streak of losing records with the Angels, Reds, and Nationals and posted a 5.57 ERA in 06 with a 1.54 WHIP, 31 HR allowed, and an alarming 18 hit batters. Boof Bonser allowed 18 HR in 100 innings last year and Sidney Ponson is a fat loser.

Chicago White Sox

What's good: Jermaine Dye in a contract year.

What's bad: Everything about Ozzie Guillen. He's like Ann Coulter, except without the Nazi dominatrix sex appeal.

(Prediction: Ozzie gets canned.)

Kansas City Royals

What's good: First-year GM Dayton Moore was a top assistant to Braves GM John Schuerholz before coming to K.C. There are far worse people in the world to learn from than the consistently ahead-of-the-game Schuerholz.

What's bad: This is year one of the Moore era. He ain't Jesus.

AL WEST

Los Angeles Angels

What's good: Mike Scioscia has been one of the most consistent managers since coming to the Angels in 2000. He's had only two non-winning seasons out of seven, with two division titles and a World Series championship in 2002.

What's bad: After a break-out season from Juan Rivera in 2006 (.310 avg, 23 HR), he broke his leg playing winter ball and is expected to be out until sometime mid-season. Take a lesson from the Jermaine Dye experience a few years ago: stay away until at least 2008.

Texas Rangers

What's good: Got to love new manager Ron Washington's philosophy: "I want us to show up every day with a take-no-prisoners attitude. We want to destroy the opponent every day."

What's bad: Speaking of the Final Four, starting CF Kenny Lofton played on Arizona's Final Four team — in 1988! Dude is old!

Oakland A's

What's good: The defending AL West champions come into this season the same way they've come into any other recent season. Namely, they have top-line starting pitching (except now it's Rich Harden and Dan Haren instead of The Big Three), and a solid bullpen with a potentially dominant (but injury-prone) closer (from Jason Isringhausen to Huston Street).

What's bad: Bobby Crosby needs to play more than 100 games, something he hasn't done in either of the past two. It would help if everybody else stayed healthy, too. Only three returning players this year played at least 130 games for the A's last year, Eric Chavez (137), Jason Kendall (143), and Nick Swisher (157).

Seattle Mariners

What's good: Everything starts and ends with Ichiro, so it only seems fitting he's moving to center this season. Ichiro is still a fantasy stud, and he's going into his contract year.

What's bad: Jeff Weaver parlayed a good month of post-season baseball into a one-year, $8.3 million deal. Except Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan and catcher Yadier Molina aren't going to Seattle with him, so it's only a matter of time before he loses his confidence again, then goes back to coughing up eight runs in four innings.

***

Rangers take the wild card over the Yankees and Indians, then lose to the Red Sox in the ALDS. The Angels take out the Tigers in the other ALDS series, then beat the Sox to make the Series.

AL Cy Young: Johan Santana
AL MVP: Mark Teixeira
AL Rookie: Samurai Slim
AL Manager: Mike Scioscia
AL Biggest Disappointment: Chicago White Sox
First AL Manager Canned: Mike Hargrove

Seth Doria is a freelance columnist and blogger in St. Louis. For full team reports and other daily notes, visit The Left Calf.

Posted by Joshua Duffy at 6:49 PM | Comments (0)

NASCAR Top 10 Power Rankings: Week 5

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Jeff Gordon — After starting on the pole, Gordon immediately slipped back, falling outside the top 20 at one point before rallying to finish third. Gordon and crew were unable to pinpoint the problem during the race, although later, upon further inspection after the race, it was revealed to be a braking problem.

"Yeah, we found St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa passed out in the car with his foot on the brake," explains Gordon. "It looks like Tony missed a signal at that stop light in Florida. I guess it could have been worse; it could have been a hit and run. Anyway, I'm happy to come out of Bristol with the points lead. Now, if everyone would pull a Mark Martin and run just a partial schedule, I'm guaranteed to win the Cup."

2. Jeff Burton — Burton picked up his fourth top-five finish of the year with a second in Bristol, losing by a fraction of a second to Kyle Busch. Earlier this year in a Busch race in Las Vegas, Burton spun Busch out of the lead and took the win, but Burton was determined not to wreck Busch should he try a winning pass.

"That's got to be a first for a Bristol race," says Burton. "A driver explaining why he didn't wreck another driver for the win. Yeah, I know, Dale Earnhardt, Sr. would be disgusted, but I've already wrecked Kyle once this year. I guess I'm one of the few, if only, drivers who prefers a clean conscience over a tainted victory. And I think my brother, Wadd Button, would feel the same way."

3. Jimmie Johnson — After winning the last two Nextel Cup races, Johnson's hopes in Bristol were high, but a flat tire 17 laps from the finish ended his dash for at least a top-10 result. He was able to make it to the pits for repairs, but lost a lap and finished 16th.

"A car with three wheels definitely won't get you in the winner's circle at Bristol," says Johnson. "But it might get you on ABC's Dancing With the Stars. And it will still probably outrun a Toyota driven by Michael Waltrip."

4. Matt Kenseth — On his way to an 11th-place finish in the Food City 500, Kenseth rankled the aging feathers of 1999 Cup champion Dale Jarrett when he wrecked the No. 44 UPS Toyota. Before heading to the care center, Jarrett stared down Kenseth, and later insisted that the two would have a "discussion."

"Sure, we'll have a 'discussion,'" says Kenseth. "And when we do, I'll ask Dale the question that everyone's been dying to ask: 'How the heck did you ever win a Cup championship?' I need those slower cars out of my way. Doesn't Dale realize he drives a Toyota? Here's a joke: if UPS wants to send DJ's Toyota from the start to finish line, how do they ship it? Overnight. That car is slow!"

5. Tony Stewart — Stewart was obviously well-prepared for Bristol, qualifying fourth and taking the lead early, all while proudly wearing his new "Stone Cold" Steve Austin wife-beater, which boldly stated that he would, "Arrive. Raise Hell. Leave," underneath his driver's suit. Stewart was 100% whoop ass from the start, charging into the lead on lap seven and leading 257 laps on the day. However, a faulty fuel pump stunned him on lap 289, and he finished 35th, 25 laps down.

"Hey, what can you do about a mechanical failure," says Stewart. "I don't know who supplies our parts, but I've got a feeling one of those danged Pep Boys had something to do with this, probably the geeky one with glasses. I'll just head to Martinsville and win the race like I did last year."

6. Kyle Busch — Busch held off Jeff Burton to claim victory in Bristol, thereby becoming the first driver to win driving the Car of Tomorrow. Busch beat Burton across the line by less than a second, giving Hendrick Motorsports its 200th win, then bashed the Car of Tomorrow, claiming it "stinks."

"Not 'stink' as in 'smells bad,' like Jimmy Spencer after four hours at Daytona in July, as my brother Kurt would say. But 'stinks' as in 'difficult to drive.' Which is just a sneaky way of me saying that I'm a great driver. If a car is difficult to drive, and I win the race, doesn't that make me a great driver? Anyway, the COT needs more pimpin' before I'll be happy with it."

7. Clint Bowyer — Bowyer joined Richard Childress teammates Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick in Bristol's top 10 with an eighth in the Food City 500. It was Bowyer's third top 10 of the year, and second in a row, and he moved up to eighth in the points, 170 behind Jeff Gordon.

"It would have been nice if the old No. 7 could have pulled out a victory for Jack Daniels here in Tennessee," says Bowyer, often described as 'charcoal mellow' behind the wheel. "We had quite a few of the boys from the distillery in the crowd cheering us own, most notably their most famous employee, Whiskey Dick."

8. Kevin Harvick — Harvick grabbed his first top-five since his dramatic win at Daytona, finishing fourth at Bristol in the new-generation Chevrolet Impala SS Car of Tomorrow. Harvick now sits fifth in the points, 144 out of first.

"It's nice to see the Impala back on the track," says Harvick, "although a lot has changed since the Impala was leaving skid marks on the road 40 years ago. Today, when you mention the term 'V8' to an Impala driver, he/she thinks of a tomato beverage instead of an engine."

9. Carl Edwards — Edwards took 12th in the Food City 500 after dominating the Busch Series' Sharpie Mini 300 on Saturday, leading 147 of 300 laps. The, just as he was preparing for his trademark backflip off his car, ABC ended it's broadcast. Instead of a backflip, viewers were treated to an infomercial for an amazing new product called a "broom" that does some type of cleaning function called "sweeping."

"Don't knock the infomercials, fella," says Edwards, also known for his dismount from the balance beam back in his days as a gymnast. "There's great deals to be had on television, like the 44-piece Carl Edwards dinnerware set, yours for nine easy payments of $19.95 plus $89.00 shipping and handling."

10. Mark Martin — Vigorously adhering to his decision not to run a full Cup schedule, Martin sat out the Bristol race to attend more pressing matters, like tooling around the nation in a Volkswagen van to follow the Grateful Dead. In all seriousness, though, Martin did not miss racing at Bristol, despite falling from first to seventh in the points.

"I didn't miss racing at all," says Martin, who hit 165 miles per hour in the family minivan heading in to Bristol on Interstate 81. "My goal at the beginning of the year was to outscore Michael Waltrip. It looks like I could have done that by not racing at all. Zero points beats minus 27, right?"

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 6:34 PM | Comments (2)

European Soccer Gluttony

The biggest country-level soccer competition besides the World Cup is probably the UEFA European Football Championship. Each matchday of qualifying — spread over two years — brings domestic league play to a halt. Its influence is felt worldwide, as countries outside of Europe tend to play their friendlies and tune-ups on the same day.

I caught eight such games in the last few days. Here are my observations.

First was Bosnia at Norway. Most of the matches I watched were on either FOX Soccer Channel or Setanta Sports. Generally speaking, they will take the production, graphics and all, from the country creating the broadcast and add English commentary from a studio somewhere.

Whomever was producing the Norway/Bosnia match — Norwegians, I assume — did the worst job. The first half clock graphic, rather than counting from 00:00 to 45:00 minutes, counted from 45:00 to 90:00 minutes, making me think the TV schedule was wrong and that I missed the first half. Also for most of the first half, it displayed a score of 2-0 Bosnia when it was actually 1-0. It took me a long time to figure out who was wrong — the scoring graphic, or the announcer.

It proved to be the only upset I watched, as Bosnia opportunistically went up 2-0 and hung on to win 2-1, though they were statistically dominated.

The win moved Bosnia into third place in Group C, right on the heels of the loser of the Turkey at Greece match in Pireaus. The bitter, warring historical rivals — on and mostly off the pitch — started the day in a tie for first in the group, and the top two from each group move on to the Euro 2008 finals.

Greece got a goal right out of the gate, and the stadium blew up ... and then Turkey scored four unanswered and embarrassed the Greeks in every phase of the game.

Much of the blame lay on the 37-year-old gray-haired goalkeeper Antonios Nikopolidis, who arguably could have prevented each goal, came off his line too much, except for the times he should have, and reacted very slowly to several shots.

Of all the matches I watched, this one had the most hooliganistic atmosphere, with the fans raining debris onto the Turkish players during every goal celebration and corner kick, I even saw one firework come down. When the Turks scored their fourth goal, the fans understandably turned on their team. It was then I learned that Greece is one of the countries where they boo instead of whistle.

I then saw no less than three matches from Group E. Presumably, FSC and Setanta want to highlight that group because it is England's stage.

I first saw another match between political rivals, complete with extra policeman on hand, between second place Russia and Estonia, who had yet to score a point in four matches. The home crowd gave Estonia some momentum, and the teams were square at half-time. But Russia's talent level was too great for the Estonians to overcome, even though Russia was playing a young, experimental side. One Russian defender, Roman Shishkin, looks about 14 (I looked him up; he's actually 20). The Russkies prevailed, 2-0.

That game was produced by the Estonians, and their graphics taught me a little bit of their mother tongue. If you read only one sports column this week that teaches you that the Estonian word for Russia is "Venemaa," let this be that column.

The worst-officiated game I caught was between a Group E-leading homestanding Croatian side, and a little-heralded but surprisingly talented Macedonia team. To start the first half, the Austrian ref seemed to only give calls to the Croatians. Then for the rest of the first half, he appeared to just be content to let both teams brutalize each other to their hearts' desire. In the second half, he reverted to favoring Croatia. In spite of this, Croatia has to come back from a half-time deficit to win 2-1.

As much as I emerged from the match admiring Macedonia and feeling they got the bum's rush, it must be said that the goal they scored was one of the flukiest I have ever seen. It was a direct kick in front ot the penalty box, and the scorer kicked it along the ground directly into the Croatian wall. But the Croatian defender it was headed towards instinctively turned 45 degrees to protect himself and block a ball in the air (as most free kicks end up airborne), and in turning, he allowed just enough room for the ball to slip through to the surprised keeper, who couldn't control it as it bounced off his arm.

The victories by Croatia and Russia put the heat on England to pick up a win in Israel, as the Lions entered the day in third place behind those two.

Israel's pretty fair in their own right, however, especially at home. In fact, with the emergence of Macedonia, I feel that Group E is the qualifying group of death and not Group B (France, Italy, Ukraine, Scotland).

Still, a legendary team like England should be able to secure a victory over a squad like Israel, but the game ended in a scoreless draw.

My thoughts for most of the game were with embattled England manager Steve McClaren. I have decided that there is no high-profile coaching job in the world with a shorter honeymoon (none, really) than England manager. McClaren seems to have no supporters at all among the pundits and the blogosphere.

To be fair, the haters have a point; the Israel game meant England had scored just one goal in their last five matches, their worst drought in over 25 years.

But I had to sympathize with him as I watched England employ a slow, patient, deliberate attack which involved a lot of passing around the midfield area. "Oh man," I thought, "the fans and pundits are gonna hate this." No matter what the sport, fans can only barely tolerate a boring style even if you are winning big with it. To be sketchy and boring, that's suicide to a manager. Sure enough ... do a Google search for "McClaren boring shite." If Euro 2008 began today, England, Italy, and Spain would all be out.

Wales at Ireland was fun. It seems I had read about Ireland struggling horribly, barely beating San Marino last time out and in the midst of some terrible nadir. The San Marino part was true, but I was surprised to find they were still in contention in Group D, and comfortably defeated a Wales squad with two Premier League megastars (Ryan Giggs and the hot-tempered, loathsome Craig Bellamy).

Finally, I caught two non-European friendlies. The first was Brazil vs. Chile in Sweden. Brazil was coming off a loss against Portugal and is in the unfamiliar position of not being No. 1 in the world (that's Argentina), but they seemed to shake it off with a 4-0 pasting of the Chileans. Near the end of the game, a fan rushed the field, approached Ronaldinho, dropped to his knees, and began to genuflect. As the police grappled with him, Ronaldinho reached in and seemed to give the man some dap. Classy touch.

I also watched Jamaica host Panama. Jamaica is an interesting case. As recently as 1998, they were in the World Cup. They have since sunk like a stone, failing to even qualify for CONCACAF's Gold Cup in June, which they could've earned with a top four finish in the Caribbean Cup that they hosted. Instead, they crashed out in the first group stage, including an ignoble defeat at the hands of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The last time I saw them, they were getting thrashed by England 6-0 in a World Cup tune-up.

I mentioned how FSC uses the domestic production and airs it with their graphics. For this match, they even gave us the Jamaican audio. Thus I heard the promos and mentions of "Sportsmax," which is apparently the Jamaican ESPN.

The Jamaican announcers were as mellow and genial as you would imagine, which was nice. Really more like two agreeable analysts rather than an announcer and analyst.

Panama, who qualified easily for the Gold Cup and was runner-up to the U.S. last time around, were the favorites and scored right out of the gates, but Jamaica took control of the rest of the match, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

One notable game missing from my slate was the U.S. vs. Ecuador. which I forgot was this week and my DirecTV listings could not find despite keyword searches "friendly" and "international." (There's too much crap to wade through to search all soccer matches, with three 24-hour soccer channels on DirecTV.) I'm not making that mistake again. I resolve to always keep track and be sure when the U.S. Men's National Team plays. What? They're playing Guatemala right now?

Posted by Kevin Beane at 6:05 PM | Comments (1)

March 28, 2007

NCAA Men's Final Four Preview

With all of the words spit out on sports radio, 'SportsCenter" and sports pages across the nation this week, it's pretty damn hard to come up with something new to write on this weekend's Final Four. It's like trying to ask an original question at the Super Bowl media day, or find a meth addict who can really quit whenever he wants to.

In summary: two ones, two twos. A bunch of future NBA players. Four really good coaches. History. Patrick Ewing. Billy Packer sucks.

There you go. Now what?

Well, for one, there are two major lessons to take away from this year's bracket. Learn them and store them away for next year.

First, this tournament has been a re-affirmation of the 2x2 Theory, which dictates the teams most likely to advance will be those that excel on offense and defense inside and on the perimeter.

It sounds simple, but how many of us had these four still alive? Ten percent? Fifteen? Twenty? Of the 61 teams not in the Final Four, is there anybody superior to Georgetown, Ohio State, UCLA, and Florida from a 2x2 perspective? Kansas maybe, but nobody else combines excellence inside and outside on offense and defense than these four.

The second lesson is that coaching still matters, but not as much as everybody likes to say. Really, it's just people who want to dog on coaches they are already pre-disposed to hate: Roy Williams, Bill Self, Rick Barnes, etc.

For instance, would John Thompson III be a worse coach if Jeff Green doesn't hit that shot against Vanderbilt? (Or if they had called a travel, which they shouldn't have because to call the travel they would have had to call the foul that forced the travel. The defender hip-checked Green, forcing the pivot foot up. Watch the replay.)

On the other hand, would everybody who hates Williams be admitting the error of their ways if Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, and Danny Green hadn't combined to shoot 2-for-14 from three against the Hoyas?

The answer to both questions is, of course, no. If the Hoyas had lost, it would have been, "Hey, not bad for a guy that young." And if the Tar Heels had won, it would have been, "Whatever. He should win with all that talent."

So come next year, pay attention to the 2x2 Theory, and don't bother over-analyzing the coaching reputations, since that's really all most of us are going on. (More than any other sport, it's nearly impossible in basketball to tell how much of a loss belongs to the strategy vs. the players getting their asses handed to them. This isn't the NFL.)

With those lessons in hand, we turn to those teams still alive and living the dream.

Florida

The Gators have now played three games in a row where they allowed an inferior opponent to hang around until the end. Purdue was up seven in the first half and within two at the 3:30 mark. Butler was up nine and tied with 2:34 to go. Florida was more in control against Oregon, but didn't make a field goal in the last 8:14 and missed seven free throws in the last two minutes to let the Ducks get within four. They play with a "we can turn it on when we need to" arrogance, one of the main pitfalls for teams trying to repeat. They say they're hungry, but they don't play that way from the tip.

What's worse is that Joakim Noah is turning into one of those "nobody believes in us" guys. I swear I never disliked the guy until he kept yapping about how people disliked him. At this point, he's in full Kellen Winslow, Jr. mode. If he starts yelling "Keep hating! I'm a mutha ------ soldia!" I won't be surprised.

(And before you start thinking I'm anti-Gator, let me say I really like Billy Donovan — I'm from Providence, so I have to — and Al Horford is one of my favorite players in the country.)

UCLA

UCLA beat Kansas for two reasons: first, Aaron Afflalo broke out of a shooting slump against Indiana and Pittsburgh (5-for-22, 1-of-8 from 3) to go 10-for-15 against the Jayhawks. During a seven-minute stretch of the second half, Afflalo scored nine straight Bruin points, preventing Kansas from getting the UCLA lead under six and eventually leading to the free-throw parade that gave them the double-digit win. If Afflalo doesn't turn it around, Kansas pulls a Florida and comes back to win.

Second, UCLA was tougher. Whether by circumstance or coach Ben Howland's design, Lorenzo Mata played an 11-game low in minutes (18), and Alfred Aboya played a 10-game high (25). Aboya had a huge impact defensively. Also, don't discount the contributions of Josh Shipp, somewhat of a forgotten man on this team. He only scored 9 points on 2-of-7 shooting (both makes were threes, plus 3-of-4 FT), but his 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals were critical to the win.

Ohio State

What makes this Buckeyes team so scary is that they seem to be still getting better. Greg Oden is becoming more assertive. Ron Lewis is playing the best ball of his career (not only with the threes, but he's also 21-for-21 from the FT line). Mike Conley keeps making clutch play after clutch play, and David Lighty has come out of nowhere to be a significant contributor. Add to that steady contributions from Jamar Butler, Othello Hunter, Ivan Harris, and Matt Terwilliger, and ... wow. That's a scary team.

Georgetown

First, a disclosure: I picked the Hoyas to win it all, and I win my pool if they do. I am in no way objective or impartial.

Now, with that said, the Hoyas are the best example of the 2x2 Theory. With Jonathan Wallace and Jessie Sapp at guard, Jeff Green and Patrick Ewing, Jr. as swing forwards, DaJuan Summers at the four, and Roy Hibbert at the five, the Hoyas are perfectly constituted to disrupt an opposing half-court offense (see previously quoted shooting stats for North Carolina). Having Hibbert on the inside (6 blocks against the Heels) allows the perimeter defense to stretch out to cover the three, and they have the size, athleticism, and toughness to fight through screens.

On offense, Green can create his own shot, Ewing and Wallace both shoot over 45% from three, and Hibbert is a vacuum on the glass. There's no place for a defense to cheat. Thad Matta has a significant chore.

---

I've already said I'm taking Georgetown, if for no other reason than I think they're tougher physically. Also, though Oden, Conley, Lighty, and Daequan Cook have shown themselves well capable of handling the big stage, they're freshmen in the Final Four. The game has changed, but when all else is equal, go experience over youth.

(One note: how the officials call this game will have a monumental impact. No matter who wins or loses, I just pray the story on Sunday morning isn't poor officiating that ruined what should be an all-time classic.)

As for the Florida/UCLA game, take your pick. As much as I look at the rosters and stats, break down the coaching philosophies (it might not be everything, but it can certainly be a tie-breaker), momentum, and other intangibles, I still can't come up with a compelling reason to pick either team. Hell, I can't even come up with a gut feeling. It comes down to Florida's mental state. If they come out soft, UCLA has the gonads to take advantage. If they come out full force, they have the talent to run away with it. Without any compelling evidence to the contrary, go superior overall talent. Then again, that didn't exactly work out for Kansas, did it?

One thing is for sure. There are 120 minutes of college ball left this season (maybe 125 or 130 if we're really lucky). And they are going to be awesome.

Seth Doria is freelance writer and blogger in St. Louis. For daily updates on sports, politics, and the general state of affairs in the world, please visit The Left Calf.

Posted by Joshua Duffy at 8:55 PM | Comments (0)

The Strangest Oddities in Tennis

Having been involved in and followed the world of tennis for approximately 30 years, I have always been fascinated by certain oddities that do not get much media space or time. Some of these are open for debate. In fact, I have my opinions on them also, but what is more peculiar is that although tennis reporters and so-called experts crave for new stories to write about, these interesting topics for debate are rarely picked up or even mentioned by these people. Let's get to a few of these question marks.

Why do WTA players refuse to practice with each other? Is it that women see each other as more bitter rivals than men? At tournaments, one often sees top men's players practice together, even picking up a practice set on the spot. With women, it's almost like taboo. They either practice with their coach or a sparring partner. Furthermore, an occasional hit with another player is a rare occurrence.

The Williams sisters even have a full-time Turkish male player that they met at Istanbul Cup in 2005 when, not surprisingly, they asked the tournament director to find Venus a hitting partner for the duration of the tournament, as if there were no other players present who would be interested in practicing with her. This guy is not ATP-level player by any means, but now he travels with them for the sole purpose of a sparring partner.

Why not a book on Roger Federer? I mean in English, of course (only one book has been published about him, in French by a Swiss author naturally). Are we this disconnected from non-American tennis players? Arguably the best player of all-time has yet a book to be published in his name in the U.S. Hey, don't say it has always been that way. Bjorn Borg, Ilie Nastase, Boris Becker, and others have had books published in their names and sometimes even before their careers were over.

Why aren't there more women as coaches? Is it because women hated it so much while they were doing it that once retired, they want to pull a Steffi Graf and never hang around a tennis-related environment (of course, in Graf's case, only to watch her husband play)? This is perhaps the most intriguing oddity of all. Couldn't Martina Navratilova, Pam Shriver, Steffi Graf, Jana Novotna, Nathalie Tauziat, Margaret Court, and Evonne Goolagong be very valuable to other women's players on the tour, just like Brad Gilbert, Peter Lundgren, and as of late, Jimmy Connors, have been to their players? Are they simply not interested in coaching?

Speaking of Margaret Court, why is she rarely included in the "best ever" discussion? I think most will agree that Steffi Graf was the best female player of all-time. What seems strange in this discussion is how at times Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King, Monica Seles, Serena Williams, or even Mo Connelly are compared to Graf whenever the best female player of all-time subject is brought to the table, yet Margaret Court, the winner of 24 Slam singles titles (more than Graf herself), a Grand Slam in 1970, and 19 Slam doubles titles is hardly ever mentioned. Maybe she should have beaten Bobby Riggs when they played four months prior to the "battle of the sexes" won by Billie Jean King.

Why no cry over equal prize money in lesser tournaments? In ATP tournaments, the lesser events outside of the Masters Series have at least $400K in prize money. In the WTA calendar, you will notice a bunch of tournaments hovering around $150K range. More precisely, why no public outcry about this inequality when there are all kinds of outcry about the Slams' prize money? Yes, we are all familiar with the Slams being run by the same governing body, but not the other tournaments' explanations. But still no visible fuss over this? I say go at it!

In the Slams, the five-set argument is sometimes offered. But here is a case, where everything is equal. Plus, these tournaments sell tickets only for women's matches, so no excuse of men's matches' attracting the crowd could be used, either. These WTA tournaments sell tickets just like their equivalent in ATP tournaments.

So there you go. This is a true calling for justified outcry for equal prize money where the other side could not offer much of a counter-argument. Yet, most characters who go head over heels to put up a big fuss over equal prize money in Slams are bizarrely absent when it comes to the outrageously unproportionate general distribution of prize money in lesser tournaments. Maybe these characters are also concerned with their visibility, as well?

Why won't juniors follow tennis on TV or other media? I have conducted junior clinics for the past 10 years. I will never forget few years ago when I asked all 16 students to name me the best golf player, they all screamed Tiger Woods' name. Immediately after, I asked for the best tennis player, male or female. They all looked blank. I asked them to name "any player." They still looked blank. Exasperated, I asked, "Have you not heard of Serena Williams?" Couple of the students replied "yes," then added "Is she still playing?" I mentioned Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, and Andy Roddick, all of them American. They continued the blank glance.

I realize that was an extreme case (or was it?), but junior tennis players do not watch tennis, do not know the history of the game, and I am willing to bet a lot that most juniors could not name 10 players' names in succession, men and women together. I remember my junior years in the late-'70s, early-'80s. We would follow every ATP and WTA tournament, watch every match shown on TV, even miss school clandestinely, so we could watch the Wimbledon quarterfinals live.

Why is this belief that acting like an idiot can help a certain player? John McEnroe is the emblematic subject for this debate. For years, we keep hearing that his behavior somehow helped him focus and concentrate better. We heard that if he controlled his emotions, he would not have been half the player that he was. I think it's all nonsense. Thankfully, McEnroe himself agrees, also. He has said on many occasions that his temperament has gotten the better of him in many instances.

Yet still, there are people who truly believe that McEnroe, Jeff Tarango, Marat Safin, etc. are simply "like that" and it somehow helps them excel in their strive for perfection. I guess we should say "bravo" to McEnroe for getting defaulted out of the Australian Open against Perfors because he could not keep his mouth shut, or offer congratulations to Marat Safin for breaking more than one racket in frustration and losing more than a few games before being able to recuperate himself several different times during the Australian Open final that he lost to Thomas Johansson (talk about an oddity there, Johansson winning a Slam).

Why does it seem that Clijsters and Fiona from Shrek are look-alikes? Josh Hartnett and Rafael Nadal? Steffi Graf and Laura Dern? Juan Carlos Ferrero and Sawyer from "Lost?"

And finally how about Roger Federer and the FedEx sign? Uh, okay, never mind...

Posted by Mert Ertunga at 8:13 PM | Comments (5)

While You Were Mad

Covering the NCAA tournament makes it difficult to follow your favorite NBA team. I was lamenting that very fact the other day when a friend turned to me and asked, "Do you really care at all about the NBA right now?"

I took a second, pondered, and decided that as he suspected, my interest NBA basketball had all but been eclipsed during for the second half of March. It's a phenomenon that's been occurring for my entire sports-viewing lifetime, but one I was unaware of until that day.

I always thought that between the Ides of March and the first Monday in April, NBA players went on vacation, leaving pre-taped games to entertain the few basketball fans who weren't glued to college's far more passionate brand.

I thought Shaq went fishing and Tony Parker, or should I say, Tony P, rapped in French with Fabolous. I thought it was all set up to happen that way, like when they pre-empt your favorite show for a major sporting event. It goes away for a week, you don't miss anything and when the dust settles they make with the new episodes.

How naive I was.

Apparently, the NBA's been business as usual the whole time, and while you were watching Ohio State pull horseshoes from every orifice, Kobe Bryant was scoring 50 or more points in four straight games.

When March Madness ends you rejoin the NBA just in time for the final weeks and playoffs, but some big things have been happening down the home stretch that don't involve Bryant's ego. Here are a few of the notables you may have missed while you were watching Joakim Noah practice his primal screaming.

Apparently, Andrea Bargnani couldn't handle the pressure of competing with college hoops, because the Raptors big man needed an emergency appendectomy last week and is out indefinitely, at once deflating his run at Rookie of the Year and Toronto's chance at a surprise run deep into the playoffs.

Instead of betting on his alma mater, the Arizona Wildcats, to do some damage in the NCAA tournament (which would've been a brutal call), Gilbert Arenas has been keeping himself busy making $10 bets with fans. Arenas bet a fan he would hit the winning shot during a loss to Portland Wednesday, and when he missed and word got out, the only thing the NBA did was "explain the issue to him."

Somewhere Pete Rose is going, "What the f@$?!?"

Ray Allen needed an excuse to watch a little Final Four, because his season's over after bone spurs crept up in his ankle. He's in a lot of pain, I swear. If you ask me, the real victim is still the Seattle basketball community.

Rasheed Wallace also wanted a little time off, and the Big Technical got his 18th of the year this week, a milestone that results in an immediate one-game suspension. Every second technical beyond that also means a one-game breather, so maybe Ra-Weed will be able to watch the national championship after all.

Ron Artest is talking about potentially retiring at the end of the season. Please, try to contain your grief.

Former Kentucky big man Randolph Morris sure did. Randolph was signed by the Knicks in the same week his Wildcats were eliminated from the Big Dance. Another brilliant decision by Morris, who entered the draft once before, but pulled out, making himself a free agent at the end of the collegiate season. Just what the Knicks need — another low-maintenance, character guy.

The Dallas Mavericks still have the best record in the NBA, have won six straight as of this writing, and will probably meet the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Finals for a series which would realistically determine the NBA championship if there were any justice.

See, not much can actually change over two weeks in the NBA.

Read more of Aaron Miller's work at GrandStandAdmissions.com.

Posted by Aaron Miller at 6:38 PM | Comments (0)

March 27, 2007

Challenges Face Native American Prospects

The dawn of the 2007 Major League Baseball season is perhaps the best time to reflect upon baseball's past and its hopes for the future. At no other time of the season will fans' aspirations be as high without need for qualification.

