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May 31, 2014

Foul Territory: Souled Out

* Money Talks, "D.S." Walks — Shelly Sterling has signed an agreement to sell the Los Angeles Clippers to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. Donald Sterling bought the team for $12.5 million in 1981, so after the sale, Sterling fought it somewhat bittersweet that he is very much "in the black."

* What Was Higher? The Winning Bid, or the Winning Bidder? — Or Mark Sanchez's "Butt Fumble" jersey sold for $820 on an NFL auction website. The sale marks the first time "Mark Sanchez: and "most valuable" have been used in the same sentence.

* He Calls it "Abstaining" — Tiger Woods withdrew from the U.S. Open on Wednesday as he recovers from back surgery. Usually, when Woods suffers from withdrawal, it involves 18 women, not 18 holes.

* Johnny Be Good Enough — Johnny Manziel said his recent Las Vegas trip should not be a story and did not hinder his commitment to the Cleveland Browns. Manziel said while he was in Vegas cavorting, he was just another "John."

* This is Scripps Turf — The Scripps National Spelling Bee ended in a tie for the first time in 52 years on Thursday. Sriram Hathwar of New York and Ansun Sujoe of Texas were the last competitors standing, as all of their rivals sat for a spell.

* Catcher in the Awry, or You're Out, Blame it On the Sprain — Dodgers backup catcher A.J. Ellis sprained his ankle celebrating Josh Beckett's no-hitter, and was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Monday. While Beckett's feat was a "no-hitter," Ellis' was a "no-brainer."

* Whine and Fees, or He Cried, Foul — Paul George of the Indiana Pacers was fined $25,000 by the NBA for publicly criticizing the officiating after the Pacers' Game 4 loss to the Heat on Monday night. Coincidentally, LeBron James was called for five fouls in 2½ quarters in Game 5 on Wednesday in Indianapolis. James questioned the calls, not to mention the validity of the adage, "Turnabout is fair play."

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 2:11 PM | Comments (0)

May 29, 2014

Time For NCAA Mid-Majors to Act

In a world where realignment never runs out of style, where the premier conferences are seeking autonomy and building more power through the new college football playoff, the mid-major conferences appear ... stuck.

Their role in the new playoff? Minimal. Their chances of keeping up with the power conferences? Slipping every day. With the rise of conference networks, the financial divide between conferences big and small is growing rapidly.

Schools like Louisville and TCU managed to climb up to join the big boys in football before the playoff era began. Some of this is due to their success on the field; some of it is due to the large media centers in which their schools are located. The latter is why Boise State did not succeed with realignment (along with joining the Big East). Something tells me that the realization of Boise not breaking into the playoff scene is part of the reason Chris Petersen headed to Washington as well.

The mid-majors are stuck. It's time for them to create their own futures.

Four years of a college scholarship is an amazing gift to any student. It's not enough to many, as we're finding out more and more these days. For a mid-major school, ask yourself this: all the work, all the sweat, all the toil, but no shot at a national title ... ever?

New to the BCS level party, Georgia Southern will never get a playoff slot by beating Texas State, Arkansas State, and Georgia State. They could by beating Texas, Arkansas, and Georgia. They'll never get that chance.

Ask yourself this as well: three of the major conferences are starting to push a nine game conference slate. The SEC and ACC may eventually turn that way themselves. The chances of playing a major school and getting a major paycheck become that much slimmer.

Mid-majors have to break away. They need their own autonomy. Invite some of the best from the FCS to realign up and set a new division. Work as a division to set up TV contracts ... yes, one conference won't pull in the revenue that a division will. And, while I love college football, let's try to avoid those Tuesday and Wednesday affairs, shall we?

They need their own poll. The average viewer might be more interested in No. 1 Boise State vs. No. 3 Marshall than just Boise State/Marshall. Every TV rating is going to count. They need their own playoff. While the bowl season stays in the BCS, let the playoff take over the screens on Saturday.

They need their own rules. Watch what the bigger schools are doing and find ways to make competitive advantages for themselves.

These are just suggestions. However, there's one thing we all know they need to do. They need to change from the upcoming status quo. The faster, the better.

