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March 31, 2008

A New Era ... Already?

As the clocks ticked down in Cleveland, everyone was on their feet. The Cavalier fans had just stood witness to another driving, twisting, get-out-of-my-way-because-here-I-come finish by LeBron James, giving Cleveland a one-point lead with 7.7 seconds left.

One problem, Chris Paul now had the ball, and for one of the quickest, smartest players in the NBA, 7.7 seconds was a lifetime. Paul received the ball at mid-court and calmly setup James like a bowling pin. The point guard shook to his right, allowing David West to pin the defender. Paul saw the light, then drove to the basket, drawing everyone in Cleveland, and when the timing was just right, dished it back to West, who was standing alone at the top of the key. West calmly drilled the game-winner, and just like that, we all became "witness" to the changing of the guard.

In 7.7 seconds, the torch had been passed.

Since LeBron came into the league, he was viewed as his own version of John 3:16. King James was the way, the truth, and the light. After an amateur career more hyped than Lew Alcindor and Bill Walton put together, James backed it up in his first game as a pro. Against the Sacramento Kings, 'Bron had a line to backup the hype, racking up 25 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals.

Still, as he blossomed into one of the best the game had ever seen, there was still something missing. At first, it was the nail-biting. Then it was the inconsistent play, taking games off, playing at half speed, something none of the greats ever did. Then it was his frustrating finishes. This was never more apparent than in last year's playoffs. When Cleveland played Detroit in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Pistons exposed James early on in the series. In Game 1, James passed up a lay up inside to Donyell Marshall, who missed an open three. The Cavs lost. In Game 2, James refused to give up the ball took a hail mary three with three guys on him, and the Cavs lost. Of course, James' skill and athleticism took over in the series, culminating in James' 48-point Game 5.

Many viewed it as James' coming out game, the game proving that if not the best, James was one of the top two players in the game today. In the offseason as Kobe Bryant submitted tirade after tirade demanding a trade out of hapless Los Angeles, a legitimate discussion took place over who would you rather have, LeBron or Kobe? I said LeBron.

Now things have changed a bit since I made that declaration. Kobe has become a man amongst boys, playing the way we always hoped he would. He has trusted his teammates this year, made the unselfish plays, and has the Lakers playing at the top of their game. LeBron is doing what he has done year in and year out, continuing to get better, averaging 30 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists per game this season. He currently ranks first in points, top 10 in assists, and top 30 in rebounds.

For most, the argument has made a full 180. Kobe Bryant has proven this year he is the best in the league. LeBron is still the man in waiting. Or is he?

In the late-'70s, there was Dr. J. In the '80s, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird took the game to new heights. Then Michael Jordan took over and transformed the game to where it stands now. Since Jordan retired, however, no one has been able to take over as the face of the league.

In 1996, it seemed we had the heir or air-apparent. Kobe Bryant had come into the league and his smile, flair, and even his pidgin-toed walk struck chords with many as the next Jordan. If not the next Jordan, he was the new face of the league. As the Lakers got better, and Kobe got better, we realized he wasn't. He was still immature, selfish, and unwilling to make sacrifices for the betterment of the team. He wasn't even the best player on his team. Then 2004's rape case in Colorado came along and the new face of the NBA would never be in Kobe's future.

At the same time, a young man by the name of LeBron James was taking the world by storm. He had the body of a 28-year-old trapped in an 18-year-old. From the moment he entered the league, he proved he belonged. Madison Avenue wondered if he could take over as the face of the NBA. It had been vacant for far too long.

So we willed him to take the mantel. We marveled at his game, rightly so. We saw the future and it looked bright. He was charismatic, lovable, and the guy could ball. We all loved "the LeBrons" and his "SNL" appearance was great. Here he was, the guy. The new face of the NBA. The headband-wearing, tattoo-covered, glare-at-my-teammates-for-not-being-as-good-as-me, mug-for-the-camera-after-a-nasty-dunk NBA. And we all accepted it.

That is until those 7.7 seconds.

While LeBron and Kobe played for best player in the league, down in New Orleans, Paul was starting a revolution.

Drafted fourth behind Milwaukee's Andrew Bogut, Atlanta's Marvin Williams, and Utah's Deron Williams, Paul has made the acceleration to all-star faster than anyone else in his draft year. The Hornets' record improved 20 games his first year in the league, and currently New Orleans is fighting for the top seed in the West.

In that game against Cleveland, Paul's pass to West was his 20th assist of the night. It was the second 20-plus assists game of the season for the third-year player out of Wake Forest. Paul is currently averaging 21.6 points, 11.3 assists, and 2.7 steals per game. He also is averaging 4.5 assists to every turnover. To put those numbers into perspective, Tim Hardaway was the last player to notch a 20 and 10 for the year 14 years ago, and no one in the history of the NBA has averaged 20 points 10 assists and 3 steals in a season. I can assure you, Paul will be the first. He is tops in assists and steals, and in the top 20 for points.

He's the next Isiah Thomas. Some even think he'll be better than Zeke. Others think when all is said and done Paul will be the greatest point guard to ever play the game. Better than John Stockton, Johnson, Oscar Robertson, all of them.

All of this went through my brain as 7.7 seconds ticked off the clock.

Why shouldn't Chris Paul be the face of the NBA?

Jordan has already picked up on it, signing him to the Jordan brand. If the NBA is watching, they should move on this, too.

First off, he's a point guard, the ultimate team-first guy. He's not riddled with tattoos. He doesn't manipulate himself into caricatures to embarrass his opponent. He does all his talking on the court. His 2.7 steals tells you he plays defense. His 11.3 assists lets you know he makes everyone better, and his 20 points per game reminds you he can score, as well. Against Phoenix this year, Paul had 42 points, 9 assists, and 8 steals. A few nights later against Dallas, CP3 had 31 points, 11 assists, and 9 steals, and only 1 turnover.

Have you heard the story of his slain grandfather?

As a senior in high school, Paul had to deal with the murder of his grandfather, his best friend, his mentor, his guiding light. Overcome with so much emotion, Paul considered never picking up a basketball again. After friends and family encouraged him to keep playing in memory of his grandfather, Paul did something as a tribute that would bring any person who has lost someone to tears.

A day after his grandfather's funeral, Paul laced them up for the first game of his senior year. Paul set out to score 61 points, one point for every year of his grandfather's life. With Paul at 59 points, he drove to the bucket, got fouled, hit the shot to reach 61. Paul went to the line to finish off the three-point play, and finished it ... by missing it. He took himself out of the game and wept in his father's arms to a standing ovation. Paul had achieved his tribute. Now the number 61 resides on the back of his shoe. His grandfather would surely be proud.

If that's not enough, Paul is entrenched in a rivalry. Who doesn't like rivals? Deron Williams was picked a spot ahead of Paul and so far since the two have entered the league, the true optimists envision Bird vs. Magic, part deux.

The league has never had a player rivalry since Bird and Magic. Jordan never had an equal. Shaq, well there's no one who will ever matchup to Shaq. Kobe, LeBron, and Vince Carter have never shown the competitive will against each other to define a rivalry.

Williams and Paul do.

Both view each other as the best. Both will enter the playoffs this season as the best at their position (Steve Nash excluded). Throughout their career, Paul has held a statistical advantage, but Williams and the Jazz are 7-2 against the Hornets during the two's tenure. The best part about the rivalry is you can envision both staying with their respective teams and battling it out for the next 12-15 years. Magic and Bird gave us quality ball for a decade, and now we get it again, in the same conference. We won't have to wait until the Finals for a matchup. We get to watch them go head-to-head every year for the right to make the Finals.

What more could you want?

I haven't even brought up the MVP discussion that has now become a two-horse race between Bryant and Paul. We'll save that argument for a later date.

This is more about who would you rather have as the face of the NBA. LeBron or CP3? In 7.7 seconds, my answer became easy.

Posted by Wailele Sallas at 11:20 AM | Comments (6)

The Case For Groove Regulation

In the past couple of seasons on the PGA Tour, average driving distance trending has been flat to a very minor increase or decrease. Of course, there are a lot of factors that determine driving distance — weather conditions, course conditions, and situational play — but the average of a 40-plus-event season tends to eliminate those factors as influential.

With that in mind, there has been some suggestion — particularly from bloggers Bomb and Gouge over at Golf Digest — that the USGA may not necessarily have to enact its proposed groove changes that we are still yet to have a final decision on from the governing bodies. Michael Johnson ("Boom") hypothesizes that if the boon of driving distance increase has been capped by regulation to date by the USGA, that there is no need to bring grooves into the equation. In essence, he is saying that the power of technology has been effectively capped and that it is not necessary to create additional rules to clutter the game and bifurcate it further.

Now, we have not heard anything from the USGA on the subject recently in terms of a final decision. We do not even know if the USGA is eventually going to implement the regulations that they proposed and have kept in the forefront of the golf world for almost three years. Rather than speculate on what the USGA will do in the end, it seems more interesting to turn to the PGA Tour and consider whether or not trends have a trickle down impact on the game.

In particular, I began to wonder why driving distances on the PGA Tour were flat. Is it because technology has been effectively regulated to the point that players could not get another drop of distance? Or is it that players are responding to tighter fairways and more difficult setups by approaching courses more conservatively?

In several recent tournaments, I have anecdotally seen a number of players use metalwoods and hybrid irons off of the tee more and more often. Tiger Woods is especially notorious for not using a driver off of the tee. But it can be difficult to prove whether or not those anecdotes are actually true across the board on the PGA Tour.

The best statistic I could think of to use is the average approach distance for players to par 4's and 5's on the PGA Tour. I contacted the good folks at the PGA Tour for some information that might help inform the discussion. They provided me with information about the average approach distance for every non-drivable par 4 and every par 5 on the Tour from 2006 through so far in 2008. I then went and looked at the data on a macro level to try and decipher any trends.

First, let's set the stage for hole distances. There has been a lot of talk — I am among the talkers — of the impact of lengthening holes as a result of the distance boom. While that certainly is true over the longer term, in the past three years, the PGA Tour has not over compensated for the increase in distance seen in the last 15. The average par 4 and par 5 length over the last three seasons has been within less than 2 yards of each other. The average PGA Tour par 4 — not-drivable — plays to a length of about 447 yards. For par 5s, that average is 562 yards. The point of displaying this data is that, on the average, the PGA Tour has not increased the length of run of the mill par 4s and 5s. While there has been a slight increase in the number of drivable par 4s, they are not included in this data set. Therefore, how players react to holes should not be impacted by their distance.

Then, just to prove the point that distance increases have been neutralized over the past three seasons, let's take a look at the average driving distance on the par 4s. Over the past two seasons, the average distance off of the tee of these holes was about 290 yards. This season, so far, there has been a dip to 286 — but it is early still. I leave out par 5s because the data may not accurately reflect driving distances given that some players will opt to lay up off of the tee on some strategy holes. That is also something to consider when thinking about average approach length.

Now, here's the real finding that surprised me. There has been almost zero change over the past three seasons in the average approach shot distance from this category of par 4s and to all par 5s on the PGA Tour. For par 4s, there was a 0.6 yard difference between the last two full seasons. For par 5s, less than 0.1-yard difference. Basically, guys do not appear to be adjusting their games by hitting shorter clubs off of the tee. There is almost no chance given that the averages are so close together year over year.

So, what are the conclusions? Well, for one, we know that these guys are going to continue to play their game no matter what the PGA Tour throws their way in course setups. The distance game is here, and no amount of fairway pinching seems to be stopping them. Also, the data seems to validate the crowd out there that is calling for a halt to regulation given that driving distances have stopped increasing.

I beg to differ, though. Geoff Shackelford did a piece for Golf World that followed around Mark Russell, a PGA Tour staffer devoted to course setups. Russell is an advocate for the grooves proposal because he feels it will lead to more interesting setups and more options to play. He is quoted in the piece saying, "If you have rough where all a player can do is chop it out, he is going to pitch it out, have a short iron in, and the worst he's going to make is bogey. But quite often he'll make par. If you give him a situation where he can get 6-iron on the ball and it comes out red hot, then you bring all sorts of other scores into it. That's more interesting and better for spectating."

While driving distances do appear to have leveled off, golf setups have not been throttled back in relationship to that fact. Setups still feature deep, thick, penal rough that eliminates options. Players still appear to be responding to such setups with a power game that takes chances against landing in the deep stuff, or perfectly playable light rough, or the fairway. Basically, they play the power game because the consequences are predictable.

If a grooves proposal would allow setups to have shorter rough and create a wider variety of lies, then perhaps it would achieve the kinds of changes that I have been advocating by rolling back the golf ball. It could return shotmaking to play out of the rough and a level of unknown to shots not coming out of the short stuff. That is really the point of the rough — not to force an automatic chip out, but to force the player into difficult, analytical decision making. The tidal effect could result in less pins that are tucked into unreachable places, more diverse scoring, and allow for more styles to succeed on Tour.

The case I am making is for regulation — both of the golf ball and of grooves. No matter what happens with grooves, the power game has not really been addressed. It should be. In the interim, though, power does not appear to be getting bigger of a problem. The biggest problem is a lack of imagination in course setup and variety in play because of deep rough, small fairways, and crazy pins. If grooves regulation can solve that problem, then that will improve the sport and address a significant issue. And, as a USGA member, I am ardently in favor of things done for the good of the game.

Posted by Ryan Ballengee at 11:15 AM | Comments (0)

March 28, 2008

Sports Q&A: Mayweather/Big Show

Bobby from Chicago, IL writes, "The Big Show, aka Paul Wight, is scheduled to take on undefeated boxing champion Floyd "Money" Mayweather at WrestleMania 24 on March 30th. Will this go down as a historic match in the lore of professional wrestling?"

First of all, if the WWE is actually paying Mayweather $20 million for this fight, then Vince McMahon is not on steroids. That amount may be the budget for the fight, because WWE has to actually pay people like Evander Holyfield, Antonio Tarver, Thomas "Hit Man" Hearns (through a translator), and boxing historian Bert Randolph Sugar to speak about the fight as if it's a legitimate contest. But Mayweather's not getting anywhere near $20 million.

Historic matches in wrestling are few and far between these days. Unless someone is tossed off the top of a steel cage onto the Spanish announcers table, most wrestling fans, much less the casual observer, won't remember the fight. For those of us old enough to remember the Muhammad Ali/Antonio Inoki "match" of 1976, the Big Show/Mayweather contest is a reminder that we've been trying to forget the Ali/Inoki match for 32 years. That spectacle was historic for the sheer lack of imagination and action. Inoki worked on Ali's left knee for 15 rounds, and Ali didn't land a single punch, despite the fact that Inoki's chin was by far his most prominent feature. The match was declared a draw, and even Don King dared not demand a rematch.

When Mike Tyson stepped into the squared circle as the "special enforcer" at WrestleMania 14 in the Steve Austin/Shawn Michaels match, the event actually lived up to the hype. That certainly wasn't the case in the Ali/Inoki match, which was all hype and no action. Tyson wisely let one great wrestler, Michaels, and one great entertainer, Austin, carry the match and generate the excitement leading up to his role in the match. As the excitement reached a fever pitch, Tyson nailed his part, counting Austin's pin of Michaels, then KO'ing Michaels, proving to skeptical fans and viewers alike, that, yes, Tyson could still punch, and, yes, he could count to three.

Let's give Mayweather credit for accepting this match against the 440-pound Show. Sure, many a boxer has stepped up one or two weight classes before, but never 20-25. I doubt this match would have taken place had the Show dropped the approximately 300 pounds necessary to accustom Mayweather's super lightweight to welterweight classes. Seriously, though, neither man had to gain or lose weight for the match, but the WWE staged a weigh-in anyway. Brilliant!

To top the popularity of the match involving Tyson, McMahon has his work cut out for him in the Show/Mayweather bout. First of all, he's dealing with two men with little or no wrestling ability. But he did make Hulk Hogan a star. Luckily, today's wrestling is less about actual wrestling, holds, and simple grappling, and all about creating a show. I'm guessing this match will start out with a little comedy. I'll be terribly disappointed if Mayweather, at some point in the beginning, doesn't slither through Big Show's legs, tap him on the shoulder, and pepper him with a stiff left jab when Show turns around. Mayweather's danced around much smaller men before. Just ask Oscar De La Hoya.

And there will have to be some foreign objects involved. And yes, by "foreign objects," I do mean the augmented breasts of any number of WWE divas. But the foreign object staple, the steel folding chair, must come into play. I'm guessing Mayweather has never been nailed with a chair, which makes him as far from being a professional wrestler as it gets. Sure, he's contractually not obligated to take a chair shot, but if he only knew that taking just one would get him a ton of respect in the locker room, he'd do it. In this match, Big Show gets popped 2-3 times and doesn't even react, and Mayweather gets the same look he had on his face the last time he drilled a Mexican with a roundhouse right and the Mexican kept coming.

If the writers in this match are smart, they'll strategically place a spit bucket in Mayweather's corner and script some outside-the-ring action in which Mayweather threatens to toss the contents of the bucket on the Big Show. When Mayweather does actually toss the bucket contents, Show ducks, and fans at ringside are covered with confetti. This would be the most opportune time for the Harlem Globetrotters to run in and attack either Mayweather or the Big Show.

And speaking of "run-ins," what better way to end the match than to have a surprise entrance by someone with a vested entrance in the match. There's the WWE stable of wrestlers, who all resent a boxer's foray into the wrestling ring, or do they? An even better scenario would have Mayweather's uncle and trainer, Roger Mayweather, interject himself in the match. Floyd has recently threatened to fire Roger unless Roger ceases training Steve Forbes, who is fighting De La Hoya on May 3rd. A Forbes win in that fight would ruin a proposed Mayweather/De La Hoya rematch. If Roger came in an confronted the Big Show, then turned on Floyd, it would be the biggest swerve in wrestling history, especially if Roger clocked Floyd with one of those miniature irons used to reduce swelling.

Even better, a surprise entrance by the "Fan Man," who interrupted the Holyfield/Riddick Bowe fight in Las Vegas in 1993, would be pleasantly stunning. The Citrus Bowl is outdoors, and, if the wind is just right, I bet "Fan Man" could deliver one of the most lethal flying dropkicks the sport has ever seen.

Don't discount an appearance by clown-haired buffoon Don King. He's always popping up where no one wants him. What's stopping him from crashing WrestleMania and demanding 18% of gate receipts? McMahon versus King at Summer Slam? Talk about a pay-per-view boon. But if King does stick his nose in the Big Show/Mayweather match, he would surely get what's coming to him, from both men. Aren't we all dying to see King fall victim to a chokeslam and haircut? I know I am.

Finally, the match could end with the Big Show and Mayweather forming an unlikely NWO-like alliance, which, in the current state of boxing, would hold more credibility than the WBC, WBA, IBF, BFF, SOB, FTD, NAACP, UAW, KFC, RBK, HBO, H20, and any other boxing federation. And they could form an unbeatable tag team with a clever name, like "Biggie Smalls" or "Show May the Money."

When all is said and done, you don't supposedly pay someone $20 million and not let them win the match. The verdict: in a wild finish, Big Show is pinned by Mayweather, who gets help from at least three different sources.

Ziggy from Jupiter, FL writes, "Protesters interrupted the Olympic flame-lighting ceremony for the Beijing Games as the torch was traditionally lit in ancient Greece. In addition, a Tibetan woman smeared in fake blood briefly blocked the path of the torchbearer. Are these instances a bad omen of certain similar, and possibly more violent, protests to take place when the Games begin in August in China?"

For centuries, Chinese oracles have routinely warned that "A fake blood-smeared Tibetan woman in your path brings seven years' worth of bad luck." On several occasions, I've found that to be true in my life, as well. So, the world can expect the most politically-charged Olympics since the Moscow Games in 1980, and there will undoubtedly be countries that boycott the Games altogether in protest of China's infamous record of human rights violations, which makes even prisoners at Guantanomo Bay shudder.

Chinese officials are circling the tanks in anticipation of widespread protests, and they are rounding up and jailing anyone deemed a threat to the sanctity of the Games. In China, you can be jailed on such charges as "suspicion of looking suspicious" and "unlawful assembly," which can and often includes playing ping-pong in a non-Chinese government-sanctioned event. In addition, the Wu Tang Clan has been dispatched to the corners of the Earth to spread the word of peace via their compassionate and conflict-mending rap. Will this be enough to ensure a peaceful and prosperous Olympiad? Probably not, despite the magical healing powers of the Wu. But regardless of what happens, China will have make an even greater effort to mask its totalitarian, ego-tripping, Commie-pig government. And the Chinese political machine knows only one way to disguise its inhumane treatment of its subjects, and that's to silence the people complaining of it with even more inhumane treatment.

Police in China are gearing up for what is sure to be an active season of beatings and intimidation. In the People's Republic, police work in, and have, notoriously small units. What they lack in stature they make up for with brutality on behalf of the state. There will be more action with batons before the games than there will be in all of the relay races combined. In China, Rodney King is a hero. No, not to victims of excessive police beatings, but to the police themselves, who thoroughly enjoy King's role in the Chinese police training video. There will be no hockey in the Beijing Games, but there will be high sticks.

Obviously, the Chinese government is masterful at lying and hiding the truth. Otherwise, how on earth would the International Olympic Committee have voted to award Beijing the games in 2001? Sure, surrounding the voters with military tanks didn't hurt, and constant reminders that the manufacturing labels that read "Made In China" are also made in China scored points with nearly all voters. It seems that voters assumed that awarding the games to China would afford the country the opportunity to showcase improvement in its record of human rights. Instead, just the opposite has happened. As recent protests in Tibet have shown, China is still the cowardly bully it was six years ago.

Hints of boycotts are already surfacing. Some German athletes have suggested a boycott, while many French citizens support a boycott of the opening ceremonies, but not the Games themselves. That'll show 'em. Thanks, France, for your bravery. What the international community needs to do is participate in all events, and call attention to China's human rights violations any chance they get. Taunt them even. China may be able to silence their own, but not the world.

Get Your Questions Answered!

Do you have a question or comment? Did you perjure yourself and forget to wear a diaper? Do you have a fear of presidential candidates whose names rhyme with "Obama?" Are you oozing machismo, and can't get it to stop? Then send your demands/concerns/questions along with your name and hometown to [email protected].You may get the answer you're looking for in the next column on Friday, April 11th.

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 11:15 AM | Comments (0)

March 27, 2008

Once Upon a Time in L.A.

If I told you today, you wouldn't believe it. It's impossible to fathom. The Los Angeles Clippers were one foul away from a possible Western Conference Finals berth.

The Clippers were creating a new destiny for themselves. No longer was Los Angeles' other team the joke of the league, they had all the pieces to be a contender for years to come. At the same time, the Lakers were going nowhere. The Lakers had the longest playoff series win drought between the two teams.

Two years later, the Lakers are back on top of the West. The Clippers are drafting in the lottery for the second straight year.

Did the 2005-06 season really happen?

Were the stars just aligned right with all the cosmos and energy pointing the way of the Clippers for that one year?

If you are like most and don't believe it happened, let me remind you.

During that season, many felt the Clippers had too much talent. The starting lineup consisted of Elton Brand and Chris Kaman in the post. E.B. was becoming one of the best power forwards in the game. Chris Kaman was finally providing dividends on the Clippers drafting him in an overloaded-with-talent 2003 draft. The Clips had Quinton Ross, the poor man's Bruce Bowen. In the backcourt, Los Angeles touted a veteran, experienced Sam Cassell and Cuttino Mobley. Corey Maggette provided a 20-point scorer off the bench. The addition of Vlad Radmanovic gave the Clippers a three-point specialist, and Shaun Livingston was the future.

Everything seemed to be headed to a championship. The team had youth, leadership, scorers, defense, and everything in between. You would be a fool not to think this team had the goods to be successful for years to come.

Then it all started to go south.

Donald Sterling gave Mike Dunleavy a contract extension. The same Dunleavy who single-handedly destroyed the Clippers' playoff run that year. He then gave Kaman a contract extension, and "Captain Kaman" then went on to play sub-par basketball. Livingston blew everything out in his knee and has yet to recover. This season, Brand ruptured his Achilles in the offseason. Cassell, no longer on a winner, went to one in Boston.

The team full of promise was now an afterthought.

It doesn't get any better. While the Clippers' plummet to traditional depths, the Lakers' rise can only add to their brethren's demise. The Clippers are once again the "red-headed step-child." The other team in L.A. The L.A. embarrassment.

It only gets worse.

Brand and Maggette can both opt out of the final year of their contracts in the offseason.

Livingston is only 22, and still recuperating from multiple knee injuries — injuries so brutal, there is no timetable on his return and some doubt his recovery at all because of the seriousness of the injuries.

If everything goes wrong, which is a big possibility being it is the Clippers, Los Angeles could lose Brand, Maggette, and Livingston — three cornerstones of the Clippers' magical '05-'06 season.

It's hard to imagine how things could have gone so wrong in such little time.

Two years ago, the team split L.A. right down the middle. Everybody had an opinion and basketball in Los Angeles was bigger than any other sport anywhere else. When Sam Cassell was re-signed, Clipper nation rejoiced, and Lakers fans wallowed that they could become the other team.

For the first time ever, the Clippers were playing basketball longer than the Lakers. For the first time, you couldn't hear Clipper Darrell over the screaming, boisterous fans.

There is no way to describe the emotion and atmosphere as the Clippers took the court in the playoffs that year against Denver. There was no way L.A.'s other team could lose that opening series, and if it weren't for some egregious coaching against Phoenix in the second round, who knows where that magical season would have ended up.

Now, it's just a forgotten memory, and for some, a fable. Too ridiculous to imagine.

This is where the Clippers belong, fighting for lottery status. This is what the Clippers do, upper-management squabbling. This is what Clipper Nation has come to expect.

An optimist will mention the Clippers' cap space and free agents Antawn Jamison, Baron Davis, Gilbert Arenas, and Shawn Marion available. Davis and Arenas are Los Angeles natives and would energize a slowly dying franchise.

This is the Clippers, however, and if history repeats itself, it might be another 30 years before the Red and Blue will be able to rival the Purple and Gold. Until then, those in the know will speak of a time when the Clippers were better than the Lakers, had more potential than the Lakers, and made the Lakers the other team.

Of course, like most stories passed down, many will view this as just another tale, and only two years removed from their playoff run, that might have been just what it was, a myth of how a lowly team can rise to the top.

I mean, it is the Clippers.

Posted by Wailele Sallas at 2:06 PM | Comments (0)

World Soccer Recap

Yesterday was a FIFA match day, which means all of the pro soccer teams the world over are compelled to release their players to go play for their country. This means the second part of my announcer column will once again have to wait.

In deciding which games to watch, I decided to stick to the USA's "conference," if you will, CONCACAF.

It's already a pretty busy time for CONCACAF squads. Olympic Qualifying just wrapped up for the region's under-23 squads (where, as you might imagine, there is some overlap with the full men's national team for some countries).

The United States breezed to qualification by winning their group stage and then the region's semifinal. The race for the second spot was a barnburner.

Eight countries were split into two groups. The top two in each group would go on to the semifinals, and the winners of the two semifinal matches would represent the region in the Olympics.

The U.S. finished undefeated atop Group A, but the story was Group B, featuring Mexico, Canada, Haiti, and Guatemala.

Canada surprised a lot of people by drawing with Mexico, and Guatemala dispatched Haiti. In the second group night, Mexico again was surprised, losing 2-1 to Guatemala. Canada could have closed the door on El Tri right there, but they themselves got upended by Haiti, leaving a glimmer of hope for a Mexican squad to finish in the top two even with a loss and a tie. They just had to produce a better result than Canada in their final match.

Canada was up first, and they annihilated a Guatemalan squad that was already assured a place in the semis, 5-0. The task for Mexico in the nightcap would be to beat Haiti by the same score, or better. Haiti would be through to the semis if they could muster just a draw, but no one really expected that in a packed house of Mexican fans in Carson, California.

Mexico went into halftime up 1-0, and it seemed they had no hope. But a red card brought the Haitian squad down to ten men, and Mexico started to furiously pour on the goals.

Alas, the problem with playing uber-aggressively is that it exposes you defensively, and the Mexicans gave one back. It was 3-1 Mexico, then 4-1, then Mexico scored their fifth with only a few minutes of stoppage time to play. In stoppage time the Haitian keeper made the saves he needed, and 5-1 would prove not to be enough for Mexico. It was Canada to the semifinals where they were thrashed 3-0 by the Americans to put the Canuck Olympic dream asunder. The runner-up in the U.S. group, Honduras, beat Guatemala in the semifinal in a shootout. Hence, no one from the more thrilling group of qualifiers would go on to play in the Olympics.

And that was the CONCACAF prologue going into today's action.

Haiti vs. Ecuador: In soccer terms, Haiti reminds me of another CONCACAF Caribbean Nation, Guadeloupe. Like Guadeloupe, who made a surprise run to the CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinals (they are ineligible for the World Cup because they are as much a province of France as Hawaii is a state), Haiti is very capable of mustering an upset or two. They both specialize in spectacular, long range, top-shelf goals, and...they both speak French.

The Haitians traveled to Ecuador today as heavy underdogs to the home nation. I watched the game online, at a website that had a chat feature alongside it. Many Ecuadorian fans populated the chat. They all spoke Spanish, which I don't, but I could tell most of their attention was to geared towards, not the game, but a user calling herself "Ecuababe." Occasionally, a Haitian fan would pop in with "Go Haiti!" in English.

I imagine it was a lot of cussing I saw in the chat when Haiti went up 1-0 early. It was, believe it or not, a beautiful, top-shelf strike.

But rather than being another great Caribbean upset, it was more like the U.S.'s "B" team game against Argentina's "A" squad in last year's Copa America: just a tease. Both games ended 3-1 in favor of the South Americans.

Canada vs. Estonia — Wow, was this a fun game to watch. Not because of the skill or excitement on the pitch, but because it was played in a driving snowstorm in the Estonian capital of Tallinn.

Normally, refs won't allow soccer games in the snow because the ball pretty much stops where it lands, which makes play hazardous. But in this case, the ball glided easily over the snow and the refs let the game play on, even though buckets of snow were falling and the pitch was already covered in it.

As an American soccer fan, I think there is room for a rivalry with Canada. I don't think you'll ever see Canadian soccer very close to the level of American or Mexican soccer, but I'm not one of these guys who roots for my rivals to do well in order to set up epic matches against my team, as some do. I'd rather see them lose and perpetually have their tails between their legs.

Estonia is a pretty bad team. In Euro 2008 qualifying, they managed one point in their 10 games against teams other than the micro-nation Andorra. They are over 65 places below Canada in the FIFA rankings.