As teams gear up for Opening Day on April 1st, major league camps in both the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues have had the enviable positions to not only evaluate the 2007 starting lineups, but to get a look at what the future holds for 2008 and 2009. And in that regard, Spring Training has routinely become important not only to evaluate present-day players, but for the prognostication of what teams can expect down the road.

Baseball is arguably the sport most intertwined with its history and legacy along with its impact on society. Its past demands that it be revisited, especially when speaking about its future, as we explore here two notable and historically unique minor league prospects.

It was in 1887 when the first American Indian is believed to have competed in the major leagues. James Madison Toy, of partial Indian ancestry, played in the American Association League in that year as well as in 1890. Toy preceded Louis Sockalexis, the first officially acknowledged American Indian who competed for the Cleveland Spiders of the National League in 1897 until 1899.

Although Native Americans entered the world of professional baseball 50 years prior to African Americans, who competed in the Negro Leagues until Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier by signing his minor league contract with Dodgers in 1945, there have been less than 50 Native Americans of full Indian ancestry to compete in the major leagues since 1897.

Charles Albert "Chief" Bender is the sole Native American elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, although Jim Thorpe was perhaps the best-known Native American player of the 20th century as he excelled in multiple sports.

There are, however, many well-known Hall of Famers who are of part Native American ancestry, such as Johnny Bench, Willie Stargell, and Early Wynn.

At long last, the drought of notable Native American future hopefuls in MLB may be over. One of them can be found in the New York Yankees organization and the other in the organization of its rival, the Boston Red Sox. Right-handed starting pitcher Joba Chamberlain was landed by the Yankees in the 2006 draft, signed as a supplemental first-round pick, and 41st overall. Chamberlain is a member of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. After competing for two years for the University of Nebraska, having only started to play baseball as a senior in high school in Lincoln, Nebraska, Chamberlain led his team to the 2005 College World Series, going 10-2 for the season with a 2.81 ERA.

Now 21, Chamberlain has been clocked with a 98-mph fastball and has been favorably compared by physique, delivery, and his portfolio of pitches to Cleveland Indians pitcher C.C. Sabathia. Most important for the Yankees is not to rush Chamberlain to the Big Show too early, as he has a history of weight and triceps tendonitis problems. He spent the winter in the Hawaiian Winter League where his progress continued, followed by an invite to Spring Training. Yet it is his strong mental makeup which is central to his battling any problems which may arise along the way, according to the Yankees. Slated to start in A-ball at the beginning of 2007, Chamberlain could end the season as high as AAA, with a possible shot at making the Yankees' rotation in 2008.

Another Native American star in the making spent Spring Training in Red Sox Nation. Jacoby Ellsbury, whose mother is of full Navajo descent and a member of the Colorado River Tribe, has taken his partial Native American heritage quite seriously. Ellsbury, signed by Boston in the first round of the draft in 2005 as the 23rd overall pick, is a left-handed outfielder who competed for Oregon State University, where he was the 2005 Pac-10 Conference Co-Player of the Year and an All-Academic Honorable Mention. Ellsbury was ranked as the fastest base runner and third best defensive outfielder of eligible college players in Baseball America's "Best Tools Survey For 2005."

Ellsbury's speed, coupled with power to all fields, according to the Red Sox, most closely resembles Johnny Damon's playing style and the hope is that he will at least spend part of the 2008 season at the major league level and become a regular starter in 2009.

And a recent former major leaguer, Bobby Madritsch, pitched for the Seattle Mariners in 2004 and 2005 and was traded to the Kansas City Royals for the 2006 season. Madritsch is of Lakota Sioux heritage. He recovered at age 28 from reconstructive shoulder surgery when the Mariners signed him. Unfortunately, he re-injured his shoulder and tore his labrum in 2005 and the Royals eventually released him. Now 31, Madritsch has not elected another surgery, but is still attempting a comeback in some organization with a minor league contract for 2007. Thus far, only the Philadelphia Phillies have shown any interest.

All three of these players have one commonality in addition to their Native American roots, however, and that is that they grew up off of the Indian reservation, regardless of their heritage. Ellsbury had limited time living at the Warms Springs reservation early in his childhood, where his mother is a special education teacher, but he grew up in Madras, Oregon. Chamberlain grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska and Madritsch, while born on an Indian reservation, was taken away when he was but two months old and raised amongst the rough neighborhoods of Chicago.

Key to their success, however, is that all three men assimilated into American life, unlike other Native American boys living on Indian reservations, and thereby increased their odds for success later in life. Still, unbeknownst to most Americans, the reservations remain rife with poverty with a lack of general services. There exists a high school dropout rate of over 40%, an unemployment rate of over 60%, and the poverty rate exceeds 25%. Healthcare and education are under-funded while diabetes, obesity, alcohol, and drug abuse are pervasive problems. And all of this remaining depravity is present in spite of the fact that the Indian Gaming Association touts that there are now Indian gaming casinos in 28 states that have proliferated over the past decade.

And the lack of participation in sports on either the collegiate or professional levels by Native Americans prevails. The overriding concept ingrained in Native American culture is that standing out for individual accomplishment is in direct conflict with the importance of functioning as a group. Enjoying success apart from the tribe is not rewarded, but rather scorned. As such, athletes who leave and go on to have a modicum of success only return to the reservation to face criticism and rejection by family and friends. This is often too much to reconcile in the mind of an adolescent.

Many Native American athletes additionally suffer from a bad rap by college coaches or professional scouts, as well. Few coaches avail themselves to the talent on the reservations. Most are told, by the scant few who have actually approached Native American communities, that they will be let down by the Native American's inability to successfully assimilate on the college or professional level. Moreover, coaches worry about academic eligibility of these prospective students.

Making the transition from a sheltered life on a reservation to a college campus requires basic life skills, which are lacking without the proper guidance. And feelings of guilt about achieving success have led Native American athletes to deliberately sabotage his or her chances to thrive. They would rather go back to a depraved life that is familiar to them and be around family rather than vying for a better stake in life.

Not dissimilar to the lack of effort exhibited by MLB in its investment of players from the African American community, it as well as the universities routinely seek out players overseas rather than even approach potential which exists on Indian reservations. The idea is dismissed out of hand. But unlike the youth of the African-American community, who generally long to escape a life of poverty and crime-ridden neighborhoods, the Native American needs to be exposed to options in a way which can work in concert with their culture and customs, yet improve their lot in life.

Both Chamberlain and Ellsbury find themselves in unique positions, given the level of expectations for them on the big league level. And since they remain members of their respective tribes, they have the opportunity to foster a new dialog between MLB and the Native American community, as well as to implore scouts and college coaches to not give up on their people. Therefore, it is ever more important that these two players by virtue of their climb to success at the major league level and beyond play a key role in introducing a whole new source of untapped talent of American boys, who just happen to live on a reservation.

"I think coaches might find out that the reservations contain some extraordinary athletes ... It takes a special coach to bring them along, give them the security they need," according to South Dakota State Representative Ron Volesky, a member of the Lakota Sioux and a Harvard graduate. He too grew up primarily away from the reservation.

But let us hope that the Native American population can give to those of their own heritage, who have been successful, the necessary access to its most important asset, its children, in that they have a chance for a better life, whether it be in sports or some other discipline.

Posted by Diane M. Grassi at 6:12 PM | Comments (0)

Football is Not For the Well-Adjusted

Looking for a more effective way to keep players out of the courtroom, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is expected this week to announce new strategies and more severe penalties for players that land in trouble with the law.

According to the Washington Post, 41 NFL players were arrested in the 2006 calendar year for charges that range from assault to reckless driving to carrying a concealed weapon. For nearly half of the cases, some or all of the charges were dropped.

What I'm surprised about is the fact that Goodell, along with owners, general managers, and coaches (almost all of whom were players themselves) that attended these owner's meetings with Goodell believe aggressiveness and violent temperament to be a switch that can be turned on and off. "Sinner on the gridiron," they think. "Saint off of it."

"One incident is too many in my book," Goodell said at the owners meeting in Phoenix.

He was also quoted as saying that the NFL and its players were held to a higher standard. A different standard. That goes without saying. These are men that treat broken fingers like we treat paper cuts. These are men that pop shoulders into place like we pop our knuckles. These are men that risk physical and mental health for the most popular sport in America.

There have been reports of players being forced to practice with concussions. One wide receiver in the late-'90s played an entire year while blind in one eye. Wear an eye patch and try to play catch with your kid this afternoon and see how long you last.

We as a country have created this expectation and standard for NFL players to be men of complete aggression and reckless abandon (what else would you call a gunner on a punt coverage?) and to have a threshold of pain 10 times that of the men and women that write and read about them in the sports page.

We have trained these men to suppress fear and deal with unimaginable pain.

Why then are we so surprised when they forget that the rest of us aren't on their level? Why are we so shocked when one of them lashes out off the field?

Looking over the Washington Post report and the list of charges brought before NFL players last year, I see only a handful that wouldn't translate wonderfully on the football field.

Assault on a Tuesday afternoon? Get in there and rip the quarterback's head off on Sunday, Connor!

Reckless driving on a Thursday night? Cover that kickoff on Sunday, Johnson!

Disorderly conduct on Monday evening? I want some disruption in the pocket on Sunday or you're cut, Curtiss!

Resisting arrest on Friday? Never quit, never surrender, elude that safety on Sunday, Taylor!

I'm not trying to say that the actions of a few dozen football players should be pardoned. I'm just trying to say that we should look at their actions in a different light. Since their preteens, these men are the cream of the crop of a generation of football players that are told to never quit, to fight back, and to handle their problems with physical aggression. I don't think we should cut them any slack judicially, but I do think we should cut them a little slack judgmentally.

I am in total agreement with Goodell on a lot of things. I think he can take us out of this current CBA and bring some unity between the owners and player's unions. I think going to London is a wonderful idea and I hope to bring Canada and Europe into the NFL family in the next 15 years.

I also think I'd be quite the hypocrite to cheer for aggressiveness on Sundays and look my nose down on that same aggression Monday through Saturday.

Unless, of course, "Monday Night Football" is on.

Posted by Ryan Day at 5:48 PM | Comments (0)

The Potato, Walrus, and Raging Blancmange

For a generation weaned on heroin chic, liposuction, and size zero models, sports has served as an unlikely bastion of moral sensibility. As Bermudian cricket professional Dwayne Leverock will testify, in our world, a few extra meals can put your next one on the table.

At 19 stone, Leverock is the latest in a long line of portly sportsman to garner acclaim on the cricket field. Whether he could justify inclusion in an all-time "rotund and revered cricketing XI" is unlikely however. Colin Milburn, Darren Lehmann, Inzamam "The Potato" Ul-Haq, Greg "Fat Cat" Ritchie, and W.G. Grace would make anyone's lineup. Whoever joined them, the battle to field in the slips would be brutal.

Cricket fans are not alone in their love for the plus-size performer. Before soccer entered the age of nutrionalists, Ferenc Puskas scored goals for fun and washed them down with a cake chaser. "Look at that little fat chap, we'll murder this lot," said one England player to another during the warm-up to the 1953 clash against Hungary at Wembley. A victory of both style and substance ensued.

Unscientifically speaking, perhaps there's something to be said of the link between diet and performance. American golfer Craig Stadler lost two stone in 2000, but put it all back on again when his game became as loose as his trousers. "The walrus" immediately regained his form, sticking a symbolic two fingers in the direction of Gillian McKeith and heading to KFC with his prize money.

Stadler's physique made him a cult hero, more popular than many of his more gifted fellow professionals. An academic might say his perceived physical "flaws" sign-posted an endearing vulnerability that humanized him. He was a professional golfer, but he looked like your dad's mate in the pub.

No calorific countdown would be complete without a mention for American boxer Eric Esch. The 40-year-old former IBA Super Heavyweight champion, nicknamed "butterbean", weighed over 30 stone at the dawn of his career and has become a star of video games ("Knockout Kings," "Toughman Contest") and films ("Jackass: The Movie," "Chairman of the Board").

Despite a reputation for lacking endurance, Esch lasted 10 rounds with Larry Holmes in 2002, knocking him down in the last, before losing on points. In addition to a boxing career that has brought 77 wins from 88 fights, he has starred in the WWE and mixed-martial arts. Labeled "the raging blancmange" by the British press, Esch's popularity endures to this day.

"Several lucky things have happened," he said. "I knocked out a referee in one of my fights, and me and Jay Leno became friends. I've been on the 'Tonight Show' seven times — that just don't happen. In fact, that really helped."

For once, the moral high ground is ours. There is no such thing as sizism in sports.

Posted by Will Tidey at 5:35 PM | Comments (0)

March 26, 2007

The Great NBA Search For Mediocrity

It was like participating in my church's Easter egg hunt as a child. They would put two green eggs out into a field and we'd run out into a huge field and try to track them down. No one ever really won — the game just ended and the egg hunt organizers told us where they were. Except the game I played the other day didn't end like that.

I was looking for an NBA player. Not just any player, but one who did it all — scored point, racked up dimes, was a beast on the blocks, and played suffocating defense. It sounds like some great basketball player, but that's not who I was looking for. I was looking for a mediocre player with mediocre averages — seven points, seven assists and seven rebounds a game. Okay, so these aren't exactly mediocre. Seven assists and rebounds is actually pretty good.

So I guess it's unfair to say I was looking for a mediocre player. But I was looking for someone who didn't score much, yet did everything else. It was like looking for a girlfriend — an all-around girl who spread out her talents to different parts of being a good girlfriend, instead of focusing on just one thing.

As my search began, I made a mental image of what this player looked like. I figured he'd be 6-foot-7 or 6-foot-8 with a great basketball IQ. Also, I imagined he was a low-key player — someone who has never been an all-star. And maybe, he even rides the bench once in a while. But one thing I knew for sure — he was a small forward. Small forwards are versatile, get the ball in their hands a lot, and are down in the blocks enough for them to grab a few rebounds. Also, he may be a point-forward — someone like Magic Johnson or even Anthony Mason.

With that, I was off into the world of statistics. I felt like I was almost doing this to make sure my years of taking classes on statistics didn't go to waste. I began to find a lot of "pacmans." I call them "pacmans" because the pie graph pacman's face makes represents two of the three statistical categories in which these players were strong. Unsurprisingly, it was typically points and rebounds or points and assists. The best points/rebounds players were Kevin Garnett and Dwight Howard. The best points/assists players were Steve Nash and Deron Williams.

But I didn't want these superstars — my Easter egg was a mediocre guy whom everyone underestimates. So I continued my search.

I ran into tons of additional pacmans: Tyson Chandler, Amare Stoudemire, Tim Duncan, Emeka Okafor. But I didn't want these low-post guys who couldn't handle the rock. Also, they were one-dimensional. They only grabbed rebounds because they were so tall and were fairly athletic.

I decided to look for small forwards who may be filling up the stat sheet. And I ran into three guys: LeBron James, Mike Dunleavy, Jr., and Luke Walton. I immediately scratched off James because his primary skill is scoring. Dunleavy is averaging 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists a game — hardly my guy. Walton is averaging 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists a game — again, not my guy.

I was getting depressed. I began to get flashbacks of the third grade when I cried because I didn't get an Easter egg.

Then, through my tears, I saw it — 14 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists.

I couldn't imagine who it could be. The numbers were intriguing. He scored a bit too much for my taste, but the other two numbers were ... amazing. They were Magic Johnson-like. I slowly shifted my eyes over to identify this player.

Jason Kidd.

Dare I say it? Yes. I will. He was a too good for me. He was out of my league. When I look for a girl, I want them to be just good enough to stay in my league. For example, last night I met this girl — beautiful eyes, stunning smile, and great personality. But nothing threw her out of my league. I actually had a chance with her — until I found out she had a boyfriend. But nevertheless, you get the point.

So the conclusion is that there is no one in the NBA who is an all-around decent player — or at least not on the stat sheet. My guess is that this is because kids, at a young age, want to score. That is their main priority and what gives them most joy. So they go into the gym and shoot around for hours. And, also, I suppose there's no way to just "pass around" or "rebound around" for hours. Those skills require far more intricate training. The players who can score, pass and rebound are great players, not mediocre. No one's skill-set involved great passing and rebounding and mediocre scoring.

Looking into the future, two players look like they have a chance to become this elusive Easter egg I've been searching for. Julian Wright, the small forward from Kansas, is a great passer, an athletic rebounder, and he doesn't look to score too much. Also, Jeff Green from Georgetown has great court vision and often pulls down rebounds in front of his 7-foot-2 teammate Roy Hibbert. Watch these guys this week if you get the chance — the skill they bring to the game is fun to watch.

And if you're looking for the next Jason Kidd, I've got a sleeper for you: Jared Jordan. He's the Marist point guard, and at 6-2, he managed to pull down 6 rebounds a game while dishing out 9 assists. He scores 17 points per game because he's the best player on a team that needs it, but when he gets to the NBA, I have a feeling he'll average around 8 points, 7 assists, and 5 boards. But I can only hope, I suppose. Just like I can only hope that the girl I met last night doesn't read this. She doesn't want to be told she's stuck in my league.

Posted by Alvin Chang at 4:05 PM | Comments (1)

A Tale of Two Tours

A couple of weeks ago, a press conference was held here in Washington, DC to announce the creation of the AT&T National. It is the new tournament that will take the July 4th weekend time slot that became vacant when Jack Vickers decided to pull the International from the schedule effective immediately.

The creation and announcement of the event seemed to help fill a gap the PGA Tour was desperate to fill. A solid new event in the nation's capital, presumably held at a spectacular course in Congressional, and the charitable proceeds would benefit the Tiger Woods Foundation. Even better than that, Tiger Woods would be the official host of the event. In essence, it was a guarantee that Woods would appear in Washington at least once per year to play in his event. It sounded like another problem solved.

Then it came out that the AT&T National would be an invitational tournament. For those not too familiar with PGA Tour field structures, an invitational tournament is a type of limited field event that creates a minimum number of players to be invited to play — a number the tournament usually employs. Some examples of invitationals are last week's Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Memorial Tournament hosted by Jack Nicklaus.

So, what is so wrong about having an invitational tournament? Well, the struggling journeyman professional would tell you that it takes away a week for them to play on Tour. This is because there are qualifying rules to earn invitations to these events that many struggling pros do not meet. Thus, they cannot compete during that week on the schedule unless there is an alternate field event held concurrently with the invitational. There is no alternate field event like that on Tour for an invitational event. This means that struggling pros have to sit it out for a week on the PGA Tour while the best players get a chance to earn a slightly larger check because of the smaller field.

This does not seem like a big deal until you think about the number of limited field events that the Tour holds each year with alternate field events to complement the excluded players. There are five invitational events held during the season that do not have alternate events for other players. That seems pretty benign on a schedule with more than 40 events.

Now consider that the four FedEx Cup playoff events have limited fields and struggling players are not as likely to make it through all four events, much less one. Then, consider that the two World Golf Championships events with alternate field events. The WGC events offer a purse approximately 2.5 times the size of their alternate counterparts, have no cut (guaranteeing a payday for the rich just for showing up), and also have bonus FedEx Cup points added to their pools just to throw salt in the wound. And, while not technically limited field events, let's go ahead and throw the major championships in there because it is hard to qualify for one, much less all four, if you are struggling week to week.

That totals 15 events on the PGA Tour FedEx Cup schedule that have limited fields and restrict a struggling professional from making the money needed to keep their Tour card. Fifteen events out of 36 on the FedEx Cup schedule turns out to be a little bit more than one in three events. For a struggling pro, that means they really only have 19 guaranteed events to make good money during the FedEx Cup season.

The Tour would tell you that statistic is a little misleading. This is because the PGA Tour invented the Fall Series — seven events after the Tour Championship (and the $10 million FedEx Cup payoff) that players can enter to earn money toward the money list and maintain their Tour card. The Tour also did a favor to the struggling players because these events are specifically designed to "finalize the following year's eligibility for players who do not finish in the top 30 of the FedEx Cup."

Read: the players who are not all that good can vie for these scraps. These seven events range in purse size from $3.5 million to $6.0 million. With the exception of the $6 million Turning Stone Championship, most events in the Fall Series hover around $4.5 million. The average FedEx Cup event hovers in the area of $5.5 million.

It is not hard to see what the Tour is doing here. They are furthering the divide between the two PGA Tours — the one for the players already crowned stars and the one for everybody else. If you can find a way to climb into the upper echelon of the PGA Tour and get into the haves club, then life is pretty peachy: complete scheduling flexibility, several events with guaranteed paydays, invitations to all kinds of tournaments, and access to events with higher than average purses. The problem is that the road to get there is becoming harder to navigate.

For as difficult as the Tour is making it for struggling players to get into that upper echelon of status, let's be real for a moment. There were 93 millionaires last year on the PGA Tour money list. The man at 125 on the money list, exempted Darren Clarke, made a measly $661K last season. Struggling is a very loose way of describing that kind of cash flow — even considering the high expenses of being a Tour pro.

Professional golf is an extraordinarily difficult job. Arguably, it is the most difficult sport to maintain consistent financial viability — even with mini tours and newer mid-major tours sprouting up in recent years. Once pros reach the highest level of competition on the PGA Tour, they want to and deserve to have every opportunity to be able to hold onto what they have earned. It seems, though, that it is becoming increasingly difficult for that to be possible for struggling pros.

It could be said that they should just play better, work harder, or step aside for the next wave. But, really, while the difference between number one on the money list (Tiger) and 119 (David Brenshaw) is huge, the difference between Brenshaw (119) and Omar Uresti (134) is very small. The difference between keeping a Tour card and having to struggle to keep the dream alive can come down to a handful of shots over an entire season. The least the PGA Tour could do is to make sure that margin for error does not become smaller because while these guys are good, that kind of pressure is ridiculous.

Posted by Ryan Ballengee at 3:49 PM | Comments (0)

March 24, 2007

Will Fans Support Int'l Expansion?

I'm an American sports fan.

I don't care about the Ottawa Senators. Then again, I never really cared about the Winnipeg Jets, either. I like to watch the Edmonton Oilers and the Calgary Flames, but only when they give me a reason to. If I could afford the ever-increasing price of live hockey games, I'd gladly pay to see Toronto or Montreal come to town, because of the prestige and the history and the memories associated with those sweaters.

The Vancouver Grizzlies were dead to me when the team was announced. Never cared. The Toronto Raptors were only on my radar screen when Vince Carter was making highlight reels; now that Chris Bosh is winning games, I guess I have to start paying attention again.

The Montreal Expos (R.I.P.) and Toronto Blue Jays mattered to me as division rivals to New York teams and for those games when their superstar pitchers were on the hill. The rest of the time, my indifference towards them was somewhere between that for the Brewers and the Devil Rays.

The point is that success, excitement, and esteem will always trump institutionalized xenophobia when it comes to "foreign" franchises in U.S. professional sports leagues. (I know the line is blurred in the NHL, but just go with it.) Take the Vancouver Canucks in the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals against the Rangers. With New York four wins away from breaking a decades-long "curse," you could have had Peter McNeeley in the other corner and there still would have been interest. But while the Canucks didn't have the prestige of other Canadian franchises, they sure as hell have a superstar that made you care in Pavel Bure. The result was a very memorable championship series, and not just for the Rangers' victory.

Give us a reason to care and that will erase any of our apathy for non-U.S. franchises.

This lesson needs to be taught again because we're slowly creeping towards internationalism in American professional sports. First came the players, now come the games: the NFL, NHL, and NBA will hold exhibition or regular season games in Europe or Asia next season. (Major League Baseball, a forerunner in that trend, appears to have taken a break from aggressive international marketing this season, with rumors of a game in China swirling for 2009.)

Next is expansion. David Stern has said repeatedly that expanding to Europe and Asia is something the NBA desires, and the league could have its all-star game overseas within the next five years. Mexico City and Toronto have been named by the NFL as two cities that could have expansion franchises within the next decade. San Juan, Puerto Rico was on the list of potential homes for the Montreal Expos; MLB just opened an office in China this year.

The NBA and NFL are perfectly built for expansion outside U.S. borders. The Raptors' appeal is typical for any international franchise in basketball — it all comes back to star power and success on the court. If Toronto grabs a high seed and makes a run in the postseason, it becomes a hotter ticket next year, at least among Eastern Conference rivals. Meanwhile, Bosh has become a marketable star for the franchise and for the league. "Come see Chris Bosh and the Toronto Raptors" is exactly what the NBA wants from a non-U.S. franchise (and what it never got in Vancouver).

The NFL, meanwhile, is blessed by its limited schedule. With only 16 games every regular season, there's simply no time for fan apathy to creep in. Sure, you're going to get jazzed for a division opponent or traditional rival than for the Mexico City Warriors; but you're still going to tailgate or watch it on Sunday from your local sports bar because every game means something in the league.

With baseball and hockey, the passion is much more territorial. I'm a Mets fan. I care about teams in my division, teams in the National League that might challenge us for postseason glory, traditional rivalries with teams like the Dodgers and Cubs, and of course beating the piss out of the Yankees in interleague play. I could live my entire life a happy man without ever seeing the Mets play the Seattle Mariners or the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. I just don't give a damn.

I think it would be the same way with the Mets and the Beijing Flying Stars (too bad "Reds" is already taken). With 162 games, unless there's a palpable appeal or a direct affect on my team's season, I just can't see myself getting up for those games.

In hockey, it's even worse, because I grew up with Patrick Division regular season games that all felt like life or death for my team. When the NHL goes back to a slightly more balanced schedule in a few years, and the Blue Jackets and Los Angeles Kings come skating back into New Jersey for games that are now going to the Flyers and Rangers ... man, this is why I've never gotten season tickets.

The Kings, however, are a great example for how to defeat that sort of apathy. When they were the silver-and-black Gretzky Kings, they were must-see-TV (not so much the Cammalleri Kings of today). The kind of hockey they played, the star power they had, and the success they found combined to make the Kings a hot ticket when they came to your town — even if your town was thousands of miles from theirs.

The real issue for these leagues as they move forward with international expansion — besides the logistical nightmares of travel and the logical nightmares of placing non-U.S. teams in the standings — is the star factor. Gretzky didn't exactly get traded to Hartford; if he had, would he have gone? Or would he have pulled the same kind of routine that Stevie Franchise pulled when Vancouver selected him in the NBA draft, claiming that God told him not to play in Canada? (In Wayne's case, maybe replace "God" with "Janet.")

Speaking of hockey, there's the Eric Lindros factor. What if a star athlete who is taken in a draft or traded to another nation's franchise has personal, political, or religious beliefs (or those of his mother) that are in contrast with that team's foreign ownership or country of origin?

The NBA and NFL farm systems exist in the NCAA, where players from around the U.S. play on teams located in the U.S. and are watched by fans in the U.S. Are the quarterback from Notre Dame, and more importantly his representation, going to be cool with seeing an All-American shipped off to CFL country?

They will be if his jersey sells.

In the end, money will speak loudly. The financial windfall for star athletes playing for American leagues in foreign cities can't be estimated, and not just because of the exchange rate. If an athlete can swallow his jingoistic pride and capture the imagination of non-U.S. fans, the potential for his celebrity is limitless. Or am I the only one curious about Tom Brady taking on the British tabloids?

There have been times in the last decade when I've decided that international expansion is the "Mission to Mars" of professional sports — a drum whose beat crescendos and then recedes every few years, depending on how the political winds are blowing. But with American media revenues having hit their apex for many of these leagues (or, in the NHL's case, have hardly been cultivated), how much longer will these organizations hold off from drilling on untapped foreign soil for fan dollars?

Once more, with feeling: in the end, money will speak loudly.

Greg Wyshynski is the Features Editor for SportsFan Magazine in Washington, DC, and the Senior Sports Editor for The Connection Newspapers of Northern Virginia. His book is "Glow Pucks and 10-Cent Beer: The 101 Worst Ideas in Sports History." His columns appear every Saturday on Sports Central. You can e-mail Greg at [email protected].

Posted by Greg Wyshynski at 2:24 PM | Comments (2)

In Hollywood, Everything's Zen

There was a time when mutual contempt between Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson gave the NBA its reason for being. At a minimum, their bickering was a respite from the insufferable championships to which Shaquille O'Neal and his 7'1", 315-pound frame would lead them each June. At best, they brought illusions of a grander prize — that this internal tempest would cause the delicate framework of Hollyball to implode.

Ultimately, Jackson was driven to a brief sabbatical during which he penned his book, The Last Season: A Team in Search of its Soul (Penguin Press, 2004), wherein he called Bryant “uncoachable". Yet a year later, he found a way to again coach the petulant Lakers star.

Or, to paraphrase Terrell Owens' former publicist Kim Etheredge, he found 30 million ways.

Since the two reunited, the frost in their relationship has melted, leaving in its place a glacial pool whose runoff now cuts through the landscape of injustice to seek and wash away Bryant's detractors. And, even after four consecutive 50-point outings — two of 60 or more — there's a lot of washing to do.

Whether it be persecution or a unified call to arms, Bryant's play of late has been attracting its share of criticism. Take the simple act of shooting a basketball, which he performs nearly 30 times a night. One would think that through sheer repetition, a player of the ilk of Bryant could correct the awkward follow-through in which his shooting hand takes a 90-degree tack and pursues a horizontal plane at roughly the height of a defender's cheekbone.

As hard as it is for the typical fan to swallow the naturalness of Kobe's shot, it is apparently harder for Jackson to accept those who feel Bryant's game is better suited to an ice hockey rink than to hardwood. For those harboring doubts about the benevolence of Bryant's intents — especially NBA Executive Vice President Stu Jackson, who has now overseen three disciplinary actions against him this season — the Zen Master has a challenge.

"I think I'm going to have to put about 50 clips of Kobe shooting his shot and his arms going out like that so the judger of this deed of Kobe's sees that he does this a lot," Jackson told the Associated Press after Bryant's second suspension for the same infraction within a five-week span. "It's not an unnatural basketball motion."

As it happens, both shots that led to Bryant's suspensions were potential game-winners taken in the final seconds, a coincidence whose unfortunate timing makes his natural follow-through look a bit like retribution for tight defense to the uneducated eye who has yet to watch any of Jackson's 50 clips.

Compounding matters for the team — remember the team? — both games ended in overtime defeat. Tack on losses to the lottery-bound Milwaukee Bucks and sub-.500 New York Knicks while The Natural One was serving his two suspensions, and the Lakers took a four-game hit in the Western Conference standings.

One might go so far as to think Kobe a saboteur who jeopardizes his team's season, only to come in as its last-minute savior amid the cheering of the redemption-starved throng. Jackson, in fact, made such an allegation once. Of course, that was $30 million ago. Besides, the conduct that elicited his condemnation occurred when Bryant was back in high school. He's matured since then. Take Game 7 of last year's first-round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns, when Bryant reminded his teammates of his importance by refusing to shoot in the second half as the Lakers went down in a 31-point blowout.

The truth is, Phil Jackson is so starved for a 10th ring that he'll go beyond looking the other way on issues involving the one player most able to get it for him. He's resorted to coddling his star and taking up his defense, even if it absorbs some petty cash, as it did last week when Jackson was fined for charging the NBA's front office with conducting a “witch hunt" on Bryant. If only it were that easy. After all, witches conduct their dastardly acts in notoriety, wearing pointy black hats and riding broomsticks in the process. Kobe's are carried out with a sleight of hand that goes undetected by all but the highest-tech video equipment of major television networks.

Once again, Jackson seems to have abandoned any preseason illusions of getting everyone involved, of having Kobe make those around him better. It's an all-out sprint to the playoffs, and there won't be many more. Just roll out the ball, dress a supporting cast, and let Bryant take care of the rest in true Hollywood style, where even the coaches are fake.