Posted by Jean Neuberger at 11:43 AM | Comments (0)

May 28, 2014

NASCAR Top 10 Power Rankings: Week 12

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Jeff Gordon — Gordon overcame back spasms to post a seventh in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. He remains atop the Sprint Cup points standings, 11 ahead of Matt Kenseth.

"Back problems have been an ongoing issue for me," Gordon said, "as has the quest to win my fifth Cup championship. That's why the latter part of my career can be described as 'back and fourth.'

"We had Regan Smith on standby just in case I couldn't go. Turns out, we didn't need him, which certainly isn't the first time Regan's heard that."

2. Jimmie Johnson — Johnson started on pole and led a race-high 164 on his way to the win in the Coca-Cola 600. It was Johnson's first win of the year, and all but ensured his chance to defend his Sprint Cup championship.

"The No. 48 Chevrolet with the special Memorial Day paint scheme was awesome," Johnson said. "Matt Kenseth was no match for me. You could say I 'red, white, and blew' right past him.

"You've probably heard that I completed a triathlon last Saturday. I'm proud to call myself a 'triathlete.' The great Tim Richmond was NASCAR's original triathlete, because he'd 'tri' anything."

3. Matt Kenseth — Kenseth held the lead on the final restart, but was easily passed by Jimmie Johnson, who went on for win for his first victory of the year. Kenseth eventually finished third, and is second in the points standings, 11 behind Jeff Gordon.

"Johnson went by me like I wasn't even there," Kenseth said. "I could say the same about most NASCAR fans. I may be the most unrecognizable athlete in professional sports today."

4. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. — Earnhardt finished two laps down in 19th at Charlotte after engines problems soured his day. He is fourth in the Sprint Cup points standings, 38 behind Jeff Gordon.

"I raced Charles Barkley head-to-head a couple of weeks ago," Earnhardt said. "Charles can really drive. The last time he went that fast, there was a prostitute waiting on him. Where was she waiting, you ask? Well, let's just say Sir Charles' car is good at 'cornering.'"

5. Carl Edwards — Edwards posted his third top-five finish of the year with a fourth in the Coca-Cola 600. He is third in the points standings, 24 out of first.

"Trevor Bayne's joining the Roush Fenway Racing family in 2015," Edwards said. "That means a current driver at Roush is likely to say goodbye. Could that be me? If it is, I guess you could call me 'Cousin It.'"

6. Joey Logano — Logano finished 12th at Charlotte as Penske teammate Brad Keselowski finished tenth. Logano is now sixth in the points, 54 behind Jeff Gordon.

"What a run by Kurt Busch at Indianapolis," Logano said. "And what a run by race winner Ryan Hunter-Reay. Not only does he lead the Indy Car points standings, he's the most sought-after driver on the talk show circuit now. I guess that's what happens when the Hunter becomes the hunted."

7. Kyle Busch — Busch finished ninth at Charlotte, recording his sixth top-10 result of the year. He is now third in the points standings, 24 out of first.

"My brother Kurt didn't complete the Indianapolis-Charlotte 'double,'" Busch said, "but he did finish sixth. I think all NASCAR drivers would agree that's an incredible accomplishment. And I'm sure all NASCAR drivers would agree Kurt should become a full-time open-wheel driver."

8. Kevin Harvick — Harvick led 100 laps and finished second at Charlotte to Jimmie Johnson. Harvick was going for his third win this season, but couldn't chase down Johnson.

"Where's one of those phantom cautions when you need one?" Harvick said. "I guess that's what happens on Memorial Day weekend — there's plenty of red, white, and blue flags, but no yellow."

9. Brian Vickers — Vickers finished sixth in the Coca-Cola 600, earning his second straight top-10 and fifth of the year. He is now eighth in the Sprint Cup points standings, 67 behind Jeff Gordon.

"It's great driving for Michael Waltrip," Vickers said. "And it's great driving the Aaron's Dream Machine. I like to think my alter ego, who's a fierce competitor talented enough to contend for the Cup, would drive a car called the 'Rude Awakening.' Here's to dreaming."

