Sports Central | Articles and Columns

« July 2004 | Main | September 2004 »

August 31, 2004

The Alternate Reality of the NCAA

How many NCAA officials does it take to change a light bulb?

Zero. It doesn't need changing. They decided the bulb isn't really out, it just looks that way to you and me.

Okay, so maybe that was a little lame. But hidden behind my feeble attempt at humor (yes, I made that joke up myself) lies a bit of truth.

In its quest to uphold a set of ideals, the NCAA has gotten really good at ignoring reality.

Take, for instance, the case of Mike Williams.

Williams, an All-American wide receiver at Southern California, declared for the NFL draft and left school last spring on the heels of a court ruling that opened the door for underclassmen to enter the draft. The NFL had a rule in place that required a player to be at least three years removed from his high school graduation before he could throw his name in. A court ruling in the case of former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett held that the NFL's rule was unacceptable, thus paving the way for younger players.

Williams, a consensus first-round pick, left school soon after the decision was handed down. But an appellate court reviewing the Clarett case later reversed the decision and upheld the NFL's rule.

That left Williams in a lurch. He had withdrawn from school and he had hired an agent. In the eyes of the NCAA, those are Cardinal sins.

Williams applied for reinstatement, but was denied less than 48 hours after he submitted his official request. The NCAA points to issues of amateurism and academics as the reasoning behind the denial.

That's all well and good. Those issues are real. The NCAA has well-established rules regarding amateurism and academics.

The problem lies in the fact that these issues, despite their inherent reality and the rules that come with it, don't fit into a larger reality that dominates today's college sports landscape.

That reality is far different than the one the NCAA clings to. The idea of amateurism in the big-money world of college football and basketball is sometimes laughable. And the belief that big-time college athletes go to school for the education is just as bad.

The NCAA desperately wants to believe that college athletes never take any money, that they work just as hard in the classroom as they do on the field or the court.

Desperately is the key word there. The NCAA wants to uphold its original ideals so badly that it enforces its rules as rigidly as possible and almost without exception. It uses a strong-armed approach to beat its member institutions into submission. It makes examples of offenders so that everyone will be afraid to challenge the mighty NCAA. And, worst of all, it loses sight of its purpose.

The NCAA can only blame itself. College sports -- especially football and men's basketball -- have gotten far too big for their britches. And for a long time, the NCAA let the growth go unchecked.

Now the NCAA is trying desperately to re-exert its influence. But the leaders of the organization are going about things in the wrong way. They're stuck inside the box, and can't think outside of it. They've chased their ideals so far that they can't see the reality.

They're essentially putting tiny band-aids on gigantic bullet holes.

The reality of college sports has changed dramatically, but the NCAA refuses to change with it.

In the case of Mike Williams, the repercussions shouldn't have a huge impact. He will likely still get drafted next year. But the fact remains -- the NCAA stuck to the letter of the law when it had a chance to instead look at the spirit of the law and the big picture.

It had a chance to live up to one of its primary goals: to protect student-athletes through standards of fairness and integrity.

Protect? Keeping Mike Williams out of school because he was doing what a court of law said he could do is protecting him?

Well, maybe we shouldn't be surprised.

The NCAA's reality is different, so its dictionary probably is, too.

Posted by William Geoghegan at 10:11 PM | Comments (1)

Farnsworth Keeps Cool

Everybody has a bad day. Patrick Roy once let in over six goals in a game. Greg Maddux has gotten blasted on several occasions. Michael Jordan has missed multiple buzzer-beating shots. Heck, even Jesus once chased moneychangers away from the temple with a whip.

The fact of the matter, however, is that the great overcome their adversity to succeed. The Cubs' Kyle Farnsworth proved last Friday that he is not great.

I don't expect Kyle Farnsworth to be the savior of the world, the best athlete in the history of sports, or even one of baseball's all-time bests. But I did expect more from him. The month of August has not been kind to Kyle, as he rebounded from his 1.93 ERA for the month of July with an impressive 19.29 ERA this month.

The Cubs, who are trying desperately to hold onto the National League wildcard, needed Farnsworth to fight through his slump for the good of the team. Instead, after Kyle gave up six runs on six hits Friday, he left the game by throwing his glove in the stands, overturning a large Gatorade jug, and then kicking a metal fan in the clubhouse. The fan got the better of Farnsworth, leaving him with a severe contusion and sprain of his right knee. Metal Fan 1, Farnsworth 0.

"I talked to him about it," Cubs Manager Dusty Baker said. "Everybody's done something similar at some time in their career. It's a valuable lesson, an expensive lesson."

A lesson I'm convinced Kyle Farnsworth will take to heart: that he needs to keep his emotions in check for the good of his team. Like he did last season, when he body-slammed Reds pitcher Paul Wilson after Wilson charged the mound, netting Kyle a three-game suspension.

Or like he did several seasons ago, when Cubs players had to restrain Farnsworth from attacking a fan (this time the loud-mouthed kind, not the metal kind) who was throwing peanuts and being verbally abusive ("Farnsworth wanted to kill the guy," then teammate Courtney Duncan said.) Obviously, Farnsworth has learned his lesson; after all, it's not like history tends to repeats itself or anything.

The Cubs had to have seen this coming. Dusty Baker said the problem with Farnsworth was all mental. Ten days before his outburst, Baker said they were giving Farnsworth some time to get his head together. I don't even know if there is enough time in the world for that to happen. Frankly, I think the chances are better that Steven Seagal's first album, Songs from the Crystal Cave, released in France (figures) in May, reaches platinum level before Farnsworth can get his head together.

Baker went on to say that "We need Farnsy. We need the Farnsy that we know." And that's just what they got. They got the Farnsy that people in Chicago have come to know. The Farnsy that hangs out in bars until the wee hours of the morning, even on days he pitches. They got the Farnsy that, according to WGN Radio, still parties like a frat boy. Threatening fans, both of the verbally abusive and metal variety, should come as no surprise.

While watching the Olympics, I had to review the tape of the men's marathon several times just to confirm that it was, in fact, not Kyle Farnsworth attacking the Brazilian leader while wearing some ridiculous costume. It did seem odd to see that this attacker arrived in Athens only two days after Farnsworth went on the DL, and then did something incredibly asinine in front of millions of viewers. I finally cleared Kyle as a suspect when it was discovered that the attacker was actually a leprechaun.

While Farnsworth's antics and appreciation for adult beverages are not new to Cubs fans, things could be worse. He has never murdered his limo driver or attempted to kiss a female reporter on live TV. There are no tapes of him stumbling around begging cops to let him off the hook after picking up a DUI, a la a certain University of Cincinnati college basketball coach. That being said, Farnsworth's actions are still inexcusable and selfish.

"We wish he had handled the frustration differently because it affects not just yourself, but everybody else," Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said.

That is my biggest problem with this situation. The Cubs are entering the toughest part of the season, and they needed Kyle to help their playoff push. Now he has to spend a critical three week stretch on the DL, during the time where his teammates need him the most.

This seems similar to a story in the news not too long ago. A player doing something incredibly childish and selfish, and in the process he screws over his teammates at about the worst time possible. This player also had problems with drugs, although he enjoyed the illegal kind, and his problems with it were more notable.

Ricky Williams is now, according to the Miami Herald, living out of a tent in Australia. Part of me thought Ricky's decision would come back to bite him in the rear, and it appears I was partially right. Ricky was recently bitten by something he described as a caterpillar and the swelling kept him off of his feet for a few days.

While Ricky's actions were much more childish (it is clear now, regardless of what Williams' mouthpiece, Dan Le Batard, tries to say, that Ricky quit this year to avoid his inevitable suspension for failing a drug test), there are a lot of similarities between the two situations.

Maybe Farnsworth should look into the Ricky Williams sabbatical package. A year away from work, time for Kyle to "get his head together," and boozing without having to worry about reading about it in the papers might do some good for him. Perhaps Williams could use a roommate in the Outback; it could almost be the 21st century version of the Odd Couple. I just hope Ricky doesn't own any fans.

Mark Chalifoux is also a weekly columnist for SportsFan Magazine. His columns appear every Tuesday on Sports Central. You can e-mail Mark at [email protected].

Posted by Mark Chalifoux at 9:13 PM | Comments (0)

A Rough Way to Start (Pt. 1)

Arguments are a part of college football. People from Miami to Seattle, San Diego to Boston, and everywhere between can never agree on the following. Who's the best team? What's the toughest conference? Where is the most sacred rivalry?

As the full-time art of sitting on a couch and staring at school colors resumes (in earnest) next week, it's time to bring up another debate. Who has the toughest road to hoe in 2004?

But how can a question this expansive possibly be answered? First, invoke the help of five major preseason-ranking magazines. Second, add some overblown common logic on where not to play. Put it all together, and this sports writer reveals a top-10 complete with mammoth obstacles.

This time around, we look at the most difficult non-conference slates. This gives a shot to those smaller D-I schools that can't get respect because they play in conferences the high school equivalent of the JV squad.

10) Oregon State

All right, one big boy snuck into the countdown. However, their first test helped push them above the normal "patsies" you'll check out later. Start with a trip to Baton Rouge that would make anyone faint these days. Add on two stiff contests at Boise State and with New Mexico, and the Beavers have done a good job of getting ready for the Pac-10 season.

9) SMU

It's no secret that Southern Methodist has fallen flat on their face lately. It doesn't look like the Mustangs will get a gracious exit from the WAC this year, but the conference doesn't have to feel so bad because some regional schools should keep the horses hogtied early. The list includes high-flying Big 12 teams Texas Tech, and Oklahoma State, as well as a cross-town trip to face TCU.

8) Utah State

The basketball team might not get the most respect when it comes tourney time, but that isn't the case for the football team. They just can't think of the postseason yet, that's all. And in their first game, they may get "rolled" under a "tide" of Crimson at Alabama. They also have a trip to Clemson's Death Valley on the cards. Don't forget another Beehive State team, the up-and-coming Utes. UNLV is the lone "softy" on the schedule, but playing in Las Vegas is a trap all in itself.

7) East Carolina

In the mid-'90s, the Pirates were a mid-level team to deal with. Nowadays, they'd love to get back to middle-of-the-road status. This non-conference slate is highlighted by bookend games. To begin the season, ECU must travel north to Morgantown and oppose resurgent West Virginia. A neutral site game against N.C. State waits for the squad at season's end. Philip Rivers may be gone, but RB T.A. McLendon doesn't put thoughts at ease. Last year's ACC surprise, Wake Forest, shores up the slate.

6) Ball State

The MAC makes its first of three appearances with Dave Letterman's famed alma mater. The Cardinals start their schedule with two tough standards, hosting Boston College and meeting Purdue in West Lafayette. The third matchup features a possible up-and-comer, taking the team to Missouri. Normally, the Tigers wouldn't raise much of a fuss as far as strength of schedule. However, Brad Smith, like McLendon, is a player defenses just don't want to face.

5) Central Florida

When playing at Camp Randall or Happy Valley might not even be the toughest game on the list, something bad is brewing. At least by opening the season at Wisconsin, UCF gets the benefit of fairly warm weather (although with this summer's pattern, it could be snowing by game time). After a home date versus those lovable Mountaineers, the Golden Knights head back to Big 10 country, facing Joe "Methuselah" Paterno and the Nittany Lions.

4) Southern Miss

Last year, the Golden Eagles had a chance to get Nebraska in their own yard. Now comes the dreaded away portion of the series. Week one starts in the land of corn and ... well, more corn. Five days later, Hattiesburg opens its doors to Cal, a team that provided a 34-2 whuppin' last season in Berkeley. Traveling to Tuscaloosa and battling the Tide in a mid-season test ratchets up the equation just a smidge.

3) Louisiana Tech

Admittedly, there is a soft opener against Louisiana-Lafayette, but I guess that makes up for the potential obstacles ahead. That is, unless you don't think matches at Miami, at Tennessee, and at Auburn are truly an examination of one's spirit and fortitude. An average of around 80,000-90,000 thousand fans rooting against me wouldn't provide much confidence.

2) Marshall

The Thundering Herd has a similar opening act to the Bulldogs, opening at home versus Troy State. However, the next two weeks are killer, plain and simple. After getting an opportunity to visit Columbus' Horseshoe, the green and white will run through the hedges in Athens (no, not the really famous, foreign one). Ohio State and Georgia ... on the road ... back-to-back weeks ... yeah, it's not looking pretty.

1) Houston

Lather, rinse, sort of repeat. The Cougars get a chance to start growling quickly, staying in town and playing Rice. Then, the picture gets a little fuzzy. Oh no, there's no question about their opponents. The blurry vision comes from the amount of punishment Oklahoma and Miami should dole out to this team. The upside about the Hurricane game is that it's at Reliant Stadium. Houston should get some nice home-cookin', or would that be a last meal?

Even though this list looks more like the nerd that got thrown in the trash can every day, there's still hope for these schools. Or at least there will be before the kickoff.

Posted by Jonathan Lowe at 3:25 PM | Comments (0)

August 30, 2004

College Football Preview: Big 10 and Pac-10

Notre Dame, Navy, FIU, FAU

Before digging into the final two conferences of this tour around Division I-A football, I'll back up and tend to the final four independents in Division I-A. To say that there are four independents is pushing it a bit, actually. Florida International and Florida Atlantic are not full-fledged members of the division as yet. Hence, I have no predictions for those two schools. They still play a majority Division I-AA schedule, but will become Sun Belt schools next season.

Notre Dame 5-6 (Last year's prediction: 6-6; Actual: 5-7)

Third-year head coach Ty Willingham overachieved in his first season at Notre Dame. And, because of this, the expectations for a return to national dominance and a top-five finish every season seem to have gotten too high.

There are actually Irish fans that believe Willingham should be out after this season if things don't start to improve. Word to the wise Irish follower: things won't improve markedly this season. Wait for year five, for crying out loud, when you've seen a cycle of recruits, kids brought in for his system, to play his way and only his way. If, after that, the program seems to be mired in mediocrity, personally, I'll be pleased, but won't be irate about the firing of the coach.

Naval Academy 5-6 (7-5; 8-4)

The last bastion of the nearly dead triple option offense, Navy has fared well in recent years under third-year coach Paul Johnson. But with QB Craig Candeto gone this year, Navy will struggle a few times, lose some games they might not have recently. However, they'll win the game that matters most to them.

Big 10

For me, the Big 10 is a bit mysterious. Maybe it's because I didn't grow up in awe of the Big 10. Maybe it's because what looks like great teams seem to always under-perform. Or, maybe it's because the conference is so well balanced, nearly any team can knock off another.

Whatever it is, I tender these predictions with this proviso, which is a bit stronger than with most of the other conferences: I could be completely wrong about how good as many as eight of these teams are, and how they'll finish. I am confident in my prediction of the top-two teams and the bottom team of the conference. After that, it's not a coin-toss every week, but it's darn close to it.

Purdue 11-0 (10-2; 9-3)

There's something I like about the Boilermakers this season. Things, actually. Start with senior QB Kyle Orton. Strong arm, mobile enough, and crafty, Orton enters this year as the undisputed best QB in the conference. His job is made easier by throwing to one of the top-five receivers in the league, senior Taylor Stubblefield. And then, add to that junior running back Jerome Void, behind an experienced and physical offensive line, and Purdue should be able to score some points. Will they really win it all? I think so, but I don't think I'd ever put money on a team coached by Joe Tiller.

Michigan 10-1 (12-0; 10-2)

I expected a national title from the Wolverines a year ago, but a disastrous road trip to Oregon's Autzen Stadium put a chink in that idea, and a road trip to Iowa killed it completely. The Wolverines have the most talented team in the Big 10. They could win it all. But with their hopes resting on sophomore Matt Gutierrez at quarterback, and the running back still undetermined, it could be a shaky road to the Big 10 crown. Worse, that road goes through Columbus, OH and Lafayette, IN.

Ohio State 8-3 (8-4; 10-2)

There's no knowing how long the Jim Tressel-inspired run will last. But last year, just as in their national title year, the Buckeyes won games that lesser teams find ways to lose. I think a large part of that magic was in underrated QB Craig Krenzel, gone to sit on an NFL bench or on a practice squad. The Buckeyes will still win games they probably ought not, but I think the magical run stops this season, and worst of all, I figure on a Wolverine win at the Horseshoe.

Penn State 7-4 (9-3; 3-9)

Call it nostalgia. Call me overly optimistic. Call me stupid. I think Joe Paterno, the coach of coaches, turns things around in Happy Valley this year. Still nowhere near a Big 10 title, but nothing nearly as disappointing as the Nittany Lions suffered a year ago.

Minnesota 7-4 (7-5; 9-3)

With one of the top one-two punches at running back with junior Marion Barber and sophomore Laurence Maroney, expect a lot of running from Glen Mason's Gophers. Also expect back-to-back weekend trips to Michigan (at Ann Arbor, at East Lansing) to be the centerpiece to their season. Win out, they could contend for a conference crown. Lose out, and it's the typical season in Gopher Land. Go with the odds.

Michigan State 6-5 (5-7; 8-4)

Can John L Smith repeat his performance from a year ago with all but six starters returning? I bet not. Still, he's a good coach. Michigan State is a decent program, and all is not entirely lost.

Wisconsin 6-5 (10-2; 7-5)

The Badgers feel like a program in something of a decline. Only problem with that is their peak was five years ago, and they've not looked or felt the same since. A two-year blip on the radar? I'm beginning to think so.

Iowa 6-5 (5-7; 9-3)

You've noticed by now that my predictions on nearly all the Big 10 teams were way off. I admit that underrating Kirk Ferentz is something I may have done, but I think that running back Fred Russell's importance was also underrated in the Hawkeyes' run of the last two seasons. He's a Miami Dolphin now.

Northwestern 4-7 (1-11; 6-6)

Seven wins are possible from the Wildcats. I'm figuring against.

Illinois 2-9 (10-2; 1-11)

The Illini sucker punched me last year. I like them, so I hope they prove me wrong again this year, but don't expect it.

Indiana 1-10 (2-10; 2-10)

Only one of the worst teams in all of Division I-A football a year ago.

Pac-10

After a long period of being ignored, the Pac-10 is alive again, and it's all thanks to Pete Carroll and Southern California.

Southern California 12-0 (8-4; 12-1)

So what if Mike Williams doesn't play this year? The Trojans have had one of the top recruiting classes in the country three years running. A national title repeat is a tough accomplishment, but the Trojans have the horses (so to speak) to get it done.

Washington State 9-2 (4-8; 9-3)

Having believed the program would be left adrift in the post-Mike Price era, I severely underestimated the Cougars a year ago. The Cougars were a physically tougher team under second-year head coach Bill Doba. New faces at most positions, but expect the unexpected.

California 9-2 (2-10; 7-6)

The Golden Bears will attempt to replace the touchdown cry of "Leinart to Williams" with "(junior QB Aaron) Rodgers to (senior WR Geoff) McArthur."

Oregon 7-4 (8-4; 8-4)

The Ducks still can't defend the pass. It will cost them games they shouldn't lose.

Oregon State 6-5 (9-3; 7-5)

Winning comes much harder without standout running back Steven Jackson.

UCLA 6-5 (7-5; 6-6)

Rebuilding a program? Follow this rule: establish consistency first. Then win. Right now, the Bruins have neither in as large a portion as they'd like.

Arizona State 4-7 (11-1; 5-7)

The Sun Devils fooled me, just as Illinois did, into thinking they had some players. I understand now that neither do.

Stanford 1-10 (2-9; 4-7)

The Cardinal could be better than I think. They'll need to win games that I don't think they can.

Arizona 1-10 (1-11; 2-10)

New head coach Mike Stoops will develop something here, there's little doubt. But, the program was so devastatingly bad in every way, it will take time and a couple years to recover.

***

There you have it. One hundred and seventeen predictions for the coming year. I'll have been way off on at least 10 teams, if history is any guide. And seven of them will be in these two conferences.

Now, I'm ready for some FOOTBALL!

Posted by David Martin at 11:16 PM | Comments (0)

Andre, For Pete's sake!

Often, I get e-mails from readers or comments from my friends, regarding my articles. Albeit mostly positive, I am sometimes criticized for viewing the tennis world in a two-dimensional manner and too cerebral. They tell me my articles should be more emotional, less analytical.

Well, my friends and readers, today is your day! This one is straight from the heart. Forget about the numbers, stats, and rankings. This one is all about emotions, if you will!

Here is what I want: I want Agassi to win the U.S. Open. In fact, if Agassi does not win the U.S. Open, I may experience an emotional letdown for a few days.

I grew up watching legendary rivalries that included names like Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl, Mats Wilander, Stefan Edberg, and Boris Becker. Then I grew older and tennis lost some of its popularity. Rivalries and colorful personalities seemed far and few between.

Now the state of men's tennis looks healthy once again with the likes of Andy Roddick, Roger Federer, Lleyton Hewitt, and a few other young hotshots.

However, squeezed between the era of the legends I mentioned in the previous paragraph and the young "new balls" of the ATP such as Roddick and company, was a decade during which men's tennis struggled to keep ratings, lost a good number of fans, and risked losing many more if it was not for the one rivalry that kept the interest going: Agassi vs. Pete Sampras.

If it was not for these two guys, who knows if there would be any TV coverage other than Grand Slams, or if tennis would not become a third or fourth-tier sport in the United States, or if there would ever be a Tennis Channel on TV. If you doubt what I say, just ask Mardy Fish, Andy Roddick, James Blake, Robby Ginepri, and all today's rising American about who they idolized as a growing junior tennis player. I am willing to bet at least one of these two superstars' names will be a part of each one's answer.

Sampras is already considered as the best ever by many. Almost all tennis fans will put him in their top-three. He won a record 14 Grand Slams. He is a legend, a part of tennis history.

Agassi, despite a less number of Grand Slams, has done a few things even better than Sampras, such as winning all four Grand Slams, and the Olympic Gold Medal. He is probably in the top-10 of all-time in many tennis followers' list.

There is a small difference however, an emotional one. Pete received his dues at the U.S. Open 2002 by winning his 14th Grand Slam, and going out on top. And lo and behold, he did it at the expense of Andre.

Andre, at 34, does not have many Grand Slams left anymore in him. But he could still have one more. This should be the one.

Right here in New York!

Right now!

I don't care how he does it, I don't care about statistics, I don't care how lucky a draw he gets, and I don't care at whose expense he does it. I want Andre to triumph once again.

And that, my dear friends and readers, is "straight from the heart!"

Posted by Mert Ertunga at 11:05 PM | Comments (0)

The Best Men for the Job

Gary Bettman and Bob Goodenow, take a seat. Bill Daly and Ted Saskin, go get coffee for a few minutes. Please welcome to the negotiating table the two people who should be battling out the CBA for the NHL and the NHLPA. Straight out of Phoenix, Arizona, here are Wayne Gretzky and Brett Hull.

Gretzky has several distinct traits that make him instantly credible to the player's association. First, he wasn't just a member of the PA -- he was the greatest player to ever partake in the PA. He lives the game -- his hockey mind is so keen that his selection for director of Team Canada wasn't just a token job. He understands the game and he understands what players go through. When he talks, people -- players, owners, and media -- listen. He is respected by everyone involved with the game and is smart enough to recognize the pros and cons of the current CBA.

On the league side, Gretzky is part owner of the Phoenix Coyotes and understands how day-to-day operations occur for a cash-strapped franchise. He understands the PA's desires and goals -- and can be a voice of reason to say, "Listen. We're really not kidding. The NHL's not in great financial shape."

Gretzky's opponent is the straight-shooting, cocky, and brash Brett Hull. Hull is also one of the few players in the NHL who actually has a personality, along with the guts to say what he thinks. He has bluntly told reporters that he thinks the CBA battle is stupid since both sides have valid points but both are two stubborn to listen to the other.

Many players and coaches hate Hull's loose cannon, but he is the one player who won't mindlessly go along with what Bob Goodenow wants to further bog down the negotiations. Nor is he going to cave in to Bettman's politicking and league pressure. He likes the game, he cares about the game, but he could walk away today if he really wanted to -- and that's the best attitude for an objective and honest negotiator to have.

What conclusions would Gretzky and Hull come to in their negotiations? First off, they'd probably agree that starting a season immediately is a good idea since their Phoenix Coyotes have made impressive offseason moves and are one good goaltender away from producing a high-quality squad. After that, they'd probably look at the valid points from both the league and the PA. That's not that hard, right?

The league wants "cost certainty" -- a relationship between league revenues and player salaries. Hull is smart enough to realize that that's a reasonable goal for the league. But his player instincts will tell him that a hard cap will not work to reach that goal, as that is prohibitive against any player salary growth.

The PA wants an open market, or the closest thing to it in professional sports. That is, the market dictating what players of certain caliber can take home as compensation. Gretzky's been there before and he knows that that's only fair for men who have devoted their entire childhood and adult lives towards this sport. But his business sense will tell him that there has to be checks and balances to ensure that salary growth kept to a controlled rate -- and that one stupid Glen Sather move doesn't destroy the league for everyone involved.

What could their ultimate solution be? It might look something like this:

To appease the players association, a luxury tax system will be put in place with a starting point of $40 million. This allows some flexibility in the marketplace for teams to spend as they please.

To appease the league, the luxury cap limit will move up or down based on an independent arbitrator (agreed upon by both the league and the PA), ensuring that 61% of league revenues goes towards players salary. If it is less than that, then the cap limit moves up and vice versa. This will come into effect during the 2006-2007 season, based on the revenues analyzed from the 2004 -- 2005 season (which will start on time, darn it!).

The luxury tax system will be unique in the world of professional sports in that it will be a two-tiered system. The first $10 million will be a one-for-one dollar tax that goes into a revenue sharing pool. Any other salary spent above that point ($50 million to start) will be a two-for-one dollar tax for the revenue sharing pool. This two-leveled penalty system allows teams some flexibility in spending a little over the cap, but severely punishes idiot owners who recklessly throw their money away.

And, of course, Gretzky and Hull have the perfect opportunity to hammer out this agreement immediately following the World Cup of Hockey final. After all, Gretzky's the director of Team Canada and Hull's a key component of Team USA. So both men will already be lurking around the tournament and ready to go.

Bob Goodenow and Gary Bettman, I hope you're listening. The solution is obvious. Go with the men who can work this out without any of your stubborn agendas. Do it for the fans of the game, who are the only real losers in this battle.

Posted by Mike Chen at 5:03 PM | Comments (0)

August 28, 2004

Manning's Place is on Sideline (For Now)

Eli's coming, or at least that's how the song goes.

The burning question in New York City -- aside from "Do I still have time to get out of town before the Republican Convention starts?" -- is "Eli or Kurt?"

If the New York Giants' coaching staff is smart -- not an automatic assumption by any means -- Eli Manning's arrival in the starting lineup won't be until next year.

Yeah, he outperformed veteran Kurt Warner during the first two weeks of the preseason, but that's no indication of how the rookie will do when the games start to count.

I'm not one of those guys who typically makes it a habit to defend the old clichés like "Rookie quarterbacks can't succeed in the NFL," but sometimes -- not often, and usually by accident -- even stale old wisdom has the advantage of being correct.

I know what you're thinking: "What about Dan Marino?"

Okay, what about Dan Marino.

He did have the best season any of rookie quarterback this side of Sammy Baugh, but remember, Don Shula waited until mid-season before throwing Parkview Avenue Dan into the breach.

By the way, I lived for a year within a block of both Marino's childhood home and the baseball field that was named in his honor. Yeah, that's right. A baseball field, now called Marino Field. Of course, back then, in the early days of his pro career, it was called Frazier Field.

None of that has anything to do with the story, but in a future column, I'll talk about how I drive past Joe Namath's boyhood home at least once a month.

Now, back to the program.

The fact that everybody remembers Marino as a rookie quarterback who actually succeeded is an indication that he is an exception that proves the rule. (Two clichés in one column? Dear me, I must be getting lazy.)

It's far more common for quarterbacks -- even great ones -- to have inauspicious beginnings. John Elway once lined up behind the guard in his rookie year. John Unitas lost his first game when he threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown. Terry Bradshaw threw 24 interceptions and 7 touchdown passes the season after he was selected first overall in the NFL draft.

The argument in favor of Eli Manning at this point is that times are different now. College quarterbacks play in more sophisticated systems these days. When Billie Joe All-American (or Eli Manning, in this case) opens his NFL playbook, he's already seen most of the stuff in it.

That's all true, but that just decreases the time a college quarterback needs to adjust to the NFL; it doesn't eliminate the adjustment.

Manning, when he gets his opportunity, will see pretty much the same types of defenses he saw in college and he'll call pretty much the same plays -- only the terminology has changed. But one thing will be radically different.

Sometime this fall, some poor benighted sports columnist or sports talk show host will muse on how the San Diego Chargers would fare if they play the University of Southern California. That's because it's a yearly ritual to ask what would happen if the best college team played the worst pro team.

I'll tell you, free of charge, what would happen if the Chargers would play the Trojans.

The Chargers would win. By at least three touchdowns, because the worst pro team isn't just better than the best college team; it's a lot better.

Think about it for a second. How many pro players are there on USC's current roster?

Maybe a dozen, and that's being generous. Meanwhile, there are 53 pro players on San Diego's roster.

True, calling some of San Diego's players professionals is being a little generous. But the Chargers still have at least 40 players who are better than almost everyone wearing Trojan red.

The biggest difference between the NFL and the college ranks is speed, which poses a bigger problem for quarterbacks than for any other position.

Defensive backs can disguise their coverages longer in the pros because they can get to their zones a lot faster than their college counterparts. They can cover more ground once the ball is in the air, which means the quarterback has to throw with more precision.

And, because the defensive linemen are quicker, quarterbacks have less time to make their decisions.

It takes time to make that adjustment.

In fact, more quarterbacks -- Warner and the Steelers' Tommy Maddox -- have, with some success, made the immediate transition from Arena ball to the NFL in the past five years than from college to the pros.

That's not a coincidence. With the smaller field, things happen even more quickly in Arena ball than they do in the NFL.

But Manning doesn't have the benefit of Arena ball experience. So it ill-serves both him and the Giants to throw him into a whirlwind that could overwhelm him.

And New York has, in Warner, a proven quarterback who can keep his seat warm for a year -- or eight games -- until Manning is ready to face the maelstrom.

Posted by Eric Poole at 11:10 PM | Comments (2)

Hamm, Hockey, and Homers

Random thoughts on a random summer day...

ITEM: Quincy Carter Joins the Jets

I remember asking a Rangers fan friend of mine what he was going to do after Eric Lindros was traded to the Blueshirts. I heard this kid call Lindros things, while he was on the Flyers, which would have made Quentin Tarantino blush.

How would he cope with No. 88 now on his favorite team? Simple, he said:

"He was a %*^*$%^ in Philly, but here he's the Comeback Player of the Year."

That's what happens when Public Enemy No. 1 becomes your No. 1 center -- you can either bitch about the trade, or just learn to accept the fact that the guy you've been slagging on is going to be the next jersey you purchase.

Ever since the Cowboys cut Quincy Carter, he's been in my daily arsenal of punchlines. I even made a joke about him in my last "Pop Quiz" column:

1. The Dallas Cowboys' cutting of Quincy Carter will benefit which person or persons the most?

A. Michael Irvin, who may one day not be the first name that comes up when you Google "dallas cowboys and cocaine."

B. The Cowboys' offensive line, which will no longer have to block for a quarterback with "those nose-candy Jimmy legs."

C. Mount Kilimanjaro, which will look like Dave Meggett when compared to Dallas starter Vinny Testaverde's mobility.

D. Bill Parcells apologists, who will applaud his tough drug-test policy about 15 years after Lawrence Taylor helped him win two Super Bowls by keeping a teammate's urine in an aspirin bottle in his pocket in order to beat the test.

Was Carter on coke? Who knows? The bottom line is that his attitude sucked, he allegedly ran afoul of the league's substance abuse policy, and was released by a team that didn't exactly have Eli Manning waiting in the wings.

Enter Jets coach Herman Edwards, who has two notable character traits: the ability to open his heart for a young player who needs some discipline and guidance in his life, and the uncanny inability to find a backup quarterback that is neither an untested rookie or older than Pat Summerall.

Anyway, Carter gets the call, and signs with the Jets as Chad Pennington's understudy. Suddenly, the guy I've been calling "Cowboy Crackhead" for the last two weeks is one helmet to the wrist away from being the starting quarterback for my favorite team.

So now I have two choices as a Jets fan: bitch about my team taking a chance on a guy who lost his mind (both clinically and pharmaceutically) when Dallas signed Vinny Testaverde, and whose style is in complete contrast to New York's offensive scheme for Pennington?

Or just admit that Quincy's the brightest young quarterback in the league, a rich man's Michael Vick, who got a raw deal in Dallas and could easily lead the Jets to the Super Bowl should Pennington falter?

Not that I'm a homer or anything...

ITEM: Paul Hamm Wins Tainted Gold

Shame on anybody who thinks Hamm should surrender, share or smelt his gold medal in Olympic men's gymnastics. Shame on you for having no sense of recent history.

Jan. 5, 2003. NFC Wild Card Game. The New York Giants and the San Francisco 49ers. Trailing by one point, the Giants line up for a 41-yard field-goal attempt with six seconds on the clock. Trey Junkin botches the snap, holder Matt Allen picks up the ball, and throws to guard Rich Seubert, who was an eligible receiver on the play. San Francisco defensive end Chike Okeafor mugs Seubert before the ball gets to him. No call for pass interference; instead, Giants guard Tam Hopkins gets nailed for being an illegal receiver on the play. The game ended on that call.

Just like South Korean gymnast Yang Tae-young, the Giants were screwed by an official whose sloppy procedural mistake, and subsequent misinterpretation of the rules, cost them victory. And just like the Olympic officials did, the NFL came out and explained its referee's mistake: That Seubert was eligible, that at minimum there should have been offsetting penalties, and that the Giants would have had another attempt to win.

But did they replay the game? No. Did the 49ers share the win with the Giants? Hell no. Remember Steve Mariucci's sympathetic reaction to the Giants' plight? "Bummer!"

Some columnist named John McGrath for The News Tribune in Washington slammed Hamm (hehe) for refusing to give up his medal: "Fame, fortune, a fawning public: Paul Hamm would've been permanently etched in the pantheon of most-admirable Olympic legends. All this was his, in exchange for swapping a gold medal for one that is silver."

Think of it this way, John and all the rest of the shortsighted numbskulls taking Hamm down a notch because of someone else's botch. Let's say you win the lottery, only the girl working the machines didn't calibrate one of the vacuums correctly. The "17" ball nearly gets sucked up the tube, but it falls back down into the fray. The "23" ball eventually ends up in the final numbers. Now, everyone with the "17" knows that ball is in there if the machine was calibrated correctly and sucked it like a pro. But the suction wasn't at full blast, because the Lotto Lady didn't do one of her two friggin' jobs, so the ball came up, went down, and then "23" emerged seconds later.

Lotto officials decide that "17" would have been the number if the machine had been correctly set. You happen to have all the numbers AND "23," and you happen to be the only winner of $225 million cash jackpot.

So, will you agree with the Lotto officials' assessment of the situation and give back the money based on this unforeseen technicality? Or will you tell them to bugger off and buy Bora Bora as a home for you and your harem of strippers?

Exactly.

Back to Hamm. An officemate told me this situation is more "politically sensitive" than a NFL officiating snafu. Whatever ... it's South Korea, people. We already tell them what to think. Get the Prez on the horn and make our Coalition of the Willing brothers knock off the complaining. (Oh, and see if they can rustle up a few warm bodies for Najaf while you're at it.)

Now, if it was North Korea, I say we give 'em the gold, silver, bronze, and then some other medal we make up on the spot with an pen knife and an empty can of Pepsi. Call me spineless, but that little guy with the big hair and the missiles gives me the shakes.

ITEM: The Passion of the Pong

"Please, sir ... I've been naughty." (REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon Reuters)

ITEM: Should the NHL Ditch the Olympics?

Kara Yorio of The Sporting News wants the World Cup to be hockey's premiere non-NHL event, and thus wants the NHL out of the Winter Olympics. It's a similar set-up to international soccer, which restricts the age of players for the Olympics in order to keep the FIFA World Cup as the most prestigious event.

Does the NHL benefit from Olympic participation? Not really. There's never a significant bump in either attendance or television audience after the games. The most lasting moment from the last two Winter Games was Canada putting an end to a 50-year gold medal draught, which captured the imagination of Moosejaw, but didn't exactly enchant the rest of North America.

In other words, it really hasn't done all that much to grow hockey in America, where all but six of the NHL's teams reside. And I've never been too crazy about shutting down the season in order to play a bunch of exhibition games.

My biggest issue with Olympic participation is that we're basically just watching five or six NHL all-star teams battle it out -- no new stars are born. Remember Peter Forsberg scoring on that penalty shot in Lillehammer? That's a career-making moment. You don't get the same effect when the guy's been in the league for 10 years.

Yet there's no denying that the hockey is incredible. And that the Olympic games rise above the usual pathetic hockey of NHL all-star contests (where the only check you'll find is Jaromir Jagr.)

(Get it, "Czech?" It's one of those "this word sounds like that word" things. They typically don't work when written out.)

(Like now.)

Yorio makes a good case for the NHL to stay out of the Winter Games. But the World Cup of hockey will never be the World Cup of soccer, because the most important title on the ice is another Cup.

ITEM: The MLS Remains Too Stupid For Words

The San Jose Earthquakes have won two of the last three Major League Soccer championships. They want a new stadium; the city isn't sure it wants to build one.