To his credit, Jackson has righted his ship with three straight wins, all against inferior teams that wouldn't have survived the first weekend of the NCAA's Big Dance. Never mind that if Bryant managed only 55 points in regulation against the TrailBlazers last Friday, a 26-38 team would have extended his club's losing streak to eight. Or in Memphis on Thursday night, when it took 60 points from Bryant to stave off the worst team in the NBA, one with far more incentive to lose than to win.

For his part, Kobe has forgiven his teammates of thinking they were ... teammates. He has managed to put Phoenix behind him and acquiesced to the role of savior. Over his last eight games, Bryant has taken 29 shots and scored 41 points per game. These are substantially higher than in his first 55 starts, where he was averaging 29 points on 20 shots. But the ever-humble scorer still acknowledges his minions.

"I just feel like guys are finding me," he told the Associated Press after Thursday's game. "I have to get great picks, great looks, and great passes."

In a sport where one player can carry a team, so few do the way Kobe Bryant does. Yet, he'll never get the accolades he may deserve. There are just too many side dishes to his career, and too many Manu Ginobilis and Marko Jarics and Kyle Korvers on the court. Notwithstanding all the Zen's horses and all the Zen's ulterior motives, these are more than fans beyond Hollywood city limits can digest.

But perceptions can change. If only Jerry Buss could open his checkbook to the rest of us, perhaps we too may come to look at Kobe Bryant through Zen-coated glasses.

Posted by Bob Ekstrom at 2:14 PM | Comments (5)

March 22, 2007

Thorn Without a Rose

With the opening of baseball's regular season staring us directly in the face (but yet hidden behind the NCAA basketball tournament, and the end of the respective NHL and NBA seasons), perhaps the most significant storyline is that of Barry Bonds closing in on home run number 755, as he is only 22 juice shots away from making some deliciously tainted history.

Wait, hold on a second...

That's right. I already did a preseason Barry Bash-fest of a column on this site last year, when I mistakenly believed it was then or never for the weak-kneed slugger, who at the time needed a much more imposing 47 shots to break poor old Henry Aaron's record, and probably his heart, as well. Now as Bonds is well on his way to returning to San Fran for another year, breaking Hank Aaron's home run record is all but a morbidly depressing inevitability. I guess it's time to find something else to rant about then.

Thankfully, the game of baseball has plenty more knuckleheads where that came from. Let's move on from the juice-headed Bonds to another character as prickly as the disorganized, short orange spikes growing out from his degenerate mind. I'm talking of course about Peter Edward Rose, Sr. The all-time hit king who hustled his way into the hearts of his fans as a player and then, as the infamous Dowd Report and ESPN movies have so documented, hustled his way out of the game as a manager who treated the game like a grand old racetrack.

Recently, Rose has resurfaced once again on the Dan Patrick Show, making a claim about whether or not and how frequently he bet on his own Cincinnati teams, aside from simply betting on baseball in general. "I bet on my team every night. I didn't bet on my team four nights a week ... I bet on my team to win every night because I love my team, I believe in my team. I did everything in my power every night to win that game."

To the surprise of no one, the Dowd Report found Rose's words to be stretching the truth once again. As Dowd recently told ESPN's "Cold Pizza" crew, Rose may not have bet on his team to win every night. In fact, the hit king's distrust with starting pitchers Mario Soto and Bill Gullickson showed in the fact that in 1987, Rose never bet on Reds games in which they pitched. Once again, Pete's words are at odds with the report that has repeatedly brought him to his knees. There should be no question as to whom you believe anymore.

For many years, I wanted to believe Pete when I saw all the video clips from various years of Rose candidly, comfortably telling all kinds of cameras in all kinds of settings the same message: I did not bet on baseball. How do you tell a lie for 15 years running and live with yourself?

And so every year when the debate came up about Rose for the Hall of Fame, the answer was a no-brainer for me. Absolutely. He's the hit king. He's Charlie Hustle. Look at him on the old grainy film clips. Look at him sliding into third, look at him run through Ray Fosse, look at him sprint to first after ball four. And damnit, look at the great mountain of numbers he amassed. Plenty of big leaguers have done worse than what he's done, and he only gambled after his playing career ended. He has to be in the Hall or it loses credibility.

But today, there is no more sympathy from me. Rose has proven again and again too bitter, too delusional, and too morally questionable to deserve inclusion. Again, many have done far worse, but with Rose breaking baseball's golden rule, he has shown extreme carelessness with his available lifelines time after time.

Over a 24-year playing career, Pete Rose amassed 4,256 hits in the major leagues. I'd be surprised if that number was higher than the total number of bets he placed on Major League Baseball contests. With each passing lie Rose tells, the evidence of the Dowd Report rings more and more true. Keep in mind that report is 225 pages, all filled with evidence and testimony of questionable, compromising, and illegal activities against Pete Rose. How's that for a mountain of numbers?

Perhaps the most humorous running gag of the Rose soap opera is the fact that Pete has repeatedly claimed that he would be baseball's greatest ambassador had they allowed him to remain involved in the game. This is a man who has spent time in an actual prison with bars as well as without. He is unable to control any and all gambling impulses as his own book describes, and is never above making a quick buck regardless of how it undermines the game, as the timing of his book's release famously revealed. Yes, I'm sure old men and young children the world over would be thrilled to see Pete Rose today, knowing everything they know about him now, and tell themselves that he represents all that is good about the game.

And yet after all this, he's back to lying again. Throwing one more log on this fire that consumes him, both inside and out. Rose also mentioned on his recent appearance on the Dan Patrick Show that he has quit worrying about whether or not he would ever be inducted into Cooperstown. It's a good thing you say that, Pete, because we have, too.

Posted by Bill Hazell at 5:09 PM | Comments (0)

NASCAR Top 10 Power Rankings: Week 4

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Jimmie Johnson — Johnson passed Tony Stewart with three laps to go to win in Atlanta, backing up his victory in Las Vegas two weeks ago. On his race-winning pass, Johnson pinched Stewart into the wall, then defended his actions later.

"It was unintentional," says Johnson. "I thought Tony was going to kick my tail, but when I told him it was unintentional, surprisingly, he accepted my explanation, which is surprising. It may have helped that I was holding that giant wrench presented to the winner of the race."

2. Jeff Burton — Burton's fourth in Atlanta could have been better; an ongoing problem with his fueling system lengthened several of his pit stops. Burton also won his second consecutive Busch Series race, taking the Nicorette 300 on Saturday.

"I don't know what was up with the fueling," says Burton. "I'm sure NASCAR had something to do with it, in retaliation for AT&T's lawsuit against NASCAR. As you may or may not know and/or care, AT&T owns Cingular, and AT&T wants to put its logo on my car. Of course, NASCAR doesn't want that because Nextel is a competitor of AT&T. My Busch car is sponsored by Holiday Inn, so unless we're racing for the Howard Johnson's Cup one day, litigation over that matter will not be necessary."

3. Mark Martin — Martin made it four consecutive top 10 finishes this year with a tenth in the Kobalt Tools 500, and he maintained his lead in the points. Martin is eight points ahead of Jeff Gordon and 11 ahead of Jeff Burton.

"This is the moment I've been waiting my entire career for," says Martin. "I'm the points leader; I'm going out of top. I'll see you suckers in Texas on April 15th. These two weeks off will be very important to me. I figure two weeks of constantly badgering my wife into letting me race a full schedule will change her mind."

4. Jeff Gordon — Gordon finished 12th in Atlanta, his worst finish this year, mainly due to a damaged crush panel suffered on lap 194 when pit crew had trouble replacing his right front tire. The result kept Gordon from taking over the points lead; he trails Mark Martin by eight points.

"I have no idea what a crush panel is, where it is, or what it does," says Gordon. "I do know it's similar to a bracket buster, and I know it has to be 11 1/2" x 8 3/4" x 3/16," and that's strictly enforced by NASCAR. My guys tell me a damaged crush panel will cause fumes to enter the cockpit. I had that same problem once before when a gerbil crawled up my exhaust pipe."

5. Matt Kenseth — Kenseth recorded his third consecutive top-five, finishing third in Atlanta, which moved him to fifth in the points, 62 behind Martin. He will head to Bristol with one goal in mind.

"Yeah, not to get shoved by Jeff Gordon," says Kenseth. "You don't know what a blow to one's ego that can be. Much like driving a stock car with a silly spoiler on the back, like that sported by the Car of Tomorrow, which debuts at Bristol. What is this? Stock car racing, or The Fast and the Furious? Is it a good idea for the first race for the COT to be at Bristol? I foresee a lot of legitimate debris cautions, and several cars losing their wings, except for Team Red Bull, because Red Bull gives you wings."

6. Tony Stewart — Stewart lost his battle for the lead with Jimmie Johnson three laps from the end, as Johnson passed on the inside and then pushed the No. 20 car into the wall. Johnson claimed it was unintentional, while Stewart questioned Johnson's tactics, albeit diplomatically.

"I've never in my life been accused of being diplomatic," says Stewart, "so don't let it happen again. The Tony Stewart you saw this weekend was not the real Tony Stewart. The real Tony Stewart wouldn't have let Johnson of the hook so easily, and he damn sure wouldn't have complimented Juan Pablo Montoya's driving. I don't know what was wrong with me, but Bristol will be the cure. I guarantee I'll be back to my ornery self once we start trading paint and middle fingers this Sunday."

7. Kevin Harvick — Harvick ran a cylinder short over the last 60 laps and wound up 25th, one lap down. To compound matters, NASCAR then ordered the No. 29 team to remove the Shell logo from his car and replace it with the image of a conch shell, which is not a cell phone, but something you can, in fact, hear the ocean if you place it next to your ear.

"I guess that constitutes a wireless call, at least in the eyes of Nextel," says Harvick. "You know, this sport is pretty much ran by sponsorship dollars. It dang sure ain't the prize money that keeps it going. Just ask Craftsman Truck Series driver Ron Hornaday, Jr. He finished 11th in Sunday's race and won only $9,175. That won't pay the bills to keep a truck team afloat. Heck, that won't even pay Mike Helton's monthly grocery bill."

8. Carl Edwards — Edwards cracked the top 10 in points with a seventh in Atlanta, then, as is his trademark after a seventh-place finish, fell backwards out of his car, landing on his head.

"Kids, don't try that at home," Edwards cautions, "unless your parents are away. And kids, heed the words of Cleveland Cavaliers center Scott Pollard and 'do drugs.' And kids, if you're dumb enough to do drugs because Scott Pollard told you to, then you should be forced to actually do drugs with a goofy white basketball player with a wacky haircut with a size 14 shoe in his mouth, or a likeness thereof."

9. Clint Bowyer — Bowyer joined Richard Childress teammate Jeff Burton in the top 10 with a sixth in the Kobalt Tools 500. Bowyer qualified the No. 07 Jack Daniels Chevrolet 15th and with crew chief George Dickle making all the right calls, Bowyer was able to pick up his second top-10 result of the year.

"Actually, my crew chief's name is Gil Martin," says Bowyer, "which could easily be the name of a brand of whiskey. Gil's been known to knock back his share. Is 'Jack Daniels' not the coolest logo ever on a car? And have you seen our gas can? It's shaped like a fifth of Jack."

10. Juan Pablo Montoya — Despite not winning the race, Montoya was the talk of Atlanta. The world's most famous Colombian not known for cocaine finished fifth for his best finish on an oval so far. Already a road course expert, Montoya's quick adaptation to fast ovals was praised by many drivers, including Tony Stewart.

"Hey, I'm like the Kobe Bryant of NASCAR," explains Montoya. "One day, I'm wrecking my teammate for a win in Mexico City, and the next day, I'm hearing a lot of love from my fellow drivers, with the exception of Jeff Gordon. A little word to the wise, Gordon: if you see a Colombian on your tail, it's best to let him by."

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 5:00 PM | Comments (8)

March 21, 2007

Beware of the Ides of March

March is a weird time in the NBA. Some teams are eliminated and thinking lottery (but maybe acting a little too soon in Danny Ainge's case), some teams think they can put together a great final month and sneak into an eight seed, and the rest are just trying not to get bored or injured waiting for the playoffs.

March is also a time when the top teams get together and the intensity is turned up for the first time. Take the Suns and Mavs game last week, for example. That game had playoff intensity from start to finish. It was so intense that even mild-mannered Mark Cuban was getting animated by game's end.

The problem with the NBA in March is that we've seen enough of everybody to think that we know where every team stands. But if recent history has taught us anything, it's that we haven't seen anything yet.

March 2004

Kevin Garnett was having one of his beast seasons yet (he ended up finishing with the MVP), and he finally had some semblance of a supporting cast. Meanwhile, the Lakers have all four of their future Hall of Famers healthy for the first time and end March on a nine-game winning streak that extends to 11 into early April.

The result — The Pistons take their game to another level after they acquire Rasheed Wallace and fly under the radar, only to completely dominate the Lakers in the Finals.

March 2005

The up-and-coming Heat are playing their way to a 59-win season in the East, led by new addition Shaquille O'Neal and second-year breakout star Dwyane Wade. The Suns play like a combination of a European team and an '80s team, reminding us what basketball looks like when a team focuses on offense before defense.

The result — Playoff-tested San Antonio beats the defending champion Pistons in the first NBA Finals to go seven games since M.J. retired for the first time.

March 2006

Detroit is a month removed from sending four players to the All-Star Game and still on pace to win 70 games. Out west, San Antonio, the defending champs and winners of three of the last seven, are on their way to a franchise record 63 wins. At the same time, Steve Nash has elevated his game to all-time great status en route to his second straight MVP.

The result — Miami catches fire late and their success snowballs into the playoffs, where they outlast newly defensive-minded Dallas in the Finals.

March 2007

Dallas has already put together three 12+ game winning streaks, Phoenix nearly swept the entire Eastern Conference in their road meetings, and they have the top two (and only two) MVP candidates between them.

The result — Who knows? We've seen great regular seasons from both Dallas and Phoenix before, and neither has anything to show for it. (Sorry, Dallas fans, where I come from, we don't put up banners for second place). The Spurs are the same as always; no fun, but dominant nonetheless. The Pistons will most likely hit the "on" switch sometime real soon. Houston has proven they can win without T-Mac, and without Yao, if they can find a way to win with both in the lineup, look out. And what if this year we witness "Playoff LeBron" and Cleveland does big things?

The point is that it's fun to watch regular season basketball. It's where you get to see things like Kobe get hot to the point where you have to watch because you don't know how many points he can get to. It's where you get to see Nash score 10 points in 55 seconds to force OT. It's where you get to see the teams nearest the Puget Sound play.

But the fact remains that real basketball doesn't start until the playoffs. It's like the old golf saying goes: "Drive for show, putt for dough." Dallas and Phoenix both hit it 330 yards right down the middle. Let's see if either knocks down a 20-footer in June.

Posted by Scott Shepherd at 5:11 PM | Comments (1)

Has NHL Become a Frozen Jungle?

Let's begin by looking at the actions of Chris Simon of the New York Islanders. After getting hit from behind by Ryan Hollweg of the New York Rangers during a March 8 game at the Nassau Coliseum, Simon blatantly swung his stick and hit Hollweg square on the chin. Luckily, he only needed a couple of stitches. Shortly afterwards, the league issued Simon a 25+ games suspension, terminating his hockey season.

In my opinion, the NHL got it right. Attacks with the stick can't be brushed aside. It goes without saying this stoked up the rivalry between the two New York clubs. However, since actions like these tarnish the league's image in general, the NHL's senior executive vice-president and director of hockey operations Colin Campbell had to come down hard on Simon.

The second altercation happened more recently during a game between the Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators. After hitting Dallas Superstar Mike Modano, the Preds' Jordin Tootoo turned around and noticed that Stephane Robidas, a Dallas defenseman, was coming to confront him. Without hesitation or restraint, Tootoo proceeded to hit Robidas straight on the kisser, knocking him unconscious.

Some experts called it a sucker punch. I strongly disagree. I do believe Tootoo used inappropriate force, but it's not like Robidas was hit from behind. What's the rule? Always protect yourself. Watching "Million Dollar Baby" three times taught me that much. By coming straight at a man expecting a beating and ignoring that simple rule, Robidas paid a price. Still, Tootoo got a five-game suspension for the gloved punch.

I'll be straight with you. Nobody enjoys a good tilt on skates more than yours truly. And believe me when I tell you that I can't wait for the playoffs to get here to witness greater determination, big hits, and relentless battles for the puck. I do also recognize that, at its root, hockey has always been a very violent sport. However, I'm sick of watching guys leave the ice on stretchers because of questionable behavior.

One thing is good to see through all this. By looking at those two incidents and how the league dealt with them, we can clearly see that guys aren't getting punished for the results of their actions, but for the actions themselves. When all is said and done, it comes down to one very important value — respect. Guys have to respect each other on the ice. If they can't prove themselves to be mature enough, then the league has no choice but to step in and hand out punishment that will dissuade players from crossing the line. Otherwise, this eye for an eye attitude is going to cost a life sooner rather than later.

As passionate sports junkies, we tend to forget about the human side of things. These pros, though they are spectacular well-tuned machines on the ice, are also husbands, fathers, and friends. They need to protect themselves better. They need to protect each other better. Does someone have to die before respect returns to the NHL for good? Colin Campbell can try and stop the bleeding with suspensions all he wants. Fans and experts can talk about it till they are blue in the face. The fact remains that this situation lies in the hands of the players.

Posted by J.D. Conway at 4:45 PM | Comments (1)

March 20, 2007

Race Controversy Shows Sports' True Colors

So apparently some Klansmen found their way onto the USC football team.

For those of you who missed it, a Facebook group with an element of the football team known as "White Nation" out to "protect the Aryan race" has caught the attention of major media outlets, and has offended a number of students.

Of course, let's forget that the "White Nation" tag came as a compliment from a black coach that several black players have stepped up to defend the inside joke, and that Clay Matthews, Jr., who started the group, has a black roommate. After all, USC has sensitive ears to protect, and a reputation to uphold as a university, right?

John Wooden once said, "Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."

He was a hell of a smart man. I not only don't have a problem with what this revealed about the Trojans' character, I embrace it. Players and coaches are so comfortable with the race issue (more volatile than plutonium elsewhere in society) that they can jokingly fling around these barbs without anyone being offended or hurt.

If only the rest of society were so enlightened. Then again, sports have taken the lead before.

Rosa Parks was arrested for riding in the front of a bus in 1955, and Civil Rights were illusions until the 1960s. Jackie Robinson broke into Major League Baseball in 1947. Sports have always been ahead of the curve. In them, you are judged individually on a relatively tangible, indisputable basis; your performance between the lines. The rest is just background noise.

Not that race in sports is a non-issue; problems certainly remain. Sports are just ahead of a society not ready to candidly deal with race in such a manner, and way too focused on the background noise.

One USC student offended by the group page said the players need to better understand their position as public figures, quoted by the Los Angeles Times as saying: "It's not a joke ... when he makes it sound like he's against an entire race ... I was in disbelief."

Another started a group to raise awareness of Matthews' racist beliefs even after Dallas Sartz, a Facebook friend and Aryan Nation member, told her it was an inside joke, according to an earlier story in the Daily Trojan, USC's student newspaper. "I posted the group so that they would know that (the White Nation group) is inappropriate," she said.

Thank you for the lectures, oh sage-like 20-year-olds. Yes, the team needs to keep its crude racial acceptance behind closed doors.

Don't get me wrong. Posting the group online was a certifiably brain-dead decision. With the Internet, you have to be driving-with-a-cop-behind-you careful. Athletes especially should know this, because they are public figures, like it or not. People aren't ready for this kind of humor or candidness. And sure enough, at least one Facebooking high school genius apparently "thought of the school differently" when he saw the group.

To any potential Trojans scared away by this story: good riddance.

As a USC student, I want my future fellow alumni capable of perspective and reading between the lines. I've little time for mindless political-correctness; the idea that policing and expunging potentially inflammatory statements from public record is a more important sign of progress than interracial joviality. Worry about true racists that know better not to publicly say anything, not jokers who don't know when to stop laughing.

Brushing tensions under a mat does nothing; at some point, you have to get your hands dirty to get the issue cleaned up. Sports force participants to deal with each other, to work together. This is evident on the USC football team, and likely countless other teams.

Now, we shouldn't promote public controversial racial comments, racist source or not. But bystanders are better off not letting statements throw them, like an athlete ignoring jeers from a hostile crowd, as opposed to self-righteously crusading like Kyle's mom in South Park every time someone pokes at USC's sensitivity with a needle. Stupid people will be saying stupid things until the end of time, athletes included.

Fortunately, many people get it. USC professor Todd Boyd, a pop culture critic who specializes in media and sports, told the Los Angeles Times he interpreted the Facebook page as "an internal joke, not mean-spirited," adding, "I doubt a white guy, playing major college football with so many black guys, holds racist beliefs."

The sports world in general might not be devoid of racism, but he does have a point; Sartz and Co. would be more black-and-blue than white if they were those types of people.

And it goes both ways, too, as noted by Todd McNair, the black coach who came up with the "White Nation" moniker.

"I gave them a nickname," McNair told the Los Angeles Times. "I call the black coaches on our staff the Brojans. Brothers and Trojans. We're the Brojans. Playfully. Because the locker room is colorless."

Good enough for me. Now to work on the world outside of it.

Posted by Kyle Jahner at 5:50 PM | Comments (1)

March 19, 2007

NCAA Tournament Weekend Recap

If there's one word to describe the first three days of the NCAA tournament, it's "chalk."

All around the country, pools were headed by bracket virgins and no-nothings who typically ride the higher seeds. No Old Dominion. No Davidson. No Albany or Long Beach State or Oral Roberts. No chances. No risks.

And, for the most part, that's exactly what happened.

On day one, everybody who was supposed to win won. Everybody but Duke. (And that wasn't exactly a jaw-dropping shocker.) Nine seeds Michigan State and Xavier (and Purdue over Arizona on day two) don't count as upsets because those games are complete toss-ups.

(Random Note No. 1: Watching VCU beat Duke was by far the highlight of the day. At one point, they did something great and I raised my fists in victory, except I was sitting underneath a low ceiling fan and nearly got my hands chopped off. Everybody agreed that would have made for a great scene in a spoof horror movie. I have bruises.)

On day two, more of the same. There was another 11/6 upset with Winthrop taking down Notre Dame, but, again, that wasn't a total shocker (even though I took the Irish). So as everybody who took Arkansas over USC, Creighton over Nevada, Illinois over Virginia Tech, or Georgia Tech over UNLV started wracking up the Xs, the no-nothings continued to rise up their rankings, making smug comments like, "Gee, and I don't even watch basketball. This is so funny." And all you want to do is punch them in the face except you've been sitting on the same bar stool for the better part of two days and aren't really in a position to do anything but fall down.

(Random Note No. 2: You know you've been drinking for too long when you go straight from being drunk to having a hangover without any sleep in between.)

On day three, the story was free throws, free throws, free throws.

Pittsburgh missed chance after chance to put VCU away in regulation. They got away with it, but barely. (And celebrated like they just did something a lot more significant than survive an 11-seed in the second round.)

Louisville missed two to take the lead with just seconds remaining. Edgar Sosa had been 15-for-15 in the game before missing the critical pair.

Xavier missed 1-of-2 to make it a two-possession game and take the upset they wanted so, so badly (and played well enough to deserve).

Indiana went 10-of-21 in a game they lost by five.

Maryland went 7-of-15 in a game they lost by three.

Perhaps nowhere does the pressure of the tournament manifest itself more than late in a close game, standing at the free throw line with the ball in your hands. Everybody is watching, holding their breaths, screaming, or biting down on their hats. Makeitmakeitmakeit. Missitmissitmissit. It's up and...

(Can you imagine if there was a college football playoff, and a kicker was lining up for a game winner in a tournament setting? All I can say is thank god for the BCS. College football fans would absolutely hate all that excitement and drama.)

Anyway, Butler beating Maryland and Vanderbilt beating Washington State are seeding upsets, but not entirely unpredictable outcomes — certainly not on the level of Xavier almost taking out Ohio State or VCU nearly knocking off Jamie and the Dixons.

With one day left in the opening weekend of the 2007 tournament, chalk was still the rule of law. No 12/5 upsets. No Cinderellas. No "next George Mason."

Then came day four and the fall of Wisconsin. With the exception of those who took Duke far into the night, the Badgers' loss was the first major X on everybody's bracket.

Then Florida held off a super tough Purdue team (congrats to Matt Painter, an excellent coach who is going to have that program in the upper echelon of the Big Ten for a long time to come).

Southern Illinois' offense did a much better job adjusting to a knock-down drag out than did Virginia Tech and Oregon put Winthrop to bed.

I was having a fantastic day. An undefeated day. A first-place day. Then I saw a new score, "Memphis 4, Nevada 2."

Now 4-2 doesn't count for much in a 40-minute game. But when I saw that, I got this sudden overwhelming sense of doom. "On no. What did I do? Nevada in the Final Four? What was I thinking? I'm so dumb! MOTHER EFFER!"

The next two hours was an excruciating exercise in waiting for the inevitable. Memphis was going to go on a run that would put them up 15 and kill my bracket. Memphis up four. Memphis up seven. Memphis up five. Memphis up three. Memphis up six. Memphis up eight. The farther Memphis pulled away, the more angry I got. The more Nevada came back, the more nervous I got.

Somehow, Nevada stuck with it. Despite a stagnant offense that made only 10-of-27 shots (2-of-9 from three), the Wolfpack made it to half-time only down 37-33. My hope was that since Memphis has always been somewhat mentally fragile, they would get frustrated not having a big lead yet.

Of course, that didn't happen. Nevada brought it to within two, then Nick Fazekas missed a chip shot that would have made it a new ballgame. Nevada got called for a foul on the rebound. Memphis hit the two shots, then blew the Wolfpack out of the gym.

Clean Elite Eight — gone. Clean Final Four — gone.

And now I root for Tennessee, the only team from that region I haven't seen picked to the Final Four. Even though I'm in first in my pool now (thanks to me being the only one to pick USC over Texas, plus picking UNLV over Wisconsin), a deep run by the Vols is the only way I stay in the hunt long-term. I swear I'm buying some orange body paint.

(Random Note No. 3: If you're astute/care enough to notice that some of the picks I'm referencing here are different than those of my preview column last week, it's because I changed some by the time I wrote my full bracket preview on my blog. I pulled back on Indiana and Texas, but pushed further ahead on Nevada and VCU. Check it out if you don't believe me.)

In the end, day four restored my faith in the tournament. Sure, a lot of upsets didn't come to fruition, but chalk has never been a winning strategy. Staying safe may get you to the top of the leader board early, but it's bound to take you down eventually. Take a lesson from my buddy Trick, a bracket virgin with all kinds of smart things to say when he was 6-0 mid-way through day one. He was happy and so excited for day two that he actually showed up at the bar early on Friday just so he could continue the fun. I kept telling him to relax. Being up early in a pool is like Belmont taking the lead on Georgetown. It's early. It'll turn. He didn't believe me, said I was just being a sore loser.

He's in seventh now.

Seth Doria is a communications expert living in St. Louis. At least he thinks he's an expert. For more, visit The Left Calf.

Posted by Joshua Duffy at 5:02 PM | Comments (0)

NBA MVP: Three's Company

It's time for the debate to end!

Okay. Now everybody take a step back from the NCAA bracket you are intensely looking at. You and I both know the winner of your office pool is Sheila, the girl who thought it would be fun to play and chose her picks on favorite colors and people she knew who went to certain schools.

Now members of the MVP voting press, step away from your ballots. Before you go ahead and crown Steve Nash MVP for the third consecutive year, let me throw a couple things at you to maybe sway your decision to another foreign-born hoopster who deserves the award.

Don't get me wrong, I think Steve Nash is an amazing player who deserved the award the past two years. Last season was exceptionally impressive. The Suns made it all the way to the NBA Finals with Nash leading as if he were the conductor of a symphony. Even this year, Nash has been able to incorporate Amare Stoudemire's game into the mix and lead Phoenix to the second best record in the West.

But do we really want to put Nash in the same air as Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, and Larry Bird? Those three are the only ones who won MVP awards three consecutive years.

I know, its apples and oranges, but if Nash wins, that idea will be there. 20 years from now, Nash will be in the same breath as those players, not for the championships he's won (zero at the current moment), but for being one of only four players to go back-to-back-to-back in MVP awards.

It's easy to give him the award this year. He deserves it, but not as much as Dirk Nowitzki.

Nowitzki has done everything to lead the Dallas Mavericks to the best record in the league. Dallas started the year abysmal, losing their first four games. Since that time, Dallas is 53-7 as of this writing. Nowitzki this year is averaging 25, 10, and 4, and he's doing it with a lesser supporting cast.

Nash has STAT (Stoudemire) and the Matrix (Shawn Marion), and the NBA's top sixth man in Leandro Barbosa.

Nowitzki has Jason Terry and Josh Howard.

For a point guard to have two all-stars to get the rock to and also a point guard relieving you who could start for half the teams in the NBA, how can you not be producing the way Nash does?

Nowitzki has two legitimate players to fall back on if his game's not on point. So what has the eight-year player done this year?

He is setting career highs in four major categories: assists at 3.5 per game, field goal percentage at .505, three-point field goal percentage at .429, and free-throw percentage at .906. And he is doing this averaging the lowest minutes per game total (36.7) since his second-year in the league.

When you're more efficient than ever before, leading your team to the best record in the NBA, and have pundits wondering if you can reach 70 wins, you are doing something right.

And please, do not put Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Agent 0 (Gilbert Arenas), or any other players into the discussion. This is a two-horse race with the top players from the top teams in the NBA.

In the end, shouldn't the award go to the player who's doing more with less and is having a better statistical year?

I think so, and if you'll excuse me, the Winthrop game is about to start and this girl Sheila said they're going to win because her mom went there.

Posted by Wailele Sallas at 4:45 PM | Comments (7)

March 18, 2007

Baseball's Unending Controversies

A pair of issues I covered in my book "Glow Pucks and 10-Cent Beer: The 101 Worst Ideas in Sports History" have bubbled back up to the surface this week.

PETE ROSE

"Letting Pete Rose into Cooperstown" was No. 28 overall on my list. I still believe that Rose will find a posthumous compassion from voters who will be willing to overlook his gambling foibles and accept the all-time hits leader into immortality for his exploits as a player.

In the business, we call these voters "clinically diagnosed morons."

Pete Rose shouldn't be allowed within a 50-mile radius of Cooperstown, because betting on baseball as an active manager is a mortal sin. His interview on ESPN Radio's "The Dan Patrick Show" this week grabbed headlines when Rose claimed he bet on the Cincinnati Reds "every night" when he managed them. In Rose's mind, this was a valorous act because he was betting on them to win, and therefore he worked super-extra-special hard in order to help them win.

Rose is no longer just a joke — he's an entire set at a Catskills comedy club. His mistruths have stacked up to the point where he's lying about previous lies. If anyone out there honestly believes Pete Rose never laid money on an opponent of the Reds, or never used his position as manager to influence future bets through decisions he made from the dugout, make sure you raise your hand really high so we can all point and giggle.

I've had an ongoing debate with many of my baseball friends about the corrupting effect of the steroid scandal versus Rose's gambling on baseball. They seem to think steroids damage the integrity of the game more than Pete Rose did; I couldn't disagree more. When a manager is betting on or against his own team, the integrity of the game is threatened in a way no individual player can threaten it. Through any number of decisions before or during the game, a manager can literally affect who wins, who loses, and by how much — and not just for that game, but for the rest of the home stand. Even the juiciest of juiced players still has to play the game; a manager with his own financial interests and motivations can practically fix one.