10. Brad Keselowski — Keselowski's attempt at fuel mileage strategy was derailed by a late-race pit stop for a right-wheel vibration. Still, the driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford finished tenth, his fifth top-10 of the year, and is now ninth in the points standings, 71 out of first.

"We just didn't get the wheel on tight enough," Keselowski said. "If that would have happened to the No. 48 car, it would have been called a 'Shimmy Johnson.'"

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 2:22 PM | Comments (0)

May 27, 2014

Dillashaw Defeats Barao at UFC 173

UFC 173: Barao vs. Dillashaw

T.J. Dillashaw Lights Up the World

Joe Rogan called it the best performance he'd ever seen.

Renan "Barão" Pegado was generating buzz as the greatest pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Barão (Portuguese for "Baron") lost the first pro fight of his career, in April 2005. Since then, he was 32-0 (or thereabouts, depending on your source), including 9-0 in the WEC and UFC. During Barão's nine-year unbeaten streak, he won 8 knockouts, 10 decisions, and 14 submissions. None of his victories in the UFC were even close. Barão was as dominant as any champion in any weight class, with no holes in his game.

So when No. 4 bantamweight contender T.J. Dillashaw showed up Saturday night and won every round before finishing off the champ with a fifth-round TKO, it stunned the mixed martial arts world. Dillashaw was a +600 underdog, but he outclassed Barão in every area at UFC 173. As MMAjunkie's Ben Fowlkes wrote, "the [T.J. Dillashaw] who showed up to fight in the main event bore nothing more than a superficial resemblance to the one who’s fought under that name in the past. The other guy was good. This one was great."

Dillashaw looked against Barão the way Barão looked against Urijah Faber and Eddie Wineland. It remains to be seen if Dillashaw is a one-night wonder — a good fighter who had the best night of his career on the most important night of his career — or a legitimate sensation who has suddenly come into his own. This sets up a presumed rematch with Raphael Assunçao, who won a controversial split decision over Dillashaw last fall.

Barão was the unbeatable overlord of the bantamweight division, and with his shocking defeat, it's suddenly the most interesting weight class in the UFC. Will Dillashaw become a dominant champ? If so, might a flyweight like Demetrious Johnson or John Dodson — the latter of whom stopped Dillashaw in the first round 2½ years ago — move up to challenge him? If not, does this open the door for Dillashaw's friend and training partner Urijah Faber, the perennial top contender who couldn't get past Barão? What about returning champ Dominick Cruz, who needed surgery and hasn't fought in nearly three years?

It was a stunning, inspiring, dominant win for T.J. Dillashaw, and it invigorates the whole 135-pound weight class.

Cormier Controls Hendo, Lawler Tops Ellenberger, Varner Guts It Out

In the co-headliner, undefeated Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix champion Daniel Cormier dominated former PRIDE and Strikeforce champion Dan Henderson. Cormier and Henderson were both Olympic wrestlers, but Cormier — a former heavyweight who cuts to 205 — physically dominated the smaller Henderson, who weighed in at 199 and may return to middleweight. Cormier rag-dolled Hendo, tossing him around with abandon, but never appeared to seriously threaten with a knockout or submission. Cormier is a dominant fighter, but in the UFC, he's also been a decision-grinder. That can be okay in the mile-a-minute lighter weight classes, but it's not what we expect out of heavyweights and light heavyweights. Cormier deserves a shot at the winner of Jon Jones/Alexander Gustafsson, but he's not going to win any fans unless he starts finishing fights.

The other big stories from this card were Jamie Varner and Robbie Lawler. Varner stole the show and won over the crowd in defeat, breaking his left ankle about a minute into his match with James Krause. Varner literally fell several times, just from putting weight on the injured foot, but he soldiered through the first round, trading punches and scoring a takedown, before the doctor ended the fight between rounds. Fighting with torn ligaments and two broken bones (according to Sunday's reports), Varner earned cheers from the crowd. Varner's popularity would have been unthinkable at the height of his feud with fellow lightweight Donald Cerrone, when WEC crowds booed every appearance by Varner and every mention of his name. He tried to embrace the heel role, but it never fit. Fan favorite suits him better, and Varner has been among the most exciting lightweights in the UFC since his return.