So when they beat Canada 2-0, It doubled their goal output of their last twelve non-Andorran competitive games.

Still, is it fair to rag on Canada on this loss? Homefield advantage is exponentially increased in bad weather, and this was the worst weather. And Canada wasn't merely playing a road game, but traveling almost halfway around the world. And while it's easy to say Canadians should be used to the snow, I'm sure they don't play much soccer on it.

No, the reason that Canada is fair game for being pointed and laughed at for this result is, while almost every Estonian player was wearing leggings under their shorts, all the Canadians save the keeper was bare-legged. 'Cause they're so tough and rugged, those Canucks. And losers again.

United States vs. Poland — The Americans also travelled to travelled behind the old Iron Curtain for a match against Poland. It was also cold in Krakow and the pitch seemed frozen, but no snow. The 3-4 best unfulfilled chances to score in the game belonged to the Americans. Fortunately, the three best successful scoring chances also belonged to the U.S., and they thrashed the Poles, 3-0.

It was really the most satisfying effort and result I've seen from the Americans in a long time. Only their Gold Cup victory over Mexico comes close. And they did it without Jozy Altidore and Freddy Adu, who were resting from assuring the Americans Olympic spot.

The Americans quite simply dominated, and against a team that won their Euro 2008 qualifying group and, at 24th, are placed four spots ahead of the Americans in the FIFA rankings.

In the soccer-centric message boards, I tire quickly of defending American coach Bill Bradley against the haters who clearly will never give him a chance. He started off as the dreaded "interim" coach while the U.S. Soccer Federation tried to land a sexy name (namely, former German coach Jurgen Klinsmann). I feel vindicated now. But there's no time for America to rest on the laurels. Their next game, in two months, will be in London, against England.

Posted by Kevin Beane at 11:02 AM | Comments (0)

March 26, 2008

The Real Sweet 16

I've long said that the best two months in sports are the NBA playoffs. It is the highest level of basketball in the world, played on the biggest stage, featuring the best players in the world. It gets no better.

Yet this time every year, the NCAA tournament takes over the basketball world and people seem to get swept up in March Madness enough to not care about seeing good basketball.

It's where we chose to settle for a good story over good shot selection because it's fun to root against Duke.

It doesn't matter that we just watched 39 minutes of poorly played basketball, if the cute underdog team hits a miracle shot, it'll be pandemonium for 45 seconds and someone's bracket will get busted.

After tuning in to day one of the tournament Thursday afternoon, I couldn't wait for TNT double-header to start to finally see some good basketball. It didn't disappoint. The Celtics beat Dallas and the Lakers beat the Jazz in Utah in two very good games.

So while John Q. Basketball Watcher is busy hoping for a buzzer-beater on CBS, I'll be tuned into the League Pass enjoying the race for the NBA playoffs.

The NCAA can have it its Sweet 16.

Here is the Real Sweet 16: 16 reasons to watch the NBA stretch run over the round of 16.

1. They actually play basketball.

The thing that bothers me most about the college game is how many timeouts there are. You can hardly get into a flow because there are so many stoppages. Think about it like this. A college game is 40 minutes long. Each team gets 5 timeouts, that's 10. On top of that, there are officials' timeouts every four minutes (the first dead ball inside of 16, 12, 8, and 4 minutes remaining). There are 8 of those.

That means that there are 18 timeouts in a 40-minute game. In the NBA, with each team getting 7 timeouts, there are 14 timeouts in a 48-minute game. There is more of a flow to the NBA game, and it is much more TV friendly.

2. They can advance the ball with a timeout.

The fact that a college team can't advance the ball to half-court after a timeout is a terrible rule. For a tournament that sells itself on how much drama it produces, it has a rule that completely takes away most opportunities for last-second shots.

For every Christian Laettner-, Bryce Drew-, and Tyus Edney-type play, there are ten botched baseball passes or three quarter court shots that sail into the photographers.

If there were three seconds left to play, my guess would be that six, maybe seven out of 10 half-court plays would get a decent shot at the basket. If a team has to go the length of the floor, how many times out of 10 do they get a half-way decent shot off? One? Two?

Allowing teams to advance the ball after a timeout increases the chances that a team will score late in the game. More late-game scoring means more buzzer-beaters, which means higher ratings, which means more money.

The NBA realizes this and it has been the rule for as long as I can remember. The NCAA is missing the boat by handicapping the team trying to make a great play.

3. They actually score.

I know that fewer minutes is going to result in fewer points, that is a given. But that doesn't mean that it has to directly translate to teams being less efficient.

After the first two round of the tournament, 26 of the 65 teams shot less than 43% from the field. No team in the NBA shoots less than 43%.

If the Sweet 16 warrants better teams, expect to also see better defense. There are six teams left that have shot over 50%. I'd be surprised if any of the six finishes the tournament over 50%.

4. They can shoot free throws, too.

Free throw shooting is one of the easiest and most basic basketball plays. Yet so many college games are decided because one or both teams can't make big free throws.

Thirty-nine of the 65 teams (60%) shot 70% or lower from the free throw line in the first two rounds. Not a single NBA team shoots below that mark. When the worst the NBA has to offer is better than more than half of tournament teams, it says a lot about the quality of the game being played.

5. The three-point line is the right distance.

I actually like what the NCAA is doing about this. The three-point line is too close in college right now, but at least they are moving back to the international line next season. The problem isn't so much that the line is too close and is too easy a shot; it's that it is too close to the basket and it impacts spacing.

If a team packs into a 2-3 zone, they can cover the entire two point area. With the three-point line where it is in the NBA, if a team goes zone and the offense spaces near the three point line, it stretches the defense out enough to create scoring lanes. That's part of the reason why the zone defense is so ineffective against good offensive NBA teams.

6. An upset is well earned.

Upsets are what make the tournament great, but let's face it, most of them are flukes. The neutral location alone gives the underdog a natural advantage. Obviously, the various locations of the games is part of what makes the first two rounds so special and unique, but an upset at a place where the crowd is 75% in your favor solely because you're the little guy is easier than battling a hostile environment.

To upset an NBA team, you have to go on to a better team's home court and outplay them in front of their fans and steal at least one, if not more games. Golden State knocking off Dallas last year impresses me a whole lot more than San Diego hitting a last-second shot over UConn in Tampa.

7. There's always tomorrow.

I'm not arguing with the one and done style of the tournament. The format is perfect. It's just that I personally prefer a seven-game series because it adds a whole new element to the game: coaching.

In both the NCAA and the NBA, both coaches will make several in-game adjustments. But when you have Hall of Fame-caliber NBA coaches getting to know the other's team inside and out, the chess match from the bench both during and between games adds a whole new dynamic to each game.

8. You actually see a rivalry game.

With the spacing of the brackets, the upsets, the luck of the draw, and all other things considered, it needs to be a perfect storm to see some of the biggest rivals in college basketball play each other. Part of the excitement of the tournament is playing a team you know nothing about to see who is better.

But when the stakes are high and dislike for the other team is, too, it makes for some intense and compelling basketball. Seeing old rivals meet and new rivalries start to take shape is one of the best subplots of the NBA playoffs.

9. There is too little continuity in the college game.

Since the rosters change so much year to year in college, every tournament is completely different. With the new NBA age rules, it throws another wrinkle into things where a team like Kansas State can land a player like Michael Beasley and become a threat, if only for the short-term.

It's hard to get casual fans to support you when you can go from back-to-back champs to NIT No. 2 seed in one season.

10. You can see teams take "the leap."

I'll always bet on the team that has playoff experience. I firmly believe that an NBA team has to lose in order to learn to win. In the recent history of the league, the teams that have the most success suffer a period of close-but-no-cigar type seasons.

If you have a team that's young enough, good enough, with a front office smart enough to keep the key pieces around, losing to a really good team in the playoffs is sometimes a stepping stone in the right direction to becoming a champion.

It happened to the Bulls. The Pistons. The Lakers. The Spurs, too. Good teams lose and learn from it.

That's why I think Utah and Cleveland are my sleepers in each conference. It doesn't look like either team will likely finish any higher than fourth, but both made deep playoff runs last season and kept their core intact. (Well, Utah kept its core, Cleveland kept LeBron.) One of those teams could be poised to make "The Leap" this season.

New Orleans impresses me and would scare me if my team drew them in the first round. They won't be able to hang with an experienced team deep in the playoffs this year, but are the number one "leap" candidate for next season.

11. You tend to notice the name on the back as much as the name on the front.

And that isn't intended to imply that NBA players are selfish. What it means is that you know the players that you are watching. I'm just as impressed with Stephen Curry and his 35 points per game as you are, but I'll admit I didn't catch too many Davidson regular season games to know that this was coming.

In an NBA series, I'm tuning because I want to see Chris Paul dish out 15 assists. I want to see LeBron manhandle entire defenses. I want to see Kobe take over a fourth quarter. I know what to watch for ahead of time because it makes watching the games more enjoyable, I don't have to spend the first half trying to figure out who is who.

12. They make it look easy.

This to me might be the biggest misconception of the NCAA over the NBA: the college players play harder. Really? NBA players aren't capable of giving their all because they are millionaires?

Just because NBA players don't slap the floor when they guard the ball doesn't mean they are giving less effort. If a college big man snags an offensive rebound and gets over-excited and it takes him three tries to convert a put back, that doesn't mean that he is trying harder than an NBA player, it just means that he needs to try more times.

You watch a consummate professional rebounder like Lamar Odom or Antonio McDyess get an offensive rebound and put it back up, it looks effortless. They are trying their hardest, but they make it look a hell of a lot easier than some of the bigs I saw this past weekend.

13. You get to watch old veterans rather than new freshman get their first taste of the big game.

It's much more satisfying for me to watch a crafty veteran like Robert Horry come in and play 10 minutes, do very little in the stat sheet, and still contribute with a bunch of savvy plays than it is to see a freshman go through his growing pains while he adapts to the big stage.

Neither the old nor the young will have the skills as the best out there, but for my money, I'd rather watch the guy who's been doing it longer than the alternative has been alive.

14. Heroes get remembered, but legends never die.

Who know the tagline from "The Sandlot" would help so much in illustrating my point? If you come up big in the NCAA tournament sometimes you can go down in basketball lore forever. Sometimes you don't. Either way, you are a hero for a short period of time while your team celebrates success.

Let's face facts here; legends are made in the NBA Finals. Bill Russell won two NCAA titles. Magic has one. Jordan has one. For some reason, I doubt you picture them as a Don, Spartan, or Tar Heel respectively.

That's because they were heroes for a few years on campus. They became legends because of what they achieved on the next level.

15. It's where amazing happens.

Okay, I'll admit my addiction to the League Pass has brainwashed me into fully believing this, but it is actually true for the most part. There are going to be no fewer than 10 can-you-believe-that-just-happened games in the playoffs before it is all said and done.

There will be roughly 80 NBA playoff games this year, considerably more than the 63 tournament games. That leaves more opportunities for amazing to happen, and if the regular season has been any indication, the playoffs will have no shortage of amazing things happen this year.

16. The play-in game actually matters.

In the final week of the season, there are at least six games that could make or break a team's season, depending on how the next eight or so games play out. With the West as wide open as it is, anyone can beat anyone in a playoff series. But first you have to get there.

There could several teams vying for the last couple of Western Conference playoff spots in the final week, and each of the nine teams in contention plays at least one other playoff contending team in the final four days.

So there you have it. If none of those 16 reasons can convince you to watch the NBA over the NCAA tournament, I don't know what to tell you. All I can say is feel free to shoot me an e-mail and let me know who wins the Sweet 16 games this weekend.

I'll be too busy watching basketball to pay any attention to it.

Posted by Scott Shepherd at 11:56 AM | Comments (3)

Davidson Community is Wild For Cats

What is Davidson? Where is Davidson? Who is Davidson? Until now, few outside the tight-knight Davidson community, home to a college of just 1700 undergraduate students and little else, could have known this "Davidson" as anything more than a small college with a decent basketball team that sometimes makes the NCAA tournament.

Not anymore. Obscurity is a thing of the past thanks to a sophomore shooting guard who looks like he might not be a teenager yet and an unflappable head coach who has turned down countless "bigger" job offers precisely because he believed that something like what is happening right now was possible. Of course, I'm referring to Stephen Curry, the player who has taken this year's NCAA tournament by storm with 70 points through two games and 55 combined in the two second halves, and Bob McKillop, one of the most well-respected floor generals in college basketball who is finally achieving the inevitable with his first two NCAA tournament victories. Together — but with a lot of help — they have engineered two straight comeback wins to put the Davidson Wildcats in the Sweet 16 and make them everyone's (outside of Western Kentucky, that is) favorite 2008 Cinderella.

The first was a thrilling 82-76 win over seventh-seeded Gonzaga in which Curry's 30-point onslaught in the second half (40 total) brought the Wildcats back from an 11-point deficit with less than 15 minutes to play. If you thought that was sensational, you had another thing coming for you two days later when Davidson took on mighty Georgetown, a 2007 Final Four participant and a trendy pick to make it back to college basketball's Promised Land. This time the Wildcats found themselves down by 17 points early in the second half and 16 points down with less than 15 minutes to go. That's right; that's 16 points down with only 15 minutes to make it all up against a Georgetown team known for its ability to put the clamps down on opponents and make anything more than a 10-point lead a certain victory. But when you're a team that has already made a living off overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds, and when you're a team that has Stephen Curry on its roster, impossible is nothing. Curry erupted for 25 second-half points to lead a herculean charge and snatch a 74-70 victory from the jaws of defeat.

Sure, this joy-ride to the Sweet 16 is about Curry, who has gone from the best-kept secret in college basketball to instant stardom (and fame that includes appearances on ESPN's Pardon the Interruption and Mike and Mike in the Morning). It's about McKillop, who has led his team to the Big Dance in three consecutive years now, but fell painfully short of first-round upsets the previous two appearances. It's about Jason Richards, who still isn't getting the attention he deserves despite leading the nation in assists per game and averaging 17.5 points through two NCAA tournament contests. It's about Andrew Lovedale, who did not start playing basketball until 2001 and in just one season (if less) has gone from role player to half-man, half-beast (if you want to know what I mean, just check his 11.5 points and 8 rebounds per game averages in the two games last week against much bigger opponents).

But it's about so much more, too. For the traditional powerhouses like North Carolina, UCLA, and Kansas (among others) who are back in the Sweet 16, winning two tournaments means next to nothing. It only means something if they parlay it into two more wins to reach the Final Four, and two more wins after that to capture the national championship. That's not — and never could be — the case with Davidson. For Davidson College and the miniscule town of Davidson, North Carolina, what this basketball team is doing tugs at the very heart of the Davidson corps. It puts Davidson on the map. And as you will see, it means a lot of different things for a lot of different people.

For Claire Asbury, Davidson class of 2010, this team and this incredible ride to the Sweet 16 is the essence of Davidson College. "For me," she begins, "Davidson basketball epitomizes the Davidson community. Belk Arena (the basketball stadium that seats less than 6,000) buzzes with the energy of students, professors, little kids, senior citizens, alums, and those with no connection to the school. We cheer on these talented players because they are good at basketball, yes, but mainly because they come from us, from this busy, compassionate little town and this little hard-working red-bricked college, home to the biggest statue of a wildcat in the world. They are not distant, they are not "above" any of us; they are part of us. And I am grateful that they speak to that and represent that in every interview I've heard them give.

"This is my home in no light sense of the word," Asbury continues. "The academics are great, but the people are better. The camaraderie, the friendship, the singing of corny but perfect Sweet Caroline (Neil Diamond's classic that has somehow become the basketball theme song played at every eight-minute media timeout in the second half); a lot of it is difficult to put into words, really. It's like belonging to a family that spans decades and knowing that you'll never know every single one of them, but when you are all smushed together in a huge gym, or crowded around a TV cheering for your other family members (the ones who got the athletic genes), it doesn't matter. You support each other. I'm not an athlete, but I feel supported by friends, mentors, professors, and this town in general. It's not exclusive to our boys at all. And it is these moments, when my feet leave the ground ("1, 2, 3, 4!") and my face aches with gratefulness ("SO GOOD! SO GOOD! SO GOOD!"), that remind me how important this community will always be in my life. I feel so blessed to have gained this family, and I am so proud of what all our members accomplish — on the national stage and off."

Steve Suflas, class of 1973, shared a similar observation while attending last weekend's games in Raleigh. "After the stirring win against Gonzaga, the players, as a group, walked to the front of the section containing the Davidson faithful and applauded their supporters. That's when I teared up; watching this manifestation of what it means to be a part of the Davidson community."

John Bryant, class of 2008, agrees that the Wildcat basketball team has done a remarkable job of making sure that each every achievement is not just a triumph for the team, but a triumph for the entire Davidson family. "Cheering for this team for four years has been an incredible blessing," says Bryant. "I've seen the seniors grow and develop, coming off the bench as role players to now starters with 100 career victories. I've spent what must be the equivalent of weeks in the student end zone section of Belk Arena. What impresses me so much about this team is how they participate in and inspire the Davidson community that we love so much. At every home women's basketball game that I have attended, the guys are there cheering them on. Even though there aren't many students for the women's games, the men's team brings consistent support.

"I attended the Southern Conference Tournament in Charleston in 2007 and 2008," Bryant continues. "Both years after the festivities were over, the team climbed into the stands. I was impressed each time that the players greeted many of the fans by name and as friends. This year I made a special point to congratulate Stephen Rossiter (sophomore forward) since I had a class with him last spring. Having heard countless stories about the "Davidson bubble," I shouldn't have been surprised when he immediately recognized me by name, but I still was. Given the high emotional intensity of the moment, I feel I would have been hard-pressed to remember anyone's name outside my own family."

For Bryant, however, this dream season extends far beyond Davidson, North Carolina. "In terms of inspiration, I experienced a great moment in this year's tournament. I went home to Alabama for Easter break and on Easter Sunday was on effective news lock-down. My family had gone to have Easter dinner with friends in Tennessee who had no TV reception and an ancient dial-up connection. We found a way to get (Davidson broadcasters) John Kilgo and Logan Kosmalski over my cell phone, which we put on speaker. When it began, I was the only one listening. However, as the game progressed, more and more people began to huddle around the phone. While I was the only Davidson-affiliated listener, everyone was rooting hard for the Wildcats. I'm sure hearing all the North Carolina fans join in singing "Sweet Caroline" in Raleigh (Carolina beat Arkansas in the following game) was impressive, but for me, seeing a group of diehard SEC football fans surrounding a cell phone and pulling for Davidson was amazing."

Carolyn Meier, class of 1986, enjoyed a similar experience last weekend with friends and family members who had little, if any, association with Davidson. "I don't come from a Davidson family. I was quite literally born an Iowa University Hawkeye, where my dad was a student. I grew up in the shadows of Vanderbilt University and Belmont College. I currently live in the sleepy town of Charlottesville, Virginia, home to ACC-member University of Virginia. This week I have heard from old friends, family, business acquaintances, and complete strangers from all over the country who sought me out for one reason: to talk about Davidson basketball. How loudly they cheered as the 'Cats roared back from seemingly impossible deficits to beat two of the most respected basketball programs in the NCAA.

"What an amazing team the Wildcats are," Meier adds, "to be able to play with such heart and obvious love of the game against such incredible odds. Having yelled until my voice nearly gave out, clapped until my palms are bruised and cried at the sight of Coach Bob McKillop and the guys jumping around center court as the newest team to join the Sweet 16, I took each call with a sense of pride and a feeling of giddiness which comes from watching history in the making. For one bright, shining moment, the whole world seems like Wildcat Country."

Allison Marsh, class of 2004, also appreciates the sudden end to Davidson's relative obscurity. "Having grown up in Tuscaloosa, Alabama where we take for granted the fact that everyone in the country knows the names of our football coach and starting quarterback, going to a small school like Davidson (known more for it's academics than athletics) was a dramatic change. Many of my friends both then and since have asked me, 'Why Davidson? What is Davidson? Where is it, anyway?' Like so many other Wildcat alumni, I faithfully answer this question with the response, 'Davidson is a small liberal arts college 20 miles north of Charlotte. It's one of the highest ranked liberal arts schools in the country and they do your laundry for free!' But this response is so far from capturing what we know in our hearts to be the true reason we went to Davidson ... because we could never imagine going anywhere else.

"Today," she goes on, "I am a Davidson alumna myself and I have my own ring to prove it. Choosing Davidson remains the one thing in my life of which I am most proud. I have always known what it meant to be a Wildcat; I think I knew it before I even saw the campus for the first time. But I also know how disconcerting it feels when I meet someone who has never heard of the school. It's not my frustration that they don't recognize my alma mater, that they don't know where that diploma over my desk came from, but more sadness that they don't understand ... they don't get it. This past weekend I stood with several of my closest friends and fellow alumni on the front rows of the crowd in the RBC Center (in Raleigh) as we watched our Wildcat basketball team beat not just one, but two of the best teams in the country; big teams with big names. I yelled and cheered until I was hoarse. I jumped up and down pumping my fist in the air to the beat of "Sweet Caroline." I was caught up in the utter joy of the fact that now the rest of the country is finally getting to see a piece of what Davidson is and what it stands for. Coach McKillop and all of our players are perfect representatives of the spirit behind our school and I have never in my life been prouder to be a Wildcat. It was an overwhelmingly big moment for a girl from Alabama."

John Burns, class of 1992, also realizes that that the efforts of this underdog team and underdog town are making an impact far and wide. "I would say the greatest moment this week was not Curry's four-point play against Georgetown, not Andrew Lovedale's screaming rebound against Gonzaga. It wasn't the ridiculous Curry layup against Georgetown. It wasn't even "Sweet Caroline." It was the look on my little boy's face when he realized the number (30, for Curry) on his jersey was the same as that incredible kid on the court, and the pride he had when he walked into school on Monday wearing that jersey. Davidson has a whole new generation of fans now. Some of them six, some of them 60. The world knows now. They might even just begin to understand."

Stan Brown, class of 1978, also shared the moment with his son. "I was in Raleigh with my 7-year-old on Friday," he says. "The last few seconds of the Gonzaga game, when it was absolutely clear that we would win, tears wet my cheeks and my chest heaved. I hugged my son and just held him. Finally, he looked up at me and said, 'Dad, you're hurting me.' And we laughed. I always hoped we would win one in the NCAA. I always thought it was possible that we could have a program build to that point. But I was fearful it might not happen. The emotions have calmed down quite a bit over the last two days. Now, the only time I get choked up is when I see a picture of our players celebrating. Those pictures get me every time."

Like Brown, Rand Hartsell, class of 1986, realizes the impact this wild ride has on the younger generation. While he talked about how much fun — for him — it was watching Davidson's two NCAA tournament wins, he admitted that his enjoyment hasn't been the best part of the whole thing. "The coolest thing? Some kid somewhere went outside to the driveway with a basketball after Davidson beat Georgetown, and dreamed of being Stephen Curry."

Little kids, current Davidson students, and more recent graduates aren't the only ones whose dreams have become reality this week. For some Davidson alumni who experienced first-hand the glory days of former Davidson coach Lefty Driesell, the ongoing Wildcat craze is sweeping them right off their feet. William Robertson, class of 1978 and son of Bill Robertson, class of 1945, is one such fan. "For me," he explains, "the great revelation came sometime Sunday morning when I realized that I love this team as much as I did the teams from the '60s. I forged that original bond as an impressionable teenager. Last week I would have told you that at age 54 I still care a lot about Davidson basketball, but I could never care that much again. I was wrong about that, and glad today to have that part of my heart still working strong."

Sunday's win over Georgetown and subsequent berth in the Sweet 16 also erased painful memories for Robertson. "One other thing this has done for me is put to rest the ghost of the moment when Charles Scott's shot fell through the net all those years ago (Scott's buzzer-beater defeated Davidson and sent North Carolina to the 1969 Final Four). I refused to go to school for a few days after that because all my friends were Carolina fans. My dad, who was younger then than I am now, had attended the game, and I worried about him, even though now I realize he had enough sense to keep it in perspective, even though as a former Wildcat basketball player he was an avid fan and really loved the Lefty era. Anyway, I hated UNC and everything about it for decades. The pain eased a lot when we beat them in Chapel Hill a few years ago, and then when two of my children went to school there, I actually began a reasonably sincere support for UNC sports on their behalf. I rooted for the football team with passable sincerity, but my feelings about the basketball team were somewhat compromised.

"When we (Davidson) beat Gonzaga, with a reasonable level of support from the UNC fans in the house, all the old bad feelings were gone. The Charles Scott moment is history now; it is no longer a painful reminder of a high watermark that seemed destined not to be reached again. (I think we have a good chance to get to the regional finals, but even if we don't, I consider the achievement equal because of beating a No. 2 seed. You could argue the point, but that's my stand.)"

Bob Cordle, class of 1963 and former Davidson football player, was also around during the Lefty era. "I was at Davidson when Lefty was hired," he says, "and I was at his first game when the Cats beat Wake Forest and Billy Packer in 1960. I saw [Fred] Hetzel, [Dick] Snyder, and many others play, but only one team from a conference was allowed in NCAAs. Lefty's first great teams lost in conference tournaments. Dick Snyder's senior team was first to go (to the NCAA tournament), and I missed the games because I was in law school. After law school and a tour in Vietnam, I returned to Charlotte and have been a basketball and football season ticket holder since that time. We lost to UNC in the 1968 regionals when I was in Vietnam, and I only found out about it about a week later when my Charlotte Observer arrived in Xuan Loc. I did make the first round game in Raleigh in 1969, and the Regional Final in College Park when Charlie Scott hit his back-breaker.

"I have seen many Davidson teams play since that time, but as I told my wife last year when I made sure I could go to all of the games at home and a number on the road: this is a special team with great kids that makes you proud to be a Davidson grad. It is even better this year as one sees the kids handle the pressure and their personal growth as men and basketball players. I enjoyed the games in Raleigh as much as I have any sporting even in my life. It was great fun to be there and see it. I plan to be in Detroit (where Davidson plays Wisconsin on Friday night), and after 39 years I am looking for a different outcome this time."

As discussed earlier, the Davidson sensation is not only seizing the old, but also the young. Jip Richards is a 16-year-old high school student who lives in Davidson and has not missed a home game in seven years. "My dad and grandfather both went to Davidson and I hope to do the same," he begins. "I sit front row, center court for every game in Belk Arena. When I saw us come back from a 15-point half-time deficit against UNC-Greensboro, I knew this was the year. I knew Jason Richards and Stephen Curry would not let the 'Cats lose against Gonzaga or Georgetown. They are that good. They are the best backcourt in the tournament. My dad always tells me stories about the teams we had in the 'Lefty Era' and how he didn't think we could ever make it back to the Elite Eight the way college basketball is today. I never believed him. I knew with Bob McKillop as our coach, we could do anything. Well, when the buzzer sounded this weekend he believed it, too, as does the whole country. Davidson, for the first time since 1969, has a shot at a national title!"

That title shot might already be gone had it not been for one simple question. When Davidson trailed Georgetown by 16 points in the second half on Sunday afternoon, Bob McKillop called timeout and — now famously — asked his players if they were having fun. Suflas considers it to be the defining moment of the entire weekend. "Down 16 to Georgetown in the second half. Davidson timeout. Things look bad. Our coach greets his players by saying: 'Are you having fun?' This is a coach who is selflessly teaching his players life lessons at the single most important moment of his career, proving that we have a basketball program that reflects and enhances — rather than detracts —from the mission of our great and special institution."

To answer McKillop's question, they had fun throughout the last 15 minutes of the Georgetown game. They had fun not only winning two NCAA tournament games in one weekend, but winning them against the biggest of odds. They had fun when Stephen Curry held up a cut-out face of his point guard, Jason Richards, and did his own version of "Role Play" while joining Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon for PTI's "Five Good Minutes" segment.

"Steph's impersonation of Jason on TV was terrific and an indication of how they are having fun," added Robertson.

Oh, they are having fun all right.

They aren't the only ones.

Posted by Ricky Dimon at 11:36 AM | Comments (2)

March 25, 2008

NCAA Sweet 16 Power Poll

There are two main ways you can reflect back on the first four days of the NCAA tournament:

1. Boy, that sucked. My bracket is in shambles and the one guy who we all laughed at for picking West Virginia, Villanova, Western Kentucky, and Davidson all to the Sweet 16 is now in first place. Why does this always happen to me?

2. Wow. Duke/Belmont, Drake/Western Kentucky, Davidson/Gonzaga, San Diego/UConn, West Virginia/Duke, Stanford/Marquette, UCLA/Texas A&M, Davidson/Georgetown, and Tennessee/Butler all in four days. Are you kidding me? Anybody who isn't insanely in love with the NCAA tournament needs to check their fanhood (to borrow from some commercial). This is the best sports has to offer.

Since so much of the past weekend has already been broken down elsewhere, let's take a look at the remaining Sweet 16, power poll-style.

16. Western Kentucky — It's hard to knock a team that makes the Sweet 16, but the Hilltoppers have twice blown huge leads that almost cost them their season. Against Drake, they held a 74-59 lead with eight minutes left, completely blew it, then needed a miracle shot at the end of overtime to survive. And against San Diego, they let a 50-35 lead with 16 minutes remaining in the second half turn into a 55-54 deficit 10 minutes later.

Give them credit for hitting the shots they needed to get the Ws, but UCLA is a whole different animal from Drake or San Diego.

15. Villanova — One of the last at-large teams in (if not the last), 'Nova once again proves that a great point guard is often enough to carry you to the second weekend. Scottie Reynolds followed his 21-point outing in the 12-5 upset over Clemson with a fantastic all-around 25-point, 8-rebound, 5-assist, 2-turnover performance against Siena on Sunday. Perhaps just as importantly, he got scoring help from freshmen Corey Fisher (17 against Clemson) and Corey Stokes (20 against Siena). If Reynolds comes back for his junior year (he's only No. 52 on Chad Ford's top 100), he and the Coreys might well be the best guard trio in the Big East next season.

Can Nova beat Kansas on Friday night? I have my doubts. Then again, doubts haven't meant a whole lot to this crew.

14. West Virginia — To put into perspective just how unlikely this Sweet 16 run is for the Mountaineers, consider that in a January 30 home game against Cincinnati, West Virginia got hammered 62-39. They shot 1-for-22 from three and only made 10 field goals total. They got out-rebounded 39-24. Against Cincinnati.

Fast forward to this weekend, and the Mountaineers are on fire. They nail 11-of-19 from three against Arizona, then, when their shots don't fall against Duke, they just go get the ball for second and third chances, racking up a ridiculous 45-19 rebounding advantage.