When tens of thousands of baseball fans realize that they've spend hundreds of dollars on tickets to an event with a predetermined outcome ... that's irreparable damage no needle or pill could ever replicate.

And for that, Pete Rose should never, ever, ever be allowed back in baseball or in the Hall of Fame.

METAL BATS

"Aluminum Bats" were No. 43 overall in "Glow Pucks," and for good reason: other than the death of organ music and lights at Wrigley Field, has there ever been another more barefaced insult to the fundamental traditions of baseball?

This week, the New York City Council voted to ban metal bats from high-school baseball games. It'll require Mayor Michael Bloomberg's signature if it's to become law.

Nostalgia isn't the rallying cry for metal bat opponents — safety is. They claim that non-wood bats mean harder hits, which means more injuries to young players. Those lobbying against the law, including Little League Baseball, argue that the injury data just isn't there and that it's based on "emotional anecdotes."

Like this one, for example: pitcher Brandon Patch of the Miles City Mavericks in Montana died after being struck by a metal-bat line drive on July 25, 2003. His former team now advocates the use of wooden bats, and forfeited a game last year when an opponent insisted on using metal bats for the game.

Jim Quinlan, the national program coordinator for American Legion Baseball, argued against Miles City's stance last year, claiming they stood alone against nearly 5,500 American Legion teams that use metal. He pointed to an American Legion Baseball study that couldn't determine any "hard data" that wood bats are safer or that metal bats are more dangerous. That study was in response to a 2004 vote in Florida that prohibited the use of "bats of any substance except wood as approved by the American and National Leagues of Major League Baseball effective with the 2005 American Legion Season."

Having covered youth and college baseball for several years, there are only two reasons to advocate metal bats and both have to do with numbers.

The first one is obvious: metal bats mean elephantine stats. That ball off the hands that would have shattered a wood bat becomes a Texas League double to left field. That ball off the end of the bat that might have been a line drive to the first baseman is now an opposite field home run. Slugging percentages in metal bat baseball read like they should have come from a video game. Scouts from the big leagues and colleges will still judge a player on his athletic merits, but having flashy stats at the plate can sure get their attention.

The second one is cost, something mysteriously missing from the American Legion literature and the New York City Council debate. One quick look at the Modell's Sporting Goods website tells the tale:

The BWP Bats "Mr. Nasty Pro Maple Adult Wood Baseball Bat — $69.99

The Mattingly MVPSL V-Grip MVP Senior League Baseball Bat — $169.99

A player breaks three bats in a season, and he's already well beyond the metal bat price tag. Even if the leagues aren't paying for bats, they are filled with baseball parents that are. Metal bats are far more cost-effective.

I found it interesting that two New York baseball players testified before the NYC Council, on opposite sides of the debate. Former New York Mets relief pitcher John Franco argued that metal bats are dangerous. New York Yankees starting pitcher Mike Mussina said they're no more dangerous than wood bats.

Seems about right to me: a franchise built on 40 years of scrappy imperfections and occasional glory versus a franchise that's more machine than man, with its annual lineup of fantasy league all-stars.

And that's why I'm a Mets fan, and a wood bat guy.

Greg Wyshynski is the Features Editor for SportsFan Magazine in Washington, DC, and the Senior Sports Editor for The Connection Newspapers of Northern Virginia. His book is "Glow Pucks and 10-Cent Beer: The 101 Worst Ideas in Sports History." His columns appear every Saturday on Sports Central. You can e-mail Greg at [email protected].

Posted by Greg Wyshynski at 8:58 PM | Comments (0)

March 16, 2007

Gridiron March Madness

It's that time of year when we all make bold predictions as though we are experts, attempting to display our knowledge like we know something our friends don't. We promote dark horses and eschew the highly rated. But mostly, we are talking out of a different orifice than our mouth, and half of what we predict is little more than an uneducated guess.

Bracketology? Yeah, right. Forecasting the NCAA tournament is a cakewalk by comparison. Trying to figure out who the true future stars are in the NFL draft is to exact science what McDonald's is to exquisite dining. You are more likely to pick a trifecta at the track, get struck by lightning, and score a date with Jessica Biel all in the same day than correctly pick five busts and five Pro Bowlers in the draft.

Oh, predicting when guys will be drafted is easy. Combine results and college careers, along with scout leaks, give us a pretty good clue of where guys will go April 28. But predicting success is another story.

As in March Madness, we all have guesses. And some will be right, allowing us to do the I-told-you-so dance a few years down the road. Of course you will conveniently never dig up the other 12 fearless predictions you have buried in your backyard. In the end, projecting which players will be stars and which will drop off the face of the earth faster than Jerry Seinfeld after his show's last season is about as easy as picking the 12-5 upsets on your bracket.

People generally take too much stock in measureables this time of year, largely because no one is playing football. And forty times and bench-press statistics are super — they can flush out weaknesses and break ties — but that's about it. Measuring arm length to the quarter inch? Okay, maybe we are pushing the envelope just a bit on that one.

And even the most revealing statistics a combine can measure cannot tell a thing about whether a player is a player. Does he have heart, desire, instinct, football IQ? Depending on position, these quotients mean more than a combine freak that can accomplish any and every athletic feat known to NFL scouts except play football.

Teams need to keep those game tapes handy every time a set of cold numbers has them feeling like they just fell in love. For every Julius Peppers, there is a Mike Mamula. Who is Mike Mamula? Exactly.

Quarterbacks are especially difficult to project. Ryan Leaf was actually drafted second, despite a temperament that would make Jeff George murmur "man, what an ass." Akili Smith, Tim Couch, Cade McNown, Todd Marinovich ... I could go for days. At least people know position players have shorter shelf lives, and will likely only be with a team 3-4 years. Top-10 quarterbacks are supposed to be the lynchpin of a franchise.

So what of this year's crop? JaMarcus Russell is an intriguing pick who is being compared to Daunte Culpepper. Raiders fans cringe, but we are talking about good Daunte, 2003 and 2004 Daunte. But still, its Daunte, holder of countless fantasy football owners' hearts he ripped out the last couple years.

Brady Quinn skipped the combine, but had a pretty good workout for NFL scouts up in South Bend. Maybe even good enough to get them to forget that he faltered against top-level competition all four times he faced it last season. Not that fledging performances against top competition should be a concern for Brady as he moves to a higher level...

From there, even a Heisman winner (Troy Smith) or national champion (Chris Leak) can get first or even second round love. And the best player to come out of this draft will probably be not in anyone's top five. Even in the NCAA tournament, most of us could guess a champion with five guesses at least half the time.

But teams continue to guess because no one has found the formula to indicate what that "it" is. No team has found what makes a Tom Brady, Terrell Davis, or other second-day pick that was deemed defective, yet managed to become a star.

In the end, the Raiders should realistically be happy to get a signal-caller that gets them the three good years and one all right one in six as a starter, as the Vikings did with Culpepper. And there is the proof at what an inexact process this really is.

And hey, it's a hell of a lot easier to forecast than baseball's draft.

Posted by Kyle Jahner at 7:53 PM | Comments (0)

NASCAR Top 10 Power Rankings: Week 3

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Mark Martin — Martin remained on top of the points with a fifth in Las Vegas, and hasn't finished out of the top five this year. He's got a six-point lead over Jeff Gordon and a refreshed sense of purpose since coming to Ginn Racing from Roush.

"Jack Roush is a dictator," says Martin. "Really, he's not, but it does make for a an interesting story when I say that. Just like when someone asks me about my driving schedule. My answer always makes great copy, but deciphering the hidden meanings in my answers is the real fun."

2. Jeff Gordon — Gordon led the most laps in Vegas, but couldn't catch teammate Jimmie Johnson after Johnson took the lead on lap 240. Gordon finished second, and is second in the points, six behind Martin.

"Maybe you didn't recognize my car with that wacky Nicorette paint scheme," says Gordon. "Just like Nicorette gum, losing that race left a bad taste in my mouth."

3. Jimmie Johnson — Johnson won for the third straight year in Las Vegas, overcoming a penalty for a runaway tire on pit lane for his first win of the season. Johnson is fourth in the points, 89 out of first.

"Hey, I'm not the first dude to have scored three times in Vegas," says Johnson. "The Busch brothers grew up here in Sin City, and that's more than they can say."

4. Matt Kenseth — Kenseth was never a threat to win, but grinded out a hard-earned fourth in the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400. Without crew chief Robbie Reiser, serving the third of a four-race suspension, the No. 17 DeWalt Ford finished strong with timely pit stops and adjustments.

"I think it's apparent that crew chiefs are the most overrated member of race teams," explains Kenseth. "Honestly, I think the backup jack man could make the necessary calls. Heck, if Van Halen can be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with only one member present, then I should be able to win a race without my crew chief."

5. Jeff Burton — Burton led as late as lap 239, but engine trouble relegated him to 15th, ending his bid to sweep the Busch Series and Nextel Cup events. On Saturday, Burton dueled Kyle Busch before winning as Busch spun across the finish line.

"Look, that was just good, hard racing," says Burton, "unlike what you saw in Mexico City when Juan Pancho Montoya spun his own teammate, Scott Pruett, then took the victory. That's dirty. It's not like Juan Paco hasn't wrecked a teammate before. Ever heard the name 'Ralf Schumacher?' Kyle congratulated me afterwards; Pruett had no such words for Montoya. In fact, he threatened to give Juan a 'Columbian necktie.'"

6. Kevin Harvick — Harvick struggled to a 27th-place finish in Las Vegas, unable to find grip on the slick racing surface at LVMS. The result left him frustrated, disappointed, and craving a Reese's peanut butter cup.

"Man, my tires were slicker than Barry Bonds navigating questions from a grand jury," says Harvick. "But, we all know Bonds told the truth, as did Michael Waltrip when he said he had no idea how jet fuel got in his car at Daytona."

7. Denny Hamlin — Hamlin got his first top-five of the year by finishing third in the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400. The result allowed him to crack the top 10 in points, checking in at the eight spot.

"Really, I'm thrilled," says Hamlin, "but not as thrilled as I'd be if I won that NAPA promotion and got to ride with Michael Waltrip in the No. 55 Toyota. I guess that ride would have to be in qualifying since Michael can't make the races."

8. Kyle Busch — After sliding across the finish line in Saturday's Busch series race, Busch had his share of spins in Sunday's Nextel race. Despite his intermittent fits of wreckless abandon, the younger Busch brother finished ninth and is now seventh in the points, 113 out of first.

"It's one thing to spin," says Busch, "but it's another thing to spin and not have Tony Stewart to blame for it. Another thing: it's not a good idea to watch The Cannonball Run the night before a race."

9. Tony Stewart — After much complaining about the surface at Las Vegas, Stewart shut his trap long enough to record a seventh-place finish, then shockingly desecrated the track.

"Hey, it was just motor oil," says Stewart. "This weekend has to be a first for me. It's common knowledge that I feud with many drivers. But this is the first time I've feuded with an actual track."

10. Ryan Newman — Newman scored his first top-10 finish of the year with an eighth in Vegas, moving him to 15th in the points standings.

"Has anyone checked the television ratings for Sunday's race?" asks Newman. "I heard they were pretty good except for the 6:00 to 6:30 time slot, when the rating slipped to 0.00, when everyone flipped over to CBS for the NCAA basketball selection show."

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 7:39 PM | Comments (0)

March 15, 2007

Sports Q&A: Final Four Picks

Ted from Cincinnati, OH asks, "What four teams will advance to the Final Four in Atlanta? What are some of the tournament's most intriguing matchups?"

This year, early spring means only one thing, and no, it's not the "Hair vs. Hair" match at WrestleMania 23 featuring the fashionable coifs of Donald Trump and Vince McMahon. It's the NCAA Final Four, the time of year when some 60-year-old lady with as much knowledge of college basketball as I have of needlepoint shatters my ego and wins the $35 office pool. But what can I do short of donning a ski mask and jumping her in the parking lot? I tried that, and she whipped my tail. Anyway, March Madness is here, so let's go to the picks.

First of all, let's observe a moment of silence for the Syracuse Orangemen, who were left out of the tournament despite a 10-6 record in the Big East and apparently fell victim to the selection committee's "hat and slips of paper" method. RPIs, strength of schedule percentages, and body mass indices aside, Syracuse should be in, if for no other reason than coach Jim Boeheim would make a great studio analyst once the Orange made their first-round exit. I'll say this: if the NCAA wants to expand the field, have a play-in game for each of the four regions.

Let's start in the Midwest, where defending champion Florida is seeded No. 1 and looks to be in the tournament's weakest region. Should the Gators advance to the round of 16, they'll face either Butler/Old Dominion or Maryland/Davidson. Not a hair-raising proposition by any means. I doubt Billy Donovan will slick his hair all the way back for this one. Should the seeds hold, Florida will meet No. 2-seeded Wisconsin, a team that never met a 49-46 win they didn't like. Wisconsin, along with Memphis, is probably the least-scary two-seed.

Prior to last year, Florida always seemed vulnerable in the early rounds, but that won't be the case this year with the experienced Gators, who rolled through the SEC tournament. The hard part of picking this region is choosing the team to meet Florida in the regional final. I don't think Wisconsin can score enough to get there. That leaves me with Oregon, UNLV, Notre Dame, and Georgia Tech. Florida takes out Notre Dame in the regional final.

One of the most intriguing games in this region is that between No. 7-seeded UNLV and No. 10 Georgia Tech. The Rebels are coached by a balding, hound dog of a man who has a nervous habit of biting on towels. What's that? Jerry Tarkanian's not the coach? It's Lon Kruger? Is he named after classic horror movie star Lon Chaney, whose films include The Phantom of the Opera and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, but, sadly, never had the chance to play noted psychopath and former Temple coach John Chaney (no relation)? Right, who cares?

Anyway, the Runnin' Rebels are 28-6 and have the finest, if not the only, resort and casino management program in the nation. Tech is 20-11, and is one of seven ACC teams in the field, and one of five ACC teams with double-digit losses. That's a red flag right there. UNLV wears red, right? Go Rebels.

Another interesting matchup is also in the bottom half of the bracket, where six-seed Notre Dame faces No. 11 Winthrop. Winthrop is 28-4, but is probably known more for it losses than wins. The Eagles lost at North Carolina by one and lost at Wisconsin in overtime. Impressive losses no doubt, but they only get you in the tournament; they don't help you advance. Winthrop goes down swinging.

Upset pick: No. 12 Old Dominion over No. 5 Butler. Sure I know it's not that big of an upset, but I didn't set the seedings, now did I?

In the West, Kansas is seeded No. 1 but may have to beat No. 2-seeded UCLA in California to advance to the Final Four. Of course, those teams will have to win three games to get there. The Jayhawks will definitely face a former champion, meeting the winner of the Kentucky/Villanova contest, assuming Kansas can get past the winner of the Florida A&M/Niagara game, which happens to be Niagara. And that's too bad, because I was really looking forward to the headline in Wednesday's sports section that read "Niagara Falls."

UCLA faces the tougher half of this bracket, and rightly so, since they're No. 2-seeded. I'm sure the prospect of a second-round matchup with Gonzaga doesn't intimidate the Bruins, and someplace, somewhere, Brian Morrison is shedding a tear. But beyond that, UCLA could face a round of 16 game with No. 3-seeded Pittsburgh (are the Panthers seeded third every year, and don't they always lose in the third round?), Duke, or Virginia Commonwealth.

Toss out the possibility of the 10-loss Dukies; the Devils, first-round losers in the ACC tourney, will be a first-round casualty here also. Despite the imminent threat of a flagrant elbow, Duke lacks toughness and size, and shooting guard Jon Scheyer is a walking corpse. I say VCU knocks out Pitt, then falls to UCLA.

The possibility of an Illinois/Southern Illinois game has the state of Illinois in a state moderate ambivalence. Me? I love it. The more I can hear the goofy voice of Illini coach Bruce Weber, the better. Illinois should probably not even be in the tournament; they were one of the last teams in. Southern should hold up their end of the bargain and beat Holy Cross; Illinois has to get by Virginia Tech, yet another ACC team with more than ten losses. Sure, the ACC is overrated, but so is the Big 10. Tech wins, and the long-awaited Illinois/Southern Illinois showdown will have to come courtesy of the debate teams.

UCLA takes out Kansas in the regional final.

Upset picks: No. 11 VCU over No. 6 Duke.

The tournament's toughest region, the East, features North Carolina, Georgetown, and Texas, led by freshman Kevin Durant. UNC faces the toughest road to the Final Four of any No. 1 seed. The Heels, who are dominant only in five minute stretches, have a tough task in round two, facing either Marquette or Michigan State. Win that, and Durant and the Longhorns await in the Meadowlands, assuming they advance. This is where many have the Heels going down. Not yet. Of course, UNC can't stop Durant, and that's just one of their weaknesses. Tyler Hansborough won't pass, even when triple-teamed, and Carolina is blessed with the most overrated attribute in college basketball — depth.

It's tourney time, time to shorten your bench from 12 to nine, Roy Williams. Maybe you haven't noticed, Roy, but the Heels are unstoppable when point guard Ty Lawson is in the game. Carolina really doesn't have a half-court offense, but they don't need one when Lawson running the break, and the Heels can break on opponent's made baskets. Lawson versus Texas' D.J. Augustine may be the region's most entertaining matchup. Texas will play into what the Heels like, an up-tempo game, and the Heels advance in a shootout.

That leaves UNC to face Georgetown, who has the easiest ride to the Elite Eight. History demands a UNC/Georgetown regional final, which would be a rematch of 1982's championship final, in which the Hoyas, coach by John Thompson and led by Patrick Ewing, fell to the Heels and Michael Jordan, 63-62. This time, G'town is coached by John Thompson III and Patrick Ewing, Jr. plays forward. And I'm sure Michael Jordan will have loads of money on this game, should it materialize. UNC, encourage by a false rumor that an offspring of Fred Brown plays for the Hoyas, advances to the Final Four.

Upset: No. 10 Texas Tech over No. 7 Boston College. This upset is the antithesis of Tech coach Bobby Knight — mild. The Red Raiders smother yet another ACC team with double-digit losses.

Ohio State tops the seeds in the South region, which culminates in San Antonio. The Buckeyes are led by beyond-his-years freshmen Greg Oden, who had to have started shaving at age 12. Where was this guy when I was too young to buy alcohol? Anyway, Oden is a dominating presence inside, and, along with freshman point guard Mike Conley, Jr., whose father could triple jump from the baseline to the opposite three-point line, OSU is young and talented. But will their extreme youth be their downfall?

The Buckeyes could face a regional semifinal against Tennessee and sniper Chris Lofton. Are the Volunteers a guarantee to make it here? Not at all. They'll have to get by Long Beach State and then the winner of the much-anticipated Virginia/Albany contest. I like Tennessee, though. Why? Well, Bruce Pearl is just too cool. Any major college coach who paints his chest orange and appears in the front row for a women's basketball game is all right in my book. In fact, I give him more credit for sitting through a women's game than the paint job. However, Pearl's little stunt resulted in Tennessee women's coach Pat Summitt showing up at a men's game in a Volunteer cheerleading outfit. I consider that a flagrant foul. For that reason, I have to go with the Buckeyes over the Vols.

The bottom half of this bracket is wide open. Memphis is 30-3, but they don't strike me as a Final Eight team. Louisville, toughened by a Big East schedule, could possibly play two games in their home state, albeit on the enemy soil of Rupp Arena. No. 3-seeded Texas A&M faces a similar advantage — should they advance to the Sweet 16, they could go for the regional crown in their home state. They'll get their chance against the Buckeyes, but Ohio State advances to the Final Four, then Oden makes a not-to-surprising declaration — that he's 35-years-old.

Upset pick: No. 7 Nevada over No. 2 Memphis in the second round.

Final Four: Florida, UCLA, North Carolina, Ohio State

Finals: Florida over UNC

Get Your Questions Answered!

Do you have a question or comment? Want your shoes shined and your bed turned down? Need some street credibility? Need confirmation that you did, in fact, see the image of the Virgin Mary in your Jello? Then send your question/shoe size/gangster quotient/religious affiliation to [email protected]. You may get the answer you're looking for in the next column on Friday, March 30th.

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 5:12 PM | Comments (0)

Requiem For Cedrick Middleton

If you watch a lot of one team in any sport, you get familiar with the anecdotes the announcers like to spin during lulls in the action. They get to be like reruns of your favorite sitcoms.

I think during every single Akron game I watched this year, the commentators told of how junior guard Cedrick Middleton goes to the gym every morning at 6:30 to work on his game.

Big deal, gym rat stories are a dime a dozen. The extra footnote the announcers put on Middleton's story is that he started his morning ritual after last year's MAC semifinal loss to Toledo because, "He didn't want to experience that kind of pain again." They always emphasized the word pain: "that pain again."

Middleton has been my favorite player for some time (no, really. I can prove it). He's one of those one-man momentum turners, like Reggie Miller: liable to dunk, steal the inbounds and lay it in, get the rebound on the other end, bring it up himself and drain a three; one of those guys who can just do things that makes the home crowd go berserk.

Unlike other players with similar qualities, he's pretty reliable and consistent, even when he's not bringing the game to his knees. He was Akron's leading scorer for much of the year in conference play, and did I mention he comes off the bench to do all this? Naturally, he took home the MAC Sixth Man of the Year award.

There's a lot of interesting and talented players on the Akron basketball team, but I only have one favorite, and this just seemed like an enchanted year for the Zips. They entered the MAC Championship Game 26-6, with the six losses by a combined 20 points and no loss by more than six. Sometimes you can just feel the championship vibe a team gives off, and this year Akron gave off that vibe.

I don't care to relive the horror of the dying seconds of the MAC Championship Game, and I'm sure most have you seen the highlights of Doug Penno (a name that will live in infamy as far as I'm concerned) banking home the buzzer-beating three-pointer as time expired to give his team a one-point victory.

What you might not know about is the sequence of events that led to the buzzer beater. Akron led by as many as nine with less than 10 minutes to go, and decided to try to utilize the clock to guide them to victory, using up the shot clock on every possession and trying to make stops at the other end.

I call it "playing not to lose" and I normally cannot stand it when teams play this way. It's an attempt to back your way into victory rather than going for the jugular and doing the things that got you that big lead to protect in the first place.

But, I didn't really mind Akron doing it. I mind when underdogs do it, but for Akron, a team I considered superior to Miami (though they had split the season series), it seemed like a sensible thing to do: they're just a few minutes away from ending a 21-year NCAA drought and fulfilling what feels like a destiny — let's just get this scoreboard clock down to all zeroes.

Of course, Akron's shot clock-beating attempts were forced, heavily defended, and would not go down, and Miami was able to quickly capitalize on the other end until they had tied the game.

Akron finally got a field goal to drop with about 30 seconds left, and a Miami shot with eight seconds came off the rim and into the hands of an Akron player, who was fouled with 6.6 seconds to go. A player who had made 70% of his free throws on the year.

Cedrick Middleton.

I won't soon forget the look on Middleton's face when he took to the line. I won't claim to know what was going on in his head. I won't claim I gained some sort of unassailable insight from the pixels of my television.

But it wasn't what I would call a look of confidence. I said out loud to myself, "Uh-oh. He's dreading this. He feels the weight of all this." An ignorable school with image problems and budget shortfalls needed this win. I, and an awful lot of other people, were firmly latched on to Cedrick Middleton back as he stepped to free throw line, and it's hard to shoot free throws that way.

It was a one-and-one. The first and only free throw kissed the front of the rim so lightly that it didn't even bound into the lane, but fell easily to one of the Miami forwards stationed under the basket. You know what happened next.

It was the most painful loss I've ever experienced as a fan. It's hard to describe. It was just so cruel, and personal.

The pain of the loss was aggravated in the most severe, surreal way the following day, when ESPN2 led off their NIT selection show by featuring Akron, and then moved on to Clemson and a couple other teams. Host Mike Hall then said, "So those teams are in, let's go to the brackets and see who else is." Except Akron was not in. In the modern NCAA/NIT structure, Akron is the first team to win 26 games and be passed over by both tournaments.

In fact, they are only the third team to win 26 games and not make the NCAAs, but no Akron fan was expecting an at-large bid to the Big Dance with our RPI (61) anyway. To be passed over by the NIT, though ... well, Akron has the highest RPI over any team not invited to a postseason tournament, and the 11 teams following Akron are also all dancing, including some that snagged NIT at-large bids. Hofstra is one. Akron's only real achilles heel is a weak schedule and a pedestrian conference. Hofstra's strength of schedule was only slightly higher than Akron's, and although they play in a stronger conference and beat a couple big dance teams (in conference, at home), the RPI accounts for that sort of thing and still put Akron in front of them.

It was nice that even the mainstream media took note of the gyp. Yahoo!'s Dan Wetzel spent a couple paragraphs on Akron's plight, suggesting the NIT should just disban if they don't think Akron merited inclusion. ESPN's Joe Lunardi called it the biggest snub of either tournament.

So be thankful this isn't your team. If you're good, you're dancing, and being terrible is less painful than this.

But as much as this hurts for me, as shell-shocked as I felt in the 24 hours that started with the buzzer-beating bank shot and ended with the NIT snub, I can't imagine how those directly involved with the Akron basketball program must feel. I feel especially awful for the seniors.

Of course, the lion's share of my sympathy goes to a player that will be back for one more year ... a guy who, one year ago, started busting his ass in they gym because he couldn't stand the pain of a season-ending loss that did not come down to the wire and that he was not in a direct position to prevent.

Posted by Kevin Beane at 5:00 PM | Comments (0)

March 14, 2007

Rolling Through the Big Time

Okay, you can stop drooling now. Really, wipe your mouth before the boss sees you dripping on your brackets. Even if he or she is in on the fun, it's Madness etiquette to keep your excitement contained.

Anyway, it's closing in on tip time, and pretty soon anticipation will turn into jubilation, frustration, and disappointment over blowout losses and buzzer-beating wins. So, while your tournament sheet is all nice and clean, let me point out a couple of things to you about the 2007 installment of March Madness for your office, home, and on the go.

The last couple of years, I've only teased the first round of the festivities, and while I think Thursday and Friday are the best examples of "Sports Gone Wild," allow me to dig deeper this year and divulge my thoughts on the tourney from a down-the-road perspective. Lost yet? Good. That means we're all thinking the same way. Now, to those first-rounders.

BEST GAME OF THE 1ST ROUND

When the matchups were revealed Sunday, one game caught my eye more than any other. I love, love, love the 7-10 battle between Nevada and Creighton. The WAC title winning Wolfpack, and league player of the year Nick Fazekus (with his 20.5 ppg and 11.2 rpg), take on the Missouri Valley tournament winners from Omaha, led by Nate Funk and Anthony Tolliver (two of four double-digit scorers).

Both squads have plenty of big-time mascot heads on the trophy wall (Gonzaga, Southern Illinois, Xavier), so this one is sure to be a knockdown, slug-it-out affair.

THE ANNUAL 5-12 UPSET

Something screamed out at me about Butler/Old Dominion, but I decided to ignore it and go with more hateration logic. Along with everyone else (no probably about it), I was stunned when Arkansas snuck into the field. Everyone from Rodeo Drive to Times Square was wondering how a 7-9 SEC West team could get in. But we've seen this happen before.

Don't forget that two of last year's debated teams made runs through the tourney field. Bradley, the fourth team out of the Missouri Valley, got the furthest along, upsetting Kansas and Pitt to make the Sweet 16. And everyone knows what George Mason pulled off.

This year's Razorbacks have certainly underachieved. Then again, they're size and skill on the interior can be a problem to match for most squads. Just remember, last place in doesn't always lead to first ones out. Oh yeah, and watch out for Long Beach State upsetting Tennessee, too.

YEAR OF THE 11-SEED

Sure, there's always a 5-12 upset, but I think more noise is going to be made in the 6-11 games. Who can forget the Colonials and their Final Four run last year as an 11-seed? Well, that shouldn't happen this time. However, they might slash some brackets early in '07.

Winthrop seems to be everyone's darling this year, and winning 18 in a row only helps the cause. Virginia Commonwealth won Mason's conference (season and tourney) and aren't too shabby in the win-loss column (27-6). Stanford's Lopez towers, I mean twins, give a lot of teams fits (plus, they get starting point guard Anthony Goods back). All I'm saying is Notre Dame, Duke, and Louisville ... watch yo' back.

BEST 8-9 MATCHUP

All of the 8-9 games have some sort of intrigue, but I'm going to think smaller on this one. Instead of the normal contest between fourth and fifth-place teams from the big boys, I want to see some conference leaders go at it. That's what regular season champs BYU (MWC) and Xavier (A-10) have to offer.

Heck, no one's expecting either of these teams to make it past the weekend, so let's take them in while we've got the chance.

Speaking of down the road, what's my crystal ball telling me about the rest of the tournament?

BIGGEST SLEEPERS

Out of the teams seeded seventh or below, I have three making the Sweet 16. UNLV has been on a steady rise for most of the season (18th in the latest coaches' poll). With the Runnin' Rebels in full swing, keep an eye on them going up against a more than bruised Wisconsin.

I briefly mentioned Long Beach State beating Tennessee in the first round. Part of the reason was something I heard in the analysis on Sunday. The 49ers coach, Larry Reynolds, is leading his team throughout the tournament without a contract, basically making him a free agent. And we all know how free agents perform in the last part of their contract years. He's playing with house money.

Creighton's my other dark horse. The Bluejays are really solid both inside and on the perimeter. I think they have enough defense to slow down high-octane Memphis and send the Tigers packing earlier than expected.

LAST "MID-MAJOR" STANDING

All right, it might not be a surprise that I would pick the highest-ranked middie, Southern Illinois. However, some eyebrows might raise at where I put them. The seeds will hold up in the West bracket until the Sweet 16, giving the Salukis a chance to face top-seed Kansas.

The Jayhawks are a team on a roll, with athleticism and scoring to spare. Bill Self has them playing defense, too, but not nearly as hard-nosed and tenacious as SIU and their slow-as-molasses pace. MVC POY Jamaal Tatum and the Carbondale Kids didn't make it through the Missouri Valley grind on top for nothing, and they'll prove it on their run to the Elite Eight.

OVERLOOKING THE PALOUSE

One last thought before we make our way down I-75. Living out here on the left coast, I've had plenty of opportunities to see Washington State and their amazing run through this season. While many people see the Cougars as a second, or even first, game casualty, I give you fair warning.

This team knows how to stay in a game with teams that are supposedly much better than them (just ask UCLA, Arizona, Gonzaga, Oregon, etc.). Tony Bennett has them playing with little fear, and that could ultimately put the fear into a lot of brackets through the next couple of weekends.

WHO GETS TO ATLANTA?

Last year, no number ones made it out of their region. While it's difficult to get all the top teams to meet in one place, they won't all be shut out this time around, either.

Florida is too good and too experienced to be left out of the ATL festivities. They have their sights set on nothing but Gator Bait now that they left the SEC in their wake. Joakim Noah, Al Horford, Taurean Green, Corrie Brewer, and Lee Humphrey won't find another starting five equal to them until the last day of March.

Ohio State has the talent and the presence in the middle no other one person can match. The Buckeyes have their act together, plus Greg Oden is getting healthier, which means trouble for the rest of the field. They already got revenge against Wisconsin for one of their three losses. They can't get back at North Carolina and Florida until they reach Atlanta.

Unfortunately, neither team will get a chance to have their repeat of January's BCS Championship. It will all come down to a couple of two seeds. UCLA will return to the title game, representing an improved offense to go with last year's runner-up defense. But it won't be enough to deny history repeating itself.