Lawler won an easy third-round TKO over Jake Ellenberger, and it has obvious title implications for both. In Lawler's case, it erases any notion that his recent performances have been flukes, and re-establishes him as a serious contender in the welterweight division. Lawler lost a competitive five-round decision to Johny Hendricks in March, but he may find himself in another title fight sooner than later.

For Ellenberger, this has got to be the last time he's taken seriously as a top contender. Ellenberger is a solid 8-4 in the UFC, but he can't handle top competition. Ellenberger has never beaten anyone who is ranked in the UFC's top 10, and he's 2-3 over the last two years. His best win was over 12th-ranked Mike Pyle, 4½ years ago. Ellenberger also has victories over big names like Diego Sanchez and Nate Marquardt, but when they were past their primes, and he knocked out Jake Shields in 2011. Ellenberger is only 29, so the time may come when he's ready for elite opponents. But right now, he shouldn't be facing ranked fighters.

Bellator 120 - Rampage vs. King Mo

Earlier this month, Bellator's first-ever pay-per-view lost its headliner when Eddie Alvarez suffered a concussion in training and had to drop out of his rubber match with Michael Chandler. Bellator Season 9 Lightweight Tournament winner Will Brooks moved up from the undercard and won a puzzling decision over Chandler for the interim lightweight title. It was Chandler's worst fight in Bellator, but most fans felt Chandler won the first, second, and fifth rounds (I scored it a 47-47 draw, with Brooks winning the third round 10-8). Alvarez is under contract for at least one more fight with Bellator, but it's unclear whether he'll face Brooks or Chandler.

The new main event, featuring former UFC light heavyweight champ Quinton Jackson and former Strikeforce light heavyweight champ Muhammad Lawal, was equally controversial. MMA decisions are scored on effective striking, grappling, aggression, and cage control. Lawal won on grappling and cage control, while Jackson won on striking and perhaps aggression. Certainly Jackson did more damage, and King Mo never made a serious submission attempt or came close to finishing the fight. Nearly everyone scored the first round for Lawal and the second for Rampage, but the third round — a microcosm of the fight — invited scorers to award the bout to Lawal (for control) or Rampage (for damage). Most fans sided with King Mo, but the judges gave Jackson a unanimous decision. Apparently I'm in the minority on this, but I had a bigger problem with the decision for Brooks than the one for Rampage.

The other headline maker was Tito Ortiz, who ended a three-fight losing streak by choking out Bellator middleweight champion Alexander Shlemenko. Tito had a massive size advantage (Shlemenko weighed in at 201.9, about the same size as Tito's head), so it's not clear how meaningful this was, but it's still a win over a dangerous opponent most thought would defeat him. Ortiz won by arm triangle, his second straight submission victory after 10 years without submitting an opponent.

Tito Ortiz's submission victories:

Jeremy Screeton, Dec 1998, WCNHBC1: Strikes
Yuki Kondo, Dec 2000, UFC 29: Neck Crank
...
Ryan Bader, Jul 2011, UFC 132: Guillotine
Shlemenko, May 2014, Bellator 120: Arm Triangle

Watch out, 205. Here comes the Huntington Beach Strangler.

May 2014 UFC Rankings

The rankings below do not count as part of the UFC's official rankings, but they are exclusively for the UFC, so you won't see names like Eduardo Dantas or Cristiane Justino on these lists.

Heavyweight (206-265 lbs)

1. Cain Velasquez
2. Fabricio Werdum
3. Junior Dos Santos
4. Travis Browne
5. Antonio Silva
6. Alistair Overeem
7. Josh Barnett
8. Mark Hunt
9. Stefan Struve
10. Stipe Miocic

Make it Happen: Overeem vs. Hunt

It's hard to keep of track of who's healthy and who isn't in this division, and it doesn't help that Overeem ducked JDS, but there are some really appealing striker-vs-striker matchups in this weight class.