One ownership group seeking to buy the Quakes would move them to Houston. Another possibility, and a good one, is San Antonio. That city's mayor said he wants a MLS team to play in the Alamodome by 2006.

Now, why would MLS want a second team in Texas, specifically in San Antonio? Because half the city's population is Hispanic, that's why. And you remember the last time MLS sent a franchise to an unbearably hot southern city simply because the locals were Latino, don't you?

It was Miami. The Miami Fusion. The team folded in 2002 after four years of pitiful attendance.

Someone clearly isn't learning from his or her mistakes.

By the way, about that other Texas team, the Dallas Burn? It will officially change its name to "FC Dallas 96" next season. Because what soccer really needs to succeed in this country are more teams that sound like AOL instant messenger screen names.

ITEM: ESPN to Debut New Dramatic Weekly Series Based on "World Series of Poker' called "Tilt."

Next time Chris Berman wants to compare he and the rest of the ESPN: Year One trailblazers to the Mercury astronauts, perhaps he should realize that when we finally got to the moon, we didn't find it was made of cheese.

Greg Wyshynski is also a weekly columnist for SportsFan Magazine. His columns appear every Saturday on Sports Central. You can e-mail Greg at [email protected].

Posted by Greg Wyshynski at 12:55 PM | Comments (0)

August 27, 2004

College Football Preview: M-West, C-USA

The Mountain West Conference and Conference-USA are each studies in the strength of mid-major conferences. The Mountain West has been considered a relatively strong conference in Division I-A football, with the likes of Colorado State, Brigham Young, and Air Force being the league's stalwarts. The conference, after all, is only five years old.

Still, after the Great Conference Fiasco of Summer 2003, the Mountain West was the only mid-major that didn't lose a team to another conference. In fact, the Mountain West got strong for the season of 2005, adopting Texas Christian, one of C-USA's better teams in recent years.

C-USA, on the other hand, is undertaking a huge facelift come next year. Louisville, recent addition South Florida, and Cincinnati are giving C-USA the shaft and heading to the Big East in 2005. Army is leaving the conference in an effort to regain some status. Better to be an independent, the academy reasoned, than to be at the bottom of some random conference affiliation's pecking order.

In response, C-USA raided the WAC, ripping off four teams wholesale. Of course, they stole away with the WAC's weakest half. And so, which is better? To be a mid-major with defectors apparently strong enough to move to the next level, or to be a strong enough conference to keep its own members through the tumult? You decide.

Mountain West

Utah 10-1 (Last year's prediction: 8-3; Actual: 9-2)

Between QB Alex Smith's arm and head coach Urban Meyer's scheme, the Utes should have little problem winning the Mountain West two years running. The problem for Utah boosters and administrators will be keeping Meyer from heading for another opening (Illinois, perhaps? Potentially UCLA?).

Colorado State 7-4 (9-3; 7-5)

It seemed like the Bradlee Van Pelt era might last forever in Fort Collins, but alas, all things come to an end. There will be some rebuilding and adjustment to be done, but if RB and former Colorado Buffalo Marcus Houston can stay healthy and sustain the talent he flashed signs of possessing in a Buffs uni, the Rams should be okay this season.

Air Force 6-5 (10-2; 7-5)

The Falcons are the best of the Armed Forces Academies most years, but after a disappointing '03, Air Force is in something of a retooling mode, claiming a "return to basics." It should be another mediocre year, which is actually quite decent when you're talking about Armed Forces Academies.

San Diego State 5-6 (2-10; 6-6)

The Aztecs are right on the precipice. Returning most of their defense of a year ago could be good, could be bad. Coach Tom Craft has done some good things at SDSU, but the program remains, ultimately, middle of the pack, in conference, and nationally.

Brigham Young 4-7 (4-8; 4-8)

How could this have happened? Former head coach Lavell Edwards' Cougars never looked this bad. Current head coach Gary Crowton may not be head coach beyond the '04 season if the Cougars follow last year's four wins with only four more wins. If it looked as if things were getting better, Crowton could save his job. Trouble is, last year's edition looked pretty bad, and this year's edition looks at least just as bad.

New Mexico 3-8 (9-3; 8-4)

True, most national prognosticators pick the Lobos to finish much higher in the conference. But, opening against Washington State, Texas Tech, and at Oregon State is no way to start a season, unless you're in the Sun Belt conference digging around for dollars. Throw in an upset loss to BYU and losses to teams they should lose to, and you have a pretty wretched season in Albuquerque.

Nevada-Las Vegas 2-9 (5-7; 6-6)

I visited Las Vegas for the first time this summer. How on earth does anyone prepare for a game every Saturday? And, have you seen the UNLV campus? It's located a mere five blocks from the strip. A hop, skip, and jump from the gates of hell. So, head coach John Robinson must be commended for keeping his team something like on-task, but expect a pretty bad scuffle this season, with Robinson's retirement from the game to follow.

Wyoming 2-9 (3-9; 4-8)

The Cowboys will struggle in head coach Joe Glenn's second year.

Conference-USA

Texas Christian 10-1 (12-0; 11-1)

TCU wants to leave the C-USA on top. Of course, they'll have many a departing partner with whom to contend. The Horned Frogs have the league's best defense under head coach Gary Patterson, and, if they stay healthy, won't mind leaving the league with a loss to Southern Miss, because they'll have already wrapped up the title.

Louisville 8-3 (9-3; 9-3)

How weak will C-USA look when it's top two teams are no longer members in '05? Pretty weak. UofL hasn't won the conference in a few years, and one wonders how the near-defection of head coach Bobby Petrino to Auburn will wear on the team. The Cardinals have a tough team to beat, and could be undefeated when they travel to Coral Gables to take on the Hurricanes. It all sort of falls apart after that.

Southern Mississippi 7-4 (8-4; 9-3)

Look for a tough October to trip up the Eagles, looking to repeat as conference champs. Not this year. But, with the weakened league, Southern Miss seem well positioned to become the league's dynastic champs.

Houston 7-4 (3-9; 7-5)

Sophomore QB Kevin Kolb looks to be another in a history (if spotted) of great college quarterbacks from the University of Houston. The Cougars have a tough non-conference schedule, but should be able to pull an upset or two in conference and finish a decent season.

Memphis 7-4 (5-7; 8-4)

Featuring the best QB you've never heard of (aside from a MAC QB or two), senior Danny Wimprine leads the Tigers, and they will score points. The question will be whether they can stop anyone. With six new starters on defense, there will be some bad days.

South Florida 5-6 (5-5; 7-4)

Without a running attack or a steady quarterback, the Bulls have been fortunate to do as well as they have. Still, in their final year in the C-USA, losing might be something they should get used to. They look to be sitting near the bottom of the Big East for some time to come.

Cincinnati 3-8 (7-5; 5-7)

Senior QB Gino Guidugli goes out with something of a cat's stretch as the Bearcats welcome new head coach Mark Dantonio to the fold. Expect a long final year in the C-USA for the Bearcats.

Alabama-Birmingham 3-8 (4-8; 5-7)

The Blazers could be better than three wins, but their only scheduling break is that they miss playing Louisville this season.

Tulane 3-8 (6-6; 5-7)

A weak defense left the Green Wave on the wrong end of games they could have, should have won. Expect more of the same.

East Carolina 1-10 (5-7; 1-11)

If only there was something good to be taken from last year's traumatically terrible season. Alas, it appears things may only stay the same in Greenville.

Army 0-11 (2-11; 0-13)

Yes, the Army Academy went out and hired retired head coach Bobby Ross from his fishing boat. That's where the optimism ends, though. Maybe next year, when the Cadets can schedule programs that are closer to their athletic style and level, Coach Ross and the Cadets will show some improvement.

Coming up next: The final installment of the predictions series: Big 10 and Pac-10! Stay tuned!

Posted by David Martin at 8:57 PM | Comments (0)

A Last Pick Success Story

I received an e-mail last week from SC reader Dean Nasson, who informed me that he was stuck at the 12-spot in his upcoming draft. Dean was looking for suggestions on what running backs to select at that draft position.

I gave him some advice and asked, if he would be so kind, as to send me the results of the first four rounds of his draft.

Dean obliged.

Here's a list of the first 11 players selected in the draft. Dean would be number 12. We will examine his selections, in a moment.

Priest Holmes, Ladainian Tomlinson, Ahman Green, Clinton Portis, Deuce McAllister, Sean Alexander, Jamal Lewis, Edgerrin James, Randy Moss, Daunte Culpepper, and Fred Taylor.

Well, as you can see things went as expected. The top eight running backs are gone and the ninth owner can't help himself and selects Randy Moss. Number 10 picks Daunte Culpepper and number 11 returns to draft at the running back position.

Moss will always go in the first-round. My advice is to use him as trade bait. Imagine the solid receiver and stud running back you can acquire by not getting stuck on Moss. Think someone wouldn't give up Deuce McAllister and Hines Ward for Moss?

Think again.

Don't be afraid to trade Moss or any other first-round pick for a stud and a quality player at a position you may lack.

The only glaring mistake in the first-round was selecting Daunte Culpepper. Why? Can anyone give me a good reason to waste the number one pick on Culpepper?

Please don't say it is because he throws to Randy Moss. That isn't a reason. I can throw to Moss and gain 3,000 passing yards.

If you are going to take a QB in the first-round, you had better take Peyton Manning.

In the last four years, Culpepper has yet to crack a single season mark of 4,000 passing yards. Save for his rookie year, Peyton Manning has accomplished that feat five years in a row. The season hasn't started yet and the owner with Culpepper has already given away 750 extra passing yards and 5 touchdowns.

I'm more interested in Dean's team. It must have been difficult, but he passed on Manning and did the right thing. He secured his running backs. With the last pick of the first-round and first pick in the second-round, Dean selected Corey Dillon and Domanick Davis.

Dean, virtually, guaranteed himself two bona fide studs.

Not much to say about Davis, except that he had a spectacular rookie season and we can expect more of the same, if not better, this year.

I know what you're thinking, but please don't tell me about Dillon's statistics last year. Prior to the groin injury, Dillon's lowest season total for rushing yards was 1,129, as a rookie. Dillon is healthy and he's a New England Patriot.

If we want to discuss injury, then let's talk Holmes. Am I the only one who remembers Holmes' 2002 "Bo Jackson" hip injury? Granted, Holmes made a remarkable comeback, but I'm still wondering why Fred Taylor went before Dillon, who is the featured back, in a Super Bowl-caliber offense?

Everyone else's loss is Dean's gain.

In rounds three and four, Dean struck gold again. He selected wide receivers Laveranues Coles and Darrell Jackson. Believe it or not, one of the owners actually drafted Chicago Bears' RB Thomas Jones over Coles. It isn't that terrible of a selection, especially when you have no choice.

However, that is the type of mediocre back that is available, if you neglect to draft two quality backs in the first and second rounds.

Coles is always a solid play and Jackson had a nice 2003 season with 1,137 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns. Bravo, Dean!

After the first four rounds, the pickings are slim. It's up to you to discover the sleepers. Dean grabbed a few potential studs in RB Quentin Griffin, TE Daniel Graham, and QB Byron Leftwich. I don't want to leave out WR Tyrone Calico, who had 89 yards and a TD for Tennessee last Saturday against Buffalo.

Derrick Mason and Drew Bennett owners, beware.

Dean was looking to acquire QB Chad Pennington, but the young QB was selected before he got the chance. Dean asked me if he should trade for Pennington. Well, I'll go out on a limb and say no.

Pennington will be solid and has a good target in Santana Moss. A trade might be a consideration later, but not right at the moment. I say leave it, as is, for a few weeks.

Pennington may not be necessary.

I can kill two birds with one stone here, while I answer Dean's question and suggest another sleeper quarterback for all to consider.

Byron Leftwich, whom Dean already owns, is the starter in Jacksonville. The kid looked pretty good this preseason.

Leftwich didn't look like the same guy who played last season. He's matured very quickly, still has great mobility and stopped rushing his passes. He will have the usual sophomore problems, but fantasy-wise, Leftwich is not only a reliable backup, but could very easily emerge as a number one starter.

In two years, fantasy football owners will be scratching their heads on whether to take Michael Vick or Leftwich, in the second-round.

Atlanta, who adopted the West Coast offense, this season, probably saved Vick's life. More importantly, it rescued his fantasy value.

Less running + more throwing = less injuries.

I must admit that the last draft position looks dismal to begin with, but it can, actually, turn out to be very successful, if you work it to your advantage.

Just ask Dean.

If you get stuck with the last pick in your draft, secure your two running backs. The next move is to grab your two receivers. Now you're done with what is required. Find your sleepers and you can compete. You don't have to throw in the towel.

Kudos to Dean's drafting success. I just hope no one in my league is reading this. They don't need anymore help and certainly do not need assistance from me.

I've been awarded the last spot for the past three years in my league. I boasted victory two years in a row and had my streak snapped when I came in second last year, losing the head to head, primarily, because I was forced to use Correll Buckhalter instead of ... guess who?

I had drafted Corey Dillon 12th overall and had to snatch Buckhalter off the waiver wire, when Dillon pulled his groin.

Pretty ironic, isn't it?

Buckhalter is gone for the 2004 campaign, while Dillon is perfectly fine.

I shudder to think what would have happened if Dillon was healthy last season. I envision 800 more rushing yards and six more touchdowns. All mine for the taking.

Well, fortunately, it's a new season and a new Dillon.

Good luck to us both.

Posted by Damian Greene at 4:59 PM | Comments (0)

Cy Johan: AL Cy Young Breakdown

In 1956, then Commissioner of Major League Baseball Ford Frick's proposition for a most valuable pitcher award was narrowly approved by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. The award, which was named for the recently deceased Cy Young, was the result of Frick's frustration concerning the Most Valuable Player award; specifically, pitchers were generally ignored in the vote.

Frick's efforts have not gone unappreciated. Just ask Johan Santana, ace of the Minnesota Twins, who stands in the center of the American League Cy Young race. And, if the current Baseball Writers get the vote right, Santana's name will be added to a list of past winners that include the best hurlers of the past 50 years.

Santana leads the American League in strikeouts by 37 over second place Pedro Martinez, and is on pace for 264. His 3.13 ERA ranks him second behind Tim Hudson. Opponents bat just .202 against Santana: that's tops in the league among starters, and 23 points better than second place. He also boasts one of the best winning percentages in the majors with a 14-6 record.

There's more. Since the All-Star Break, Santana is 7-0 with a 1.73 ERA. Per start, Santana is averaging nine strikeouts and over seven innings pitched since the All-Star Break, and opponents are hitting an absurd .157 against him. In August, Santana has beaten the Red Sox, A's, Yankees, and most recently, the heavy-hitting Texas Rangers at Cape Canaveral-inspired Ameriquest Field. Against Boston, he out-dueled Pedro Martinez; versus Oakland, his victim was Tim Hudson; Mike Mussina and the Yankees could not even give him a game; and in Texas, he shamed 15-game winner Kenny Rogers, giving up just one run in eight innings, striking out 11.

Such dominance usually cannot go unnoticed; but with Santana, for the most part, it has. Sure, Santana is mentioned as a Cy Young candidate, but as the house favorite? Not quite.

Santana has factors working against him. First, he plays in Minnesota. The Twins garner little national attention through no fault of their own. They play in arguably the weakest division in all of baseball, the AL Central. As of Friday, their record of 71-56 was good enough for an eight-game lead over Cleveland and Chicago, two teams with sub-.500 records.

The Twins also don't have Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Pedro Martinez, or Albert Pujols. They lack a baseball superstar -- an icon -- that draws fans and commands attention. The Twins top hitter? Depends on your definition. Corey Koskie leads the team in home runs, and Jacque Jones holds the top spot in RBIs. Someone named Lew Ford is hitting .305, the highest average on the team.

Meanwhile, the Twins pitching staff, with the exception of Brad Radke, is made up of relative unknowns. As is the stellar Twins bullpen, made up of lynchpins Joe Nathan, Juan Rincon, and J.C. Romero.

Plus, Santana himself was relatively unknown amongst mainstream baseball fans prior to this season. In the race for the Cy Young, Santana must deal with well-known stalwarts Mark Mulder, Pedro Martinez, Tim Hudson, Kenny Rogers, and Curt Schilling. But a look at their statistics show that Santana shines greater than the rest:

Santana compares favorably in all measures of pitching dominance, especially strikeouts, batting average against, and WHIP, a measure of how often opponents reach base. Only Tim Hudson has a better ERA, but Hudson's other paltry numbers of innings pitched and strikeouts make him the least likely of the above to actually win the Cy Young, other than Kenny Rogers.

Add in Santana's clutch performances in the last month against the best teams and pitchers of the American League, and not choosing Santana becomes an exercise in ignorance.

On July 16, the Twins dropped their fifth game in a row, a 12-3 embarrassment at the hands of the mighty Kansas City Royals. Brad Radke, the veteran Twin usually asked to stop the bleeding in dire situations as this, was the losing pitcher that day. That night, the Twins trailed the White Sox by a half game in the standings.

The next night, Johan Santana threw eight innings, struck out nine batters, gave up one hit, and were it not for Henry Blanco's throwing error in the eighth inning, he would have thrown a shutout. The Twins won, 4-1, something they would do in 14 of their next 17 games.

Such performances have been the benchmark for Johan Santana this season. And in the past, at least, such performances earn the performer hardware: namely, the Cy Young Award.

Or maybe even the MVP? Ford Frick would caution us to be content with the former.

Posted by Vincent Musco at 2:46 PM | Comments (0)

An Immodest Proposal

Dedicated to Jonathan Swift (1667-1745)
(Warning: Contains some adult content)

Somehow, it's fitting that the Summer Olympics seems to be populated largely by whiny gymnasts begging for "do-overs."

First, Russia's Svetlana Khorkina, gymnastics' hard-luck kid, cried "fix" after she finished second in the women's overall to Carly Patterson of the United States. Then a judging screw-up deprived Korea's Yang Tae-young of the gold medal in the men's overall competition.

Again, an American -- Paul Hamm -- was the beneficiary.

Svet, Tae, get over it. You knew something like this could happen the first time you did a back handspring into a round off.

Or, as U.S. gymnast Blaine Wilson said, "If you can't deal with gymnastics being subjective, then get out of it."

So take your silver medals and quit whining before we send a shot-putter over to give you something to whine about.

I'm not saying this because this is a case of foreigners complaining about the All-American kids winning gold medals.

I'm saying this because gymnastics -- and you can throw in figure skating for good measure -- are fundamentally flawed.

It seems we can't get through an Olympics without having some sort of controversy over judging. In 2002, the Eastern European mob fixed the pairs figure skating (Have you heard the one about the Russian sports mechanic? He fixes figure skating competitions.)

Four years earlier, the results of almost every figure skating event matched exactly the pre-Olympic world rankings. In other words, the outcome was decided in advance, which made it exactly like professional wrestling, only without the WWE's bothersome excitement.

During the 2000 gymnastics competition in the Sydney Olympics, someone set the vault at the wrong height, which literally tripped up a series of competitors, including Khorkina. After falling on the vault, she totally lost her poise and botched the uneven parallel bars.

Judges gave her a do-over for the vault, but not the bars, so she stormed off in a huff.

That whole thing has to have had Patterson looking at her gold medal and thinking, "Wow. I've had this thing for only a couple of days and it's already tarnished."

The sad part isn't that it happened; it's that the problem can't be fixed because gymnastics and figure skating are art forms, not real sports.

Listen up. If you've got some guy with a pencil and calculator deciding who wins, it's not a sport. With apologies to all of those little pixies out there, it takes more than athleticism to make an athlete.

What sports have that gymnastics and figure skating don't is a fundamental sense of fairness. Not that I care who wins. I fervently avoid gymnastics and I only watch figure skating for the crashes.

In figure skating, gymnastics, most boxing matches and any other subjective pseudosports, an official, or a panel of officials decide who wins. In a real sport, the athletes decide who wins, while the officials perform the same task as a judge in a courtroom -- they merely adjudicate the rules.

But in gymnastics, the judges are actually juries, deciding the worth of each performance, which creates even more problems for the competitors, starting with the competitors, particularly among women. The Federal Communications Commission really needs to enforce some sort of truth-in-broadcasting rules to keep NBC from calling the event "women's gymnastics."

The event really should be called "Little Girls Gymnastics."

For the parents out there grooming little -- and I do mean little -- Heather, Danielle, or Brittany for a spot on the Olympic medal stand, there is something you should know.

If your daughter has ever purchased anything in the feminine hygiene aisle at the drugstore, she's too old, because the typical Olympic gymnastics career ends not with an exclamation point, but a period.

The irony here, in the middle of what can easily be mistaken for a sexist diatribe, is that sports is good for young women. Girls who take part in sports, as a rule, get better grades, don't use drugs, have greater self-esteem, and are less likely to be victims of domestic abuse than those who do not.

But that only applies to real sports. If you want to do what's best for your daughter, get Heather a soccer ball, get Danielle a basketball, get Brittany a softball glove.

In gymnastics and figure skating, victory and defeat are not based on performance but on perception, so competitors seek acceptance -- from the judges and coaches -- rather than achievement.

In 1995, Joan Ryan, then a sportswriter for the San Francisco Chronicle, wrote a book titled "Little Girls in Pretty Boxes," which discussed the problems inherent with gymnastics and figure skating. Part of Ryan's book chronicles the selection process for the 1992 U.S. Olympic Little Girls Gymnastics Team, which might have been the thinnest on record.

One competitor earned a place on the team in competition, such as it was. But she was left off on the rational that she might be marked down in the Olympics by international judges because she had -- and this is a quote, according to Ryan's book -- "boobs and a butt."

Okay, so what have we learned here, aside from the fact that Jennifer Lopez will never be an Olympic gymnast, is that just about the only people who get excited about gymnastics in non-Olympic years are gymnasts, gymnastics coaches, and gymnastics parents.

Not that pseudosports like gymnastics and figure skating are likely to be banished from the Olympics anytime soon. You see, those are the sports that draw some of the highest ratings on U.S. television.

Everybody gets excited about figure skating and gymnastics, so the IOC added ballroom dancing as an Olympic sport. But why stop there? Anything can be judged. Why not Olympic Cannonball Diving or Olympic Macrame?

Or Olympic Brass Pole Dancing?

Yeah, that's right, stripping.

It would certainly renew interest in the Olympic Games, if the popularity of beach volleyball's Orange Bikini Dance Team at the Athens Games is any indication.

As sports go, brass pole dancing is at least as legitimate than gymnastics and figure skating. The best gymnast is whoever the judges say it is. The best stripper is the one who walks out the door at the end of the night with the most money.

Stripping is physically demanding -- when's the last time you tried to dance on a narrow stage while picking up dollar bills with your butt and fending off a drunk all at the same time?

If anything, stripping is a more valid Olympic sport than either gymnastics or figure skating because there is a reasonably objective way of keeping score. And in keeping with that objective measurement of victory, the brass pole dancing event would be judged by a panel of construction workers from Brooklyn, each of whom have $1,000 to distribute to a round of six competitors.

In each round, the judges -- who presumably have extensive experience in evaluating brass pole dancing -- would grade the competitors on the basis of technical ability, artistic merit, and quality of surgical enhancements.

After the competition, the judges would sneak home and lie to their wives about where they've been.

The winner would be the one with the most money, as determined by an IRS accountant -- which might lead to some amusing situations involving discrepancies between the amount of money handed out by the judges and the amount tallied.

There also would be a men's brass pole dancing competition, which would go pretty much the same as the women's, except that the judges would be the regulars from "Queer Eye For the Straight Guy."

It's a great plan -- there's only one flaw.

Members of the International Olympic Committee have admitted receiving bribes in connection with the awarding of the 2002 Winter Games to Salt Lake City. The Salt Lake Olympic Organizing Committee has been accused of making those bribes and looting the federal government coffers in providing amenities for the games.

This year's Summer Games were put together by a group of people in Greece who had no respect for deadlines and left the main swimming venue unfinished. During the run-up to the games, the major buzz about the Olympics wasn't centered on who would win the medals, but who was juicing up.

What self-respecting stripper would want to deal with that sort of crowd?

Posted by Eric Poole at 1:50 AM | Comments (1)

August 26, 2004

NFL Weekly Predictions: Week 1 (Pt. 1)

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

San Diego @ Houston

This game has all the makings of a NCAA Division III-AA showdown, just without the skill level. Not the players, the coaches, mind you. Marty Schottenheimer is more famous for a game he lost (1986 AFC Championship game with Cleveland) than anything he's won (nothing).

Dom Capers is a marginal coach (the margin being that between "bad" and "sucks") who seems to be the inaugural coach of every expansion team of the last 10 years. Capers did, however, lead the Panthers to the NFC Championship in the second year of the franchise. Impressive, yes, but that alone won't get you to Canton, although it may help in securing a Greyhound bus ticket to that locale.

Now, one player who will be in Canton one day for his Hall of Fame induction is LaDainian Tomlinson. Which depends on how long Tomlinson can stomach being the best player in the game and playing for one of the worst teams. Judging by his new 10-year, $60 million dollar contract, it appears that Tomlinson doesn't mind it that much.

"You're right," adds Tomlinson. "First on my list is the cash money, then touchdowns, then yards, my wife, my earrings, my pit bull, my gat, then a few other things, and last is winning. That don't mean a thing to L.T."

That's good, L.T., because the Chargers begin this season, known to the players as "The Quest" (to get Schottenheimer fired) with a 31-10 loss to the Texans. Tomlinson does record a touchdown as one of the few bright spots for the Chargers, make that the only bright spot for San Diego.

Tennessee @ Miami

Where do you start when you talk about Miami's offseason? How about here? Shaquille O'Neal is now a member of the Heat! Yes!

The Dolphins? Oh, the Dolphins. Well, provided the 'Fins don't lose any more players to retirement or injury, they can expect to be right in the thick of the AFC East race, for last place, that is.

"Damn, what's a coach to do when two of his best players are gone for the season?" asks Dave Wannstedt.

Well, Dave, you can start by preparing for a midseason firing by placing your resumé on Monster.com. And also, Dave, might I point out that of those two best players, one likes to wear wedding dresses and smoke pot, and the other is a performance-enhancing drug fiend?

"Wait just a minute," interjects David Boston. "Torn knee cartilage is nothing. Don't count me out yet. I've never met an injury I couldn't inject something into and make it better."

Popeye's right. He'll return midseason with a bionic knee, just about the time Ricky returns so he won't have to pay back any salary.

Meanwhile, in Titans camp, things are much more stable. Steve "I've Never Met an Injury I Didn't Play Through" McNair is ready for the season.

"Yes, I'm anxious," reports McNair. "I'm a little wary about this playing with no pain deal. I'm not sure how I'll react. If I have to, I'll sprain my ankle on purpose."

Not to worry, Steve. The Miami defense in more than capable of inflicting pain, as is the Miami offense, but only on Miami coaches and fans. The Titan defense manhandles the Miami quarterback and McNair picks his way to one rush TD and one pass TD. Tennessee wins, 17-9.

Cincinnati @ New York Jets

In Cincinnati, it's the year of the Johnson.

Easy ladies, I'm talking about Rudi and Chad, the Bengals' Big Johnsons. Rudi fondly looks back on his college days at Notre Dame, when they made that movie about him. Chad has guaranteed that at some point this season, he'll guarantee that the Bengals will make the playoffs.

Whether or not they make the playoffs depends largely on the play of last year's overall No. 1 draft pick, Carson Palmer, who garnered the starting position over Jon Kitna the old-fashioned way: it was given to him.

"Hey, this ain't Smith-Barney," a perturbed Palmer says. "The name's Carson Palmer. I've lived a privileged life. Everything's been handed to me on a silver platter, except honor and manhood. I'm hoping my teammates don't recognize that I have neither."

The Jets' Chad Pennington, on the other hand, is respected by all of his teammates, and has earned all that's been given to him, except last year's salary, which he received despite missing nearly the entire season with a broken wrist.

"But I'm back with a vengeance this year," Pennington explains. "Sure, the wrist may hang a little loose, but I'm guaranteeing a victory over the Bengals."

Historically, guaranteeing a win over the Bengals hasn't been saying much, but Pennington backs his words up anyway with two touchdown passes. Palmer endures a tough opener, but finds solace in a kegger with some USC fraternity brothers. Jets win, 27-20.

Oakland @ Pittsburgh

Those fools in the Pittsburgh front office actually gave coach Bill Cowher a two-year contract extension? I guess hovering in mediocrity is more important to them than winning a Super Bowl, because we all know that Pittsburgh won't win a Super Bowl with Cowher at the helm.

But give Cowher some credit; he knows a good thing when he has it -- a job. If they want him to keep it and pay him well, that's their prerogative.

"I can go 8-8 and get paid for the rest of my life," a content Cowher explains.

And that's exactly what he'll probably do this year: lead the Steelers to an 8-8 record. But in the process, the Steelers may find that Ben Roethlisberger is their quarterback of the future. Actually, it will probably take them less than three weeks to realize that; Tommy Maddox will either play terribly and/or have his spine busted again, opening the door for Roethlisberger.

In Oakland, where owner Al Davis knows when to can a coach, Norv Turner takes over for the departed Bill Callahan. Davis also brought in free agents Warren Sapp, Ted Washington, and Kerry Collins. Sapp and Washington should shore up a woeful Raiders rush defense, while Collins will bring an extensive knowledge of alcoholism to Raiders camp, and may also get the starting nod at quarterback over Rich Gannon, who won an NCAA basketball championship with N.C. State years ago and now announces figure skating play-by-play (I'm sorry, that's Terry Gannon).

Anyway, the Raider D-line wreaks havoc, and Ty Wheatley scores on two short touchdown runs. Oakland wins, 23-14.

Tampa Bay @ Washington

"There's the old sheriff in town," crows Joe Gibbs as he meets Jon Gruden before kickoff at FedEx Field, "and his name is still Joe Gibbs. I'm kicking it old-school, and by old, I mean when winning one Super Bowl wasn't jack squat. You hear me, Gruden? You had to win at least two to be somebody, and three to be me. I'll shake your hand when you've won two more bowls and a couple of NASCAR championships. And one more thing: don't think I wouldn't have busted Art Monk's lips if he ever got in my face like Keyshawn Johnson did with you."

Gruden is then plowed by a Home Depot-sponsored golf cart driven by Tony Stewart, who whisks Gibbs back to the sideline. Officials wave the caution while crews remove Gruden and debris from the playing field.

Back on the Buc sideline, Gruden dusts himself off, grimaces, and consults with Chuckie in the Tampa Bay box upstairs. Chuckie informs Gruden to have linebacker Derrick Brooks shadow Clinton Portis, and on offense, look for the deep ball, just not to holdout Keenan McCardell.

The plan works like a charm. Portis is held to 75 yards rushing, and Brad Johnson hits rookie Michael Clayton with a touchdown bomb. Gruden gets last laugh. Tampa Bay, 30-20.

Dallas @ Minnesota

Hey, Randy (Moss), what did you do during the offseason? Well, besides smoking dope and picking your 'fro out on a daily basis.

"Let me tell you what I did, player," says Moss. "You're right about the dope and the 'fro, but I also cut me a sweet deal with the people down at Ronco. We gots the Mad Skillz version of the Foreman Grill. We gone call it "The Mad Skillet." Come on over to this studio kitchen while we film this infomercial. Look at this. Isn't she a beauty? Not only can this thing fry two slices of bologna in minutes, but I discovered that you can cook heroin and sterilize a knife in case you need to remove a bullet from yourself or an accomplice, I mean friend."

Wow! How much for all this, Randy?

"It's simple," adds Moss. "Just nine easy payments of $49.99, plus shipping costs of four easy payments of $21.99. Sorry, no C.O.D.'s."

While the friendly order clerks at Ronco headquarters handle the Madd Rush on Madd Skillets, Moss leads the Vikes to an easy, 28-10 destruction of the Cowboys. As usual, the Minnesota offense shines, but the defense steps up, too, harassing Vinnie Testeverde into two interceptions and limiting Eddie George to 2.7 yards (that's rushing yards, not yards per rush).

Kansas City @ Denver

Chiefs cornerback Dexter McCleon fires the first bullet in the war of words with the hated Broncos when he vows that "Clinton Portis will not score five touchdowns on us as he did last year."

That's a bold statement coming from a Kansas City defender, even bolder when you consider that Portis no longer plays for Denver. When informed of this fact, the cocky McCleon replies curtly, "See, I'm right already."

Since no Denver player has the necessary cockiness to properly reply to McCleon's statement, the Broncos jet in retired tight end and world-class trash-talker Shannon Sharpe to respond.

"Let's see," the witty Sharpe replies. "Dexter McKlingon. The closest he's ever came to All-Pro is feeding his dog Alpo. He tackles like Deion Sanders. If speed were brains, he's still be an idiot. If interceptions were contraception, he'd have 12 kids. Dex might have to think about that one for a while."

While McCleon tries to figure out whether Sharpe's last statement was a crack or a compliment, he's burned by Ashley Lelie for a 55-yard touchdown strike. 7-0 Broncos.

The Chiefs bounce right back with Priest Holmes' signature seven-yard touchdown run.

It's tooth and nail to the very end, when a controversial interference call on Champ Bailey sets up Morten Anderson's 24-yard game winner, which barely clears the crossbar. The Chiefs celebrate a 27-24 victory, while Denver coach Mike Shanahan goes ballistic, turning a shade of red that sometime in the future Crayola will dub "Enraged Shanahan Red."

Green Bay @ Carolina

Very few experts are picking the Panthers to successfully defend their NFC Championship. In fact, not many people can even remember that the Panthers were in the Super Bowl. What's up with that? If a team in one year can win two or so overtime games, win a couple of others on the last play, block a field goal to save another game, and win every single close game they're involved in, who has the right to say they can't do it again?

"Nobody, pal," explains Panther quarterback and good ol' boy Jake Delhomme. "Last year was God's way of making up to us all that had gone wrong with our franchise in years past, with the deaths and murders and assaults and what not. This year, we're praying for the Super Bowl win, and hopefully, our prayers will be answered, preferably by Jesus Christ."

The Panthers will no doubt need a little guidance from above to surpass last year's success, but they can also do so with talent, especially on defense. Carolina boasts one of the game's best defenses, and this group makes life miserable for Brett Favre and Ahman Green. Green is whacked into two fumbles and Favre throws two interceptions, leading the Panthers to an easy 24-10 victory. Thank you, Jesus.

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 1:50 PM | Comments (2)

Problems Under the Golden Dome

Following its 1977 national championship, punctuated by a decisive victory over No. 1 Texas in the Cotton Bowl, the Notre Dame Fightin' Irish slipped in the national rankings. Notre Dame still had good years, and even some campaigns when they were picked to finish quite high -- but by and large, disappointment reigned.

However, jump-started in part by an upset triumph over No. 12 USC in Los Angeles (1986), and a Heisman Trophy winner in Tim Brown (1987) -- the lads of Leahy returned, winning a national championship under Lou Holtz in 1988.

Arguably, from 1988-1993, there was no finer program in college football; only Miami won more national titles than Notre Dame, the first of which was earned by virtue of a dominant win (in Coral Gables) over ND's most talented team in many a year (1989). In that span, the Irish claimed a championship, finished second twice, played in two Orange Bowls, two Cotton Bowls, a Sugar (a gratuity, yes, but they beat the SEC's best), and a Fiesta -- winning all but one. During this 64-9-1 stretch, Notre Dame finished in the top-six in the AP poll five of six times.

The Irish have not sniffed the top-10 since. So ... what happened?

The point here is not to compare the modern Notre Dame Football program with its distant past; the successes of Knute Rockne (.881) and Frank Leahy (.855) will likely never be duplicated. For more than a generation, South Bend stood as the only place, outside of their home state or region, promising recruits seriously considered -- today they go anywhere and everywhere. The pipeline from Chicago (that produced Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Lattner, 1953) and other locales has long dried up.

The proud Irish also endured some setbacks, posting a losing record from 1956-1963 -- but they rebounded, courtesy of Ara Parseghian, and enjoyed a wondrous run of success that culminated in a 24-23 victory over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, which captured, in this writer's opinion, the most prestigious national championship in the history of college football (1973).

By all measures, Notre Dame stands right on the border; this is usually the point in the interval where the program regenerates and delivers greatness. Their problem, of course, has not been a lack of victories, 29-19 over the past four years is hardly the worst in school history; the problem is that virtually every "big game" for the Irish since Ron Powlus's eye-opening debut in Chicago, IL, has been an unmitigated disaster. They have beaten otherwise 10-2 Michigan teams (1998 and 2002) twice in that span ... anything else? No. Should a win over an otherwise 9-4 team in Tallahassee (34-24 over FSU in 2002) even really count? No.

Notre Dame's recent record has fell short of its recent and gallant past for one reason: they do not receive the players that they once did, or more to the point, they do not admit the same type of players they once did.

Paul Hornung, former ND star and resident broadcaster, was fired for intimating that the Golden Dome has suffered due to a lack of "black kids." By turning it into strictly a matter of race, Hornung lost the argument and allowed a shocked brass to plausibly persuade others that not only were his comments ill-toned, they were erroneous. Race is the not the issue with the Notre Dame Football program, the powers-that-be hired (albeit belatedly) a terrific coach in Tyrone Willingham and his current team would never be confused with Darrell Royal's late-1960s to early-1970s bunch; correct, that Texas team won against tough, though "whitened down," competition. Okay, that was unfair, on several levels.