For the first time since 1984, a Thompson and a Ewing will help bring a title to Georgetown basketball. Roy Hibbert and Jeff Green are leading one of the nation's hottest teams, and their ability to slash, defend, and create will guide them down a path where the juniors (John Thompson III and Patrick Ewing, Jr.) can follow in the seniors' footsteps.

Hey, I'm out of breath. Enjoy the most fun couple of days of the year.

Posted by Jonathan Lowe at 9:55 PM | Comments (0)

Making Sense of the Madness

(There's nothing written here because, frankly, March Madness needs no introduction. Well, other than me pleading with Gus Johnson to call the Ohio State games and drop a "Great Oden's Raven" reference. I don't ask for much.)

Midwest

Best Game — While many are focusing on Notre Dame and Winthrop, I've got my eye on Butler and Old Dominion. What's that? You love games where the winning team's score won't break the speed limit? The Bulldogs will try to defend their new-found status among the traditional powers against a team that looks eerily similar to Butler's Cinderellian incarnations of tournaments past.

Against the Chalk — ODU over Butler. While picking the favorites might be the safest course to office-pool glory, what's the fun in that? By selectively going out on the double-digit-seed limb, you can earn some bonus points and respect around the cubicle. Looking at this "classic" 12-5 pairing (when did these become classic, analysts?), the Bulldogs have lacked the sharpness they showed in winning the Preseason NIT at times during conference play. The Monarchs, on the other hand, should come into this game with a feeling of new-life. Teams given second chances, especially those mid-major at-larges, by squeaking into the field tend to be dangerous.

X-Factor — Big men in the bottom half. Some will tell you "slumping" Wisconsin is ripe for the picking (how is losing to the No. 1 team in the country twice in eight days a slump?). But the Badgers' flaw that Ohio State exposed — namely a lack of front-court production now that Brian Butch may be gone for the tournament — likely won't be exploited by their companions in the bottom half of the Midwest. Oregon and Georgia Tech have dangerous, athletic guards, but probably can't sting Wisconsin inside enough to pull the upset. However, if any of their challengers do find some scoring out of their bigs, Bo Ryan's trademark offense might get swung right out of the tournament.

Didn't You Used to Be — Arizona. Don't fall for them. Lute Olsen's Wildcats seem destined to play in these eight-nine games every year, and every year somebody falls in love with their potential and suggests they might shock a No. 1 in round two (this year's winner: Dick Vitale). Not this year. Sure, Chase Buddinger has the talent to take over a game, but not against these Gators. Assuming Arizona escapes a Purdue team that has warmed up in the last month, look for the 'Cats to get pummeled.

Wide-Open Pod — Maryland's Buffalo pod. Every year, it seems, one four-team grouping at a location gets busted wide-open and produces a wild Sweet Sixteen cast member. None of the four pods in the Midwest seems wildly open, but this one at least contains two dangerous underdogs. ODU's case is made above, and similarly, Davidson is a program that seems to play someone hard every year (last year it was two-seed Ohio State). Mix that with two favorites in Maryland and Butler that have certainly had their shaky moments this year, and the potential is there.

Seedy Seed — The most eye-catching seed in this bracket is Miami's No. 14. For a team that went 18-14, that's certainly a lot of MAC respect. Then again, the Red Hawks' reward for the seed: a trip to Spokane, WA, and quite a few Nike-clad Duck fans waiting for them.

Regional Final Prediction — Florida over Wisconsin. The top two seeds seem safely destined to meet in St. Louis (if only Carolina were in this region, plenty of Heel and Arch jokes could have scared you away from reading the rest of this column). The next two seeds, Oregon and Maryland, have been up-and-down throughout the season. Sure, both have played their best ball of late, but the Badgers and Gators have both topped the rankings during the season and rely on veterans with plenty of March experience on their resumes.

West

Best Game — (with twisted arm) Pitt vs. Wright State. The best day-one game in this quadrant? What is none, Alex? In a field of dull (on paper, at least) first-round games, perhaps an upset that nobody is picking is the least unimpressive. Pitt's Aaron Gray has done little to convince me he is the game-controlling force some project him as. Wright State won the regular season and tournament titles for a Horizon League that, last-time I checked, included giant-killer Butler.

Against the Chalk — I'll second my choice of Wright State, but hardly with much confidence. Some people will like VCU to put Duke out of its misery once and for all, but don't forget Duke has made the Sweet Sixteen nine times in a row. Sure, those were far superior Duke teams, but you better believe the Devils spent the time they freed up by losing early in the ACC tournament tightening up their fixable flaws. This is a team lacking the renewable resource of confidence, not talent or coaching, which are far more precious commodities.

X-Factor — Coach K. I know, I know, this is supposed to be the year everyone watches the Durham Devils feast on crow. But this program everyone loves to hate is like the clichéd monsters of horror movies. They may have been shot, stabbed, poisoned, exploded, and dribble-penetrated to death over the course of the year, but it's going to take one more stake through the heart or silver bullet to put them down for good. Put it this way: do you think VCU's players would feel better about their lofty 11-seed if they were facing a six-seed such as Vanderbilt? Do you think Pitt coach Jamie Dixon would rather see Notre Dame's Mike Brey, another six-seed's coach, across half court from him in the second round?

Didn't You Used to Be — (tie) Kentucky, Duke, and Illinois. While all three programs have had below-expectations seasons this year, the nod for underachievement probably should go to Tubby Smith's Wildcats. Duke and Illinois' malaise in 2007 reflects a downswing following periods of superior achievement. Sure, Kentucky made it to overtime in the Elite Eight two years ago on Patrick Sparks' shot that clung to the rim tighter than "Access Hollywood" to Anna Nicole's corpse, but the 'Cats have hovered well outside the realm of relevance for the better part of the 2000s.

Wide-Open Pod — Southern Illinois' Columbus pod. Sure, the Salukis have had a great year but perhaps have peaked too early. Additionally, their low-octane offense requires brutal intensity everyday on defense. Likewise, Virginia Tech has had its fair share of no-show dates against lower competition. Both of these favorites could be had by Illinois and Holy Cross.

Seedy Seed — Gonzaga's No. 10. Few programs have earned tournament respect to the tune that Mark Few's program has. However, past tournament success is supposed to be irrelevant to tournament selection and seeding, and it seems the Zags' name boosted a somewhat lackluster resume. Additionally, hearkening back to the year top-ranked Cincinnati lost Kenyon Martin to a broken leg in the C-USA tournament and was relegated to a two-seed, remember that the tournament committee can dock a team's seed based on the availability of players and how that reflects on the team's performance during the season. Josh Heytvelt's felonious fungus cost the Bulldogs' their best player, with whom they did much of their noteworthy damage in the early season. With Heytvelt out of the program, precedent would seem to suggest that Gonzaga slide a few lines past the 10-spot.

Regional Final Prediction — UCLA over Kansas. Historically, geography has been a strong influence on extended tournament runs, namely when high-seeds collide in the Regional stages. The Bruins' tour of NoCal (Sacramento and San Jose) is hardly a short stroll away from the City of Angels, but it's certainly more familiar than Kansas' potential treks to Chicago and San Jose. Consider this an unlucky draw for the Jayhawks, though they can take solace knowing that their tournament will last longer than the first round for the first time in three years.

East

Best Game — Marquette vs. Michigan State. By far the marquee showdown in the first round, the game features several compelling story lines. Tom Crean will face his boss and former mentor, Tom Izzo. Both teams lean upon star guards in the Golden Eagles' Dominique James and the Spartans' Drew Neitzel. But once the jumpball goes up, the best story will be a contrast in styles. Like most of Izzo's MSU teams but perhaps to a greater extreme than ever, these Spartans want to grind out victories. This preference will be resisted by James and the high-flying Eagles' desire to run.

Against the Chalk — Oral Roberts vs. Washington State. Tony Bennett, lyrical puns aside, has had a great year in Pullman. He has breathed life into a program that has been dormant for decades. But slow-down teams like these Cougars are susceptible to a hot opponent, and ORU has been through the fire before. Last year, the Golden Eagles hardly embarrassed themselves against top-seeded Memphis, a far more athletic group than Wazzu.

X-Factor — Kevin Durant. Sometimes life just isn't rocket science. The country's best player makes a non-descript group of Longhorns Grade-A-sleeper material. If K-D can lead the 'Horns into the Sweet Sixteen against North Carolina, it would setup a matchup of the best player against the country's best assemblage of young talent. It would certainly be better than when half of the guys on the floor meet in the NBA All-Star Weekend's Rookies Versus Sophomores Game in a year or two.

Didn't You Used to Be — Bob Knight. The head Red Raider made a run to the Sweet 16 two years ago, but do you honestly expect Bob Knight to get into another Final Four without a ticket? Knight has devised the perfect situation for himself in Lubbock. He can recruit B– quality talent that won't bolt early for the NBA or stand up to his bullying. In return, expectations will never be high enough at Texas Tech that Knight can take the blame for not threatening damage into March. However, the tradeoff is Knight will never again contend for a national title. Instead, he'll make cameos in these 10-7 games in the tournament most years before bowing out when his Red Raiders face teams blessed with superior talent. In this case, Knight's trip goes no further than round two and Georgetown.

Wide-Open Pod — Washington State's Sacramento pod. Vandy, Wazzu, Oral Roberts, and George Washington make up perhaps the least-daunting road to week two. Each of these teams is beatable, and yet each has earned its way into the field. Vanderblilt certainly has the most fire-power of the group, and thus, is the pick to emerge.

Seedy Seed — Georgetown's No. 2. It's not necessarily that Georgetown is a two, but the Hoyas are paired with the No. 2 top-seed in North Carolina. This means that the committee slotted Georgetown as the seventh best team in the tournament, immediately one spot behind Memphis. Certainly, the Tigers have done what's been asked of them, running the table from head to foot during the regular season and conference tournament. However, the Hoyas have come on strongly, and given how much emphasis the committee placed on conference tournament play, the Hoyas' dominance at Madison Square Garden and regular season supremacy in the Big East probably should have earned them a cushier spot as the two-seed in the South rather than in the much tougher East.

Regional Final Prediction — Georgetown over North Carolina. Believe me, I hate following the chalk as much as you hate reading me predict one vs. two matchups. Carolina is deeper than anyone, and I initially had them winning this matchup. However, I think Texas has a puncher's chance to beat Carolina, or at least make them work hard enough that they'll enter a game with the Hoyas two days later at a disadvantage.

Also, as Carolina has lost games this season, they have suffered from having too much talent. The Heels don't have one specific guy that they go to when they need a hoop, come hell or high water, especially as Tyler Hansbrough has struggled post Henderson-mugging-gate. Georgetown's guards have taken some deserved heat, but John Thompson has the kind of team that can slow down the Heels enough that the final scores lies somewhere in the 70s rather than the 90s.

South

Best Game — Nevada vs. Creighton. You know CBS would like nothing more than to feature a Reno vs. Omaha battle of the TV market giants. But both teams feature veteran stars who feel like they're on Van Wilder's seven-year plan. We've seen Nevada stun goliaths as an underdog, and we've seen them get unseated as a favorite. This time they sit somewhere in between, and who better to oppose them than another team the committee couldn't figure out a seed for. The Blue Jays have also been a March staple, having qualified in seven of the last nine Big Dances. Like ODU and Butler, but maybe not quite as extremely, this will be a grinder's paradise. Adding to the quality of this bout is what awaits the winner: a shot at a very beatable second-seeded Memphis.

Against the Chalk — Stanford. The 11–13 seeds all will have looks at knocking off bloated big-conference teams ripe for upsets. However, it's the underdog that is a big-boy itself to keep an eye on. Louisville has done a tremendous job rallying this season. In January Rick Pitino was ranting about picking off Pitt, Marquette, and a handful of other teams that seemed way out of the Cardinals' league. Instead, Louisville made a solid run at the top tier of a weak Big East and now stays in-state for its first two games.

However, Stanford is a team that has fought through early-season youth and late-season injuries to have a puncher's chance here. Perhaps the Cardinals will let all of that talk about their easy road go to their heads and find themselves literally at home for round two. And yes, I know this violates my importance of location mantra. Let's just play nice and make an amendment and suggest that the location factor is negated when that location is your arch-rival's home gym. Thanks for cooperating.

X-Factor — Acie Law's, uhh, intestinal fortitude. As a devout sabermetrician when it comes to baseball, I laugh at those who tout David Ortiz and Derek Jeter's "clutch abilities." Simply put, it doesn't make sense that a guy could somehow be better in big situations than he normally is, and the numbers back this up (go read Baseball Prospectus' "Baseball Between the Numbers" if you don't believe me). However, as a practicing hypocrite, I do believe in a sort of reverse clutchness in basketball. Simply put, there are guys who don't want the ball at the end of game. Does anyone remember the Western Conference Finals Game 7 where Sacramento King after Sacramento King fired hideous knuckleball bricks at the rim?

The point of this whole digression is this: Acie Law loves those shots. He can't get enough of those do-or-die moments at the ends of games. Texas A&M is a nice team that got a solid draw, but so is fellow three seed Oregon and fourth-seeded Maryland. The difference between them and the Aggies is that Law is not afraid to pull the trigger in big spots at the ends of games. If they're playing Ohio State in San Antonio for a spot in the Final Four, you know who's taking the shot for Texas A&M. Can you say the same for many other teams that don't have anyone named Kevin Durant? (It must be a Lone Star State thing.)

Didn't You Used to Be — Conference USA. I know realignments have probably hit them the hardest of anyone, but these guys used to matter. The days of Cincinnati stocking one- and two-seeds are over. There were even years not that long ago when the case could be made that it was the best conference in the country. Exit stage left: Louisville, Cincy, Marquette, et al; Enter: the dreaded "one-bid league" status. I know this conference never had the tradition of the other big boys, but it's rather sad the league's biggest story all year was whether Memphis would slip. Oh, they didn't? (Yawn.) We'll see you guys next year then.

Wide-Open Pod — Virginia's Columbus, OH pod. You might have noticed a trend here, as the pods with the four-seeds tend to be the most open because, well, they have the weakest top seeds. But again, this is a section of the draw where the double-digit seeds have legit shots to win twice, let alone their openers. Virginia has had a year of great improvement, but their guards have struggled at times down the stretch (see the NC State loss last week). Tennessee has played up against really strong competition (blowing out Florida, losing to Ohio State in Columbus in the last possession). However, the Vols have mentally sat out of a few too many. None of these four teams would shock me playing into week two.

Seedy Seed — Nevada's 7. I know they played in a rather weak WAC, and I'm sure their schedule strength numbers are way down. But this is a team with quality senior leaders that lost four games this year, including their upset in the conference tournament. Maybe this is the committee's revenge for the Wolfpack's tournament unpredictability in the past, but it's hard to ignore that just one game down the bracket, a Memphis team with only one fewer loss and an equally shaky conference has a two-seed.

Regional Final Prediction — Texas A&M over Ohio State. As an alum and lifelong fan of THE state university of Ohio, I agonized over this. "Greg Oden's playing his best," I pleaded with myself. "Mike Conley's showing senior-quality savvy." But at the end of the day, I always pay homage to the importance of location, and the Aggies getting to face the Bucks in San Antonio is too big a factor.

Fast-forward ahead two weeks and prepare to hear and read the griping over the location of this year's regionals. In three of my four Regional Finals, I have a one seed falling to a team that benefits from somewhat familiar digs (UCLA in San Jose, Georgetown in the Meadowlands, and the Aggies in San Antonio). Obviously, there's no real fix to this situation. Short of a home-court reward that would go against everything the tournament stands for, there's no way to know in advance that these things could happen. I guess we better just hope Georgia Tech doesn't get anywhere near the Final Four (hosted by, you guessed it, Atlanta).

Posted by Corrie Trouw at 9:48 PM | Comments (0)

March 13, 2007

The NCAA Postseason's Little Brother

Sunday is the best off-court day of the year for college basketball fans. The choices. The snubs. The seedings. The debating of who's in, out, or where in the NCAA tournament bracket is now an annual event. People talk about it at the water cooler the next day, but are careful not to discuss too much. They don't want to let anyone in on their bracket sleeper.

But even with all this talk of the field of 65, other teams do get to continue their seasons. Sure, the National Invitational Tournament has lost the luster that it once held. However, for 32 teams, the distinction of playing in one of basketball's holy floors, Madison Square Garden, can carry its own prestige.

This year's NIT even held some of the pre-tourney pageantry of its big brother. The ESPN family held the selection show for the tournament, and past legends of the coaching ranks (including C.M. Newton and Dean Smith) made up the committee that chose the 2007 field.

The introduction of a tougher standard and a reduced field are a couple of changes to this version of the tourney. Past editions featured more big-name and well-known schools, but there seems to be more emphasis on excellence this time around. Regular season champions that aren't selected into the NCAA tournament now automatically qualify for the NIT.

While this shrinks chances for middling majors to crash the postseason (including the Missouri Tigers I root for), I'm all for it. This puts a premium on winning over the long haul. Eight teams from smaller conferences survived the grind of as many as 20 conference games to be tops on their block. They should have first opportunity to play on above squads that couldn't finish .500 in conference play.

And there's even some controversy in the seeding, at least in my opinion. The number one seeds are West Virginia, Clemson, Mississippi State, and Air Force. It seemed that teams such as Syracuse, Kansas State, and Drexel were most seriously considered for the Big Dance than Clemson or Mississippi State. Yet, when all was said and done the Orange and Wildcats ended up with two-seeds. The Dragons were saddled with a three.

Newton told ESPN on Sunday that the committee looked at teams they wanted to put in the tournament and asked, "Who would you not want to play?" They decided a team that finished 4-10 (Clemson) and one that tied for the SEC West championship at 8-8 (Mississippi State) were scarier than one that won 13 true road games (Drexel). But hey, I haven't coached a game at any level, so I can't truly talk. I can pipe up once in a while, though.

That being said, I'm going to do something that no one else has the guts, fortitude, gall ... okay, the time to do. I'll let you know who's going to make it to New York and celebrate a championship inside the Garden.

EAST REGIONAL

Not only did Drexel miss their ticket to the NCAAs, but they didn't get a lot of respect in the "Junior Prom," either. Even though they may only have one home game, I like them because of their road success. The Dragons will get away victories at Oklahoma State and West Virginia to fight on to the Big Apple.

NORTH REGIONAL

Fifth-seeded Providence could be the talk of the regional, winning at Bradley, then at top-seed Mississippi State. Unfortunately, they won't be the talk of New York. I see the Friars falling in the regional final. Tallahassee's a tough place to play, and a Florida State team that has won tough games against Florida and Duke will take advantage of their home court.

SOUTH REGIONAL

This is where the mid-majors could shine. Clemson and Syracuse are in this bracket, but I like Missouri State's shooting to take out the Orange at the Carrier Dome. In the top half, watch out for Appalachian State and Clemson's ability to continue sliding. That sets up the Mountaineers going to Springfield to play the Bears. Despite losing to Winthrop about a month ago, expect MSU to hold home court this time around.

WEST REGIONAL

This will be the only region where the top two seeds will battle for the trip out east. Kansas State is smarting after not getting into the NCAAs, and they will ride that anger with home wins in their first two games. Air Force took a nose dive at the end of the year, but I believe the mountain air will re-energize them. The Falcons were a dangerous team in the early season, and a second wind is all they need to make it through to the semifinals.

WHEN IT HEADS TO NYC

Florida State has talent and big-game experience. But there is a lot of talent on Bruiser Flint's bench, as well, and I like Drexel to continue being the postseason version of Butler (who won the Preseason NIT). In the other semifinal, Air Force's slowdown, methodical offense should push the Falcons ahead of Missouri State.

In the end, the efficiency of Jeff Bzdelik's squad will upend the Dragons, crowning the Falcons as the 66th best team in college basketball.

Sure, no one's going to read this column. But who knows, maybe I'll even convince myself to watch more of the NIT this year. I do have some stuff to say about that other tournament, but I'll save it for another day.

Posted by Jonathan Lowe at 5:32 PM | Comments (3)

WTA Tour Faces Grave Challenges in U.S.

It's that time again for both the ATP and Sony Ericsson WTA Tours to head to sunny California for the Pacific Life Open. The draws are set and play began in earnest on March 7th. The draws are packed with top players, and so far no real notable pullouts or injuries.

This is good news for the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour and its, CEO Larry Scott. Scott has been very concerned after last year's record number of injuries and pullouts of top-15 players from tournaments. Clearly, the tour needs to have its marquee names healthy, and even more so have them able to fulfill their tour commitments.

The WTA Tour has done an amazing job of bringing in good sponsors and partners, all who have helped make the tour a worthwhile entertainment venture. But is the picture as rosey as it might seem?

The women's tour is clearly facing a pivotal moment. The money is there, the venues are there — heck, Wimbledon has finally agreed to equal prize money for men and women. Seems like everything is fine. But no, media coverage of tennis in general still is laughable in the dailies and weeklies, you find little or no news about it on regular sports channels like ESPN, and rarely does a sports report on the local news even get to mention tennis. And when it does, its usually men's tennis.

Gone from the women's tour is its most popular name (Anna Kournikova, where are you?) and Maria Sharapova, while clearly a more accomplished player, is not the name or face Anna is and was. The quality of the tennis on the women's tour has never been better, but the names and faces of the top players seem unknown to all but a few. The retirement of Lindsay Davenport, the disappearance of Jennifer Capriati, and the slide of the Williams sisters definitely took the American mainstream media's mind away from the women's game. Serena's victory in Australia got them to raise an eyebrow for a minute, but that seems to have faded, as well.

So Larry Scott is right. The tour needs to keep its top players out on the courts, and at all of the tournaments they commit to. Ticket sales need to stay high, and the bigger names need to show so that in markets like Cincinnati, Chicago, Indianapolis, Oklahoma City, and the like women's tennis winds up on the front page of the local paper everyday when the tour is in town.

But Scott and the WTA Tour can't do it all. Not since Billie Jean King and Chris Evert graced the courts has women's professional tennis had any real advocate from the ranks. The money is so good today, and the focus of most athletes is so self-centered that they forget that you have to really give back. Don't get me wrong. With rare exception, all of the young women of the WTA Tour are all nice and compassionate people. They seem to have forgotten, however, that they must be proactive faces and role models for tennis.

Women's tennis seems eerily like NHL hockey right before the strike two years ago. The names are just as international, and the attitude seems to be getting similar. The players are the most important part of the game, no doubt, but without tournaments, sponsors, and the infrastructure of the sport of tennis, absolutely none of this would exist, and they'd all be amateur players again. The women of the WTA Tour and their teams should take a very close look at the NHL, and what the strike did to the sport. In reality, most fans didn't miss hockey the year they were gone, and when it came back, retailers stopped carrying a large amount of hockey goods and long-time fans even stopped showing up. Women's tennis would not survive a gap in coverage like this.

Unfortunately, we Americans aren't doing our part, either. With only one U.S. player in the top 30 (Serena sits at 15 at the time of this article), we haven't given the American media a lot of hometown stories, either. I love Martina Hingis, can't wait till Kim Clijsters starts spending more time down here on the Jersey Shore, I can't get enough of Jelena Jankovic, I find Nadia Petrova compelling, want to see Anna Ivanovic break out this year, hope Daniela Hantuchova regains the promise of a few years ago, and I look for Patty Schnyder every chance I get. But I miss the great American story, having the girl next door to root for. I don't know when or where the next Chrissy or Billie Jean will come from, but I hope its soon.

I'll be watching closely as this season unfolds. Women's tennis is still the best entertainment sports product on the market, and I can't get enough of it. I just hope that the story of the year when it is all said and done is how great the year was on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, and not the retirement of Kim Clijsters.

Posted by Tom Kosinski at 5:00 PM | Comments (3)

March 12, 2007

2007 NBA Rookie Roundup

The NBA age restrictions have made it so that this year's rookie class is more depleted than usual. Typically, high school players would have made the jump and added some major talent to the pool. This year's class is the first and possibly even the only class to see the effects of the new rule. The added depth has been put on hold until next year; a year where the missing high school players won't be as noticeable due to the incoming stars that were held from entering the NBA this season.

It has taken a while for the rookies to get going this year and no one player stands out among the crowd. Many have called this year's crop a bust, but I have more faith in these youngsters than that. I believe that many of them will turn into very solid contributors, while a few even have all-star potential.

Sure, this isn't 1984 (Hakeem, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, and John Stockton), 2003 (LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade), 1996 (Allen Iverson, Marcus Camby, Ray Allen, Kobe Bryant, Peja Stoyakovic, Steve Nash, and Jermaine O'Neal), or even 2007, for that matter (Greg Odom, Kevin Durant, and Joakim Noah), but that doesn't mean that it's an all-out bust.

These guys can play and their impact will be evident for years to come. Without further adieu, here is my 2006-07 rookie roundup.

Top 10 Picks (as drafted into the league)

Andrea Bargnani, Toronto Raptors (Italy)

The "Italian Job" has brought it all to Toronto. It took him some time to get the feel for the North American game, but this youngster who once said it was easier to shoot threes than anything else (because it's always the same distance) is now taking control for the surging Raptors.

It took him 10 games to get his first double-digit scoring output of the season, but he's stepped up ever since with consistent scoring and energy off the bench. In the last month, he's averaging 14.8ppg, 4.6 rpg, and dropping 2.5 treys. MVP candidate Dirk Nowitzki has stated that Bargnani is better than he was at 21, but the young guy still has a long way to go. Nonetheless, the Raptors made the right choice on draft day and have a very formidable front for many years with Bosh and Bargs leading the way.

LaMarcus Aldridge, Texas (Portland Trailblazers)

It has taken the big man a while to get some time in the crowded Portland frontcourt, but it seems like he is finally getting his chance due to injuries which are depleting the roster. Joel Przybilla was lost for the season due to a knee injury and Raef LaFrentz is out with a strained left calf. That leaves Jamaal Magloire as Aldridge's lone competition and coach Nate McMillan has said that he's sticking with the rookie for now.

Since grabbing the starting center spot at the beginning of March, Aldridge has gone for 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting, but then followed up that effort with 3 points on 1-for-12 shooting. He'll need to prove himself to be a consistent contributor in order to hold on to his playing time. For now, I see him following very closely to the footsteps of sophomore Channing Frye, who has proven to be the most hopeless players with a lot of hope.

Adam Morrison, Charlotte Bobcats (Gonzaga)

Whoever compared the Sasquatch to Larry Bird has obviously never seen Larry Bird play. Morrison had an incredible college career, but he has simply been unable to carry this over to the NBA. Will he be a solid contributor? No doubt. Will he be a superstar? I doubt.

His talent is unquestionable, but his athleticism is the major problem. The NBA has eliminated the edge he had on his opponents in college due to taller, longer, and quicker defenders. Morrison has failed to adapt and will, in my mind, fail to become an all-star like many felt he was destined to become. In my opinion, the best case scenario for Ammo is for him to become a slightly more creative Kyle Korver.

Tyrus Thomas, Chicago Bulls (LSU)

This young stud from LSU is filled with potential. He's a high-flyer who can execute on both ends of the court. His blocking ability is uncanny and he finds his way to the rim offensively, as well. However, he needs to work on polishing up his moves in the post, as well as adding to his range. In fact, the kid might as well change his name to Stromile Swift, because everything I've said so far is the exact same thing people said about the StroShow upon his entrance into the NBA. Need more proof of the similarities? Here's a rookie season comparison of the two:

Stromile Swift (2000-01): 16 mpg, 45% FG, 60% FT, 4.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 0.4 apg, 0.8 steals, 1 block, 0.8 TO.

Tyrus Thomas (2006-07): 11 mpg, 46% FG, 58% FT, 4.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 0.5 apg, 0.6 steals, 1 block, 1.3 TO.

Shelden Williams, Atlanta Hawks (Duke)

Well, at least the Hawks didn't mess up as bad this year as they did in the 2005 draft by passing on Chris Paul in favor of Marvin Williams. Shelden Williams has shown a lot of promise at moments when he's had the opportunity to play (just look at his late-December numbers if you don't believe me). However, his major problem is that he is lost in the depth-chart like many other rookies in the league.

With the Hawks wanting to play the upbeat style that is becoming the newest trend, Shelden Williams finds himself fighting for time behind the athletic duo of Josh Smith and Marvin Williams. It's only a matter of time, however, until Shelden figures out his role on the team. I believe he has the ability to be a consistent contributor if given consistent minutes — and there's no reason the Hawks can pass on that because it's exactly what they need.

Brandon Roy, Portland Trailblazers (Washington)

Rookie of the Year is spelled ROY, coincidence? Brandon Roy came into this season as the projected cream of the crop and he hasn't disappointed. Sure, it is a bit easier to steal the award this year compared to usual, but Brandon Roy has been spectacular nonetheless. I don't necessarily believe that he will be the best player from this group five years from now or even three, for that matter. But he is the leading candidate for the ROY honor at this moment.

He has been getting more minutes per game than any other candidate, thus vaulting his stats to higher levels than other rookies see possible. He leads the class with 15.5 ppg and add to that a combined 8.1 assists and rebounds per contest. His percentages are highly respectable (45% FG and 83% FT) and he's adding to that 1.2 steals per game. There's no reason why Roy shouldn't get the Rookie of the Year, although other rookies are getting chances later in the season with extra playing time that they never saw earlier in the year.

Randy Foye, Minnesota Timberwolves (Villanova)

When Kevin Garnett requests that the Timberwolves replace you with Troy Hudson for the starting guard position, you know you haven't produced. Garnett has put up with many lackluster starters alongside him in Minny: Michael Olowokandi, Marko Jaric, Eddie Griffin, and even Anthony Peeler (a man who would later elbow-punch Garnett in the face while playing for Sacramento).

Foye was supposed to be the T-Wolves' second or third scoring option this season; he is currently fifth on the team with 9 ppg. He has all the potential in the world, which is why he went seventh overall in the draft. It's just a matter of time until he puts his tools to use and gets that starting position back for good.

Rudy Gay, Memphis Grizzlies (UConn)

He is the most athletic player from the 2006-07 draft (other than James White) and has the ability to become a big-time player in the future. He has a freakish 7'3" wingspan that has allowed him to combine for 1.8 steals and blocks per game.

Gay had a slow start to the season, which has held his shooting percentage to 42%, but he has improved of late. He has started the last 12 games for the Grizzlies and averaged 15.9 points, 6 rebounds, and just over a block per game. If he can improve on his shot selection, he has the potential to be "best in class" for a long time to come.

Patrick O'Bryant, Golden State Warriors (Bradley)

O'Bryant boosted his stock in the NCAA tournament last year by out-dueling Aaron Gray and carrying the Bradley Braves to the Sweet 16. However, so far this season he has only seen action in 16 games for the Warriors while averaging less than eight minutes per contest. He has been sent down to the development league for extended periods of time and simply doesn't seem to be capable of working himself into the Warriors' rotation.

With Andris Biedrins, Adonal Foyle, Al Harrington, and Josh Powell ahead of him in the PF/C rotation, it doesn't seem likely that O'Bryant will be seeing any significant playing time this year or next. But hey, who knows? It's impossible to know what the guy is made of until he's had his time to shine. For now, much like what happened at Bradley (which led to an eight-game suspension), O'Bryant is simply getting paid for work that he's not doing; and it is fine by him, I'm sure.

Mouhamed Sene, Seattle SuperSonics (Senegal)

Much like O'Bryant, Mouhamed Sene hasn't played enough in the NBA to warrant much analysis. He has played in 19 games with less than six minutes per contest. He is said to be an amazing physical specimen with a 7'8" wingspan, but is also very raw on the offensive end of the court (partly because he only started playing basketball in 2003).