I Don't Understand: Ultimate Fighter Latin America

Velasquez/Werdum should have happened in 2013. Now fans probably won't see it until 2015 because we have to wait for them to film a reality TV show. Keeping your champions and most exciting fighters out of the cage is not fan-friendly, and the sport shouldn't take a back seat to television programming.

Light Heavyweight (186-205)

1. Jon Jones
2. Alexander Gustafsson
3. Daniel Cormier
4. Rashad Evans
5. Glover Teixeira
6. Anthony Johnson
7. Phil Davis
8. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
9. Dan Henderson
10. Ryan Bader

Make it Happen: Teixeira vs. Davis

Both fighters are coming off losses at UFC 172, but they have bright futures in mixed martial arts. This is a top-10 matchup that puts one of the UFC's rising stars back on a win streak.

Thank You, UFC, For: Johnson vs. Nogueira

Johnson earned a top-10 opponent with his win over Phil Davis at UFC 172. The Nogueira brothers have had some trouble staying healthy, but assuming Little Nog makes it to fight night, this is a great follow-up test for Rumble.

Middleweight (171-185)

1. Chris Weidman
2. Vitor Belfort
3. Ronaldo Souza
4. Lyoto Machida
5. Luke Rockhold
6. Chael Sonnen
7. Tim Kennedy
8. Michael Bisping
9. Mark Muñoz
10. Francis Carmont

Make it Happen: Belfort vs. Jacare Souza

Weidman/Machida is set for July 5. The next title fight probably won't take place until winter, maybe even early 2015. Belfort and Souza have both done enough to earn title shots, and both need a fight. This is the one that makes sense.

Thank You, UFC, For: Muñoz vs. Gegard Mousasi

Similarly-ranked fighters, and an intriguing striker-vs-grappler matchup.

Welterweight (156-170)

1. Johny Hendricks
2. Carlos Condit
3. Robbie Lawler
4. Tyron Woodley
5. Matt Brown
6. Rory MacDonald
7. Hector Lombard
8. Tarec Saffiedine
9. Demian Maia
10. Dong Hyun Kim

Thank You, UFC, For: Lombard vs. Kim

A lot of people wanted to see Lombard vs. Brown, but this is a good matchup, and I think Brown vs. Lawler makes more sense at this point.

Thank You, UFC, For: Woodley vs. MacDonald

Top contender's bout.

Lightweight (146-155)

1. Anthony Pettis
2. Josh Thomson
3. Benson Henderson
4. Gilbert Melendez
5. Khabib Nurmagomedov
6. Nate Diaz
7. Rafael Dos Anjos
8. Donald Cerrone
9. Jim Miller
10. Myles Jury

It is my policy not to list fighters unless they have competed in the last 12 months, or have a fight scheduled. This applies to Dominick Cruz and Cat Zingano, and at 155, it's relevant to T.J. Grant — but not to Nate Diaz. Nate fought and won six months ago, and he hasn't announced his retirement or been cut from the UFC. Dana White is mad at him, but continuing to list Grant and Cruz in the rankings, while singling out Diaz for omission, is ridiculous.

I Wish Upon a Star: UFC vs. Bellator Lightweight Grand Prix

Eddie Alvarez, Will Brooks, Michael Chandler, and Marcin Held on one side of the bracket, four of the UFC's best on the other. An impossible dream, but holy cow, what a tournament.

Featherweight (136-145)

1. Jose Aldo
2. Chad Mendes
3. Frankie Edgar
4. Cub Swanson
5. Ricardo Lamas
6. Dustin Poirier
7. Chan Sung Jung
8. Dennis Bermudez
9. Dennis Siver
10. Jeremy Stephens

Make it Happen: Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Hatsu Hioki

Two well-regarded Japanese fighters who haven't looked so good in trips across the Pacific. Let them fight each other, and give the winner an opponent in the top 10. Preferably one who doesn't lay-and-pray.

Make it Happen: A title shot for Cub Swanson

Swanson has to get past Jeremy Stephens on June 28, and Stephens has been on fire since dropping to 145. But Swanson, a WEC veteran, has been waiting a long time. He's won five in a row, including victories over Poirier and Siver, with four of the five by knockout or TKO.