The point is that over time, the culture of America has changed, even if we are still slow in making progress. Unlike, say the 1930s-1980s, minority children have a bolstered chance in growing up in a poverty-free, if not affluent suburb, environment. Instead of living on the streets with drugs and death staring them in the face, they get to grow up in much nicer housing conditions, and enter into disciplined schools. These are the kids that are provided the education to pass rigorous preparatory courses, score well on aptitude examinations, and figure to do well in the University of Notre Dame's most trying classes, such as Calculus and Physics.

I do not have any empirical evidence to back this assertion (i.e. pure and unfettered speculation), nor do I know if any admissions board actively embraces such as policy, but I see the results on the athletic field. This is admittedly a sensitive issue, blurred by the prejudices of the past and unresolved by the quagmire of some of President Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty failures.

Do scoffed, ignored, betrayed, and otherwise neglected children perform more proficiently on a field of play than their opposites, irrespective of skin color or ethnicity? A correlation may never be found, and motivation cannot really be quantified.

Let us face the facts: children of troubled backgrounds begat national championship teams; I've mentioned Nebraska's similar saga in this space -- but ND is a private university and that makes an enormous difference. The question simply becomes, just how much blood is one willing to tolerate on their national championship ring?

Notre Dame's former recruiting practices that launched their return to dominance of the late-'80s and early-'90s, have been well-documented. At some point, one simply has to be honest, some of those recruits could not have been admitted to the university under its current system. ND was renowned for a stout, disciplined defense (it still possesses that); a power running-attack (work in progress); speed (especially on special teams and for skilled players -- nowhere to be found).

It is altogether hard to believe that, if similar standards existed, Miami, FSU, and now USC would have taken as much as they have. The exclusivity of the Irish gave them the best of both worlds for many, many years -- but the bubble burst in the mid-'90s, and with their recent scheduling announcement (scaling back the competition, regardless of the athletic department's spin), Notre Dame might be inching forward in making a choice; one that could close a door on a remarkable program.

Simply put, Notre Dame has to decide whether or not to follow the actions of the Ivies all those years ago -- that might be an honorable decision, it would certainly lessen the prospects of further tarnishing of the Golden Dome -- but the university cannot have it both ways. It cannot continue to pretend that with a 9-2 record (both losses coming to top-ten teams by twenty points or more); they legitimately deserve a place at the Bowl Championship Series table.

Or, the university can look to the University of Miami for a road to recovery; recruits came back, despite the outlandish successes of rival Floridian schools. But this private academic school/big-time football power hybrid is not working any longer; Notre Dame should be demoted from its current equal standing with the Big 6 Conferences, for this is not your older sibling's Notre Dame.

This is a football program, and a university, in denial.

Full disclosure: I am a fan of the program, ever since the magical qualities of a Rocket on one autumn Ann Arbor afternoon, but I do not feel the program should conduct itself as if the regular laws of college football did not apply to them. In 1949, that perhaps was true; not today. That is why I rooted for USC to dominate Notre Dame in 2002; they did not deserve a BCS bid, proven by their lackluster performance against NC State a few weeks later.

If Notre Dame Football truly wants to compete on a national level with the USCs, Oklahomas, Miamis, and all the rest, they will have to return to the practices of the late-'80s...

To return to that championship level, and everything that, regrettably or not, is associated with it, Notre Dame ought to comprehend what it needs to accomplish. Should they undergo such a change, or should they buck the societal pressure to once again "wake up the echoes"? Whatever they decide may just have long-term ramifications for sports in this country.

Posted by Marc James at 10:09 AM | Comments (0)

August 25, 2004

Gunner For Hire

The game is nip and tuck all the way, with neither team able to open a lead larger than seven points. The U.S. team looks anxious and unsure of themselves, afraid to shoot from the outside, trying to force things inside their opponents' well packed-in zone. As the game nears its conclusion, things aren't looking good for the Americans.

U.S. coach Larry Brown calls a timeout with about five minutes to play and goes to the end of his bench. He taps the oldest member of the team on his right shoulder, leans in close to his ear and tells him, "You're in."

The old veteran stands on his creaky knees, calmly walks over to the scorer's table, and enters the game. On the Americans' first possession, Stephon Marbury drives the lane and finds the old guy alone in the corner as the defense collapses. The old guy takes the pass, raises up, and with that signature funky follow-through, swishes the three. "Three-point goal by Reggie Miller of the Unites States," is the call from the arena announcer. The U.S. goes up by two.

On the ensuing possession, after their opponent misses a three of their own, the Americans swing the ball around the perimeter, as Miller runs frenetically from sideline to sideline, looking to shake his defender and get open for another jumper. The constant motion finally allows him to get open off a pick from Tim Duncan and the ball is swung around to him. He raises up again and the result is the same. "Swish," goes the net, as Miller hits again. The Americans go up by five points.

On the next possession, this time after a block by Duncan, the U.S. gets out on the break and Miller is the trailer. Instead of setting up for the crowd-pleasing and universally expected high-wire dunk, Marbury spots Miller a few feet behind the arc and instead, passes the ball out to him.

As the shot leaves Miller's hand, Allen Iverson jumps off the bench and raises both arms, signaling a made three-pointer. Iverson's call proves to be prophetic, as the ball again settles in the net for Miller's third-straight three-pointer of the quarter. The U.S. goes up by eight points and goes on to win by 19.

At the post-game press conference, coach Brown is asked to share what he learned from tonight's game. "I learned not to leave Reggie Miller on the bench for so long. I learned again that he is one of the best clutch shooters in the world and he proved that tonight. I also learned that if we want to win the gold medal, I'd better play Reggie a bit more than I did tonight. He was the difference tonight. We're lucky he's on our side."

Everyone who's watched these Olympic Games or the exhibition games played prior to the Olympics has witnessed the Americans' fatal team flaw: lack of perimeter shooting. It's not as if the players assembled on the team can't hit the shot; it's just that none of them hit it consistently. There's no one on the team who can be viewed as an outside shooting threat, so the teams they play against just clog the lane with a zone and dare the U.S. to beat them from the outside. So far, that strategy has proven to be an amazingly effective one.

With the lane being choked off and defenders backing off, the Americans have had a difficult time getting the ball inside to Tim Duncan, their one true mismatch, leaving the wing players looking scared and unwilling to shoot from the outside. Without the ability of the guards to get in the lane and create, the Americans have struggled to create offense consistently, which has made them tentative on the defensive end.

And without a constant defensive effort, the Americans have allowed their opponents to stay within striking distance, which makes those teams' propensity for knocking down jumpers all the more capable of pulling out a victory, which Puerto Rico and Lithuania were able to do earlier in the tournament.

However, a lot of those shortcomings could have been rectified had a shooter been on this team. Sure, Ray Allen was a member of the original team that was chosen to play in these Olympics and he declined to go. And, of course, if the selection committee had any sense, Michael Redd would have been one of the first players asked to replace the players who declined a spot on the team.

But, for the life of me, I can't understand why Reggie Miller wasn't even asked to participate. Yeah, he may have said "no." But, why not even ask him. What would it have hurt? Maybe he doesn't fit the demographic of the team, since it appears that the league wanted to send what they consider the "future of the League" to Athens. But, at times during the tournament, it seems as if the younger players have gotten a little rattled by the fact that the games aren't as easy as they expected and they're not blowing teams out by 30 points.

Miller's a veteran who has played in huge games before and understands the magnitude of these Games. Miller would not have been rattled by the overly partisan crowds the U.S. has seen. Miller has been the enemy everywhere he's played in his entire NBA career except for home games, so the whistle-blowing Greek crowds would not have bothered him.

But, here's the relevant information pertaining to this argument. He's a career 20-point-per-game playoff scorer, which is a few points higher than his regular season average, which shows he rises to the occasion on the most important stage. He's played in the NBA Finals, averaging 24 points per game. He has experience playing internationally, having played on gold medal-winning teams at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and the 2004 World Championships, where he was the leading scorer.

And, oh by the way, he is the NBA's career leader in made three-point baskets and is a career 89% free-throw shooter, which just happens to be another of this team's woes. Now somebody tell me whether or not he could have helped this team just a bit.

There's no question that this current team has a lot of talent. Based on those attributes alone, they ought to be running roughshod over the other teams in this competition. But, talent alone isn't enough. And especially in the international game, where there is less one-on-one play, teamwork, and perimeter shooting are essential and this team is deficient in both areas.

Can they win the gold? Sure, they can. Will they win the gold? Hmm, I'm inclined to say yes, but my gut feeling is that they will be playing for the bronze come this weekend. However, I, along with many others, would have felt a lot more secure about their chances had Reggie Miller, or another long-range sniper, been a part of this team. Miller belonged on this team and fans of USA basketball can only hope that his omission doesn't cost their team a gold medal.

Posted by Eric Williams at 12:31 PM | Comments (0)

College Football Preview: Big East and MAC

First, let's shoot straight for a second. It's confession time. I bleed Blue and Gold. West Virginia Blue and Gold. And I do it without shame, most of the time. Sure, some seasons are clunkier than others, and there is the rather embarrassing score line hung on the Mountaineers last January 1st.

But, for the first time in 16 years, the school I've rooted for as long as I've known anything about college football is legitimately in the national championship hunt.

To be honest, I'm not that big on national championship hunts, or national championships in a game of regions. Still, if the cards fall right, my team could be playing in the Orange Bowl, with the opportunity to get destroyed by Oklahoma. Or Georgia. Or ... maybe, just maybe, they'll win a January bowl game. Anything could happen. Here we go. And remember, I've got a dog in this hunt, and while I'm usually pretty good about biases and whatnot, sometimes ... well, sometimes they sneak in. Sorry.

Big East Conference

The Big East is weaker this season than ever before. In fact, I suppose that even next year when Louisville, South Florida, and Cincinnati join, things won't be quite right for some time. Which leaves the door wide open for West Virginia and Pittsburgh to dominate for the foreseeable future. With any luck, Pitt can be removed from that equation beginning this year.

West Virginia 11-0 (Last year's prediction: 7-5; Actual: 8-4)

The stars are aligned. The Mountaineers finally have bugaboo Miami off the schedule. They host Boston College, and Pitt won't be a contender anymore when that game arrives on the schedule. Is the schedule embarrassing? Yes, somewhat. But, everyone realizes that the only Big East losses this program has suffered two years running came against Miami, right? I've read some stuff lately suggesting big things from the UConn Huskies this season. Don't believe the hype. This conference is West Virginia's to lose this year.

Boston College 6-5 (10-2; 7-5)

In their farewell year, the Eagles will attempt to get through without their key offensive player from a year ago, the shifty and tough running back Derrick Knight, as well as continue to develop a quarterback to run the offense. The Eagles defense will still be stout, but winning games against the jilted partners of the Big East remainders will be, in more cases than not, difficult.

Pittsburgh 6-5 (8-4; 8-4)

Pitt starts the new era of the Big East without its quarterback of the last three seasons, without its amazing wide receiver, Larry Fitzgerald, and without several cogs on defense. It will be a tough season in Pittsburgh. Walt Harris bashers (of which there are plenty) will have opportunity to get in their shots.

Connecticut 6-5 (8-4; 9-3)

Do you realize the best team this beat a year ago, record-wise, was a more-tough-than-talented Wake Forest team? Do you also realize that they only played three bowl teams a year ago? And beat none of them? And, as if that isn't enough, their star running back, without whom they were unable to beat a team with a winning record, is out for the entire year again. Six wins might be more than the Huskies can actually muster.

Syracuse 6-5 (5-7; 6-6)

The big controversy all season-long will be what head coach Paul Pasqualoni can do to keep his detractors at bay. The answer, more than likely, is nothing. Still, the Orange, equipped with a new nickname (dropping the "men" in the offseason) and a new logo and the best running back in the conference should be able to get over .500 this season, and continue to attempt to retool for the future.

Rutgers 4-7 (3-9; 5-7)

The Scarlet Knights had a better team on the field than their record suggests. Things are still in flux in East Rutherford, and still improving. Rutgers has a load of work to do to actually be competitive in the conference, but things are getting better.

Temple 1-10 (4-8; 1-11)

The Owls are the Owls. A program whose continued existence, never mind their status as a Division 1-A football program, should be in grave danger, runs through their final season in the Big East in much the same way as they spent their entire tenure in the conference: at the bottom.

Mid-American Conference

The MAC gets one piece of good news this season: Marshall, which joined the conference just seven years ago, and played in the conference title game five of those seasons, is moving on after this season. The Thundering Herd leave the conference is far better shape than when they found it, though.

MAC East

Marshall 9-2 (8-4; 8-4)

The Herd look to go out on top. The toughest team in the East Division has lost its playmaker, and won't be the trouble they've been over the last two years.

Central Florida 8-3 (9-3; 3-9)

Something went terribly wrong at UCF last season. What should have been a strong season with senior QB Ryan Schneider at the helm turned into an unmitigated disaster. George O'Leary comes aboard, back in the head coaching business, and recovering from heart trouble. The squad was good but disrupted last season. Things will be better with new stability in place.

Miami 5-6 (10-2; 11-1)

Will the Redhawks miss Ben Roethlisberger? You betcha.

Akron 5-6 (7-5; 7-5)

The opportunity for the Zips to improve is there, but they'll miss out.

Kent State 4-7 (3-9; 5-7)

The Golden Flashes will have a chance to win more games if QB Joshua Cribbs can stay out of trouble. As it is, though, he's going to miss the season opener.

Ohio 3-8 (4-8; 2-10)

The Bobcats will need at least one upset to get to three wins. Stranger things have happened.

Buffalo 1-10 (1-11; 1-11)

How much futility is required to reduce a program's status, anyway?

MAC West

Toledo 10-1 (7-5; 8-4)

Quietly, the Rockets are the best team in the conference. And they currently play in the better division. Junior QB Bruce Gradkowski takes over the mantle of the league's best QB.

Bowling Green 8-3 (9-3; 10-2)

The Falcons have a good thing going, although there will be a huge adjustment to life without superstar QB Josh Harris.

Northern Illinois 7-4 (9-3; 10-2)

The Huskies will be counting on QB Josh Haldi more this season, with RB Michael Turner on to the NFL. He's up to the task, but in the West, it's going to a tough road.

Western Michigan 4-7 (3-9; 5-7)

A tough defense only goes so far.

Central Michigan 4-7 (2-10; 3-9)

I love the directional Michigan schools.

Ball State 2-10 (5-7; 4-8)

Tough times in Muncie, Indiana as they try to keep others from scoring.

Eastern Michigan 2-9 (2-10; 3-9)

I mean it, aren't the directional Michigan schools great?

Coming up next: A mid-major special with the Mountain West and Conference USA. Stay tuned!

Posted by David Martin at 1:43 AM | Comments (0)

August 24, 2004

Red, White, and Gold

The Olympics are nearing their end, and as always, the U.S. stands atop the medal leader board with a double-digit lead. Americans expect dominance in sports, dominance like what Michael Phelps has done in swimming, and what the women's softball team has done to the rest of the softball world.

While watching our country dominate again (with the notable exception of our men's basketball team, which is another whole episode), I began to wonder why other countries weren't up to par.

The most notable reason is because of the freedoms which some, including myself at times, take for granted in our country. Part of the success of Americans, I think, comes from their confidence, that swagger, that "I am better than you and I'm going to show the world" attitude.

While there are many that would disagree with me, I believe this confidence is important to athletes. I appreciate guys like Muhammad Ali and even guys like Chad Johnson, who give credit to their teammates and coaches, but still do a fair share of talking to get inside an opponent's head. It is entertaining.

Unfortunately, some take it over the top and bring self-centeredness to a whole new level, especially Terrell Owens, with his "if it looks like a rat, and it smells like a rat, then by golly, it's a rat" comments, but most athletes get it.

Some other countries don't even have those freedoms, countries such as Iraq where soccer players used to get tortured for making mistakes, and countries like Iran, where last week a 16-year-old girl was hanged in public for having a "sharp tongue."

If the U.S. existed with such ignorant rules and leaders, then people like Deion Sanders, Terrell Owens, Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Kellen Winslow, Jr, the entire NBA, and Mike Tyson would have to do their trash talking from six-feet under.

Not all countries are this asinine, and I wondered why they didn't pose a real challenge to America in the sporting world. It became apparent that some countries were becoming more like America, but they were only picking up on the bad traits.

Traits like whining like a little girl and blaming everyone else when you lose, tactics similar to those used by fans of the Boston Red Sox or Chicago Cubs. These traits were picked up nicely by Russian gymnast Svetlana Khorkina.

Svetlana is making ludicrous claims that the all-around competition in women's gymnastics was fixed so American Carly Patterson would win gold. Immediately after the all-around event, the silver medalist claimed it was one of the best days of her life, but after the John Kerry of Russian gymnasts had a day to think about it, she is now "furious" at anything and everything.

"I practically did everything right, still they just set me up and fleeced me," Khorkina said.

I think it's great that she almost did everything right, but in gymnastics, almost isn't going to get the job done. Although I'm sure her claim is valid, right now, the judges are having a good laugh at her expense about how they "fleeced" her.

At least you can't blame her for having the wrong attitude.

"I knew well in advance, even before I stepped on the stage for my first event, that I was going to lose," Svetlana said.

What a great role model, that is what upset stories are all about. When the breaks are beating you and everyone counts you out ... you fold up the tent and go home. This is a realistic attitude -- the fact of the matter is when you go up against the U.S., you probably will lose. At least she knows where she stands.

Svetlana said the judges should have favored her since she got jobbed in Sydney in 2000 and then even suggested that gymnastics should be judged more on grace and beauty than mechanics. Now, I know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I don't believe there are any beholders out there, other than Russians and blind people, who would find any beauty in Svetlana Khorkina.

Now while Khorkina's poor trait picked up from the U.S. is in her attitude, a pair of star Olympians for Greece got involved in another bad habit: a business relationship with Victor Conte and BALCO. The two involved were Greece's Konstantinos Kenteris and Katerina Thanou.

Both athletes had long been suspected of using performance enhancing drugs, especially Kenteris, who is more skilled at running from drug tests than running races. They both blamed their coach and said they didn't know what they were taking.

This would make sense, if the two didn't fake a motorcycle accident to miss the latest drug test. This would make sense, if Kenteris didn't disappear for months at a time (like Deion Sanders' common sense) to avoid drug tests. While the lawyer for the two said he has serious evidence that they are not guilty (he must have left it next to Andre Rison's child support payments), e-mails between Conte and their coach have named both Olympians. Kenteris believes he is taking one for the team.

"After the crucifixion, there always comes the resurrection," Kenteris said. Wrong. I seem to only remember one story of a resurrection, and that is about 2,000-years-old. Kenteris may not be a historical scholar, but I'm fairly certain that there were thousands of crucifixions, all without a resurrection. This will be no different.

I have a tremendous amount of respect for athletes like Britain's Paula Radcliffe, who gave it everything she had but it just wasn't her day. On the other hand, I have no respect for losers who make excuses or cheat and make excuses.

Now that I have a little more perspective and more appreciation for the freedoms in our country, I can go back to enjoying our country winning a lot of medals for a few more days. And, like they say, if it looks like a champion, and it smells like a champion, then by golly, it's an American.

Mark Chalifoux is also a weekly columnist for SportsFan Magazine. His columns appear every Tuesday on Sports Central. You can e-mail Mark at [email protected].

Posted by Mark Chalifoux at 10:58 PM | Comments (0)

College Football Preview: Big 12 and WAC

The Western Athletic Conference is one of those college football conferences that, once upon a time, carried some amount of respect. Not a ton, mind you, but some. Back in the day, the WAC was home to "QB U.," Brigham Young University. Air Force was a meaningful football force every few years, and Hawaii competed every so often, and was a great place to play a game.

Well, at least the WAC still has Hawaii, but one has to wonder for how much longer.

After the amazing conference buy-off of 2003, the WAC, so very much a weaker conference after most of its major players pulled together to form the Mountain West Conference, loses four schools after the coming season to Conference USA. While the four programs that leave aren't powers, they are being replaced by programs none too prestigious in vying-for-worst-team-in-Division 1-A Idaho, along with Idaho's Sun Belt Conference members, Utah State and New Mexico State.

And in honor of the continued weakening of the WAC, I'll go through my predictions for their 2004, and take on the Big 12 last.

Western Athletic Conference

The WAC has been ruled by the Broncos of Boise State for the last three seasons. And they've only been in the conference for four years. No reason to believe that the home of the Blue Turf won't also be the home of the WAC champs one more time. Again.

Boise State 11-0 (Last year's prediction: 10-3; Actual: 12-1)

The Broncos have had among the nation's best offenses over the last several years, but against some of the nation's worst defenses. Don't let that fool you, though. They've had bowl game wins (granted, they only play bowl games on their own field) over some decent programs.

Hawaii 9-3 (8-5; 8-5)

The Warriors dropped the rainbow a few years back and went with black and green unis. They win 'em all at home. And why not? Would you want to play football while in Hawaii? I guess maybe if I lived there...

Fresno State 9-3 (8-5; 8-5)

Fresno State continues to hamstring itself by scheduling BCS conferences opponents before getting into the meat of its conference schedule. While this is commendable, it will only help their resume for admission to the Mountain West the next time that conference is looking for new members. Fresno continues to pull the occasional upset, but usually loses to its big-time opponents, and sets itself up for failure in attempting to boost their reputation.

Tulsa 7-4 (5-7; 8-4)

I clearly misunderstood the depth of changes made by a new coaching staff. The Golden Hurricane (shouldn't they be the Tornadoes?) will have a decent year, and will be well-positioned to make a conference title run soon.

Louisiana Tech 5-7 (5-7; 5-7)

It's been a tough time lately in Bulldog country, and for the first time in several years, La. Tech won't have a QB named McCown on which to hang its hopes, or blame its troubles.

Rice 4-7 (0-12; 5-7)

I deeply underestimated the changes under way at Rice, but winning more than they lose? That won't change for a while.

Nevada 4-8 (9-3; 6-6)

The Wolfpack were victimized by injuries and discipline problems, and more than a little bit of overly optimistic reporting last year. There have been changes, but it's going to take a little while to get things going in the right direction again as Nevada continues to work out its discipline issues.

San Jose State 3-9 (6-5; 3-8)

A promising '02 was followed by a tragically disappointing '03, and unless something gets going in the right direction soon, the Spartans will be coach-hunting next winter.

Texas-El Paso 3-8 (5-7; 2-11)

Speaking of coach-hunting, the Miners surprised many by choosing the embattled former Alabama coach to-be Mike Price to take revive a beleaguered program. Price lends some credibility to program in lack, but Price didn't build the program in Pullman overnight, and it's going to be a tough row to hoe in ol' El Paso.

Southern Methodist 0-11 (1-11; 0-12)

The Mustangs will be headed to the Western Division of the Conference USA on a sour note: two-straight years without a win. Ugh.

Big 12 North

Confusion reigns in the Big 12. In Lincoln, a coach is fired for rebounding from the program's worst year in decades and winning 10 games. In Boulder, the coach who oversaw a loss of control over his program, who intimated that boys will be boys and rapes will happen, gets to keep his job. Well, probably not all year. Look for a bad time for the Buffs.

Nebraska 10-1 (9-3; 9-3)

I hated the hiring of Bill Callahan. I don't think it's the difference-maker in Lincoln, in fact. I think the defense was just fine last season, and will be even better this year.

Kansas State 8-3 (11-2; 10-3)

Darren Sproles will make a Heisman run, but without El Roberson, the Wildcats still don't have enough against some of the classic powerhouses.

Missouri 8-3 (6-6; 8-4)

I'll catch flack for saying it, but someone has to: Missouri QB Brad Smith is flat-out overrated.

Iowa State 3-8 (3-9; 2-10)

Still looking for another Seneca Wallace.

Colorado 3-8(6-6;5-7)

Color me stunned at season's end if Gary Barnett is still employed in Boulder. And then color the brass at UC shameful.

Kansas 0-11 (3-9; 6-6)

I respect Mark Mangino, but I got the sense the Jayhawks were doing it with some smoke and mirrors last year. They likely won't go winless as I predict here, but I don't think they'll sniff .500 this season.

Big 12 South

This is where the national champions come from. Why do we even bother with the north? After Nebraska, there's nothing to write home about. At least not this year.

Oklahoma 11-0(12-0;12-0)

Take away the two most meaningful games of the season, and the Sooners were the best team since ... who knows? I think they sweep the season again, maybe even win a trip to Miami, but I don't think the Sooners will be dancing the dance of the national champs. At least they'll have beaten Texas for six years running.

Texas 10-1 (9-3; 10-2)

I'm not a Mack Brown fan. I've picked the Longhorns to lose only to OU, but I won't be surprised if they lose more games than that.

Oklahoma State 8-3 (9-3; 9-3)

Things are going pretty well in Stillwater. Sure, they don't have Rashaun Woods or Tatum Bell, but the Cowboys have slowly built a competitive program. They should be okay.

Texas A&M 6-5 (11-1; 4-8)

I thought Dennis Franchione, traitor to Alabama, would have things fixed in a jiff. Turns out it takes a couple years to right the wrongs. That's fine. The Aggies will be battling for a division title in two years.

Texas Tech 4-7 (3-9; 7-5)

The Red Raiders will still score, though probably not as prolifically as they have over the last couple years, and they won't be able to stop anyone.

Baylor 1-10 (2-10; 3-9)
I keep waiting for the Bears to give up Division 1-A football so that North Texas can take their place in the Big 12.

Coming up next time: the Big East and MAC. Stay tuned!

Posted by David Martin at 10:56 AM | Comments (2)

An Olympian Effort ... Viva Le Chile!

Tennis is a sport dominated by great hand-eye coordination, innate timing, impressive physical conditioning, and incredible heart. Few sports, maybe none, can match the influence of heart and soul on the outcome of play more then tennis.

In history, there have been a select number of matches that have embodied this mental and psychological strength, like the Budge-Von Cramm Davis Cup match, the Pancho Gonzalez-Charlie Passarell match at Wimbledon, the six-hour Davis Cup marathon between John McEnroe and Mats Wilander, and the two WCT finals between Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall.

Arguably, any of these could compete for greatest match of all-time, and each would have its claim on the players with the most heart. I would like to add two to that now the 2004 Athens Olympics men's singles and doubles.

Nicholas Massu and Team Chile were not even supposed to make it past the first- or second-rounds in Athens. Based on rankings and recent play, I would have expected the Chileans to have been heading for the U.S. just after the Olympic Torch was lit.

While both Massu and countryman Fernando Gonzalez are great players, and have shown great promise, neither is known for their prowess on hardcourts and clearly the strongest players coming in were Nicholas Kiefer of Germany and Andy Roddick of the U.S. And I almost forgot that Roger Federer was also in the mix.

In summoning the great Olympic spirit, and showing that national pride still counts for something, the Chileans swept both the doubles and singles golds and the men's singles bronze, as well.

Massu played three gripping matches back-to-back-to-back in winning the gold, culminating with what can only be called a Herculean effort in coming back from cramps and exhaustion in the final to win in five very, very hotly contested sets.

This following the doubles final the previous day, where he and Gonzalez fought of the German team in five grueling sets to take an unlikely and unprecedented doubles gold. Heck, Gonzalez came back to win in three sets the Bronze, taking the final set to 16-14 against American prodigy Taylor Dent. How did these otherwise minor players do it?

HEART! I was glued to the tube all weekend, even though normally matches between Mardy Fish, Taylor Dent, Nicholas Massu, and Fernando Gonzalez would usually send me looking for programs like "The Look for Less" to watch. Each match started with great tennis, stayed close, had incredible points, and with each set, grew more and more interesting, important, and addictive.

I rooted for Dent when he had three Bronze medal points in his consolation round, but I have to tell you that I was just as happy to see Fernando gut and claw his way to the win. The Lleyton Hewitt Leg Mason final seemed to be the better match, but I watched just about every point of Fish and Massu going for the gold. It's been quite a while since we had a match like this, one that showed tennis at its best ... tennis played with guts and heart!

I've lamented here many times how I long for better times, and this Olympic tournament gave me just that. If only men's and women's tennis could sustain such a great level of play, with such incredible drama, on a regular basis. Athens is clearly special, but there is plenty of talent to go around both tours to give us this each and every week.

Okay, enough said. Tennis is at its best when the best comes out of the players, and the 2004 Olympics will forever embody all that tennis is and can be, at least for me. I hope and pray that it was for you, too.

See you guys at the Open!

Posted by Tom Kosinski at 6:58 AM | Comments (0)

August 23, 2004

USA Basketball: Five Reasons We Stink

Every night, I fall asleep to the hysterical voices of sports analysts explaining why USA basketball is doomed. Every explanation is different. None of them make the 20-point loss to Puerto Rico go away. But for the sake of sanity, l wanted to try to get a grip on why our national basketball team is playing like it's in a McDonald's High School All-American Game being coached by Jerry Tarkanian.

1) We can't make threes. True. Looking at the roster, it is possible this team was put together by a group of men who thought they were supposed to create the ultimate PlayStation team. There are no shooters on this team. Allen Iverson, that indefatigable long-range bomber, is not a three-point shooter. He can't even shoot 40-percent from the floor, let alone the arc.

You'll remember that at last year's All-Star Game, Philadelphia's representative in the Three-Point Contest wasn't a tattooed, corn-rowed baller, but a dusty haired white dude from Creighton named Kyle Korver. But to his credit, A.I. was there, jumping up and down on the sidelines every time the kid nailed the moneyball.

So no, having a baller lining up for threes is not a good idea. We were 3-for 24 against Puerto Rico, 4-for-21 against Greece and 3-of-17 against Australia. This team wasn't built for threes, although hitting a few would help. One friend of mine, after downing a shot of Jaeger, suddenly insisted that, "the simple addition of Steve Kerr to this star-spangled train wreck would bring home the bling."

Granted, he was smashed when he said it, but sometimes alcohol produces rare moments of lucidity.

2) We can't make free throws. We missed 11 against Puerto Rico, 13 versus Greece, and seven against Australia. And Shaq was thousands of miles away. But this is a skill that is routinely ignored in the NBA. There are a handful of teams that, were they to hit 80-percent of their free throws, could be NBA champs. But when they lose, the blame goes elsewhere. Nobody points to the charity stripe. They should.

3) We can't beat a good zone. This is patently false. We can beat a good zone. We just can't shoot over it.

4) We don't give a #%$*. This isn't true, either. Collectively, the team is worth about a billion dollars and it's true, money does take the edge off. But these guys all have pride. They hate to be embarrassed. Once they wake up to the fact that they are losing to a bunch of skinny white guys, they will care. They will most definitely care.

5) We just suck. This is partly true. We don't shoot perimeter jumpers well. We don't shoot free throws well. We dribble too much. And aside from A.I., we don't move well without the ball.

BUT...

We play great defense when they want to. And we are the best rebounding team in the tournament. And we can run with anybody.

Against Greece, an admittedly poor team, we did just that. The results were predictable. Australia began to force long threes once they realized that -- even with decent ball rotation -- they couldn't get open looks.

Once the bombs were launched, the Aussies were blown off the blocks for the rebound. Before they could recover, the USA was off and running. And usually dunking.

There's no need to beat the good European teams at their own game. We should play to our strengths, not theirs. Hard defense, tough rebounding, and transition. Larry Brown should tell his troops, "Let's play like the Pistons. Forget the threes. Forget your stat line. Just defend, rebound, and run."

At least then we'd be in the game, not 20 points out of it.

Stan Van Gundy said we should be able to win gold with NBA backups. He may be right, but only if they play together first. Our guys came together for five days then headed for Athens via Germany. Puerto Rico had been practicing twice a day for three months. Is it any wonder we got beat?

The fact is, our approach to the Olympics is arrogant. We throw a team of All-Stars together a few weeks before the Olympics kick off, and we expect them to thump teams that have been training like religious fanatics for months.

Will we win? Probably not. This team, despite its talent, has two things going against it. First, it has been seriously handicapped by the fact that USA basketball forgot to put a shooter on the team. Second, these guys haven't practiced enough while other teams have. With more time, Larry Brown could teach proper ball rotation, boxing out, defense, and transition. But unless they are exceptionally quick learners, it's already too late.

If we lose, then we'll probably start taking the Olympics seriously again. Kobe, K.G., T-Mac, and the others will sign up next time around. And we'll probably start winning again. We've still got the best basketball infrastructure in the world: the best coaches, the best athletes, the best programs, the best league.

All we need to do next time is plan ahead.

Posted by Jason Hirthler at 5:10 PM | Comments (1)

NL MVP? It's No Contest

If numbers alone dictated the National League's Most Valuable Player, there would be plenty of debate. I put before you the numbers of the four leading candidates (entering Sunday):

Albert Pujols 		.322	38	96
Scott Rolen		.329	31	110
Adrian Beltre		.330	38	87
Barry Bonds		.372	34	77

Doesn't it seem like Pujols has been ripping up the league forever? Yet, this is only the 24-year-old's fourth year. That's right, he's only 24.

At this pace, he might eclipse Henry Aaron's home run record faster before Alex Rodriguez. That, and because he's only whiffed 41 times while slugging 38 homers, gives opposing pitchers nightmares right now, not to mention the many years to come.

While Pujols has been awesome, his teammate in St. Louis has helped sparked the Cardinals to a surprisingly commanding NL Central lead. In addition to playing a gold glove caliber third base, Scott Rolen is enjoying his most prolific offensive season.

And for those of you who are unfamiliar with baseball west of the Mississippi, Adrian Beltre is putting on a show in a town that certainly enjoys one. The Dodgers' third baseman is having a breakout year, which is especially impressive considering he's played half of it on a gimpy leg.

Eric Gagne steals a lot of the headlines, but it's Beltre's heroics that are most responsible for L.A.'s turnaround this season. The offensive burden was supposed to be shouldered by Shawn Green and Milton Bradley. Instead, it's been Beltre, who has as many homers as Bradley and Green combined, which has kept the Dodgers afloat.

And please do not lose sight of where Beltre is performing his one-man ensemble. Dodger Stadium will never be confused with Coors Field, and yet he has four more home runs in the pitchers park than he does on the road, in one less at-bat!

But this year's undisputed MVP has to be the same recipient over the past three seasons. Barry Lamar Bonds might not have as many home runs or RBIs as the other candidates, but that isn't indicative of his importance.

As we all know, Bonds sees less things to hit in a week than Ricky Williams. Bonds has 69 more walks than anyone else. To put that in perspective, there are 113 players who are within 69 walks of Lance Berkman, who ranks second in that category.

Bonds' on-base percentage is an unimaginable .615, which is 154 points higher than anyone else. Again, to put it in perspective, there are 147 people who are within 154 points of Todd Helton, currently second in OBP.

As mentioned earlier, Pujols has only whiffed 41 times against 38 dingers, which at any other time in the game would be considered nearly impossible. But again, Bonds makes that feat seem average, striking out only 24 times while registering 10 more home runs than K's.

Without Bonds, the San Francisco Giants' lineup is only marginally better than Arizona and Montreal ... and no one else. Yet the Giants are tied with the Cardinals for the most runs in the National League! And I can assure you it's not because of Edgardo Alfonzo and Michael Tucker.

I don't care how much his fielding has deteriorated ... I don't care if he never runs hard to first ... I don't care how mean he is to the media. Without Bonds, the Giants are at best a 75-win team. But it's late August, and they currently have the wildcard lead. There is no debate; Bonds should be the unanimous selection for NL MVP, which would be his fourth-straight, and seventh overall.

Posted by Piet Van Leer at 3:10 AM | Comments (1)

August 21, 2004

Please, Cancel Prime Time!

There are some positions in sports for which I harbor a great deal of respect. Goaltender. Middle linebacker. Director of marketing for the Expos.

I don't respect football cornerbacks. Sure, I'll acknowledge the speed, stamina, and vertical leap it takes to excel at the role. But that's more about the athlete playing the position, and not the position itself.

What is a cornerback but a player whose success depends on the failure of others? If the quarterback and the wide receiver are on the same page regarding timing and route, 95% of the time the pass will be completed no matter what the coverage is. Look at Joe Montana's 49ers — when the offense clicked, you could have had Darrell Green and Mike Haynes on the corners and Jerry Rice still finds the end zone three times.

The other 5% of the time cornerbacks actually make plays that don't rely on someone else's folly; like when a defensive back times his dive to deflect or intercept a well-thrown ball to an open receiver. But most of the time, when a cornerback intercepts a pass and takes it to the house, he does so because either the quarterback or receiver made a mistake. Professionals whose livelihoods depend on someone else screwing up should be limited to practicing law or writing political commentaries.

Is there another position in sports that requires a second position that exists solely to clean up messes the first position creates?

Why do you think they call them "safeties?"

Deion Sanders is considered by most to be one of the best cornerbacks in the history of the NFL, which I'm sure is important to anyone who doesn't consider the position to be remedial. He's a hell of an athlete, or at least was.

But now he sucks.

He sucked as a commentator on CBS, his first big broadcasting gig after retiring from the Redskins in 2001 (a team on which, as any Washingtonian will tell you, he sucked). I can recall many a pre-game show in which Deion would open his mouth, say some inane prattle about what players he likes or dislikes, close his mouth, and I'd find myself questioning my own will to live.

He sucks at fashion. He would have sucked at coaching, if the Falcons had been dumb enough to make him a coach. He even sucks as a man of faith, unless trying to get out of a car repair bill by claiming Jesus had implemented a spending cap is the "Christian" thing to do. (He's one of these guys who learned late in life that materialism couldn't replace belief. "Parties, women, buying expensive jewelry and gadgets, and nothing helped," he wrote in 1998's "Power, Money, & Sex -- How Success Almost Ruined My Life." Wonder how that bohemian grass hut and stoic chastity are doing these days...)