They key to their game against Xavier is going to be Alex Ruoff, who scored 38 in the two weekend wins on 14-of-23 shooting (7-of-12 from three). Joe Alexander (36 points and 19 boards combined) is going to have his hands full with Josh Duncan, so Ruoff, Da'Sean Butler and Darris Nichols are going to have to pick up the slack.

13. Tennessee — They just look like a team waiting to get beat. They came out soft against American, then used their athleticism to pull away. They played dumb against Butler (J.P. Prince in the last few minutes of regulation especially), then used their athleticism to pull away. That's a great way to make the Sweet 16 when you're as athletic and deep as the Vols, but it's a great way to get knocked out when you run into a team just as athletic as you. Guess what — Louisville is that team. And unless Bruce Pearl figures out a way to get his team's swagger back, they could be in deep trouble against the Cardinals.

12. Michigan State — The Spartans are just an all-around solid team. They rebound well (+19 combined over Temple and Pittsburgh). They shoot well (48 percent from the floor in each game). They hit their free throws (16-of-18 against Temple, 9-of-9 against Pittsburgh). They defend (Owls shot 37.5 percent, Pittsburgh 32.7 percent).

But can they run with Memphis? And can they keep it close enough to where their free-throw advantage (sorry, huge free-throw advantage) will come into play against the Tigers? In the end, it'll be up to Drew Neitzel to determine how far the Spartans go. If he comes up with 20+ and hits his threes, they have a chance. If he puts up a 2-for-11 like he did against Temple, they won't.

11. Davidson — If anybody had any questions about Stephen Curry, he just gave you 70 reasons to put them to rest. But perhaps even more impressive than the total points, Curry only had 2 turnovers in a combined 75 minutes against Gonzaga and Georgetown, and none against the vaunted Hoyas' perimeter defense. Total line: 70 points on 22-of-43 from the floor (51 percent), 13-of-25 from three (52 percent), 13-of-16 from the free-throw line (81 percent), 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 8 steals, and 2 turnovers.

Has anybody ever had a greater first weekend than that? Without doing the research, I can't think of one off the top of my head.

(Also, we should point out that Davidson is far from a one-man team. Point guard Jason Richards had a fantastic weekend of his own, scoring 35 with 14 assists to only 4 turnovers in the two games.)

10. Washington State — The team nobody is talking about just demolished Notre Dame by 20. Big East Player of the Year Luke Harangody put up 22 and 10, but it was the wrong kind. His 22 rebounds were spectacular, but he had ample opportunity with his team missing 40 of its 53 shot attempts. Harangody himself only hit 3-of-17 from the floor thanks to the physical Wazzu interior led by angry beard guy Aron Baynes.

Washington State fans should take a moment to really enjoy this week. By next week, their season will likely be over and their head coach the subject of rumors from every major program with an opening, led by Indiana.

9. Wisconsin — The Badgers' guards straight dominated the Kansas State backcourt. Trevon Hughes and Michael Flowers combined for 40 points on 13-of-20 from the floor and 7-of-12 from three. Kansas State, which had 15 assists in an upset over USC on Thursday, had only 5 against Wisconsin on Saturday.

But that was K-State, not exactly known for its perimeter shooting (putting it kindly). Next up for the Badgers is the amazing Curry and the Davidson Wildcats. Bo Ryan is a very smart coach, and I'm sure he'll point out to his guys that Davidson committed only four turnovers against the Hoyas, while forcing Georgetown into 20.

8. Xavier — They looked terrible in the first half against Georgia on Thursday, giving up easy dunks and falling behind 35-26 at the half. Then I guess head coach Sean Miller had a talk with them, because they came out and put a 47-26 second-half whooping to end the Bulldogs' run.

Against Purdue, it looked like more of the same, with the Boilermakers running out to a 15-6 lead over the first six minutes. But the Musketeers turned it on from there, using their balanced offense (four guys in double figures, two more with 8) to pull away in the end. For the game, they shot 54 percent and forced Purdue under 40 percent. Just as importantly, they shut down Purdue's most important player, Robbie Hummel (2-of-10 for 7 points). They're going to need to do the same thing to West Virginia's Alexander if they want a shot at the Final Four.

7. Texas — The Longhorns rode their perimeter superiority past Austin Peay and Miami, but they're going to face a whole new kind of challenge in the Lopez brothers at Stanford. Texas big man Connor Atchley has pickied up four fouls in each of the previous two games. If he gets in foul trouble early in this one, a fairly high likelihood, Texas is going to be at a huge disadvantage inside. For the Longhorns to win, they're going to have to be smoking hot from outside. (I'm talking 15 threes kind of hot.)

6. Stanford — After watching the Lopez brothers get all the calls in the Pac-10, it was no surprise to see Stanford take control of Marquette inside. What was somewhat of a surprise was the sudden outburst of productivity from the less-heralded Robin Lopez, who chipped in 18 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks, and lots of trash talking that seemed to get into the head of the Marquette big men.

One thing people forget is that Stanford's dominance inside isn't just about the Lopez twins. Taj Finger and Lawrence Hill will also be factors in testing the Texas interior defense. The question will be how guards Anthony Goods and Mitch Johnson hold up against a much better Longhorns backcourt.

5. Memphis — I'm not allowed to curse on this site, so I can't give you a real sense of what it was like watching my pick to win it all (preseason and my bracket) nearly blow a double digit lead thanks to horrific free-throw shooting in the closing seconds against Mississippi State. Suffice it to say, it was an unpleasant experience I am not eager to repeat.

On a positive note, the Tigers will have the two best players on the floor against Michigan State. Chris Douglas-Roberts and Derrick Rose are better than anybody Tom Izzo can throw out there. From the perimeter to the post, Memphis is a better team. But being a better team does not always equate to wins, especially when you miss 4-of-6 free throws in the final 16 seconds.

4. UCLA — If it wasn't for Kevin Love, we'd be talking about the amazing upset by Texas A&M. But Love dominated when everything else was going to hell, and now the Bruins get Western Kentucky in the Sweet 16. The big question is whether the Bruins have enough time between now and Thursday to get Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and Josh Shipp healthy. Though the rest of their bracket isn't exactly laden with NBA superstars in the making, Mbah a Moute and Shipp are going to need a lot more than a combined 2 points on 1-of-8 shooting if they still want to be alive this time next week.

3. Louisville — Whoo-eee! Watching them dismantle Oklahoma 78-48, while at the same time watching Tennessee struggle with Butler, kind of makes me wish I had taken the Pitinos over the Pearls in what could be the most entertaining of the Sweet 16 games. The crazy thing about the Oklahoma game was that Louisville only had two guys in double figures with Earl Clark's 14 and Jerry Smith's 12. Six other guys had between 6 and 8 points. Add to that the fact the Cardinals totaled 24 assists in the game (to 12 turnovers), and you have the vision of a well-oiled offensive machine. Considering the bumbling nature of Tennessee's play, Louisville looks like the pick to move on to face North Carolina for a shot at San Antonio.

2. Kansas — The Jayhawks haven't been tested, using their vastly superior everything (my everything is better than yours) to dominate Portland State and UNLV by an average of 21.5 points. Portland State shot 38 percent. UNLV, coming off a demolishing of a very good Kent State team, shot only 26.7 percent. And though you have to give Jay Wright and Villanova credit for upsetting Clemson and then taking out Siena, I'm not sure they're any more prepared for Kansas' physical defense than UNLV was.

1. North Carolina — Boy am I glad I chickened out on picking Indiana in the Sweet 16. Like Kansas, all we've learned so far is the Heels are one of the two or three best teams in the country. They shouldn't have a problem shutting down Washington State (jinx alert). If they do get past the Cougars, a matchup against the Louisville/Tennessee winner could be one of the best five games of the entire tournament.

Picks (Sweet 16) — North Carolina over Washington State, Louisville over Tennessee, Kansas over Villanova, Davidson over Wisconsin, Xavier over West Virginia, UCLA over Western Kentucky, Stanford over Texas, Memphis over Michigan State

Picks (Elite 8) — I started with all the one seeds in the Final Four (first time I've ever picked that, by the way), and I might as well stick with it since they're all still alive. If any of them are going to get upset, it would probably be Memphis, followed by UCLA.

Seth Doria is a writer based out of St. Louis. For the only daily column that mixes sports, politics, and entertainment news in one, visit The Left Calf.

Posted by Joshua Duffy at 12:19 PM | Comments (0)

Could 12 Slams Be it For Federer?

As an avid Roger Federer fan, let me start by confessing the following: I hope that I am completely wrong about this article and that the readers will make me eat a hundred paper copies of it by the end of this ATP calender year. Having said that, even the most biased Federer fan should be able to discern the danger signs.

Let's begin by stating the obvious: the number of opponents challenging Federer's position as the best player in the world has recently multiplied. Add to this the few early-round losses incurred by Federer in the last 12 months, and one can clearly observe that the air of invincibility that the number one player in the world carried around the ATP Tour has slowly and steadily passed out of existence.

Rafael Nadal, who has already proven repeatedly that he is the best clay court player in the world (maybe the best clay court player ever), has increased the pressure on Federer by closing the gap. If Federer continues his lethargic play of late, it is doubtful that he will be able to protect his points from the clay court season of 2007. He is still carrying the points earned from a solid clay court season with two finals appearances (Roland Garros and Monte Carlo) and a title (Hamburg). Early-round losses during the clay court season could result in Federer not being the top seed going into a Slam for the first time since Australian Open of 2004.

Novak Djokovic, according to some experts, is already the best player in the world. He leads the ATP Race points in 2008 by a large margin, thanks to his title in Australia and the recent Pacific Life Open. He already has direct and recent wins over the top players on the ATP Tour. His name was in the finals of the last two Slams played. He is the ultimate proof that Nadal is no longer the only adversary turning up the heat on Federer.

But wait, it does not stop there. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is the new kid on the block and his arrival at the big scene is not a surprise for most dedicated followers of the tennis world. Tsonga supporters expected big things from their man before this year already, but what they did not expect was a sequence of injuries that forced him to take a month off here and six weeks there during 2006 and 2007. If Tsonga stays injury-free, look for him to be a major factor in the Slams and the top portion of the rankings.

David Nalbandian is definitely not a new kid on the block. However, when one considers his form in the last six months, he has to be considered a top player at the moment. His Australian Open loss in the third round is the only blemish to his otherwise results that include multiple wins over every top player in the world, all in the last six months.

Federer fans can still overlook the competition as a nugatory factor, claiming that Roger has faced stiff competition many times in the past four years, and they are right. However, that is not where the alarm bells are ringing. To see the danger, one must focus away from other players and look at Federer himself and his increasingly insouciant air during competition.

In the semifinals of the Pacific Life Open, despite the best efforts of commentator Justin Gimelstob (please get him off the air) to give all credit to Mardy Fish, who himself admitted that Roger was not at his best, and to ignore the fact that the world number one displayed half-hearted effort to get to balls, displayed no emotion at all at any point during the match and basically looked like he was ready to take the next flight, any tennis fan could detect the sluggishness of his movement and the indifference in his behavior. The match lasted barely an hour, and Federer looked like he just took a casual promenade on the court for the duration of the match.

This is not the first time Federer behaved in this manner. But the frequency has increased lately. In the Masters Series in Rome last summer, Federer walked out and played a completely spiritless match against Filippo Volandri and similarly walked off the court as a straight-set loser short time later. Equally, in the Pacific Life Open of 2007, Federer basically tanked the second set against Guillermo Canas after losing a close first set. A week later, he lost to Canas again, but with a much better effort this time around.

While Federer must realize that he cannot afford to continue this nonchalant series of performances, he must look deeper into himself. Could he have lost the desire to keep performing at this level and keep making the sacrifices to remain at number one? Could some loss of confidence be creeping into his system, in turn causing him to doubt himself whether he can stay at the top? Could he simply be sick of tennis or the grueling traveling schedule?

These are not trivial concerns. These kinds of thoughts invade the minds of top tennis players frequently. Some move on, some decide to take on the challenge. Some simply decide to call it for the day. A closer look at Federer could indicate that he may be one to not enjoy sticking around if he is not going to be performing at his top level.

Roger Federer is not your typical ATP Tour player. He does not have the "dog-eat-dog" attitude towards his job environment. He enjoys the camaraderie with some players, while remaining mostly private. He is a low-keyed, modest individual. Finances are inconsequential for Federer if he were to make a "quit or go" decision; he is set for life.

Even though he is well-respected by his peers, he is a bit of an oddity compared to other players, most of whom display a cut-throat attitude and are consumed by the rankings and points. He is an outsider, not to be taken in a pejorative context at all, much like Andres Gomez, Mats Wilander, and Bjorn Borg were in their own ways. Once realized that they have reached the very top of their potential, and that the slippery slope downwards has begun, these players all faded away quickly. Borg often said that once he was no longer number one, he felt like it was no longer worth the effort for him.

It is distinctly possible that Roger Federer, having reached the zenith of his career, is experiencing the same feelings. If that is the case, he will find it hard to put the time and focus into becoming the best player in the world again. It is unlikely that he will win Roland Garros as long as Rafael Nadal is around. Djokovic, Nalbandian, and others, along with Nadal, have closed the gap on Federer on hard courts. His best chances to win more Slam titles still remain at Wimbledon.

But remember, as dominant as Pete Sampras was on grass, once the downward spiral of his career started, he could not manage to win Wimbledon. In fact, if it was not for the stunning U.S. Open title of 2002, Sampras was just about ready to pack the bags two years after being number one, just not as gladly as he ended up packing them after his title in New York.

If Federer is where Sampras found himself at the end of 2000, still as the number one player in the world, but in the beginning of his slide, reaching 14 Slams to equal Pete's record all of a sudden does not seem to be a lock anymore. Does that mean anything to Federer? That remains to be seen. But it would mean something to those who enjoy tossing around "the best player ever" discussion.

Without a doubt, Federer is one of the best players to ever play the game. Personally, I put him up there with Rod Laver, Pete Sampras, and Bjorn Borg. In fact, a good argument can be made for him being "the best player ever," even if he never picked up a racket again. On the other hand, there would be no question in anyone's mind that he is "the best player ever" if he won a few more Slam titles, or even one Roland Garros title. Simply reaching 14 Slam titles, by winning two more, would end the discussion between him and Sampras.

Roger Federer, if you happen to read this, get your motivation back, you still have a lot to play for. And please do not deny the tennis world a few more years of your magical technique and flawless movement. Battles involving excellent players like Nadal, Djokovic, Nalbandian, and Tsonga would be a delight to watch if the name Roger Federer also stayed in the mix for a few more years.

Federer fans, don't forget to remind me of this column, when and if Federer wins his number 13. I will be glad to weather the storm!

Posted by Mert Ertunga at 11:30 AM | Comments (10)

March 24, 2008

NFL Free Agent Frenzy

March Madness generally doesn't apply to the NFL, and for football players, spring training generally refers to either the driving range or rehab. But it doesn't mean it's all quiet on the four-man front. There have been plenty of developments in the last month, you just might not have noticed over the sound of Brett Favre retiring. Now we recap some of the moves and non-moves that could make waves next year ... and a few that won't.

FAVRE RETIRES

Before I move on, I have to shoot the elephant in the room. Enough has been written about Favre at this point to fill Britannica. But in short, yes, he earned the right to retire when he wanted, not when pundits thought he should. No, he shouldn't have strung the Packers along the last couple years, but then again, beats what they were dealing with before there was Favre. (Name one great player from the Packers from the early 1990s. Or the '80s. Or the '70s.) The fans own the team, so if they want to let him get away with it, no talking head or scribe outside the city is owed an explanation. Loyalty is rare in sports, so with it should come some leeway.

Yes, many national media members apparently loved him more than their own children. And yes, his low-key charm, his human fallibility and openness about it, his freewheeling playing style, and his monogamy with a loving town made him a story worth more attention than his considerable playing ability alone warranted. Great story, even if over-told.

Do the records, MVPs, unique talents, and Super Bowl ring make him among the elite all-time quarterbacks? Yes. Did his shoot-first, ask-questions-later mentality lead to interceptions that held him back from being among the greatest five or six of all-time? I think so. But would he have been the great quarterback he was without that mentality? I don't know, but I like to — and tend to — think not. When the media love-fest is over, he should take his place somewhere after Johnny Unitas, Joe Montana, Dan Marino, John Elway, and probably Steve Young. But he's right there, waiting for Tom Brady and Peyton Manning to join and maybe pass him.

And most importantly, yes, Green Bay will have a great shot at winning a weak North even if Aaron Rogers is average (he's been at least as much in limited exposure). If he is even moderately good, the Packers can be a threat in the NFC.

Good. That's out of the way.

MICHAEL TURNER GETS HIS WINGS

Known the last few years as one of the league's most talented backups, Turner finally gets to emerge from the shadow of LaDainian Tomlinson as a full-fledged feature back in Atlanta. Of course, with Chris Redman throwing to receivers matching his mediocrity, Turner may want to scurry back to the shadow soon.

But after spending $34.5 million on him, and considering they have a talented Jerious Norwood in the backfield (who could actually take some carries from Turner, just not like an L.T.), it could be somewhat of a head-scratcher as to how the Falcolns are going to fill holes at (name any position here). But at least Turner now has $34.5 million dollars, so he really can't complain too much.

NO MOSS ON A ROLLING STONE

After re-establishing himself as a top-flight wide receiver in New England on a one-year contract, Randy Moss went and ... took a pay-cut off market value to stay. Is this still Randy "Straight Cash, Homie" Moss? Maybe he really has matured. And/or maybe he knows what got him back to form as a receiver (leaving Oakland never hurts) and to the Super Bowl. Of course, $27 million in a three-year deal is a nice little parting ... er, staying ... gift.

Surprisingly close to market value, the deal is a departure from the Patriots' build-economically-sound-teams strategy, cutting loose anything that becomes too cap-costly, because hey, he can be replaced with something nearly as good for a fraction of the cost. Guess they thought scoring at will was nice and found 23 TDs tough to replace.

ALAN FANECA JETS, WOODY FOLLOWS

You can't forget about the hogs, especially when they get franchise money. Ten-year Steeler and seven-time Pro Bowler Faneca inked in New York for $32 million over four years. That's more per year than Turner, and more in total than Moss. Damien Woody, the former Lion, signed for five years and $25 million to play right tackle. And don't forget they still have 2006 first round picks D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold on the line, who have played well.

Linemen are recognized as crucial, and are still incredibly under-appreciated. While the signings won't turn too many heads nationwide, you can bet the Jets offense will be a little more efficient than last year. You just may not quite be able to put your finger on why. (Hint: the primary reason won't be the pickups of RB Jesse Chapman or TE Bubba Franks.) Speaking of running backs, could this line be more setup for the Jets to draft Darren McFadden?

BIG BEN GETS BIG MONEY

Ben Roethlisberger signed the biggest deal of the offseason, picking up a cool nine-figures with change to stay with Pittsburgh. With the exception of motorcycle-gate and the sluggish 2006 it seemed to cause, he has been an ideal fit in Pittsburgh, and locking him up for eight years makes sense. When you hook a big, durable quarterback proven capable of winning a Super Bowl and effectively running an NFL offense, you may as well stop fishing and work on the defense and run game you traditionally emphasize.

DEREK GETS NOT QUITE AS BIG MONEY, BUT STILL PRETTY GOOD

The Steelers' rivals, the Browns, were apparently so blown away at the fact that they had an effective offense for once that they had a knee-jerk reaction to throw money at Derek Anderson for not making them wait for Brady Quinn. And they may well be right to do so. Sometimes you can't tell whether a quarterback is NFL material until after the draft, after his first game exposure. (See: Tom Brady, others.) The Oregon State product threw for 3,787 yards and 29 TDs, got the Browns right on the border of the playoffs, and maintained a high level of play long enough to establish that he's not a fluke. A three-year, $24 million deal is warranted for a guy that should only get better than the rookie version.

As for Quinn? Nice insurance policy, but ask the Chargers whether they would rather have the underrated vet that proved his worth or the highly-touted first round pick. Plus, Quinn isn't as expensive to keep around as a backup as Philip Rivers because of draft positioning. Still, think the Chargers wouldn't mind having Drew Brees back?

On top of that, the Browns gave Anderson a new toy, Donte Stallworth. Fresh out of New England, he took some courses from Professor Belichick on how to win (camcorder cost not included with tuition). And although seven years sounds long and $35 million sounds like a lot for Braylon Edwards' sidekick, remember that only $10 million is guaranteed and lengths of contracts mean nothing in the NFL.

ASANTE LATIN FOR EAGLE

The Eagles already had a solid secondary. Now it is going to be a nightmare to throw on them with Asante Samuel in the mix. Eli Manning, Tony Romo, and especially Jason Campbell (if Washington senselessly keeps insisting he is the future) will not look forward to weekends with PHI on the schedule. But again, throwing money at a strength is always questionable in the salary cap era. And $57 million over six years ($20 million guaranteed) counts as real money.

JULIUS JONES HAWKED

From a time-share on a NFC Division winner to, well, an NFC division winner that already has slew of tailbacks. But this move to Seattle works for Jones, mainly because he was in a situation in Dallas where Marion Barber was clearly the favorite between the two of them. It just might have had something to do with his production slipping last year to career lows.

Seattle, meanwhile, already has effective backup Maurice Morris, and picked up human bulldozer T.J. Duckett to go with Jones, leaving Shaun Alexander feeling about as wanted as cancer. Then again, with Seattle's running game as useless as it was last year, it's hard to argue that the 'Hawks didn't need to bring in help. Someone has to be able to step in and take pressure off Matt Hasselbeck. If that happens — or if they avoid blizzards in the playoffs this year — the Seahawks are a serious and probably underrated NFC threat again.

PORTER KEEPS BLACK, DROPS SILVER

The move is certainly good for Jerry Porter. Any move away from the quagmire that is Oakland is a positive, save maybe a move to Atlanta. But as far as the Jaguars go, the disappointing wideout doesn't quite have the resume that screams $30 million over six years. Maybe, free from the shackles of his former organization and with a legitimate quarterback in David Garrard, he could develop into what the 29-year-old's talent was slated to become. Or maybe he was a part of the underachieving culture rather than a victim of it.

WALKER TAKES PORTER'S PLACE

Javon Walker leaves Denver, and with the most vivid memory of a city being a limo with a dying friend in his arm, it is hard to blame him. Brandon Marshall's emergence as the Bronco's No. 1 receiver didn't help. But Walker ends up with the Raiders, and just ask Porter, Moss, and a few guys we've never heard off, and they will tell you what a black hole for offensive talent Oakland is.

Like draft picks, it's always hard to tell how these pickups will mold with the team and how the change of scenery might effect them. But unlike draft picks, the veterans have proven NFL track records, and we pretty much know what they are capable of. It may not be as sexy, but the more immediate and reliable improvements come via the free agent.

Then again, if they don't pan out, you can just cut them anyway.

Posted by Kyle Jahner at 11:26 AM | Comments (2)

March 21, 2008

Ranking MLB Rotations: National League

Also see: Ranking MLB Rotations: American League

1. New York Mets

Pre-Johan Santana, nobody liked the look of the Mets' rotation. Now the pundits are firmly back on the bandwagon. The team will score runs, with the National League's strongest batting lineup, but how will the pitching hold-up below Santana?

Pedro Martinez and Orlando Hernàndez are (as always) injury risks — if they pitch a combined 250 innings, the front office and Willie Randolph will be delighted. Behind the two graybeards, it's the hit-or-miss Oliver Pérez, promising second-year starter John Maine, and if (or more likely, when) someone hits the DL, the inexperienced Mike Pelfrey.

Oliver Pérez is unhittable at times, but he gives up too many long-balls (22 last season in 177 IP) and has always been a walk-machine (4.73 BB/9 in his career). Pérez isn't exactly and iron-man, either, having never pitched 200 innings in his career (196 IP in 2004 as a Pirate). Given a full season and barring a regression to his 2005/2006 meltdown years, Pérez could be a 15-win sub-3.50 ERA guy. He's motivated with a one-year $6.5 million contract won at arbitration and needs to add consistency to his résumé if he's going to get a big payday in 2009.

At times, John Maine carried the rotation in 2007. Predictably, he wilted late in the season, but showed enough composure on the mound and pitching smarts to battle through the tough times. He has the arsenal to post respectable third starter numbers.

The Mets can bank on Cy Young-type numbers from the ace Santana, but it won't be him that defines the season. The team will need around 30 wins from the Maine/ Pérez combination and at least 40 starts from Pedro and El Duque combined to be a four-star rotation.

2. Atlanta Braves

Assuming Mike Hampton makes it through spring training, this is going to be one hell of an aging rotation. That said, it's also going to be one of the best.

The old warhorse, Tom Glavine, is back where it all began. Unfortunately, he looked cooked in Shea last season. If Glavine can give Bobby Cox and Roger McDowell 13 wins and an ERA of 4.00, they will be ecstatic.

Want a 40-year-old-plus pitcher to grind out 200 IP with an ERA of around 3.25? Then forget Roger Clemens, John Smoltz is your man. He's still prime physical condition, can still throw heat when needed, and no pitcher uses his brain better on the mound.

Behind Smoltz is the rejuvenated Tim Hudson, who finally managed to recapture some of his old Oakland swagger after an indifferent 2006. Fit and healthy again and with a new backdoor slider to his arsenal against right-handers, Hudson is the perfect number two to compliment the power of Smoltz.

Tom Glavine returns after five seasons in New York that yielded patchy results. He's on record as saying it will be his last year and he'll want to go out on a high. The problem is that he's 42, he struggles to strike out batters, and is only throwing in the low-mid 80s. Nevertheless, he'll be an asset in the locker room for the younger pitchers and he still has enough guile to avoid looking like a slimmer David Wells.

Behind the top three is injury-hit Mike Hampton, again on the comeback trail, and third-year lefty Chuck James. If Hampton hits the DL, which is more than likely, rookie Jair Jurrjens will step in. Jo-Jo Reyes, a lefty second round draft pick in 2003 and highly rated by the organization, waits in the wings.

3. Arizona Diamondbacks

As soon as Arizona moved for Dan Haren, the baseball press was quick to crown the Brandon Webb/Haren duo the best one-two punch in the National League. I'm less than convinced by Haren, not Webb.

Granted, Haren will find the NL easier than toiling against New York, Detroit, Cleveland, and Boston in the AL. However, he'll miss his old home stadium in Oakland, where he posted a useful ERA of 3.43, WHIP of 1.16, and BAA of .242 in 50 appearances. There's no doubt he's a talent, is at the prime of his career and his contract is in no way a Barry Zito-esque millstone. Yet he's still a flyball-biased pitcher who relished the vast spaces of the McAfee Coliseum.

If Haren can get back to the days of 2005 when he posted a GO/AO ratio of 1.45, he'll prosper in Arizona and the team, if they can make the playoffs with their dubious offense, will be brutal opponents. If not, he could be just another decent 3.50 ERA, 14/15-win pitcher.

Haren may be the new kid in Chase Field who's attracting all the attention, but it's Brandon Webb that's the ace. Webb is simply a phenomenal groundout machine, racking up an astonishing career 3.25 GO/AO ratio. Think he can't strike-out batters? Think again — his K/9 ratio was 7.39 last season, his best record since his 2003 rookie season. If there's a better pitcher in the NL over the past two years, it's Jake Peavy, but even that is debatable.

After the top two, there's a significant drop-off. Randy Johnson looks older than John McCain and his glass back is a problem. That said, the 44-year-old has pitched over 200 innings in three of the last four seasons and he's in the light-hitting NL West. He could still be an asset and return an ERA of less than 4.00 and pitch 180 innings.

Micah Owings is a lock for the fourth spot in the rotation. The righty has some decent stuff and has a full season on his résumé where he avoided being knocked around on a regular basis. His 2-hit CG shutout in September against the Giants was the highlight. He has the ability to step up to the third spot if the Unit hits the DL.

Soft-tossing lefty Doug Davis and young reliever Yusmeiro Petit will battle for the fifth spot when it's required.

4. Chicago Cubs

The Cubs' rotation doesn't get much attention, but it'd easily the best in the NL Central. Carlos Zambrano, fresh off an up-and-down year in which he was bothered by a variety of ailments, is settled with a long-term contract and committed to staying in better shape. He looked a monster in midseason after a dreadful start, then got knocked around in late-August and early-September. He pitched 13 scoreless innings in his final two starts and finished with a sub-4.00 ERA. He'll look to do better this year and compete for a Cy Young.

Behind the ace are two lefties — veteran Ted Lilly and youngster Rich Hill. Lilly is an underrated pitcher, proving his mettle in the AL East and dropping his ERA down to 3.83 in his first year at Wrigley. He's young enough (32) to have some improvement in him and he's not got many miles on the clock (career 1,143 IP), but the FO/AO (career 0.76) ratio is still a worry in the small NL Central parks.

Hill could be an ace in time. He's progressed nicely in his three seasons in the majors, logging 195 IP last season and returning a sub-4.00 ERA. Hill started on a tear, posting a 1.77 ERA in April and still owning an impressive 2.81 ERA by mid-June. Predictably, he couldn't last a full season at that pace and wilted a little but was far from disgraced, finishing with an ERA of 3.92. His whip was a useful 1.19 so he's not letting a lot of men on-base. The only drawback is, like Lilly, he's an extreme flyball pitcher, with a career GO/AO ratio of 0.80. Both are vulnerable to the long ball.

Former closer Ryan Dempster, veteran Jon Lieber, and enigmatic righty Jason Marquis will fill out the last two spots in the rotation. Dempster hasn't started since 2003 in Cincinnati and he's never been consistently successful in the rotation wherever he's been. With the bullpen dependent on a healthy Kerry Wood, it wouldn't come as a shock to see him closing again at some point in the season.

Neither Lieber nor Marquis offer anything other than mediocrity.

5. San Diego Padres

The good news is the Padres go into 2008 with two genuine aces. Jake Peavy is the number one, but Chris Young would be the opening day starter on at least half of National League teams. Forget Webb/Haren, this is the best 1-2 punch in the NL. The bad news is the back of the rotation looks like a scene from "M*A*S*H."

Peavy had his best year yet in 2007, posting an ERA of 2.54 in over 223 IP. His WHIP was a phenomenal 1.06 and hitters managed a puny .208 against him. He can replicate these numbers with reasonable health and again challenge for a Cy Young.

Chris Young has blossomed since he moved from Texas to the west coast. He showed flashes of promise in Arlington, but his new surroundings have brought out his best qualities to such an extent he can be considered a top-quality starter in his own right. His extreme flyball tendencies (career GO/AO ratio 0.54) are negated by the vast expanses of PETCO Park.