Men's Bantamweight (126-135)

1. T.J. Dillashaw
2. Renan Barao
3. Urijah Faber
4. Michael McDonald
5. Raphael Assuncao
6. Takeya Mizugaki
7. Johnny Eduardo
8. Eddie Wineland
9. Francisco Rivera
10. Iuri Alcantara

Make it Happen: Dillashaw vs. Assunçao

Assunçao beat Dillashaw last fall and hasn't lost since. It was a close, controversial decision, and it's clearly time for a rematch.

Make it Happen: Barão vs. Mizugaki

Barão's stunning loss suddenly makes this weight class fascinating. He's earned a quick path back to the belt, and I like this as a top contender's bout to fight the winner of Dillashaw-Assunçao. But if Dillashaw loses, you almost have to give Urijah Faber a shot at the UFC title. He couldn't beat Barão, but we know he can beat Assunçao. If Dillashaw defends the belt, at some point I would love to see a rematch between T.J. and UFC flyweight contender John Dodson, who beat Dillashaw to win Season 14 of The Ultimate Fighter.

Flyweight (116-125)

1. Demetrious Johnson
2. Joseph Benavidez
3. John Dodson
4. Ian McCall
5. Ali Bagautinov
6. Zach Makovsky
7. Brad Pickett
8. Jussier da Silva
9. John Moraga
10. John Lineker

Make it Happen: Johnson vs. Dodson

If Dodson beats Moraga on June 7 and Johnson defeats Bagautinov a week later, this fight has to happen. Their first match was awfully close, and there aren't a lot of deserving contenders in this weight class. Dillashaw's bantamweight title should only increase Dodson's stock and marketability.

Thank You, UFC, For: Makovsky vs. Da Silva

Now I can pretend that Sean Shelby listens to me.

Women's Bantamweight (126-135)

1. Ronda Rousey
2. Alexis Davis
3. Sarah Kaufman
4. Miesha Tate
5. Liz Carmouche
6. Jessica Eye
7. Bethe Correia
8. Sara McMann
9. Amanda Nunes
10. Jessica Andrade

Make it Happen: Kaufman vs. Tate

They haven't fought in five years, with Kaufman winning a UD in Strikeforce. Kaufman can make her case for a rematch with Rousey by beating Tate.

I Don't Understand: why Cris Cyborg and Marloes Coenen aren't in the UFC

I know they're both more comfortable at 145, but I think the reason has more to do with protecting Rousey than it does with weight cuts. Rousey vs. Cyborg would do huge pay-per-view numbers.

Upcoming Events

For those who care, undefeated former Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren makes his ONE FC debut on Friday in Singapore, against Azerbaijani middlweight Bakhtiyar Abbasov, who is on a nine-fight win streak against no one you've ever heard of.

The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 3 Finale
UFC Fight Night - Muñoz vs. Mousasi

These events take place the same day, May 31. The TUF Brazil card lost a strong headliner when Junior Dos Santos got hurt and dropped out of his match with Stipe Miocic. Fabio Maldonado, on a three-fight win streak at 205, stepped up to face Miocic, but he's a heavy underdog (+400) and doesn't nearly match JDS's star power.

Middleweights Mark Muñoz and Gegard Mousasi headline the Fight Night card. I'd take Mousasi straight up, but he is a surprisingly heavy betting favorite (-300), and I like Muñoz at these odds (+220). Francis Carmont (-170) is a slight favorite over C.B. Dollaway (+130), and Iuri Alcantara is a massive favorite (-390) over Vaughan Lee (+270). That's another one where I'd take the underdog. Lee is 3-3 in the UFC, but his losses were against T.J. Dillashaw, Raphael Assunçao, and Chris Cariaso. Alcantara is 2-1-1 at 135. The loss was to Urijah Faber, but one of the two wins was a split decision, and neither came against a ranked opponent. Alcantara shouldn't be a 4:1 favorite.

If you put some small action on Muñoz and Lee, you'd walk away a winner if either one pulls the upset.