Sanders is back in the news this week because he wants to attempt a comeback with the Baltimore Ravens. Why? Probably because the Ravens will get to the quarterback before he can throw the ball, meaning Deion's geriatric ass won't have to do much outside of putting his uniform on the right way.

But why go back to football, Deion?

Why not follow your heart and once again fill the world with your musical gift?

In the 1990s, the line between musicians and athletes got blurred like David Wells' vision after 30 beers.

Garth Brooks wanted to be an outfielder for the San Diego Padres. Rapper Master P pursued a minor-league basketball career. Meanwhile, Shaquille O'Neal cut enough rap albums to issue a "Best Of" in 1996; former NBA player Wayman Tisdale released four blues/jazz albums; even boxer Oscar de la Hoya and soccer player Alexi Lalas dropped records by the end of the decade.

But the Abbey Road of horrific athlete-turned-musician albums came from multi-sport star "Neon" Deion "Prime Time" Sanders. His 1994 album, the cleverly titled "Prime Time," was a combination of rap and R&B, all of it in the key of tone-deaf.

The most popular track from the CD was Sanders' autobiographical lament, "Must Be the Money," in which we learned how difficult life can be for a multi-millionaire who won a World Series and a Super Bowl.

It is my intention to now share some of Mr. Sanders' prose with you, keeping in mind his delivery often slurred his lyrics to the point where it sounded like he singing through a burlap gag.

"Must Be the Money" begins with what can only be described as "porno guitar." We're in a good groove for about half a second before our crooner chimes in with this insightful lyric (Again, I will do my best to get this down word-for-word):

Well all-rye ... yeh-ya.

We have now arrived at the first stanza, which is a spoken-word essay about Deion's early days as a professional football player:

You know, ever since I turned pro in 1989/When I signed on the dotted line/It was strange/Cause things changed/For the better/And for the worse/So I called my muh-ma/And she said, ‘Bay-bee.'

At this point, I'm sure we're all thinking she said, "Make a shitty rap album, son." But, thanks to a gaggle of generic female backup singers, we discover she actually told him:

Muss be da money/(Deion: "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah")/Muss be da mon-aye/(Deion: "Iss got to be, because I got people wanna be my friend")/Muss be da money/(Deion: "People I never knew. People I never even thought about asso-she-ating with"')/Muss be da mon-aye/(Deion: "I don't know what it is. Talk to me. Check it ow.")

And with that, we're into the "singing" portion of the song. Deion actually sounded a lot like R. Kelly ... if R. Kelly had all of his teeth and his tongue removed, and was administered a powerful horse tranquilizer. I will do my best to transcribe what this marble-mouth sang:

Down and relax/With gators on my feet/I get some pretzels every day of the week/(Deion's background-singing doppelganger: "In my hair")/My hair is dark/My fingernails, too/Six packs are down'in and I don't know what to do/Muss be da mone.

"Da mone?" Vic Damone? Ah, who knows ...

Are those really the lyrics? Of course not. But I never sent in those five Ovaltine labels to get the "Prime Time Decoder Ring" in the mail.

We get through two more "Muss be da money" choruses, in which Deion boosts about the cars and the planes and the women he rides. Later, we learn how Prime Time hits Da Club:

Flashn' lights/On the dance flow/The DJ says my name as I make my intro/(Dopple-Deion: "And you know")/The place is packed/No where to find a seat/But Prime don't worry/'Cause I sits in V.I.P./Muss be da mone/(Ladies: "Muss be da money")/I got so much Jews/(Ladies: "Muss be da mon-aye")/Twenty-six with all his dues/(Ladies: "Muss yadda yadda")/To afford the way I live/(You know who: "You know what")/The Pepto Bismal's at my crib.

The above made me finally give up this futile attempt to transcribe the poetry of Deion Sanders, because his mush-mouth delivery and Seussian rhyme make it humanly impossible. Yet I stayed until the end of "Must Be the Money," and was surprised to find this positive and uplifting send-off from P.T. Sanders:

The furss thing people say is/"Prime, don't let money change ya. Don't let money change ya"/I say, "Hey -- Don't let money change you"/Because personally, iss gonna change my address/My phone number/My wardrobe/Hey, my snakeskin shoes gonna change into gators/My library card gonna change into a credit card ...

With that, the generic ladies singing backup, the porno guitar, and Prime Time himself begin to fade out after four minutes, eight seconds of auditory torture.

And all we're left to ponder is:

Deion Sanders actually had a library card?

Greg Wyshynski is also a weekly columnist for SportsFan Magazine. His columns appear every Saturday on Sports Central. You can e-mail Greg at [email protected].

Posted by Greg Wyshynski at 9:08 PM | Comments (0)

College Football Preview: The SEC

The SEC is one of the strongest conferences around. No one needs me to tell them that, if they pay any attention to college football, anyway. Some of the nation's best athletes reside and ultimately go to college in the South. Indeed, because the SEC as a whole is so strong (with a couple of lingering exceptions), a type of parity has overtaken the conference, especially in the post-Steve Spurrier Florida downturn era.

Nick Saban and Mark Richt have been the coaches who have most profited from the end of the Spurrier era in the SEC, and their colleges, LSU and Georgia have done all right, too. Still, since the end of Spurrier, no one leaves the SEC unbeaten anymore.

To me, that's okay, but it begs the question: is the conference so even now that the random upset must happen every week, or has the talent once held aside mostly for Florida been diluted, flung far afield, leaving the conference ... dare I say it, mediocre? To be sure, perhaps mediocrity, er ... parity, has overtaken even the ranks of NCAA Division 1-A. Damned NFL.

SEC East

A quick reminder: I am, as anyone, just winging it here. That's all any preseason predictions can ever be. I like my predictions a lot of the time. Some, I'm kind of iffy. The SEC is one of those conferences that escapes me from time to time. So, don't put any money on anything based on my -- statistically speaking -- wild guesses. Also, I'll show you my predictions from last year, and the actual outcome for each team, so you can see just how ludicrous a venture this really is. (Doesn't mean it's not fun, though.)

Georgia 10-1 (Last year's prediction: 9-3; Actual: 10-2)

Georgia will be just fine, despite health problems, if Mark Richt can do two things: 1) Leave D.J. Shockley on the bench; 2) Find a running back to do what Musa Smith did for the Bulldogs last year. Sure, Shockley is fun to watch, but bringing him in limits David Greene's ability to set a rhythm and really rip apart defensive secondaries. Shockley has his moments, but in reality, both quarterbacks suffer in this two-QB system that Richt has had to devise.

Florida 8-3 (9-3; 8-4)

Ron Zook is under the gun in any number of ways in the Swamp. Chris Leak showed signs of being a special sort of player last fall, once he was given his opportunity, but the offense has been changed. How this limits or suits Leak will be a solid predictor of the program's success this year. Zook can recruit with the best of them. But, his in-game management has been shaky when it needed to be better, and he just looks like a guy feeling the pressure of every play. That's not good. Not there. Not with his predecessor on a golf course, fielding calls from every Gator booster since the day he left the Washington Redskins.

South Carolina 7-4 (4-8; 5-7)

Lou Holtz will right the ship this year. If he doesn't, well ... one can wonder forever just how much his coaching legacy will be affected not by his coaching talent, but by the name of the university at which he fared so well.

Tennessee 6-5 (10-2; 10-2)

Maybe I've gone overboard in my declaration of the fall of Philip Fulmer. Maybe. The Volunteers don't have a quarterback. They have a decent stable of running backs, but no one truly outstanding. The Vols have been just this side of lifeless, even in having a good season, the last two years. They'll likely be better than I predict, record-wise, but I'm betting that several wins will feel like losses, and the future in Knoxville will grow dimmer with each game.

Vanderbilt 4-7 (1-11; 2-10)

I think Vandy isn't necessarily on the rise, but I think they benefit from maturation, and really, how much worse can things get for the Commodores? I'm guessing that they've seen the worst of things for right now, and will pull a couple upsets along the way.

Kentucky 3-8 (4-8; 6-6)

Coach Rich Brooks is discovering the hard way two things about University of Kentucky: 1) It's a basketball school, first and foremost; 2) Guy Morriss did him no favors. None.

SEC West

The West is a particularly interesting case of the perils of parity. Each team in the division, aside from Mississippi, has had their shot at the SEC Title game in the dozen years of playing the game. It doesn't get much more even than that.

Auburn 9-2 (11-1; 7-5)

These Tigers caught everyone's eye last year, by being disastrous when so much had been expected. Expectations are considerably lower, with fair reason. Their linebacking corps is depleted, and Tommy Tuberville is likely still plotting as vengeful an exit plan as is humanly possible after the beyond shoddy treatment the university's president applied. Still, I think this team can pull a few surprises, drop a few games it should, head on to the SEC Championship Game, and poof! The Riverboat Gambler pulls a disappearing act on game day.

LSU 8-3 (11-1; 11-1)

I may have had the record right, but I had them losing to the Auburn Tigers, and not getting a shot at the SEC, never mind the national championship. Or whomever. Regardless, LSU was a little fortunate a few times (as any champion must be), but I think the luck runs out more times than last year. The offense will struggle, and the defense lost several playmakers from last year's title team.

Arkansas 6-5 (7-5; 8-4)

The Razorbacks still have Matt Jones, the least sleek-looking athlete I think I've ever seen. Still, a tough year for the Hogs and Houston Nutt.

Alabama 6-5 (5-8; 4-9)

Look for improved coaching from second year man Mike Shula, and better play from quarterback Brodie Croyle. Despite the probation and scholarships cuts, this team will surprise. The Tide are a tough bunch, and will shock some teams throughout the season.

Mississippi 4-7 (9-3; 9-3)

Was Eli Manning the best QB ever at Ole Miss? Maybe so. Certainly, he'll be missed.

Mississippi State 3-8 (2-10; 2-10)

New head coach Sylvester Croom has quite the mess to clean up in Starkville. Things will improve, but improvement has a tendency to be a long, slow process.

Next up: the Big 12 and the WAC. Stay tuned!

Posted by David Martin at 10:40 AM | Comments (1)

August 20, 2004

How to Win Fantasy Football By Drafting Last

Let's assume, for the moment, that you have a 12-team league and you're sitting in that live draft chat room and, lo and behold, your team pops up dead last in the draft order. Keep quiet and don't chat about it, just pull up this article in your browser, next to your ESPN cheat sheet, and smile.

You will learn to embrace unlucky number 12.

Hold your head up high if you get the last pick. You can still win and win big. I'm going to let you know what to do if you end up with that last spot. This article assumes that the other owners, who pick ahead of you, know what they're doing.

If someone takes Kurt Warner or Marshall Faulk in the first-round, then you may as well not read the rest of this. You are obviously in a league with the deaf and the dumb, so you've pretty much got victory in hand. But, let's stick with knowledgeable owners.

The oft-used strategy, in most fantasy leagues, is to secure the two best running backs that you can before drafting at another position. Even at the 12-spot, do not deviate from this strategy. One superstar running back will not get it done. But two quality starters will.

Priest Holmes, LaDainian Tomlinson, Ahman Green, and Jamal Lewis are all gone. There's nothing you can do about it. So, make it work for you. At the 12-spot, you will get two picks: one right after the other. Do not panic and grab a stud receiver. A stud and a dud at the RB and WR position is a mistake.

At this point, you would likely have featured backs like Travis Henry, Dominick Davis, Kevan Barlow, and Rudi Johnson available. You must take two of those four with your first and second pick. Do not waste your picks with backs like Stephen Davis and Duce Staley.

Davis will end up sharing duties with Deshaun Foster. Jerome Bettis will take some carries away from Duce, as well. Stay away from Brian Westbrook, Quentin Griffin, Warrick Dunn, and Thomas Jones. All are either committee backs or fighting for starting spots.

Let "Mister Number One Pick Owner," who, at this point, is bragging about getting Holmes, deal with trying to figure out which committee back he has to pick.

On the return trip to your third and fourth pick, you will have many receivers to choose from. No, you will not get Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, or Marvin Harrison. But, let me ask you this...

Who would you rather have as your set of trips?

Harrison, Jerry Porter, and Dane Looker or Santana Moss, Laveranues Coles, and Deion Branch?

At the 12-spot, your receiving core could look just like the second option.

Obviously, every draft is different and someone may want Coles sooner than later. That's fine. The issue is to secure your running backs first, and then secure two receivers on the next go around. It will work out just fine.

Quarterbacks are always around. There are 32 teams in the NFL and I never saw a QB go zero for the season. Half the time they, are handing the ball of to a back, rather than throwing, so it doesn't really matter if Peyton Manning, Daunte Culpepper, and Donovan McNabb are gone. You can still snap up Jake Delhomme, Tom Brady, or Chad Pennington.

In fact, I highly recommend you look for Pennington. For most of last season, a fractured wrist sidelined the veteran and all but killed his fantasy value. However, a healthy Pennington can be as accurate as Manning. I would start Pennington every day of the week and twice on Sunday. Well, I guess just once on Sunday or maybe a Monday. But then it could be a Thursday ... oh hell, you know what I mean.

I will mention this, only as a reminder. None of this will guarantee a victory, but it is the best strategy for the owner in the last spot. Don't count on this, but keep in the back of your mind that injuries happen, especially to the superstars. I would never wish injury on a player, in real life. That would be sadistic. This is fantasy and, after all, is just a game.

Nonetheless, injuries are inevitable in the NFL and, if it must happen, pray that it's the other guy who has to hit the waiver wire. I happen to love Priest on the bench with a pulled hamstring, as long as he isn't on my team.

One more thing ... we know the NFL really stands for the National Felon League. I wouldn't be too upset that you didn't get a chance to get a player like Jamal Lewis. Lewis is facing a slew of drug charges. His trial is set for November 1st. You can't gain yards in a federal prison.

Quick tips:

You will need to secure your tight ends. Here are a couple of potential studs who may be available after you have your backs and receivers safely in hand…

TE Daniel Graham - New England
Projection: 43 receptions, 465 yards, 5 TD

TE Freddie Jones - Arizona
Projection: 45 receptions, 450 yards, 4 TD

With the NFL's crackdown on defensive holding and pass interference, it really won't matter what defense you choose or defensive back you pick. Everyone will spend the first few weeks trying to adjust to not being able to even sniff a wideout after five yards from the line of scrimmage.

Safeties and corners, who used to smother receivers all the way down the field, are going to be penalized and penalized often. No more bump-and-runs, press coverage, and incidental grabbing of a jersey.

The defense you thought would be great will be allowing more yards in penalties than anything else. Pick the best run-defense team that is available. It's your only hope for the beginning of the season. You can always go to the waiver wire.

A kicker on a high-scoring team is rather useless. If the Rams score 42 and the Cardinals score
9, which kicker would you rather have? Do the math ... six extra points or three field goals.

So, just remember these simple rules and intangibles that I hope can make your 12-spot team a one-spot winner.

Posted by Damian Greene at 9:29 PM | Comments (0)

Striking Similarities Between Olympic Teams

Everything comes full circle, or so the saying goes. For the United States Olympic men's basketball team, this has especially proven to be true. The 1988 team was the last one made up of collegiate players. This year's Olympic team is the youngest since 1988. The similarities between the 1988 and 2004 teams are striking.

Kansas, coached by Larry Brown, won the 1988 NCAA Championship. The NBA champs this year is the Detroit Pistons also coached by Larry Brown. The 1988 Olympic team was led by Kansas star Danny Manning and future basketball Hall of Famer David Robinson.

John Thompson, who was regarded as one of the top coaches in college basketball at the time, fronted that 1988 squad. Thompson tried molding Team USA after his Georgetown teams. The pressing, up-tempo style that Thompson preferred didn't mesh well with the international game. That team was made athletic players that fit Thompson's high-octane system.

Their only consistent outside shooter was Hersey Hawkins. When Hawkins went down with an injury in the semifinal against the Soviet Union, the Americans were doomed. Hawkins injury allowed the Soviets to collapse their defense and dare the U.S. to shoot from outside. The plan worked to perfection. The Soviets pulled out an 82-76 victory on to their way to the Gold Medal.

The 1988 U.S. team featured a plethora of future NBA stars. In addition to Robinson, Hawkins, and Manning, Dan Majerle and Mitch Richmond also competed for the United States in Seoul. The strengths of the 1988 team were rebounding and defense. For the U.S. to recover from its opening loss to Puerto Rico, rebounding, defense, and an increased intensity will have to become more of a priority.

Allen Iverson is the only player on this year's team that can consistently hit the three and he tends to be a streaky shooter. In the loss to Puerto Rico in the opening game, the Islanders were able to collapse on Tim Duncan and force the young Americans to make shots from the perimeter. The American opponents in 1988 were able to do the same against Duncan's former San Antonio Spur teammate Robinson.

This year's team seems to be more motivated with its back against the wall. In front of a hostile crowd in Belgrade, the U.S. pounded medal favorite Serbia-Montenegro 78-60 in an Olympic tune-up. The Americans fed off the energy of the crowd and used a 14-0 run to begin the second quarter to seize control of the game.

The outlook for the remainder of the Olympics is hard to read. If the U.S. plays their game by being dedicated to defense and rebounding, increases their intensity and uses a more efficient transition game, than they should still be able to bring home gold.

The problem is that the majority of American players has been coddled throughout their basketball lives and expects to win with their presence on the court. Larry Brown's strength as a coach has been to get his players to buy into his system, play defense, and accept their roles on the team. If he can do that, then the Americans' gold medal chances will increase significantly.

Posted by Alan Rubenstein at 3:39 PM | Comments (0)

Slant Pattern's ACC and SEC Preview

This week, we're previewing the SEC and ACC. In four days, I will be in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. So let me pound out these previews so I can hurry up and go back to laying on the couch with a silly grin of anticipation on my face. I will tell all of you about my trip when I return. On a side note, I've decided it's pointless (and taxing) to try to predict the precise final record of each team. On to the picks.

SEC East

1. Florida - Nobody seems to have noticed, but Florida has become the anti-Ohio State. They lose games miraculously (see last year vs. Miami, Florida State, and to a lesser extent, Mississippi), and this is the year they start winning those, in addition to holding on to Georgia's number.

2. Georgia - Texas East ... always good, never quite good enough to win it all. They only get one of their four toughest opponents at home. With 10 outstanding returning starters on offense, though, they may only need to pull out the Cocktail Party against Florida to make the rest of the schedule manageable.

3. Tennessee - Only five starters return on offense, and four on defense, but two quality quarterbacks -- Rick Clausen and highly-touted C.J. Leak -- should help. I think were all hoping to hear a lot of big things from the third-string quarterback, a sophomore named Jim Bob Cooter. You read that right.

4. Vanderbilt - Okay, I got burned last year picking Duke this high (although picking Northwestern to shoot up the Big 10 standings worked out nicely), but I can't resist anticipating good things for a team that returns 23 starters. They lost heartbreakers to Old Miss and Georgia Tech last year, had respectable losses Mississippi State, South Carolina, and Kentucky, and have the best defensive end (Jovan Haye) in the SEC. Six teams on the schedule are beatable.

5. Kentucky - I would characterize the upcoming year for Kentucky as being a typical Kentucky football year. Respectable, but not particularly competitive and nowhere near the league heavies. With nine defensive starters returning, quarterback Shane Boyd (I miss Jared Lorenzen already) must move the ball.

6. South Carolina - Is Lou Holtz officially not a legendary coach anymore? How much longer is he going to be able to eat free in any restaurant in Columbia? The hot seat must come eventually. Still, defensive ends Moe Thompson and George Gause may end up bookend all-SEC selections.

SEC West

1. LSU - The entire "LSU or USC?" debate is still simmering even today, and it's more than possible those two teams will get to answer that question in the Orange Bowl this year. Nick Saban may be soon headed for the "genius" title as one of the best coaches at building game plans designed around his players' strengths and his recruiting skill.

2. Auburn - The running game was supposed to tear up the country last year, but didn't. The defense was supposed to tear up the country last year, but didn't and has now largely graduated. Still, that should be good enough for second in a watered-down SEC West, as the pendulum of power in the SEC swings back east.

3. Mississippi State - No joke. Sylvester Croom will make huge strides in his very first season in Starkville, and get the keys to the city. Why not? Seven games at home, a manageable non-conference schedule to build on, and an ax to grind that will culminate with the sweetest upset: November 6th at Alabama.

4. Alabama - When will it be understood that the only Shula that could coach worth a damn is named Don? Mike is doing a splendid job of turning the Tide into the Crimson Bengals. Plenty of experience returns, but from a team that got worse as the year went on, culminating in a double-digit loss to possibly the only other school with more football history and pride then they have, Hawaii. The home loss to Northern Illinois (who turned out to be the third-best team in the MAC West last year) also sticks in my mind and craw.

5. Ole Miss - Quite simply, they're going to sink like a stone without Eli Manning, even with a good offensive line returning, as only one skill position starter on offense returns. Bank on it: Michael Spurlock will prove to be no Matt Leinart, they're going to lose the Egg Bowl, and their November 13th game at Arkansas will be the most fun game of the year, featuring at least 10 turnovers.

6. Arkansas - While Ole Miss loses its franchise quarterback while some of the other pieces remain, the only returning offensive starter for the Hogs is the franchise quarterback, Matt Jones. Expect him to be frustrated a lot and essentially think "run-first" more and more as the year goes on. Only four return on defense, as well. I picked big things for them last year, and they started off making me look good by beating Texas, but then went into a freefall.

ACC

1. Florida State - They're baaaaack. After showing shocking signs of vulnerability the last couple of years, we can now return to the days where the Clemsons and Louisvilles of the world have no prayer against them. The offense, not to put too fine a point on it, will be the most high-scoring and smooth-running in the country, putting last year's debacles against Clemson and Georgia Tech far in the rear-view mirror. If they can survive at Miami to start the year, it's hard to see them losing elsewhere.

2. Clemson - In a pass-happy league like this one, it helps greatly that Clemson is the only elite ACC team in contention that, besides Florida State, returns an elite quarterback, and I would not be surprised to see Charlie Whitehurst edge out Chris Rix for ACC Quarterback of the Year. It also helps that they are coming out of a season where they built huge amounts of momentum, knocking off Florida and Florida State, and coach Tommy Bowden pulled one of the fastest, greatest goat-to-hero jobs in the history of college football.

3. Miami - They're not baaaaack. No one seems to notice, but the Hurricanes seriously faded from their typical form last year, winning six games by eight points or less and looking terrible in losses against Tennessee and Virginia Tech. They have overrated quarterback Brock Berlin to try to build around, but only 10 of 22 starters return from both sides of the ball.

4. Virginia - A lot of ACC team are auditioning new quarterbacks this year, but a few are as exciting as Marques Hagans. He has the potential to make people forget about Matt Schaub in a big hurry. Defensively, they have the luxury of boasting the best front-seven in the ACC.

5. N.C. State - This team is very similar to Virginia, with a new quarterback and a talented defense. What makes the Wolfpack the worse of the two is Virginia doesn't have the "can he come back from the serious injury?" questions N.C. State has with running back T.A. McLendon and tackle Chris Colmer. Likely starting quarterback Jay Davis is, well, no Marques Hagans.

6. Wake Forest - I'm still trying to figure out how a team that handily defeated North Carolina State and Clemson would be so handily defeated by Georgia Tech and North Carolina. At least seven starters return from each side of the ball, and if they can put last year behind them, this team has darkhorse potential.

7. Maryland - Virginia, part III: Big offensive questions to answer and talented defense (particularly the linebacking corps). The few returning starters on offense do not excite, nor do the potential of the newcomers. This team could end up with the worst offense and the best defense in the ACC. They have to get Florida State out of their heads.

8. Georgia Tech - Like Wake Forest, the Yellow Jackets are another team coming off impressive wins (Auburn, North Carolina State, one-point loss at Florida State) and bizarre losses (BYU and Duke). The difference this year may be the schedule, as North Carolina could prove to be the only winnable road game.

9. Virginia Tech - It's tempting to remember last year's depantsing of Miami and put them a great deal higher, but we have seen how teams like Washington and Alabama have responded to offseason turmoil (not well) and I can't hold out much hope for Virginia Tech to fare better with only four starters returning on offense and five on defense.

10. North Carolina - To put it harshly, things won't improve in Tar Heel country until John Bunting is no longer head coach. He recruits like nobody's business, bringing in class after class of stars, and turns them into losers. Quarterback Darian Durant is good enough to avenge last year's loss to Duke.

11. Duke - The Blue Devils should've taught me last year not to put so much stock in returning starters (but I still can't resist), as I predicted they would get a minor bowl with all starters back on offense and 10 on defense. Instead, they pretty much stunk as usual, and now a lot of that experience is gone. Will I ever learn?

Stay tuned for more college previews in upcoming editions!

Posted by Kevin Beane at 2:22 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 19, 2004

In Defense of ESPN

"Bruce Springsteen, Madonna,
Way before Nirvana
There was U2 and Blondie
And music still on MTV
Her two kids in high school
They tell her that she's uncool
But she still preoccupies
With 19, 19, 1985"
- lyrics from the trendy new single "1985" by Bowling For Soup

Ladies and gentlemen, or should I say seniors and citizens, it is time to wake up and realize the era you live in.

Snake-skin skirts, music videos on MTV, non-stop news on CNN, and insignificant sports coverage on ESPN are out, while belly-button piercing, Ashlee Simpson, Wolf Blitzer, and Pardon the Interruption are here to stay.

Before you pop in your cassette tape and blank out the rest of what I have to say, it's time to reevaluate your scolding opinions of the chic generation.

While some have started a boycott of the four-letter sports station analogous to the abhorrence of electric guitar when it was first introduced, the reality of it is that the cold shoulder is led by an immaterial minority.

There's no need to panic, it happens to every cohort, and one day I too will be as quaint as Sega Genesis. That day I will spit scathing venom at the most novel of trends that the next set of baby boomers will adore.

But luckily, my time is not now.

ESPN is known as the "World-Wide Leader in Sports" because they have continued to transcend generic standards by creating new ones, and have persistently pushed the bounds of creativity.

The new modifications have not sat well with many members of the old demographic, but that's the exact problem. They are no longer part of who ESPN is targeting.

If you are naïve enough to believe that ESPN is the only station that's morphed into the cool and the hip, then you need to open your eyes to the television revolution.

Gone are the days of gee-golly shows like Family Matters and The Partridge Family and their replacements are risqué reality shows such as Fear Factor and Joe Schmo. I wonder what the wholesome enthusiasts of the Full House would think of Trading Spouses: Meet Your New Mommy?

There was a time when reality shows were deemed to be a passing fad. A type of show that the old demographic could just toothpick out of their TV dinners once the craze dissipated. The low cost for production and the growing popularity of these programs have stapled real TV into the new millennium, whether the Danny Tanners like it or not.

ESPN's swapping of the informative, yet insipid David Aldridge with Steven A. Smith is a symbol of what kinds of alterations have been drafted. Bland, muffled opinions have been waived in favor of more passionate and valued thoughts.

New talks shows Around the Horn and Pardon the Interruption express fiery opinions in a competitive theme. Skeptics who title Tony Kornheiser and Woody Paige as loud are remindful of our old-fashioned mothers who would yell, "turn the music down," at the peak of the chorus. The dysphemism "shouting" to describe the on-air fervor is inaccurate, and the critics who mislabel likely enjoy Bran Flakes for breakfast instead of Fruit Loops or Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

The youth of this age band are not interested in drawling and mild-mannered conversation. Energy and vigor are required for a crop of fans whose attention spans are minimal.

While other television networks have offered a "like it or leave" approach to their once hallowed viewers, stations like ESPN, CNN, and MTV have offered a nursing home for the erstwhile audience.

ESPNews, ESPN2, MTV2, and CNN Headline News have all been supplemented to the regular content so that previous spectators have a half-way house in case they are not down with the in-things.

Fed up with the groovy? Punch in ESPNews for the serious happenings of the day. Tired of tedious political debates? Flip over to CNN Headline News to find out the latest pertinent headlines.

The music videos on MTV are gone, but in has stepped a market of shows that rack up higher ratings and a larger gallery that watches. Would the esteemed executives continue these "outlandish" strategies if the ratings didn't reciprocate? Of course not.

The modern SportsCenter does not resemble an eye lash of what it used to look like, but then again, neither do the Olson twins.

The very sports that we closely follow, such as hockey, baseball, football, and basketball have also modernized, isn't it fair to expect the networks that cover them to redesign, as well?

Just like the grayed observers who scowl at the amendments of SportsCenter, past athletes would frown upon supplements, domes, and the science of current sport.

The close knit group of hardcore sports fans pine for the days of ESPN being the only channel to comfortably play all day, but there is a part in all of us that covets the past. One day, that age group will invite their grandchildren upon their lap and reminisce: "Back in my day, ESPN was a lot better..." and just like your elders tell you about how movies, music, and television were much preferred in their time, you will not care at all.

You don't have to watch ESPN, because somebody else will.

Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.

Bob Dylan and TV ratings mix like Mondays and me.

This column is in response to a previous column by SC's Brad Oremland, entitled The MTV-ization of ESPN. Your comments and thoughts are welcomed in the section below.

Posted by Dave Golokhov at 1:42 PM | Comments (1)

August 18, 2004

College Football Preview: ACC and Sun Belt

Before getting too far along, in the interest of full disclosure, I performed this prediction thing before last season, but didn't publish anything. As it turns out, I was better off not publishing anything. As I go through my selections this year, I'll note how I fared last year, as if that provides sort of legitimacy (it does not). Still, let's tackle everyone's new favorite football conference. Everyone's but mine, that is.

ACC

After hijacking the Big East Conference of three of its top-five teams, the ACC has been declared to be a football super conference. I would argue this, and I will, but not today. Today, I'll note that the big-time hype surrounded two ACC teams this time last season: North Carolina State and University of Virginia.

Well, I bought into the hype, but neither finished as high as was expected by the college football cognoscenti. With that in mind, and with Virginia once again a super-hyped team, I'm going against the cognoscenti, who time and again prove that they don't know much about college football.

1. Florida State 10-1 (Last year's prediction: 9-3; Actual: 10-2)

The ACC is Florida State's conference. That's all. They have owned the conference as long as they've been in it, and while Miami will challenge them in a year or two, the conference doesn't change hands this year.

2. Maryland 9-2 (12-0; 9-3)

Everyone wants to count out Maryland this year, and next year, and the year after, because of Miami and Virginia Tech. Everyone seems to fail to recognize the Ralph Friedgen remains the conference's best coach. They'll lose their annual matchup with FSU, but otherwise, breeze through the conference.

3. Miami 9-2 (10-2; 10-2)

I had the 'Canes pegged last year, but last year was different. They were playing teams they knew, and teams one could pretty well guess outcomes against. Still, the new conference changes little. The Hurricanes are just not as good as advertised, nor as good as they've been. A third-place finish is something that won't sit well in South Florida. Coker's job will be in question in two years.

4. Virginia Tech 8-4 (6-6; 8-5)

The Hokies actually get a break this season. Aside from their season-opener against the co-national champion Southern Cal Trojans and a season-ending game against Miami, the middle of the schedule is easier than its been. Either that, or Tech will choke against weaker competition than they did in the Big East. And no, I don't really care for the Hokies.

5. Georgia Tech 7-4 (7-6; 7-6)

I like the Yellow Jackets. They need another year, though. And a receiver. And health.

6. Virginia 6-5 (9-3; 7-5)

As I noted before, the Cavaliers were over-hyped and drinkers of the Cavalier Kool-Aid got taken for a ride. Al Groh has done a nice job, but Matt Schaub's steadiness kept the Cavs alive more often than not. Shaub is gone, as are the Cavs' hopes for finishing better than fifth in a tougher conference.

7. Clemson 6-5 (6-6; 8-4)

Everyone's darling is this year's peach pit. The Tigers finished the season strong, but don't expect the same this year. QB Charlie Whitehurst is, in my opinion, highly overrated. The Tigers lack a viable running attack, and just never seem tough enough when the cards are on the table. The calls for Bowden's job, quieted, will be vigorously renewed by midseason. And it won't be entirely fair: make no mistake, this team overachieved last season.

8. NC State 4-7 (10-2; 7-5)

They struggled in Philip Rivers' final year, unhealthy and a little bit under the gun, having been expected to be better than they were. Rivers was good enough to push a mediocre team to over .500. Rivers isn't even playing football right now. Maybe they can beg an extra year of eligibility?

9. Wake Forest 4-7 (3-9; 5-7)

More of the same in Winston-Salem. A tough team that just doesn't have enough talent.

10. North Carolina 2-9 (3-9; 2-10)

Umm ... is it trite to suggest that basketball season starts in November?

11. Duke 2-9 (3-9; 4-8)

Ditto.

Sun Belt Conference

No one outside the Sun Belt even knows this conference exists. Which suits them just fine, since they sport three of the worst teams in college football.

1. North Texas 10-1 (9-3; 9-3)

The best team in the conference. When they move to the Big 12 to replace Baylor is anyone's guess.

2. Troy State 7-4 (2-10; 6-6)

Better than much of the Sun Belt, and a new member this season, the Trojans will enjoy a fine debut season in the conference.

3. Utah State 5-6 (3-9; 3-9)

The Aggies will be looking to improve on their first season in the Sun Belt and will be playing in their last year in the Sun Belt this year. Oh, those wacky conference shuffles of summer, 2003!

4. New Mexico State 4-7 (6-6; 3-9)

I overrated them last year. Not so much this time around.

5. Arkansas State 4-7 (5-7; 5-7)

They don't like losing seven games a year. They just do it.

6. Louisiana-Monroe 3-8 (3-9; 1-11)

Why? Why? Why must we suffer the U of La schools in Division 1-A?

7. Middle Tennessee State 3-8 (8-4; 4-8)

I meant to reverse my picks last year. Also, shouldn't this conference be called the State University Conference? Yes ... the SUC.

8. Louisiana-Lafayette 3-8 (3-9; 4-8)

Gotta love the mascot name: Ragin' Cajuns. Which sort of explains the futility of their football team, when you think about it.

9. Idaho 2-9 (2-10; 3-9)

At least they get to finish the season in Hawaii.

Coming up next time: the SEC. Stay tuned!

Posted by David Martin at 9:53 PM | Comments (2)

Rolling the Dice in Los Angeles

The worst thing any GM should do when he's sitting in the top spot in his division and assured of a playoff spot is get content and over-confident. Ask any Seattle or Atlanta fan about the difference between regular season supremacy and postseason glory. If you're not looking to improve, you're risking being overtaken. Dealing from a position of strength is the best time to make a trade and that's exactly what the Dodgers did in late July.

Forget Nomar Garciaparra to the Cubs and the Jose Contreras for Esteban Loaiza trade, the one late deal that really had October implications was the six-player deal between the Florida Marlins and the Los Angeles Dodgers. This one was all about the Dodgers trying to beat St. Louis in October and GM Paul DePodesta wasn't confident his present rotation could transfer their solid regular season efforts into the glare of the post season. So he rolled the dice, sending catcher Paul Lo Duca, an icon to Dodger fans, setup man Guillermo Mota, and outfielder Juan Encarnacion to Miami.

What Paul DePodesta gained from this deal was a starting pitcher -- and a young one, at that, on a reasonable contract. There's no doubt he wanted Randy Johnson, but would have had to empty the farm system to get him as well as throw in $15 million a year for two years. The last thing the Dodgers want is Arizona loaded with young talent from the Dodgers' farm system three years down the line when Randy is sitting at home watching the Fishing Channel.

So Paul DePodesta went to Plan B. Brad Penny, one year off a World Series ring, is no Big Unit, but he's got talent, a strong arm, and experience for a young guy. He's a potential number two starter in the majors. What's more, this deal allows DePodesta to tinker with his bullpen and more than cover the loss of Mota, a fact I've not seen discussed by the numerous critics of this trade.

Assuming Hideo Nomo is ready for the playoffs, the Dodgers can field a four-man rotation of Odalis Perez, Nomo, Penny, and a revitalized Jeff Weaver. That puts spot starters Jose Lima and Wilson Alvarez, both having strong seasons, back in the 'pen, along with lefty Kaz Ishii. Without Penny in the rotation, one of those three is lost to the bullpen, maybe even two of them if Jim Tracey is cautious.

Nomo is still a question mark, going 3-10 with a bloated ERA of 8.06 before a rotator cuff problem put him on the DL. Even more reason to grab Penny with October in mind. But if he comes through his rehab assignment, Nomo is a lock for the postseason rotation.

What exactly did Paul DePodesta give up in order to grab some pop at first base and a solid starting pitcher? Juan Encarnacion is no great loss, but Paul Lo Duca is a fine catcher, calls a solid game, and can hit for average. Plus, he brings a positive attitude to work every day. On the downside, Lo Duca wears down after the break, is essentially a singles hitter who can hit the other way and is 32.

Mota is by far the bigger loss, with a high-90s fastball, an intimidating attitude, and a killer change-up. Eric Gagne will miss him most, but he's not irreplaceable.

Wilson Alvarez and Jose Lima have alternated between starting and anchoring a strong bullpen. Alvarez, in particular, prefers the bullpen to starting and can get both righties and lefties out. Lima has been a revelation since stepping into the rotation. Though his velocity is down from his heyday, he keeps the ball low and can throw a change up and slider. If Nomo falters, Lima will fill in more than adequately.

So essentially, DePodesta has lost a singles hitting catcher and a quality setup man for a strong starter and a backup first baseman with some pop in his bat (Hee Seop Choi). With Steve Finley coming across from Arizona, Dave Roberts was surplus to requirements and while his stolen bases will be missed (33 as of August 13th), his average (.253) is woeful for a lead-off man.