Young hasn't yet pitched 200 innings, but he's only suffered minor ailments. The past three seasons have seen his ERA come down steadily (2005: 4.26; 2006: 3.46; 2007: 3.12) and there is potential improvement still (BB/9 a career high 3.75) that could catapult the 6'10" Young into elite status.

Behind the front two is an intriguing mix of veteran smarts, youth, and a talent on a rehab mission.

Greg Maddux isn't what he used to be by a long way. He can still hold up a spot in the rotation without embarrassing himself and if he can replicate his 2007 numbers (4.14 ERA, 198 IP, 104K), the team will be satisfied.

Mark Prior is back in Southern California on a mission to re-establish his reputation. Prior and Kerry Wood were to be the horses on which the Cubs rode to World Series glory, but with ill-luck and Dusty Baker's poor use of young arms it wasn't to be.

Prior's still only 27 and has only 657 innings on his arm. Away from the glare of Wrigley Field, he has a shot at a major contribution to the Padres challenging for the NL West. He's too talented to be written off just yet.

The final rotation spot will come down to either oft-injured Randy Wolf or inexperienced Justin Germano.

LHP Wolf hasn't pitched 200 innings since 2003 and hasn't had a really good year since 2002. He has talent, but can't stay off the DL long enough to show it. The Padres would prefer him in the rotation, health allowing, rather than Germano, but if they have to, they'll give the 25-year-old a chance to show whether he has what it takes to make it in the big leagues.

6. San Francisco Giants

Barry Zito was supposed to be the lefty who made the fans forget about Barry Bonds. Instead, he's made them yearn for Kirk Rueter.

The Giants owe Zito $116 million over the next seven years. He has full no-trade protection. They even have to provide him with a hotel suite on road trips. All that for 11-13 and a 4.53 ERA. I'd like to say it was a one-off poor season, but Zito's peripherals have been on the decline for a while.

He can't even point to ill luck. His BABIP was .267, a number he may struggle to repeat next year. With more balls beating the infield and his propensity to give up the long ball, it could be a long year for the so-called ace.

Behind Zito, things are a lot rosier. Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain (both 23-years-old) are a tremendous young combination with no ceiling on their prospects. Lincecum has an unusual arm action that worries scouts, but he's throwing close to 100 mph, so nobody is too keen to tamper with it. Cain has a mid-90s fastball, but is more of a finesse pitcher and is further along with his development. Both righties are capable of less than a 3.50 ERA, but with such a poor San Francisco offense that might not translate to many wins (Matt Cain went 7-15 last year with an ERA of 3.65).

Noah Lowry, currently injured with a muscle complaint, is a quality lefty, yet he's only the fourth starter. He has trouble staying healthy, but he's perfectly capable of putting together a sub-4.00 ERA season.

The Giants would like 25-year-old Pat Misch to emerge as the fifth starter. He has a decent minor league record and has a higher upside than either Jonathon Sanchez or former reliever Kevin Correia.

If Zito could get back to anything like his best, this would be the best rotation in the NL West and one of the best in the league. As it stands, this is still an above-average rotation.

Posted by Mike Round at 11:54 AM | Comments (0)

March 20, 2008

The Truth: Paul Pierce is Real NBA MVP

The race for NBA MVP is as wide open as the Western Conference right now.

From what I've been hearing, the choices seem to have been narrowed down to Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, and LeBron James.

All of them are fantastic choices. There are clear, legitimate arguments for each of them.

I'm a huge NBA fan. I'm an admirer of guys who play a complete game. All of the guys who have been mentioned in the MVP race fall into that category.

You have Kobe Bryant, who is an underrated one-on-one defender and an the most dominating offensive force in the NBA. The easy choice for MVP this season, he's led the surprising Lakers up to or near the top of the Western Conference (depending on what happens between now and when this is published on Thursday).

Chris Paul is playing out of his mind. He makes his teammates better, can score at will, and might be playing at a higher level than anyone else in the Western Conference. An insane season for a guy who stands at only six-feet tall.

LeBron James is the best player in the NBA. He's averaging 31-8-7 for the season, which is just stupid. He's completely unstoppable. The Cavs would be a lottery team without him — but with him, they're in the Eastern Conference championship conversation. He's scary good, and might be good enough to win an Eastern Conference championship again on his own.

All are great choices and would be worthy MVPs.

But to me, the real MVP is playing for the NBA-leading Boston Celtics.

No, not Kevin Garnett. The Truth, Paul Pierce, is my NBA MVP.

What Paul Pierce is doing this season is going almost completely unnoticed due to the additions of Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett.

It's amazing the transformation as a player he made this year.

Pierce has always been a good scorer. He's never been afraid to take big shots. But he's never been a complete player.

At times in his career, he's been a black hole. He'd get the ball, the Celtics would run some type of isolation play, and then he'd fire up a bad fall-away jumper. He'd do this enough times that he'd score 25 points a game, but his percentage would be down around 30% and the Celtics would lose.

At times in his career, he's been a defensive liability. He's always had the ability, he just never seemed to want to play defense.

In a way, you can understand it.

The Celtics couldn't win unless he put up 40 on the offensive end. That type of offensive output takes a lot out of a guy, especially when he's consistently triple teamed. He had no energy left to waste on the defensive side of the ball.

He's fought maturity problems in the past. I, for one, will never forget the needless ejection against the Pacers in the playoffs just a few short years ago. He followed that up with a pathetic Game 7 performance in what was probably the low point of his career.

But something happened to Paul Pierce this season, and it's not just the addition of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.

All of a sudden, Pierce is the best player on the floor when he needs to be. He's making great decisions. He's turned into a great passer. He's transformed himself into a great free throw shooter.

Garnett is the emotional leader on the Celtics, but Pierce is the captain.

When Ray Allen is out of the lineup, Pierce is there stepping up his offensive output.

When Kevin Garnett is out of the lineup, Pierce is there stepping up his defense. The entire time Garnett was out they ran their offense through Paul Pierce. He kept the team afloat during extended absences of the other two thirds of the big three.

He's the one guy the Boston Celtics can't play without. He's the best man-to-man defender on the team when they need him to be. He's the best scorer on the team when they need him to be. He's a point-forward, a shooting guard, and a small forward depending on the matchup. He gives them whatever they need to win on any given night. He's not putting up LeBron numbers, but 20-5-5 isn't too shabby.

He's the MVP of the best team in the NBA. Just ask any of the Celtics players. They'll tell you.

"I got Paul for MVP this year," Kevin Garnett told the Boston Globe. "He does a lot of things, just little small things that people don't see. There are only three people I like to watch on offense, and he's one of them, man. He makes scoring look easy. He has an uncanny confidence about him that I love, cockiness and self-assurance. I told you, there is a reason why I came here. He's one of the reasons."

Garnett's right. If I had a vote for NBA MVP, it would go to Paul Pierce.

And that's the Truth.

I'm SeanMC.

SeanMC is a senior writer for Bleacher Report and writes a column for Sports Central every other Thursday. You can read more articles by SeanMC on his blog.

Posted by Sean Crowe at 11:21 AM | Comments (18)

The 25 Most Successful NFL Running Backs

You may have seen my article from last month about the 25 Most Successful NFL Quarterbacks. Here is my list of the top 25 running backs with a similar grading system and a few more surprises.

The following grading standard was applied for each running back:

• 5 points for every Super Bowl Ring or NFL/AFL championship
• 1 point for every 500 yards rushing
• 1 point for every 5 rushing touchdowns
• 2 points for every Pro Bowl Selection

Current players are listed in all caps.

25. Priest Holmes — 44 points

1 Super Bowl Ring; 8,172 rushing yards; 86 TD runs; 3 Pro Bowl Selections

Holmes was an amazingly hard runner whose career was shortened by a devastating injury. Without that injury, he'd move up quickly on this list.

24. SHAUN ALEXANDER — 44 points

0 Super Bowl Rings; 9,429 rushing yards; 100 TD runs; 3 Pro Bowl Selections

Alexander is an enigma to me. He was quite good for a few years, but now it seems the Seahawks are better off with him on the bench. I doubt he'll be on the list for long.

23. Leroy Kelly — 45 points

1 Super Bowl Ring; 7,274 rushing yards; 74 TD runs; 6 Pro Bowl Selections

Kelly played for the Browns of the '60s and had a slightly shortened career of 10 years. Retiring at age 31, one wonders if he could have been even greater in today's world of sports medicine.

22. EDGERRIN JAMES — 46 points

0 Super Bowl Rings; 11,607 rushing yards; 77 TD runs; 4 Pro Bowl Selections

James getting dealt to the Cardinals was his death sentence on moving up too high on the list. At least in Indianapolis he'd have a chance for some rings, now he's stuck in a desert, on many levels.

21. Lenny Moore — 46 points

2 Super Bowl Rings; 5,174 rushing yards; 63 TD runs; 7 Pro Bowl Selections

Moore is the biggest enigma of this list. His best year was his rookie year with 649 yards rushing. But spanning this over a great career and a lot of Pro Bowl selections, he comes in at number 21.

20. Thurman Thomas — 47 points

0 Super Bowl Rings; 12,074 rushing yards; 65 TD runs; 5 Pro Bowl Selections

Sadness indeed with this back, riding the coattails of the wrong quarterback. Think of it this way. With four Super Bowl wins instead of four Super Bowl losses, Thomas would be No. 5, right after his former fellow Oklahoma State Cowboy, Barry Sanders.

19. Larry Csonka — 48 points

2 Super Bowl Rings; 8,081 rushing yards; 64 TD runs; 5 Pro Bowl Selections

I'm going to go ahead and say Csonka is the hardest runner on this list. He's the definition of a man.

18. O.J. Simpson — 49 points

0 Super Bowl Rings; 11,236 rushing yards; 61 TD runs; 6 Pro Bowl Selections

No comment.

17. John Riggins — 49 points

1 Super Bowl Ring; 11,352 rushing yards; 104 TD runs; 1 Pro Bowl Selections

Riggings was the Fred Taylor of his generation. Really? One Pro Bowl selection in all those fantastic years, he deserved more.

16. Roger Craig — 50 points

3 Super Bowl Rings; 8,189 rushing yards; 56 TD runs; 4 Pro Bowl Selections

As you'll see in my notes later, Craig is one of the backs that would benefit greatly from adding receiving statistics to the package of running backs. What other running back could lead the league in receptions, especially with Jerry Rice on his team at the time?

15. Ottis Anderson — 50 points

2 Super Bowl Rings; 10,273 rushing yards; 81 TD runs; 2 Pro Bowl Selections

Never the overpowering back, but Ottis drummed out a steady career and was rewarded with a Super Bowl championship and MVP trophy at the end.

14. Corey Dillon — 51 points

1 Super Bowl Ring; 11,241 rushing yards; 82 TD runs; 4 Pro Bowl Selections

Dillon truly paid his dues in Cincinnati. Nobody is more deserving of their Super Bowl ring than Corey Dillon.

13. Ricky Watters — 51 points

1 Super Bowl Ring; 10,632 rushing yards; 78 TD runs; 5 Pro Bowl Selections

I was actually quite surprised to see Watters on the list at all, much less at number 13, but here he sits with pretty impressive statistics apparently.

12. LADAINIAN TOMLINSON — 52 points

0 Super Bowl Rings; 10,650 rushing yards; 115 TD runs; 5 Pro Bowl Selections

Health will help L.T. move up the list, at least to number nine. A Lombardi Trophy wouldn't hurt, either.

11. Tony Dorsett — 53 points

1 Super Bowl Ring; 12,739 rushing yards; 77 TD runs; 4 Pro Bowl Selections

Well, I suppose the owner of the most well-known and longest run in the NFL should be on the list.

10. Curtis Martin — 56 points

0 Super Bowl Rings; 14,101 rushing yards; 90 TD runs; 5 Pro Bowl Selections

Martin is an example of another very steady and very good career. He's in the same boat as Drew Bledsoe, leaving the Patriots at the wrong time. Three rings would have sat him pretty at No. 4.

9. Eric Dickerson — 56 points

0 Super Bowl Rings; 13,259 rushing yards; 90 TD runs; 6 Pro Bowl Selections

For as few seasons as Dickerson played, being at number nine is astounding. What an amazing back when he was in his prime.

8. Jerome Bettis — 62 points

1 Super Bowl Ring; 13,662 rushing yards; 91 TD runs; 6 Pro Bowl Selections

Bettis padded some of those touchdown stats near the end of his career I suppose, but it's surprising he doesn't have more, to be quite honest.

7. Marshall Faulk — 63 points

1 Super Bowl Ring; 12,279 rushing yards; 100 TD runs; 7 Pro Bowl Selections

Marshall Faulk is another back who would have greatly benefited from the receiving statistics. Even without them, his numbers look pretty marvelous.

6. Jim Brown — 63 points

0 Super Bowl Rings; 12,312 rushing yards; 106 TD runs; 9 Pro Bowl Selections

If you broke down points per season played, Jim Brown would be number one, and Sanders number two. Brown's decision to call it quits earlier than many expected keeps him a bit lower on this list than one might think, but nobody questions that Jim Brown was fantastic.

5. Marcus Allen — 65 points

1 Super Bowl Ring; 12,243 rushing yards; 123 TD runs; 6 Pro Bowl Selections

Allen is the third back who would have benefited from the receiving statistics. Oh what I would have given to be part of the Raiders when Allen and Bo Jackson were there lighting up defenses all over the AFC.

4. Barry Sanders — 69 points

0 Super Bowl Rings; 15,269 rushing yards; 99 TD runs; 10 Pro Bowl Selections

I will say that Sanders was by far the most exciting player on this list to watch. Granted, I'm too young to have seen a few on the list, but Sanders on Thanksgiving Day was always a treat. Another career ended early that sorely disappointed me. About the only thing sadder than Sanders' retirement for me in high school was Chris Farley's tragic death.

3. Walter Payton — 78 points

1 Super Bowl Ring; 16,726 rushing yards; 110 TD runs; 9 Pro Bowl Selections

The only thing good about the Bears not winning any other Super Bowls in Ditka's era was the fact that no more of those stupid dance/music videos came out. Payton was a master of the game, a true Chicago smash mouth player.

2. Franco Harris — 80 points

4 Super Bowl Rings; 12,120 rushing yards; 91 TD runs; 9 Pro Bowl Selections

I would have never pegged Harris to be number two either, probably not even in the top 10, but those four rings and nine Pro Bowls are hard to argue with.

1. Emmitt Smith — 99 points

3 Super Bowl Rings; 18,355 rushing yards; 164 TD runs; 8 Pro Bowl Selections

Often considered to be a touch overrated, Smith shows that success is not determined by you alone, your teammates have to help you. Smith runs away from the rest of the backs on this list, but I like to ask the question, what would have happened if Barry Sanders was in Dallas and Emmitt Smith was at Detroit through the entirety of the 1990s? Or you could add Thurman Thomas, Corey Dillon, or Rickey Watters into that mix. I'm not sure Smith would have survived without the Cowboys' amazing offensive line. He wasn't much for creating his own yards like Sanders and Thomas were.

Let me make a few explanations. As I've mentioned, I chose to leave out the receiving statistics for running backs in this process. I may create another list including that data, but I haven't decided how to weigh each category. It's difficult to include a thing like receptions for a back, since most of their receptions are pretty much cake so long as they don't start running downfield without the ball. It was also difficult to include that statistic because it depends solely on a team's style as to whether or not a back gets receptions, and it is not Walter Payton's fault that he played for the Bears instead of for the 49ers.

Also, Super Bowl rings for running backs are worth less than they were for quarterbacks (5 instead of 10). The reason for this is two-fold. One, I simply awarded less points to the running backs. For example, Brett Favre had the most points for passing yards with 61 (1 point for every 1,000 yards). Emmitt Smith had the most points for rushing yards with 36 (1 point for every 500 yards). Things would have been a bit skewed if I awarded 10 points for a ring. Also, the quarterback is the general of the team. They are the leaders. They need to make the decisions with the ball. They are ultimately more responsible for victory than a running back.

I also awarded two points (instead of three) for a Pro Bowl Selection. This was also due to the discrepancy of points. It just seemed to even things out better. The only person that switch really helped was John Riggins.

Smith is the obvious number one as far as success goes. He has the records, rings, and everything else needed to be considered number one.

Posted by Andrew Jones at 11:11 AM | Comments (4)

NASCAR Top 10 Power Rankings: Week 5

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Kyle Busch — Busch was leading on lap 291 when his power steering pump failed, forcing numerous pit stops to assess and repair damage. He muscled his Joe Gibbs M&M Toyota the rest of the way around Bristol's Thunder Valley without the benefit of power steering, and finished 17th, two laps down.

"So much for that 'Chocolate Thunder' headline that would have been splashed across the sports pages had I won," says Busch. "Which is just fine, because who needs their fond images of the true 'Chocolate Thunder,' NBA great Darryl Dawkins, shattering a backboard, spoiled by an image of a pasty white guy? Anyway, speaking of M&Ms, particularly the green ones, former New York governor Eliot Spitzer had quite a taste for them, as well as high-priced prostitutes. I guess he really puts the 'guber' in gubernatorial."

2. Kevin Harvick — When Harvick spun Tony Stewart on lap 498, the potential for an explosive confrontation was high, so much so that it left Matt Kenseth running for cover. But the fireworks never ignited, as Harvick accepted responsibility for his actions and Stewart was dejectedly resigned to the reality of another lost opportunity for victory at Bristol.

"It was a sad day for NASCAR," says Harvick, "when two of the most temperamental figures in racing, myself and Tony Stewart, have an incident on the track, at Bristol, of all places, and not a single punch is thrown, much less a word of conflict. But really, who had time for punches with all that apologizing going around? Put Tony and I in the place of Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison at Daytona 1979, and I guess we would have frolicked hand-in-hand on the beach in our white sun dresses. I reckon it's just a sign of a kinder, gentler times. What do you expect? If Snoop Dogg can sing about a 'Sensual Seduction' instead of rapping about gats, chronic, and hos, then Tony and I can settle our differences with words instead of fists."

Maybe NASCAR should have called Stewart and Harvick into the hauler for a little history lesson. There probably would have been a better chance of Stewart throwing a punch there.

3. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. — Earnhardt collected his third-straight top-five finish, crossing the line fifth in Bristol to move up to fifth in the Sprint Cup points. He is the only member of Hendrick Motorsports in the points top 10, and has made a flawless transition to his new team and new sponsors.

"I'm comfortable in the seat of the No. 88 National Guard Chevy," says Earnhardt. "I'm comfortable in a steel folding chair ringside at a third-rate wrestling event at the National Guard Armory. And, I'm comfortable in Wranglers. But I have to draw the line at Wranglers' suggestion to outfit me in a denim fire suit. And, if you asked one of every ten of my fans, which I call taking a 'Junior Sample,' they'd agree with me. Although, I must say, if you bedazzled that denim fire suit with some glittery fake rhinestones, I might be more inclined to wear it."

4. Tony Stewart — Stewart led 267 laps in the Food City 500, but, once again, wasn't able to parlay that into a win in Bristol. On lap 498, while running second, Stewart's No. 20 Toyota was clipped by the car of Kevin Harvick, who slid up into Stewart as Harvick went for the pass low. Harvick immediately took blame, but, surprisingly, Stewart offered no hint of retribution, although he berated former Indy Car racer Scott Goodyear and threatened to take a BB gun to the Goodyear blimp.

"I know everyone expected me to retaliate," says Stewart. "Frankly, I'm surprised at myself. Despite the fact that me and Kevin didn't tangle afterwards, I'd still say we had more contact than Kevin and Juan Montoya did last year in their slow dance at Watkins Glen. Really, I don't know why people are so surprised by a happy ending. The last time 'Happy' and 'Grumpy' got together, everyone lived happily ever after."

5. Jeff Burton — Burton capitalized on the misfortune of others at Bristol, zooming by Denny Hamlin on the final restart to lead a 1-2-3 Richard Childress Racing sweep. A few laps earlier, Burton took advantage of a Kevin Harvick-Tony Stewart skirmish to move up in position for the dramatic win.

"Of all the tracks where laying back and letting things play out in front of you in wise strategy," says Burton, "Bristol is the place. It's tough to win from the front. Dare I say it, but it's much more more satisfying taking it from behind."

"It was very touching, however, to win in Dale Jarrett's final race. For a legend like Dale, saying goodbye once is not enough. That's why it was pleasing to wave bye-bye on each of the 10 instances in which I lapped him. Hey Dale, I'll tell you what brown can do for you. How about providing you with a chauffeur?"

6. Greg Biffle — Biffle solidified his position as one of the most consistent and steady drivers in NASCAR, scoring a fourth in the Food City 500 for his third top-five of the year. While yet to reach Victory Circle, Biffle trails Kyle Busch in the points by only 30 points.

"Get a load of me," says Biffle, pilot of the Jackson Hewitt-sponsored Roush Fenway Ford. "Or better yet, get a whiff of the 'Biff.' Like my teammate, Matt Kenseth, I do things quietly, without fanfare or bombast. That may be the reason I have such a limited fan base. I've literally walked into places and not been recognized. That's pretty humiliating, especially when it's was my own house. I've claimed more deductions on my taxes than I have fans."

7. Carl Edwards — Edwards was running seventh as the green flag dropped on the Food City 500's final restart, but a fuel delivery system problem vanquished his hopes for a top-10 finish, leaving him disappointed and suffering from a pesky oily residue. With his Roush Fenway Ford left powerless, Edwards received a push across the line and finished 16th, but still gained one position in the points to 16th.

"We've diagnosed the problem," says Edwards, "and it will be addressed in the engine fabrication shop, which sits adjacent to the 'fabrication shop,' which is where we come up with insincere explanations for our illegal actions. Jack Roush has an office there, accessible only through a trap door in the floor that, due to OSHA regulations, has to be closed at all times, which really hinders the aerodynamicity of the operation."

8. (tie) Jeff Gordon/Jimmie Johnson — Five races into the season, and one thing is very clear: there are 31 races left. And, Gordon and Johnson, with six cup titles between them, have been underperforming. Johnson and Gordon are 13th and 14th in the points, respectively.

"It's no time to panic," says Johnson. "We've got the situation under control. There is no inner turmoil at Hendrick Motorsports. We're 're-allocating resources,' 'shifting personnel,' 'redirecting our synergies,' and several other clever terms that are used when you really have no idea what's going on. I'm the two-time defending Cup champion, but we're not resting on our laurels. Chad Knaus has been accused of cheating on the job, but never sleeping."

"Jimmie's right," says Gordon. "We've just got a little catching up to do. So, we're bringing in an expert on 'catching up:' Kyle Petty. Kyle's so slow, he gets the 'Lucky Dog' free pass on the second pace lap. Kyle's like a cat's bowl of milk — always getting lapped."

9. Clint Bowyer — After taking the rain-shortened Nationwide Series Sharpie Mini 300 on Saturday, Bowyer capped off a near-perfect weekend for Richard Childress Racing with a third-place finish on Sunday. Bowyer followed teammates Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick across the finish line for an RCR sweep on Sunday. Bowyer, pilot of the No. 07 Jack Daniels Chevy, is now ninth in the Sprint Cup points standings after shooting up seven places.

"Lots of people say my driving style is like a shot of Jack Daniels," says Bowyer. "Smooth with a clean finish. That's no surprise, since, like that fine whiskey, I spent my first seven years inside an oaken barrel. Chalk it up to tough love from my parents, who loved their whiskey maybe just a bit more than they loved me. But I do owe them for raising me the right way, and for giving me a real appreciation of the work of George Thorogood."

10. Matt Kenseth — Quietly, Kenseth has amassed three top-10s this year after a 10th at Bristol, and has climbed to 11th in the points, 178 behind leader Kyle Busch. Which begs the question, if Kenseth spoke in a forest, would you hear it?

"Now why would I be in a forest, alone, when there are fierce creatures such as squirrels and chipmunks lurking?" says Kenseth. "A better question to ask would be: 'Did Darrel Waltrip belt out all 12 tracks on Guns N' Roses Appetite For Destruction and smoke a carton of unfiltered Lucky Strikes before hitting the airwaves on Fox last Sunday?' No? Then that's just a cruel twist of fate. Darrell Waltrip loses his voice when nearly everyone is praying for Michael Waltrip to lose his."

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 11:07 AM | Comments (2)

March 19, 2008

First Round Games to Keep an Eye On

It's time.

Brackets filled? Check. Backup blank brackets? Check. Reading expert analysis? Check. Watching ESPN for up-to-minute updates? Check. Time requested off from work? Double-check. It's March Madness once again, the favorite time of the year for college basketball enthusiasts. Over the next three weeks, the quest for this year's national champion will take place with every game just as much up in the air as the Democratic presidential nomination.

Surely, the avid bracket guru is contemplating what possible first-round upset may take place. It's only right at least one double-digit seed will make it to the Sweet 16, right? One thing is for sure as you prepare to ditch work, ignore spouses, and check that bottom line scoreboard as if it contains life-or-death news. What happens on Thursday and Friday has a lot more to do with who advances to the Sweet 16 than Saturday or Sunday. In order to get out of the weekend, you must first get to the weekend.

Here's a look at five first-round games worth paying attention to.

No. 5 Notre Dame vs. No. 12 George Mason (East Region)

If you're George Mason, it's good to be back. Two years after setting the college basketball world on fire by reaching the Final Four and becoming "America's Team," the Patriots are back in the Big Dance. After capturing the CAA tourney, the Patriots head into their first round matchup on a hot streak. Will Thomas (15 ppg, 10.8 rebs) and Folarin Campbell (15.9 ppg) are the two remaining starters left from the '06 Final Four squad, although junior guard Jon Vaughn (12.6 ppg) can get hot. The Patriots play tough team defense. They'll need to be tough against Luke Harangody (21 ppg, 10 rpg), who was the Big East Player of the Year. Kyle McAlarney (15.2 ppg, 45% 3PT) and Rob Kurz (12.8 ppg, 40% 3PT) can light it up from the outside if Harangody forces Mason to double-team him. Last year, the vaunted No. 5/12 upset didn't happen. Maybe the Patriots pick up where they left off last year.

No. 6 USC vs. No. 11 Kansas State (Midwest Region)

This game could possibly the most intriguing matchup of the first round, featuring arguably the two best freshmen in the nation in USC's O.J. Mayo (20.8 ppg) and K-State's Michael Beasley (26.5 ppg, 12.4 rpg). USC started out the season with three straight losses in the Pac-10 to couple their embarrassing early season loss to Mercer, but have rebounded nicely and came within three of going into overtime with UCLA. Mayo will definitely benefit from a healthy Davon Jefferson (12.0 ppg), who struggled with injuries early in the season. Jefferson and T.J. Gibson draw the enviable task of trying to contain the monster inside game of Beasley and fellow freshman Bill Walker (16.5 ppg, 6 rpg). The Wildcats, who may have been the hot team to pick in February, floundered in March, losing four of their last six.

No. 7 Miami vs. No. 10 St. Mary's (South Region)

Give the Hurricanes credit. Being able to win 20 games and finish .500 in the tough ACC is no small accomplishment. Especially given the fact that they hadn't won 20 games in a decade. Led by sharp-shooting Jack McClinton (17 ppg, led ACC in 3PT% and made) and propelled by a huge win over Duke on Feb. 20, the 'Canes are back in the tourney for the first time since 2002 and for the first time since joining the ACC.

Despite losing in the WCC tourney, St. Mary's impressive 25-6 record and impressive wins in the early going was too much not to include them. The 'Canes will have their hands full with the Gaels' offense, which can score well over 80-100 points on a given night. The Gaels will be lead by their outstanding trio of Patrick Mills (14.6 ppg), Diamon Simpson (13.6 ppg, 9.5 rpg), and Omar Samhan (10.6 ppg, 7.3 rpg). Miami should be up to the task, finishing second in the ACC in points per contest at 68.6 a game.

No. 3 Xavier vs. No. 14 Georgia (West Region)

This game looks like a mismatch on paper. Xavier, the regular-season champ in the A-10, finished with the best season in school history (27-6). A loss in the conference semis to Saint Joe's won't cause too much of a negative effect. The Musketeers like to share the wealth with six players averaging 10 or more points per game, led by Drew Lavender (10.7 ppg, 4.3 apg) and Josh Duncan (11.7 ppg), the leading scorer off the bench. Never underestimate the momentum of a hot team.

Georgia went all in at the poker table and walked away with the jackpot, winning the SEC tournament despite all the mayhem, having to play three games in two days. The 'Dawgs will have to rely on point guard and leading scorer Sundiata Gaines (14.8 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 4.2 apg), Billy Humphrey (12.2 ppg), and Terrence Woodbury, whose 16-point performance in the championship against Arkansas propelled Georgia into this game.

No. 8 Indiana vs. No. 9 Arkansas (East Region)

There may have not been a team that went through more turmoil this season than Indiana. Out went Kelvin Sampson, in came Dan Dakich as coach. Despite it all, the Hoosiers fought to a 25-7 and 14-4 mark, but suffered bad loses late with a 29-point blowout to Michigan State and the low mark with a loss at Penn State on March 9. Nonetheless, the Hoosiers have two great players in Big Ten Player of Year D.J. White (17.3 ppg, 10.4 ppg) and sensational freshman and leading scorer Eric Gordon (21.3 ppg). They have struggled defensively since Dakich took over for Sampson.

Arkansas seemed like a sexy pick before losing to Georgia. The Razorbacks lost early games to Providence and Appalachian State, but rebounded nicely to compete in the SEC and win 20 games. Led by Sonny Weems (14.3 ppg) and the sometimes-hot handed Patrick Beverly (12.0 ppg, 6.7 rpg), Arkansas needs to be able to score points to beat the Hoosiers. Another effort such as 2-of-17 from three-point range and only 15 trips to the free throw line against Georgia, and it's one and done.

Posted by Brian Cox at 11:52 AM | Comments (0)

March 18, 2008

2008 NCAA Tournament Preview

Two days till the greatest weekend of the sporting year. Thoughts on the bracket:

Teams who got jobbed on seeding: Butler (should have been a 5 instead of a 7), Wisconsin (should have been a 2 instead of a 3), Drake (should have been a 4 instead of a 5), Purdue (should have been a 5 instead of a 6), BYU (should have gotten a 7; instead got stuck in the 8-9 game for the second consecutive year), and Portland State (should have been a 14 instead of a 16)

(I had no problem with Tennessee as a 2, though I can see the argument against them being paired in UNC's bracket.)