The Brazil card will air on FoxSports1; the Fight Night in Germany is on UFC Fight Pass.

UFC Fight Night - Henderson vs. Khabilov

Rustam Khabilov is 17-1, including 3-0 in the UFC, but Benson Henderson represents by far his toughest competition, and Henderson is a really tough out. Diego Sanchez meets Ross Pearson in a for-the-fans co-headliner that promises plenty of fireworks, but no title implications. More significantly, John Dodson faces John Moraga in a matchup of top-10 flyweights, Rafael dos Anjos takes a quick turnaround against Jason High, and Erik Perez meets Bryan Caraway at 135.

The lines aren't set yet, but a parlay with Henderson, Dodson, and Dos Anjos might be interesting. If four-fight parlays don't worry you, you could even add Perez to the mix.

UFC 174

The next big UFC event is UFC 174, in Vancouver on June 14. The main card features a flyweight title fight between Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson and Ali Bagautinov, plus a welterweight top contender's bout with Tyron Woodley vs. Rory MacDonald. We also get a pair of upper weight class slugfests: Ryan Bader vs. Rafael Cavalcante at 205 and Andrei Arlovski's return to the UFC, in a heavyweight tilt against Brendan Schaub.

Mighty Mouse is a prohibitive favorite (-500), but the other odds aren't out yet. I like Bader over Feijao and Schaub over Arlovski, but the welterweights are a toss-up. If I were going to bet, I'd bet on the underdog. A DJ-Bader-Schaub parlay might be worth looking into when the lines come out. Substitute Roland Delorme (vs. Michinori Tanaka) or Germaine de Randamie (vs. Milana Dudieva) if you're worried about Feijao or if the line on Schaub is too steep.

UFC 175

It's not until July 5, but this is a seriously loaded card. Chris Weidman makes his first middleweight title defense against former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida. Ronda Rousey defends her belt against Alexis Davis. And the Chael Sonnen/Wanderlei Silva grudge match reaches its conclusion, with other fights featuring former featherweight champion Urijah Faber, TUF 17 and YouTube sensation Uriah Hall, and seven-foot skyscraper Stefan Struve.

It's easy to guess who most of the favorites will be, and they'll be favored for good reason. But if you're any kind of MMA fan, don't miss this one.

Posted by Brad Oremland at 1:10 PM | Comments (0)

May 26, 2014

Ousted NHL Contenders Face Summer Upheaval

This year's Stanley Cup playoffs produced a huge range of both surprises and comebacks. In the end, there will be some debate as to whether the Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers truly represent the best out of the Eastern Conference. In the Western Conference, though, there's little doubt that the Los Angeles Kings and Chicago Blackhawks are anything but the cream of the crop. Winners of the last two Stanley Cups, both teams faced their share of opponents thinking they could topple the west. In the end, the championship mettle of L.A. and Chicago won out.

Where does this leave the rest of the league? While the final four focus on the task at hand, 26 other teams are looking ahead. For teams that faced disappointing early exits, it's time to ponder what went wrong and how to meet that championship caliber of play established by the remaining teams.

In the West, no team hit the ground harder than the San Jose Sharks. With arguably their best roster in team history, losing in seven to the Kings wasn't exactly embarrassing in itself — but the manner in which the team folded and failed to adapt to the Kings' counterattack left many observers shaking their heads. The loss exposed San Jose's biggest flaw: an alarmingly thin on the blueline, in addition to questionable goaltending and a lack of consistent physical play.

The St. Louis Blues faced similar disappointment, though their issues seemed clearer to grasp. Caught against Chicago's high-powered offense, the Blues lacked the firepower to make a difference when needed. They also gambled on Ryan Miller, who saw his free agent stock drop after a disappointing performance in the first round.

Out East, the two teams facing an identity crisis are the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Boston Bruins. Boston isn't in as much of a state of panic; losing against their hated rivals while blowing a series lead is certainly significant. However, it doesn't require the team's brass to consider the type of sweeping changes faced by the other squads. Boston does have to cope with an aging Zdeno Chara, as well as the fact that the team lost focus in the series against Montreal. Of the major contenders who've fallen, though,Boston is facing more of a natural evolution.