If I was a Dodgers fan, I'd be cock-a-hoop at the changes Paul DePodesta has made to the roster, but the criticism from fans and writers alike has been brutal. I suspect this is based on sentiment rather than fact. Lo Duca is the sort of hard-playing and honest veteran that everyone, quite rightly, loves. And there's no doubt that DePodesta got caught with his pants down when Charles Johnson refused to waive his no-trade clause and join Los Angeles. But the Dodgers have enough pop in their lineup to compensate for Lo Duca's loss.

Dave Roberts was also a fan favorite, though with less justification. A poor man's Ichiro, Roberts has an OBP of .353, appallingly low for a man with the speed to beat out infield hits. Quite rightly, Paul DePodesta dumped him for what he could get, given a crowded outfield.

Even though St. Louis has, by far, the better regular season record, I'm actually confident that the Dodgers can beat the Cards over seven games. Odalis Perez has took the loss or no-decision in nine games where he's given up two runs or less -- a phenomenally unlucky record. His ERA is less than 3.00. Jeff Weaver is looking like the man we saw in Detroit, and Brad Penny has an ERA of 3.02. Hideo Nomo is potentially the best of the lot at his peak.

Matched against Chris Carpenter, Jason Marquis, Matt Morris, and Woody Williams, I like the look of Jim Tracey's rotation -- as we all know October is about pitching. The Cards have the hitters -- Albert Pujols, Jim Edmonds, Scott Rolen, etc., but good hitters struggle to dominate against the very best pitching.

Come late October, I have the feeling that Paul DePodesta could be forgiven for saying, "I told you so."

Posted by Mike Round at 9:10 PM | Comments (1)

QB Roulette: Reliable Veteran or Young Potential?

Unless you have been living in a cave for the last few months, you have probably noticed that there is an election coming up in November. If you happen to live in one of those magical places called a "Swing State," as I do, then this means a constant bombardment of political ads and campaign visits by the candidates and their surrogates. This can get old real fast, even for political junkies like myself.

The good news? FOOTBALL SEASON IS ALMOST HERE! My skin started to get all tingly when I saw pro football on the television the other day. Sure, it was meaningless preseason game, but still it was football on TV! Is there anything more beautiful than football season?! I don't think so.

So to help you get caught up in all the excitement of the oncoming NFL season, allow me to offer some musings on a question that will be faced by many a team in the 2004 season: how bad it will need to get before rookie (or those with starts to their credit) QBs are thrown to the wolves? Let's take a look at few places where teams might turn to their big-name draft picks for help if the season turns ugly.

New York Giants

It appears that the former out-of-nowhere-superstar-turned-expendable-QB Kurt Warner will start for the Giants this season, and Jesse "The Bachelor" Palmer is also in the mix, I suppose, but how long do you think Eli "My Dad is Archie and My Brother is Peyton" Manning will carry a clipboard if things get rocky? We all know how patient and understanding New York sports fans should be, so I am sure the pressure to win is really minimal in the Meadowlands these days, right?

Personally, I think Coach Coughlin should resist putting Manning under center as much as possible. If the O-line can't protect him and he isn't knowledgeable enough to run the offense, it is always a huge risk to insert a rookie QB. They just seem to learn too many bad habits. Happy feet can ruin many promising careers.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tommy Maddox is the starter and Steelers coaches and fans are hoping that a revamped running game with Duce Staley and a healthy offensive line allow Maddox to once again start throwing touchdowns to his talented receivers. But let's face it, if the offense looks as bad as it did at time last year, the pressure to put Ben Roethlisberger into the lineup will be immense. This young kid obviously has talent and a good head on his shoulders, as well, so the fans have to be thinking that is a waste of talent to let him walk the sidelines while the fans suffer. Better to see Ben develop than watch Tommy flounder.

But, in what might be considered the point of this section, it pays to remember that Maddox struggled last year for good reason: they had no running game and they couldn't protect him. Very few QBs have the ability to carry a team. If you can't threaten the run or give the guy time to throw, the defense will eventually win. Too many sacks begin to lead to too many interceptions. This is how Maddox works. If he feels pressure to win games, then he usually tries to force things with bad results.

If the Duce Staley/Jerome Bettis combination can produce a credible running game that will give Maddox time to throw, it will also give Roethlisberger time to develop and learn the offense. A solid year of watching and learning could make the Steelers' first-round draft pick a franchise player.

Dallas Cowboys

Okay, so call me crazy, but I am wondering weather Vinny Testaverde can really carry the Cowboys for a whole season. With Quincy Carter gone and Drew Henson bubbling with potential, one has to wonder what Bill Parcells' plans are these days. Having watched Henson play at the University of Michigan -- and watching helplessly as he understandably left to take a bunch of money from the New York Yankees instead of returning to compete for a national championship -- I am doubly interested to see when Henson might make an appearance.

On this one, I am somewhat conflicted. On the one hand, as I have made clear above, I don't usually like to see rookies start for struggling teams. On the other hand, this is Vinny Testaverde we are talking about here!

Seriously, I am not sure that Henson isn't Tuna's best bet for a winning season. Henson isn't overly cocky after a humbling baseball career and so isn't as likely to go crazy if given the reigns. Plus, Parcells simply won't allow his QB to get too far ahead of himself.

Testaverde could start a few games and give Henson a chance to watch and learn. Then Parcells could insert Henson and begin to slowly teach him the offense. They are going to try and run the ball a great deal, anyway, why not let Henson get some snaps? It is not as if they have a lot of options. In this case, I just might lean towards getting a jumpstart on the future.

San Francisco 49ers

Another fascinating situation is the potential of Ken Dorsey in San Francisco. Tim Rattay is slated to start for the recently-depleted 49ers (they lost Jeff Garcia, Terrell Owens, and Garrison Hearts, among others), but he isn't exactly the most injury-free QB out there. In fact, he missed the first preseason game with an odd arm injury.

Right behind Rattay is Ken Dorsey. You might remember that Dorsey had a half-decent college career, but pro-scouts weren't all that impressed. But a lot of good NFL QBs weren't college superstars (Tim Rattay went to L.A. Tech) and Dorsey has the physical talents to play in the big leagues. If he can master the mental game -- experience at Miami can't hurt in that department -- and the speed of the NFL, he could be a credible starter in the City by the Bay.

49ers fans have to look for excitement from their draft picks because so many veterans have left, but Dorsey and company could be contenders soon. San Fran has a couple of receivers with a lot of upside, as they say. Brandon Lloyd is ready to really break out. While Curtis Conway and Cedric Wilson should be dependable veterans, rookie Rashoun Woods could soon give them a run for the starting job. I don't have a lot of confidence in Dennis Erickson as a coach, but if some of this young talent -- with Dorsey under center -- begins to click, the 49ers might finally return to their winning ways.

San Diego Chargers

I would talk about exactly when Phillip Rivers might start for the Sand Diego Chargers, but they haven't been able to sign him yet, thus making his starting unlikely. Drew Brees was fun to watch in college, but his pro career has been rocky. This is not a surprise, given the pitiful goings on in Charger land. Still, when you get benched in favor of Doug Flutie and he actually gives the team a boost, things are dark. Perhaps Brees can turn things around and help LaDainian Tomlinson carry this team, but I won't be holding my breath.

Cincinnati Bengals

Also worth watching this year is Carson Palmer in Cincinnati. He has been designated as the starter over workmanlike, but un-exciting Jon Kitna. Carson Palmer obviously has a great deal of talent, but can he make the Bengals a team to be feared? Only Time will tell, but there are some building blocks there in Chad Johnson, Peter Warrick, and Kelly Washington. Much like the 49ers, the Bengals' offense could take it to the next level if these young guns click at the same time.

I have a sneaking suspicion that a great deal will come down to pass protection. If Palmer has to run for his life, he won't be able to get comfortable in the pocket and get the ball down field. The running game of Rudi Johnson and rookie Chris Perry (who is great out of the backfield) should help Palmer out, but when push comes to shove, there is simply no substitute for pass protection.

So there you have it, a handful of teams whose fans will either be glad they have a tested veteran at the helm or will be calling loudly for the young guns to take their place in the starting lineup. This is one of the many reasons being a head coach in the NFL is so stressful.

Finding the right balance between winning now and developing talent for the long haul is more of an art than a science. And fans rarely remain patient these days when the losses start to pile up. Nine times out of 10, I think it is best to give talented, but young QBs as much preparation and time as you can, but then again, I am not on the sideline or in the front office.

Posted by Kevin Holtsberry at 9:08 PM | Comments (1)

August 17, 2004

The Revenge of the Tiger

At the start of 2004, I conveyed to others that Tiger Woods was the favorite, and my selection, to win the Masters; his fourth in his career, which would have tied him with Arnold Palmer. I also mentioned, in the same flippant and far-reaching manner, that if Mr. Woods failed to prevail at Augusta National, the year would close without a Tiger triumph -- not liking his chances at Shinnecock Hills, Royal Troon, or Whistling Straits.

I was wrong on the first account and correct on the second, make of that what you will. But that was then, 2005, for all intents and purposes, is a mere eight months away. In 2005, Tiger Woods will have his best season since 2002 and may rival his dominance of 2000. Oh, and one more thing ... however lengthy the "streak," it ends at St. Andrews next July. In 2005, the game's greatest player will likely enter double digits -- or face the real possibility that 19 career majors is gone forever.

Indeed, it may already be too late, particularly if Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson contend on Sunday time after time, to say nothing of Vijay Singh's likely emergence as the number one player in the world. In an era where Shaun Micheel, Todd Hamilton, and yes, Ben Curtis, are claiming major championships, there just might not be enough slots remaining in Tiger's career. But, if Tiger can get to 10 next summer, that would leave him his entire 30s and maybe some of his 40s to nail down nine more and displace the Golden Bear.

Next year, Tiger Woods, if healthy, will play at Augusta National, Pinehurst, St. Andrews, and Baltustrol. Let us examine these courses one at a time. Down in Georgia, Woods has won thrice, and should always be considered the odds-on favorite to win, or retain, the Green Jacket. Tiger's swing is still only coming around and I look for his strongest showing at Bobby Jones's course since 2002, which, of course, he won.

Mickelson, Singh, Els, and David Duval (do not laugh too hard, the 2001 British Open champion played magnificently at Augusta from 1998-2001 -- with his exemption running out, here is the opportunity) may upend Woods, but Eldrick should play well.

In 1999, I had the fortune to attend the United States Open Golf Championship, contested on the number two course at Pinehurst, N.C. I witnessed Tiger at the practice range within a distance of a few feet, and wondered if his winless streak might end with an Open trophy. It nearly did. Despite a strong start on Sunday, Woods failed to make clutch putts on the backside, having to settle for an even-par 70, and a third-place finish. Shinnecock was not a Tiger course, Pinehurst is -- possibly unblemished heading into the Old Course?

Jack Nicklaus won just three British Opens, I say "just" because the two-time U.S. Amateur champion won six Masters, four U.S. Opens, and five PGA Championships. I often invoke that statement when characterizing "The Open Championship" as the most difficult of the four majors, although citing Hamilton and Curtis bolster the argument, as well.

As of 2004, Tiger is on a similar path, for despite impressive performances at Royal Birkdale (1998) and Royal St. George's (2003), he has earned only one claret jug. Ah, but the locale of his only triumph is up again on the rota, in the form of the Old Course at St. Andrews. Carnoustie it is not. Woods, though Duval nipped at his heels for roughly 70 holes, smashed through the Royal and Ancient's archaic prize in decisive fashion. Not once, all week, did Tiger find a bunker, as he validated his Hall-of-Fame credentials with the vaunted career Grand Slam in 2000.

I once remarked, in a bit of bluster and annoying clairvoyance, that it would be most prudent to bet the house on Mr. Woods at St. Andrews. I stand by that assertion for 2005, although a rejuvenated John Daly (1995 Open Champion at the Old Course) might alter the equation (Tiger appearance at British Open + British Open at St. Andrews = Tiger wins British Open) somewhat, if only marginally. Of all the venues for 2004, Tiger's best shot is in Scotland, not just for his possible first major of the season, but also for the Grand Slam.

Woods has played all of the scheduled major championship courses (four wins and a third), as a professional in a major setting, save one: the New Jersey course that brought Jack Nicklaus two of his four U.S. Opens (1967, 1980). Baltustrol, in my mind, is the one wildcard -- but even here, I like Tiger's chances.

In 1980, Nicklaus outdueled Isao Aoki and earned a Golf Magazine bonus for breaking the old scoring record (set by Jack in '67, when he broke Ben Hogan's cumulative total at Baltustrol); in 1993, Lee Janzen roared past a beguiled Payne Stewart and ensured Baltustrol's demotion from the United States Golf Association "most favored for an Open" list with his final total.

Truthfully, Baltustrol is rivaled only by Oakmont C.C. in terms of USGA competitions, and the '05 PGA selection reaffirms its top-flight status. Given the PGA of America's more favorable stance toward low-scoring, it might yield another record in 2005, and maybe, just maybe, sporting history, as well.

I have presented the rosy side of the picture for Mr. Woods, but I am reminded of the old adage that there are two sides to every coin. Failure to prevail at any of the aforementioned sites in 2005 will substantially increase the pressure on Tiger ("When is he gonna win again?"), notwithstanding that 14 majors without a win is not necessarily a setting of the sun.

Tiger Woods still sends a shadow over all of his competitors, although it is not the pervasive blanket that enveloped the field until the wind (and other elements) came up at a Saturday's Muirfield. However, should Tiger conclude another winless campaign, his aura will evaporate entirely, relegating him not to his position prior to the 1999 PGA Championship (which he won at Medinah) but to the 1997 Masters, when he was not the bookie's choice.

Four majors in a row, although he has some experience with this run of excellence, would be an incredible accomplishment, even if the courses seemed tailor-made for such show. I will posit that four in '05 is perhaps Tiger's last real chance to bag them all, before a new generation arises to combat the Tiger in his 30s. Three majors? I will not say it is likely, but it is certainly more than possible. If Tiger plays .500, the year is an unqualified success and all the Jack talk will resume.

I'll wager that Mr. Woods would be thrilled to win just one major next year, but in my mind (like 2000 would have been, except that he rose to the challenge and conquered Pebble Beach and St. Andrews, as expected), that would be a disappointment. I've already discussed the ramifications of another 0-fer, so let us dispense with the final matter.

If the Grand Slam, as envisioned by Arnold Palmer in 1960, is ever to be attained, 2005 is the year and Tiger Woods is the golfer. For the last 10 major championships, rivals and even relatively unknown golfers have seized the opening left by a certain disoriented and disheveled Woods. Congratulations to all of those golfers, from Els to Singh, for wisking away the major championships while hope beckoned, while the master-and-still-never-missed-a-major-cut Tiger lay in wait.

In eight months, we'll see if the year's most anticipated movie (Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith) is accompanied by the most anticipated "comeback" in the sporting world.

Posted by Marc James at 8:12 PM | Comments (0)

The Best Games in Sports

Phish lead singer Trey Anastonsio: We play hockey every winter. Playing with your 8-year-old on a pond; it really doesn't get any better than that.

Martin St. Louis: Those are the best games.

Sometimes, the garbage in professional sports starts to wear on a person. You have guys like Barry Bonds, who complains about being so exhausted from walking and standing all game (what fan can't relate to that?). You have Deion Sanders preaching the good word, all while stiffing his kids of their child support (Sanders once claimed Jesus told him he only had to pay half of his auto bill, but I don't think Jesus told him to screw over his kids).

Constantly, we hear of murders, rapes, drugs, and other junk in the game. When it gets too much, I look to college sports to help me feel better about the sports world.

You know, the college game where athletes are paid to play, a la the Fab Five. The college game with sex scandals and betting scandals. Living in Cincinnati, every year, there seems to be another Bearcat either behind bars or in court for something crazy, but not too out of line.

Things like tying roommates to chairs and torturing them, throwing beer bottles at pregnant girlfriends (this is legit, though, because while you never hit a woman, since she was pregnant, it was almost two on one), or punching police horses become the norm. Even the conductor of this train wreck, UC Coach Bob Huggins, is more famous for his DUI tape than anything he has done on a court recently. So during these occasional times, I look to high school sports to make me feel better.

High school sports are always pure. These coaches aren't in it for the fame and fortune; they are in it for the love of the game and for the love of working with youngsters. Unless you are Timothy Rosato, a softball coach for an Ohio high school, who was just in it for the love of sex with his students. Or if you are soccer coach Bill Burton, who is in it for the love of taking his soccer team to Amersterdam and helping his 14-year-old players hire hookers.

More and more stories surface about coaches sexually abusing players, schools recruiting athletes, and players using illegal supplements. So every now and then, it makes sense that a sports fan could become slightly disenfranchised with organized sports, but what is a sports fan supposed to do?

Pick up the ball, and do it yourself.

The best games come outside of the stadiums and arenas, away from the bright lights and extraneous fanfare. Nothing beats playing football on a crisp autumn Saturday with friends. On that field, you are simply playing for pride, not endorsements. You are playing for your teammates, not for your contract extension.

The fleeting glory of knowing you were better than the man across from you instantly vanishes at the end of the game; the only important game is the next one. When I become exasperated with the sports world, I go to my own sports world, and for me, that place is Kingsley Court.

Like most young kids, I had my group of boys that would play just about every sort of sport imaginable. And like most groups of kids, we had our characters. We were known as the Kingsley Courters (we all lived on Kingsley Ct.), and we were comprised of five core kids. The rest would come and go over the years, but the core five remained the same.

Sam from up the street and I played the role of the older and more athletic kids, the anchor to any group. Then we had the token "fat kid who really isn't fat, but is still made fun of for being fat" kid, who was Anthony, the tall next-door neighbor. The final two of the five were my younger brothers, Dan and Joe, who are identical twins. Joe was our token trash-talking, all-about-the-flash guy, while Dan was the harder worker.

And like most kids, we had our fair share of broken windows, bloodied noses, annoyed neighbors, lost balls, stopping hockey games for cars and dogs that doubled as middle linebackers (man's best friend is a lot tougher than any cat, or any Ricky Williams, for that matter.) Unlike most kids, the Kingsley Courters weren't just some convenient neighborhood playmates; over time, the bond transcended sport, and we evolved into some sort of athletic, cheap street gang.

As we grew older, we stopped playing with each other and started fielding challenges from other neighborhoods. Naturally, they were all soundly trounced, and jealousy grew amongst the other kids. Eventually, the K-Courters even grew to have an arch-nemesis, Steven, a kid from a nearby neighborhood.

He would often try to rally the best athletes to the cause of dethroning the K-Courters, even going as far as planning midnight drive-bys down Kingsley Court the night before big matchups, honking his car horn and waking up the neighborhood. But the Kingsley Courters would defend the honor of the neighborhood, doing what they did best in ultimately trouncing the evil (and slightly inadequate) Steven and his band of wannabes en route to another victory.

Not everyone has a story exactly like that one, but most have something similar. And while most weeks, I will be writing about the crazy world of mainstream sports, it is good to take time to remember what sports is all about. It is about playing catch with your kid or playing hockey on a frozen pond, not about SportsCenter. It is about playing, not watching. In the words of Martin St. Louis, "those are the best games."

Mark Chalifoux is also a weekly columnist for SportsFan Magazine. His columns appear every Tuesday on Sports Central. You can e-mail Mark at [email protected].

Posted by Mark Chalifoux at 5:41 PM | Comments (0)

August 16, 2004

The MLB Strike: 25 Years in the Making

Ask any sports fan their low point of the last decade that didn't involve a bloody glove and Ford Bronco and it would probably involve the 1994 baseball season, the year a player's strike/lockout ended a scintillating campaign and caused the first ever cancellation of the World Series. ESPN, never ones to fall into hyperbole, called this "Armageddon."

There was plenty for fans to be upset about. Padres' outfielder Tony Gwynn was batting .394, threatening to become the first player since Ted Williams to bat .400. Giants' third baseman Matt Williams was challenging Roger Maris' then-untouchable record of 61 home runs.

Most fans saw this conflict as "Clash of the Rich Bastards": greedy billionaire owners versus greedy millionaire players.

The media fed their anger. In the end, the strike was the longest and costliest in sports history, with the game losing a billion dollars in 1994 and millions more as fans turned away from the game in disgust.

I, personally, believe it to be an instance of tremendous solidarity, the culmination of the work of Baseball Union pioneer, Marvin Miller.

There is a tradition in baseball of labor solidarity has remained firm through six work stoppages since 1972 and the Players Unions is recognized as the strongest in the country because they don't give an inch.

In 1967, the average baseball salary was $19,000 a year.

For this to change, players had to reject a tradition of company-run unions and fought to end the reserve clause, which bound a player to a team that drafted them with no rights to go anywhere else. They won the right of free agency and used their solidarity -- and the power of the strike -- to extract wealth from the bosses.

The pioneer of this approach was Major League Baseball union leader Marvin Miller, former United Steel Workers union official who headed up the union in 1966. As Reggie Jackson said, "Miller had more influence on Major League Baseball than anyone ever."

But Miller's genius, I would argue, was that he understood that there was a larger radicalization in society that was thundering into the world of sports. African-American players had been radicalized by the Black Power movement and he courted them to challenge the reserve clause.

In an interview I did with Marvin Miller, he said, "After the Civil Rights Movement, you now had players thinking in terms of what was wrong with the society, and what we could change."

He found such a player willing to stand up in the St. Louis Cardinals' Curt Flood, born and raised in Oakland, who was plenty pissed after making it through a Southern minor league system of segregated hotels and eating out of the kitchen on road trips.

As Miller said, "To me, Flood epitomized the modern player who began to think in terms of union, to ask questions like, 'Why should we be treated like property?' 'Why am I a $40,000-a-year slave?' Basic questions that had gone unasked."

In October 1969, the Cardinals traded Flood to Philadelphia and he said "Maybe I won't go."

He wrote to then-commissioner Bowie Kuhn, "Dear Mr. Kuhn, after 12 years in the major leagues, I do not feel that I am a piece of property to be bought and sold irrespective of my wishes. I believe that any system that produces that result violates my basic rights as a citizen and a human being. I believe that I have the right to consider offers from other clubs before making any decisions. I, therefore, request that you make known to all the major league clubs my feelings in this matter, and advise them of my availability for the 1970 season."

It sounds polite, but at the time, this was akin to Galileo proclaiming the earth to be round.

Kuhn didn't take Flood seriously at all, replying, "Dear Curt, I certainly agree with you that you, as a human being, are not a piece of property to be bought and sold. That is, I think, obvious. However, I cannot see its application to the situation at hand."

As the great columnist Red Smith put it in a beautiful pro-Flood piece: "Thus, the commissioner restates baseball's labor policy any time there is unrest in the slave cabins. "Run along, sonny, you bother me."

Flood won as the union stood with him, but paid a terrible price, was shunned, and cast aside. Yet his example stiffened the spine of generations of ball players reaping the rewards.

Hear the words of Matt Williams himself, who lost a chance at baseball immortality through the strike. "The way baseball players think about it is guys before us have sacrificed to enable us to have a healthy game. We're a strong union because we're all on the same page. We need to keep it that way.''

Miller spoke to this when he said, "Are salaries wonderful? Yeah, but we must remember that it is unity and solidarity and the struggles of the past that made them successful. There is no guarantee that this will continue. And, without a union as successful as it has been, I would predict a downward spiral. The labor movement never stands still.

Posted by Marc James at 8:20 PM | Comments (0)

For Whom the Bell Tolls

If they only knew what kind of offseason that they were in for.

Little did they know their star running back would retire just before training camp.

Little did they know that their projected savior at wide receiver would be lost for the season.

Little did they know that they would acquire a third-string quarterback for their second-round pick.

Little did they know that the teams in their division would get better.

And as for Dan Marino? Little did they know that he would resign from his position weeks after he was given the job.

All of this happened in about six months, and the season has not even started yet.

Who do you feel sorry for? Management? Coaching staff? The team? Well, you can, but the fans are the ones that have felt the brunt of the sting. Miami fans have now come to the conclusion that this season may be another lost season, just like many ones prior to this.

Those Super Bowls that Miami won in the '70s seem so long ago, don't they?

Miami has no choice now but to move ahead. Strangely enough, they can take a look at their own division rival the New England Patriots, who had 42 different starters last year because of injuries. They went 14-2 and won 15-straight games (and counting) to win their second Super Bowl in three years. Their talent was supposedly better than the Patriots' -- well, at least that was what the experts were saying. They just did not get it done in key parts of games, much to the displeasure of the Dolphin faithful.

Miami has to treat their disaster offseason like a poker hand, and they are playing with a 7/2 offsuit, the worst of all hands, but trying to find a way to win with that hand. Once the season starts, no team will feel sorry for them because of their misfortunes. Their job is to win football games, no matter what kind of shape the other team is in. The first preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars will go a long way in determining the chances that the Dolphins have when the season starts.

With all of the Dolphins' missteps this offseason, some are casting them into the underdog role, which is very fitting. It used to be that the Dolphins were favorites of the division every season, until the Patriots changed all that. What should also be noted is that this may save Dave Wannstedt from being fired since he may be shown sympathy from owner Wayne Huizenga.

I can almost hear Dolphin fans cringe at that statement.

To quote a famous wrestler, "To be the man, you’ve got to beat the man." I say in the case for the Miami Dolphins, "To be the best, you've got to beat the best, no matter how long the odds may seem," because their odds right now seem very long just to have a winning record this season.

But it is not impossible to do as one may think it is.

Just ask the New England Patriots of last season.

The Dolphins, right now, are down for the count. Whether they beat the count or get knocked out is up to them.

Posted by Marc James at 7:28 PM | Comments (0)

The NFL's Surreal Life

I've never been into reality shows, but like most of the world, curiosity does get the better of me and I tune in to see what the buzz is about. I am guilty of watching The Real World, Survivor, Big Brother, and Trading Spouses. None of these shows held my interest for very long, but The Surreal Life was actually quite amusing and worth a half an hour of my life.

The show features celebrities that have basically fallen off of the radar and were, unfortunately, known for just one thing. In season one, the show featured notable parties such as M.C. Hammer, Emmanuel Lewis, and Gabrielle Carteris. Yes, "U Can't Touch This," Webster, and Andrea Zuckerman from Beverly Hills 90210.

Season two of The Surreal Life featured Ron Jeremy, Traci Bingham, and Vanilla Ice. Ex-porn star meets Baywatch babe meets "Ice, Ice, Baby". It all adds up to an interesting mix of personalities, which the producers of the show hope will incite conflict, resolutions, and maybe even the formation of a new relationship. This brings me to the upcoming season of the highly popular program.

By some bizarre twist of fate, I was able to glimpse a preview of season three of The Surreal Life. You can discover the entire cast for this installment on your own. I only want to mention two members ... Brigitte Nielsen and Flavor Flav.

Believe it or not, these two seemingly completely different people, at least in the previews I witnessed were, to say the least, attracted to each other?

Don't get me wrong. The interracial thing isn't the issue. That is the absolute last thing on my mind. Perhaps you missed the last paragraph? You did notice I mentioned Flavor Flav and Brigitte Nielsen in the same sentence?

Perhaps it is unclear how much of a mismatch this relationship is. Nielsen is a 6-1 buxom bleached blonde supermodel/actress, who was married to Sylvester Stallone. Flavor Flav, of the rap group Public Enemy, was known to the world as a loquacious, semi-annoying rapper, who wore huge, colorful hats and sported gigantic clocks around his neck. If you still can't figure out who I'm talking about, maybe his catchphrase will jog your memory.

"YEAHHHH, BOYEEEE!"

Are we all on the same page, now?

The cameras caught them in a passionate kiss, giving each other massages, and lounging in the hot tub together. It all sounds very sweet, but I need conflict. I was not disappointed. In one incident, Nielsen rapped Flav in the mouth with her pocketbook ... hard. In another scene, Flav was running his mouth, as usual, prompting Nielsen to slap him in the face ... hard. Flav, apparently, had enough because he slapped her right back ... hard. Believe it or not, she enjoyed it!

The whole situation reminded me of the relationship between Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden and ex-Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout Keyshawn Johnson. Now Johnson has divorced Gruden and has reconciled with Dallas Cowboys' coach Bill Parcells. A bittersweet reunion, I'm sure.

I'm just wondering if the relationship will be any different?

Parcells, physically, is no Nielsen, except maybe in breast size. Sorry, Bill, I had to get that one in. However, they are both tough, no-nonsense individuals who have no qualms about speaking their mind. Neither are they intimidated by anyone in their employ.

"Keyshawn-Key" still has the potential to become one of the best possession receivers to play in the NFL. He also doesn't have any qualms about telling everyone that very fact any chance he gets, especially, his coaches. The problem is Johnson doesn't think that he is a possession receiver. He does not have breakaway speed, such as Minnesota Vikings' receiver Randy Moss, nor does he possess the humility that is so characteristic of Oakland Raiders' future Hall-of-Famer, Jerry Rice. Johnson even has his own catchphrase...

"Meshawn."

In my version of The Surreal Life, I would let Johnson keep grumbling about not getting the ball enough. This time, Parcells won't be tailoring the offense around Johnson. Instead, he raps him in the mouth with his playbook. That scene alone warrants a number one rating, don't you think?

The Cowboys have made some hideously awful choices in the personnel they have acquired for this upcoming season. That will be a hard enough pill to swallow. The last thing Parcells needs is Johnson, griping in his ear on the sidelines. Even though "Meshawn" seems relatively content for the moment, I have a feeling that this rekindled love affair will be quite short-lived.

As long as Keyshawn continues to be "Meshawn", then the conflict, which so many of us crave, in our reality television, will come into being. When the 'Boys find themselves in the cellar this season, it will all come to a head. We're talking "Must-See TV" and it's going to be entertaining.

Fortunately, it's about time to start production of The Surreal Life, season four. When the Dallas Cowboys' personnel are searching for jobs next year, they should consider that option. Imagine, roommates Johnson and Parcells, in a heated battle over who will get the rights to sleep on the top bunk.

Now that's what I call reality television.

Posted by Damian Greene at 6:23 PM | Comments (0)

The Not-Quite-Dream Team

An embarrassment? Yes. But a surprise? Maybe not.

Okay, so the margin does fall into the surprise category. The U.S. Men's Basketball Team got run out of the gym Sunday in a 19-point opening-game loss to Puerto Rico, hardly an elite team in the world of international basketball.

But the mere fact that Team USA lost is not so shocking. It was bound to happen eventually.

Back in 1992, the real Dream Team took Barcelona by storm and turned in a dominant gold medal performance. The formula was simple: put all the best players in the world on one team and watch them fly. Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, and the rest of the Dream Teamers overwhelmed opposing teams with their talent and athleticism. They sped up the game. They played suffocating defense. They shot lights-out.

But one thing they never did was change their style.

International basketball is a much different animal than NBA basketball. A wider lane, different strategies, different officials, and a whole lot less one-on-one play combine to create a unique game.

That didn't matter in '92. Team USA had much more talent than any other team so style of play had virtually no impact. In fact, the Dream Team could control the game so completely that they could shift the style of play back toward the familiar NBA way of life.

Since then, none of the subsequent editions of the Dream Team have deviated from that plan. You play your game and your talent carries the day.

But now, 12 years after that first dominating performance, the rest of the world has caught up. The talent gap is not nearly as big.

Then, when you throw in the fact that many of the NBA's best players declined to be part of the 2004 national team, you've got a problem. And judging by the loss to Puerto Rico, it's a big problem.

Team USA still hasn't adapted to the international game. They still try to dictate tempo, try to play an individual game, and try to overwhelm teams with their talent.

It's not working quite so well anymore.

When Allen Iverson and company tried to play an up-and-down game, Puerto Rico slowed things down. When the Americans tried to penetrate through the lane, they found it clogged up and either forced up bad shots or made bad passes. And when referees called things looser inside and tighter on the perimeter, they complained. A lot. Every foul call drew protests and looks of disbelief.

Those looks of disbelief perfectly exemplify Team USA's first loss in the Olympics since it began using NBA players. The looks said it all. They said, in essence, "You mean we have to play their game?"

There are other reasons why the Americans lost. The Puerto Rican team played a great game, taking advantage of the U.S.' mistakes. The talent on Team USA is not where it used to be. The team lacks a shooting threat from outside and lacks cohesiveness thanks to little practice time together. And maybe the most disturbing of all is the fact that some of the players -- although they would never admit it -- lack the burning desire to win that you find on a team like Puerto Rico.

But ultimately, it comes down to the fact that, in the face of a changing talent level, Team USA refuses to change its approach.

Knowing that, anyone could have predicted a loss for the not-quite-Dream Team. But most people would have expected the loss to be nothing more than a speed bump on the road to a gold medal.

But if Team USA refuses to adapt and hopes talent will win out, then the speed bump might turn into a roadblock.

Posted by William Geoghegan at 5:09 PM | Comments (0)

August 14, 2004

Parcells Has a Mess Down in Big D

It's the second season for the Bill Parcells turnaround in Big D.

Too bad for Cowboys fans that they're only turning around from their surprisingly good start to last year's campaign. The Parcells luster is gone. The Tuna is worried more about spies in training camp, rather than coming to grips with Vinny Testaverde being the man that will lead his offense this season.

Although that is probably a false statement. Testaverde won't run the Cowboys' offense this season. That duty is going to go to Richie Anderson, their fullback. Sure, fullbacks have been impact players in the past, but to be a team's focale point? If the Cowboys do good this season, it'll likely come from Anderson sitting a nice block to spring a big gain on a screen pass or pick up a big third and short.

The team was done before training camp even broke.

Sure, cutting Quincy Carter was a big part of it. Even if the guy was troubled off the fields, one would have to assume that a stoned Carter would still be a better peice to this offense than Testaverde.

Does anyone in Dallas actually understand that Testaverde is their starting quarterback? And that their backup, Drew Henson, was recently under the employ of the New York Yankees?

These are serious questions that the Dallas Cowboys are apparently avoiding. They cut Carter, ok, so is there a plan? They can't possibly believe that Testaverde is going to play decently. Not even good. You couldn't possibly ask Testaverde to play good. Just play decent. And asking for that is a prayer.

It's not even fun to go on about Testaverde. Everyone knows that he has nothing left in the tank. Everyone knew this about a year and a half before the Jets came to the conclusion that Chad Pennington needed to be their quarterback. Testaverde has to know that he's only in the league for the paycheck and has to be shellshocked that he's going to actually see time this season. It's not even polite to make fun of a guy in this sort of state.

See, Henson is going to be the guy in Big D. Debate whether that is the right move or not all you want, but it was going to happen. They just can't do it right away. They were hoping that Carter would play to his potential for a bit, then hand over the reigns when Henson is comfortable.

Testaverde had to have planned on coming into camp, offering up advice to Carter and Henson and hanging out with the kids. He'd feel young and all that feel good stuff. Then he'd stand on the sidelines. He would smile. Clap. The whole nine. He probably wouldn't even need to flip through the playbook.

But, it's good to see they've at least given Testaverde some weapons. You figure if you're going to cut your quarterback with no ample backup, you have to have a stacked offense around the quarterback, right?

Oh, the Cowboys don't even have weapons?

They have a mediocre possession receiver in Keyshawn Johnson and a big play receiver that just doesn't have a knack for making big plays in Terry Glenn. Both guys are fine, if they are the number two and three receivers on your football team.

At running back, well, we'll see how Eddie George holds up. This team needed to sign George. No doubt. It is definitely not a good thing when a rookie running back is told after the draft that he is the go to running back, and then come pre-season he welcomes the addition of a veteran that is going to take a healthy portion of his playing time.

But that is the case with Julius Jones. Who, much like with Testaverde, has to be wondering what is going on in Dallas. Jones as a featured back in the NFL? This is the Jones from Notre Dame, right? Not the Jones from Virginia Tech? You know, the elusive Jones, the Jones that will have a great pro career? This is Julius, the Jones that won't have a great pro career.

Jones has garnered comparisons to Curtis Martin lately. Not just the occasional johnny-come-lately at Dallas training camp, who sees him make a couple spins, saying that he looks like Martin. But people from all around the league. Did anyone see him play at Notre Dame? Or did people take a look at the numbers for Jones and make this assessment based off of that?

Sure, he ran for a heavy chunk of yards, but was nowhere to be found whenever the Irish played a team with any semblance of a run defense. This is the same knock on Larry Johnson a few years ago, who is a much more talented running back than Jones.

No, Parcells is trying to seal his legacy right now. He ius trying to out smart everyone out there, but the thing is, he is neither Bobby Fischer or the little kid that was possibly searching for him in that film years back. This is not a football team that is going to be on the same football team as the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Redskins and compete. It just will not and can not happen with the lineup Dallas has in place.

If Parcells wins with this offense, then he is a football genius. He needs a better catchphrase than "no disrespect to the Orientals, but what we call 'Jap plays'," but otherwise will be right up there with Vince Lombardi. If he pulls a winner from this team, it will easily be one of the great NFL accomplishments.

Too bad it probably won't happen like that.

Posted by Doug Graham at 11:28 PM | Comments (0)

We're No. 3!

What does the bronze medal mean to you?

Top three? Runner-up to the runner-up? Close, but no cigar?

How about ... LOSER?

Not only a loser, but a bigger loser than the loser the winner defeated to become the winner.

The bronze medal is a trinket whose only purpose is to remind athletes that they're closer to fourth-place than first-place.

It wasn't always like this. In the first modern-era Olympic Games, held in Athens in 1896, only the first two finishers received awards. There wasn't a gold medal yet. First-place received a silver medal and a crown of olive branches (a step down from Ancient Greece, which used to exempt champions from paying taxes for an Olympiad). Second-place athletes were given a crown made of laurel and a medal made of bronze.