At only 20 years of age, Sene has a lot of time to develop himself into the type of player the Sonics plan on him becoming. Whether or not he was worth the 10th pick in the NBA draft is another question that is impossible to answer until we see what this man is made of.

Notes on the Rest

The top 10 typically contains most of the all-star potential. However, this year the draft is more evened out than usual. There will be many key contributors out of the remaining 50 picks (and undrafted rookies) that will have an impact for years to come.

Here are a few other names to keep in mind when considering whether or not this year's draft class is a bust:

Kelenna Azubuike (Golden State – undrafted) has raised eyebrows of late, putting up almost 10 points per game while filling in for the injury-depleted Warriors. His stats will settle down as J-Rich and Baron Davis have returned, but he has proven himself capable of contributing in the future.

J.J. Redick (Orlando – 11th) was the Player of the Year in college. He has yet to make much of a contribution for the Magic and I doubt he ever will. He needs the perfect situation to contribute. Without a superstar scorer that can draw his defender away, Redick will always have difficulty making the contested shots.

Thabo Sefolosha (Chicago – 13th) had a career game versus the Warriors on February 28 in which he put up 19 points. He was highly coveted by many during the draft and is expected to be around for years to come.

Ronnie Brewer (Utah – 14th) has been out shadowed by the Jazz's second round stud, Paul Millsap (Utah – 47th), but he still should develop into a decent player. Brewer has allowed a starting spot slip through his fingers early on, but his potential is undeniable. Millsap, on the other hand, has fought for everything that has been given to him. He has earned his role on the rebuilt Utah roster and leads the rookies in both rebounds (5.2) and blocks (1.1) per game.

Rodney Carney (Philadelphia – 16th) was just starting to find his spot with the 76ers before tearing his right rotator cuff (shoulder).

Renaldo Balkman (NY – 20th) is like any other switch on the Knicks roster. When Isiah Thomas flicks on his minutes, he usually produces. When he flicks them off, he can disappear for weeks at a time.

Rajon Rondo (Boston – 21st) is a lightning-quick guard out of Kentucky that can do it all, except for hold on to the ball at times. If he can control his turnovers, he has a very bright future in the league. The Celtics just need to figure out what they're doing with the Sebastian Telfair/Delonte West/Rondo logjam at point.

Marcus Williams (NJ – 22nd) is the future of New Jersey. That might be saying too much about a first-year guard that has averaged 7.7 points and 3.1 assists so far, but the Nets said quite a bit when they considered trading Jason Kidd without getting another point guard in return.

Craig Smith (Minnesota – 36th) is leading the rookies in FG% while also showing flashes of brilliance every once in a while. He'll have trouble becoming much more than a solid contributor as he is undersized for his natural position (PF), but he has the offensive skills to go both ways in the post and the fight to overcome more skilled individuals.

James White (Indiana - 31st, signed by San Antonio) is getting a mention here whether you like it or not. If you can show me a more creative and able dunker than this man, then I'll never mention him again.

Jorge Garbajosa (Toronto – undrafted) is averaging 8.5 points and 5 rebounds a game while also heavily influencing the Raptors towards the winning ways that he was accustomed to in Europe. He is a proven winner on many levels, including the Olympics, and brings an understanding of the game that is very foreign to the rest of his rookie class.

Posted by Chad Kettner at 9:25 PM | Comments (1)

NCAA Tournament Preview

At the risk of repeating everything you've heard over the past 24 hours, 20 thoughts on the 2007 NCAA tournament bracket:

20. Of all the arguments I looked at making in the debate over who's in and who's out, I really didn't find any overwhelming evidence for any of them. You can say Kansas State did this or Drexel did that, but in the subjective analysis of the committee, it wasn't enough. Any argument to the contrary is also a subject analysis. When comparing subjective analyses, I'll side with the professionals, even though I thought Kansas State and Syracuse deserved bids over Illinois and Stanford.

It all comes down to these words of wisdom from K-State head coach Bob Huggins, "If we had won more games, we wouldn't have had to worry about any of this."

19. I thought Nevada got hosed with a seven-seed. They should have been a five at least. Same for UNLV. One injury note, Nevada's best on-ball defender, Kyle Shiloh, is expected back for Friday's game against Nate Funk and Creighton. He missed their Semi loss to Utah State after straining a hammy on one of those stupid decals they put on courts for big games.

18. Of the 12-5 games, I like Old Dominion in an upset over Butler, which slid toward the end of the season (4-4 in their last eight). Watch out also for Long Beach State against Tennessee. Amazingly, the 49ers' top seven scorers are all seniors (contrasted to the Vols relying heavily on three freshmen). If Chris Lofton throws up a 5-for-14 like he did in the first round against Winthrop last year, Tennessee could be in serious trouble.

17. An upset I wish I had the balls to pick, but probably won't because I don't: #14 Wright State over #3 Pittsburgh. It could happen.

16. I've seen some people talk of an Oral Roberts upset over Washington State, but I'm not buying it. ORU definitely has talent with Caleb Green and Ken Tutt, but they play undisciplined (bad shots, too many turnovers). Against a team like Wazzu, that's going to be fatal.

15. Man, I hope that Texas/North Carolina Sweet 16 game materializes. Two other possible Sweet 16 contests I would seriously consider losing my job to see in person: Memphis/Nevada and Kansas/Southern Illinois (this one especially — I can see the Salukis completely throwing the Jayhawks off their game).

14. Of the interesting positional battles, Louisville's David Padgett and Derrick Caracter against Stanford's Lopez twins should be fun to watch. Rick Pitino has given Caracter chance after chance after chance this year. It's time for the boy to quit effing around and start giving back.

Curtis Sumpter (Villanova) vs. Randolph Morris (Kentucky) will also be interesting. So will Drew Neitzel (Michigan State) vs. Dominic James (Marquette). Michigan State will have gotten a huge break if Marquette stopper (and Big East defensive player of the year) Jerel McNeal can't play because of a bad thumb. (It doesn't look good right now.)

13. I don't think #11 VCU beating #6 Duke would constitute an upset.

12. Bad draw for Gonzaga, landing D.J. White and Indiana in the first round. Unless Josh Heytvelt's "alleged" shrooms somehow disappear from the evidence lock-up, I think they're screwed.

11. I've been waiting all year to pick against Maryland in the first round, and it felt like Christmas seeing them get paired with Davidson, a quality team from the SoCon. Now I'm a little hesitant because Davidson's leading scorer, Stephen Curry (21.2 ppg, 41% from threes), is a freshman. That's usually not a good thing. Screw it. Davidson in the upset.

10. In the several hours of Selection Sunday coverage I watched between CBS and ESPN, I didn't catch a single mention of Missouri State (except for being on the list of teams who didn't make it). Not only did they not make the Dance again (I do feel bad for Blake Ahearn), they lost their "Mid-Major Who Got Screwed" title to Drexel. Just a bummer of a day for Bears fans.

9. Of any one or two seed, Georgetown has the easiest path to the Elite Eight.

8. Any one of the one seeds could go down to the winners of the 8-9 games. I'm not saying it's going to happen, but the possibility is there. (Of the four, I'd say Ohio State is the most vulnerable against the BYU/Xavier winner).

7. Niagara in the play-in game over Florida A&M on Tuesday.

6. Everybody is jumping on the Winthrop bandwagon. I'm not saying they can't beat Notre Dame, because they certainly can, but beware the overwhelmingly popular upset pick.

5. UNLV/Georgia Tech is a must-watch. Well, they all are, but this one in particular should be high-paced and exciting. Give the nod to the Rebs thanks to their experience and better ball handling.

4. Sweet 16: UNC, Texas, Washington State, Georgetown, Ohio State, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Nevada, Kansas, Southern Illinois, Pittsburgh, Indiana, Florida, Old Dominion, Oregon, UNLV.

3. Elite 8: UNC, Georgetown, Ohio State, Texas A&M, Kansas, Indiana, Florida, Oregon

2. Final 4: Kansas, Florida, Georgetown, Texas A&M

1. Championship: Georgetown over Kansas in a classic featuring 274 close-ups of Patrick Ewing's nose.

Seth Doria is a communications specialist in St. Louis. He writes a blog called The Left Calf.

Posted by Joshua Duffy at 5:34 PM | Comments (1)

March 10, 2007

Sports Uniform Disasters?

Before the advent of my "Coffee/Apple/Scotch Diet" — an effective nutritional scheme so brilliant in its simplistic charms that it makes that fat troll from Subway cry in his six-inch Italian B.M.T. — I was, admittedly, a tad overweight.

Unfortunately, my obesity existed during a Euro-trash men's fashion movement that catered to metrosexuals. It was a calculated response to hip-hop culture that featured light, silken, tight-fitting fabrics that made for even tighter-fitting t-shirts. I was always one of these guys who somehow landed between sizes: I swam in an XL, but was a little too XL for an L. But my ex-wife was a fan of places like H&M, so I would attempt to squeeze into the chest-hugging couture shirts that were sold there.

It wasn't a pretty sight.

Seriously, I looked like someone trying to smuggle six loaves of bread under a parachute.

But I felt like I needed to give it a shot, because I wasn't about to retreat into a wardrobe of moo-moos, jumbo hockey sweaters, and trench coats. To me, oversized men's clothes are like salary caps: the larger they are, the more likely it is that you'll expand up to them rather than curb your consumption because of them.

So, perhaps, this new fashion trend in college basketball and professional hockey can be seen as a dietary control. If you want to wear a form-fitting jersey, you have to have the body to look the part, or else you're going to look like an overstuffed sausage in officially licensed gear.

That's the big argument against these things, right? That big fat guys who wear jerseys to the games won't be able to rock these sleek, streamlined replicas? As if Nike and Reebok will all of a sudden stop catering to the XXXXL crowd? As if a fear of overly tight gear has ever deterred a guy with King Kong Bundy's physique from trying to pour himself into a medium Lynyrd Skynyrd concert tee from 1975?

Nonsense. Fat guys in little clothes will continue to exist as long as there are beaches, 60-year-old Europeans, and Speedos on God's beautiful Earth.

In hockey, I'm not that concerned about the fan implications of form-fitting jerseys. The NHL listened to its public for once when that public uniformly (hehe) exclaimed that you don't f**k with the hockey sweaters, Gary. The jerseys that debuted during the All-Star Game were less Under Armour and more Rollerball ... which is a little inconsistent with the NHL's current marketing model, because I'm pretty sure they promoted violence and physical play in Rollerball. Must be why so many people watched it on television...

The only concerns I have left about these new jerseys are price and prestige.

Price in the sense that the NHL and its team owners clearly see this jersey reboot as a money-grab. (What, those piggy banks didn't get filled enough during the lockout, boys?) Even if the jerseys aren't comparable to the classic sweaters of the last half century, fans will still buy them. The NHL recently reported that licensed merchandise sales on its website were up 75% in February as compared to a year ago.

Part of that was the fact that the Buffalo Sabres accounted for seven of the top 11 players on the best-seller list for the month. That means after the team was publicly flogged for adopting a logo that resembled the love child of a tree slug and a Mohawk from "The Road Warrior," the fans still purchased a butt-load of new sweaters. (The fact that Buffalo has been leading the Eastern Conference since October hasn't hurt, either.)

The fans will clearly buy anything you sell them — see the amount of Gorton's Fisherman era Islanders jerseys that haven't yet been burned on Long Island — so I'm concerned that these new jerseys will be used to price gouge them. All-star player models sold for well over $300 this year. No matter how much you want to pimp the space-age materials used in these products, that's way too much for fans that are already spending top-dollar for meaningless regular season tickets.

As I said, my other concern is prestige. A lot of teams are going to tweak their look and tweak their logo in order to maximize the need for fans to purchase these new jerseys. If any franchise with a long-standing tradition in their logo or color scheme opts for a radical change — I'm looking at you, Original Six teams — how many fans will grab their torches and head down to Reebok HQ ASAP?

I know I will.

Meanwhile, on the college hardwood, Nike debuted its "System of Dress" at the Big East Tournament this week: a lightweight, breathable, form-fitting top and long, lightweight, loose-fitted shorts. Much like in the NHL, college basketball officials immediately claimed the new jerseys would make the game more attractive and dramatically cut down on holding fouls.

The second claim, I think, is ludicrous. Watching Syracuse — one of four teams rocking the new look these days — operate in the duds showed that the jerseys will still have some give to them; enough, I imagine, to be able to earn a tug if a defender is closely guarding a shooter.

As for "the look" these new jerseys provide a college basketball player, Nike Business Director Hans George kept mentioning they "create a dramatic new silhouette for the game of basketball" in a recent interview. Influenced, evidently, by a shift in youth culture from the baggy hip-hop vibe to a more "tailored" look.

And by tailored, of course, he means "sexy."

Let's face it: basketball jerseys have always had their sex appeal, from the very first time L.L. Cool J tossed one on in a video. But as hip-hop has transitioned from thug life to the board room, basketball fashion had to be dragged along with it. First it's suits and ties in the interview room, and now it's jerseys that look like they came off the rack at Banana Republic. Sloppy's out, and sex sells.

It's no longer enough that basketball jerseys show off bulging biceps and broad shoulders. Now we get to see rippling pecs and flat stomachs, draped by a whisper of a jersey. It's like watching a track athlete play hoops, save for the overly baggy shorts that keep the uniform grounded in street wear.

But are those shorts really keeping with the spirit of this "new silhouette for the game of basketball?" They're so baggy, so easily held by a desperate defender. And they really, really look strange with the new jerseys tucked into them.

I imagine if the "form-fitting" trend is a success, we'll one day have a basketball uniform that's basically an officially-licensed unitard — more Apolo Anton Ohno than LeBron James.

Now there's a silhouette John Amaechi can get behind...

Programming Note

As many of you may know, I've been a snarking head on ESPN Classic's "Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame" show for the last year. Well, the same producers have created a new program called "The Missing Link" that airs every Wednesday night on Classic. It's a "six degrees"-type show that connects unlikely duos — Alex and Chi-Chi Rodriguez, for example — through a series of strange relationships.

The first showing was this week. The good news is that it's well-written, fast-paced, and great fun. The bad news is that although I appeared several times in the episode, I look wintry pale and over-lit and quite hideous with my stupid Irish complexion — like a giant harlequin Thanksgiving Day balloon that needs to be popped.

Sure, I'm funny ... but otherwise, hide the children.

Greg Wyshynski is the Features Editor for SportsFan Magazine in Washington, DC, and the Senior Sports Editor for The Connection Newspapers of Northern Virginia. His book is "Glow Pucks and 10-Cent Beer: The 101 Worst Ideas in Sports History." His columns appear every Saturday on Sports Central. You can e-mail Greg at [email protected].

Posted by Greg Wyshynski at 10:43 PM | Comments (0)

March 8, 2007

NFL Free Agent Spending Spree

With most of the NFL teams looking at millions of dollars to spend, most of the NFL GMs that spoke at the NFL Scouting Combine talked about expecting the spending to come early and often. And they were right — spending came from every angle (though for once not led by Dan Snyder's private jet). Let's take a look at the major spending and see who did well and who may have slipped up.

Thumbs Up

Buffalo Bills

The Bills made the biggest and earliest splash when they signed former Redskins OG Derrick Dockery to a seven-year, $49 million contract. Dockery, who has never made a Pro Bowl, basically got the same contract as perennial All-Pro OG Steve Hutchinson, as he raked in $18 million in guaranteed money. The Bills also picked up offensive lineman Langston Walker (Raiders) and Jason Whittle (Vikings).

While many critiqued how much money the Bills spent on Dockery, and I won't disagree that it was too much, the Bills did address a basic need of protecting QB J.P. Losman. Dockery is an above-average guard that is entering his prime and he had a breakout year for the Redskins in 2006. The Bill spending shows their willingness to improve at the level where most games are won — the trenches. Now they'll look to ship out RB Willis McGahee and find a running back that can fill his void and take even more pressure off of Losman.

New England Patriots

The Pats have always been careful about spending money ... sometimes too careful, as QB Tom Brady might point out. But this offseason they spent money and they spent it wisely. Picking up OLB Adalius Thomas from the Baltimore Ravens, a pickup at a relatively cheap six-year, $35 million contract. While there are worries that Thomas might flop outside of Baltimore, I think he could be just the defensive spark the Patriots need. He is a pass-rushing master who also has the capability of lining up on wide receivers and stopping the run and his versatility should work perfectly for the Pats.

The Pats also picked up TE Kyle Brady, a great free agent pickup that comes cheap and fills the need for a blocking tight end after the departure of TE Daniel Graham. With the departure of RB Corey Dillon the Pats also picked up RB Sammy Morris. Looks like a decent start to the offseason for the Pats and as always, expect Bill Belichick, Tom Brady, and the rest of the New England crew late into January.

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins did not make a huge splash by signing a bunch of guys, but the one signing they made, I think, was a smart one. Grabbing OLB Joey Porter from the Steelers is a great move for the Dolphins, who kept the loud-mouthed backer from making any other free agent visits. Despite his age, Porter should make an immediate impact on the Dolphins "D" and help create a formidable linebacking corps along with MLB Zach Thomas and OLB Channing Crowder.

Thumbs Down

Dallas Cowboys

It looks like Jerry Jones is really sticking his neck out there and taking a risk ... surprise, surprise. The amount of money spent on OT Leonard Davis is risky considering that most people look at Davis as a bust. The former No. 2 overall draft pick has underperformed his entire career in Arizona, yet Dallas hit him up with a huge payday. Expect this to end in disappointment for Dallas. The Cowboys, however, did make a smart play by signing QB Brad Johnson to backup QB Tony Romo.

Houston Texans

While having a veteran running back was a priority for Houston, you have to wonder what exactly the Texans were thinking when they picked up RB Ahman Green for as much as they spent ($23 million). Green is an older back who has been beat up in the past and you have to expect the wear-and-tear to start catching up to him in the next year or so. I think Green could be a purposeful and effective pickup for the Texans, but I also think they overspent.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Bucs added QB Jeff Garcia to compete with Chris Simms, a signing that contributes if by nothing else than by providing competition and security if Simms goes down again. They also added LB Patrick Chukwurah, FB B.J. Askew, DE Kevin Carter, and most recently T Luke Petitgout. Despite the security the Garcia signing might add, the guys they brought in makes it look more like the Bucs took a page out of Dan Snyder's book by signing several free agents and hoping for the best. I don't see these signings working out for the Bucs.

Somewhere in Between

San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers have been the most active team in free agency and certainly have thrown the dollar signs around the most. The Niners made CB Nate Clements the most expensive defensive player in the league (eight years, $80 million), added S Michael Lewis, LB Tully Banta-Cain, and WR Ashley Lelie. Clements and Lewis will be expected to shore up the San Fran pass defense, while Banta-Cain will also add help on the defensive side of the ball. I don't, however, expect Clements to be a Champ Bailey type corner in San Fran, but I do expect him to be a decent corner that will help the Niners continue to improve this year. Lelie, however, I expect will be a disappointment for the Niners.

Washington Redskins

Finally, the Redskins show some restraint at free agency time. It's usually Christmas come early for owner Dan Snyder, who last year spent lavishly (and unsuccessfully) on WRs Brandon Lloyd (trade) and Antwaan Randle El, safety Adam Archuleta, and DE Andre Carter. This year, however, the Redskins made some decent pickups in MLB London Fletcher, who, despite his age, fills an immediate need for the Redskins. Being 31 does throw up some caution flags, but the fact that Fletcher has not missed a game in eight years and has been a solid performer throughout his career with the Bills means the Skins may have finally spent wisely.

The 'Skins also brought back CB Fred Smoot with the hopes that returning to Washington may revive his career the way they saw LB Jeremiah Trotter succeed after leaving the 'Skins to go back to Philly. Smoot will probably fill the nickel role for the Skins and is a clear upgrade from CB Kenny Wright, but the amount of money they spent may have been a bit too much.

Posted by Paul Tenorio at 6:12 PM | Comments (0)

Diversifying a Colorless Game

Only a week removed from the celebratory, occasionally controversial Black History Month (BHM), this column may have been more pertinent last month. Regardless, there's no need to refrain from talking shop about cultural and racial issues just because a designated 28 days — 29 every four years — to do so has concluded. Black folks ain't black just for February.

With the recent developments surrounding Al Sharpton's familial ties to stalwart bigoted South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond and current Illinois Senator Barrack Obama's presidential candidacy, race is going to be around for a while. But this is a hockey column. What does that have to do with pigmentation?

Hockey is an interesting sport. I've been playing for 19 years and I'm a mere 25-years-old. I know the game better than most because it has been such a dear component of my life — dictating my weekly schedule through college and beyond. Unfortunately, knowing the game also requires being aware of the indirect discrimination and cultural implications it has by its very nature: hockey prevents a huge number of people from ever participating because economic security is necessary to do so.

Why does hockey — at all levels — consist primarily of white people? One answer: Canada and Europe don't possess the high concentration of blacks that America does. Accepting that as sufficient for the sake of elongated argument, absent statistical analysis, let's focus on hockey in the States.

Hockey is dichotomous: while experiencing a period of great popularity in the number of new players registering with USA Hockey, its official governing body, the sport continues to suffer waning popularity on a large scale, especially in predominantly non-white regions.

Asking "why?" will invariably lead to token responses like "there aren't rinks in the cities" and "because nobody in cares about hockey." And they both may be true. But more importantly, why aren't there rinks and why don't urbanites care for the game? It's a game of skill, and athletes with skill like games that require it, so basing minimal diversity on geographical restrictions seems illogical. But the fact remains: the majority of the faces inside hockey helmets are pale.

Hockey's dearth in the inner city says a lot about society. Hockey doesn't do well in urban populations because it is expensive. Few activities require the level of financial commitment needed to play hockey and to operate facilities that harbor it. White folks own a disturbing percentage of the wealth in this country. (They also don't own a majority of it due to sheer population volume.) Hockey flounders because the lower class can't pay for it in a system that routinely widens the gap between the rich and the poor; and that's where many of America's minorities exist. Hockey does not lend itself to egalitarianism.

Undertaking a youngster's — or any beginner's — burgeoning desire to play hockey is met with a litany of costs: equipment such as skates/shin/elbow/shoulder pads, pants, sticks, helmets, gloves, socks, practice jerseys, tape, bags; skating lessons (if one is athletically deficient); league and team fees; transportation to games and practices and car washes and banquets; and time, lots of it. Along with the advent of advanced technologies and grotesque marketing campaigns, equipment expenses are growing[1]. One can easily drop a few hundred to a thousand dollars, or more if buying the top gear, before he or she even steps on the ice.

The financial woes are daunting even for middle class families. About 15 years ago, my family's annual income was approximately $50,000. Compared to a growing number of people in the U.S., that is a large sum of money. Still, my skates were old, my equipment stained from a previous owner's sweat, and my sticks hand-me-downs. I was limited to local teams that didn't afford me the skilled development I wanted because the costs were too exorbitant[2]. The then $700-$1,000 fee (on top of everything else) for the travel league that I repeatedly begged my father to let me play has since only skyrocketed ($1,650+ varying on the team with said youth travel organization).

Is it any wonder that a kid whose parent(s) sifts through boxes at UPS or mops halls at an office building is sent to a basketball court or soccer pitch?

Fifty-nine years ago, Willie O'Ree became the first black player in the NHL. He dealt with racism and prejudice just as others blacks did when they broke the white ranks in other pro sports. Does he garner the same attention as Jackie Robinson? Not in the least; but he is no less a pioneer, no less a hero.

In a recent piece from The Wildcat Online about Brandon Robinson, a black player on the University of Arizona's club hockey team, O'Ree said, "With basketball, tennis, football, [etc.], you can just go in the back lot and play, but with hockey, you need ice to play. There wasn't much availability of ice, so naturally, kids turned to other sports." Hockey does not lend itself to egalitarianism.

The arguments about hockey's limitations because of inherent expenses appear in much iteration. But they emphasize the struggles and disadvantages minorities alike encounter in various areas of life that are effectively cut off to them because of being in the minority. When it comes to sports, not playing should be a choice, not a given.

Nonetheless, seeing a need to broaden exposure and increase access to hockey, the National Hockey League is taking steps to bolster its diversity both in the League and throughout the sport. Scott Burnside, one of ESPN.com's top NHL writers publicized it last week:

"The NHL's 'Hockey In The Hood 3' tournament welcomed 204 players from age 8 to 16 representing eight diversity programs. The tournament gave players who wouldn't otherwise have had the chance the opportunity to compete against teams from other programs.

"There are 39 diversity centers in North America. Coaches are certified by USA Hockey or Hockey Canada. The programs provide ice time, equipment, and mentors. Some players also attend USA Hockey summer hockey festivals [and] camps. Each program emphasizes skills and education. The NHL's diversity project began in 1995 with five programs targeting inner city African-American boys and girls.

"[The] diversity efforts have reached places such as Santa Fe, New Mexico, Alaska, Vancouver and Toronto, and expanded to include children from economically depressed backgrounds who want to learn the game. By the end of the summer, the NHL expects to see diversity efforts in 45 to 50 centers across North America."

It may be a long time coming, but at least hockey's powers-that-be have recognized its cultural deficiencies and are working to ensure that every person who wants to play hockey can. Championing the diversity that already exists can enhance such a solid move. (And while it's at it, the NHL could rid of the "Hockey in the Hood" tournament name.) Make Ray Emery, the Ottawa Senators' black goaltender, or Scott Gomez, an Alaskan-born of a Mexican father and Columbian mother and the first Hispanic NHLer, the NHL's own prototypical Tiger Woods.

Let people know that pastiness isn't a requirement for lacing up the skates. On this end, the NHL dropped the ball during BHM, but give it time. Starting local via diversity programs will cultivate a grassroots hockey following; making the jump to the mainstream will give it the attention it deserves.

Hockey is a great sport that goes unappreciated by the mainstream sports media and, subsequently, large-scale audiences. If the game's keepers — of which I consider myself — want to cement it as a world class sport with heritage and ethnicities from across the globe, we must do all in our power to make sure that hockey isn't merely for those with deep pockets. We must make sure it's for those with deep passions.

So, consider this an invitation to play hockey. The only requirement: a desire to play the game. Welcome, one and all.

(Author's note: I'm a white guy who owes much of his understanding of, and empathy with, black folks, and the disadvantaged in general, to my good friend, mentor, and former professor Dr. Frank Johnson, a black man who continues to stoke the intellectual discourse of race at my alma mater, Temple University in Philadelphia, PA.)

[1] Having a history with part-time jobs in hockey pro-shops, it is astounding to witness the amounts of money parents spend on kids for gear that they will outgrow before the year is over. Just like any advertisement, stars push these new products, feeding peer pressure to get the newest skates or flashiest sticks. It's an unhealthy aspect of capitalism that detracts from what the focus should be: the love of the game.

[2] Costs are certainly not limited to dollars. I come from a family with two other siblings, one of whom also played years worth of hockey. Stories abound of players — professional and otherwise — whose families made laborious sacrifices for the hockey dreams of a child, often at the expense of others. At times, these sacrifices are costlier, breeding resentment and hostility among family members.

Posted by Jeff DiNunzio at 5:58 PM | Comments (4)

March 7, 2007

Memphis: Underrated and Overrated?

When the Selection Committee selects and seeds teams this week in an unknown Indianapolis hotel meeting room, one of the more interesting cases they will look at will be the 27-3 Memphis Tigers.

Of course, the Tigers are not going to be mentioned in that committee room along with bubble teams like West Virginia, Illinois, and Drexel, as Memphis seemingly locked up their dance ticket before Christmas when many of their conference cohorts had trouble with or lost to teams in the bottom rung of Division I.

Rather, the committee discussion will likely be about the Tigers' seeding for the simple reason that no one knows a whole lot about what they can do against elite competition.

Memphis has played five games this season against what could be considered quality competition. Four of those contests came before the start of the calendar year, with the fifth being a one-point overtime win at Gonzaga, in only the Zags' third game without now-infamous big man Josh Heytvelt on February 17.

The four that came while the season was still in 2006 included a win over Kentucky in Maui and losses against Georgia Tech, Tennessee, and Arizona.

Memphis' record against the RPI top 50 teams, a common measure of teams throughout the field, sits at 1-3 (Gonzaga is not in the top 50).

Meanwhile, the Tigers' RPI sits at 7, ahead of teams like Florida, Kansas, and Texas A&M, all of whom will likely be seeded higher that the Tigers come Sunday evening.

According to statistician Ken Pomeroy's calculation of the RPI, there has not been a team in the RPI top 10 with a losing record against the top 50 since 2000, when Texas went 6-8 against the top 50.

Now that you've seen the data Memphis has put against the RPI's top 50 teams in the country, tear it up into 15 pieces and throw it out the window on the interstate going 80 miles an hour.

Let's simply look at what the Tigers have done on the court. They have a 19-game winning streak and were perfect in conference. Yes, Conference USA is having its worst year yet and will send just one to the NCAA tournament, barring an upset at the Tigers' expense. However, Memphis has dominated the league by having a margin of victory under 10 just twice in 16 conference games.

While the Tigers are far from statistically the best against the top 50, they are near the mountaintop in many other categories.

Memphis plays a more up-tempo style than most teams in college basketball, and averages 70.9 possessions a game. The number is lower, or slower if you prefer, than North Carolina and Tennessee, but is faster than Notre Dame or Arizona, both commonly associated with a high-powered, quick offense.

Memphis' offensive efficiency, which is to say, the number of points the Tigers score for every 100 possessions is 112.6, putting them at number 18 in the country according to Pomeroy's all-encompassing website. The Tigers' defense is even more amazing than their offense, allowing just 88.1 points per 100 possessions.

These numbers mean that if Memphis plays a regular-paced game for themselves with their average efficiency numbers, then they will beat their opponent by a score of 80-62.

None of the Tigers' offensive success can be attributed to just one player, as John Calipari's team has great scoring balance.

Chris Douglas-Roberts leads the team with 15.4 ppg, but more importantly, shoots 54.1 percent from the field as a guard. Seven other players average over five points a game in a rotation that sees nine players get 10 or more minutes a game, with none seeing over 27 mpg.

On the defensive side, Memphis' usual three-guard lineup causes opponents' turnovers on nearly a quarter of defensive possessions with a huge number of steals. Space-eating 6-9, 260-pound Joey Dorsey is also a huge key, as he blocks over 10 percent of opponents' shots while he is on the floor. Dorsey's rebounding is crucial to Memphis' success, averaging nearly 10 a game.

The Memphis team of this season, while not as talented as a year ago, seems more like a true team than the club that achieved a number one seed a year ago. The players, unlike last year, do not seem like they are trying out for NBA roster spots, but rather just winning games with a fun-to-watch system.

Regardless of what seed and region the selection committee gives the Tigers, this team has the feel of one that could make a deep run in the tournament on its blend of athleticism and teamwork.

Posted by Ross Lancaster at 10:39 PM | Comments (2)

World Cup 2018: U.S.-Bound?

Chancellor Gordon Brown, the UK's Prime Minister in waiting with a general election on the horizon, announced last week that England would bid to host the 2018 World Cup. Forgive our cynicism, but even the most ardent soccer fans in this country didn't need the CSI: Miami team to deduce that this might, in some way ... just perhaps ... be a thinly-veiled piece of political propaganda.