Teams who owe the Selection Committee a special favor: Oklahoma (got a 6, should have been an 8), South Alabama (got a 10, should have been a 12), Kent State (I like them, but a 9 is two lines too high), Oregon (biggest shocker of the bracket is the Ducks from bubble to the 8-9 game), and Duke (because they have the easiest road to the Elite 8 of any of the top 8 seeds).

I was going to argue that South Alabama didn't deserve a bid over Illinois State, but a look at the profiles shows they did. Both had somewhat similar records and RPIs, but South Alabama was able to break through with some wins against top competition (Mississippi State, Western Kentucky twice, WCC tournament champ San Diego on a neutral court in California), while Illinois State lost all three games to Drake, plus lost their only two non-conference games against top teams Indiana and Kent State. You have to get those Ws against the best competition if you want to be considered one of the best 34.

Arizona State made its point on the court with a sweep of Arizona, plus wins over Xavier, Stanford, Oregon, and USC, but you can't go into the Selection room with a 19-12 record and 296 non-conference strength of schedule.

Despite what Digger Phelps thinks, George Mason is a bad matchup for Notre Dame and Winthrop is a bad matchup for Washington State. We could be looking at a 12-13 game for a spot in the Sweet 16.

I thought the same thing about Old Dominion and Davidson last year. Both lost.

Drake couldn't have been handed a worse hand. The one thing I think screws them up is a dominant shot blocker. If they get past Western Kentucky (they will), they'll likely have to deal with Connecticut sophomore center Hasheem Thabeet, second in the country with 4.5 blocks per game, in the second round. Considering how often Drake attacks the rim (point guard Adam Emmenecker especially), this could be Thabeet's "Look at me, NBA! Here I come!" game (shades of Bradley's Patrick O'Bryant in 2006). And if Drake can't collapse the defense with penetration, they are going to have a much harder time kicking out for open threes.

USC/Kansas State may feature two of the best freshmen in the country, but the deciding factor in the game is going to be a major advantage for the Trojans in the backcourt. USC's Taj Gibson and Davon Jefferson are going to have a much better shot at K-State's Michael Beasley and Bill Walker than K-State's Jacob Pullen, Blake Young, and Clent Stewart have against SC's OJ Mayo, Daniel Hackett, and Dwight Lewis.

Purdue is going to have a tough time making the Sweet 16. Baylor isn't a great match-up for them, and, if they do get past the Bears, Xavier's pressure is going to be difficult for such a young team.

I don't like Miami at all. As a 7 seed facing Saint Mary's as a 10, I like them even less. But for some reason, my Spidey Sense is tingling on this one. My gut says most people are going to pick the Gaels, but that I should go 'Canes.

My gut also says at least one 1 seed is going down in the second round.

Question from a reader on my blog, The Left Calf: "Why in the hell does the selection committee pair up mid-majors in the first round? One of the most exciting parts of the tournament is to watch the mid-majors beat the majors. Ever since George Mason went to the Final Four, they have started doing this crap."

In total, there are only five first-round games featuring both schools from a non-BCS conference: Memphis/Texas Arlington, Butler/South Alabama, Gonzaga/Davidson, UNLV/Kent State, and Drake/Western Kentucky.

Any time you have a top 5 seed from a non-BCS school, they are generally going to play another non-BCS school (except Xavier this year, which drew No. 14 Georgia, a verrrrrrrry low seed for an SEC team). So that takes care of Memphis and Drake.

The others are two 7-10 games and an 8-9. I think this actually has more to do with the committee respecting non-BCS schools than anything else. Five years ago, those teams wouldn't have been able to get single-digit seeding, so they wouldn't get in these kinds of games as the higher seeds. But because of the success enjoyed by mid-majors in the past few years, teams like Kent State that would have been a 12 five years ago are now an 8 and teams like South Alabama and Saint Mary's that would have been left out entirely are getting 10 seeds. So instead of it always being David vs. Goliath for the mid-majors, it's David vs. David.

***

So how's it going to go down? Here's one idiot's opinion on the first two rounds. (If that's what Bob Costas says I am, it must be true. After all, he went to Syracuse.) Back next week with Sweet 16 and Elite 8 breakdowns.

East First Round — UNC over play-in (Coppin State is my guess), Indiana over Arkansas (Jordan Crawford is one of the most underrated freshmen in the country), George Mason over Notre Dame (Irish PG Tory Jackson isn't ready for Mason's Folarin Campbell), Washington State over Winthrop (Wazzu PG Taylor Rochestie is one of the most underrated players in the Pac-10), St. Joseph's over Oklahoma (the Hawks have more ways to score), Louisville over Boise State (steamroll), Butler over South Alabama (the legend of Mike Green continues), Tennessee over American (by 30+)

Midwest First Round — Kansas over Portland State (don't be surprised to see the Vikings up early), Kent State over UNLV (Golden Flashes are much better shooters), Clemson over Villanova (Tigers a much more complete team), Vanderbilt over Siena (beware the popular upset pick), USC over Kansas State (see previous commentary on SC's backcourt advantage), Wisconsin over Cal-State Fullerton (Krabbenhoft!), Davidson over Gonzaga (all about the backcourt), Georgetown over Maryland Baltimore-County (and Hoyas will cover 16.5)

South First Round — Memphis over Texas-Arlington (Memphis' poor free throw shooting not a factor), Mississippi State over Oregon (Dogs too much inside for Ducks), Temple over Michigan State (Christmas in March), Pittsburgh over Oral Roberts (Levance Fields makes all the difference for Pitt), Kentucky over Marquette (because I believe in Billy Ball), Stanford over Cornell (smart kids with athletic scholarships vs. smart kids without athletic scholarships), Miami over Saint Mary's (follow the gut), Texas over Austin Peay (good day, Gov'na)

West First Round — UCLA over Mississippi Valley State (take that, Jerry Rice!), BYU over Texas A&M (comes down to mental toughness), Drake over Western Kentucky (because there's no way Drake's season ends on the wrong end of a 12-5er), Connecticut over San Diego (significant physical mismatch), Purdue over Baylor (been riding the Boilermakers all year; no reason to stop now), Xavier over Georgia (because the workers in the Atlanta airport aren't very nice), Arizona over West Virginia (because I went there), Duke over Belmont (could be Duke's toughest game through the Elite 8)

East Second Round — Indiana over North Carolina (huge risk on my part considering the Hoosiers could very well lose to Arkansas; D.J. White is going to have to play the game of his life), Washington State over George Mason (Derek Low goes off in the second half), Louisville over St. Joe's (steamroll), Tennessee over Butler (thought about the upset for a second, but I'm sticking with the Vols, one of my preseason Final Four picks along with UCLA, Memphis and Indiana — probably why I think they can beat UNC)

Midwest Second Round — Kansas over Kent State (Jayhawks seem more composed this year than in the past few), Clemson over Vandy (Tigers are tougher), Wisconsin over USC (too much everything), Georgetown over Davidson (Hoyas' have the defense to lock up Stephen Curry)

South Second Round — Memphis over Mississippi State (I had to think about it for a long time), Pittsburgh over Temple (too strong in too many places), Stanford over Kentucky (Brock Lopez dominates), Texas over Miami (and it won't be close)

West Second Round — UCLA over BYU (because I'm taking the Bruins to the Final Four no matter who they play), Connecticut over Drake (Thabeet!), Purdue over Xavier (because I just don't trust Xavier), Duke over Arizona (because they both play the same kind of game, but Duke is better at it and has a much deeper bench)

Seth Doria is a writer based out of St. Louis. For the only daily column that mixes sports, politics, and entertainment news in one, visit The Left Calf.

Posted by Joshua Duffy at 12:01 PM | Comments (1)

Rock On

There's something incredible going on in the NBA right now. In fact, it's been going on for the better part of two months now, but most of us have channel-surfed right by it.

Don't blame the Houston Rockets. They're trying to get your attention. But, you see, it's not easy to get a look from a sports nation obsessed with blockbuster trades and freshly revealed brackets. Twenty-two straight wins? C'mon, I've got an office pool to win. There's nothing more mundane to sports fans than consistency, even consistency at a level this lofty.

The streak, now spanning more than a quarter of the regular season, is even more jaw-dropping in context. For a team in today's NBA facing the doldrums of mid-winter basketball, performing well enough to win every night is a tall order. The January and February box scores are filled with the league's best teams showing a suspect amount of effort and losing to far inferior competition. Throw in the Rockets' residence in the mean streets of the Western Conference, and a win streak spanning multiple lunar cycles seems out of the question.

Most of us thought the Rockets had a nice thing going when they hit an even dozen wins in a row. But victory number 12 came at the cost of Yao Ming, lost for the season with a foot injury. That had to cool Houston off, right? Ten wins later, Houston is showing no signs of slowing down.

The Rockets' latest effort, a 12-point conquest of the Lakers Sunday, emphasized just how unlikely this group's run has been. Sure, Tracy McGrady's al-star credentials speak for themselves, but what about the rest of this crew?

While teams like Boston, the Lakers, Dallas, and Phoenix all made big-name splashes in the trade market in the last 12 months, the Rockets have cobbled together great play from Shane Battier, now showing that his pejorative billing as a "role player" isn't such an insult, and unheralded rookies Carl Landry and Luis Scola. Sunday was a perfect example of Houston's anonymous excellence, as the Rockets were paced by everyone's favorite AND 1 Mixtape Tour alumnus, Rafer Alston, who scored 31 points.

And yet none of this seems to matter.

I dare you to find an NBA expert willing to wager his credibility on picking the Rockets to even win two playoff series, let alone the four they would need to win the title. Houston is now treading in territory that Magic's Lakers, Jordan's Bulls, or Bird's Celtics never sniffed. Has dominance ever flown so far below the radar?

And unfortunately, the Rockets will only make news when they lose, both in the short-term and in the postseason. The coverage of their next loss will dwarf that of any of their next wins, unless they reach the win-streak record of 33, set by the Lakers in 1972. Even worse, Houston is now faced with heading into the playoffs (a place Tracy McGrady hasn't yet tasted victory in, remember) with unenviably high expectations.

Like their real-life namesakes, we'll only care when they crash. Such is the curse of making the extraordinary look so easy.

Posted by Corrie Trouw at 11:40 AM | Comments (0)

March 17, 2008

MLB 2008: 15 Reasons to Watch

By and large, little is known about October baseball in mid-March. With the MLB season's annual spring training sessions barely under way for each of the 30 pro clubs, lineups and pitching rotations are far from set and few if any of the 800 or so players to be found on opening day rosters are anywhere near their best in terms of level of play. This makes gleaning any sort of potential trend or harbinger portending success or failure a near impossibility.

I'm sure if you are reading this article that you've already perused the full compliment of my colleague's postings detailing the specifics of each professional baseball team's chances this coming summer. As such, my rehashing of these points with little difference than my own personal views interjected wouldn't make for very dynamic reading and nobody, especially our dedicated editor, wants that. That being said, there isn't a whole lot of interesting banter that can be generated relative to baseball this early in the spring beyond the simple, straight-forward measure of any team's chances for hoisting a World Series trophy.

Alas, perhaps there is a happy medium to be had —prognosticating the 2008 baseball season without restating either the sublime or the ridiculous that my peers (or my betters, depending on your opinion of my writings) have already so capably provided. It is in this spirit that I present to you 2008's listing of what is sure to be served up on your MLB palette over the course of the upcoming season.

1. A "drug-free" player will top 60 homers for only the third time in MLB history. A-Rod has been knocking on that door for several years now and 2008 will be his season to join the likes of the Babe and Roger Maris. He still will be one of the primary contributors to yet another failed attempt at a Yankee championship, but personal glory has always been his strong-point and '08 will not yield any different result.

2. As A-Rod tops 60 homers, Barry Bonds' head will explode. As a result of a toxic cocktail of unbridled arrogance, rampant abuse of performance enhancers and the sudden realization that people just don't like him, the Greatest Player of the Steroid Era will blow is prodigious melon. It will happen on September 22nd as Alex the Great is canonized and just after Barry laments to the media "why doesn't anyone love me ... just because I cast doubt onto the American Pastime and did so with cold-hearted calculation not witnessed since Charles Manson roamed free doesn't make me a bad person."

3. The Cubs beat out Angels to take the championship/the Cubs just miss in their hunt for a title. Remarkably, both will happen (you see, my son's little league team name is the Cubs); what you have to figure out is which team will do what. This, my friends, is what those in the gambling business call hedging your bets.

4. The Angels win AL pennant over the Tigers. Dang it, looks like I gave away the suspense of the preceding entry. This, my friends, is what those in the gambling business call having a terrible poker face.

5. Houston's Woody Williams will retire by mid-May with an ERA of 12.25 and a record of 0-6. Team owner Drayton McClain will then offer the native Houstonian a lifetime services contract to serve as the team's home run coach, pointing out that he is more familiar with the long ball than anyone else in their organization.

6. I will win my fantasy baseball league. Through savvy drafting and a can't-miss strategy of dominating all pitching statistics, I will wind up the season atop my fantasy league for the first time ever. Yes, I am well aware that you quite likely care little for this prediction. Sorry; my article, my rules.

7. In a shocking turnaround, the Tampa Bay Rays will dominate many of the parks they play in. Of course, I am referring to Ray Jones and Ray Smith, the Tampa area traveling chess team, as they travel from one city park to the next plying their trade.

8. In an equally shocking turnaround, the real Tampa Bay Rays will be serviceable, winning a franchise-record 88 games in 2008.

9. The Tiger's Justin Verlander will be the best statistical pitcher in the AL in 2008. San Diego's Jake Peavy will hold that honor for the NL. Neither will win the Cy Young Award in 2008 as the voters will be enamored by lesser stars in larger markets.

10. The first-annual Rafael Palmeiro Award will be presented to Roger Clemens. The "Raffy" will recognize brilliance in a player who forces himself into retirement by publicly embarrassing himself in an effort to deny the undeniable. Congrats, Rocket; at least now you'll have a trophy to put in place of those Cy Young Awards the league is going to take back from you.

11. In the season's last month, all of America will realize at precisely the same moment the following truths: Joe Torre is overrated as a manager, Johan Santana is the left-handed pitching version of Alex Rodriguez (dominating stuff, until it matters most), the Baltimore Orioles are the worst-run franchise in baseball, and power hitting and pitching are far more valuable than team speed and hitting for average.

12. Sometime in mid-May, Hank Steinbrenner will fire, re-hire, re-fire, and finally hire again himself in homage to his dad. In the subsequent public statement announcing his triumphant return to the team, he will find a way to blame Scott Boras for an unfortunate hot dog shortage in Yankee Stadium's mezzanine section and will fill that void by hiring non-union peanut vendors who feel they had been given bad advice by their union bosses and decided to represent themselves.

13. Tired of playing second fiddle to the cross-town Cubs, the Chicago White Sox will voluntarily give up their 2005 World Series title in an effort to be considered the new "lovable losers." This strategy will fail miserable after A.J. Pierzynski goes on a rampage and punches out two dozen fans at a ball-signing session.

14. Sometime this summer, anti-stadium activist David Bicking will find the documentation he had been desperately searching for. This information will move Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak to issue an immediate stand-down on construction of Twins Ballpark. What will that damning document be, you may be wondering? A team program.

15. Cooperstown will shut its doors. After being stunned by the apparent use of performance enhancers by two of the sport's all-time greats, baseball's commissioner and the head of the players' union issue a joint statement recommending the HOF not allow accused users into its hallowed halls. Shortly thereafter, the Hall of Fame committee realizes that C.J. Nitkowski is the only eligible player from the '90s and decide to shut down the Hall for good.

I do hope you've enjoyed this look ahead at 2008 MLB season, minus that troublesome reality we all hear so much about.

Posted by Matt Thomas at 11:40 AM | Comments (0)

Rocket Men

It's the longest winning streak in 35 years of NBA basketball.

The streak was at 21 as of last weekend. Blackjack. End of story if you're playing cards. Twenty-two now.

The only NBA team to win more consecutive games lays claim to the longest unbeaten stretch in the history of pro sports. That team, the 1971-72 Lakers, won 33 straight, 69 regular season games total (then a record), and an NBA title.

And yet how many of you really have Houston as the favorite even to emerge from the West? Let's be honest with ourselves. This streak has been fun and cute, but may in the long run be dismissed as a scheduling anomaly; an inexplicable run of execution over weaker teams or decent teams with injuries to their stars (even as the Rockets have suffered a season-ending injury to one of their own). We remain in denial of a new legitimate power in the West.

We deny this because their star from the East, Yao Ming, went down for the season. The critics say a big man is crucial for a playoff run, especially in the stacked Western Conference. We deny this because Tracy McGrady has never led any team he played for past round one, squandering away two Game 7s and a 3-1 series lead.

Not to mention that fate has not been kind to teams with big winning streaks in recent times. The Patriots won 18 straight just a month and a half ago. Then they won infamy.

The Colorado Rockies, much more like the Rockets, were a seemingly mediocre team that suddenly reeled off 21 straight last September and October. They were then humiliated in the World Series by Boston, with all their weaknesses and shortcomings revealed. While they did reach the season's final stanza, they buzzed through two National League playoff opponents that could hardly be called imposing. The Rockets, being in the NBA's Western Conference, have no such luck.

And yet the whispers are spreading. 45-20. Tied for the best record in the vaunted west. Beat the Gasol-less Lakers on Sunday and they stand alone. Could it be?

The Spurs and Lakers still loom just as menacingly as they have all year, the Hornets are an intriguing x-factor with an emerging young superstar, and the Suns may be in the process of turning their ship back around after a rousing victory over San Antonio. Utah can beat teams just by power of their home building alone, much like the Metrodome could for baseball's Minnesota Twins in the '80s and '90s. With any of these teams, the phrase "four out of seven" should bring much fear.

At 24-20, the Rockets were 10th in the West, a game out of playoff contention just behind Utah and Golden State. The Jazz had just silenced the Toyota Center once again, beating the Rockets in their January 27th rematch of the Game 7 home playoff loss that has haunted the Rockets and their star guard all offseason.

Improbably, Game 1 of this turnaround happened with their de facto savior sitting out with flu-like symptoms. Yao Ming stepped up in his absence with 36 points and the Rockets pulled out a 117-110 home win over the Warriors.

Since then, the Rockets have flattened the Cavaliers twice, once by 15, the other by 8; then did likewise to Chris Paul's emerging Hornets, winning by 20 and 10, respectively. Throw in a convincing 15-point win in Dallas and a 25-point crushing of the Wizards by Team T-Mac in which Agent Zero's squad was held to a season-low 69 points.

And yet critics can still point out that only five of those 22 straight wins came against teams currently in the Western playoff picture. Five more were against East playoff teams, but out of that group, only the Cavaliers are over .500.

By the numbers, the Rockets are alarmingly plain. McGrady has only averaged 22.2 points a game this season. During the streak, he has averaged 22.6. Only one game in the streak has T-Mac had double-digit assist numbers, and only one game has he had double-digit rebound numbers. Only Yao Ming averages over 20 ppg this season besides McGrady. This does not help matters much as Yao is now merely a 7'6" paperweight. Injured with a stress fracture in his left foot 10 games ago, Yao leaves the Rockets without a scoring center for the rest of the season.

There is, in fact, no truth to the rumor that Dikembe Mutombo was found in an ancient African tomb last offseason, de-mummified, resurrected via a magical elixir, and signed to a short-term contract so the Rockets could have a center just in case such a crisis should occur. And after the Rockets' win over the Bobcats on Friday night, no truth to the rumor that Mutombo is too old to humiliate young high-flyers at the rim and wag the eternal index finger. This generation's sultan of swat managed 4 critical blocks, three of them down the stretch in a close game against the Bobcats. But questions remain about his ability to fill in adequately at center (especially on the offensive end) for the remainder of the season and playoffs.

Even if McGrady's numbers have not been great this season (certainly not MVP caliber as some have claimed), he has managed to get his new supporting cast involved more than in the past. The play of point guard Rafer Alston and forwards Shane Battier and Luis Scola have meshed well around McGrady and may even be part of the reason for the lower scoring average. T-Mac may finally have some teammates he can trust.

Many say the regular season means nothing in the NBA. They may be right. But for what its worth, if the Rockets continue their streak through this coming week, many of their critics who say that the Houston Rockets are not for real may have to change their tunes. The Rockets play in succession the Lakers, Celtics, Hornets, Warriors, and Suns, all in a calendar week.

Whatever doubts you may still have now, we will see if the Rockets truly belong in the rarefied air of the NBA's elite within the next seven days.

Posted by Bill Hazell at 11:03 AM | Comments (0)

March 14, 2008

Sports Q&A: Daly Drinking and Driving

Evan from Bardstown, KY writes, "Golfer John Daly was disqualified for missing his tee time at the pro-am of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, one day after former swing coach Butch Harmon publicly challenged Daly's commitment to golf over drinking. Are Daly's days as a legitimate PGA contender over?"

First of all, Daly is a golfer and a drinker. Can't he be both? Only the evil mind of Butch Harmon would demand a student make such a monumental choice. We all know Harmon ran off Tiger Woods, probably when he gave Woods the same ultimatum. Woods chose golf, wisely. Or did he? Tiger may be the greatest golfer of all-time, but who's to say he couldn't have been an even better drinker? Daly is a unique talent, having mastered both disciplines, golfing and drinking, and different points in his career.

Often, in cases like this, the mastery of both talents don't overlap. Daly won his two major titles (the 1991 PGA Championship and 1995 British Open) early in his career. But he didn't become a raging alcoholic until much later. In his major-winning days, Daly didn't let alcohol interfere with his golf. Why should we have a problem if he now doesn't allow his golf to interfere with his alcohol? If Daly wants to be the sole and founding member of the PGAA, I say more power to him for his commitment to world-class talent in two fields.

Let's face it. Daly's probably not going to win another major. But he's going to drink a lot more. And, nowadays, he's known more for his drinking than his golf. It seems to me the choice has been made. He chose drinking. If golf has a problem with that, then they should stop offering Daly sponsor exemptions to play in tournaments, and sponsors should stop offering him money to wear/use their products.

Daly is still a huge draw at tournaments, and not because fans expect to see him shoot a 65. Not that Daly can't shoot a 65. He can, usually in just 13 holes. Fans like watching Daly because he can still blast a 320-yard drive, and he's not afraid to go for that island green on the par 4 with his drive, which is a sensible option when you're 11-over after eight holes, which Daly often is. That's a position in which the everyday golfer often finds himself. The scratch golfer can relate to Daly. The scratch golfer sees himself in Daly. In fact, you could probably see two scratch golfers in Daly. But let's not make weight an issue. Daly already has enough problems on his plate.

Daly is still one of the most popular golfers on the tour, and part of the reason, sadly, is that he is an alcoholic. I'm not saying people watch Daly to see him drink a beer after a round, but there is some appeal to his unpredictability, which is probably 100% a result of his alcohol problems. Daly's made a habit of pulling stunts on the golf course that are, at times, both comical and tragic.

Daly's latest incident took place at the PODS Championship, in which he waited out a rain delay during the first round in a Hooters corporate tent behind the 17th green. When play resumed, Daly called on Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach John Gruden to caddy for the remainder of the round. Hey, I don't know about you, but the Hooters corporate tent in a rain delay is where legends are made. And what better place to tout your Max-Fli sponsorship than in the presence of a throng of Hooters beauties. Having a Super Bowl-winning head coach as your caddy is pretty cool, too. And who on earth actually goes into the Hooters tent at a golf tournament to stay "dry?" Certainly not John Daly.

Since when does Hooters actually need a tent to keep you dry during a rain delay, anyway? Harmon accused Gruden's caddying of making a "circus" out of the event. To that, I say, "Who doesn't love a circus?" Everyone knows the corporate tents behind the 17th green at practically any tournament advertises a circus-like atmosphere, so why not send in the clowns.

I don't mean to minimize the severity of Daly's problems, but he's aware of them, and he has made his choice. At least for now. Let's not condemn him for living the life he chooses. Sure, he may pay for it with a shortened longevity, but what's a few years when the entertainment of the fans in priority one? Fans like Daly for who he is, and he's obviously comfortable with his station in life. The road to recovery is a long and arduous journey, but there's only a mere 12 steps from the 18th green to the 19th hole. Daly may be over par on the course, but as a non-teetotaler, he'll always be "one under bar."

Get Your Questions Answered!

Do you have a question or comment? Did you perjure yourself and forget to wear a diaper? Do you have a fear of presidential candidates whose names rhyme with "Obama?" Are you oozing machismo, and can't get it to stop? Then send your demands/concerns/questions along with your name and hometown to [email protected].You may get the answer you're looking for in the next column on Friday, March 28th.

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 11:04 AM | Comments (2)

March 13, 2008

Who's the Bigger Bad Guy?

In my last column, I wrote about announcers and declared it "Part 1" of a series. There will be Parts 2 and 3 (or just two if I'm insufficiently verbose in where I plan to take it), but this week, something else has captured my attention.

I've been late in weighing in on stories before, but this one takes the cake. The incident in question took place on November 10th, and I just somehow missed it, despite being the big college football guy you know I am. I found it just now browsing the archives at The Wizard of Odds.

I highly recommend that you watch this segment. First, it's a noticeably well-produced piece for a local newscast as they segue seamlessly from highlights of the game to the controversy, where they get good sound bites from the subjects involved, and mash them in a sort of informal point/counterpoint.

Second, is there anything this story and video doesn't have? Guarantees! Indecent gestures! Unsportsmanlike play! Angry players! Players on the verge of tears!

At the center of it all (in case you can't or don't want to launch the video) is Wyoming coach Joe Glenn, who guaranteed a win before a game with Utah.

Not only did they not win, they got abused 50-0, and that included Utah making an onside kick attempt up 43-0 in the third quarter. Glenn reacted to that by giving the Utah bench the one-finger salute, a move which got him reprimanded by the Mountain West Conference.

Another great thing about this saga is while I am definitely siding with one of the combatants of this dispute, I can really see it both ways. Good pretzel-and-beer argument fodder.

So which is worse, the guarantee and middle finger by Glenn, or Utah's coach Kyle Whittingham ordering the onside kick with the game's outcome no longer in doubt?

Again, I encourage you to watch the tape, because the reactions on both sides really told the story for me. The first thing to mention is Glenn made these comments at a "student luncheon," which I imagine is something like a pep rally and one of the most benign, understandable places to make a guarantee. It's not like he called a press conference and said, "I guarantee we're gonna beat Utah!"

Second, he delivers one of the more sincere-sounding apologies I've heard a sports figure make, a far cry from the usual I-know-I-let-my-teammates-and-our-fans-down android cue card reading we usually get:

"I got pretty emotional Monday at a luncheon with some students, got my big Irish mouth going, and probably like to (gestures stuffing something into his mouth) have it all back in here now. But you go find the crow, I'll eat it."

He denies even remembering flicking off the Utes, although he seems to grant that's something he might have done in his emotionally-charged state. All in all, he seems genuinely at peace and to have truly put the whole matter behind him.

Now, whether a coach who just lost 50-0 hours ago should sound at peace is a column for another day. But compare his tone to that of Utah's coach, Kyle Whittingham. Whittingham comes off as just a huge douche, in this writer's opinion. Obviously, Glenn's antics still bother him. Whether they should still bother him after he just won 50-0 is a column for another day.

But my biggest gripe with Whittingham is not his tone, but the content of several of his comments.

"I think Coach Glenn is a good man. I respect him. But again, you know, it drives me nuts. People say things all the time and all of the sudden, it just seems to disappear. When instead of getting called out and you know, being held accountable, it just kind of goes by the wayside. It happens a lot, in a lot of areas, from a lot of different people, and it bothers me."

Kindly, but WTF is Whittingham talking about? We love it when players and coaches make guarantees and we are always there to call them out when they talk smack and don't deliver. Hell, Joe Glenn isn't even the only Glenn to do it.

I'll give Whittingham this, though. He practices what he preaches. He almost says he went for the onside kick because Glenn made the guarantee, but stops short and then does an angry reversal, saying he did it because it was still the third quarter, and "you don't shut it down in the third quarter. When do you want to shut it down?"

"Well, onside kick? Typically, we don't do things like that, but coach Glenn had made a guarantee, so he must've known something I didn't about the outcome of the game.

"So to keep things rolling in our favor, we scouted it, it was there, still the third quarter (about here is where his tone rises a degree of douchery) and I don't believe you ever call the dogs off in the third quarter, but, uh, you know, it was there.

"(Three more degrees here) No, just playing football. It was the third quarter. When do you want to shut it down? It was the third quarter. You don't shut it down in the third quarter."

So instead of saying "We went for the onside kick to teach Joe Glenn a lesson," a statement he might be held accountable for, he gives us a huge, huge line of BS.

Where to begin? Kicking away up 43-0 is "shutting it down?" Afraid you need to keep Wyoming off the field so they don't get the ball and score those six touchdowns and a two-pointer? You don't ever shut it down in the third quarter? What if you're 70-0? Shouldn't whether you "shut it down" or not be dictated at least somewhat by the score?

Cutting through Whittingham's evasive nonsense, you're left with a "two wrongs make a right" retaliation. That's what the onside kick was. Except when it comes to poor sportsmanship, an onside kick up 43 points trumps telling your rabid student section that you guarantee a win by a wide margin.

I hope the Cowboys return the favor in Laramie next year. And I look forward to Whittingham's douchbaggy comments that are sure to follow in the postgame press conference either way.

Posted by Kevin Beane at 11:50 AM | Comments (0)

NASCAR Top 10 Power Rankings: Week 4

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Kyle Busch — Busch took the lead in the Kobalt Tools 500 with 50 laps to go and pulled away for the win, giving Toyota its first NASCAR Sprint Cup victory. Busch steered the No. 18 Joe Gibbs car to victory lane in Atlanta, a familiar place for made famous by 2000 Cup champion Bobby Labonte, who won six times at AMS.

"This victory means a lot," says Busch. "The No. 18 has returned to prominence, Toyota has its first win, and I get to keep this giant wrench, meaning I can now open and close fire hydrants as I please. Now, when I mention that I have a 'massive tool,' it won't be a lie. And, I'm thrilled to be a part of this historic moment for Toyota, not only for my team, but for the Japanese contingent. I understand I'm a hero over there, now. For that, I'd like to raise a toast: 'Sake, sake, they love me long time.'"

2. Carl Edwards — Edwards appeared to be on his way to a third consecutive win before a transmission failure caused a smoky end to his day on lap 275. Edwards had hoped to make a statement after losing 100 points for a rules infraction found in a post-race inspection last week in Vegas. Crew chief Bob Osborne was fined $100,000 and suspended for six races for the loose oil reservoir cover.