That all changed at the 1904 Olympics, in which the gold medal was introduced as the ultimate prize for event champions. The silver was bumped down to second-place. Theoretically, the organizers now had all of these suddenly worthless bronzies on their hands, so third-place began receiving some hardware as well.

Where did this historic change in Olympic policy take place, you ask? Where else: the United States (St. Louis, to be exact), the land where everyone's a winner. Who else votes on an All-American second-team? What other nation hands out gold stars to every student in class, lest a single child begin questioning his or her own aptitude? Who else in the world could invent something as contemptuous as the "Homecoming Court?" (C'mon, people -- it's king or queen; everyone else is a nerd.)

Is the bronze medal really consistent with the bedrock virtues of athletic competition? Do teams battle for the right to raise three fingers in the air? When little boys unwrap their first baseball mitts on Christmas morning, do proud fathers gaze down and think, "One day my boy will grow up to be third in the MVP voting?"

Quick: When Affirmed beat Alydar in the Belmont Stakes in 1978 to win the Triple Crown, what horse completed the trifecta?

When Magic Johnson's Michigan State team defeated Larry Bird and Indiana State for the 1979 NCAA national basketball championship, who won the tournament consolation game?

Without the bronze medal, no athlete would ever "settle for" anything less than best or second best on the world's greatest stage. Countries like Mozambique, Belarus, and Sri Lanka would simply show up every four years for two ceremonies and the chance to be on TV.

Sure, the bronze medal has become an Olympic tradition, like the torch, the rings, and track-and-field athletes on horse tranquilizers. But back in 720 B.C., so was competing in the nude.

Can you imagine how awkward fencing would be if that tradition was allowed to continue?

So at the end of your favorite event in Athens -- whether it's Trampolining, Field Hockey, or Badminton -- take a good look at the medal stand. Admire the gold. Respect the silver. And then try not to giggle as the bronze asks for their autographs.

Greg Wyshynski is also a weekly columnist for SportsFan Magazine. His columns appear every Saturday on Sports Central. You can e-mail Greg at [email protected].

Posted by Greg Wyshynski at 11:04 PM | Comments (0)

August 13, 2004

New NFL TV Rights Could Get Interesting

The record-setting, eight-year, $17.6 billion television contract between the National Football League and its partnering networks expires following the 2005 season. Generally, the NFL and its partnering and non-partnering networks do not begin to discuss a new television rights deal until the month of October, on the final year of the television contract. The NFL has wanted to start discussions this October, an entire year earlier than normal.

Disney, however, which owns ABC and ESPN, wishes not to discuss the television rights situation until the end of this season. With Disney's ownership of both stations, and the huge role it plays in the current television contract, the NFL will most likely be forced to halt any serious discussions with all involved parties, until after the season.

The current contract between the NFL and it's television partners including, FOX, CBS, ABC, and ESPN goes as follows: Sunday afternoon games on FOX and CBS, Sunday night games on ESPN, and Monday night games on ABC. FOX and ABC each have the broadcast rights to three Super Bowls, while CBS has the rights to two Super Bowls (their second Super Bowl telecast was this past season). FOX will broadcast this year's Super Bowl, followed by ABC, which then ends the current television rights contract.

Rumors began not too long ago, that Disney might considering moving Monday Night Football to ESPN in the new television contract. ABC continues to lose over $100 million a year televising Monday Night Football, despite the program continuing to be one of the highest-rated programs on network television. ABC is not the only network that continues to lose money by broadcasting NFL games. Both FOX and CBS continue to lose money each year, as well.

The NFL is not the only sport in which stations lose money off of. NBC lost millions of dollars while broadcasting the NBA. That itself had a lot of influence as to why NBC decided not to retain the broadcasting rights. FOX has lost money from their broadcasting deal with Major League Baseball, and even today, ABC continues to lose money by broadcasting the NBA.

The NHL was an even worse situation for ABC, which prompted them not to renew their television deal with the league. Asides from ESPN, the NHL will also air on NBC. What makes it interesting is, NBC is not paying the rights to televise the games. Instead, the NHL is paying NBC to broadcast the games. That's a huge difference. How that formula is what the NHL has resorted to, do not expect that to ever happen with the NFL.

In my opinion, if Monday Night Football moves to ESPN, it will not necessarily be the end of the world. I would still prefer for it to stay on ABC, however. When a sporting event, such as football, baseball, or basketball takes stage in prime time on network television, it makes the event feel special. That is the same reason I hate the continued idea to air championship games, such as the NHL Stanley Cup Finals, on cable television.

The situation concerning the NFL's other partners, CBS and FOX, still remains to be seen. It remains unlikely that NBC will attempt to retain a Sunday afternoon package, as the station claims they have lost too much money while previously televising NFL games from the previous contract. It makes sense to also consider that NBC carries NASCAR races on Sundays until November, causing further conflict.

The only idea out there when considering NBC is that the network might be interested in acquiring a Sunday night football package. If Monday Night Football moved, would ESPN still carry Sunday night games? Would ABC? Many questions remain unanswered.

Unless there is a major shock, I would expect CBS and FOX to continue broadcasting Sunday afternoon games.

There have been rumblings of tweaking the start times for Sunday afternoon games. In my opinion, I believe the best situation is to have the early games begin at 1:00 PM EST, just as they do now. Secondly, instead of having the late games begin at 4:00 PM EST, I would start them at either 4:15 or 4:30. That way, there is more if a gap in the event that a game from the early games go longer.

Through the first six years of the current television contract, I would have to say that FOX has had the best coverage. FOX NFL Sunday's pre-game has consistently beat CBS's The NFL Today pre-game.

The NFL Today has made plenty of changes to their studio cast year after year, including another major shakeup this year. This season, Greg Gumbel will be the new studio host, while previous host Jim Nantz will move with Phil Simms as the number one broadcast team. Gumbel previously hosted a NFL pre-game show while with NBC six years ago.

The NFL Today has gotten better year by year, slowly, with a new line of co-hosts. The recent additions of Dan Marino and Deion Sanders provided a much-needed spark to the show. It remains to be seen how Shannon Sharpe's replacement of Sanders will influence the changes made to the show. The complete cast of The NFL Today, will include Greg Gumbel, Dan Marino, Boomer Esiason, and Shannon Sharpe.

ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown continues to be a great program for NFL fans. However, one can only take so much of the show-style that Chris Berman and Stuart Scott include. Other than that, Sunday NFL Countdown is a solid show, but I sometimes get a little bored with a two-hour program like that.

It will be interesting to see how things change once the television contract expires in 2006. While discussions won't get serious until after this season, you can expect more rumors to surface, which will only make the situation more interesting.

E-mail feedback to [email protected], or by using the comments form below. For more about Martin, please visit his personal website.

Posted by Martin Hawrysko at 12:36 AM | Comments (0)

Bob Murphy, RIP: The Unhappiest Happy Recap

And to think that we Met fans, since the day they were born, had Roger Maris to thank for Bob Murphy.

September 26, 1961, Yankee Stadium. Bob Murphy was behind the microphone for the Baltimore Orioles in Yankee Stadium when Jack Fisher, then a Baby Bird and soon enough to become a misfit Met, served Maris a fastball that Maris served into the rightfield seats for homerun No. 60. Eight thousand fans sat in Yankee Stadium to watch the blast, and one grandmotherly society woman, who just so happened to have been awarded a new New York franchise for the National League's first expansion, listened on her own radio.

Whatever he said, however he said it, Murphy had seduced Joan Payson into an invitation to join fellow veteran announcer Lindsey Nelson and former Pittsburgh Pirates homerun king Ralph Kiner as the broadcast trio for the maiden Mets.

And the very first regular season words any Mets fan heard on his or her radio, in April 1962, came from that distinctive harmonic of Oklahoma drawl and Missouri honey in the rock, cured, but never flattened with attentive exercise during preparatory tours with the Orioles and (with Curt Gowdy) the Boston Red Sox:

"Well, hi there, everybody, this is Bob Murphy welcoming you to the first regular season game in the history of the New York Mets. Brought to you by Rheingold Extra Dry. Tonight the New York Mets meet the St. Louis Cardinals, right here in St. Louis. Lindsey Nelson, Ralph Kiner, and I are on hand to bring you every bit of the action. Yes, sir, the New York Mets are on the air in their first great season."

How we would learn so incandescently that greatness has its connotations of disaster as well as deliverance, the Mets marching forth to finish that season as the most singular theater of absurdism of which professional baseball has record, the flesh and blood enactment of "Who's On First" as the Keystone Kops might have actualized it.

Casey Stengel reminded a New York generation or three about how to laugh that they might not weep, Bob Murphy taught that generation or three about grace under calamity, and there are your answers should someone inquire how it was possible to withstand season after season of surrealistic Mets anti-ballplaying.

Except that the crazy Mets got even crazier in 1969, snatching a seemingly certain National League East title from an imploding team of Chicago Cubs, then sweeping the Atlanta Braves to nail a National League pennant, and -- after dropping the first game to sighs of resigned gratitude for having gotten that far in the first place -- taking four-straight from a Baltimore Orioles team that had the paper look of Panzer tanks greeting the Mets' buggies. "Those," Murphy told a Hall of Fame gathering (he was inducted into the broadcast wing in 1994), "were my Boys of Summer."

Murphy was so facile at finding the flower in the fallout that he was accused easily enough of being the homer of homers, but there is something to be said for a man who could keep you in the family when the home club graduated from surreal absurdism to elemental deconstruction.

When the Mets were good, even great, there was no more genial broadcaster than this portly fellow whose comportment suggested the neighborhood barkeep who refused to let you drown your sorrows when you could recover your pleasures. When the Mets were gruesome, there was no one to whom you would rather turn for any kind of hint that this, too, should pass.

Perhaps it was this that kept his most familiar phrase from devolving into affectative falsity. Only a man who has had to find so many lotuses in so many thick, muddy pools could precede a game-following commercial spot with, "Back with the happy recap right after this," and make every buttery syllable seem an extraction from the Word.

And yet when the rare ejaculation of disgust should pass his lips, Murphy was just too deeply himself to make it linger as anything other than a "me too, pal" kind of perverse joy. We take you back to July 25, 1990, where something even more grating than Roseanne Barr raping the National Anthem in San Diego occurred. Ninth inning, the Mets have the Philadelphia Phillies in the hole, 10-3, the Phillies put six runs across the plate without one ball being hit any harder than a shuttlecock, and sent the tying run up to hit. And, then, came the only sharply hit ball of the inning.

Line drive–caught! The game's over. They win. The Mets win it. A line drive to Mario Diaz. They win the damn thing by a score of 10-9.

When he first entered a major league broadcast booth, it was at Curt Gowdy's beckon, Gowdy having done minor league games with Murphy in Oklahoma. "Let's announce like we're friends, just talking to each other," Gowdy suggested. He had no idea just how right was the man to whom he offered that suggestion. Murphy announced as though everyone with an ear by the speaker was his friend.

He was a Met fan's friend through the absurdism of Marvelous Marv and the Ol' Perfesser, through the unreality of the 1969 miracle, and the 1973 Mets, whose season wasn't over until it was over; he was your friend through the Saturday Night Massacre dispatch of Tom Seaver and the rise and fall of the 1980s self-immolating dynasty that never was; he was your friend right up to and including the first time Mike Piazza traded his tools of ignorance for a long mitt up the first base line.

"Can you believe it?! A wicked line drive to first base and Piazza makes the play. The ball was just blistered by Carlos Rivera. Isn't that the way it goes in baseball? A guy goes out there for the first time and the ball was hit right at him."

"You never heard him say, 'Hey, I hope it's a two-hour game today,' or 'I hope we get a quick one here'," said Mike Krukow, the former San Francisco Giants pitcher who is now a broadcaster for the team. "He never complained. He couldn't have been happier being at the ballpark. That type of attitude was totally contagious."

And not without its prices beyond the protracted periods of putridity. "So happy to be broadcasting in the big leagues. Only problem was the constant roar of airplanes over Shea Stadium affected his hearing. He lost a good bit of it," said Vin Scully, the man who makes friends of Los Angeles Dodgers fans and thousands, if not millions others. "But he didn't care. If that was the price for doing his beloved Mets, he paid it."

As if to remind one of the foolishness that seems to have been bred into Met administration, their original general manager, M. Donald Grant, thought so little of Murphy that he made Murphy the only member of the broadcast team to wait until after the season's final game before giving him an "oh, all right" new single year's contract. The Doubleday regime pulled him off television entirely and restricted him to radio in 1981. The only happier marriage was to his wife, Joye.

"I'll say goodbye now to everybody," said Murphy, ending his final broadcast, September 25, 2003, on a night in which the Mets honored him at Shea, after partner Gary Cohen thanked him for being New York's Voice of Summer. "Stay well out there, wherever you may be. I've enjoyed the relationship with you."

Appropriately, he paused a moment or three before commencing his standard identification wrap up: "New York Mets baseball is a production of Sports Radio 66, WFAN, in conjunction with the New York Mets." As he finished the first four words, up came the theme music which rang in and signed off so many Mets games over so many years, that horn-happy riffing intro into an instrumental version of the team's old "Meet the Mets."

Bless the Mets, they and the Milwaukee Brewers took a pause in Miller Park, on the day of the news that he had passed, to pay a final silent respect to the Voice of Summer, before the Mets went out and thrashed the Brewers, 12-3.

And something was missing, in the bottom of the ninth, when Mike DeJean began burping up two of the Brewers' three runs, with a little help from his friends, like Joe McEwing's throwing error, allowing one run in, preceding Craig Counsell doubling home, Ben Grieve and Gary Bennett getting plunked, before DeJean finally regrouped enough to strike out Scott Podsednik and get Brooks Kieschnick to hit a game-ending popup to second base.

There was no happy recap.

Not even an on-the-fly choke of disgust, when the Mets threatened to let the Brewers unravel Al Leiter's magnificent start and their own magnificent evening of running, gunning, and stunning the home team; not even a swift follow-up pondering of whether this just might be the impossible revival, to an impossible recovery, after that nasty weekend with the Atlanta Braves just might have ended the Mets' feather-light postseason hopes.

And that adds a further choke to this unhappiest of all unhappy recaps, to know that the roll of those broadcasters whom you know love the game with all their heart, without having to ask, is now reduced on this island earth by one.

"It's a constant reminder that from dust we come and to dust we shall return, not to be morbid about it," said Scully. "I'm going to miss Bob, but hopefully we'll do a game together in the wild blue yonder somewhere." A consummation devoutly to be wished, because until the day that pleasure is granted us in the next world, God of our fathers our grief is too heavy in this world today.

Posted by Jeff Kallman at 12:36 AM | Comments (0)

August 12, 2004

The Complex Psyche of Red Sox Nation

The pitching is better, the hitting isn't that much worse, but the sky sure seems to be falling faster in the minds of Boston Red Sox fans.

In the world of stats and results, the 2004 Red Sox are not dramatically different from the 2003 team that got within one game of the World Series. But Planet Stat can be a far cry from the reality of this world.

Reality is filled with intangibles like the burden of expectations, constant comparisons with a hated rival, and drama in the clubhouse.

And because of those intangibles, the things that can't be quantified and measured, the reality is that Red Sox Nation is dejected, disgruntled, and dissatisfied with the 2004 edition of the Sox despite its similarities to the 2003 squad.

After 109 games last season, the Red Sox were 63-46. This year (as of this writing), the Sox are 60-49. Last season, the team batting average was .289 and the on-base percentage was .360. So far this year the numbers are .279 and .357. Last season, the Boston pitching staff posted a 4.48 ERA. This year, it's 4.17.

Those numbers are similar, similar enough that you would expect fans to feel roughly the same about both teams, but that's clearly not the case.

It's important to note that Red Sox fans are notorious for their doomsday prophecies. Where their World Series-deprived brethren Chicago Cubs fans are eternal optimists, Red Sox fans are eternal pessimists. They almost expect to lose. As Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy wrote in his book At Fenway, "[Red Sox fans] know that the Sox are the only team that can give the appearance of being mathematically eliminated when they are still in first place."

But this season, it seems to be worse. On any given day, you'll find Red Sox fans complaining about everything from not hitting in the clutch to losing too many close games to poor fielding. Now, some are even griping about the scruffy looks that players like Johnny Damon, Mark Bellhorn, and Derek Lowe have adopted.

It all amounts to a mountain of bad feelings that stand in stark contrast to the good feelings that enveloped the team during its playoff run last season.

So is the mountain just a mole hill? In some ways, the answer is yes. In stat world, the answer would certainly be yes. But things are a little more muddied in the real world thanks to the aforementioned intangibles. Let's look at them one at a time:

The Burden of Expectations

In a strange fit of optimism, Red Sox fans looked on the bright side of their ALCS loss to the Yankees and said, "Look how close we were. We can get back here."

And when general manager Theo Epstein made all the right offseason moves by acquiring Curt Schilling for the front of the rotation and closer Keith Foulke for the back end of the bullpen, the optimism was palpable. Even when the Sox failed in their attempt to grab Alex Rodriguez and he ended up in the Bronx, fans were undaunted. This would be the year that the Red Sox finally conquered the Evil Empire.

The expectations shot through the roof when the Sox won five of six April games over the Yankees. But reality soon set in. The overpowering Yankees did just that, opening up a massive lead in the division and demoralizing the Red Sox, who played .500 baseball over the next two months.

All that combined to leave Red Sox fans scratching their heads. The Sox were supposed to be better than this. It doesn't matter that the stats say the team is about the same. They weren't supposed to be the same. They were supposed to be better.

Constant Comparisons to a Hated Rival

Ah, the Yankees rear their ugly head again. It should come as no surprise. Red Sox fans and media are notorious for judging the team against the Yankees and only the Yankees.

This season, the comparison is painful for Bostonians. The Yankees were 71-40 as of Sunday, 10 games in front of the Red Sox. Realistically, Boston has zero chance of catching the Yankees.

But their playoff hopes aren't dashed. The Red Sox are in the thick of the wildcard race, a race they won last year. So, it would make more sense for Red Sox fans to compare their team to their wildcard competitors. And while Red Sox fans surely do that, while they carefully check the wildcard standings ever day, they can't help glancing up at those division standings. Being so inferior to the Yankees gnaws at them.

Drama in the Clubhouse

Okay, this might take a while. From stars asking for supposedly unnecessary days off to criticism of manager Terry Francona to the Nomar fiasco, the Red Sox clubhouse has been filled with so much drama that it could probably sneak its way into FOX's reality show lineup.

Those first two pieces of drama are not so unusual in Boston. When Manny Ramirez asks for days off, he's bound to get criticized. That's the way the Boston media works. And when Terry Francona leaves Tim Wakefield in a game long enough for him to allow six homeruns, questions will abound. (Remember, Grady Little leaving Pedro on the mound in Game 7 of the ALCS is what got him fired.)

That kind of drama can be overcome. Last year, the Sox did overcome it thanks to a tight division race and terrific team chemistry.

But Nomar-gate has left everybody in a tither.

The short version of the controversy goes something like this: Nomar rejected a contract extension in the offseason and found out on his honeymoon that he was set to be part of the trade for A-Rod. When the trade fell through, feelings were undoubtedly left damaged. Then Nomar missed much of the season's first half with an injury. When he did come back, he needed a few off-days to rest his ailing Achilles tendon. One of those off-days came in the final game of a series with the Yankees, the same game that saw Derek Jeter dive head-first into the stands to catch a foul ball.

In the minds of some Red Sox fans, the contrast of Nomar relaxing on the bench and Jeter emerging from the stands with a black eye and bloodied face confirmed the horrible truth -- Nomar was dogging it. Then just before the trading deadline, the Sox sent Nomar to the Cubs in a four-team trade and got Orlando Cabrera and Doug Mientkiewicz in return.

Okay, so that wasn't short, and unfortunately that's only the half of it. Since Nomar's trade, he's been front page news in Boston. Rumors have emerged that Nomar injured his Achilles playing soccer and that he was the equivalent of a cancer in the clubhouse.

For his part, Nomar has washed his hands of the whole thing. He's in Chicago, doing well, and smiling a heck of a lot more than he did in his final season at Fenway.

But Red Sox fans and media can't leave it behind, partly because they loved Nomar and they may be trying to justify trading him. Whatever the case, there's been more talk about Nomar in the past few weeks than about the wildcard race. Can you say distraction?

So what we have here is a fanbase tortured by expectations, crushed by an inferiority complex, and disgusted with a clubhouse that looks like a soap opera. Who can blame them for making a mountain out of this molehill?

But luckily for Red Sox fans, there is hope. With Nomar gone for better or for worse, the controversy can die down. With the Yankees miles in front, maybe fans can resign their fate and understand that the wildcard is what counts. And with a little perspective, maybe they can realize that while this team was supposed to be better than last year's, they just aren't right now.

That doesn't mean they can't get better. Epstein addressed the team's biggest weakness when he upgraded the defense by inserting Cabrera and Mientkiewicz into the lineup. Chemistry could get better, too. If Kevin Millar can come up with another catch phrase like "Cowboy Up," maybe he can unite the team and the fans again. If David Ortiz can keep smiling, he can maintain his role as a liaison between Manny Ramirez and reality, making sure that Manny stays happy and doesn't get cranky when the media calls him out for taking days off when he has the flu.

And maybe the most important thing -- if Red Sox fans can stop being so damn pessimistic ... well, nevermind.

Some things never change.

Posted by William Geoghegan at 10:11 PM | Comments (1)

Slant Pattern's Big 10 and Pac-10 Preview

Okay, so I've fallen a bit behind on my conference previews, and the season is coming up fast, as is my upcoming trip to the land of tulips and cannabis, Holland. So I'm going to start doubling up my conference previews. The sacrifice is that I'm not going to be as expansive in my reviews as I have been; about a paragraph or so per team, fewer for the lesser lights.

This week, we look at the Big 10 and Pac-10.

Sure, Michigan and Ohio State get all the love, but the Big 10 has seen eight of 11 teams crowned conference champs or co-champs since Penn State joined the league in 1993. And with, yes, eight out of 11 teams breaking in new quarterbacks this year, the league should be wide open once again.

Big 10

1. Michigan (10-1 overall, 7-1 conference): Loss to Iowa aside, Michigan was the best team in the Big 10 last year by a much more significant margin than the Big 10 is used to seeing ... enough so that teams can, and will, close the gap on the Wolverines, but not enough to overtake them. The schedule is fairly kind, and the back seven on defense is one of the best in the country.

T2. Ohio State (9-2, 6-2).: Ohio State may never having a sub .500 record again, but this may be the year the ball finally stops bouncing the Buckeyes' way. Road trips to Iowa and North Carolina State are never fun, but worst of all will be the trip to West Lafayette, playing in the backyard of a Purdue team that the Buckeyes have yanked the hearts out of two consecutive years. Considering his rating as the top high school quarterback in the country in 2002, Justin Zwick has underwhelmed on the redshirt team and in spring practice. All of this, and yet it's still hard to imagine the Buckeyes finishing any worse than 6-2 in the conference.

T2. Purdue (9-2, 6-2): In a league where almost everyone is searching for answers at quarterback, Purdue is more than good to go with Kyle Orton, who seemingly has been at Purdue for 10 years. He's a lock for All-Big 10 quarterback. and his value cannot be underestimated in a league where quarterbacking is not a strength. Oh yes, and they get both Michigan and Ohio State at home.

4. Michigan State (7-4, 5-3): Okay, John L. Smith, how great of a coach are you, really? We'll find out this year, because not only is Pax Movie of the Week quarterback Jeff Smoker gone, but Smith is seriously shuffling the deck, moving his top two returning rushers over to the defense. Still, it's hard to bet against a team that looked a lot worse on paper going into last year than they do this year, and last year they ended up 5-3 in the conference.

T5. Wisconsin (5-6, 4-4): It's tempting to just crown the Badgers Big 10 champs right now, because they seem to shine and come up big when least expected -- and horribly flop when much is expected. Running Back Anthony Davis is trying to shake the rust off from his injuries, and Wisconsin must travel to Iowa and Purdue.

T5. Northwestern (6-5, 4-4): One of my better picks last year, the Wildcats did indeed surprise their way to a 4-4 conference finish. With almost everyone returning on defense and a good 1-2 punch on offense with quarterback Brett Basanez and running back Noah Herron, there's no reason they can't do it again.

T5. Iowa (7-4, 4-4): The Hawkeyes remained poised and successful last year on the heels of their surprising undefeated conference season the year before. This speaks volumes about what kind of a coach Kirk Ferentz is, and this year he is rewarded with an easy schedule (Michigan us the only road toughie, where they won in 2002). But with only two starters returning on offense, Iowa will struggle to score points. Another successful year may well mean Ferentz moves on to greener pastures.

T5. Penn State (6-5, 4-4): I'm not as reverential as most are about Joe Paterno, but no way is he going to allow another season as disastrous as the last in Happy Valley. They have some talent on both sides of the ball, and I expect the Lions to recover somewhat from the hangover of losing so many draftees as they did after 2002.

9. Minnesota (6-5, 3-5): 3-5 in the conference may be a tad generous with teams like Northwestern and Penn State having a good chance at catching them from behind and big questions to answer at quarterback and at safety. Yes, I know they have one of the great running back tandems in the league, but, well, didn't they last year as well? Uninspiring.

10. Indiana (2-9, 1-7): Last year in this space, based on nothing more than the shrewd hiring of Gerry DiNardo as coach, I predicted the Hoosiers to be a team to watch out for in 2004. I take it back. I still see DiNardo as a great coach, but I also expected to see at least a tiny amount of progress last year, and I didn't see it.

11. Illinois (1-10, 0-8): In five years, the Illini faithful has seen Illinois go from winless to Big 10 champs to back to winless in the conference last year, a horrid roller coaster ride, indeed. Indiana and Illinois were far and away the worst the Big 10 has to offer, and with fewer starters and letterman returning than Indiana, they ain't catching the Hoosiers this year, either.

Pac-10

Not much to say about the Pac-10 in terms of a preface, except that this looks to be a league in serious decline, so much so that I want to call them the Pac-2 and Pac Junior Varsity-8. Those two, however, are as good as any two conference partners in the country.

1. USC (12-0, 8-0): In my USC preview last year, I made much of the absolutely huge shoes an unknown by the name of Matt Leinart had to fill coming in for Carson Palmer. Seeing what he accomplished last year, I am reminded of a Sporting News preview publication from 1988, I believe. They had a little sidebar about Oklahoma State, and how difficult it would be to replace Thurman Thomas, but this guy named Barry Sanders was going to try. Anything less than a national championship, undisputed this time, will be a disappointment.

2. Cal (10-1, 7-1): Another top-five team -- in the country. I am not real sure there is a better coach in the land than Jeff Tedford. He's won with a laughingstock program. He's won while on probation. He's won returning five starters total. Now that he has none of those disadvantages ... well, sucks they have to play in the same league as USC, and that the game will be played in Los Angeles, with the Trojans thinking revenge. Still, get the popcorn ready. I'm seeing it as the regular season game of the year, all conferences included.

T3. Washington State (8-3, 5-3): As quietly as can be, the Cougars have racked up three-straight 10-win seasons, and yet somehow, they remain outside of the national consciousness when discussing perennially solid programs. During their successful run, Washington State has shown themselves to be quite proficient at turning lemons into lemonade, which is why I have a feeling they will surprise people again this year despite breaking in a new quarterback and returning only two starters on defense. Call it a hunch. Plus, Cal isn't on the schedule.

T3. Oregon (7-4, 5-3): The Ducks have to still be giddy from knocking off Michigan last year, and they miss USC on the schedule this year. With nine starters returning on offense, they should be even more explosive than usual, but they have some serious linebacking corps questions to answer, and an early trip to Oklahoma could be demoralizing.

T3. Oregon State (7-4, 5-3): O-R-E-G-O-N S-T-A-T-E is how you spell average. They would actually have a chance to be a bit better than average if quarterback Derek Anderson had better options for handing off the ball, but at least the line will be solid. They have Oregon at home, and should have no problems with the teams listed below, but it's hard to expect much more than that out of them.

6. Arizona State (4-7, 3-5): Last year, I picked ASU to be Pac-10 champions. You know the saying about fooling me once and fooling me twice. A lot of publications are indeed picking them as a darkhorse again this year, but with a patchwork defensive line and the bitter taste of last year still in my mouth, I can pull the trigger on these guys. Making predictions based on spite: it's why they pay me the big bucks.

T6. UCLA (5-6, 3-5): It was just 1998, six short years ago, that it was UCLA that only had a single, controversial loss that kept them from the National Championship game, and USC that was the Los Angeles team we snickered at. Then again, in 1998 Oklahoma hadn't turned the tables on Nebraska either. Karl Dorrell, in the long run, will turn out to be a fine coach for the Bruins, and most of the offense returns, but that might not be a good thing. This is a team blindsided by USC and is staggering, searching for its identity.

T8. Washington (3-8, 2-6): Hey, remember the '80s, when Clemson was good? Remember the '90s, when Texas A&M was good? Washington is next in line in that sentence. With a tricky schedule and the remaining effects of last year's on-and-off-the-field turmoil smoldering, this team needs a shot in the arm. I'm just not convinced that Keith Gilbertson is the man to give it to them. Large holes need filled on both sides of the ball, and the schedule isn't kind.

T8. Arizona (3-8, 2-6): Last year, Arizona was to me what the Expos are to Jay Leno. I made constant jokes about their ineptitude and called them the worst team in a BCS conference. Well, by gum, the endless night is finally giving way to dawn. The players are thrilled to have the specter of John Mackovic behind them, and there is finally room for modest optimism in Tucson. Eight defensive starters return for defensive genius Mike Stoops to work with, Arizona will pull a shocker against an upper-division Pac-10 foe (I'm not sure who, but I'm still calling it).

10. Stanford (1-10, 0-8): When Tyrone Willingham ripped Stanford's heart out to go coach Notre Dame, do you think he showed it to them before they died? Stanford is a cadaver program, and Willingham did lead them to a Pac-10 championship and a Rose Bowl appearance before he left. Now, the school with the Ivy League reputation plays football indeed well-suited for Ivy League-level acumen. No offensive experience, but the defense may keep them in some games through the third quarter.

Posted by Kevin Beane at 9:41 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 11, 2004

Visiting the Patriots' Training Camp

A trip to the reigning Super Bowl champions' training camp prior to the weekend revealed very little. Still, there were some interesting notes.

For one, the Patriots training camp had very few players of whom I'd never heard. Usually, a training camp is good for a player or two from a small school, a player only diehards know of, that sort of thing. But, I knew this crowd, oddly, by name, and in most instances, by reputation. Still, the father and his 7-year-old on the bleacher in front of me perfectly explained the nature of training camp in this exchange:

Boy: Dad, who's No. 5?
Dad: (Scanning the roster) Oh, just a guy who's not going to be on the team.

To be sure, Dad is right on. No. 5 that day was Cody Scates, a rookie punter/kicker who has no chance of making the roster with Patriots Kicker Adam Vinatieri placekicking and kicking off, and offseason signee Josh Miller doing the Pats' punting.

Watching the second offense operate with a quarterback rotation including third-year Rohan Davey, recent signee Kurt Kittner, and second-year Kliff Kingsbury, there were some notes worth mentioning. First, of the three, Davey was superior by leaps and bounds. This isn't news, necessarily, but he really stood out to this viewer, anyway.

Kittner, who's been cut since I attended a practice, looked like he would be cut. Under similar duress as Davey, he couldn't find a receiver. He routinely dumped the ball off to his safety valve. In short, he wasn't cutting it. Kingsbury had one recurring problem: the out pattern. He was either floating balls to the sideline in uncatchable places, or planting the ball at his receivers' feet on the outs. He found his middle receivers at short and intermediate depths fine, but just could not complete an out pattern. Definitely third-string material, if that.

Another note, not quarterback-related, regarded how the Pats used the fullback position, and Patrick Pass in particular. He was lining up short in the standard I-formation, and then motioning to an H-back position off the left tackle, and from there, moving right with the snap, each time the receiver, wide open, in the flat. An offensive wrinkle to beware of in the preseason? Moving fullbacks? Interesting stuff.

More interesting to me was the presence of Malaefou Mackenzie, in his second year from Southern California. Mackenzie lined up deep in the I in the tailback position on one play, at fullback in another, and wide left on yet another. Indeed, as both the fullback in motion (as described above) and the sideline receiver on an intermediate route, Mackenzie showed that he has hands. It seems unlikely that there is room for him on the roster, but a player who exhibits ability at several positions may sneak onto the roster, and perhaps even into the game plan.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to see much happen with the defense, whether by a strange coincidence that they working far away from me much of the time, or that I was intrigued by the offensive wrinkles being used and trying to determine just how many receivers the Pats would actually keep on the roster. They currently have too many, but could use them all.

Elsewhere in the National Football League, a could-of-been-great running back retires because he enjoys pot too much to give it up? Worse news for South Florida football fans, their behemoth of a receiver, David Boston, is out for the season. And, news from the Dolphins training camp seems to just get worse every day, with players complaining about the offensive system, and neither Jay Fiedler nor A.J. Feeley proving to anyone that they want to be the starting quarterback.

Being that my days are spent in AFC East territory, it's with some suspicion that I view the relative silence coming from the Buffalo Bills training camp. Early talk centered around a rejuvenated Drew Bledsoe, but little has made the national stage, or even the regional stage, since. Perhaps they've simply been drowned out by the toilet flushing on the Dolphins' season.

Posted by David Martin at 8:59 PM | Comments (0)

Wildcards Not Too Soon to Tell

Even though it is still only August and there is still much more Major League Baseball left to play this season, the beginnings of what battles lie ahead in competition for the playoffs have already taken shape.

It is clear that the best two clubs in MLB are the New York Yankees in the American League East and the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central. Both hover around 10 games or more ahead of their nearest challengers, the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs, respectively. While New York has a much better home record than St. Louis, the Cardinals have excelled on the road.

Although it is quite the eye-opener to witness the dominance of their lineups, New York and St. Louis most likely will take a backseat in the sports headlines to the remaining close contests in the American League West and the National and American Leagues' wildcard races.

At the July 31st no-waiver trading deadline, the experts claimed that 20 out of 30 clubs remained in contention for postseason play. Give us a little bit more credit than that! While we can do the math, the close division rivalries can more be more realistically pared down to the American League West, between the Texas Rangers and the Oakland A's and possibly the National League West between the Los Angeles Dodgers, the San Diego Padres, and the San Francisco Giants.

But the real spotlight during August will be on the wildcard races taking place in both leagues. The wildcard has historically been met by both criticism and delight from MLB's fans.

The traditionalists want to see MLB have a battle to the finish for the division titles of its leagues, with the wildcard a mere footnote to make it a bit more interesting. The advocates for the wildcard have subscribed to it, citing the Florida Marlins and their World Series championship as the direct result of it.

But this year, the division races appear to be easier to predict with many more eyes on the wildcard. And to make it even more interesting, either the Texas Rangers or the Oakland A's could win their division, which they have shared being in first-place much of the season, or either one could wind up winning the AL wildcard.

Yet, there is very little room for error between the wildcard contenders as very few games separate the top three teams in each league's wildcard standings.

This is why August will be crucial for the various teams to separate themselves from the pack as the season winds down. As of this writing, Oakland, Anaheim, Texas, and Boston are separated by no more than two games in the AL, while San Diego and San Francisco only trail Chicago by two and three games, respectively, in the NL.

There are also some trades, which could be made in August for those players put on waivers that might be a determining factor in the tight races. Already the acquisition this week of Larry Walker by St. Louis has made their squad even more formidable, if that was even possible.

And many still hope for a Cinderella story such as the 2003 Florida Marlins. Whether a wildcard advocate or a baseball purist, the fans must admit that the quests for the wildcard spots this year may prove to be the most hotly-contested races, and the wildcard's most compelling story to date.

Posted by Diane M. Grassi at 6:35 PM | Comments (0)

August 10, 2004

Solitaire Ends in Greek Tragedy

We are just a few days from the Olympics and things in Greece have not been going well. The Greeks have taken shots from the media for the last few months due to their extremely inefficient construction of venues and have been criticized for their security issues.

It does seem ironic to see Americans complaining about the slow construction of venues, seeing as how if Greeks had Americans building their stadiums and roads, they would have one guy working for every two playing horseshoes.

Nevertheless, the security issues are real. The families of Olympians I have talked to are nervous, but do feel confident in the protection that will be provided. As the games draw nearer, more and more Americans are starting to lighten up their critiques of the host country and focus on the games themselves.

This should come as a relief to the Greeks, as they have been making the news for nothing other than their shortcomings in the past few months. Now they can focus on their athletes. Athletes such as a member of the Greek Judo team, Eleni Ioannou.

Eleni had become a local celebrity in Ionia since she qualified for the Olympic team in the 172-pound-plus weight division. The three-time national champion was the pride of her city and was a role model for kids in the area.

"Everyone was proud of her. She helped kids in the neighborhood to have dreams," neighbor Nikos Drakopoulos said.

Kids look up to athletes as role models, whether Charles Barkley likes it or not. That's why having a good role model to look up to can be so important for a community.

A role model like Ioannou can teach kids that if you are going to do something, you should give it everything you have. Eleni certainly went all out in an argument with her boyfriend and high school sweetheart last week, but unfortunately, she went "all out" the window and landed on life support.

The fight started over who would play solitaire on the computer. That's right, solitaire. I don't know why they spend their nights at home playing solitaire, that may be the start of their problems. It has been a long time since I have played that game, but I am pretty sure it is still a card game.