They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, but here in England, soccer comes a long way before soufflé. No matter how strongly Brown's timing of the announcement reeked of sports playing whore to the political monster, if he could make it happen we could probably forgive Labour for everything bar Iraq and put them back into office with a failing health service and a Scot at the helm. After all, it's already been over 50 years since England welcomed Pele, Eusebio, and Beckenbauer in 1966.

To the Chancellor's embarrassment, however, Sepp Blatter, head of FIFA, flew into London last week to crush English hopes as swiftly as they had been raised.

"If the FIFA executive committee decides later this year that the rotation policy is maintained in strict procedure, it should be in North America in 2018 and there are three countries who could host it there — the United States, Mexico, and Canada," said Blatter.

Blatter's rotation policy, which was designed to ensure African nations had the opportunity to host the event (and to garner the international votes that put him in office), is officially set to end in 2014, but it now seems likely to continue. In 2010, the World Cup will be in South Africa and 2014 will visit South America, in the form of Brazil or Columbia.

With Canada an unfashionable and unproven soccer nation, it seems unlikely they would be chosen to host the 21st World Cup in 2018 unless some kind of sporting revolution takes place. Mexico, who hosted the 1986 tournament, will face obvious economic difficulties funding a bid, let alone updating their stadia and infrastructure if it were successful.

All of this points towards to the U.S., who hosted the 1994 event and earned global praise. Sunil Gulati, President of the U.S. Soccer Federation said, "We would be in position to put on a spectacular event. We are much more a part of the sport internationally than we were in 1994."

U.S. soccer fans may not even have to wait until then. As doubts have been cast over both Brazil and Columbia, Blatter has indicated that the U.S. would be the obvious choice as a backup venue in seven years time.

"We have said that the 2014 World Cup will be staged in South America, but if there is no candidate strong enough, then we would go north instead as the logical thing," he said.

FIFA officials will make the decision for 2014, along with the future of the rotation policy, this November in Durban, South Africa. If the U.S. is chosen to host the tournament, it is thought the 2018 World Cup could become open to nations from Asia and Europe — opening the door once more to England.

Other nations interested in 2018 include Australia, deemed part of Asia on planet football, and China, for whom money is unlikely to be an object.

From an American perspective, the future looks bright. FIFA is keen to grow the sport in the U.S. and its infrastructure and stadia are already equipped to host the event. With David Beckham rumored to be at the marketing forefront of any potential campaign, U.S. soccer fans seem destined to have the world's greatest sporting event on their doorstep sooner rather than later.

Posted by Will Tidey at 10:24 PM | Comments (1)

March 6, 2007

March: The Greatest Month

With March finally upon us, we have a fantastic convergence of all the major sports. Baseball is gearing up. College basketball is about to peak. The NFL is in a free agent frenzy, with college football in the spotlight as everybody looks toward next month's draft. The NBA is heading toward the playoffs. So is hockey. Even the UFC got in the action, with Randy Couture taking Tim Sylvia's belt and setting the stage for a new generation of heavyweights. I don't watch golf or bowling, but I'm sure there's something going on there, too.

It's been a whirlwind, and keeping up with it all has been a challenge. Here are 20 thoughts I had over the past week.

NFL

20. NFL moves I loved: New England getting Adalius Thomas and trading for Wes Welker, Texas signing Andre Johnson to a fat extension (and not trading David Carr), Cleveland signing guard Eric Steinbach (even though $49 million over seven years is absurd for a guard), New Orleans re-signing Hollis Thomas, Buffalo re-signing Chris Kelsey, St. Louis signing Drew Bennett (ensures a solid 1-2 with Torry Holt after Isaac Bruce retires), Jacksonville signing Dennis Northcutt, St. Louis getting James Hall from the Lions for a fifth-rounder, Dallas signing Brad Johnson, Jets trading for Thomas Jones, Saints signing Brian Simmons.

19. NFL moves I did not love: San Francisco paying $80 million over eight years for a corner (Nate Clements is good, but not highest-paid-defensive-player-in-the-league good), Dallas giving Leonard Davis $49.6 million over seven years (B-U-S-T), Washington giving London Fletcher crazy money (five-year, $25 million contract that includes $10.5 million in bonuses and nearly $13 million in the first two seasons), Houston signing Ahman Green for four years and $23 million (because 30+ RBs have such a great track record), Seattle signing Patrick Kerney for $40 million over six years, Miami releasing Randy McMichael and giving Joey Porter stupid money (five-years, $32 million with $20 million in guarantees), Bears trading Thomas Jones.

18. After running a 4.6 40 at the combine, I can see Penn State LB Paul Posluszny dropping into the second round of the draft. He's going to be a steal for whoever grabs him. He and USC WR Dwayne Jarrett appear to be this year's co-winners of the "college stud who is getting pushed down the pecking order by the insanity of the NFL scouting process" award.

17. Five under-the-radar NFL free agents you should be happy to see your team sign: S Terrance Holt (Detroit), RB Musa Smith (Baltimore), LB Carlos Polk (San Diego), WR Kelley Washington (Cincinnati), LB Niko Koutouvides (Seattle).

16. The always-dreaded (from a fantasy perspective) RB-platoon has spread to Detroit, with Tatum Bell sure to steal a ton of carries from Kevin Jones. Not ready to give fantasy drafters a break, Mike Shanahan went and signed Travis Henry to compete with Mike Bell. One RB whose fantasy stock has jumped considerably is LenDale White of Tennessee. With Chris Brown a free agent and Henry now a Bronco, White is taking over the backfield duties with Vince Young. He could be in store for a monster year. Second year backs Lawrence Maroney (Pats) and Cedrick Benson (Bears) have also gotten rid of the competition for carries.

NCAA

15. Depending on the mindset of the Selection Committee, we could be looking at one, two, or three bids from the Colonial. VCU won the regular season and tournament titles. Old Dominion and Drexel both had fairly impressive resumes.

14. Speaking of uncertainty, this is going to be a long week for Bradley and Missouri State. Neither is an at-large lock, and after Saturday's near miss by Bradley (53-51 to Southern Illinois) and no-show by Missouri State (75-58 to Creighton), I honestly couldn't say who I think has the better shot. Both? Neither?

13. Could there really be five at-larges combined from the Colonial and Missouri Valley? (Depends on how Syracuse, DePaul, Alabama, Oklahoma State, Clemson, Purdue, Illinois, San Diego State, and Stanford perform over the next five days.)

12. It's been a tough few days for the Missouri Valley have-nots. The three bottom teams now have coaching vacancies. Evansville head coach Steve Merfeld "resigned," while Royce Waltman and Porter Moser were fired from Indiana State and Illinois State, respectively. It will be interesting to see how these coaching searches go. With the MVC's recent success, the pressure is certainly on the AD's to make a quality hire.

11. Bucknell took out both Army and Navy on their way to Friday's Patriot League tournament final against Holy Cross. While that game (and the auto bid that goes to the winner) will garner the most attention nationally, don't forget Navy senior Calvin White and Army seniors Matt Bell, Cory Sinning, Jimmy Sewell, and Marshall Jackson. Graduating from college for these kids means potentially going to war. Good luck wherever you end up stationed. Thanks. Stay safe.

MLB

10. As a Cardinals fan, I highly recommend targeting Adam Wainwright and Anthony Reyes in any fantasy baseball draft.

9. Bet on first manager to be fired: Seattle's Mike Hargrove. Not only has the team bombed in his first two seasons (30 games under .500), but Hargrove hasn't led a winning team since his final year in Cleveland in 1999 (he was 98 games under .500 in four seasons in Baltimore). GM Bill Bavasi should be fired, as well (like, two years ago).

8. I like Texas in the AL West. Hank Blalock is going to have a monster season under first-year manager Ron Washington.

7. I do not like the Mets in the NL East. Good offense, crazy-old pitching. The division goes to Philly or Atlanta.

6. One of these ten teams will win the World Series: Red Sox, Yankees, Blue Jays, Twins, Rangers, Angels, Phillies, Braves, Cardinals, Dodgers.

(I'm probably wrong.)

POLITICS

5. I can see South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham making a highly effective GOP VP candidate. He would give John McCain instant credibility in the South, and a McCain/Graham ticket would present a very solid choice for center-right Midwestern voters not ready to buy into Hillary Clinton (because of her blatant ambition) or Barack Obama (because of his extreme lack of experience). Graham has been front and center an awful lot since the State of the Union, so this could already be in the works. He's also an unabashed McCain supporter.

4. Stupid Ann Coulter. Regardless of your politics, you have to admit the lady has lost her freaking mind.

NBA

3. I don't watch the NBA, but I would definitely watch every game of a Mavs/Suns series.

NHL

2. I really like what the Blues did last week. They collected a bunch of picks and young talent for guys they have a legit chance at re-signing this offseason. In year one of the Dave Checketts Era, things are looking way up.

UFC

1. UFC 68 on Saturday was great all around. With Couture back as the heavyweight champ, the division gets a whole new look. I was talking about it with my buddy Quan, and we couldn't decide who would get the shot first. I think Mirko Cro Cop should fight Andrei Arlovski, with the winner getting the title shot. Both are on the UFC 70 card (Arlovski against Cro Cop training partner Fabricio Werdum and Cro Cop against Gabriel Gonzaga). Brandon Vera will be heard from in this division eventually, but he's reportedly in a contract stalemate right now.

Seth Doria is a communications specialist in St. Louis. He writes about stuff at the The Left Calf.

Posted by Joshua Duffy at 10:13 PM | Comments (0)

Does T-Mac Have a Point?

The whole world has had a few days to dissect, lambaste, and crucify Tracy McGrady for his recent comments concerning the 2008 NBA All-Star Game being held in New Orleans. On television, in the newspapers, and in the blogs of basketball fans everywhere, T-Mac is seen as a spoiled chump who would rather collect (and sit on) his duckets than sacrifice one weekend to play in front of the fans who help pay his salary.

However, there have been a minute few who have defended McGrady's concern, looking beyond the words "I don't think it's the right city to have this type of event right now."

Columnist Jason Whitlock has even suggested taking this time as the opportunity for the NBA to exact its plan to take the exhibition overseas.

I'm not here to be McGrady's right-hand man. The All-Star Game was promised to New Orleans, and the Association should continue its course to play it there in February of '08. But I didn't write this column to crush T-Mac, either. The city has magnified problems that can't be fixed overnight. There will hopefully be significant progress by this time next year, but if you follow the current timeline, "significant" could be a stretch.

I get that there are plenty of reasons to blame him for not giving New Orleans an opportunity to prove itself. Heck, the Big Easy has hosted nine Super Bowls, not to mention its annual list of the Sugar Bowl, three professional franchises, and everyone's favorite party, Mardi Gras. However, I'm taking a different angle.

Like me, several readers have probably heard of, and enjoyed, the ESPN show, "Top five reasons you can't blame..." I'd like to take a stab at an idea for the show. Here are the five best arguments for you not to crush Tracy McGrady for his comments regarding New Orleans and NBA All-Star Weekend:

Las Vegas Had its Problems

It's understandable that Sin City might have underestimated the weight of the NBA's showcase weekend. The city doesn't have a top-tier professional team and, thus, hasn't hosted an all-star extravaganza. At least the city and its police force were whole, though, and hearing reports of over 400 arrests in a four-day span doesn't sit too well.

New Orleans is still a shell of itself. Louisiana Weekly contributing writer Bill Quigley writes of the city's population being down over 59% (from 454,000 to 187,000) and the police force being whittled away by the hundreds. Several reports talk about the one conviction for 162 homicides in 2006 (not to mention thousands of felony suspects released due to lack of timely processing). Those numbers don't add up to a pretty picture.

Outside Influences

I don't agree with Whitlock too often, but I can't help it this time around. The NBA does have a thuggish, hip-hop mentality. Don't get me wrong, I dig rap like most black people my age. Unfortunately, there's a condition of "bein' hard" that accompanies quite a bit of that lifestyle. And even if a sports star is above getting into fist-fights or worse, some members of his posse might not be.

The problem with all this ... it will follow a person wherever they take it, no matter if it's Los Angeles, Milwaukee, or Charlotte. Now, while I don't really agree with moving the game to Europe, I do think that this culture needs to be looked at. And David Stern can't do anything to shake things up. That's up to the players themselves.

Post-Katrina Conditions

Anyone who's been to the Big Easy knew that while rich in culture and history, it had a seedy underbelly that was just as enticing as any tour around the French Quarter. When I went for a visit in August 2002, just strolling down Bourbon Street on a typical Friday night was an adventure. It was music, booze, potential trouble, and cops everywhere.

Now, that underbelly has been somewhat exposed, and it will take time to control it. Quigley's article, released on March 5th, touches on everything from lack of operational hospitals to problems with drinking water and people "living in gutted-out houses with no electricity."

Remember when, just after the hurricane hit, the New Orleans Saints talked about a need to continue winning so people could keep the city in the front of their minds? It's now 18 months later, and while dollars and sweat have been poured into the region, there's still a lot of problems that can only be fixed slowly.

He's Not the Only One

McGrady seems to be taking the brunt of the heat for his comments, especially after Players' Union executive Billy Hunter backed off his earlier statement addressing many similar concerns. However, the Rockets' star scorer wasn't the only player to express himself on the issue. Shoot, he wasn't even the only player on his own team.

Rockets guard Rafer Alston:

"I'm scared right now, only because of the situation down there now. If it's like that now, what happens when you have 500,000 people on their way down there and people who earn a substantial amount of money down there?"

Oh, and let's not forget to include the opinion of a certain superstar who grew up and played ball around that region.

Heat and former LSU center Shaquille O'Neal:

"I would rather see it come to Miami or even New York. I don't know what New Orleans' situation is, but from watching the Spike Lee special and watching the news, it doesn't look like it's ready for something like that."

Plenty of people would have trepidations of heading into a region with conditions as bad as they are for portions of the Gulf Coast. That doesn't means it's right, but it is human.

He's Entitled to His Own Opinion

It's becoming a cliché to hear how an athlete is damned if he does (express his true opinions), damned if he doesn't (stays bland and out of controversy's range). McGrady said what was on his mind. I might not think it was the smartest thing to say, but it was heartfelt and logical. Plus, he hasn't backed off those comments (as of March 4th, anyway), which has to be worth something.

So, if T-Mac doesn't feel safe, he won't participate in All-Star Weekend? All right ... and? The fans have the right to choose him, and he's got the right to stay home. Send a breakout performer in his place. That guy might even deserve it more.

In the end, Tracy's the one that will have to face his critics, but with his history of misstep quotes (security in Athens and making it to the second round of the playoffs come to mind), he seems to be able to handle that.

Enter Brian Kenny, saying, "Now that you've read these pieces of evidence, you can decide for yourselves. Keep in mind that we're not trying to change anyone's opinion on T-Mac. We're here to keep the discussion going."

Hopefully, through all this, McGrady's comments keep the discussion going on how to make New Orleans a place where his words are history and not making it.

Posted by Jonathan Lowe at 9:57 PM | Comments (2)

March 5, 2007

Under the '07 MLB Fantasy Radar

A look at last year's 10 selections shows some fair results. Grady Sizemore moved up on everybody's draft board as the season approached and proved a solid selection. Brandon Webb was absolutely outstanding and routinely available in the 10th round in many drafts; Chris Ray had 33 saves in his first season; Chris Capuano, Chris Young, and Matt Cain all pitched well enough to be useful picks; Matt Holliday was a monster in Colorado and will be a second-rounder this season; Chad Tracey and Mike Jacobs were respectable, if not outstanding; Khalil Greene whiffed.

The middle-to-late rounds are where you'll make your draft after the obvious picks are snaffled up, so here is this year's 10 speculative picks for making your draft.

Adrián González (1B, San Diego Padres)

Looking for the next big power-hitting first baseman? Well, look no further than the former first-overall pick by the Marlins in 2000.

González is coming off his first full season as a starter and he showed enough to suggest that there is a lot more to come from the big left hander. He ended the season with 24 home runs, 82 RBIs, and a promising OPS of .862.

González was always slated to be a good contact hitter from his time in the minors, but the question was whether he could develop his home run potential to merit a spot at a power position. He showed he has sufficient power and could be good for 30 home runs a season, even playing his home games in spacious Petco Park.

The worry with González is his tendency to strike out too often (113Ks in 2006), but that is offset by the fact that he started to show greater patience as the season wore on (34 of his 52 walks came after the ASB). The Padres' anaemic line-up in 2006 (13th in runs scored, 14th in slugging in NL) didn't help his RBI totals. If the Padres can get some more bodies on base (16 of his 24 home runs were solo shots), González should break 100 RBIs for 2007.

In fantasy terms, he's not yet joined the higher echelons of first basemen, but once Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard, Lance Berkman, Justin Morneau, and Mark Teixeira have gone, he's a solid option with as high an upside as Prince Fielder.

Julio Lugo (2B/SS, Boston Red Sox)

Lugo (31, seven years in the majors) is already on his fourth team and has never scored 100 runs, hit more than 15 home runs, or batted in more than 75 in a season. Yet there is reason to believe that Lugo can finally deliver a big season. He'll be leading off in a hot lineup, he can take a walk, he's settled in a position, and he's shown he can steal a base, if Terry Francona allows him to.

His 2006 season was wasted — in Tampa, he was injured early and never got into his stride and he mostly rode the pine for the Dodgers.

Lugo threatened to break out in Tampa Bay, where he had a couple of decent seasons, but was stymied by a poor lineup and constant trade talk. He can go 100-20-85-30 and challenge .300.

Ty Wigginton (3B/2B, Tampa Bay)

Wigginton (29, five years in the majors) is one of those easily-forgotten journeymen/utility types that bounce around the league in anonymity. This could be his coming-out year.

Wigginton's first year in Tampa bodes well for his prospects of landing a long-standing gig in the majors. In 122 games, he clubbed a career high 24 home runs and 79 RBIs. With the Devil Rays looking to put a more competitive team out in 2007, he could well dwarf those numbers with 550 ABs. If he can reduce his strikeouts (97 in 2006) and keep his average over .280, fantasy owners will be happy to have grabbed him in a late round.

Aubrey Huff (3B/RF, Baltimore Orioles)

Huff (30) is a slightly more glamorous Wiggington, having had one big season in Tampa (2004) when he drove in 104 and slugged 29 homers.

He landed in Houston in 2006 and did absolutely nothing, but he has talent. Though he's a lefty, he can hit against them (.276 career average as opposed to .288 against right handers) and he can go deep (141 career homers in 3252 ABs). The O's are an improving team crying out for a big bat to complement Big Mig, Brian Roberts, and Nick Markakis. Huff should fit perfectly in Camden Yards and something around 30 HRs, 100 RBIs, and a .290 average isn't out of the question in 2007.

Erik Bedard (LHP, Baltimore Orioles)

There are a lot of things to like about the 2007 Orioles (promising young starting pitching, run scoring potential, and a revamped bullpen), but being stuck in the AL (B)East makes improvement in the "W" column difficult.

Having said that, there are useful fantasy players on the O's roster that can be picked up in the middle to late rounds. One of those is LHP Erik Bedard. Despite carrying a patched up rotation, Bedard put up solid numbers (15-11 in 33 starts with a 3.76 ERA). He earned himself a $3.4 million dollar one-year deal and look for him to build on that for a huge pay day in 2007.

Wisely, the Orioles have only gradually increased Bedard's workload in the last three years and he looks primed for a season of 180-190 Ks and an ERA of around 3.50, even in a tough division. His wins might suffer if the Orioles collapse, but that's the only quibble. Notably, he didn't get abused by either the Yankees or Red Sox in 2006, who batted .231 and .205 against him, which augurs well for his prospects.

Bedard could put up similar numbers to much-vaunted Japanese import Daisuke Matsuzaka, but will go much later in drafts. Don't leave it too late to grab him.

Daniel Cabrera (RHP, Baltimore Orioles)

With Erik Bedard and first-round flamethrower Adam Loewen, the Orioles have a useful looking core of young pitchers. Cabrera (25) is potentially the best of them all.

At first glance, his stats look dreadful. A career ERA of 4.75 and 280 walks in only 457 innings hardly inspires confidence. But behind the stats are some pointers to a potential star waiting to break out.

Cabrera (6-7, 260 lbs) can really dominate a game with his 100 mph fastball that has devilish movement and is next to impossible to hit. He can also completely lose the strike zone, as he did the 2006 season, which earned him a demotion to AAA ball.

After the ASB Cabrera kept the walks to a manageable level, never walking more than five in a game. That's still too many, but it's a big progression for a pitcher who walked 16 batters in his first six innings of the season.

He pitched two absolute gems in the tail end of the year — a five-hit nine-inning shutout against the Blue Jays and a magnificent complete-game one-hitter in Yankee Stadium to end the season. Cabrera came within two outs of no-hitter and demonstrated his huge upside in one of the most pressurized stadiums to pitch and against a murderers-row lineup.

Leo Mazzone has a big project in Cabrera, who can lose confidence rapidly and go into complete meltdown, but he is adept at coaxing the best out of talented pitchers. Cabrera is as talented as they come and is worth a late flyer on draft day, especially in keeper leagues.

Kelvim Escobar (RHP, Los Angeles Angels)

Escobar (30, 10 years in the majors) is one of those players who has never quite fulfilled his potential. He was a part-starter/part-closer in Toronto, where he won 58 games and saved 54 over seven years. The Angels offered him a fat contract and a starters job and he jumped ship in 2004, but hasn't been an unqualified success, having a losing record and an injury plagued 2005.

Despite the negativity, Escobar has his plus points. He has a mid-90s fastball, he doesn't allow excessive base runners (he's posted 1.29 and 1.28 WHIP in his two full seasons as an Angel) and his K/9 rate is almost 8. If he wants another big payday, he needs a full season on the mound and an ERA around 3.50 (something attainable in the AL West).

If Escobar can learn to pitch against Texas, he could really put up some useful numbers. The Rangers feasted on him in 2006 (.357 BA, 7.16 ERA) in four starts. That said, Escobar is a reliable pitcher who is good for seven innings most starts. He won't win you a fantasy league, but he's a useful third or fourth starter in mixed leagues.

John Patterson (RHP, Washington Nationals)

2006 was a washout for Patterson, but he's healthy for the new season and starts as the Nats' unquestioned "ace" — not that there's much competition for that title.

Patterson has huge question marks against his resume. Can he pitch 200 innings? Can he make 30 starts? Can he replicate or better his 2005 season? Is he really the pitcher Jim Bowden claimed "can win 15-20 games and an ERA title?"

Patterson (29) has one big season on his resume, 2005, where he pitched 198.1 innings and struck out 185 on his way to an ERA of 3.13. At one point in that season, he put together six-starts with an ERA of 1.02 and threw a complete game four-hit shutout (13Ks) against the Dodgers.

He also has a bunch of injuries on the same resume. Elbow surgery in 2000, two months on the DL in 2004 with a groin problem, and last year's forearm surgery which restricted him to just eight starts.

At 6-5 and 210 lbs, Patterson is built to be a power pitcher. He has a mid-to-high-90s fastball and a decent change-up. If he can stay healthy — and so far it is a big if — he has a shot at a sub-3.50 ERA, 200 Ks, and a WHIP around 1.20. In a poor team, the Ws will be hard to come by. He has a one-year contract at a "measly" $850,000, so expect him to be playing his butt off for the big payday in 2008 — and there's no greater motivation for an athlete to stay healthy than money.

Dave Bush (RHP, Milwaukee Brewers)

The Brew Crew are looking to make up 8½ games on the Cardinals to get in the hunt for the NL Central title and it's not beyond the realms of possibility that they can do it. Their rotation looks stronger than the Cardinals', with Ben Sheets, Chris Capuano, Jeff Suppan, and Bush a solid quartet. On the downside, the bullpen is a big question mark, the team is over-reliant on Prince Fielder for power, and there's not a lot of depth on the bench, but they should be able to contend late into the season if Bill Hall, J.J. Hardy, Corey Koskie, and Richie Weeks stay healthy.

Dave Bush (27, three years in the majors) has received little attention languishing in small-market Milwaukee, but he has steadily progressed nicely over his three seasons in the majors. He hasn't been rushed, steadily increasing his workload from 97 IP, through 136 IP in 2005 to last year's 210 IP. He has the look of a solid workhorse that will consistently throw over 200 innings with 170 Ks. He has a decent fastball, good control, and doesn't walk that many, so his WHIP should hover around 1.20 or better.

Bush will make a nice third starter on any roster and is a solid mid-round pick, especially in comparison to injury risks like Scott Kazmir and A.J. Burnett, who will go much earlier.

Jose Valverde (RHP, Arizona Diamondbacks)

I confess to having a serious man-crush on Valverde last season, drafting him in virtually every league I was in. He'd shown enough in his first three seasons in the majors to suggest he was going to dominate hitters in the ninth and rack up save after save. Sadly — at least for me and Jose — it never materialized and he was a major bust.

Things started positively and by May 16th, he'd claimed 12 saves and sported a nice 2.20 ERA. Then it all fell apart and by July, Valverde was in the minors trying to recover his confidence and find the strike zone.

After the sheer collapse of late-May and June, the Dominican returned to the bigs in August and quickly got his act together, knocking 50 points off his ERA by seasons end and reclaiming the closers role. How long he lasts as the D-Backs' go-to guy in the ninth depends on whether his fragile psyche is intact after the nice run he put together at the end of 2006.

The big power arm and the high K totals (K/9 of 12.59 in 2006, better than Joe Nathan, Brad Lidge, and K-Rod) are so alluring that I'll be back on the Valverde bandwagon come draft day.

Posted by Mike Round at 6:02 PM | Comments (0)

The Fictional Pacman Jones Interview

JB: So, Pacman, how are you?

Jones: Not guilty.

JB: No, not "how do you plead?" How are you?

Jones: I'm okay. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd say I'm in the 3-to-5 range.

JB: Kind of like a sentence for assault and battery?

Jones: Maybe for someone who can't afford a good lawyer.

JB: Fantastic. So, how did you get the nickname "Pacman?"

Jones: Well, when I was a kid, my friends would give me a quarter and dare me to go into the grocery store and steal doughnuts and fruit. And one time, me and my friend Hand Truck stole a Pac-Man video game from the corner arcade. I guess between those two instances I got the nickname.

JB: Now, at what age did you realize your athletic ability was something special?

Jones: I'd say at about age five.

JB: What happened then? Was that your first time in little league?

Jones: No, the first time I outran the police.

JB: So your troubles with the law started at an early age?

Jones: You could say that. My mom's ultrasound was administered by the police. I crawled into my first police lineup. I was delinquent before I was juvenile.

JB: Did athletics give you an escape from your troubles?

Jones: Sports were the best thing that ever happened to me. Then I found out you could get paid to play. Right then, I made it my goal to become a pro athlete. So, I was probably the first pee wee athlete to have an agent.

JB: Speaking of going pro, you skipped you senior year at West Virginia to enter the NFL draft. Do you feel you were ready to make such a decision?

Jones: Absolutely. I was more than ready. I had already skipped my freshman, sophomore, and junior years, so skipping my senior year was an easy choice.

JB: Actually, I meant were you ready for the NFL?

Jones: Oh yeah. I was ready for a higher level of competition, and I needed a raise.

JB: Speaking of money, do you make it a habit to carry $81,000 in cash?

Jones: Hey, you never know when you'll need a retainer fee, or a Rolls-Royce, or a two bedroom, one bath bungalow, or 8,100 lap dances. The Boy Scouts motto is "Be prepared."

JB: You were a Boy Scout?

Jones: Umm, I'm legally bound not to answer that question.

JB: Why? What happened?

Jones: Again, I can't speak in detail. Let's just say you don't get a merit badge for pistol-whipping.

JB: What happened in that strip club in Vegas?

Jones: Which one?

JB: The last one.

Jones: I was there, just having a good time, chatting up with some premium tail, working my pimp stride, and drinking with several members of my posse I'd just posted bail for. The next thing I know, somebody's accusing me of slapping a stripper and bullets are flying.

JB: So you didn't slap a stripper?

Jones: I didn't say that.

JB: So you did slap a stripper?

Jones: Off the record?

JB: Okay.

Jones: Yeah, I guess I slapped her.

JB: So you were on that stripper like Ron Artest on a Pistons' fan?

Jones: Huh? Look, it's one thing to slap a stripper, but to go into the stands and attack a fan? That's insane. You can slap a stripper and not get fined by the NFL.

JB: Why did you slap her? It was a "her," right?

Jones: Yeah, she was a she. Anyway, she said I had a tendency to bite on double moves, and I was a slightly below-average tackler. So, I slapped her in the face.

JB: Wow. You and I have totally different criteria for giving a stripper a "facial."

Jones: What?

JB: Never mind. What does your coach, Jeff Fisher, have to say about all of your legal transgressions?

Jones: Well, it's just like when I make a good play in a game; he compliments me on my defense.

JB: You recently admitted to smoking marijuana. That had to come as a surprise to absolutely no one.

Jones: Hey, I admitted to smoking it, not inhaling it. You know, like George Clinton.

JB: You mean Bill Clinton?

Jones: Whatever. Pot is as widespread in the NFL as, say, tackling.

JB: Is there anything the NFL could do to make it less likely that you'll continue to have trouble with the law? Like, for example, counseling?

Jones: Obviously, I have way too much time on my hands. Maybe the NFL could go to a 52-game schedule. An even simpler solution would be to legalize crime.

JB: What do you have to say to all of your relatives who have expressed concern for your safety due to your reckless lifestyle?

Jones: I would tell them that I appreciate their concern, and their checks are in the mail.

JB: If you weren't a cornerback for the Titans, what would you be doing?

Jones: Well, I'd either be a defensive lineman for the Bears, a backup wide receiver for the Bengals, or a small forward for the Warriors, formerly of the Pacers. Or a rapper. Or maybe an elementary school teacher.

JB: Does it concern you that you're the only football player to be featured in both the Madden NFL and Grand Theft Auto video games?

Jones: If by "concerned" you mean "honored, flattered, and getting paid," then yes, I'm concerned. It's called "crossover appeal," baby.

JB: If you're released by the Titans, where would you like to play?

Jones: I guess everyone's saying I'd be a perfect fit in Cincinnati, with all the Bengals who have had trouble with the law. But I think I'm way too hardcore for those amateurs. DWIs and possession? Nothing but small-time crime.

JB: If you lined up against Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry, what would happen?

Jones: I don't know. I'd probably jam him at the line, frisk him, knock him off his route. I'm guessing the crime rate would rise a few percentage points, too.

JB: You played with Henry at West Virginia. What was that like?

Jones: What was it like? Let's see. We had some great battles in practice, and they even named a section of the law school building after us.

JB: What are some of your favorite movies?

Jones: Ah, I loved North Dallas Forty to Life. Menace XXXII Society is a classic. Pacman and Robbin'.

JB: Favorite television shows?

Jones: Deal or No Deal. Arrested Development. Pimp My Cell.

JB: Favorite magazine?

Jones: Anything that holds at least 15 rounds.

JB: Favorite 1980s hair metal band?

Jones: Warrant.

JB: What do you call a page of Jay-Z's lyrics?

Jones: A rap sheet.

JB: What's it called when you wave farewell to someone while your car is moving?

Jones: A drive-bye.

JB: What do you call an incomplete succession of words?

Jones: A suspended sentence.

JB: If you beg for a really cheap price on a sale item, what do you call it?

Jones: A plea bargain.

JB: What does a gangster rooster say in the morning?

Jones: Glock-a-doodle-doo.

JB: What's it called when your locked in a dark room and forced to play a one-player card game?

Jones: Solitaire confinement.

JB: Okay, enough of the tomfoolery, Pacman. Let's be serious. What's your ultimate goal in life, and do you think you can reach it?