"It sounds like the consensus in the garage is that we cheated on purpose," says Edwards. "Well, all those accusers need to put a lid on it. Elliott Sadler, maybe I'd take what you say seriously if you'd stop talking in the voice of Carl from Sling Blade. Lee White of Toyota, you're a traitor who's been corrupted by the almighty yen. And Greg Biffle, the last time a teammate of mine stepped out of line, I gave him a 'Matt'-itude adjustment. Since then, Matt's been alone at the top of NASCAR's 'Cower Rankings.'"

3. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. — Earnhardt continued to lead the way for Hendrick Motorsports, finishing third at Atlanta to move up four places in the points to sixth, where he is 134 behind Kyle Busch.

"Look, I'm not going to sit here and bash a Goodyear tire anymore," says Earnhardt. "I've tried having a rational conversation with a tire, and trust me, they don't listen. It's like talking to my stepmother."

4. Jeff Gordon — Despite winning the pole on Friday, Gordon didn't have the fastest car on Sunday. Still, he finished fifth and led a lap to advance eight positions in the Sprint Cup points to 15th.

"In Atlanta, the pole's not that big of a deal unless your dancing around it," says Gordon. "I've never seen more strip clubs. There's got to be one on every block, which means there's two Waffle Houses on every block. First, NASCAR sends us to Las Vegas, then to Atlanta. Obviously, the powers-that-be want us to go to Bristol without a single one-dollar bill to our names."

"Now, did Tony Stewart overreact in his criticism of Goodyear's tires? Yes he did, but you've got to understand. Tony has unresolved issues, which he self-medicates with tire manufacturer bashing and food. Honestly, I think Tony was more rational than usual in his criticism of Goodyear — he didn't even curse. We all need to be a little easy on Tony. It's been proven that when backed into a corner, Tony usually responds with a race win or a right cross."

5. Tony Stewart — Stewart celebrated 10 years of Home Depot sponsorship with a second in Atlanta, following teammate Kyle Busch across the finish line for a one-two Toyota finish. Despite his solid finish, Stewart was outspokenly critical of Goodyear's tires, saying "this is the worst tire I've been on in my life."

"I've had better grip on a greased pig," says Stewart. "That may win me a date with Rock of Love's Bret Michaels, but it doesn't make for 325 safe trips around Atlanta Motor Speedway. I feel I've earned the right to be critical of a tire; heck, I've got one around my waist."

Goodyear spokesman Justin Fantozzi responded to Stewart's accusations by quoting a line from famed poet P.W. Herman, who wrote, "I'm rubber and you're glue. Whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you."

6. Greg Biffle: Biffle fell a lap down about midway through the race, but earned it back with the "Lucky Dog" pass on lap 221. From there, Biffle used a quick pit stop to gain five spots, and eventually finished fourth, his third top-10 of the year.

"As you may have heard, I'm an advocate of taking wins away when cars fail inspection after winning a race," says Biffle. "Cheating is never acceptable, whether it's a loose oil lid, rocket fuel in the intake manifold, having Chad Knaus as a crew chief, or claiming your baby daddy's step-grandniece and nephew as dependents on your taxes. Jackson Hewitt, one of my sponsors, would never condone fudging on your taxes. And Jack Roush would never condone cheating. He's categorically denied intentionally leaving the cap off of the No. 99's oil reservoir. Oddly enough, Jack made that statement while not wearing his hat, which, testing has shown, produces 10% more downforce and 35% less credibility."

7. Kevin Harvick — Harvick wrestled with ever-changing handling conditions, but was able to score his third top-10 finish of the year with a seventh in the Kobalt Tools 500. Gaining one position, Harvick is now third in the Sprint Cup points, 91 off the top spot.

"As is often the case in NASCAR," says Harvick, "the action off the track is more intriguing that what takes place on the track. Tony Stewart's bashing Goodyear, which isn't the first time the Michelin Man has criticized Goodyear. And the integrity of Roush Fenway Racing has come under fire, and Jack Roush has vehemently defended his team. I'm not sure whether to believe the 'C(he)at In The Hat' or not."

8. Jeff Burton — Burton fought handling issues all day, but still managed to join Richard Childress Racing teammates Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer in the top 10 with a sixth in Atlanta. Burton is now fifth in the points, 110 out of first.

"Honestly, there were times when I didn't know which way my car was going to turn," says Burton. "I haven't faced that kind of uncertainty since last year, when I didn't know the logo of which cellular provider would be appearing on my hood from week to week. Anyway, as NASCAR's voice of reason, I feel it's my duty to eloquently and objectively speak on our latest controversy, the Carl Edward's scandal. Cheater, cheater, pumpkin eater! I understand Jack Roush refused to take a lie detector test offered by ESPN. And, he even opted against a paternity test at the behest of The Jerry Springer Show."

9. Matt Kenseth — Kenseth finished eighth in Atlanta, which means little to you and me, but his win in Saturdays's Nationwide Series Nicorette 300, well, that's pretty important. That win got patrons of Arby's restaurants free fries in their "Matt's Monday" promotion.

"That's right," says Kenseth. "Free fries. It's the least I can do for my rabid fan base. As a bonus, bring your car in, and we'll check your oil lid. If it's on snug, you get nothing. If it's loose, you win a commemorative Carl Edwards cup filled with your favorite beverage, which we'll then pour out as punishment."

10. Jimmie Johnson — For the second-straight race, Johnson's No. 48 Lowe's Chevy was as stagnant as dirty pond water, a substance which, when found illegally in the intake manifold upon inspection, can result in a penalty under NASCAR's banned substances guidelines, which includes peanut butter, jelly, Silly Putty, and Mad Dog 20/20.

"This is certainly new territory for us," says Johnson. "Not being in the top 10 in points this early in the season. It's also new territory for Chad Knaus; not being suspended this early in the season."

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 11:15 AM | Comments (0)

March 12, 2008

MLB Goes to Harlem Seeking Welfare

"There are times, honestly, when I have to pinch myself to make sure all of this is happening ... Growth and revenue, growth and profitability, it's just been really, really, good." This was according to Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig in November 2007 at the conclusion of the MLB owners' meetings.

And it would make one wonder if indeed MLB believes that it is but recession-proof, given the $6.75 billion dollars in revenue it took in for the 2007 MLB season and its $5.2 billion totals for 2006. But it is a reality that less and less discretionary income is available to average or marginal baseball fans going into the 2008 MLB season. And at the same time, gas prices at the pump are expected to flirt with $4.00 a gallon.

Even so, it has not deterred MLB and two of its two major league teams from cashing in on public entitlements, courtesy of the City of New York. It is well-known throughout the country that tax abatements and waived property taxes are the modus operandi for many cities and counties in order to supposedly retain major corporate conglomerates, threatening to relocate elsewhere.

That brings us to New York's Mayor Michael Bloomberg who in 2004 gave himself credit for ending the squeeze by corporations from getting tax breaks to remain in NYC. "We've essentially ended corporate welfare as we know it, by no longer paying companies — who wouldn't have left anyway — to stay in our great city," Bloomberg said back then.

But even after Mayor Bloomberg lauded himself as the anti-corporate welfare czar, monies to the tune of $650 million in city and state subsidies were given to Goldman Sachs to build its headquarters in Battery Park City, or 9/11's Ground Zero, and $240 million were allocated in givebacks to JP Morgan Chase, also to build in lower Manhattan, after stating that it would move to Stamford, CT, and later unsubstantiated by the City of Stamford.

Under the guise of revitalizing lower Manhattan after the streets were deserted as the result of the terrorist attacks of 9/11, this ploy by Mayor Bloomberg was somehow forgivable by the legislators and politicos of NYC and New York State.

Then came the new Yankee Stadium and the new stadium for the NY Mets. Both the NY Yankees and the NY Mets essentially led successful swindles, as both stole home with the blessings of City Hall. As both stadiums near the end of construction, with both planned to be ready for the 2009 MLB season, the tallying of total costs to the NYC and NY state taxpayers has begun.

On his weekly radio show on WABC New York on February 29, 2008, Mayor Bloomberg stated that, "Hey, we got a good deal at only spending $75 million each on Yankee and Shea ... er ... Citi Field stadiums." He was referring to the outlay in real costs by NYC for each of the NYC stadiums for the Yankees and the Mets.

But for the owner and founder of Bloomberg Communications and self-made billionaire, Mayor Bloomberg seems to have forgotten his arithmetic along the way.

For the actual costs to the city and state of NY for the new Yankee Stadium will total over $800 million and for Citi Field, or what will be known as the new Mets stadium, $500 million has been tallied for a grand total of $1.3 billion in public funding for the two stadiums combined.

This includes tax-exempt bonds, on which the government will pay the interest, tax abatements on property taxes, new street construction, a new railroad station stop for Yankee Stadium, new car garages, as well as re-construction of open space for the parks outside of Yankee Stadium, which were completely destroyed.

In fact, the residents of the area outside of Yankee Stadium, a minority community, are now without 400 trees and 21.5 acres of less park space, greenery, and playing fields. Although NYC and the Yankees originally promised more parkland, they now include the top of the parking garages as open space, where playgrounds will be put.

And while there is no shortage of propaganda on the benefits that new professional sports stadiums supposedly bring to metropolitan areas, that topic alone is worthy of an additional in-depth report and a far more realistic and intelligent discussion.

And as much as MLB and its owners want to praise themselves for their reputed black ink, it comes but at the expense of taxpayers and local communities, whether they are baseball fans or not. And more often than not, it comes at the expense of the poorer minority neighborhoods, which are but expendable to big business and to City Hall.

But the latest feat by MLB should make even bona fide global capitalists wince. For in a coup by one of the largest realty developers in the U.S., Vornado Realty Trust, has been granted by NYC's Planning Commission a waiver to building height restrictions on 125th Street and Park Avenue, which is the main thoroughfare of the historic neighborhood known as Harlem. In addition, Mayor Bloomberg has been campaigning to rezone the entirety of Harlem allowing massive buildings as tall as 29 stories in order to attract even more major corporate partners.

As part of the waiver to Vornado, which raises the height limit to 21 stories, or an additional four stories, in this mixed-use residential and commercial area, the building will include 630,000 square feet of office space and will contain a variety of corporate businesses. With the steep rise in real estate costs in NYC, many corporate entities are willing to move uptown to save on leasing costs, even at the expense of displacing thousands of people from their residences or crushing over 70 small local businesses in the neighborhoods made up of African-Americans and Hispanic communities.

Of significance, is that those four extra stories, most likely to be approved by the NYC Council in the near future, will be occupied by none other than MLB and its new cable television baseball channel. MLB would occupy two floors for executive offices and the top two floors for television studios.

But the Vornado organization also gave NYC an ultimatum along with the height restriction being lifted. They said that without the additional four stories it would be a deal-breaker for them attracting MLB as an anchor tenant in its building and thereby the whole deal would be off.

But it gets even worse, as Vornado also demanded $15 million in a public funding incentive package for itself and an additional $5 million package of incentives to be paid directly to MLB by the City of NY.

Out of that $5 million package part of it would be allowed to cover the costs for redecorating Commissioner Bud Selig's MLB headquarter offices at 245 Park Avenue, in mid-town Manhattan. This brings but new meaning to corporate-welfare.

The projection of revenue for the MLB baseball television channel, to launch in January 2009, and to be located temporarily in Secaucus, NJ, is somewhere around $550 million over its first seven years, with a guarantee of a minimum of $80 million per year during that time. It expects between 40 and 50 million viewers upon startup and will initially carry only 26 non-exclusive live games, with the rest of the 24/7 coverage comprised of all-things-baseball.
I
In 2007 when MLB threatened to remove its MLB Extra Innings packages — allowing fans to pay a premium to cable providers to access many out-of-market games — from all cable and satellite broadcasters with the exception of DirecTV, it was Senator John Kerry and the Senate Commerce Committee which pushed MLB to allow Extra Innings to continue its agreements with Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications, and the Comcast Corp. and they were allowed to continue to broadcast MLB Extra Innings for the 2007 season.

However, as the result of that arrangement in 2007, an agreement was made that MLB will own a 66.6% interest in its MLB television channel with DirecTV, Time Warner, Cox and Comcast divvying up the remaining shares along with a commitment from them to carry the baseball network for the next seven years. There is no word as of yet on the status of the MLB channel on such remaining digital and cable broadcasters as Dish TV or Adelphia Communications nor confirmation that MLB will offer the channel on basic cable television.

But MLB in its arrogance, by taking its present fan-base for granted, should be doing some real world soul-searching right about now. For after 15 years of Bud Selig's reign of denial of illegal drugs in baseball and after the offseason MLB has suffered in light of the Mitchell Report, looking for handouts should be the last thing with which MLB should be associated.

It is bad enough that much of MLB's revenues come by way of the very taxpayers it seeks to disenfranchise, and namely the African-American communities in the inner cities. But for it to muscle its way into Harlem's neighborhood is more than ironic and should not merely be accepted as gentrification for a better NYC.

Some have speculated that by moving corporate jobs to Harlem, such will endear MLB to the black community it has virtually lost, both as active professional baseball players and as fans, and yet woo them back to baseball. And such speculation should be an insult to all baseball fans alike.

But until MLB makes an asserted commitment to retain its present fan-base as well as makes an investment in future generations to come, such as an in bringing African-American children and families back to MLB, it has no moral right to demand givebacks; much less in Harlem or outside of Yankee Stadium.

And perhaps a good way for MLB to make amends would be to start by using some of those givebacks to build some decent baseball fields for the kids of Harlem, rather than picking out new wallpaper patterns for its executives' office suites.

Posted by Diane M. Grassi at 11:31 AM | Comments (0)

Born to Lead

For Mike Krzyzewski, his basketball career began at a school not known for basketball, but for developing leaders in the military, West Point. Way before he began his successful run at Duke, Krzyzewski developed his leadership talent as a cadet and learned basketball from Bob Knight, one of the best — and controversial — basketball coaches in the game. However, he credits his training and leadership at West Point to his success at Duke, making the Blue Devils one of the best teams in the NCAA and a school where many talented high school players would like to attend and learn under him.

"I don't look at myself as a basketball coach," Krzyzewski is noted as saying. "I look at myself as a leader who happens to be a basketball coach."

He happens to be one of the most effective leaders on the court and through his community leadership and philanthropist interests, is one of the most sought-after speakers to all type of groups. Success, though, didn't come easy, especially under Bob Knight. Krzyzewski, also referred to as "Coach K," learned the skills of the game under Knight at West Point from 1966 to 1969, where he was team captain in 1968-69 that went to the NIT tournament at Madison Square Garden.

Upon graduation, he served in the Army from 1969 until 1974, where he was director of the service basketball team and then coached for two years at the U.S. Military Academy Prep School located at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. After obtaining the rank of Captain and serving his obligated military contract, Krzyzewski was called again by Knight to serve as his assistant at Indiana University for the 1974-75 season. Learning again from the all-time wins leader, he soon found himself back at West Point as head basketball coach and this time being an effective leader, guiding the team to a record of 73-59 in five years and one NIT appearance.

"Outside of my immediate family, no single person has had a greater impact on my life than Coach Knight," Krzyzewski said. "I have the ultimate respect for him as a coach and a mentor, but even more so as a dear friend. For more than 40 years, the life lessons I have learned from Coach Knight are immeasurable. Simply put, I love him."

In 1980, it was Duke that gave him a chance to lead a team that is one of the more high-profile Division I programs in the nation. And he answered the call. Over his 28-year career at Duke, he produced three NCAA tournament championships (1991, 1992, 2001), 10 ACC tournament championships, and recognition as leading one of the best basketball programs with 68 career wins in the NCAA tournament and over 800 career victories, well on his way to reaching Bob Knights' 900-plus wins. He also has coached nine 30-win seasons, an NCAA record, and averages 25 wins per season. His success at the college level also opened the door for NBA teams to call him and offer lucrative contract deals, but to Krzyzewski, it's not the money, but teaching students the game that made him stay at Duke.

"Your heart has to be in whatever you lead. It became apparent that this decision was somewhat easier to make because you have to follow your heart and lead with it and Duke has always taken up my whole heart. The allure of coaching in college has no price. It's one of those priceless things. I've never made a decision based on what will get me the most money. It was what was going to give me the most happiness and I've been really happy and fulfilled at Duke," he's quoted as saying about his tenure at Duke. "When my relationship with Duke was put up against my relationship with a storied franchise, I found myself even more committed to what Duke has."

For his dedication to Duke, Krzyzewski has seen the Cameron Indoor Stadium floor named "Coach K Court," the courtyard area outside Cameroon Indoor Stadium named Krzyzewskville, and a new basketball practice facility named Michael W. Krzyzewski Center. He also received the call to head the U.S. National Team at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, where his leadership will be shown while competing against top teams from around the globe. Even though he credits Bob Knight for showing him the game, he doesn't have the same fiery mold as Knight. He feels that effective communication and leadership is the key to success, also by showing and having the players understand the fundamentals of the game.

One downside to his persona that has been noted by many is that he doesn't like to talk with the media. He's been described as remote and inaccessible to the press and has said many times that he doesn't like the media coverage that Duke gets. Praised for his communication abilities, Krzyzewski has recognized that he will deal with media more openly and be more accessible.

"Communication does not always occur naturally, even among a tight-knit group of individuals," he's quoted as saying. "Communication must be taught and practiced in order to bring everyone together as one."

He's learned the finer points of the game from Knight, leadership from West Point, and success at Duke. Now, he looks to something that will be attainable in a few years — most wins.

"When you are passionate, you always have your destination in sight and you are not distracted by obstacles," he's quoted as saying about winning. "Because you love what you are pursuing, things like rejection and setbacks will not hinder you in your pursuit. You believe that nothing can stop you."

Posted by Joe Boesch at 11:07 AM | Comments (0)

March 11, 2008

St. Louis' Outfield of Dreams

Everybody's been talking about everything wrong with the St. Louis Cardinals. The pitching is shaky. The middle infield can't hit. The words "shredded ligament" are being used to describe Albert Pujols' elbow.

But in lieu of the negative, let's pretend we're all "glass is half full," people. (Just go with it.)

Here it is: the Cardinals have one of the best young outfields in all of baseball. Between Rick Ankiel, Chris Duncan, and Colby Rasmus, we could be looking at a combined 100 HR, 300 RBI outfield in the near future. Say what you want about the pitching, but that kind of production from the outfield is going to win a lot of games — and sooner rather than later.

The key now is to how to put it all together.

Ankiel and Duncan are locks to make the roster. So it's down to Rasmus, Skip Schumaker, Ryan Ludwick, Brian Barton, and Juan Gonzalez for three spots.

(Don't think Gonzalez and Barton belong in the conversation? Gonzalez has 434 home runs and 1,404 RBI. Barton has a .317 batting average, .417 on-base percentage, and 82 stolen bases in his three-year minor league career. One might be a has been. One might be a never was. But both have earned the shot at a big league job in 2008.)

Compounding the issue is that, with the exception of Rasmus, the two who don't make the Opening Day roster are likely gone from the organization. Schumaker and Ludwick are out of options and would have to clear waivers — a doubtful proposition at best. Gonzalez isn't going to Triple A and Barton, as a Rule 5 pick, would go back to where he came from (Cleveland).

So what does Tony La Russa do?

Option 1: Ankiel, Duncan, Ludwick, Schumaker, and Rasmus in. Gonzalez and Barton out.

This might be the best possible combo for the roster, but it provides the least amount of flexibility for La Russa. If Pujols goes down and they need to move Duncan to first, who becomes the fifth outfielder with Gonzalez and Barton gone? Most likely Joe Mather, who hit 31 home runs between Double A and Triple A last year, but hit only .241 after getting the bump from Springfield to Memphis.

Option 2: Ankiel, Duncan, Ludwick, Schumaker, and Gonzalez in. Rasmus goes to Memphis, Barton to Cleveland.

The fans don't want this. If this is going to be a tough year, they at least want to see the phenom play every day. If Ankiel, Duncan, and Rasmus are the outfield of the future, make it happen.

With that said, La Russa loves veterans. Gonzalez, at his peak, was one of the best hitters in the majors. If he's in a platoon with Ludwick, with Rasmus waiting in the wings, La Russa has a veteran presence with power off the bench and a ready-made infusion of youth in Memphis. Remember when Ankiel came up last year. The Cards, at six games under .500, went on to win six of seven and nine of their next 12. Don't think La Russa isn't taking that into consideration.

Option 3: Ankiel, Duncan, Ludwick, Rasmus, and Gonzalez in. Schumaker goes through waivers and hopes for the best. Barton goes to Cleveland.

I don't like it. Schumaker will get plucked and, with Barton gone, there won't be any speed off the bench. You need to keep at least one of those guys.

Option 4: Ankiel, Duncan, Ludwick, Gonzalez, and Barton in. Schumaker is probably lost through waivers. Rasmus goes down as a spark-plug in reserve.

This one actually has some potential. The only way you give up on Schumaker is if you think Barton is better. Both bring much of the same tools to the table, so Barton on the club makes Schumaker somewhat expendable. You have the Gonzalez veteran power off the bench or in a platoon with Ludwick, plus the energy waiting in Memphis. There's also the chance Schumaker could clear waivers and still be an asset to the team, while Barton is irretrievable once the team hands him back to the Indians. There's a chance you could end up with the best of both worlds.

It basically comes down to two how much La Russa wants Gonzalez and whether he thinks Barton or Schumaker has a better long-term future.

My guess is he goes Option 2: Ankiel, Duncan, Ludwick, Gonzalez and Schumaker make the squad. Barton goes back to Cleveland and we wait with baited breath for Rasmus come the first injury.

Seth Doria is a writer based out of St. Louis. For the only daily column that mixes sports, politics, and entertainment news in one, visit The Left Calf.

Posted by Joshua Duffy at 12:34 PM | Comments (0)

How the West Was Won

The time of the NBA season has now officially kicked into second gear. The NBA all-star glitz is well past us. Each team at this point is tagged as a playoff contender or a rebuilder for the next season.

Now that the NBA trading deadline has come and gone with teams making moves in desperation to contend with each other, only one team emerged as the clear victor. And of all the transactions and player-swaps around the league, only one team made itself better for the now: the Los Angeles Lakers.

And as a knee-jerk reaction to the steal of the decade (Pau Gasol for Kwame Brown, Jarvis Crittenon, Aaron McKey, etc.), the rest of the league actually thought they needed to get better. Much to the delight of Laker fans, the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks worsened. Watch them play. Look at the standings.

Look at the moves around the Western Conference that all but secured an NBA title for Kobe Bryant and the rest of Lakerland.

We'll start with the teams that became substantially worse off due to bad trades.

Phoenix Suns — Shaquille O'Neal for Shawn Marion. Even people that don't watch basketball can look at this one and say: "What in the hell did they do that for?"

Shawn Marion is a Laker killer, can run the floor, averages double-doubles, and often leads the fast-break before the ball gets down the floor. Although his three-point shot looks like bad sex, they often go in. Shaquille O'Neal is old, slow, and well past his prime.

Many felt the Suns had a lineup that could win more games than anyone during the regular season and then fade versus teams with a legit center. Well, does anyone recall that they got robbed by the league's judiciary committee, the Spurs, and the refs when they lost to the Spurs in five games last year? They went toe-to-toe with them and gave them the toughest battle of any team in the 2007 postseason. Why fix something that's not broken? The Suns were atop the Western Conference before the trade. They are 4-6 since Shaq arrived. Hmm. Bad call, Phoenix. Bad call.

Dallas Mavericks — Anybody that has watched Jason Kidd since college probably wonders why teams consider him so valuable. By some franchises, he is lionized for his leadership and uncanny ability to put up triple-doubles on occasion. There is also the assertion that Kidd is not a vicious competitor, and does not hit the perimeter jump shot like a coveted all-star should. I agree.

The Mavs gave up some slashers who attacked the rim and gave Dirk Nowitzki complimentary pieces that allowed him attack or shoot. No longer. Nowitzki is now more relied upon than ever. Kidd has put up mediore numbers and has made his team worse off than they were before. Dallas, the once-proud franchise that held the league's best record a year ago, is now struggling to make the postseason. But it will be a pleasant postseason for some of us if we don't have to look at Mark Cuban's mug during a televised game. Bad call, Mark Cuban. Bad call.

San Antonio Spurs — For some reason, the Spurs are getting little respect for throwing out virtually the same lineup that won the title last year. They made no moves in the offseason, and they did little other than picking up veteran Damon Stoudamire for backup purposes. However, the Spurs have an issue: Tony Parker's ankle. Perhaps the shiftiest guard on the scene, the champs rely on his penetration to make the offense go. Without it, the Spurs lose a dimension and put more pressure on Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan. So far, they've been handling the pressure, especially the outstanding Ginobili.

The bottom line is that the Spurs are a little down, and this will show when the playoffs begin, and especially if they play the Lakers in a series. The Lakers have what it takes down low to challenge Duncan, and with Parker a bit hobbled, the Spurs will have a problem taking this series to seven games. Good luck, Spurs. You will need it this year.

New Orleans Hornets — For a team that has risen faster than its own economy post-Katrina, N..O has exceeded everyone's expectations. The only problem is the expectations stop right there. The Hornets may have to wait until next year to heighten their expectations. Kobe wants his championship without Shaq this year, not later. The fans in L.A. are hungry. The fans in the Big Easy are happy to have a team, let alone a playoff team. There is nothing really to dog the Hornets about other than they just aren't good enough to take down the Lakers if they meet. Kobe owns N.O. in N.O. Enough said.

Good year, Hornets. It's fun to watch CP3, but you are still a droid, and not a jedi.

Utah Jazz — Solid team, well-coached, but stagnant when it comes to improvements since the end of last year's team. You gotta love Jerry Sloan as a solid coach who gets the best out of his players. Let's face it — they plateaued last year, and are not considered a title contender unless the city of L.A. gets smogged over with the Lakers in it, and/or Kyle Korver goes to Hollywood, gets mistaken for Ashton Kutcher, shoots the lights out, and ends up in bed with Jack Nicholson for the sequel to "Prizzi's Honor."

The fact that Andrei Kirilenko is also sidelined with a hip injury that is likely to linger into the playoffs adds to the feeling that the Jazz are slightly downgraded. And Derek Fisher's ascension from Utah to L.A. only made things worse. Sorry, Salt Lake. You are not the real Lake Show. Far from it.

Houston Rockets — Sure, they're on the longest winning streak for any NBA team this year without one of their star players in Yao Ming. But they are amidst the softest part of their schedule, going against sub-.500 teams from the East at home, and so on. The Rockets shouldn't be discredited for their success. They're continuing their success in dominating fashion without their star center.

The presence of Luis Scola help deafen the blow from Yao's season-ending foot surgery. It's a lot like Gasol filling in for the injured Andrew Bynum of the Lakers. The difference is that Bynum is expected back in time to mix in with Gasol, Bryant, and the rest of the Lakers' chemistry. Yao is not expected back. So if and when the Lakers and Rockets play in the post-season, the two-headed monster will over-match the lone Scola down low. In a series, that's too much to compensate.

Is Hakeem Olajuwon or Ralph Sampson available? They have a history of stunning favored teams from L.A. The Rockets will get the monkey off of Tracy McGrady's back of not being able to win a playoff series, but no more. Houston wants to get off the ground and win a series for once in the McGrady era. That's their expectations. Houston bettered themselves by dropping Jeff Van Gundy for Rick Adelman as head coach. But he's never been able to better Phil Jackson in big playoff matchups. The Lakers have a title in mind, and big boys down low (not to mention the fact that the Lakers will be the harsh end to the potential 21-game win streak next week).

Thank you for inserting yourself as a respectable Western Conference franchise, again. But you are not jedis yet.

Golden State Warriors — The most exciting team in the NBA, and that's it. Simple. The Warriors will be the first team to make the playoffs without an all-star on the roster. However, the magic that existed last season will not last. A probable matchup versus the Lakers spells doom for a team whose weakness is rebounding, and relying on retread Chris Webber only makes things better in a WWF world. Anyone who watched the Jazz exploit the Warriors last year in the playoffs will see it again in the form of Bynum/Gasol. Oakland is happy to not sport a team that wins 26 games a year. The Warriors are the cure for the Raiders (and the 49ers). That's all. No more. No less.

Denver Nuggets — Any basketball purest wishes a ninth-place finish in the West. Why? The breed of shoot-first point guards, i.e. Allen Iverson, is losing out to team-oriented, flow master floor generals, i.e. Chris Paul. Carmelo Anthony continues to manifest, and Kenyon Martin's aggressive play, not his mouth, has been the focal point of his game. The Nuggets, like the Warriors, continue to win games at a playoff pace. In most campaigns, being 15 games over .500 allows you to ease into the postseason. Not so this year. Even if the Nuggets may make it to the postseason due to a Dallas or Phoenix collapse, they will make little noise versus a Lakers or Spurs team that will virtually destroy them.

Sorry, Denver. Perhaps ownership will move this franchise to Pittsburgh or Montreal, or some desirable city east of the Mississippi River so they can cinch a playoff spot with their two all-stars.

So all that aside, congratulations to the Dr. Buss, Kobe Bryant, Jack Nicholson, Phil Jackson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and the rest of the Laker Nation.

Kobe whined and cried a year ago, and GM Mitch Kupchak patiently gave him stolen goods from Tennessee in the form of a seven-foot Spaniard.

In memory of the late Chick Hearn, the eggs are cooling, the butter's hard, and most importantly, the champagne is chilling and bubbling in Los Angeles.

But that's just how the West was won.

Posted by Jon Gonzales at 11:54 AM | Comments (2)

March 10, 2008

The Celtics' X-Factor

The 2006 NBA draft was a mess for the Boston Celtics.

First, the Celtics passed on Brandon Roy, the stud forward out of Washington, who later became Rookie of the Year, a title most anointed him as soon as he was drafted. Then, once the C's drafted Randy Foye, they shipped him off to Portland in a deal that brought them Sebastian Telfair and Theo Ratliff (in a twist of irony, the Blazers then sent Foye to Minnesota in exchange for Roy)

Telfair was supposedly going to be the point guard of the future, but turned out to be an absolute dud in Boston, averaging 6.1 points and 2.8 assists in 78 games. Ratliff was basically included because of his attrative "expiring contract," and played just two games for the C's.

In their second trade of the night, the Celts, knowingly or unknowingly, went out and got themselves a bit of an insurance plan, trading with Phoenix to move back into the first round at pick No. 21, where they drafted Rondo.