Needless to say, the fight escalated and ended when Eleni let her temper get the best of her. Everyone has had temper tantrums as a kid and they know what they are like. Most adults grow to control their emotions, but everyone has a breaking point, something that really sets them off.

For instance, Ricky Williams' breaking point is someone telling him not to smoke pot. Andre Rison and Deion Sanders share a breaking point; judges making them pay child support (which could land Rison 20 days in prison.) For Ioannou, it's solitaire.

Eleni took temper tantrums to a whole new level as she drove her point home by running and hurling herself off of their third-story balcony. A few days later, her boyfriend jumped off of the same balcony out of grief.

Solitaire isn't a great game, so if she is willing to jump off a balcony over solitaire, what would she do after a game of H-O-R-S-E? What if she lost a crucial game of Rock, Paper, Scissors? Hopefully, the world will never know.

"She knew what she wanted from life and she loved judo more than anything else," Ioannou's coach said of Eleni after visiting her.

Obviously, she loved solitaire more than Judo, after all, she never jumped off of a balcony after getting upset over Judo. How did it get to this? Did their conversation go something like:

Eleni: I'm playing solitaire on the computer now, deal with it.

Boy: No, no you're not. Just because you are an Olympian doesn't mean you get to play first.

Eleni: Eh, yes it does. Jerk.

Boy: That was mean, but I'm bigger than you so I play first or else I'm telling your mom.

Eleni: Oh, I'll show you (Eleni exits stage right, off the balcony)

I really don't understand how a game of solitaire ends up with attempted suicide, but if Greeks are this passionate about a lame card game, then they should have no problem securing a record medal count this year

Either way, this just adds to the bad press Greece is garnering before the Olympics. This whole situation is senseless and sad. Hopefully, this will be the only Greek Tragedy during the games, but just to make sure, I think the Greek Judo Team should live on the ground floor in the Olympic Village.

Mark Chalifoux is also a weekly columnist for SportsFan Magazine. His columns appear every Tuesday on Sports Central. You can e-mail Mark at [email protected].

Posted by Mark Chalifoux at 9:00 PM | Comments (0)

Why Cards Are More Deserving Than Cubs

Congratulations to the 2004 National League Central champions, the St. Louis Cardinals.

Okay, so there are still just under two months of regular season baseball to be played, I realize. Considering that St. Louis are double digits ahead of the Cubs, and assuming they continue to play with the dominance they have been since June, there is no way they can lose the division.

Trust me, being a Cubs fan, I have already accepted that the only way they will make the postseason is through the wildcard ... because the Cardinals will not go down.

The Cardinals added extra insurance to their lineup going into this weekend by acquiring Larry Walker from the Rockies. While the Cardinals would have made the postseason, with or without Walker, he and his .321 batting average will really come in handy during the playoffs. An added plus with Walker is that he bats at either second or fourth in the lineup, giving manager Tony LaRussa added options when deciding the batting order.

Without Walker, I can only speculate that the Cardinals have a chance to make it to the World Series. With Walker, the Cardinals' chances of making it to the World Series have doubled.

With the Cardinals already leading the National League in hitting and on-base percentage, the added presence of Walker will only make them that more dangerous.

The Cardinals are a team, who in my opinion, never once believed they were going to be second fiddle to the Chicago Cubs, a team who were originally favored to win the division. The Cardinals have dominated the Cubs in almost every meeting between the two this season. The Cubs and Cardinals will not play each other again this season, unless they somehow meet in the postseason.

The Cardinals continue to play baseball, fundamentally sound, passionately, and with class. Any on-field incident that took place between the two teams this year occurred after a player on the Cubs started it. The Cardinals never retaliated once, because they never had to. The Cardinals already possessed high ground over the Cubs in the National League Central.

While the Cardinals are doing everything the right way, this year's Cubs team have done almost everything to which all Cub fans should be embarrassed. While injuries really play a factor when looking at their win-loss record, also consider that many of their supposed to be star players were not coming through earlier this year. Instead of admitting that they themselves are the reason they sunk down in the division, the Cubs found a way to blame everything else. Through the 2004 season, the Cubs have blamed their June and July downward spiral on cold weather, hot weather, too many day games, their schedule, and most recently, the media.

While Moises Alou and company attempt to have the team's broadcasters of Chip Carray and Steve Stone removed from the team's flights, because they criticize the team too much, the Cardinals have stuck by their roots, and have concentrated on winning baseball games.

Dodger fans are upset that Walker would not play for the Dodgers. Now knowing who the Dodgers traded away prior to the trading deadline, I do not fault Walker for not wanting to play there. While the Giants are having a down year, and the Padres are showing life, why should anyone believe the Dodgers will be able to contend in the following years with both teams in their division? They have not in recent years.

Cub fans have been gloating all week, as they should be, about acquiring Nomar Garciaparra from Boston. However, Nomar alone will not guarantee postseason success. The Cubs still have to make it to the postseason. Their chances are good. However, if both teams are in the postseason, I still have to believe I like the Cardinal's chances better. It is hard to admit that, considering the Cubs are suppose to have the best starting rotation in MLB. Yet with the poor chemistry the team has played with all year, why should I believe they are bound for glory in the postseason?

As a Cubs fan, I am supposed to hate the Cardinals. In that sense, I do. But from a much more broader sense, I simply cannot hate the Cardinals. Not when they are going out everyday, playing hard baseball, and winning the way you are suppose to be. If the Cardinals ever go against the New York Yankees in the World Series, I will cheer for the Cardinals all the way. I believe there is a better sense of accomplishment when you win with a team, that by the most part, you built through years of hard work, rather than buying every all-star that puts on a glove for you.

Will the Cardinals enjoy the same success next season? I don't know. There are no guarantees for next season. Ask any Cubs player or fan who believed the Cubs were locked to make it to the World Series this year. With many uncertainties regarding next season, all Cardinal fans need to sit back and enjoy what they have this year, and see how far that takes them.

E-mail feedback to [email protected], or by using the comments form below. For more about Martin, please visit his personal website.

Posted by Martin Hawrysko at 4:23 PM | Comments (0)

August 9, 2004

Dodgers Aiming For Playoff Success

On a typically warm October evening in Southern California 16 years ago, an injured Kirk Gibson of the Los Angeles Dodgers limped to the plate with two outs in the ninth inning to face the premier reliever of the day, Oakland's Dennis Eckersley. The A's led 4-3 in the first game of the 1988 World Series, and they so outclassed the Dodgers that this matchup seemed emblematic of the entire series. As things would turn out, it was.

Eckersley was only a season and a half into his transformation from starter to closer, and his most dominant seasons were still ahead of him, but he had already established a reputation as an untouchable stopper with pinpoint control.

Kirk Gibson, meanwhile, was a wounded warrior who could barely walk, let alone run. His 1988 regular season would earn him the National League Most Valuable Player Award, but the numbers he had put up were surprisingly average. On this night, against this pitcher, he seemed to have no shot, and neither did the Dodgers. It would take a miracle.

What happened next, of course, would become a part of baseball history. After looking hopelessly overmatched on consecutive swinging strikes, Gibson somehow willed his broken body to lunge at a backdoor slider and sent it deep into the night, shocking the world. The Dodgers won that game and three of the next four to take the series four games to one.

But they haven't won a postseason game since.

The Dodgers have always seemed a bit too comfortable. They've been satisfied with contending, and haven't worried about winning. Management always appeared to feel that they had the best product in town. (No one north of Disneyland had any interest in the Anaheim Angels.)

The fans would come, and even if they were streaming out into the parking lots by the seventh inning, it really didn't affect the bottom line. The team's record would rise and fall through various levels of mediocrity, but each successive year without a championship did little to affect attendance numbers, as seen in the sampling below.

1986: 3,023,208 (1st of 12 NL teams), 73 wins
1988: 2,980,262 (2nd of 12 NL teams), 94 wins
1992: 2,473,266 (2nd of 12 NL teams), 63 wins
1996: 3,188,454 (2nd of 14 NL teams), 90 wins
1999: 3,095,346 (4th of 16 NL teams), 77 wins
2003: 3,138,626 (2nd of 16 NL teams), 85 wins

But attendance figures and financial success have not translated into postseason victories or World Series appearances. During this 16-year dry spell, in an era often decried as one of big-market dominance, 24 other teams have won games in the playoffs.

Team	Total Wins
New York Yankees	68
Atlanta Braves	60
Cleveland Indians	29
Florida Marlins	22
Oakland A's	22
Toronto Blue Jays	18
St. Louis Cardinals	16
San Francisco Giants	16
Seattle Mariners	15
New York Mets	13
Minnesota Twins	13
Arizona Diamondbacks	12
Anaheim Angels	11
Boston Red Sox	11
Cincinnati Reds	11
Baltimore Orioles	9
Pittsburgh Pirates	8
San Diego Padres	7
Chicago Cubs	7
Philadelphia Phillies	6
Houston Astros	2
Chicago White Sox	2
Texas Rangers	1
Colorado Rockies	1

The other teams who haven't won a playoff game in the same time frame are the Milwaukee Brewers, Detroit Tigers, Montreal Expos, Kansas City Royals, and Tampa Bay Devil Rays, which puts the Dodgers in the company of baseball's version of the third world. (The Dodgers have made two playoff appearances during this stretch. They were division champions in 1995, when they were swept in three games by the Cincinnati Reds, and the NL wild card team in 1996, when they were swept again, this time by the Atlanta Braves.)

Recently, though, things have been looking up. First, the Angels won the 2002 World Series, earning a legion of fans in the process and reminding the Dodgers of what they used to strive for. Second, owner Frank McCourt and general manager Paul DePodesta took over, steering the ship in a new direction.

Suddenly, this year's version of the team seems interested in doing more than just bringing fans out to Chavez Ravine. Their current record of 65-45 gives them the third best record in baseball, behind only the Yankees and Cardinals, and even though their division lead is only six and a half games, the rest of the NL West seems to be focused on competing for the wildcard.

Here's how the Dodgers have distanced themselves from the rest of the pack:

* Just in time for free agency, third baseman Adrian Beltre is enjoying a career year, having already notched his 30th homerun while keeping his average above .320 for most of the season.

* Their defense is solid, to say the very least. They've made only 29 errors in the infield, which is second in the National League, and their overall total of 49 is the lowest in baseball. Shortstop Cesar Izturis and second baseman Alex Cora, both hitting .300 at the top of the order, have developed into probably the National League's best double-play combination.

* If they're ahead after six innings, it's game over. Eric Gagne continues to be the best closer in the National League, but the entire bullpen has followed his lead, compiling a 2.95 ERA with a 1.26 WHIP.

The past regime would have been content with the status quo, but DePodesta dealt fearlessly at the trading deadline, moving team leader Paul LoDuca, bullpen stalwart Guillermo Mota, and outfielder Juan Encarnacion to the Florida Marlins in exchange for starter Brad Penny, first baseman Hee Seop Choi, and a minor-leaguer. He also made a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks for catcher Brent Mayne and center fielder Steve Finley.

The message was simple. These Dodgers are no longer willing to settle for leading the league in attendance and beach balls. DePodesta improved his team for the rest of the season with an eye towards being competitive in future years, as well.

Thanks to his guidance, Dodger fans can look forward to watching their team win games in October for the first time in 16 years, and this time, it won't take a miracle.

Posted by Hank Waddles at 10:27 PM | Comments (0)

A Lot on the Line

It's that time of the year again in the golfing world: the majors season is quickly coming to a dramatic close. Although it is often an anticlimactic exclamation on the season, this year's PGA Championship is shaping up to have its yearly potential to have a deep impact on the remainder of the 2004 season.

Player of the Year honors may be at stake for several golfers, a chance at major championship glory for the entire field, and the final names will be determined for the Ryder Cup matches for a month from now.

So far in the majors season, Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, and Retief Goosen have been the three most visible names on the leaderboard. For these three men, as well as money list leader Vijay Singh, the title of Player of the Year is on the line. A win for any of these men this week would significantly bolster any of their claims to the Tour's highest single-season honor. Singh carries four wins so far on the year, which is the highest tally for a player other than Tiger Woods since 1997.

Although Tiger Woods has done little other than successfully make the cut in the majors this year, a win for Woods would salvage what is arguably his worst season since 1998. He showed vast signs of improvement just two weeks ago at the Buick Open, where he finished in a strong tie for third.

The problem, though, is that Woods has never finished poorly at the Buick Open and that great play may be deceiving. Woods still must prove to the golfing world, his critics, and fans alike that he is actually getting closer to form. No longer can Woods sneak by with sound bites in the press claiming that he is working hard and that he can feel himself turning the corner onto Excellence Street. It is his last chance to walk the walk this season.

While I do not expect the list of favorites to change this week at Whistling Straits, the PGA Championship does have a tendency to produce surprise winners. Last year, Shaun Micheel, otherwise journeyman professional, became the darling of the Tour with his stunningly cool demeanor and beyond amazing approach to the final hole of the championship. For whatever reason, either the better scoring conditions or the less prestigious feel of the Tournament, the PGA often leads to head-scratching conclusions.

This year is a Ryder Cup year, and with the matches less than a month away, no definitive team has been announced. The PGA Championship, again, serves as the final opportunity for players to earn their way onto the American and European teams. 50-year-old Jay Haas must win the PGA Championship in order to make the team on points alone. 48-year-old Fred Funk must hold off some chargers to stay on the team. And the British Open champion Todd Hamilton, with a top-three, has an outside chance to make the squad with just one year on the PGA Tour.

More intriguing, though, is the battle to make impressions on the Ryder Cup captains, Hal Sutton and Bernhard Langer, as to which players should be selected with the Captain's Picks. Can a younger player, such as a Chris Riley, impress Captain Sutton and earn a spot to represent his country? Or, will a veteran who has flown well under the radar make enough of an impression to receive a phone call requesting their services?

There are a number of prevalent storylines for the week ahead at the PGA Championship in Wisconsin. In one of the more quiet parts of this country, the PGA Tour and its stars should provide a great deal of excitement to the galleries and also spark some energy into the final two and a half months of the 2004 season.

Posted by Ryan Ballengee at 11:34 AM | Comments (1)

All The Way Back?

In the game's first 30 years, there was scarcely a better club than the Chicago Nationals. On the heels of some of the 19th century's finest baseball (read: 1876 and 1880), the Cubs roared into the new century with a 1906-1910 stretch that witnessed four pennants and two world championships. Then, as perhaps expected, the dynasty aged and cracked, as the remnants of the game's greatest pitching staff faded away, including the legendary Mordecai "Three Finger Brown."

Later in the second decade, the Cubs arguably outplayed the Boston Red Sox, but fell victim to the pitching brilliance of Carl Mays and Babe Ruth. After spending most of the 1920s trailing the New York Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals, the West Siders roared to life in 1929, and even seemed poised to upend the embryonic dynasty that was the Philadelphia A's.

Yet, due in part to Hack Wilson's blunder, an 8-0 lead (that threatened to tie the Series) evaporated under an Athletic onslaught. Wilson would collect 191 RBI the next season as the Cubs boasted one of the more frightening offensive teams in baseball history -- but would not reach the Series again until 1932.

That year commenced a bizarre stretch where the Cubs made it to October every third year for nearly a decade -- in which they watched the Detroit Tigers finally claim a championship (after embarrassing them in aught-seven and aught-eight) sandwiched by two humiliations by the New York Yankees. In 1945, the Cubs qualified for the World Series again, once more falling to the Tigers.

The 1953 World Series program, yet another Yankees-Dodgers quarrel, officially listed the Cubs as sporting a 2-8 record in the Series, 19-33-1 overall. John Drebinger of the New York Times, proprietor of "Fifty Years of World Series Play," an article found in the 50-cent issue, cited both Brooklyn and Philadelphia's (NL) failure to win a Series. Brooklyn finally got it right in 1955, before arriving at a new home that bore witness to five World Series titles; Philadelphia ended Kansas City's (a new version, not the joke cited in '53) dreams and got off the snide in 1980.

19-33-1, with no change since Felix "Doc" Blanchard and Glenn Davis ruled the gridiron for the United States Military Academy. Despite close calls in 1969, 1984, 1989, and especially 2003, the Cubs have not returned to the World Series. At the time of the this writing, Chicago stands nearly 10 full games behind the surging Redbirds, but with Mark Prior healthy (as evidenced by his 08/05 start) and with a rejuvenated Greg Maddux now in the 300-win club -- the Cardinals, and the rest of baseball, must be wary of the Cubs.

2003, with the ignominious ending at Wrigley Field, was a collapse of historic, near-Bostonian proportions, but with the imported Beantown shortstop, might this be the year? With an almost comfortable margin in the wildcard race (weren't the last two champions non-division winners, no?), with a manager starving for his first championship, with the pitching staff beginning to look more like Brown, Ed Reulbach, Jack Pfiester, and Orval Overall (stalwarts of the last championship team), will only the decay of the Friendly Confines thwart their efforts?

If Kerry Wood and Mark Prior can remain healthy, complimenting the standout seasons of Matt Clement and de facto ace Carlos Zambrano, not to mention the savvy Maddux -- shouldn't this be a done deal? Cubs vs. Cards in the NLCS? True, Barry Bonds might one again carry his team to the playoffs, or maybe the Florida Marlins can ratchet their game up a notch, or maybe the Atlanta Braves will exorcise the ghosts of a 1-5 postseason record since the New York Mets walked the pennant-winning run across home plate in 1999 -- but at 8-2 in their last 10 as of this writing, Chicago might just be warming up.

The National League's first champion waited 95 years to once again claim a postseason series, a streak that ended with Wood's Game 5 besting of the Braves in Atlanta. Perhaps it would be fitting if the Cubs needed only one year after that to dispense with two more playoff rounds, and erase the futility symbolized by 1908.

Posted by Marc James at 10:29 AM | Comments (1)

August 7, 2004

Computers Decide Who's No. 1 Again

Thank heaven for video games. Without them, most of us average citizens could never do such things as survive D-Day, drive a supped-up sports car 120 mph through downtown Miami, or win a slam dunk contest. Oh, yeah, and we could never really make an assertive prediction on how the upcoming college football season will end up.

I recently got my hands on the latest version of EA Sports' NCAA Football for Playstation2. My teenage son rented it a couple of weeks ago to give it a test drive before either of us decided to cough up the $50 bucks required for outright ownership and we both agree it's a pretty cool game. But what I had the most fun doing, which is the premise of this column, is simulating seasons to see who the programmers thought would be the best teams year-in and year-out.

So, I spent part of four days simulating 10 independent seasons -- starting each season from scratch instead of continuing into a successive season -- and documenting the most important stats from each. I tracked the conference champions, final top-25 coaches poll, and bowl results. From there, I did a little numbers crunching to provide the following predictions for the 2004 college football season.

First, the conference champs. Starting with the two so-called mid-major conferences, both were toss-ups. In the Sun Belt, both North Texas and Middle 10nessee State won four championships in the 10 seasons, but the Mean Green qualified for a bowl game in every season compared to MTSU's seven. Therefore, North Texas will win the Sun Belt.

Meanwhile, in the Mid-American Conference, the division winners were pretty cut and dry with Marshall winning six East titles and Toledo taking four West titles. But, in the conference championship game, four teams won it twice apiece. However, since Toledo won half of their title games and Marshall only a third, the Rockets are my pick for the MAC.

Moving up a notch to Conference USA, the clear-cut winner was Southern Mississippi with four conference titles in 10 seasons. The Golden Eagles also qualified for a bowl game nine times, so their success was quite consistent. In the Mountain West, Utah took four titles while UNLV won three, but the Rebels went to a bowl game all 10 years while the Utes bowled in eight seasons. But, Utah should win the conference by a game over UNLV who will still be bowl bound in December.

In the Western Athletic Conference there's no dispute -- Boise State won half the titles and finished an average of 23rd in the final poll (more on that later).

Now to the big boys. In the Atlantic Coast Conference, both Florida State and Virginia Tech won three crowns, forcing me to go to my tiebreaker formula to decide who will win it this season. Since the Seminoles played in a bowl game all 10 years, went to five BCS bowls, and won one national title in two appearances, they are my pick to win the ACC. V-Tech also went to a bowl in each of the 10 seasons, but only made it to three BCS games and no Orange Bowls. North Carolina State is another contender after winning two league titles.

The Southeastern Conference was a little easier to determine. Auburn won five West Division titles while Tennessee took four East Division crowns and four conference championships. LSU should compete in the West, winning four West titles and two conference championships, while Georgia and South Carolina will be close in the East. But in the end, Tennessee will win the SEC championship.

The Big East was pretty much a no-brainer. West Virginia, thanks to the defection of Miami and Virginia Tech to the ACC, won eight of 10 titles with Pittsburgh taking the other two. The Big 10, however, was another toughie. Four teams won championships in 10 years: Iowa and Michigan three each, Ohio State and Minnesota two apiece.

When using the bowl games as a tiebreaker, Ohio State qualified for the most bowl games (10) and BCS games (5), but still had only two conference titles. Minnesota was out of the running with only seven bowl appearances. The two teams that had three titles each both qualified for nine bowls, but one had one more BCS bowl than the other -- Iowa. The Hawkeyes are my pick for the Big 10.

The Big 12 produced essentially two powerhouses, consistent with the past few seasons. The Kansas State Wildcats won seven North Division championships while the Oklahoma Sooners won the same amount in the South. But Oklahoma dominated the conference title game, winning six to K-State's three. The Sooners will be the champions of the Big 12 again.

According to the simulations, the Pac-10 produced the most dominant team. This school won nine conference championships, qualified for a bowl game all 10 seasons, went to nine BCS games, and played for the national championship seven times. If the guys at EA Sports are trying to assert what a lot of people thought after last season (including myself), then they didn't try to do it very discreetly. That team that dominated the video game is the USC Trojans.

In determining the preseason top-25, I took the average final ranking for each of the 10 simulated seasons and placed the teams accordingly. For those teams who did not finish in the top-25 every season, an assumption that they could have finished No. 26 was factored in to their average. For example, a team that finished in the top-25 eight times would have 52 points added to their accumulative ranking before calculating the average.

The top-10 had Miami, Florida State, Kansas State, Georgia, and LSU as the bottom five from No. 10 to No. 6, then Ohio State, Texas, West Virginia, USC, and Oklahoma rounded out the rest of the rankings. So the Sooners were the most consistent team during the 10 simulations, placing in the top-25 all 10 years with an average rank of No. 5.

But, again, the most dominant team was USC. The Trojans played in the Orange Bowl seven times, winning six national championships. West Virginia, Oklahoma, Florida State, and Tennessee were the other winners, but the Volunteers made it to the title game three times. So, even though Oklahoma ranks number one in the poll average, USC and Tennessee will play in this year's Orange Bowl for the national championship with the Trojans winning it all.

Before I go, I have a couple of other items to touch on regarding bowls. It's pretty much a foregone conclusion that there are a number of teams who will make it to a bowl game every year, unless disaster strikes. But what about those schools who haven't had much success recently? Like Temple, for instance. The game suggests the Owls will benefit from the defection of Miami, Virginia Tech, and Boston College from the Big East as they qualified for a bowl game three times in the 10 seasons.

Other relative newcomers to Division-1 football also enjoyed some success with Troy State, Buffalo, Connecticut, South Florida, and UAB all making bowl appearances at least once. In fact, over the course of the simulations, 91 of the 117 teams played in at least one bowl. Heck, even Arizona played in two bowl games.

Of course, though, all this is from a handful of football fans who happen to know how to program computers determining how they think each team will perform over the course of a season. Whether it all plays out on the field as the simulations predict it will depends on a number of "real" factors during the year. And as real as the video game may seem, it's still not real people playing football, although it is nearly as fun.

It will be fun to watch every week to see if the season even closely mirrors one of the simulations. If it turns out that way, then maybe it really is "in the game."

Posted by Adam Russell at 11:03 PM | Comments (1)

Pop Quiz, Hotshot...

You've heard about "M. Night Shyamalan's The Village."

I've seen "M. Night Shyamalan's The Village."

And now, dear readers, I will reveal what you see at the end of "M. Night Shyamalan's The Village":

"This Motion Picture is protected under laws of the United States and other countries. Any unauthorized exhibition, distribution or reproduction of this motion picture or videotape or any part thereof (including the soundtrack) may result in severe civil and criminal penalties."

There ... we can all get on with our lives now. Here's another edition of our world-famous current events quiz.

No. 2 pencils only, or else the Scantron won't record your answers:

1. The Dallas Cowboys' cutting of Quincy Carter will benefit which person or persons the most?

A. Michael Irvin, who may one day not be the first name that comes up when you Google "dallas cowboys and cocaine."
B. The Cowboys' offensive line, which will no longer have to block for a quarterback with "those nose-candy Jimmy legs."
C. Mount Kilimanjaro, which will look like Dave Meggett when compared to Dallas starter Vinny Testaverde's mobility.
D. Bill Parcells apologists, who will applaud his tough drug-test policy about 15 years after Lawrence Taylor helped him win two Super Bowls by keeping a teammate's urine in an aspirin bottle in his pocket in order to beat the test.

2. NASCAR has confirmed that it is bringing its Busch racing series to Mexico City next season. Which of the following can fans most expect to see?

A. Caution flags waving as drivers are permitted one "Montezuma's Revenge" lap per race.
B. The winner determined by which car has the largest statue of a saint on either its dashboard or rear window.
C. Chaos reign as drivers are kidnapped by drug cartels during their pit stops and held for ransom.
D. Trunks to be thoroughly searched after each race, to ensure no potential day laborers are seeking safe passage to El Paso.

3. Which of the following could Mike Tyson realistically still punch-out at this point in his career?

A. Glass Joe
B. Soda Popinski
C. "Hurricane" Peter McNeeley
D. Robin Givens

4. The Hollywood Reporter reports that two former writers from the TV series "Growing Pains" will remake the Richard Pryor/Jackie Gleason classic "The Toy" (1982). The single funniest thing about "The Toy" remains:

A. The Death of Wonder Wheel.
B. The fact that U.S. Bates' (Jackie Gleason) buxom Southern belle wife pronounced his name "you ass."
C. Pryor's line, while causing havoc at a Klan rally at Gleason's mansion by riding on a go-kart and throwing dessert entrees at people's faces: "How 'bout some Eskimo Pie, Grand Wizard?"
D. The fact that Scott Schwartz not only got his tongue stuck to a flag pole in "A Christmas Story," not only grew up to become a porno actor in films like "Dirty Bob's Xcellent Adventures 35," but was called "Master Bates" throughout his role as Eric Bates in "The Toy."

5. After their upset defeat to Team Italy, members of the U.S. men's basketball team dined on:

A. Crow
B. Pasta Prima Donna
C. Groupies.

6. Little progress was made in a four-hour negotiating session between the NHL and its players' union this week. Actually, the four hours were spent:

A. Finding new ways to poorly market Jarome Iginla.
B. Playing the newest NHL-sanctioned arcade game: "Todd Bertuzzi's Whack-A-Moore."
C. Watching NHL commissioner Gary Bettman run on his wheel for a while before falling asleep in the shredded newspaper at the bottom of his cage.
D. Administering a head-count of every self-identified Carolina Hurricanes fan.

7. Which one of these is NOT an actual fantasy team name being used by yours truly this year?

A. Mendoza's Heroes (Baseball)
B. Dykstra's Mouth Cancer (Baseball)
C. FrenchKissingNamaths (Football)
D. RickyWilliamsBongLoad (Football)

8. The Chicago Cubs traded for Red Sox star Nomar Garciaparra because:

A. They hope Harry Carey will one day rise from his grave to absolutely f--king butcher Nomar's last name.
B. They too have missed seeing Mia Hamm since the demise of the WUSA.
C. Just in case Steve Bartman shows up against for the postseason, they wanted a Bostonian for swift "Boondock Saints"-style beatdown.
D. Ditka refused to run for their vacancy at shortstop.

9. The most remarkable thing about the film "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle" is:

A. Two friends would endure a night of wacky hijinks for burgers so greasy they actually pass through your entire digestive system in under 9.8 seconds.
B. Two young non-Caucasians are shown inside a White Castle and neither one is behind the counter.
C. The role of "Kumar" was not played by Fisher Stevens.
D. There was actually a pot comedy filmed without an appearance by Snoop Dog.

10. A humorous 10th question would top off this column had it not been for the invention of:

A. KaZaA
B. No Limit Texas Hold 'Em
C. Celebrity Fake Nudes
D. Canadian Club and Coke

Good night, and god bless...

Greg Wyshynski is also a weekly columnist for SportsFan Magazine. His columns appear every Saturday on Sports Central. You can e-mail Greg at [email protected].

Posted by Greg Wyshynski at 7:03 PM | Comments (0)

August 5, 2004

The MTV-ization of ESPN

It's harder than ever to find actual sports on the sports network that started it all. It's easy to find Disney-influenced profiles, ESPN's coverage of itself, and famous people with no easily identifiable connection to sports. Meanwhile, baseball games and tennis finals get shoved to the Deuce, or skipped altogether.

In today's corporate world, it's all about branding, and ESPN remains an undeniable success in that respect. It's gotten to where people at the watercooler are talking about ESPN itself, not just the sports events it shows.

During this slow summer, ESPN's apparent reluctance to focus on sports instead of personalities has final started to become news. Salon sports columnist King Kaufman has been all over it. San Jose Mercury-News columnist Tim Kawakami has initiated a one-man boycott because of the growing gap between what he calls "good ESPN" (i.e. Outside the Lines) and "bad ESPN" (anything with Max Kellerman).

You can't help but notice it, and nowhere is it more evident than during the crown gem of ESPN: SportsCenter. When was the last time the Top-10 didn't include something like a rooster-crowing competition or toe wrestling? Those used to be occasional -- stress, occasional -- breaks in all the serious stuff on a slow day. Now, a slow day has three of those "non-sport" Top-10 moments. Toe wrestling made the Top-10 twice during the last week of July.

Then there's the Hot Seat: why are people like Ben Stiller and Donald Trump on SportsCenter? If those guys are guests on Cold Pizza, that's one thing. If we're supposed to believe that Stiller counts as sports programming because of "Dodgeball," that's another.

This column has been in the works for over a month, but during the last week of July, ESPN was at its worst. SportsCenter was on 76 times (11 per day, nearly half of ESPN's programming). I like SportsCenter, but isn't that a little excessive?

It's also worth mentioning that about 10 minutes of each show were devoted to music. Most of us don't tune into ESPN expecting to hear a live performance by Alanis Morissette, or athletes mangling the Star-Spangled Banner and "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." And if the network really wants to show things like that, maybe a one-hour "Music and Sports" special on ESPN2 would do the trick instead of slipping it into SportsCenter.

Complaining about how often SportsCenter was on is silly, though, compared with what else was on ESPN during the last week of July. Something called Streetball -- I think it's like the NBA with more trash-talk and less talent -- was on ESPN 12 times (and ESPN2 for another hour and a half). ESPN showed a combined three hours of Stump the Schwab and Around the Horn, plus seven hours of poker (which is almost impossible to categorize as "sport") and two and a half hours of fishing.

This wasn't because of a shortage of actual sports, though. During the same week, ESPN2 broadcast 27½ hours of tennis -- including Lindsay Davenport's victory over Serena Williams in the final of the JP Morgan Chase Open -- the 2004 Cooperstown induction ceremonies, two boxing matches, six hours of MLB games, two hours of the WNBA, and two showings of Outside the Lines. None of that was good enough for ESPN?

What makes Kawakami's boycott article resonate is his distinction between "good ESPN" and "bad ESPN." In the past, sports fans could at least choose which programs to watch and which to avoid. Over the last few years, though, and especially in recent months, "bad ESPN" has infiltrated previously "good" shows: SportsCenter anchors who think the show is about them, not the sports they cover; panel members and other "experts" who shout, make deliberately controversial statements, or are blatantly biased in favor of certain people or teams; logos and catchphrases that block part of the action.

Obviously, ESPN can't show every sporting event that happens. But it can be better, and instead, it's getting worse. I watched SportsCenter almost every day last summer, and I never saw Alanis Morissette or toe wrestling or Donald Trump. The people in charge have apparently made a conscious choice to devote less coverage to sports and more to pop culture. It's getting hard to tell ESPN from MTV, no matter what program you tune into. That's a loss for all sports fans.

Posted by Brad Oremland at 8:35 PM | Comments (0)

Flip the Power Switch

I'm going to go out on a very long limb and predict the winner of the Eastern Conference finals for the upcoming NBA season. It isn't much of a stretch. Let's assume for the moment that we will watch Detroit and Miami battle for the opportunity to represent the East in the NBA Finals.

I apologize to Indiana Pacer fans, in advance. It is not my intention to slight the Pacers. There is no question that Indiana is definitely a strong candidate to make a run to the Eastern Conference finals.

However, this article wouldn't make much sense if I wrote about an Indiana/Detroit series, now would it?

So, for the sake of argument, let's say it is Detroit and Miami. Exactly what difference would O'Neal make for the Heat? All the Pistons have to do is use the same strategy they used against the Lakers. Let Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace annoy O'Neal and everyone else keep Kobe Bryant subdued.

In this particular scenario, let's replace Kobe Bryant with Heat star Dwayne Wade. There is no need for Detroit to change defensive philosophies now.

Detroit guard Chauncey Billups has the daunting task of defending Wade, but Richard Hamilton and Tayshawn Prince will likely assist. Life will become quite miserable for Wade. Aside from Eddie Jones, Miami doesn't have much more to work with.

Hence, Detroit returns to the Finals.

I wish the Western Conference were that easy to predict.

The time has come for Flip Saunders and the Minnesota Timberwolves to strike while the iron is hot. It isn't going to get any easier than this.

Last season, the Timberwolves boasted the best record in the West, but he didn't stop there. Saunders and "Los Lobos" forced the Lakers to six games in the Western Conference finals.

Although the Lakers moved on, we can only speculate that the outcome may have been different if T-Wolves guards Sam Cassell and Troy Hudson had been healthy enough to play.

I remind you that Minnesota accomplished all of this with Shaquille O'Neal in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform.

Question: now that Shaq has moved from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic, what could possibly stand in Minnesota's way?

Answer: the San Antonio Spurs.

The Spurs are perennial contenders for an NBA championship, with or without O'Neal in Hollywood. The Spurs, in desperate need of accurate beyond-the-arc shooting, acquired sharpshooter Brent Barry in exchange for Hedo Turkoglu. Barry was ranked second in three-point percentage last season.

The general consensus is that the trade makes San Antonio the favorite to represent the West in the NBA Finals for the upcoming season.

Question: Is Barry enough to get the Spurs over the hump?

Answer: No.

Simply because Minnesota made the best move of the offseason ... none.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

The Timberwolves have little to gain by signing anyone this season, but much to lose if they did not resign the players from last year's roster. So far, Latrell Sprewell decided not to opt out of his contract. The T-Wolves have also matched the offer given to Trenton Hassell, from the Portland Trailblazers. Hassell, because he was a restricted free agent, stays in Minnesota.

All that remains on Minnesota's to-do list is to resign guard Troy Hudson and all will be well.

Minnesota will have some healthy competition. The Utah Jazz, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets, and the Denver Nuggets all have made offseason moves that could spoil the Timberwolves' bid for a return to the Western Conference finals.

But, when a team makes a move to add something, they always end up losing something in return. Minnesota has added nothing, but neither have they lost anything. The rest of the West must now develop chemistry and new game plans to accommodate the varying skills, talents, and personalities on their rosters.

All the T-Wolves have to do is play.

Posted by Damian Greene at 6:18 PM | Comments (1)

August 4, 2004

Fantasy Football Sleepers to Follow

Anybody who knows anything at all about fantasy football is well up-to-speed on Priest Holmes, Randy Moss, and Peyton Manning. These are arguably the top-rated players at their respective positions entering the 2004 fantasy football season. Fans of LaDanian Tomlinson, Marvin Harrison, and Daunte Culpepper might pose an argument to that, however.

But some fantasy enthusiasts struggle once you get into the later rounds of a draft, when all of the marquee names have disappeared off of their cheat sheet that they printed off of the Internet about 15 minutes before draft time.

Who are some of the sleepers that are worth a late-round gamble? Who are some of the players than might start the season on your bench, but might provide valuable fantasy points when called upon for those all-important bye week and injury-related fill-in starts? Let's take a look at this writer's 2004 Preseason All-Sleeper Team.

QB - Josh McCown - Arizona

Just as this is the Cardinals' first training camp under new coach Dennis Green, this is the first camp that McCown will enter as the starting quarterback. Many fantasy experts rate McCown as a solid No. 2 quarterback, but here are three reasons why McCown will surface as a reliable fantasy starter by mid-October:

1) Although on a limited basis, McCown has played well as a starter for Arizona. In three late-season starts last season, he averaged 223 yards per game and threw 5 TDs, compared to only 2 INTs in those games. McCown is also a decent runner for a quarterback, which might net him another 2-3 TDs.

2) The Cardinals have an exciting set of playmaking receivers at McCown's disposal. Anquan Boldin has become well-known in the fantasy world. Add in rookie Larry Fitzgerald and second-year receiver Bryant Johnson, and McCown has three legitimate targets at wideout. Veteran Freddie Jones is still a reliable tight end, also.

3) Although Arizona's offense should be much improved with the emergence of McCown, addition of Fitzgerald, and reshuffling of the offensive line, their defense will still suffer as their secondary is weak and their pass-rush is non-existent. This should result in many Cardinal come-from-behind efforts that are lead by McCown, which should result in garbage touchdowns and several weeks with 40+ pass attempts.

While McCown will probably not carry a team, he should emerge as a decent fantasy starter, or at worst, a very good No. 2 quarterback in 2004.