Jones: Absolutely, I can reach it. You know, people will say that my troubles with the law will keep me from reaching that ultimate goal. Well, they're wrong. I think it's done nothing but help. In fact, I think I've already reached my ultimate goal, which is to reach a level of notoriety that allows me to be released on my own recognizance any time I'm arrested. As in life and in crime, Pacman Jones aims high.

JB: Super. On that note, Pacman, I'd like to thank you for your time. Good luck, and I hope your future is full of stripper poles and reluctant witnesses.

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 5:19 PM | Comments (2)

March 3, 2007

Let's Go to the Videotape!

Every sports fan I know keeps a running tally in his or her head of things that their children or grandchildren will never get to witness for themselves.

Like watching a home run sail over the fence without wondering about the sale price of the performance-enhancing drugs the batter's probably on. Or seeing a professional hockey game that went into overtime and didn't end with some goofy skills competition. Like having actually witnessed a Montreal Expos, Hartford Whalers, or Los Angeles Rams game, or rooting for college athletic programs with Native American mascots playing in bowl games that were strictly named after fruit and flowers.

My list begins and ends with televised sports. I know my kid will be watching games that will be indivisible in their presentation from their video game counterparts. I know my kid won't understand that there was a time when you didn't have the opportunity to watch every game on every night from the comfort of your home, through the magic of a little dish on the roof pointed at the sky. And I won't even try to explain to my kid that ESPN's "SportsCenter" once looked like this:

The "Anchorman" and "SportsCenter" references are completely intentional, because there's another thing I'm getting the feeling my future-kid's going to miss out on:

The iconic 11 PM nightly news sportscaster.

I'm not talking about these blow-dried, Ken doll, homogenous wannabes that drop dated pop culture references during Div. I women's basketball highlights in the hopes that, one day, the 17 people ahead of them for the weekend "SportsCenter" chair all simultaneously come down with the norovirus.

No, I'm talking about guys like Champ Kind of the Channel Four News Team — overexcited men with bad hair, loud sport jackets, and awesome names, whose only aims are to shout out hokey catchphrases like "WHAMMY!" and show highlights of waterskiing squirrels.

Growing up in Jersey, I had sportscasters like Warner Wolf on Channel 2, he of the famous "let's go to the video tape!" segue; Len Berman of Channel 4, whose "Spanning the World" highlights package (narrated by Don Pardo, naturally) would piece together everything from Morganna the Kissing Bandit sightings to fiery drag racing crashes in which (altogether now) "No one was hurt!"; and Russ Salzberg of Channel 9, who didn't have any of the folksy shtick of the other two, but came across like a dude from the old neighborhood that had the Mets yearbook committed to memory. And he also had some truly awful sweaters, like a 5-year-old had chewed up and thrown up a box of Crayolas on something the Salvation Army rejected.

I thought about all of them this week as a true pioneer in the industry said goodbye to his nightly gig on Channel 4 in Washington, D.C. — George Michael, who also hosted that weekend highlight reel called "The George Michael Sports Machine."

Michael was the quintessential 11 PM sportscaster: Bad hair, bad tan, awful jokes, and an overwhelming and undeniable passion for both the local sports scene and for his position at the top of the local news food chain. For 27 years, he delivered Redskins wins (and more than a few losses), covered the Bullets/Wizards and the college hoops assortment, and even occasionally ran a hockey highlight or two if there wasn't some NASCAR or golf news that trumped it. He was consistently engaging, whether he was offering an obscure highlight from the night's action or bantering with his longtime new anchor.

Susan O'Malley, president of the Wizards, told The Washington Post that Michael pioneered many of the techniques used on "SportsCenter." "Maybe he was even the first MTV because he put stuff to music before anyone else did," she said.

While I wouldn't go that far, he was an idol in a way that so few sportscasters are today, and was given an amazing amount of time and flexibility to continue his singular brand of infotainment.

So why did he quit? Money. After NBC Universal decided to slash and burn local news budgets, Michaels discovered much of his staff had been cut; he declined to sign a new deal last November.

While Michaels will continue in several capacities on local television, none of them will have the daily impact of the king holding court before Jay Leno comes on. It's part of a national trend: Iconic sports broadcasters are becoming extinct, just like the dinosaurs that came before them.

Part of it is the money, as the veterans in this group can command top dollar in a media environment that demands frugality. All of that money now seems dog-eared for the local meteorologist, whose segments eat further and further into what was once a sportscasters' haven.

Part of it is a titanic shift in the sports media over the last two decades. Radio, ESPN, ESPNNews, local cable all-sports stations and the Internet have increased the availability of breaking sports news to the point of saturation. It's possible that a viewer will have watched a game, watched a postgame show, watched highlights from the game, listened to player interviews on the radio, and read a complete game story on the web before the nightly news even begins. (Hell, even the waterskiing squirrels are on YouTube nowadays.) The era of exclusivity for local sportscasters is gone, as are the days when their commentaries about sports were like sermons from a bully pulpit.

So with the impact of these sports anchors muted, the need for the catch-phrase spewing, 27-year veteran in the garish sports coat has dramatically decreased. The new breed is younger, ESPN-friendly and in some cases (gasp!), even female. (A development I'm sure Champ Kind of the Channel Four News Team would not take a liking to.)

Some may see their demise as another casualty of our fragmented media. But I see it as yet another signpost on sports' one-way trip to tedium.

Call me old-school, but I'll take hokey homerism over "SportsCenter" cynicism any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

"WHAMMY!"

Greg Wyshynski is the Features Editor for SportsFan Magazine in Washington, DC, and the Senior Sports Editor for The Connection Newspapers of Northern Virginia. His book is "Glow Pucks and 10-Cent Beer: The 101 Worst Ideas in Sports History." His columns appear every Saturday on Sports Central. You can e-mail Greg at [email protected].

Posted by Greg Wyshynski at 6:04 PM | Comments (0)

March 2, 2007

Sports Q&A: Bonds' Liars' Club

Ben from Scarborough, Ontario, Canada asks, "Will Barry Bond's ever be able to erase the stigma of steroid-usage hanging over his career?"

Maybe, if he lives to be 175, and cures cancer, and wins a Nobel Prize, and adopts three or four Cambodian orphans, and appears on Sesame Street. Otherwise, he won't. Of course, in Bonds' fantasy world, he's clean, and a victim of Major League's Baseball's crusade to clean up the game.

Recently, Bonds, through the words of his greasy lawyer, Michael Rains, announced that he will be unable to cooperate in MLB's steroids probe. Under normal circumstances, Bonds would gladly open up his locker, also known as his medicine cabinet, and answer any questions MLB might have about Bonds' knowledge of steroid use. There's one small problem, though. Bonds can't answer any questions as long as he's the focal point of a perjury indictment stemming from his testimony in the BALCO hearing. In other words, Bonds can't tell another lie until he's cleared of a previous lie.

But the lies keep piling up like Bonds' home runs. Bonds is 22 homers short of breaking the record of 755. Bonds will eventually break the record, and when he does, count on ESPN.com's headline to read "Liar's Club." Henry Aaron, who's probably never told a lie in his life, set the record of 755 over two decades of steroid-free seasons. In Aaron's day, a steroid was also known as a hot meal. Bonds is only 13 falsehoods away from breaking Pete Rose's record of 22,145 lies, provided no one again asks Rose if he bet on baseball.

That's not to equate Bonds' situation with that of Rose, though. Bonds' lies are much more serious. If Bonds did use steroids (has the word "if" ever meant less?), then any records he has broken or will break are tainted. Let's be honest (okay, everyone except Bonds and Rose). Rose did bet on baseball, but that didn't affect his breaking of Ty Cobb's all-time base hits record. Unless, of course, Rose bet on himself to break the record. But what's wrong with that. At least he recorded all those hits with natural ability. Would Rose have taken steroids were they available in his playing days? Sure, he would have, especially if they would have made him a better bettor.

Bonds isn't the only questionable character in the steroids inquiry. There's Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmiero, and many others. And there's Gary Sheffield, who, like Bonds, has refused to cooperate with MLB's probe. Sheffield has called the probe a "witch hunt," with intentions only to get Bonds. It's no coincidence that after Sheffield's statement, Bonds arrived to San Francisco Giants practice on a broomstick.

But that's the kind of joker Barry is. He's very clever. He thinks that wearing a "Don't Ask Me. Ask Barry" t-shirt with teammate Barry Zito is funny enough to take our minds off of steroids. That's funny. Gosh. I wonder which Barry I should ask to get a straight answer about steroids. Zito should be careful who he befriends. The next thing he knows, he could find his locker next to Bonds,' and that tube of toothpaste he hands to Bonds could turn out to be steroids.

Seriously, Bonds' credibility is so far gone that nothing short of extremely drastic measures can convince the baseball world that he's innocent. And, as far as Bonds goes, an extremely drastic measure is the telling of the truth. Is that so hard? If George Washington can admit to chopping down a cherry tree, why can't Bonds admit to years of steroid abuse, lies to grand juries, and general shady behavior? So what Bonds should do is come clean and tell the truth, and pray that we, the fans, think he's so full of it and still don't believe him. Then, Barry's got us, and can insist that he was telling the truth all along, the first time.

Jon from Sandusky, OH writes, "Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson has been rated as the No. 1 prospect in April's NFL draft. Is a repeat of last year possible, when the best player in the draft didn't go first?

First of all, Jon, I'm not that impressed with a 6'5", 239-pound wide receiver with 4.35 speed in the 40-yard dash and a 45-inch vertical leap. Sounds crazy, right? It is, but it does qualify me for a position is the Houston Texans scouting department. In fact, the Texans are trying to trade up for the rights not to pick Johnson.

Last year, the Saints got the lucky break when the Texans passed on Reggie Bush at No. 1. Johnson is likely to fall to number four, through no fault of his own. The Raiders have the first pick and are set to pick LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell, provided Russell doesn't pull a John Elway and refuse to play for Oakland. But why on earth would he do that? Actually, should he go to the Raiders, Russell could be 2007's Vince Young, just with receivers. And boy, those receivers are one happy bunch.

The Lions have the No. 2 pick, and luckily for Johnson, their record of drafting wide receivers is almost as bad as their winning percentage. Detroit's wideout picks feature more busts than a "Girls Gone Wild" video, but, in the Lions' defense, the respective ages of those draft picks were all over 18. Detroit won't pick Johnson, mostly out of the guilt it would bring in ruining the career of another wide receiver.

The Cleveland Browns have the No. 3 pick, and credible and uncredible sources say that they will take Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson, who also had an impressive workout at the scouting combine. Like the Raiders and Lions, the Browns have their own troubled wide receiver in Braylon Edwards, who's clashed with coaches and had a sideline confrontation with quarterback Charlie Frye last year. If the Browns were smart, they would make it known that they're picking Johnson and sucker a team below them into a trade. That is, if they really want Peterson. But when's the last time the Browns made a good decision?

That leaves the Buccaneers at No. 4 with a very good shot at Johnson. Although they're aging on defense, Tampa Bay would be hard-pressed to pass on Johnson here. If would be great for Jon Gruden to leave his predecessor a superstar receiver when Gruden is canned at the end of 2007. Tampa needs a receiver, with Joey Galloway nearing the end of his career, and Michael Clayton more suited as a No. 2 receiver.

So, yes, it looks like the draft's No. 1-rated prospect will last longer than Reggie Bush did last year. But unlike the Texans of last year, the teams that may pass on Johnson have valid reasons to do so.

Get Your Questions Answered!

Do you have a question, comment, or earth-shattering announcement? Have you fallen, and can't get up? Do you have two tickets to paradise? Won't you pack your bags, we'll leave tonight? Then send your relevant information and two forms of identification along with your name and hometown to [email protected]. You may get the answer you're looking for in the next column on Friday, March 16th.

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 10:59 PM | Comments (0)

If You Can't Stand the Heat...

As the NBA comes down the stretch run, it seems like the feeling most people have is that the Eastern Conference is wide open. Most of those same people, however, will in the next breath also say that if Shaq and Dwyane Wade are healthy, Miami will be the team to beat.

Based on the fact that they won it last year? I'm asking because I have no idea how anyone could make the case that the Miami Heat are a legitimate threat to beat any top team. From a basketball standpoint, it is just absurd.

Last year's Heat team had a certain "it" factor brewing in them at this point in the season. Lest we forget, the Pistons had the cruise control set to 60 wins at this point last year and nobody dared pick against them in the East. All the while, before Pat Riley even took the knife out of from between Stan Van's shoulder blades, the team started gelling, role players did their job, Wade used a combination of great shots and great calls to take over, and they steamrolled all comers for a title. Has-beens desperately playing for rings, a budding superstar trying to make a name for himself, and the last hurrah for a legend. It was the perfect storm.

That storm blew over before the buzzer sounded on opening night, when the Chicago Bulls came in and embarrassed them. Even when the team lost Shaq, you had to figure that they'd hang around the middle of the pack and make a push late when he's 100% because of Wade. Only problem is that Wade is overrated, over-hyped, and overwhelmed by carrying this team. He had one hell of a run in the playoffs last year, no doubt about it. Winning a ring earns a player a certain level of respect, but you have to draw the line somewhere.

I find it ludicrous that he is even mentioned in the same breath as Kobe and LeBron. You can't tell me that the four players playing with LeBron or the four players playing with Kobe are any better or worse than the four players playing with Wade when Shaq was out. Yet Kobe has the Lakers eight games above .500 in the West and LeBron has the Cavs sitting at the number two seed in the East. The Heat's record before Wade got hurt: 26-27. You're telling me that the best player on the defending champs, with a nearly identical squad minus Shaq, couldn't get his team to .500 after 50 games and yet I'm still supposed to consider him one of the best players in the league? That's a tough sell.

Then consider the fact that the Heat have assembled what is in all likelihood the most unlikable group of role players ever. Look at this roster, and I'm willing to bet you that you've watched one or more of the following players at some point in his career and thought, "Man, I can't stand him": Gary Payton, Antoine Walker, Jason Williams, and Alonzo Mourning. Pat Riley has success wherever he goes, but he is as shady as they come. If they make a biopic about his life, James Woods would be a no-brainer for the part.

Toss in the fact that I'll never be able to take Wade seriously again after seeing him in that wheelchair. One of the men of the square table should have told him that no man should ever use a wheelchair for an upper body injury. Ever. He would have looked manlier if Alonzo Mourning carried him to the locker room in one of those harnesses that parents carry around infants in at the beach.

Even Shaq has become a parody of himself at this point. Like when he used his Michael Corleone analogy to say that Kobe is Sonny and Wade is Michael, he could have just as easily been describing his career. It has played out exactly like the Godfather trilogy. Shaq's stint in Orlando was like the first one. It was sweet. It was really sweet. You could see that the foundation had been laid for something legendary, while still keeping you captivated the entire time it's going on.

Then the sequel, Shaq's time with the Lakers, was just like "The Godfather" Part II." It was everything you hoped would to be. Shaq wins three titles, stamps a Hall of Fame career, became larger than life, and had everyone talking about the possibility of greatest center ever. Even Kobe played out like the young Vito parts. It was a great story all on its own, but just added to the mystique by happening basically at the same time.

Unfortunately, the third parts are eerily similar as well. They are both brutal. Shaq seems to be aging faster than Robin Williams in Jack. He's about 20% of the player he was before the trade, and if he gets healthy by the playoffs, that number might jump to 30%. Then again, it might not. It's the exact feeling I get looking at Old Michael in the third one thinking, "this just isn't the same."

That's the feeling I get from this entire Heat team. It just isn't the same. The sooner we all accept this, the easier it will be to enjoy watching LeBron try to get past the Pistons again.

Posted by Scott Shepherd at 10:46 PM | Comments (4)

March 1, 2007

English Premier League Picks

So it's been about three years since I began my experiment to try to get into international soccer, and as regular readers know due to my evermore frequent soccer postings, it's been a successful experiment.

I threw my lot particularly behind Portsmouth in the English Premier League, but although pretty much from the get-go I have watched all of their games available to me, the rest of the EPL was sort of "everyone else." I was content on becoming a Portsmouth diehard without trying to get a read on the rest of the EPL.

Three years hence, that has changed somewhat. I don't strictly watch Portsmouth matches only. I have begun either liking or disliking most teams in he league. I'm reading more and understanding a little more about each team's history and reputation. While I don't have an opinion on every EPL team yet, I do for most of them. Here's who I like and don't like, and why. Use this as your own guide to EPL fandom, as I think we can all agree to think just like me is a good thing.

STILL NO REAL OPINION

Newcastle and Middlesbrough — Middlesbrough leans slightly towards the "do not like" column because they signed away Portsmouth's best goal scorer a couple years ago. But for whatever reason, I don't fully dislike them.

TEAMS I LIKE

Reading — Although they are in the midst of their first-ever season in the top flight, they are making the most of it. They are currently in sixth place, which would be enough to qualify for all-European competition if the season ended today, and they are doing it with the help of a couple of Americans (Marcus Hahnemann and Bobby Convey, currently injured).

Aston Villa — I have less concrete reason for giving a little support for Villa. I like the name, and I like their uniforms (er, "kits"), both in style and color.

Manchester City — Any underdog aficionado has got to appreciate the poor brother of Manchester United. They are also employing the services of an American, DaMarcus Beasley (on loan from a Dutch club).

Sheffield United — Another newly-promoted team looking to stay afloat in the top flight. Most of their history has been spent looking up at their rivals Sheffield Wednesday, but now the Blades, as the United team is known, has the upper hand.

West Ham — They have the same powder blue/dark red combination I like on Aston Villa, but appear to be destined for relegation at years end.

Watford — Currently at the bottom of the table, it seems certain that they will only spend this year in the top flight. It'd be a great story if they could pull themselves out, though (much like Portsmouth did last year). They're another team utilizing an American (Jay DeMerit).

TEAMS I DO NOT LIKE

Bolton — Pompey (aka Portsmouth) has been jockeying for a spot in Europe with Bolton for most of the year, so I have developed a healthy dislike for them. They have been very lucky, managing to be comfortably in fifth place at this writing despite a goal differential of just +1.

Everton — Another team Portsmouth must get around for a spot in Europe. The first game where I realized I had become a real Pompey fan was a 2005 game against Everton, who won 1-0 on a Tim Cahill goal, and I found myself as upset as any longtime fan would be.

Tottenham — I am not the only one who decided to give the EPL a shot as an adult. Bill Simmons did, too, and deemed Tottenham his favorite team. Seems only reflexive I should dislike them then. They are still another team in the thick of European qualifying.

Blackburn, Fulham, Charlton, Wigan — I dislike them all, but for vague reasons I'm not necessarily sure of. There is something about them all that bore me, even though two of them have Americans in key roles, Blackburn and Fulham (Brad Friedel and Brian McBride, respectively). Whenever I see Wigan on the screen, I want to derisively pronounce it Weeegan, the same way this Buckeye says Meeechigan. I don't know why.

Onto the big four, the giants of English football. I dislike three of them and like one.

Manchester United — I dislike Manchester United. My best friend is a Man Yoo fan, so I have to go against him. Something about Cristiano Ronaldo, one of their stars, makes my skin crawl, like if the Karate Kid decided to start wearing eye makeup and join Cobra Kai.

Liverpool — I dislike Liverpool. Liverpool has two players I distinctly dislike. There's the opinionated, feisty Craig Bellamy, a cocky bully who fights with teammates and has a face that begs you to hate him. In contrast to the bully is the ungainly Peter Crouch, whose overbite and tall, waifish frame, combined with the cover-your-eyes robot dance he does sometimes after he scores, makes me want to bully him and take his lunch money.

Arsenal — I dislike Arsenal, although less so than the other two. I'm really more neutral about them, but they are still a Goliath, so I typically root against them.

Chelsea — Chelsea is an interesting case. After they won the Carling Cup last week, I lurked in the comments section of the soccer blogs and message boards I like, and I was surprised how much contempt there is for Chelsea. What was surprising is how universal the hatred seemed, regardless of who the hater supported. The second part that surprised me is why fans of Arsenal, Man U, and Liverpool registered their hate: because Chelsea bought their superstars and their greatness, rather than building from the ground up.

The rosters of all of the Big Four are well-populated with high-dollar international superstars. What Chelsea does is absolutely no different than what Man U, Liverpool, and Arsenal do. They just have been doing it for less time. Indeed, Man U, Liverpool, and Arsenal have dominated the English football landscape for a century. That's not just because they happened to do the best job of developing talent for 100 years running.

They've succeeded due to having more money and superior resources, the same things they bag on Chelsea for, but not the others. It stinks of hypocrisy, and xenophobia, as well. The man who bought Chelsea's greatness is a Russian, Roman Abramovich. All teams in the EPL have derogatory nicknames shouted by rivals, but none as commonly heard and casually spoken as the culturally-charged "Chelski."

Seeing all this, I started to defend Chelsea, so you can put them in the "like" column. I also enjoy watching Chelsea striker Didier Drogba more than anyone else in the league. He has a staggering 27 goals in various competitions this year for the squad, and there's still a lot of season to go. In fact, I think it's come to the point where I like Chelsea more than anyone in the EPL, save Portsmouth.

Of course, they play each other this week and Portsmouth badly needs a result. Oh, how I hate that free-spending, artificial Chelski squad.

Posted by Kevin Beane at 10:56 PM | Comments (2)

NHL Trade Deadline Movers and Shakers

It's been another eventful trade deadline for the NHL. Over the past two weeks or so, plenty of big names have changed teams. What's the fallout? Let's take a look.

Loading Up

The first of the big names went with Peter Forsberg's move to Nashville. Nashville is already deep with forwards, thanks to the emergence of David Legwand, Scott Hartnell, and Martin Erat. Nashville now boasts Forbserg, Jason Arnott, and Legwand up the middle, along with the likes of Paul Kariya, Steve Sullivan, and J.P. Dumont on the wings.

Similarly, San Jose boosted their forwards by adding veteran Bill Guerin. Guerin will most likely see time with old Bruin teammate Joe Thornton, but San Jose's top nine forwards allow Ron Wilson a veritable mix-n-match selection of what can work. Veteran Craig Rivet helps stabilize a talented but inexperienced defense.

In Dallas, defense was already the team's strong suit. They added a little bit of scoring with Ladislav Nagy, but it's still uncertain how Nagy will adjust to Dallas' defensive system. However, getting Mattias Norstrom to add to a group of Sergei Zubov, Darryl Sydor, and Phillipe Boucher gives Dallas, on average, the strongest top four in the west (though Anaheim's top two are obviously better).

The Atlanta Thrashers had been free-falling for several weeks, but GM Don Waddell believes they've righted the ship. Adding power forward Keith Tkachuk brings some secondary scoring to a very top-heavy forward group, while Alexei Zhitnik makes the defense a lot more veteran savvy in Blueland.

The Penguins had plenty of talent, but they lacked discipline and size. Enter in veterans Gary Roberts and Georges Laraque. Roberts will tag-team with veteran Mark Recchi as the team's elder statesman and calming voice, while Laraque will put fear into the skates of anyone who looks at Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin cross-eyed.

Tweaking Things

Buffalo's been decimated by injuries. While the acquisition of Danius Zubrus offers depth in the form of a second-line forward, it doesn't do anything to bring back Chris Drury, Maxim Afinogenov, or Tim Connolly back faster. When Buffalo is healthy, their forward depth competes only with San Jose and Nashville, making Zubrus just another cog in the Sabres machine. Ottawa was in the running for Gary Roberts, but they were outbid by Pittsburgh; instead, the Sens got shifty, but inconsistent Oleg Saprykin to get some additional secondary scoring.

Toronto made a last-ditch gasp for the playoffs by giving up young Brenden Bell for veteran Yanic Perrault. Calgary, already strong on the blueline with the addition of Brad Stuart, grabbed David Hale from New Jersey, who finally freed up some cap space to allow Richard Matvichuk into the lineup.

Standing Pat

The Anaheim Ducks inquired about a number of players — Todd Bertuzzi, Bill Guerin, and Ryan Smyth — but found themselves outbid in all cases. They added Brian Burke's favorite tough guy in Brad May, but essentially stood around passively while their Western Conference rivals bulked up. Anaheim's defense is still probably the best in the league, but it remains to be seen whether Nashville, San Jose, and Detroit have added too much firepower.

Rebuilding

St. Louis sold off what assets they had left and got a bevy of draft picks in the deals for Keith Tkachuk and Bill Guerin. Phoenix sold off some assets, but found no takers for Jeremy Roenick and Owen Nolan. Chicago got a great young forward in Jason Williams, who should get plenty of ice time and bring some support for Martin Havlat. Todd Bertuzzi's Panthers career ended at just seven games, and the centerpiece of the Roberto Luongo deal will remain just a footnote in Panther history.

Gambling

Ken Holland is a smart, but risky man. He knows that Kyle Calder played some solid seasons in Chicago even though this year's turn in Philadelphia has been miserable. He knows that Todd Bertuzzi was once the most dominant power forward in the league. He knows that his team was pushed around in the last playoffs. The result is a roll of the dice — if Bertuzzi remains healthy and finds his groove and if Calder returns to the gritty form he showed with the Blackhawks several seasons ago, the Wings will be poised for a healthy playoff run.

The Islanders gave up a lot for Ryan Smyth, but word out of Long Island is that owner Charles Wang is itching to sign Smyth long-term. If, however, Smyth fails to propel the Islanders into the playoffs and leaves as a free agent, GM Garth Snow will look like a fool for giving up so much just to help out his on-the-bubble team.

What Does This All Mean?

In the West, the big guns got bigger. In the East, where more competitive scrambles for playoff positions are the name of the game, the wealth was shared, meaning that everyone still hopes to make the playoffs and have a magical run. In the end, though, when it comes to pure depth, the West is a beast with San Jose, Anaheim, and Nashville.

Posted by Mike Chen at 10:45 PM | Comments (0)

NASCAR Top 10 Power Rankings: Week 2

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Kevin Harvick — Harvick was on his way to tracking down race leader Matt Kenseth late in the Auto Club 500 until a red flag halted his pursuit. David Reutimann and Bobby Labonte crashed on lap 243, forcing NASCAR to park the cars. That's when Harvick realized his left front tire was deflating, damaged by debris from the crash.

"That's okay," says Harvick. "We know our car is fast. It was just a case of bad luck. Kind of like that chick on American Idol who had the misfortune of having some risque photos of her on the toilet appear on the internet. Just like her, there was absolutely nothing we could do about our bad luck."

2. Jeff Burton — Burton recorded his second top-five finish of the year, coming home third behind Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon. Burton is only five points behind points leader Mark Martin.

"What a great weekend in the world of athletics," says Burton. "NASCAR racing and the Bassmasters fishing classic, and all of it televised. Bassmasters can sell out a 16,000-seat arena to see largemouth bass weighed, but NASCAR can't sell all the seats to the California race? What were there? 5,000 empty seats? You wouldn't see that at Rockingham or North Wilkesboro, at least not during a race."

3. Jeff Gordon — Gordon started on the pole in California, and backed that up with a second-place in Sunday's race. Gordon passed Jeff Burton late in the race for second, but couldn't catch Matt Kenseth for the win.

"We're off to a good start this year," says Gordon, "which just means more fodder for all the Gordon-haters out there. As if they needed more fodder. Have you seen the No. 24 Jeff Gordon Barbie Doll for sale? No, it's not me dressed like a Barbie. It's a Barbie dressed like me. Does it even matter? Just for the record, I had nothing to do with that marketing decision, and no, I'm not trying to steal some of the Kasey Kahne fan demographic. And there's no truth to the rumor that there's a Jeff Gordon-endorsed Easy Bake Oven in the making.”

4. Mark Martin — Martin's fifth in California, coupled with his second at Daytona, gave him the points lead for the first time since 2002. Martin's success has surprising Ginn Racing on top, and he has announced his intentions to run more than just a part-time schedule.

"If I'm to run a full-time schedule," says Martin, "then we here at Ginn Racing will need an associate sponsor, preferably someone with the name "Juice" or "Tonic," so we can call ourselves 'Ginn and Juice' or 'Ginn and Tonic.' I'm hoping my homey Snoop Dogg from my days in the rap game can come through with some sponsorship."

5. Matt Kenseth — Kenseth swept the weekend with wins in Sunday's Auto Club 500 and Saturday's Busch Stater Brothers 300. Kenseth took the lead in the pits and held off Jeff Gordon for his second-straight win in the Fontana opener.

"I'm honored to win twice this weekend," says Kenseth, "especially the Busch race sponsored by the band that brought us that great tune 'Flowers on the Retaining Wall.' Oh, that was the Statler Brothers? My bad. Anyway, now I know how Mark Martin felt last week at Daytona. I could see the No. 29 in my rear-view mirror gaining on me, even without the giant Shell logo on his hood. I'll tell ya, it's intimidating to see a huge red and yellow mollusk bearing down on you. Luckily, we had a timely crash."

6. Jimmie Johnson — Johnson was dominating with over a two-second lead with 25 laps remaining when a caution came out for debris on the track. When the leaders pitted, a costly slow stop cost Johnson his lead. He eventually finished third.

“The bad pit stop aside,” says Johnson, “I don't recall seeing any debris on the track. None at all. I've stood on top of golf carts and traveled roads safely with less debris than there supposedly was in California. I think that was one of those deals in which someone spit out their window, and NASCAR officials deemed it a particularly large loogie, sizable enough to bring out a caution."

7. Tony Stewart — Stewart was in position for a top-five finish, and possibly a win, until a pit road speeding penalty with 90 laps remaining dropped him to 21st. He recovered, and placed the No. 20 Home Depot Chevy in the top 10 with an eighth in the Auto Club 500.

"Me? Speeding?" asks Stewart. "I've climbed fences faster. NASCAR denied me what was sure to be a victory, which was to kickoff my 'Build a Fence, Climb a Fence' promotion at Home Depot. Build a fence of your choice, climb it, and you could win a trip to Texas Motor Speedway. Residents on the Mexican side of the United States/Mexico border are not eligible."

8. Clint Bowyer — Bowyer finished eighth on a strong day for Richard Childress Racing. Teammate Jeff Burton finished third, while Kevin Harvick had a likely win wrested from his grasp by a late flat tire. Bowyer is sixth in the points, 71 out of first.

“Just like last year, it looks like RCR is the team to beat, again,” says Bowyer. “And, last year, that assessment was right, because we were beaten — by Jimmie Johnson. But this year will be different. One of us will win the Nextel Cup. Oh, it won't be easy, not with all the talented teams and cars. Even Toyota's in the mix, with Brian Vickers giving them their first top-10 finish. And you know Michael Waltrip's squad will turn things around, with or without the jet fuel. Michael's a great leader, and I hear he prefaces all team communication with the opening line, 'This is your captain speaking.' All while the Top Gun theme plays in the background."

9. Kyle Busch — Busch joined Hendrick teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson in the top 10 at Fontana, finishing ninth and making his way to ninth in the points, 96 behind Mark Martin.

"It looks like it's going to be a great year for NASCAR," says Busch. "Two straight miraculous finishes to start the year. First, the heart-stopper at Daytona, and then, in California, Tony Stewart crosses the finish line between my brother Kurt and myself without the presence of so much as a tire mark or a middle finger. Now that's a miracle!"

10. David Ragan — Who is David Ragan, and what is he doing in the top 10? Ragan survived an early spin and finished 16th in California, following his fifth at Daytona.

"You know, I've got a good car," says Ragan, a Roush rookie driver. "I just drive. Mark Martin drove this car for so long, so it was ready for me just to hop in and go. All I had to do was move the seat back about eight inches."

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 10:34 PM | Comments (0)