Rondo was a standout for Kentucky, but realistically, he only figured to be nothing more than a backup to Telfair or whoever was manning the point for the Green. However, as the '06-'07 season wore on, it became evident that Telfair was simply not right for the job, and after a strong showing off the bench, Rondo was installed as the starter by February and has not let go of the job since.

Rondo, known for his defensive tenacity, has really come into his own this season. Of course, a lot of this can be contributed to the Celts' acquistition of Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, forming arguably the best trio basketball has seen since the Larry Bird/Kevin McHale/Robert Parish Celtics of the '80s. However, when you watch the Celtics play, it is clear that Rondo has matured a great deal since last season.

Of course, this process did not happen overnight. At the start of the season, Rondo did look a bit hesitant, which may be a natural thing to happen when you play with three future Hall of Famers, but as the season has worn on, it is evident that someone, whether it was coach Doc Rivers, a teammate, or some outside source, sat him down and let him know that while the three stars would be putting up the points offensively, it did not necessarily mean that Rondo couldn't contribute on the scoreboard, as well.

Rondo has been driving to the basket much more lately, using his quickness to its full capacity. None of these times were more evident than last week, when Rondo drove to the basket during the win against Detriot, and made a highlight-reel dunk on Pistons' forward Jason Maxiell.

Recently, the Celts went out and acquired Sam Cassell, a move that would probably concern most second-year starters, but Rondo has taken it in stride, and has been open about how much he believes Cassell's presence will only help him in the C's stretch run, and possibly put the team over the top in terms of their chances to win an NBA championship.

Rondo, who just turned 22, is one of the youngest players on a veteran-filled Boston team, but has demanded the respect of a guy who has been in the league for 10 years, and his teammates seem all for it. Will it be enough to raise another banner in Boston? That remain to be seen. What is known is that Rajon Rondo has elevated his game from a rookie getting 20 minutes a game to one of the best point guards in the Eastern Conference, and giving the Celtics their first legitamate point guard in years.

Posted by Rich Lyons at 11:44 AM | Comments (0)

A Sign of the Times, a Look to the Future

It is hard to look past the circus atmosphere in sports these days. Just turn on any sports channel and it is an absolute certainty that you will hear about the Spygate scandal; the Mitchell Report; cheating referees; or professional athletes lying, cheating, and being involved in criminal activities. And no sport, it seems, is above the fray. This truly is a trying time for athletes and fans alike. And, begs the question, have professional sports been corrupted beyond repair? While it is still too early to tell, the answer may lie just below the surface.

In just a few weeks, March Madness will begin and millions of fans across the country will watch as their teams compete in one of the biggest sporting events in college athletics. It is during the last weeks in March and early April, when the excitement of the NFL playoffs and Super Bowl are over and the Major League Baseball season is still in preseason mode, that many sports fans turn to college basketball and the NCAA tournament for their sports fix. This tournament pits 64 of the top college teams in the nation against each other in a bracketed playoff, culminating in a Final Four showdown and eventually, the crowning of a national champion. While this is an exciting few weeks of basketball, there is more to this tournament than meets the eye.

What makes this competition so special is that it is played for all the right reasons. No shoe endorsements or multi-million dollar deals here, just pure hunger and determination. Sure, a small percentage of these athletes are honing their skills for the next level, but for a majority, the college level is the end of the line; an NCAA tournament berth a reward for their hard work and dedication. Thus, the tournament becomes one in which pride and reputation take center stage. The "I" is forgotten and the "we" becomes a rallying cry. These teams are driven to be the best, the number one college basketball team in the country, and for the winner, a place in the history books.

The tournament is aptly titled March Madness, and the race to the Final Four always seems to be exciting and definitely worth watching. This year should prove no different. With so many great athletes throughout the country, a parity in college athletics has developed. This parity has resulted in some of the stiffest competition ever seen in the NCAA and should make for an interesting and competitive tournament. Equally important and adding to the intrigue are the great stories coming out of this years' teams. Whether it is the outstanding young Pac-10 freshmen O.J. Mayo and Kevin Love leading their respective teams to a tournament berth, or the successes of smaller programs like Xavier, Butler, and Drake, this year's tournament is definitely going to be one not to miss. Why, however, is the tournament so important this year?

The world of professional sports is currently at a crossroads, with its future hanging in the balance. Sure, professional sports have seen their fair share of scandals come and go, but could this be the proverbial straw that breaks the camel's back? Can sports fans welcome back leagues and players that have not only deceived them, but simultaneously tainted the history of their favorite pastimes? Surprisingly, the answer may rest in the very hands of the players who are currently preparing for the national stage of the NCAA basketball tournament.

While this time in sports may go down in history as the Scandal Era, there is still hope for professional sports. There are areas in desperate need of repair and, many issues that need addressing. In short, there must be change, and soon. If there can be change, surely the fans can forgive. And the best place for change may be at the collegiate level. It is these athletes that will write the next chapter on professional sports at a time when fans' confidence and patience are waning.

These athletes are tomorrow's superstars and role models. They are the future of their sports and have the ability to bring about change. More has been entrusted to these athletes than any previous generation. They must learn from their predecessors' mistakes and be willing to set new examples and restore the integrity to the sports they play. It can be, and truthfully, must be done. For now, sports fans are watching, waiting, and hoping.

Posted by Chris Gonzales at 11:13 AM | Comments (0)

March 7, 2008

College Hoops '08 Defining Moments

As March Madness has come upon us, it's time to stop and remember why we look forward to this time of the year.

Each year, there are games, people, and places that make the season a special one. The joy in college sports is that anything can happen, and when great moments take place, players become legends, arenas become hallowed ground, and dates live in infamy. This year, of course, is no exception, and here's the game, the player, and the arena that, come 2009, will be nothing but wonderful memories.

The Game
Vanderbilt 72, Tennessee 69

As much as I loved the Tennessee/Memphis game (and I loved that game), the following game lived up to its billing and more, as Vandy roared to a huge lead, the Vols came storming back, and in an all-out fight to the end, the Commodores held on, ending Tennessee's short reign at the top.

Why does this game stand out? Simple: you won't find a better showdown between guards than UT's Chris Lofton and VU's Shan Foster. Foster was simply on fire, going 9-of-13 from the field and scoring 32 points, while Lofton struggled, but still managed to put up 25 of his own. There is no doubt that, despite the talent returning next year, the in-state matchup won't live to the billing it did this year.

The Player
Michael Beasley, Kansas State

What does this guy have to do to be any more impressive? K-State gets pummeled by Kansas on the road, Beasley has to sit with two fouls in the first two minutes, and he still scores 39 for the game? Beasley is a one-man team, guiding the Wildcats to a pretty good year with his own nightly showcase of basketball brilliance. He does it all — dominant on the inside, deadly behind the perimeter, ferocious on defense. This guy is simply unstoppable.

I thought Kevin Durant was as good as a freshman could get last year, when he was the one-man wrecking crew for Texas. I was wrong. Beasley is as good as a freshman could possibly get, and think of how many NBA teams are licking their chops to sign him next year. The draft lottery hasn't meant this much since Orlando's win brought them Shaquille O'Neal.

The Arena
John Q. Hammons Student Center, Missouri State

When I first walked onto the floor inside the "Q", I wasn't overly impressed. It was an old 8,600 seat crackerbox of an arena. The media room was like a closet, the press conferences were held by a storage room, and the scoreboards reminded everyone of the 1980s. At first glance, you almost wondered if the NCAA had ripped the Bears off the last two years as punishment for the facility they played in.

Once the fans started filing in though, and the game was underway, the old "Q" showed its character. Missouri State could make that place shake with the noise level that resounded through those old walls. Suddenly, the building's character was revealed, and the old crackerbox became a favored place to cover a game. You could easily imagine the times where Charlie Spoonhauer and Steve Alford used to roam the sidelines as the head coach, and you realized that the "Q" stood for something great in college sports.

With the new JQH Center coming this fall, the old Q has sung her last goodbye. But not without a fond remembrance.

Posted by Jean Neuberger at 11:08 AM | Comments (0)

March 6, 2008

Despite Love-Fest, Favre Not Best Ever

I'm not going to write one of those sappy love letters to Brett Favre that I keep seeing all over the Internet.

The fact is, I've never really been a Brett Favre fan. I've always considered him one of the most overrated quarterbacks in the NFL.

In fact, I'm convinced that the Packers are better off without him. And trust me, there is a contingent in that organization that agrees; you don't accidentally post his retirement news on your website, then quickly accept his retirement without any effort to talk him out of it if you want him back.

After all, his awful game against the Giants cost his team a trip to the Super Bowl.

Yes, there was extremely bad weather (understatement of the year), but the game was nothing more than a continuation of Brett Favre's disappointing showings in big games.

Since Mike Holmgren left, Favre has consistently come up small in big games.

Yet somehow he continues to get a free ride. The media loves him.

Note to NFL quarterbacks: be nice to the media, leave ESPN writers nice cell phone messages, and every mistake you ever make will be overlooked.

He made every offseason about himself. The will he or won't he stories keeping his franchise in a holding pattern. The press conferences called to tell everyone that there was nothing to tell everyone.

It was the second most annoying story in NFL history (the most annoying, of course, being Congress' involvement in Spygate).

Brett Favre even got away with putting his own selfishness ahead of a fellow player when he called out Javon Walker for threatening to hold out in a contract dispute. Contrast that with how Tom Brady handled the Deion Branch situation, offering nothing but support publicly to his fellow player.

Perhaps privately he felt the same way Favre did, but you just don't call out another player.

Yet Favre remained the golden boy.

I'll never understand it. Ever.

He broke records, mostly because of his longevity. At a position where longevity isn't exactly common, that is something to celebrate. But longevity doesn't make you great.

He wasn't Dan Marino. He wasn't Tom Brady. He wasn't Peyton Manning.

He was one of the better middle-tier quarterbacks. A definite Hall of Famer for what he accomplished (accumulated stats get you into the Hall of Fame), but not among the greatest ever.

So why don't I like Brett Favre?

Outside of his selfishness late in his career, he was one of the most frustrating players I've ever watched.

My frustration with him is simple: he should have been better.

Favre had all the tools, all the skills, all the competitiveness — everything he needed to be the greatest quarterback of his generation.

But he was stubborn.

He always thought he could make every play, make every throw, and could win every game himself. He thought he could walk on water when he was on a football field.

Some say that's what made him great.

I say this is what made him so damn frustrating. I'm confident most of his former coaches would agree.

No way a guy as great as Favre should be throwing six interceptions in a playoff game. No way he should have a 20 touchdown and 29 interception season.

Favre should have celebrated playoff numbers like Tom Brady, instead his post-Holmgren career is filling with celebrated playoff failures. He's only 2-5 with 11 touchdowns and 16 interceptions since Holmgren left the Packers.

Not exactly the stuff of legends.

Aaron Rodgers may or may not be the answer, but for the young and talented Packers, Brett Favre is definitely not the answer.

So goodbye, Brett.

I'll always remember you as the guy who could have been the greatest ever, but wasn't.

I'm SeanMC.

SeanMC is a senior writer for Bleacher Report and writes a column for Sports Central every other Thursday. You can read more articles by SeanMC on his blog.

Posted by Sean Crowe at 12:41 PM | Comments (16)

NASCAR Top 10 Power Rankings: Week 3

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Carl Edwards — Edwards led 86 laps on his way to his second consecutive win, sweeping NASCAR's West Coast swing with a convincing victory in the UAW-Dodge 400. As he did in California, Edwards proved his Roush Fenway Ford has the horsepower to challenge the Gibbs Toyotas and Hendrick Chevys. And he's got the teeth to challenge any horse in a smiling contest.

"And NASCAR wants to penalize me for having the lid off my oil reservoir," says Edwards. "What kind of advantage does that give my car? It's ridiculous. It's simply a nefarious conspiracy, much like the purported Hells Angels conspiracy to wack Mick Jagger. Unfortunately, NASCAR succeeded in its wicked, conspiring ways, while just as unfortunately, the Hell's Angels failed in theirs. But it looks like they did get in several solid licks with the ugly stick."

2. Kyle Busch — Hometown hero Busch started on the pole in Vegas and led 56 laps, but a late tire deflation issue derailed his hopes to win. Busch still scrambled to an 11th-place finish and is 21 points behind Carl Edwards in the points.

"We had a great start, leading the first 20 laps," says Busch. "After that, we were up and down, never quite making the right adjustments. We're still figuring out this Camry. I think much of the uncertainty stems from the fact that this is a Japanese product. Japanese engineering has always blown my mind; heck, I don't even know how they make fried rice, even though the name is pretty much self-explanatory. And I always thought an 'egg roll' was a race ran on Easter Sunday. I do love my Sudoku, though. She gives the best massages."

3. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. — Earnhardt was unable to challenge Carl Edwards after the race's final restart, handicapped by a lengthy red flag wait that left his No. 88 Chevy with cold tires and little grip. Still, it was a successful day in Vegas, as Earnhardt advanced 13 positions in the Sprint Cup points to 10th.

"I was so close," says Earnhardt, "I could taste it. Usually, when I make that statement, it's not necessarily a good thing, especially when I wake up from a hard night of drinking with my buddies, only to slowly come to the realization that they've positioned my face in a not-so-pleasant place. Talk about a 'rear spoiler.' But I love my posse, even though they've yet to assassinate a rival rapper on my behalf. Flo Rider, watch your back. Anyway, I'm pleased with my performance with Hendrick so far, and I've learned so much from Gordon and Johnson already, like how not to cause a wreck, and how not to blow the setup on a track you've previously mastered."

4. Kasey Kahne — Kahne finished seventh in Las Vegas, and is the only driver with top-10s in all three races this year. He now sits fourth in the points, 47 out of first.

"This Budweiser sponsorship is just what I needed to turn my career around," says Kahne. "We're running great in races, and I've never signed so many autographs in my life. Unfortunately, I'm not signing my autographs. These insanely loyal Dale, Jr. fans insist that Earnhardt is still driving the Bud car, so I have to sign his name just to get them to leave. Come to think of it, this Budweiser deal may be a curse. Before, it was a pleasure signing my name across a fan's chest. Now that men are asking me to do it, the thrill is gone, baby."

5. Kevin Harvick — Harvick led the charge of two Richard Childress cars in the top five, finishing fourth in Las Vegas with Jeff Burton right behind in fifth. Harvick moves up two places in the Sprint Cup standings to fifth, 63 out of first.

"RCR drivers near the top of the standings with little shot of winning a championship?" says Harvick. "That's old hat to us. And speaking of old hats, you can take an old baseball hat to your local NAPA Auto Parts store and exchange it for a brand new NAPA racing hat, with a purchase, of course. That's assuming you want a new NAPA racing hat. In a related promotion, you can take your Shell/Pennzoil cap to your local Shell station or Pennzoil dealer and tell 'em 'I'm already a Kevin Harvick fan, and Kevin doesn't need some gimmicky promotion to get people to wear his merchandise. If I want Kevin Harvick merchandise, I'll get in the old-fashioned way: at a race, from a mobile merchandise trailer, from some toothless carnival barker, at an extremely overpriced dollar amount.'"

6. Tony Stewart — After blowing a right front tire, Stewart's No. 20 Home Depot Toyota hammered the turn four wall on lap 108. Stewart was banged up and reported "tingling" in his leg, adding that the crash was "the hardest hit he's taken in a long time." After some time in the infield care center, Stewart left with only a bruised foot.

"'Tingling in the legs' and 'hardest hit he's taken,'" recites Stewart. "That's got to be lyrics from a Willie Nelson song. Anyway, you won't hear Kurt Busch describing my punches as the hardest hit he's taken. And, despite what you hear, I didn't punch anyone inside the care center, although I came close to clocking a nurse who looked at me sideways. Thank goodness for the SAFER barrier, though. Not just the one on the track walls, but the one underneath my skin. The soft, gelatinous layer of fat has served me well, not only in my car, but in my second job, at Pillsbury."

7. Matt Kenseth — Kenseth was battling Jeff Gordon for second on lap 262 when Gordon drifted high and clipped Kenseth. Gordon spun into the inside wall, destroying his car, while Kenseth maintained control but was forced to pit for four tires. What looked like a sure top-three result became a finish of 20th. Over his team radio, Kenseth reacted with a level of fury uncharacteristic of the soft-spoken Wisconsin native, saying "I'll not forget this one easily." Whoa, Matt! Settle down, there. That kind of language would make, well, no one blush, not even Mark Martin. I commend you on your grammar and delivery, but this is NASCAR. You've got to assert yourself, otherwise you'll be shoved around, bullied, strong-armed, or intimidated in some other fashion, like you have been throughout your career. What do you consider a fight, Matt? "Dueling Banjos?" When you get wrecked, you've got to respond angrily, with a drop-kick, maybe, or some salty language.

"Like, 'I drink your milkshake!'" says Kenseth.

No. Not scary.

"Okay, I'm from Wisconsin. How about 'I eat your cheese!?"

Pathetic. Try again.

"Okay. I always liked the way fellow Wisconsonite Richie Cunningham handled himself. I'll go with, 'Sit on it!'"

Nope. Even Ralph Malph would laugh in your face. Methinks you need a bit of courage, Matthew.

"Very well, then. I'm off to see the Wizard."

8. Ryan Newman — Daytona 500 winner Newman finished 12th in the Sin City 400, giving him three top-15 finishes as the series heads to Atlanta. He is third in the Sprint Cup points standings, 41 points out of first.

"If I've learned one thing this year," says Newman, "it's that God's power works in an unpredictable manner, especially when channeled through the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge, a latter-day burning bush. First, at Daytona, God wills me to victory with a push from Kurt Busch's holy-roller. Then, in Vegas, Kurt blows a tire and slams the wall, leaving me to race 41 other cars on my own. No disrespect to the victims of the Plagues of Egypt, but Jesus H. Christ, I think God was a little harsh on me."

9. Greg Biffle — If not for a speeding infraction on pit row, Biffle's No. 16 Ford could have replaced Carl Edwards' No. 99 as the Roush Fenway car in victory lane. Instead, Biffle settled for third, which moved him up three places in the points to sixth.

"Carl was fast," says Biffle. "But to coin an overused cliche, I think I 'had something for him.' In fact, I did have something for him — a congratulatory handshake. I'm quite envious of Carl, but not because of any one of his 55 teeth, nor his ability to backflip like the Great Muta. It's that belt he got for winning in Vegas. That thing is sweet. It would look great with my khaki pants, Speed TV polo shirt, and penny loafers on the set of This Week in NASCAR. I am bringing sexy back."

10. (tie) Jeff Gordon/Jimmie Johnson — While the pieces of Gordon's Nicorette-sponsored Chevrolet were being swept and Dust Buster-ed off the track, Johnson was languishing two laps down in 29th. After some promising practice times, Johnson qualified 33rd on Saturday and never was able find the same race setup that won him his last three Las Vegas starts. He finished 29th and fell six places in the points to 14th.

"We obviously missed the setup," says Johnson's crew chief, Chad Knaus. "I'll take part of the blame. I failed to make the right calls, and my presence was barely noticeable on pit row. That may have been due to the fact that I was calling the race from the pit at the Bellagio. Just like Jimmie, I crapped out early, and I got caught on video counting cards at the blackjack table. They suspended me for six hands. But I hear Carl Edwards won the race and failed inspection after the race. I like the way he does things, but I'm gonna have to call 'copyright infringement' on that one. Anyway, we'll turn things around. We've just got to put on our Jimmie-hats and go back to the drawing board."

After his violent crash, Gordon condemned the track for not having SAFER barrier protection on the inside walls. Lost in the magnitude of Gordon's crash was the plight of the gopher manning FOX's 'Gopher-Cam,' who was sadly done in by Gordon's No. 24 Chevy as it slid wildly through the infield grass.

"I've made a career exterminating those little varmints," says "Caddyshack's" Carl Spackler, a surprise choice to deliver the gopher's eulogy. "But I must say, I had a little soft spot for that little fellow. I'll miss him, even though he never had a name."

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 11:27 AM | Comments (0)

March 5, 2008

A Personal Reflection on Brett Favre

The news of Brett Favre's retirement finally came Tuesday, either three years too late or one year too early, and like so many NFL writers, I'd like to share my thoughts on the man, his career, and his retirement.

Let's start with something obvious: Brett Favre was a terrific quarterback. He made nine Pro Bowls and won three MVP Awards. He threw for 61,655 yards and 442 touchdowns, both league records. He passed for over 4,000 yards five times and for at least 30 TDs eight times. Favre will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and rightfully so. He is probably the greatest quarterback in Packer history — which is saying a lot — and is almost certainly among the 10 best quarterbacks in history.

Brett Favre was also a player you could sympathize with. From his addiction to painkillers to personal tragedies in his family, the man had problems fans could relate to. Ordinary people identify with his incredible streak for consecutive starts, showing up to work even when he was in physical and psychological pain. Perhaps Favre's greatest moment was the Monday night game just after his father died. In a 41-7 Green Bay win, Favre passed for 399 yards and 4 touchdowns with no interceptions. Favre's play that night — dealing with a pain we all know on some level — is probably my fondest memory of him. Talk about a Hollywood ending, when Favre went out on that Monday night and played the game of his life, it was more than just heartwarming — it felt right.

Want to read something else good about Favre? It'll take a while to run out of material. This guy's coaches and teammates loved him. In that Oakland game on the Monday night after his dad died, Favre's receivers made some of the best catches of their careers. His receivers stepped things up to help their guy have the best night possible under the circumstances. Favre continues to have a warm relationship with many of his former coaches from Mike Holmgren's staff in Green Bay, and he's famously friendly even with many opponents, most notably Warren Sapp and Michael Strahan.

Media Coverage

Something I don't like about Brett Favre, and which is not his fault, is the way he is treated by the media. They (we?) worship the man. I don't want to come off as a hypocrite, because although I just spent three paragraphs on reasons to like Brett Favre, I'm also willing to criticize him when he makes mistakes. And in the 2005 and '06 seasons — the worst of his career — Favre made plenty of mistakes.

This isn't to demean his legacy — Dan Marino wasn't the same player in 1998 that he was in 1986, and let's not even talk about Johnny Unitas when he played for the Chargers. It happens to every quarterback, no matter how great: you're not the same player when you get older. But to listen to fawning television announcers, or to read anything by Peter King, Favre has never made a mistake.

I remember a game a couple of years ago, in which Favre threw an interception nowhere near his receiver. Al Michaels said something to the effect of, "Well, I think we know whose fault that was." He was taken aback when innocent, sorta-slow John Madden replied, "I think it was Brett Favre's fault," and then explained why. And relatively speaking, Michaels isn't bad as far as Favre-worship. The most infamous, of course, is King — look up his name with Favre's and you'll find a number of rather unsavory suggestions of just how much King loves the longtime Packer QB — but it's a tremendous problem on television, too (particularly with Joe Buck and pretty much anyone who works for ESPN). Some time a few years back, certainly no later than 2005, we reached the point that media sycophancy actually started making Favre look worse. That's not Favre's fault, but for better or worse, it's part of his legacy.

More Reasons to Like Brett Favre

You'll hear it from any football fan. He loves the game or you can tell he's having fun out there or he makes games exciting. You'll get no argument from me. I guess no one but Brett really knows if he loves the game, but if he's been doing something he hates for the last 20 years, he's quite a trooper, and even at the end of his career, he seemed to retain a childlike passion for the game, and he almost always seemed to be having fun. Who else chucks snowballs at his receivers during a game?

A fair case can be made that Brett Favre was the most exciting quarterback in history. The two most exciting things a quarterback does with any regularity are throwing touchdowns and throwing interceptions. Favre threw more TDs and more INTs than any other player in history. One is good, and one is bad, but they're both exciting. We've often heard the term "gunslinger" applied to Favre. He loved to throw, and his ability to fit passes into tight spaces is part of his legacy. Interceptions come with the territory, but when Favre had the ball something was going to happen, and more often than not it was something good.

Sometimes it seemed like Favre had a magic about him, that he could just run around for a while and eventually he'd make a big play. A classic example was this past season, when Favre, rolling right, stumbled and appeared about to fall, but held on for about five steps — and on each one you thought he was about to go down — before tossing (not passing, tossing) the ball to a receiver for a first down. Classic Favre.

My Least Favorite Thing About Brett Favre

Criticizing Brett Favre is like saying that you don't like Mona Lisa's smile. Not many people will agree with you, and you're taking shots at something darn near perfect. But lest I be accused of writing a puff piece almost as bad as whatever I'm sure ESPN is doing right now, let me tell you something I don't like about Brett Favre.

For years now, I've heard — about a million times — that Brett Favre doesn't care about records. He doesn't care about the career passing yardage record, he doesn't care about Marino's touchdown record, he doesn't care about John Elway's record for wins by a starting quarterback. Well, I've never seen any NFL player who cared more about records than Brett Favre.

Isn't it a funny coincidence that Favre retired right after breaking those marks for passing yards, TDs, and wins? We kept hearing that Favre wanted another shot at the Super Bowl, and after a 13-3 season and an NFC Championship appearance, with all his teammates and most fans expecting him to come back, Favre finally pulls the trigger now. It's hard to believe those records weren't part of his decision to keep coming back then, and his decision to retire now.

Is anyone else in the league as record-conscious as Favre was? What about Strahan's record-breaking sack, which almost everyone thinks Favre let him have? To review the basics, he called a running play, executed a naked bootleg instead, then lay down and waited for Strahan to touch him. In fairness to Favre, he says he audibled to a pass, and while there is near universal-agreement about Favre's intention to help Strahan break the record, it is still speculation, not fact. But why did the record seem to matter more to Favre than to Strahan?

If you've ever seen an interview with Favre, he always says that the records aren't important to him, but that if they were, his favorite would be the consecutive-games streak, which now ends at 253 (275 with playoffs). That makes sense when you consider that the old record was 116, and it's certainly something worth being proud about. Favre played through a lot of pain and probably hurt some of his stats by taking the field when he was less than 100%. But it makes me uncomfortable that Favre tries to draw attention to his least important record (it's what you do, not how long you did it), which is the least likely to be broken, and away from the more significant marks that are more likely to fall.

The record, which applies only among quarterbacks, is widely misunderstood. The player with the most consecutive games in NFL history is punter Jeff Feagles (320), followed by defensive end Jim Marshall (282). Those guys are good players, but they're not Hall of Famers. Honestly, the streaks are their main claims to fame. Contrast that with the runners-up for passing yards (Marino and Elway) and touchdowns (Marino and Fran Tarkenton). Those are more meaningful records.

But the record for consecutive starts is the least likely to fall, and the one Favre is most likely to be remembered for even if it is broken. Like all the other records, it's being chased by Peyton Manning. But consider this: Manning has played 10 seasons (Favre played 16, not including his rookie year as a backup in Atlanta), and he averages 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns per year. He's on pace to break Favre's new yardage and touchdown records just five years from now. If he slows down, make it six. Either way, those marks probably aren't going to last long unless Manning gets hurt. Peyton has also started all 160 games of his NFL career. But that's 93 behind Favre, and six more healthy seasons is a lot to ask, even of Manning.

I'm sure that as time goes on, I'll remember all the great things about Brett Favre: his skill as a passer, his sense of humor, the energy he brought to the game. But right now, I'm struck by the timing of his retirement, right after he set all those records. Maybe it's just a coincidence, but at a time when the Packers look like contenders, that would be a pretty big coincidence, and after years of hearing about how the records don't matter to Favre, this leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

A Legend Moves On

I don't want to end this tribute on a sour note, or to imply that Favre's unseemly number-chasing and prevarication regarding records will be how I remember him. Favre's legacy will be as the greatest quarterback of his generation, the player who bridged the gap between the great QBs of the late '80s and early '90s (Marino, Elway, Moon, Young, etc.) and the great QBs of the 2000s (Manning, Tom Brady, etc.). It will be strange to turn on the television next fall and watch the Packers take the field without Favre at quarterback. We won't miss the constant speculation about when he'll retire, or the absurd fawning of obsequious announcers, but we'll miss just about everything else No. 4 brought to the game. Happy trails, Brett. It's been fun.

It's always been fun.

Posted by Brad Oremland at 11:59 AM | Comments (0)

The Rise and Fall of Scott Spiezio

35-year-old journeyman utility man Scott Spiezio was cut by the St. Louis Cardinals on February 27th after police issued a six-count warrant for his arrest following a December car crash.

Cardinals General Manager John Mozeliak and the rest of the St. Louis organization wished him the best, releasing a statement saying, "We hope Scott will continue to seek appropriate help and wish him the best in baseball, but more importantly in life."

With so much talk of World Series favorites, spring training, and Opening Day less than three weeks away, Spiezio's plight has been relegated to blurbs in baseball sidebar columns and hidden like an easter egg on MLB.com.

He will probably be remembered for the hard rock lifestyle that led to a physical breakdown during an August 2007 game against the Padres last season, the car crash last December that led to the warrant for his arrest, and his tumultuous battle with substance abuse.

But a look into Spiezio's professional career reveals more than a drug-addicted, marginal player. It tells the story of a gifted athlete who was one of the most talented and well-rounded players in the game today.

Scott Spiezio went to college at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he made the All-Big 10 Team in baseball in 1992 and 1993. By three years into his major league career, Spiezio, a switch-hitter, had played every position in baseball except for catcher, shortstop, and center field. He'd even taken the mound as a relief pitcher, pitching one inning in a regular season contest in against the Athletics giving up one walk, no hits, and no runs. His fastball was clocked as fast as 87 mph.

In Game 6 of the 2002 World Series, as a member of the Anaheim Angels and with Anaheim trailing 5-0 in the seventh inning of the game, and facing a Series loss, Spiezio hit a three-run homer off of Giants pitcher Felix Rodriguez to pull his team to within two runs and catapult the Angels to a Game 6 win. The Angels ended up winning Game 7 and the 2002 World Series.

In the same year with the Angels, he tied Sandy Alomar, Jr.'s postseason RBI record set in 1997 with 19 RBIs.

He would spark yet another team's postseason fortunes just four years later as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals. With the Cardinals trailing 6-4 in the seventh inning of Game Two of the 2006 National League Championship Series, Spiezio hit a two-run triple to tie the score. The Cardinals went on to win the game and then the series in seven games. They then proceeded to win the 2006 World Series, earning Spiezio his second championship ring.

And yet, when the name "Scott Spiezio" is mentioned years from now, people won't remember his postseason play with the Angels and Cardinals. They won't remember that he's one of only a handful of players who can play seven different professional baseball players.

They'll think of a vaguely-detailed police report that said how on December 30th, officers found a 2004 BMW registered to Spiezio had crashed into a curb and fence. They'll think of how decades of a delicate balancing act between Spiezio's off-the-field struggles and on-the-field potential came crashing down around him.