2004 Forecast

23 TDs, 16 INTs, 3,700 yards passing
2-3 TD, 300 yards rushing

Quarterback Honorable Mention: Byron Leftwich - Jacksonville

RB - Duce Staley - Pittsburgh

Duce signed a five-year, $14 million contract with the Steelers this past offseason, leaving a crowded backfield in Philadelphia. Many would argue that he left one running back-by-committee situation for another, having to team with Jerome Bettis in Pittsburgh.

Although he will split touches with The Bus, Staley will be Pittsburgh's primary weapon out of the backfield this season, and should be a solid No. 3 running back on fantasy teams, who will fill-in nicely due to bye week and injury situations. Here are three reasons why:

1) Staley is only 29-years-old and only carried the ball 96 times last year. In fact, Staley has only had one season with over 300 carries (325 attempts in 1999). The backfield-by-committee situation in Philadelphia may have actually saved valuable wear and tear on Duce's frame, and he may be fresh for 2004 and ready to carry the heavier load that he will endure.

2) Duce's versatility will be utilized in Pittsburgh. Staley had to compete with similarly versatile backs in Brian Westbrook and Correll Buckhalter the past few seasons. However, Jerome Bettis has become non-existent in the Steelers' passing game, and Staley should benefit from getting a large proportion of the Steelers' passes out of the backfield.

3) Plaxico Burress and Hines Ward make a great receiving tandem, but the Steelers are a run-first offense. Tommy Maddox struggled in 2003 and he is expected to give way to rookie Ben Rothlisberger at some point in 2004. Based on this, the Steelers are expected to continue to use the running game to set the tone for the passing game. Bettis cannot carry the load by himself anymore and Staley will thrive as he proves to be a huge upgrade from ex-Steeler Amos Zeroue.

2004 Forecast

1,300-1,400 all-purpose yards, 7-8 total TDs

RB - Greg Jones - Jacksonville

Jones might be considered this team's "super sleeper" in a way. You won't want to stick your neck out too far or too early for the bruising rookie out of Florida State, but Jones will be worth a flier late in annual draft leagues as a No. 4 running back. In keeper leagues, consider taking him in the early to mid rounds among other rookies, especially if you can afford to wait on Jones' development.

As far as the 2004 season goes, I will conservatively forecast Jones' numbers below. However, watch how he is used with Taylor and LaBrandon Toefield. The touchdown payoffs could be considerable. Here are a couple of reasons why Jones is worth that late round flier that was mentioned above:

1) Jones seems like a worthy candidate to be the next productive goal-line/short-yardage situational back in the league, following in the footsteps of T.J. Duckett, Zack Crockett, and Moe Williams. Take into consideration that fragile Fred Taylor is due for another injury and head coach Jack Del Rio might opt to use Jones in those goal-line situations to spell Taylor.

2) Along with reason No. 1, Jones is a young, big, and physical runner. Jones measures 6-1 and 250 pounds, and will create problems for linebackers at the goal line.

2004 Forecast

300 yards, 4 TDs

Running Back Honorable Mention: Lamont Jordan - New York Jets, Travis Minor - Miami

WR - David Givens - New England

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has not appeared to have a distinct No. 1 target among the Patriot wideouts the past couple of seasons. This might be on the verge of changing, and David Givens might become that man.

Givens should be a useful No. 3 wide receiver in leagues that call for three active wideouts each week, or he will be a great bench option in smaller leagues. Here are three reasons why Givens will take the next step in 2004:

1) First of all, he has ideal size for the Patriots' system. Brady likes to spread the ball around underneath and take shots down the field at the right times. Givens (6-0, 210 pounds) is strong enough to catch the ball underneath yet quick enough in the open field.

2) Givens ended the 2003 regular season on a hot streak, catching 5 TDs in the final six games. This shows that he and Tom Brady might be beginning to develop some chemistry.

3) The time is right for him to step up. Reasons No. 1 and 2 support Givens' case. Look at the other Patriot receivers: Troy Brown is 33-years-old and in the twilight of his career. Deion Branch should pair with Givens as the top two in the depth chart and might have more yards, but he lacks the size to be the red zone threat that Givens can be. Bethel Johnson is a great return man, but is still polishing his receiving skills.

2004 Forecast

65 receptions, 850 yards, 8 TDs

WR - Justin Gage - Chicago

Much like Greg Jones' inclusion on this team, Gage serves as a "super sleeper" candidate at wide receiver. Gage is an intriguing talent that showed flashes of great potential last season in Chicago, flashes that the Bears hope to see more often with another year of experience and new coach Lovie Smith's receiver-friendly playbook.

Don't draft Gage with the expectation of him being a regular starter for your squad. He is worth a late round selection and can be a great fill-in starter to begin the year with. His upside is enormous, though! Here are three reasons why you will want to have Justin Gage on your bench to begin the season:

1) Gage has great size and leaping ability. At 6-4 and 210 pounds, Gage is a scary combination of size and athleticism that will create problems for defensive backs in any downfield situation.

2) In his lone NFL season, Gage has already shown big play potential, as he averaged 19.9 yards per catch during his rookie campaign.

3) Much like David Givens' situation, the timing is right for Gage. Dez White left in free agency and David Terrell hasn't shown the Bears anything in his NFL career thus far. He and Gage will battle for the No. 2 receiver spot opposite of Marty Booker. Even if Terrell begins the season as the starter, look for Gage to assert himself and slowly steal playing time from Terrell.

2004 Forecast

45 catches, 750 yards, 6-7 TDs

Wide Receiver Honorable Mention: Brandon Lloyd - San Francisco, Tyrone Calico - Tennessee

Tight End - Itula Mili - Seattle

The late-season emergence of Antonio Gates (San Diego) and Boo Williams (New Orleans) put them on the fantasy football map in a hurry, and might have lessened their status as 2004 sleepers. Actually, their great finish might have caused fantasy owners to over-estimate their expectations for this season.

On the other hand, Itula Mili was a consistent tight end for the 2003 season, and should be effective again in 2004. Mili caught 46 passes for 492 yards and 4 TDs. With the breakout of Darrell Jackson and big things expected for Koren Robinson in Seattle's passing game for 2004, Mili's yardage numbers might struggle, but he will still see regular red zone looks.

You should be able to draft Mili in the late rounds and he will give you good value for the pick as a decent starter or good bench option against favorable matchups. Here are two reasons why Mili should produce under the radar again this season:

1) Seattle's offense is one of the best in the league. Defensive backfields will have difficulty focusing on both Jackson and Robinson. This should keep the center of the field open for Mili when his number is called, and should give him favorable matchups in red zone situations.

2) Jerramy Stevens lack of work ethic and overall development means that the position is still Mili's to lose, and he shouldn't lose it this season.

2004 Forecast

38 catches, 425 yards, 6 TDs

Tight End Honorable Mention: Anthony Becht - New York Jets

.

Posted by Mike Guenther at 11:39 PM | Comments (0)

Are You a "Tall" or a "Wide"?

This was supposed to be the year that Lance Armstrong would falter.

It almost happened in 2003, when he barely dragged his way through a time trial and outlasted Jan Ullrich of Germany by only a little more than a minute.

On July 10, Armstrong arrived in France after losing a Tour de France prep race to face more than 100 cyclists intent on finding a weakness in his armor.

More than three weeks later, they were still looking.

Once the 2004 Tour de France began, Armstrong whipped the best climbers in the mountains. He whipped the best sprinters at the finishes. He whipped the time-trial specialists in the time trials. Along with the rest of the Posties' "Blue Train," he whipped all the other teams in the team trial stage.

For most of the past month, Armstrong has been doing more whipping than a workaholic dominatrix.

By going where no bicyclist has gone before, Armstrong is now racing not against flesh-and-blood riders, but against posterity -- for his place in the next listing of ESPN's next top-100-athletes-of-all-time list.

Certainly, he's not the first.

It wasn't all that long ago that Michael Jordan transcended his sport. Before him, there was Wayne Gretzky, Jim Brown, Sugar Ray Robinson, and Babe Ruth. In fact, the whole, "Where does Lance Armstrong rank among history's greatest athletes?" question is merely a break from the debate over Barry Bonds' place in the pantheon.

The first thing to do in any debate, as any debate coach -- or, as in my case, former debate coach -- will tell you to do is define your terms. For any discussion on athletic greatness, it is necessary to define "great."

Right about now, you're thinking that's absurd. Great, after all, is, well ... great. Maybe we don't know art, but we know great when we see it.

Fine, then answer me this: who was the best left-handed pitcher in baseball history?

That's easy, you say. Sandy Koufax. From 1963 to 66, when arthritis forced him to retire, Koufax had a won-lost record of 97-27 with a 1.86 ERA.

What about Warren Spahn, I say? The man won more games after World War II than any other pitcher. He joined the mound elite in the late 1940s and stayed there until the early '60s.

See the problem here? There are reasonable arguments in favor of both Spahn and Koufax great. In his own way, each was greater than the other.

Bill James, baseball number cruncher extraordinaire and Boston Red Sox consultant, boiled down the argument by defining greatness in two ways. On one side, there are the players who reached peaks that were higher than any of their peers.

Those players, including Koufax, could be called the "talls."

The second category of greatness, in James’ estimation, is those who might not reach the elevation of the "talls," but they do achieve excellence and sustain it much longer. Spahn, and others like him, would be the "wides."

An extreme example of a "tall" is New York Giants quarterback Kurt Warner might have had one of the skinniest careers in any sport. From 1999 to 2001, with St. Louis, he completed 67.2 percent of his passes, averaged 9.06 yards per pass attempt, threw 98 touchdowns and 53 interceptions. During that stretch, his average passer rating was well over 100.

Since then, he hasn't been able to find an open receiver with a map and compass. But for those three years, Warner was better than any QB in history. Of course, he still has an opportunity to put a little meat on the bones of his career, starting this year.

A few more examples of "tall" sports careers, from players who reached rarefied air, but couldn't stay at the heights, for reasons ranging from injury to personal problems: Eric Dickerson, Bobby Orr, Diego Maradona and Darryl Strawberry.

If Warner is the Manute Bol of sports immortality -- poor Bol, he wasn't even talented enough to be as "tall" as he was tall -- Hank Aaron might have been William "The Fridge" Perry, who, ironically, was a "tall" and not a "wide."

Aaron, who never hit more than 47 round-trippers in a season, had 15 seasons with at least 30 homeruns to finish with the all-time homer crown, at least until Bonds is done.

George Blanda, Cal Ripken, Jr., Ray Bourque, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are some of sports' all-time "wides."

Disclaimer: none of these lists are intended to be comprehensive, so don't grouse if I left out your favorite player.

Sports fans can be "wide" or "tall," as well, depending upon which type of player they value more. "Wides" tend to regard "tall" players, like Dwight Godden as having had limited success by fluke, while "talls" damn "wide" players, like Steve Largent, with faint praise by calling them consistent, but not spectacular.

And the distinction isn't always clear cut. Take the aforementioned Mr. Ullrich. Is he a "tall" because he won the Tour de France once, or a "wide" because he finished second four times?

And there is a third group -- considerably more exclusive -- the "wide and talls."

A roll call of this group includes sports' greatest icons -- Pele, Muhammad Ali, Wilt Chamberlain, Jack Nicklaus, Ted Williams, Jordan, Brown, Bonds, and Ruth (Disclaimer: See above).

With his run of major-tournament victories two years ago, Tiger Woods certainly qualifies as a "tall." If he has similar success sometime down the road, which isn't at all out of the realm of possibility, he could cross over into the "wide and tall" pantheon.

Which brings us back to Lance Armstrong, who has just filled out his admission application to sports' inner circle.

By winning the world's premiere bicycle race, he has climbed the mountain. By doing it more often than anyone else, Armstrong has spent a long time atop that peak.

Congratulations, Lance. It's official -- you may not look it, but you're both "tall" and "wide."

Posted by Eric Poole at 8:13 PM | Comments (0)

'Canes Need Swagger Now More Than Ever

Anyone who watches old cowboy movies knows that there is a certain way a tough guy is supposed to enter a saloon. The tough guy must stroll through the swinging-double doors oozing arrogance, take a glance or two around the bar to see who else is around, and exude enough confidence to scare all of the other tough guys in the saloon.

For the better part of the last two decades, the Miami Hurricanes have been the toughest guy on the college football block. They collected four national championships as an independent, dominated the Big East since it's inception, and added another national title in 2001, all while cranking out four or five (and last year six) first-round draft picks a year.

But, as they are set to debut in the new-look ACC against archrival Florida State on Labor Day Weekend, the Hurricanes are facing more questions then they have since their brief period of probation in the mid-'90s.

Will the 'Canes be able to swagger on defense as they try to replace seven starters (including six of the back seven)? Will the 'Canes be able to swagger on offense led by a quarterback who inspires infinitely more doubt than confidence? Most importantly, will the 'Canes be able to swagger into the toughest conference in the nation after a decade of beating up on the Big (L)East?

The 'Canes' defense, while returning only four starters, is definitely more solid than their offense. While they do not possess as many defensive playmakers as they have generally had during the Larry Coker years, they do have athletes all over the field. Plus, Miami has two cornerbacks (All-American Antrel Rolle and Kelly Jennings) whose coverage skills should allow the Hurricane defense to play an attacking, blitzing style. While not as loaded as it has been in the past, the Hurricane defense should continue to contain all but the most potent offenses.

Speaking of potent offenses, Miami sure seems like it should have one. They have an embarrassment of athletic riches at the receiver position. They have a tremendous offensive line that features potential stars in T Eric Winston, G Chris Myers, and C Joel Rodriguez. Plus, even with the future of Frank Gore in doubt, their backfield features big-time talent in Tyrone Moss and Quadtrine Hill. Unfortunately, "Quarterback U." is without a quarterback.

To measure just how little confidence Miami coaches had in QB's Brock Berlin and Derrick Crudup, one only has to look at how conservative the Hurricanes game plan was over the latter half of the 2003 season. Seemingly throwing only in third-and-long situations, the 'Canes were content to hammer their talented stable of backs behind their top-notch line and hope for the best. If they are going to beat the Florida States and Virginias of the country (as opposed to the Rutgers and Temples), however, the offense will have to do more.

Miami will have to find some quarterback (perhaps last year's super-recruit, Kyle Wright?) that can distribute the ball to their athletic receivers and put said receivers in the position to make plays. Without a healthy Gore, the running game alone will not be able to carry Miami. Especially against the schedule it now enjoys.

For over a decade, Miami has been able to play in the weakest BCS conference in the country. Now, as they and Virginia Tech jump to the ACC, they will be competing in the best. Their sheer athleticism was enough to overwhelm most Big East opponents. But, there are at least four ACC schools that can legitimately claim to have as much talent, on paper, as Miami this year. Shaky quarterback play, lack of depth in the secondary, or any other problem that develops this season will definitely be exposed by the 'Canes' tough schedule.

With all of these questions facing the Miami Hurricanes as they enter the 2004 season, they need their swagger more than ever. They have to go into their new conference expecting to dominate it the same way they did the old one. For, even though this team has questions, it also possesses the potential answers to said questions. If a quarterback can emerge and the secondary and linebacking cores can mature quickly, there is no reason to believe Miami cannot win the ACC, and national, title. It just feels weird to be asking so many questions about the Miami Hurricanes.

Posted by Michael Beshara at 7:54 PM | Comments (3)

August 3, 2004

Mike Tyson's Last Stop

Iron Mike Tyson was knocked off Friday in the fourth-round by a 9-1 underdog who occasionally cries before his fights. I never thought, even after the ear biting incident, the assaults, the battery, the rape conviction, the debt, and the ridiculous face tattoo (it's hard to tell kids not to play with markers when those drugs have you knocked out like a Danny Williams jab), that I would ever write that sentence.

Every week, I usually write about some topic in a witty (some would say), entertaining (I think one once said), and somewhat intelligent manner (okay, I made this one up). I call people out that should be called out and I say what should be said, all from the comfort of my glass house.

It would only make sense that Mike Tyson is the subject of my stone throwing this week after his debacle Friday. Everyone in the country is piling on, taking their shots, and throwing in their two cents (which Mike desperately needs right now, as well as any other cents you may be willing to part with). I just can't bring myself to do it.

The Iron Mike of years past was a force to be reckoned with. He was the youngest heavyweight champ that boxing has seen, and he had a lot of talent. People were afraid of him, and rightly so -- he was insane. He even threatened to eat children (which should adequately prepare him for his inevitable Fear Factor debut).

Boxing fans were stacking him up next to Muhammad Ali, pondering if Ali's speed would overcome Tyson's power in the fantasy bout between two of boxing's greatest. The sad state of affairs now, however, is that Ali might actually win the bout if they fought today.

Mike Tyson has fallen so hard that it really is painful to watch. Some argue that Tyson's demise should be enjoyed, since he brought it on himself. Others say that it couldn't happen to a worse person. To me, that doesn't change things. I can't help but feel somewhat sorry for him. He has been reduced to a waste of human existence.

One thing that does bother me, however, is that Danny Williams thinks he has anything to do with this.

"I knew they would come with something (referring to Tyson injuring his knee during the fight)," Williams said. "If it wasn't the knee it would be the elbow or something. The main thing is, Danny Williams beat Mike Tyson."

No, Danny, you are dead wrong. Danny Williams did not beat Iron Mike, Tyson simply lost to Williams. The main thing is that Mike Tyson beat Mike Tyson, over a period of several years, to the point where he is no longer recognizable.

Williams then proceeded to taunt Tyson in the media, claiming he wants a rematch so he can beat up Mike worse in England in front of Danny's hometown fans. Danny likes to talk about the "main thing," but he must realize that his "main thing" is that he is still Danny Williams.

He still cries before fights. And although he has 27 KOs, I think that 25 of them came while he was shadow boxing, with his only real knockouts being over Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali (rumor has it he knocked out the legend in the second round ... while playing Knockout Kings on his Gameboy).

Nevertheless, Mike Tyson is in a sad state trying to fight his way out of debt. A friend of mine compared the whole saga to a train wreck that he just couldn't turn away from, no matter how gruesome. There is a lot of talk around the country about how Mike Tyson's career, and the circus that inevitably follows, is over, but the fact of the matter is that it is just beginning. Things will get far worse before they get any better. To me, Mike Tyson died in that train wreck. I am done looking.

I cringed while watching Michael Jordan playing basketball for the Wizards, missing dunks and missing what made him Michael, but at least he was playing basketball because he loved it, not because he was forced to by the IRS. Michael had some good moments during his return, as well. On the other hand, I would believe Willy Loman as a salesman before I would ever believe Mike Tyson as a boxer again.

I won't be watching during the highlights of Tyson's rematch with Williams. I won't read the articles in the newspapers about Mike, grasping to regain some of what made him the baddest man on earth, threatening to eat Williams' two young daughters. I won't take notice when he inevitably gets in trouble with the law again.

I won't be watching when Tyson sells his soul to FOX and gets involved with some insanely stupid reality show in which he fights 20 "little people" or hosts "Convict Island" or whatever FOX will have cooked up for him.

It feels good knowing that, unlike most of America, I won't have to be subjected to Tyson fighting bears or other animals at some freak show, and you won't see me writing about him when he snaps and goes Mike Tyson on someone in his posse.

Mike Tyson will go down in history as a good boxer, but he could've been great. Someday, many years from now, I will be walking down a street when a hulk of a man will ask me for some spare change. I will give it to him out of pity, and the man will then try to convince me that he is Mike Tyson. I will shake my head, and kindly inform the man that Mike Tyson died, many years ago, in a train wreck.

Mark Chalifoux is also a weekly columnist for SportsFan Magazine. His columns appear every Tuesday on Sports Central. You can e-mail Mark at [email protected].

Posted by Mark Chalifoux at 9:22 PM | Comments (4)

Time For Changes at Wrigley Field?

Since the story first broke in mid-July, the friendly confines has been dubbed as the crumbling confines. Of course, I refer to "the shrine" known as Wrigley Field, on the corner of Clark and Addison in Chicago.

How ironic it is that the ballpark has begun to crumble the last several weeks, just the same as the team that plays inside the ballpark, which began to crumble with injuries back in March. Is it also ironic that the crumbling ballpark is 90-years-old, while the team that plays inside the ballpark is well over 90 years, almost at 100 years, since winning a world championship.

Since early June, three known instances have been reported of concrete falling into seated areas, where fans sit. The first incident happened on June 9th, when a fan reported to the city that he saw a piece of concrete falling on the first base side of the field. The second incident, a lot more scary, took place on July 16th, when a chunk of concrete (estimated six inches long, three inches thick) fell, missing a 5-year-old child by only a few feet. The third incident took place on July 21st, when a chunk of concrete, reportedly the size of a human hand, nearly hit a woman as she took her seat prior to the game.

Three separate incidents in a span of two months. The most noticeable observation is the second incident happened five weeks after the first incident happened. With the first incident, the fan observed the falling concrete, and reported it to the city on the same day! The story really never made any surface until the second concrete incident took place.

Now, after three incidents of falling concrete have been reported, the Cubs, forced by the city of Chicago, have gone about to make sure the ballpark is safe for the fans who occupy it during games. Why didn't the city of Chicago or the Tribune company, who owns the Chicago Cubs, do anything immediately once they became aware that concrete had fallen?

The fact that a city and an organization failed to act upon notification that concrete did indeed fall should be damn scaring to any person who ever attends Wrigley Field. If a chunk of concrete fell from the inside of a ballpark that is already 90-years-old, why was it ignored? Why would any individual believe it may not happen again?

Now that three incidents have occurred, in which luckily, nobody was hurt, the Cubs have been forced by the city of Chicago to install protective netting above certain seats, to protect fans from any falling concrete. Deemed as only a temporary solution, the city of Chicago cites that if the netting was installed and approved by city inspectors, then home games at Wrigley would be allowed to take place. The nets were installed, inspected, and the Cubs were given permission to play this past weekend while they hosted the Philadelphia Phillies.

Upon hearing the idea of protective netting being used to solve such a problem, I rightfully asked myself, is the netting seriously suppose to support a heavy chunk of concrete that happens to fall from a high distance up? If I'm going to a Cubs game at Wrigley anytime soon, you better damn well believe I will be looking up many times. Perhaps, while looking up, I may notice Spiderman climbing from net to net.

On a more serious notion, I impose a further question. What if a chunk of concrete happens to be small enough to fall between the netting's holes and still clunks someone on the head? Even if it is that small, with the speed it travels from falling from such a high distance, that will still be enough to severely injure or kill someone. While the odds probably are low, I would still estimate they are high enough to still be a potential threat.

And allow me to clarify one further notion. I realize the nets are very high up above the seats, but if I was at the ballpark, and I somehow manage to notice a huge chunk of concrete lying above the netting, do you think I would surely just forget about it and continue to concentrate on the rest of the game?

My point being, the ballpark is old, cramped, and potentially dangerous. It will not last forever. Eventually, sometime within the next couple of years, I would imagine, major renovations will have to be done. I see no reason why the Tribune company would ever have to touch the actual field, walled ivy, or scoreboard. Those should rightfully be untouched. The grandstand, between the right and left foul poles, I could see being torn down and replaced, or renovated.

I personally like the idea. Many new ballparks today are in one way or shape replicas of Wrigley Field, and I have heard no complaints. Imagine sitting in brand new seats, within a new structure, replicating the old grandstand, while enjoying the sight and tradition on the same field. The Tribune company, unfortunately, will do whatever it can to get as much public money as possible. However, I will argue that the Tribune company does not need the money, as they are already a very prosperous organization, and should never have to cry poor.

A renovation project would take at least a year, which would require the Cubs to play home games at ... a big gulp now ... U.S. Cellular Field, the home of the White Sox. Remember, the Yankees a few years ago played a few home games at Shea Stadium, when their stadium had a few problems. It is not the end of the world, if the Cubs had to play at U.S. Cellular for a season. Would it not be worth it once the Cubs' own ballpark is finished and its brand new, nice, and most importantly ... safe?

Wrigley Field is a cash cow already. After the ballpark was to be renovated or re-built, would the people who go there now seriously stop going just because it's not the grandstand isn't over 90-years-old? I don't see that happening. If the Cubs were to renovate or re-build the grandstand of Wrigley, I see only positives taking place.

The Tribune can construct a replica of the old grandstand, while at the same time placing more seats to enlarge the number of capacity. Club houses that right now are almost too small, can be built to give the players more room, more public restrooms can be available, and the entire building would be modernized. How could anyone not like that?

With me being from the south suburbs of Chicago, I have been in both ballparks. And to be honest, I sort of like U.S. Cellular better. It is modern, it is bigger, and the parking sure is a hell of a lot easier to find and manage than it is at Wrigley. Is now a good time to mention that I am a Cubs fan?

The Yankees are in the early stages of what will eventually move them out of Yankee Stadium to a new stadium across the street. Why not the Cubs? Right now, the problem at Wrigley is falling concrete? What will the next problem be? As the ballpark continues to get older, more potential hazards are going to occur. Why not avoid them, and really treat Cub fans to something special?

With the chances that the Cubs, realistically, probably will not win a World Series anytime soon (this coming from a true, yet realistic Cubs fan), might a new or renovated ballpark be the next best prize for Cub fans?

Any questions or feedback may be e-mailed to [email protected], or using the comments section below. For more about Martin, please visit his personal website.

Posted by Martin Hawrysko at 12:50 PM | Comments (0)

The Have's and the Have Not's

Much like we have already seen in terms of competition this Major League Baseball season, the July 31st midseason trade deadline has proven that "parity" seems to be the overall theme this year.

The midseason trades this year were less blockbuster and more conservative than in past years. We did not see as much unloading of players, but saw more strategical trades which might prove profitable for many clubs still in the mix down the stretch run for division titles and wildcard bids.

The obsession with the potential trade for Randy Johnson proved to be nothing more than a distraction from teams' overall needs to continue to improve their clubs. In the end, the most-hyped potential trade of the season allowed all of the other trades to take place under its radar.

Of the 13 trades, there were 34 players involved with almost 50% of them minor leaguers, as an eye on the future was also a key consideration. Many clubs fortified their lineups, trading more "like" players for each other, and some for team chemistry reasons.

Two teams, for example, which hope they have improved their chances for contention this season, are the N.Y. Mets and the Chicago Cubs. The N.Y. Mets, although miserably slipping in the National League East standings this week, still have hopes to make a run for it. They won the pitching prize second only to Randy Johnson by way of starter Kris Benson from the Pittsburgh Pirates. He will give them what they hope is added punch to their starting rotation which they could very much use. Now all they need is to do is start hitting and playing defense.

The Chicago Cubs, still hoping to contend for the wildcard berth in the National League, now have shortstop Nomar Garciaparra, who has yet to get really hot since coming off the DL in Boston on June 6th.

Garciaparra was reportedly extremely unhappy since this past offseason when he was part of Boston's almost done deal in its failed acquisition of Alex Rodriguez. Some questioned whether his near half-season long stint on the DL was part holdout due to his dissatisfaction with management. For a player of his caliber and competitiveness, that would be hard to believe.

And because he has lost so much time this season, Garciaparra has yet to find his stride, giving the Cubs a chance to catch him just when he starts to get hot. Additionally, the Cubs did not sacrifice starting pitcher Matt Clement in the deal, keeping their powerful rotation in tact. Kerry Wood and Mark Prior just need to remain healthy, while the Cubs have a lot of ground to make up.

Also of note, the Yankees dismissed starting pitcher Jose Contreras who has struggled for most of the two years he has been in New York, after his fleeing from the shores of Cuba in 2002. He was traded straight up for Esteban Loaiza of the Chicago White Sox. Loaiza, while not having the stellar season he had in 2003, finishing second in voting for the AL Cy Young Award, is a proven commodity which the Yankees needed given the uncertainty of their starting rotation all year, mainly due to injuries.

The Yankees were also able to pick up John Olerud, former all-star first baseman, recently released by the Seattle Mariners. He will be a good addition to try to make up for the hole in their lineup from the ailing Jason Giambi, who is not expected back for a while. While Tony Clark has been a formidable fill-in, he could use some rest now, too.

There will be endless articles written, prognostications made, and much fodder among the experts concerning all of the various trades made this week, not touched upon here. But the clear issue remains that there are possibly 20 teams out of 30 not yet mathematically eliminated from postseason contention and those wanting to prove that their records have significantly improved from last year.

And that means that the MLB season will continue to gel and remain exciting. This next couple of weeks is also very important for MLB to pick up more fans, as it is an exclusive time .The NBA season is over, the NFL and college football training camps just started, and the 2004 Summer Olympics have not yet begun. The sports headlines will thereafter have limited ink for MLB.

So MLB needs to shine right now, print its changed rosters, and put its focus between the lines again. The past couple of weeks have been too much about money ball, but now it's simply time to play ball!

Posted by Diane M. Grassi at 2:48 AM | Comments (0)

August 2, 2004

Wrigley Field's Friendly Confine Fallout

About two weeks ago, the Chicago Cubs began an inspection of Wrigley Field to address the issue of small chunks of concrete falling near fans during games.

Chicago's Mayor Richard Daley told Cubs' officials...

"Fix Wrigley or I'll shut it down."

"We understand our primary responsibility is to provide a safe environment for our fans -- a responsibility we take very seriously," said president Andy MacPhail. "We are confident the steps we are employing will ensure as high a level of safety as is possible."

This past Wednesday, building inspectors gave the Cubs clearance to play at Wrigley Field. Fortunately, the Cubs were on a road trip, with the first game back at home against the Philadelphia Phillies, on July 30th. The game was played, as scheduled, the protective netting was in place and the stadium was deemed safe enough to keep fans from headaches.

I find it quite ironic that the above paragraphs can be rewritten to sum up the Cubs season so far. Let's try it, shall we?

The Chicago Cubs, favored to make a trip to the World Series, had blocks of their own falling. Mark Prior, Kerry Wood, and Sammy Sosa all missed significant time because of injury. Aramis Ramirez and Todd Hollandsworth are trying to play through various bumps and bruises. Suspensions were handed to Cubs' pitchers LaTroy Hawkins and Carlos Zambrano.

Sounds like fallen blocks to me.

Last week, the Cubs began an inspection of its organization to address the issue of a team who, instead of dominating the division, has fallen to 10.5 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals.

"Fix Wrigley or I'll shut it down."

The Cubs' general manager took those words to heart. Jim Hendry donned his hardhat, steel-toed boots, and went to work. Working feverishly to get the holes sealed up before the trading deadline, he installed one hell of a net.

Hendry was the architect of a four-team blockbuster that brought Boston Red Sox superstar Nomar Garciaparra to the Cubs and relinquishing shortstop Alex Gonzalez and three minor league prospects.

When asked about the four-team swap, Hendry said, "I'm not usually one to be creative enough to do these four-way deals. I always call them 'Billy Beane' deals. I'm from the school where it's hard enough to do a one-on-one."

The heart of the Chicago Cubs batting order now consists of Sammy Sosa, Moises Alou, Nomar Garciaparra, Derrick Lee, and Aramis Ramirez.

What will be going through the heads of opposing pitchers facing this lineup ... other than baseballs being hit very hard off of Cubs' bats?

This is the lineup the Cubs need to provide the run support that the pitching rotation desperately needs. The Cubs' pitching staff has been outstanding, with only a lack of offense that keeps us from comparing them to the Atlanta Braves of the '90s.

But, for the moment, with the protective netting in place and an all-star shortstop firmly installed, Wrigley Field and the Cubs themselves are now deemed safe enough to keep fans from headaches.

Posted by Damian Greene at 11:06 AM | Comments (0)

Baseball's Golden Rule

Reversion to the mean.

It sounds so technical, so business school. But in reality, reversion to the mean is merely a common sense principle. Reversion to the mean is guided by the law of averages. Mean is a more sophisticated term for average.

In other words, an old dog can't change his spots -- or at least not permanently.

Baseball lives by reversion to the mean, hence the focus on averages and statistics. For every year a Brady Anderson belts out 50 homeruns, there's a whole career worth of seasons where he barely hovers around 20. He reverted to the mean (or, as some suspect, reverted back to the over-the-counter stuff).

If we look around the majors, we see players and teams doing what they should be doing and what they have been doing. There's no better example than the Atlanta Braves. The Braves were supposedly rebuilding this year, in transition. The pundits didn't have them contending. Instead, it was the new-school Marlins and can't-miss Phillies turn to rise to the top. Here we are past the All-Star Break and the Braves are threatening to run away and hide -- with the division crown.

Surprised? You shouldn't be. The Braves have been winning division titles since I was in high school. I'm almost 30! Wake me when the NL East does not go through Atlanta.

Did you really think Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore would contend just because of hot starts? History indicates otherwise and -- surprise, surprise (not!) -- they all faded away like a child actor after the hit sitcom ends.

Just because HBO put out a dud in Deadwood does not mean cable's best network is dead and buried. And don't you know it, now everyone waits all week to see Entourage. You getting the point?

For teams steeped in history and tradition, reversion to the mean is all too familiar. The Yankees have won World Series championships in nearly one of every four seasons they have played. There's no reason to think that won't continue. By the same token, the Angels and Marlins win it all once in a blue moon, which means they should be quiet for awhile.

Fans count on reversion to the mean. If you go to Wrigley Field and sit through two rain delays and see only Steve Bartman look-alikes in the stands, fear not as you're sure to find beautiful weather and women (and maybe a falling piece of concrete!) the next time out. Keep in mind that the Cubs will probably disappoint you both times and Sammy Sosa's homers will probably be meaningless, but that's just because that's what the Cubs and Sosa do. That's the mean.

You know what I mean?

Posted by Danny Sternfield at 10:05 AM | Comments (1)

O-Hi-O-No: Stories in the Buckeye State

Last year, college basketball's offseason reeked of scandal, including numerous coaching faux pas and even a tragic death. 2004 has been extremely quiet in comparison. Just recently, the story broke concerning an alleged rape, and the resignation of both head coaches, at LaSalle University. Other than that, the headlines during this break featured one college icon stepping up to the pro coaching ranks and an even larger one staying put.

For some reason, though, throughout the summer months, a spotlight has turned on the Midwest ... Ohio, to be exact. It seems that some of the state's biggest programs have been involved in a messy triangle involving some disturbing patterns.

To get to the root of the situation, we start where the problems seem to, and that would be at the biggest school in the area. Let's face it, Ohio State's gone through enough with Maurice Clarett embattling the Buckeye football program. But that story's lost a lot of steam lately. So they figure, let's get some turmoil going in another athletic program. Who said these guys weren't fighters?

After getting Columbus' team to the Final Four in 1999, Jim O'Brien's victories almost continuously dwindled. Sure, his team posted a 14-16 record this past season, but the "brilliance" was still there as the Buckeyes went 24-8 in 2001-2002.

The problems supposedly came around when O'Brien confessed a couple of "no-no's" to AD Andy Geiger. One was a pending lawsuit partially filed by former player Boban Savovic concerning the payment of living arrangements for the guard while in Columbus. The second, and bigger, offense involved O'Brien apparently paying $6,000 to a potential recruit, a direct violation of NCAA rules. The stinger in that case ... the recruit was deemed ineligible to play anyway. Even we can feel the pain of that one.

That laid the groundwork for O'Brien to be booted and the focus of this triangle to shift to Cincinnati. Xavier was the darling of the 2004 tournament. They made it to the Elite Eight by upsetting two power conference studs, Mississippi State and Texas. The Musketeers even gave Duke the scare of their lives before falling just short of the national semis.

Their fearless leader ... Thad Matta, a rising coach who won 26 games each of his three years as head coach. Heck, he also went 24-8 in his lone season at his alma mater, Butler. The stage was set for this guy to take a dominant stance over the rest of the Atlantic-10 conference. And when the Buckeyes came courting for their vacant seat, he told them the equivalent of, "Thanks, but no thanks."

Then, one short week later, that phrase just became "Thanks" as Matta left his potential supremacy behind for the life of big-time schools and exposure. Where's the harm in all of this, you ask? Well, I guess it's just a case of the rethinking your ambition syndrome. But I know there's scandal somewhere, and I'll keep digging and searching ... just because I like you folks.

The show isn't over, though, as we turn attention cross-town to the Cincinnati basketball program. When head coach Bob Huggins was arrested for a DUI on June 8th (the same day that O'Brien was fired), the athletic department seemed to go into a bit of a tailspin. First, came the speculations. How to deal with an offense this devastating, especially in the face of the Larry Eustachy incident last year. Ultimately, a suspension and help seemed to be the answer.

Next came the process of moving forward with Huggins off the bench. Enter associate head coach Dan Peters, who first coached under Huggins in the early 1980s. Unfortunately for the university, the attraction of not knowing when the word in front of head coach would shift from "interim" back to "associate" couldn't be very deep. Peters recently left the Bearcats to join Matta in Columbus.

Now the question, where does that leave Cincy?

Oh, Oscar Robertson?

Yeah, that's a good idea. Bring him in and let him give an inspiration talk to the ... huh?

What do you mean name him coach?

You're kidding, right?

Apparently not. The Big O is currently the interim head coach of the program until Huggins can return to everyday duty on August 27th. Big O, if you don't mind me saying so, this is the epitome of a bad career move.

"I will do whatever I can to help develop these young men for their futures on and off the court," Robertson said.

Develop? A month isn't even time to repeat anything into the brains of most young players. At least Oscar is optimistic, seeing how he's more a temp RA than a coach.

So, which Ohio school will be sucked into the fray next? You know, there's that Akron Zips team. Strange situations must follow a school with a strange name like that. Better check it out.

Posted by Jonathan Lowe at 9:17 AM | Comments (0)