Posted by Ryan Day at 11:11 AM | Comments (1)

March 4, 2008

NCAA Championship Week Preview

Selection Sunday is less than two weeks away. Between now and then, there is Championship Week. Almost every team in Division I has a chance to make the NCAA tournament. 4-23 Louisiana Tech has a chance. 5-25 Loyola Marymount has a chance. 6-22 Colorado State has a chance.

Odds are none of those teams will actually run their conference tournaments to capture an auto bid. But of every major sport, none but college basketball begins its postseason with so many teams alive. Every single kid on every single team heading into a conference tournament is dreaming of making the big dance. Once the ball tips on Championship Week, these kids won't be playing for stats or personal glory. They'll be playing — killing themselves — for that dream. For shear drama and emotion, no other sport can touch the annual madness of college basketball in March.

You all know the favorites. You know the bubble scenarios, the RPI, and strength of schedule. So instead of recapping what you already know, I present to you this service: the second annual Sports Central Guide to Championship Week, a full conference-by-conference breakdown of dates and formats, with a daily calendar of events and links to each conference tournament bracket (or tournament site if the bracket isn't available).

Ladies and gentlemen, everything you need to know for 13 of the greatest days of the year:

AMERICA EAST (March 7-15)

Format: All 9 teams in; 8-9 teams in play-in game; Play-in through semis at Binghamton; Finals at campus site of highest remaining seed.

Favorite: Maryland Baltimore-County (21-8 overall, 13-3 in conference)

Sleeper: Vermont (15-14, 9-7)

Player to watch: Vermont F Marqus Blakely has scored in double figures every game this season and has a double-double in 11 of his last 12 games. He leads the conference in scoring (19.4), rebounding (11.0), and blocks (2.6); also averages 2 steals per game and hits 55 percent of his shots.

Bracket

ATLANTIC 10 (March 12-15)

Format: Top 12 teams in; 1-4 seeds get bye into Quarters; in Atlantic City

Favorite: Xavier (25-4, 13-1)

Sleeper: Massachusetts (19-9, 8-6)

Player to watch: St. Joseph's senior swingman Pat Calathes averages 18 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, hitting better than 42 percent of his three-point attempts. In back-to-back home losses to St. Louis and Temple (which killed any shot at an at-large), Calathes hit only 6-of-30 shot attempts. If the Hawks are going to make a run, it's going to be because Calathes breaks out.

Bracket

ACC (March 13-16)

Format: All 12 teams in; 1-4 seeds bye into Quarters; in Charlotte

Favorite: Duke (25-3, 12-2) / North Carolina (27-2, 12-2)

Sleeper: Clemson (21-7, 9-5)

Player to watch: North Carolina PG Ty Lawson missed six games with a sprained ankle. Though the Heels went 5-1 in those six (losing to Duke at home), the Carolina offense is much better with him on the court. Lawson played 21 minutes in the win over BC on Saturday, hitting 1-of-5 shots and two free throws or four points to go along with five assists. He's going to need to get back to his old form if they expect to win the ACC championship.

Tournament Site

ATLANTIC SUN (March 5-8)

Format: Eight of 12 teams in (Kennesaw State, North Florida, USC Upstate and Florida Gulf Coast ineligible during NCAA Reclassifying Period); straight bracket with no byes; at Lipscomb

Favorite: Belmont (22-8, 14-2)

Sleeper: Gardner-Webb (15-15, 9-7)

Player to watch: Gardner-Webb senior forward Thomas Sanders put up double-doubles in seven straight games and nine of his last 10. And it's not just against the A-Sun. Sanders put up 21 and 10 in the early-season win at Kentucky and put up double-doubles in both of the Runnin' Bulldogs' games against Connecticut.

Bracket

BIG 12 (March 13-16)

Format: All 12 teams in; 1-4 seeds get bye into Quarters; in Kansas City

Favorite: Texas (24-5, 11-3) / Kansas (26-3, 11-3)

Sleeper: Kansas State (18-10, 8-6)

Player to watch: Texas PG D.J. Augustin (19.7 ppg, 5.8 apg, 39 minutes or more in eight of their past 10) is the key to the Longhorns' title hopes. Texas is at its best when he's setting up everybody else. When he's forced into just being a scorer (season-high 30 points, but just three assists to six turnovers in the loss to Texas Tech on Saturday), Texas can be beat.

Bracket

BIG EAST (March 12-15)

Format: Twelve of 16 teams in; 1-4 seeds get bye into Quarters; at Madison Square Garden

Favorite: Georgetown (24-4, 14-3) / Louisville (24-6, 14-3)

Sleeper: Notre Dame (22-6, 12-4)

Player to watch: Irish forward Luke Harangody's numbers (21 ppg, 10 rpg) speak for themselves. But it's Notre Dame PG Tory Jackson who's the key. The games where he has been bad (1-of-7 with 5 assists and 5 turnovers in their recent loss to Louisville), the Irish have been very beatable. Jackson doesn't necessarily have to score, but he has to keep the assists up and turnovers down for the Irish to make a serious run.

Bracket

BIG SKY (March 8-12)

Format: Six of nine teams in; 1/2 seeds protected to Semis; Quarters at campus sites of higher seeds; Semis and final at the Rose Garden in Portland

Favorite: Portland State (20-9, 13-2)

Sleeper: Northern Arizona (20-10, 11-5)

Player to watch: Portland State junior G Jeremiah Dominguez has hit more threes than any other Big Sky player this year, shooting at over 44%. In his last two games, road wins over Montana State and Montana, Dominguez made 17-of-23 shots (11-of-14 from three) for a cool 50 points. Also, he's listed at 5-foot-6 and 150 pounds.

Bracket

BIG SOUTH (March 4-8)

Format: All eight teams in; straight bracket with no byes; Quarters at campus sites of highest seed; Semis at UNC-Ashville; Final at campus site of highest seed

Favorite: UNC-Asheville (21-8, 10-4)

Sleeper: Winthrop (19-11, 10-4)

Player to watch: High Point forward Arizona (AZ) Reid was named the Big South Player of the Year for the second straight year after averaging 24.2 points and 11.1 rebounds this season. He averaged 23.9 points and 11.9 rebounds in Conference action and ranks in the top 10 nationally in points per game and rebounds. He was an honorable mention Associated Press All-American last year, is the Big South's all-time leading rebounder and surpassed 2,000 career points.

Bracket

BIG TEN (March 13-16)

Format: All 11 teams in; top five seeds have byes into quarters; in Indianapolis

Favorite: Wisconsin (24-4, 14-2) / Purdue (23-6, 14-2)

Sleeper: Minnesota (18-10, 8-8) (Tubby's boys can play)

Player to watch: For Michigan State to make a run, senior G Drew Neitzel has to be great. The kid has Gerry McNamara magic in him, but his senior year has largely been a disappointment. He was held to three points in a loss to Wisconsin last week and six points in a loss at Purdue earlier in February. Considering he's not exactly an assist machine (only gone over 5 seven times all season), Neitzel has to score. If not, the Spartans are going home early.

Bracket

BIG WEST (March 12-15)

Format: All eight teams in; reseeding after every round; 3/4 seeds get bye to quarters; 1/2 seeds get bye to semis; in Anaheim

Favorite: Cal-State Northridge (19-8, 11-3)

Sleeper: Pacific (20-9, 10-5)

Player to watch: Call State Fullerton G Josh Akognon averages 19.8 points per game with 13 contests at 20 or more (including four of 30 or more). Akognon spent his first two years at Washington State under Dick Bennet, leading the team in scoring his sophomore year before transferring because he couldn't handle Dick Bennett's system. (Turns out he wouldn't have had to since Dick Bennett retired and Washington State had a great season while Akognon was sitting out the season at Fullerton). In any event, the dude can score. And he's going to be gunning in this tournament in an attempt to make a name.

Tournament Site

COLONIAL (March 7-10)

Format: All 12 teams in; 1-4 seeds get byes into Quarters; at Richmond

Favorite: VCU (23-6, 15-3)

Sleeper: George Mason (20-10, 12-6)

Player to watch: VCU junior guard Eric Maynor gets all the publicity, and rightfully so. But the Rams don't enter the postseason as the number one seed without the breakout season by Jamal Shuler. The senior guard went from a support role, playing 20 minutes per game last season, to playing over 32 minutes per game this year. He's second on the team in scoring at 15.6 and actually shoots a slightly higher rate from three than does Maynor (.412 to .407 while taking nearly 60 more attempts). You can win a few games with just one guy carrying the load. But to win a tournament, you got to have two.

Bracket

CONFERENCE USA (March 12-15)

Format: All 12 teams in; 1-4 seeds get bye into quarters; at Memphis

Favorite: Memphis (28-1, 14-0)

Sleeper: UAB (21-8, 11-3)

Player to watch: I'm actually going with the trifecta with UAB's Robert Vaden, Houston's Rob McKiver, and UTEP's Stefon Jackson. Jackson leads the conference in scoring at 24.3, followed by McKiver at 23.1, and Vaden at 22.0. Each leads their respective team in minutes played. They have hoisted up a combined 1,383 shots. Memphis is still most likely going to win the auto bid, and that might be in for Conference USA yet again (depending how far UAB makes it). But with Jackson, Vaden, and McKiver around, you can guarantee there's going to be some high-quality action.

Tournament Site

HORIZON (March 4-11)

Format: All 10 teams in; 1/2 seeds (Butler No. 1, Cleveland state No. 2) protected into semis; first round at campus sites of highest seeds; Quarters and semis at Butler; Final at highest remaining seed

Favorite: Butler (27-3, 16-2)

Sleeper: Wright State (20-9, 12-6)

Player to watch: Butler senior guard Mike Green is the heart of this team. He came within one assist of a triple double against Detroit on Saturday (11 points, 12 rebounds, 9 assists) and is averaging a very Jason Kidd-esque 15 points, 6 boards, and 5 assists per game (maybe Kidd-esque is a bit strong — let's just say he's well-rounded). He's not really the best at anything, but he's pretty good at everything. And if Butler is going to run through the Horizon and attempt to equal (or surpass) last year's Sweet 16 run, Green is going to have to lead the way.

Bracket

IVY

No conference tournament; Cornell won the auto bid.

METRO ATLANTIC (March 7-10)

Format: All 10 teams in; 7-10 seeds play in first round; at Siena

Favorite: Siena (19-10, 13-5)

Sleeper: Niagara (19-9, 12-6)

Player to watch: Niagara swingman Charron Fisher averages 27.4 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. I'd say he's worth watching.

Bracket

MAC (March 12-15)

Format: All 12 teams in; 1-4 seeds get bye into quarters; in Cleveland

Favorite: Kent State (23-6, 11-3)

Sleeper: Western Michigan (18-10, 11-3)

Player to watch: Ohio senior forward Leon Williams is the only guy in the entire conference to average a double-double with 15.5 points and 10 rebounds per game. He hit more than 59% of his shots and nearly 75 percent of his 200 free throws (second most in the conference).

Tournament Site

MEAC (March 11-15)

Format: All 11 teams in; 6-11 seeds play in first round; at Raleigh, NC

Favorite: Morgan State (19-9, 13-2)

Sleeper: Coppin State (12-19, 7-8) (Lost 11 in a row and 17 of 18 before embarking on their current eight-game winning streak. Talk about mental toughness.)

Player to watch: Delaware State senior guard Roy Bright averaged 19.1 points per game, second in the conference. More impressive was some of the numbers he put up against non-conference opponents Arkansas (28), USC (22), California (25), and Seton Hall (24). Granted, he went a combined 2-for-22 in blowout losses to Arizona State and Xavier, but he showed in those other games that he can score on top-level talent.

Bracket

MISSOURI VALLEY (March 6-9)

Format: All 10 teams in; 7-10 seeds play in first round; at St. Louis

Favorite: Drake (25-4, 15-3)

Sleeper: Creighton (20-9, 10-8)

Player to watch: All you need to know about Illinois State sophomore guard Osiris Eldridge is that he just put up 27 at Southern Illinois. The entire team only scored 57 (Eldridge took 20 of the Redbirds' total 40 shot attempts). Fans of the Valley know just how crazy it is for somebody to hang that kind of number on the Salukis at SIU Arena.

Bracket

MOUNTAIN WEST (March 12-15)

Format: All nine teams in; 8-9 teams in play-in game; at UNLV

Favorite: BYU (23-6, 12-2)

Sleeper: New Mexico (22-7, 9-5)

Player to watch: For as long as people have been talking about New Mexico senior guard J.R. Giddens, he has yet to come close to living up to the hype. Heading into his last chance for glory (unless you count going 1-for-7 as No. 3 Kansas got upset by No. 13 Bucknell in his last game as a Jayhawk in 2005), Giddens has scored in double figures in eight straight, including 36 against Wyoming and 30 against BYU. If the Lobos are going anywhere Steve Alford's first year, they're getting there on Giddens' back.

Bracket

NORTHEAST (March 6-12)

Format: Eight of 11 teams in; no byes; Quarters at campus sites of highest seed; teams reseeded after quarters; Semis and final at campus sites of highest seed

Favorite: Robert Morris (25-6, 16-2)

Sleeper: Wagner (22-7, 15-3)

Player to watch: If you're looking for somebody to fill up the stat sheet, Wagner senior guard Mark Porter is your man. In 37.2 minutes per game (second in the NEC), he averages 16.2 points (fifth), 4.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists (third), 4.1 turnovers (tied for second most) and 1.9 steals per game (fifth). Hell, he's even seventh in the conference at blocked shots at 0.9 per game.

Bracket

OHIO VALLEY (March 4-8)

Format: Eight of 11 in; straight bracket with no byes; Quarters at sites of higher seeds; Semis and final in Nashville

Favorite: Austin Peay (21-10, 16-4)

Sleeper: Tennessee State (13-16, 10-10)

Player to watch: Tennessee State junior guard Bruce Price has only been held to single digits scoring once all year. His season high? 34 — at Indiana.

Bracket

PAC-10 (March 12-15)

Format: All 10 teams in; 7-10 seeds play in first round; in Los Angeles

Favorite: UCLA (26-3, 14-2)

Sleeper: Arizona State (18-10, 8-8)

Player to watch: Arizona's record with both Jerryd Bayless and Nic Wise: 14-3. Arizona's record when either Bayless or Wise is out: 3-8. Wise has missed the past seven after suffering a knee injury. Word is he's due back for the Pac-10 tournament, if not this weekend's games against the Oregon schools. Since he's gone out, the Cats won at Washington state and almost beat Stanford (lost by one) and UCLA (by two). With a healthy Wise, who knows what could have happened. (It also would have helped if they hadn't been robbed by the officiating in the Stanford game, but I digress.)

Tournament Site

PATRIOT (March 5-14)

Format: All eight teams in; straight bracket with no byes; all rounds at highest seed

Favorite: American (18-11, 10-4)

Sleeper: Navy (16-5, 9-5)

Player to watch: When you're talking about the Patriot, you go to the best player on the best team. In this case, it's American junior guard Garrison Carr, averaging 18.1 ppg with an impressive 45% from three (extra impressive because he's shot 262 of them).

Bracket

SEC (March 13-16)

Format: All 12 teams in; top two seeds from each division have bye to quarters; in Atlanta

Favorite: Tennessee (26-3, 12-2)

Sleeper: Arkansas (19-9, 8-6)

Player to watch: Mississippi State junior Jamont Gordon averages 17.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game. With Gordon leading the way, the Bulldogs could very well crash the Tennessee/Vanderbilt party.

Note: I was set to pick Kentucky as my sleeper and Patrick Patterson as the guy to watch, but with Patterson out for the rest of the year, there's just not enough left for Billy Gillespie to make the miracle run.

Bracket

SOUTHERN (March 7-10)

Format: All 11 teams in; seeds 6-11 play in first round; at Charleston, SC

Favorite: Davidson (23-6, 20-0)

Sleeper: Appalachian State (18-12, 13-7)

Player to watch: You can't go with anybody but Davidson scoring machine Stephen Curry. Simply put, the sophomore with nearly 1500 points in less than two full seasons is one of the best shooters in the country. He averages 25.3 points per game on 48% from the floor, 44% from three and 89% from the free-throw line. And if that wasn't enough, he's a pretty good rebounder (4.8 per game) for 6-foot-flat and 180 pounds.

Bracket

SOUTHLAND (March 13-16)

Format: Eight of 12 teams in; straight bracket with no byes; in Katy, Texas

Favorite: Lamar (18-9, 12-2)

Sleeper: Stephen F. Austin (23-4, 11-3)

Player to watch: Stephen F. Austin junior forward Josh Alexander leads the team in scoring at 16.5 ppg and rebounding at 5.8. Perhaps even more impressive is he hasn't committed a single turnover in the last three games while playing a combined 110 minutes, including all 40 in a Feb. 27 win over Texas State.

Bracket

SOUTHWESTERN (March 12-15)

Format: Eight of 10 teams in; straight bracket with no byes; in Birmingham

Favorite: Alabama State (17-9, 13-3)

Sleeper: Jackson State (12-17, 10-6)

Player to watch: He's only scored in double-digits 10 times with just one double-double all year (not great for a 7-1, 265 lb. center), but you can't ignore a dude named Chief Kickingstallionsims. He's got "Sports Central mandatory puff piece about a 16 seed" written all over him.

Tournament Site

SUMMIT (March 8-11)

Format: Top eight teams in (South Dakota State and North Dakota State are ineligible); straight bracket with no byes

Favorite: Oral Roberts (21-8, 16-2)

Sleeper: IUPUI (24-6, 15-3) (I love this team)

Player to watch: Remember the name George Hill. The junior guard from IUPUI is averaging 21.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game. He's scored 30 or more six times and broken double digits in rebounding eight times. In a win over Massachusetts in December, he put up 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists. If the Jaguars can find their way in the tournament, they are a fantastic candidate to pull an out-of-nowhere upset.

Bracket

SUN BELT (March 5-11)

Format: All 13 teams in; seeds 1-3 have byes into quarters; First round at campus sites of highest seed; Quarters through final at South Alabama

Favorite: South Alabama (25-5, 16-2) / Western Kentucky (24-6, 16-2)

Sleeper: North Texas (19-10, 10-8)

Player to watch: Western Kentucky senior swingman Courtney Lee is getting pub as an NBA prospect (No. 24 on Chad Ford's Top 100). He put up 21 on Gonzaga, 22 on Michigan, 23 on Tennessee, and 30 on Southern Illinois. He can also rebound (4.5 per game) and play some stifling defense (1.8 steals per game).

Tournament Site

WEST COAST (March 7-10)

Format: All eight teams in; 3/4 seeds get byes into Quarters; 1/2 seeds get byes into Semis; at San Diego

Favorite: Gonzaga (24-6, 13-1)

Sleeper: Saint Mary's (25-5, 12-2)

Player to watch: St. Mary's freshman guard Pat Mills burst on the scene early, becoming a pseudo-household name thanks to a 37-point explosion against Oregon that made everybody sit up and take notice. But as is often the case with freshmen, especially freshmen carrying their team on their back, Mills has hit somewhat of a wall. He was held to just 5 points on 2-of-11 shooting against Kent State and followed that with just two points against San Diego. If the Gaels are going to recapture some of that early-season magic, Mills is going to have to get his legs back underneath him and get back to scoring.

Bracket

WESTERN ATHLETIC (March 11-15)

Format: All nine teams in; 8-9 teams in play-in game; at New Mexico State

Favorite: Boise State (22-7, 12-3)

Sleeper: Utah State (21-9, 10-4)

Player to watch: As profuse as I was about Stephen Curry, you have to be equally impressed with Utah State guard Jaycee Carroll, who might just be the best shooter in America. Carroll averages 22.7 points per game while shooting 53% from the floor, 50.5% from three, and 92% from the free-throw line. And, like Curry, he's a great rebounding guard at 6.1 per game.

Tournament Site

THE CALENDAR

Tuesday, March 4
Big South Quarterfinals (at higher seed)
Horizon First Round (at higher seed)
Ohio Valley Quarterfinals (at higher seeds)

Wednesday, March 5
Atlantic Sun Quarterfinals (Belmont vs. Campbell, Jacksonville vs. Mercer; at Lipscomb)
Patriot Quarterfinals (at highest seeds)
Sun Belt First Round (at higher seeds)

Thursday, March 6
Atlantic Sun Quarterfinals (East Tennessee State vs. Lipscomb, Stetson vs. Gardner-Webb; at Lipscomb)
Big South Semifinals (at UNC-Asheville)
Missouri Valley First Round (St. Louis)
Northeast Quarterfinals (at higher seeds)

Friday, March 7
America East Play-In Game (at Binghamton)
Atlantic Sun Semifinals (at Lipscomb)
Colonial First Round (Richmond)
Horizon Quarterfinals (at Butler)
Metro Atlantic First Round (at Siena)
Missouri Valley Quarterfinals (St. Louis)
Ohio Valley Semifinals (Nashville)
West Coast First Round (at San Diego)
Southern First Round (at Charleston)

Saturday, March 8
America East Quarterfinals (at Binghamton)
Atlantic Sun Championship (at Lipscomb)
Big Sky Quarters (at higher seed)
Big South Championship (at higher seed)
Colonial Quarterfinals (Richmond)
Horizon Semifinals (at Butler)
Metro Atlantic Quarterfinals (at Siena)
Missouri Valley Semifinals (St. Louis)
Ohio Valley Championship (Nashville)
West Coast Quarterfinals (at San Diego)
Southern Quarterfinals (at Charleston)

Sunday, March 9
America East Semifinals (at Binghamton)
Colonial Semifinals (Richmond)
Metro Atlantic Semifinals (at Siena)
Missouri Valley Championship (St. Louis)
Northeast Semifinals (at higher seeds)
Patriot Semifinals (at higher seeds)
Sun Belt Quarterfinals (at South Alabama)
West Coast Semifinals (at San Diego)
Southern Semifinals (at Charleston)

Monday, March 10
Colonial Championship (Richmond)
Metro Atlantic Championship (at Siena)
Sun Belt Semifinals (at South Alabama)
West Coast Championship (at San Diego)
Southern Championship (at Charleston)

Tuesday, March 11
Big Sky Semis (Rose Garden, Portland)
Horizon Championship (at highest remaining seed)
MEAC First Round (No. 7 vs. No. 10, No. 8 vs. No. 9) (Raleigh)
WAC First Round (at New Mexico State)
Sun Belt Championship (at South Alabama)

Wednesday, March 12
Atlantic 10 First Round (Atlantic City)
Big East First Round (Madison Square Garden)
Big Sky Championship (Rose Garden, Portland)
Big West First Round (Anaheim)
Conference USA First Round (at Memphis)
MAC First Round (Cleveland)
MEAC First Round (No. 6 vs. No. 11) and beginning of Quarterfinals (8/9 winner vs No. 1, 7/10 winner vs. No. 2) (Raleigh)
Mountain West Play-In Game (at UNLV)
Northeast Championship (at higher seed)
Pac-10 First Round (Los Angeles)
Southwestern Quarterfinals (No. 1 vs. No. 8, No. 2 vs. No. 7) (Birmingham)

Thursday, March 13
Atlantic 10 Quarterfinals (Atlantic City)
ACC First Round (Charlotte)
Big 12 First Round (Kansas City)
Big East Quarterfinals (Madison Square Garden)
Big Ten First Round (Indianapolis)
Big West Quarterfinals (Anaheim)
Conference USA Quarterfinals (at Memphis)
MAC Quarterfinals (Cleveland)
Rest of MEAC Quarterfinals (6/11 vs. No. 3, No. 4 vs. No. 5) (Raleigh)
Mountain West First Round (at UNLV)
Pac-10 Quarterfinals (Los Angeles)
SEC First Round (Atlanta)
Southwestern Quarterfinals (No. 3 vs. No. 6, No. 4 vs. No. 5) (Birmingham)
Southland Quarterfinals (Katy, Texas)
WAC Quarterfinals (at New Mexico State)

Friday, March 14
Atlantic 10 Semifinals (Atlantic City)
ACC Quarterfinals (Charlotte)
Big 12 Quarterfinals (Kansas City)
Big East Semifinals (Madison Square Garden)
Big Ten Quarterfinals (Indianapolis)
Big West Quarterfinals (Anaheim)
Conference USA Semifinals (at Memphis)
MAC Semifinals (Cleveland)
MEAC Semifinals (Raleigh)
Mountain West Semifinals (at UNLV)
Pac-10 Semifinals (Los Angeles)
Patriot Championship (at higher seed)
SEC Quarterfinals (Atlanta)
Southwestern Semifinals (Birmingham)
Southland Semifinals (Katy, Texas)
WAC Semifinals (at New Mexico State)

Saturday, March 15
America East Championship (at highest remaining seed)
Atlantic 10 Championship (Atlantic City)
ACC Semifinals (Charlotte)
Big 12 Semifinals (Kansas City)
Big East Championship (Madison Square Garden)
Big Ten Semifinals (Indianapolis)
Big West Championship (Anaheim)
Conference USA Championship (at Memphis)
MAC Championship (Cleveland)
MEAC Championship
Mountain West Championship (at UNLV)
Pac-10 Championship (Los Angeles)
SEC Semifinals (Atlanta)
Southwestern Championship (Birmingham)
WAC Championship (at New Mexico State)

Sunday, March 16
ACC Championship (Charlotte)
Big 12 Championship (Kansas City)
Big Ten Championship (Indianapolis)
SEC Championship (Atlanta)
Southland Championship (Katy, Texas)
NCAA Tournament Selection Show

Seth Doria is a writer based out of St. Louis. For the only daily column that mixes sports, politics, and entertainment news in one, visit The Left Calf.

Posted by Joshua Duffy at 12:03 PM | Comments (0)

NBA Spoiler Alert

While enduring four months of NBA basketball so far, the Association has provided several highlights. From the resurgence of the Celtics and Lakers to one blockbuster trade after another to the crammed Western playoff race, sparks of water cooler discussions continue to keep this season interesting.

Unfortunately, not every team can vie for the title by this time of the year. For those left behind in winter's bitter chill, we offer them a carrot by giving them the chance to play the role of spoiler. Sure, it's not even as good as understudy to the actor playing townsperson No. 3 in the local theatre production, but you still get to keep the uniform.

This is also a fluid role, meaning some of these teams (or, maybe a couple) can pull their way back up to playoff barnacle status. So, who will make the best spoiler over the next few weeks? Even though more teams won't make the postseason, for right now, I think nine teams fit into this category. That excludes Atlanta, Indiana, Chicago, Milwaukee, Denver, and Portland in their respective conferences (records before Monday's games in parentheses).

Sacramento Kings (27-32); Haven't Got the Magic

The Kings were an up-and-down team in February, winning six (three out of four and three straight) and losing eight (including streaks of four and three). They beat New Orleans and Utah early and almost pulled off wins at Golden State and Houston. However, this was before the organization shipped Mike Bibby off to Atlanta. I'm not sure that the retooled lineup (now led by Ron Artest) can pull many surprises in a month where nine out of 15 games should be against teams with winning records.

Charlotte Bobcats (20-39); Not Quite There Yet

The Bobcats might simply be running out of steam. After averaging six wins the first three months (not great by any means), they only managed one in February. That goal has already been achieved for this month with a win against Toronto on Sunday. However, I don't see spoiler status in their future. It could be due to the absences of Sean May and Adam Morrison. Playing 11 of the next 15 on the road doesn't simplify matters, either.

L.A. Clippers (19-38); Won't Replay Familiar Role

The season got off to a good start with a 4-0 record. Since then, only four of the Clippers 15 wins have come against what some would call quality teams. Basically, this team has been feeding off of bottom-dwellers like themselves. Even though the squad got younger by letting Sam Cassell go, they also lost quite a bit of experience at the point. Oh yeah, and no Elton Brand could be just a minor factor. They might be able to get some momentum heading into a meaty second half of March, but I doubt it.

New York Knicks (18-41); Can in Spots

The train wreck continues to roll on. Isiah Thomas remains the head coach. James Dolan has his head up in the clouds as the owner. Starbury's aura is still present, even though he's not physically on the court. Above all, the team still stinks. Yet, for all of those bad vibes, they can still pull off a shocker (see Cleveland, Detroit, Utah, and Toronto) at home. After Monday's visit from the Hornets, they have five more tips at Madison Square Garden against quality teams. Maybe the Knicks can prove that the old hall has some fighting spirit left in it, because a road win doesn't look to be in the cards.

Seattle SuperSonics (16-43); Just Might Turn Some Heads

This may be a team to keep an eye on. Are they young? Sure. Did they have a horrible stretch run starting on New Years' Eve and resulting in a 14-game losing streak? Absolutely. Has rookie stud Kevin Durant hit a wall? No doubt. But they did end that streak against San Antonio and followed it up with a win over Cleveland. These guys are inconsistent, to say the least. But it's that spotty play that can bite a contender in the rear end on any given night. The Sonics will have plenty of chances, including two specific stretches in mid-March and all of April.

Memphis Grizzlies (14-45); That Would Be, No

Now, we've come to the "ship be sinkin'" part of the tour. I had this one wrong from the start. But if you'll let me take a mulligan on saying that the Griz would be the surprise team of the playoffs in '08, I can let it slide. Memphis went one-for-February, got conked on the head by double digits in nine of their 11 losses, and traded away Pau Gasol for what amounted to chump change. Even though they'll actually play a lot of pretenders over the last few weeks of the season, I still wish them luck in their search for victories.

Minnesota Timberwolves (12-46); The Best of the Bunch

I know this team has the worst record in the Western Conference. I understand they are one of the youngest teams in the league. But, inexplicably, almost half of the Wolves wins are against the top dogs of the West (New Orelans, Utah, Golden State, and two against Phoenix). Al Jefferson has brought a bit of a silver lining to his side of the Kevin Garnett trade. The Wolves' best chance to do damage will be in a six-game stretch from the end of March through early April. And with a chance to get a little head of steam going into it, they may just do that.

Miami Heat (11-46); Pride Won't Help This Lost Cause

The scale has officially tipped from great to mediocre to buried in the span of less than two years. Pat Riley continues to spit out comments that conjure up an image of Wile E. Coyote just as he notices he's falling off the cliff. Now that Shaquille O'Neal is gone, at least the team looks a little less like the Old Men on the Atlantic (apologies to the memory of Ernest Hemmingway with that one). However, the talent cupboard just seems to be bare. I admit, there's only up when you've had losing streaks of 11 and 15. Problem is ... it's too steep a climb against any of the top-tier teams in the league.

Posted by Jonathan Lowe at 11:19 AM | Comments (0)