On the other hand, the Pittsburgh Penguins are in full reshuffle mode from the GM down. Nearly every aspect of the Penguins squad is in question, and considering the fact that Pittsburgh was often outplayed by Columbus and blew a large lead against the Rangers, numerous problems surfaced. For years, the Penguins had an abundance of riches, but a roster comparison between their Cup-winning squad and the current team showed that the forward depth had thinned out, leaving a top-heavy team. In addition, the defense proved to be slow and immobile, leaving many questioning former GM Ray Shero’s roster moves over recent years.

When the NHL returns for the start of the 2014-15 season, there’s a good chance that these teams could still be among the leaders in their conferences. Will they be Cup contenders? Or will they merely be in that above-average pack that makes the playoffs but doesn’t really pose a threat?

Time will tell, but one thing’s for sure — for San Jose, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and Boston, stunning losses have showed the need to rethink the big picture. While there’s still a good three or four weeks left in this NHL season, disappointment may soon fuel a fairly wild offseason trade/free agency market.

Posted by Mike Chen at 10:52 AM | Comments (0)

May 22, 2014

World Cup Preview, Groups G and H

Wrapping up our four-part series, here's a look at Group G and Group H in this summer's World Cup.

Group G

USA — First and foremost for the United States, this group is a real bummer. With the weakness of Groups C, E, F, and H, the U.S. gets the group of death (a lot of pundits said the U.S. was giving themselves too much credit for calling this the group of death, but if you average everyone's FIFA rankings at the time of the draw, it really is the group of death).

Not only does the group contain the powers of Germany and Portugal (and contains no teams that the US has not already played in the last three World Cups,) but the U.S.'s own personal bugaboo, Ghana, who have knocked the U.S. out of the last two World Cups.

I'll be curious to see what Jurgen Klinsmann can do in his first World Cup for the Americans, and I have a lot of faith in him. They've passed Mexico for CONCACAF supremacy. But recent form has been lacking (with a win over South Korea more than offset by draws to Mexico and Scotland and losses against Ukraine and Austria), and their pre-WC fixtures are against Nigeria (okay), Turkey (okay), and Azerbaijan (what?). In this group, I don't see a way through for this team.

GERMANY — Well, let's see. They are ranked No. 2 in the world. They're undefeated in their last 9 games. They have 13 players from last year's UEFA Champions League final. There's just not a lot of nuance here or dissections to do. This team is going very far.

PORTUGAL — You've heard this before: Portugal will go as far as Cristiano Ronaldo will take them. And based on the latest evidence, that could be far. He's scored 6 of the country's 9 goals, and those were all impressive wins — a thrashing of World Cup participants Cameroon, and a win/win in a 2-legged WC playoff over Sweden.

The remainder of their World Cup tuneups are strong: Greece, Mexico, and Ireland. You have to like where they have been and where they are going.

GHANA — Ghana, perhaps, is even more snakebitten than the US for being in this group. Lots of guys return from the Americans' nightmares, like Asamoah Gyan and Kevin-Prince Boateng. They also boast the formidable midfield tandem of Michael Essien, Kwadwo Asamoah, and Sulley Muntari.

They are fresh off a Finals appearance in the African Nations Championship, although that was followed by a letdown against Montenegro. They are challenging themselves in the run-up to the World Cup, playing the Netherlands and South Korea. This team would have made it out of most groups.

Predicted Order of Finish

1. Germany
2. Portugal
3. Ghana
4. USA

Group H

BELGIUM — Going back to the NFL parallels of early in the series, Belgium is the Seattle Seahawks of FIFA.

Stay with me here. Seattle has won a Super Bowl. Will Belgium win the World Cup? Probably not. But like the Seahawks, they toiled under years of mediocrity and suddenly found themselves very strong, seemingly out of nowhere. You've probably heard of Eden Hazard and Vincent Kompany already, but their roster is chock-full of European stars beyond those two, and contain not a single player older than 29.

They were undefeated in World Cup qualifying, but recent form has been a concern (winless in their last four). Still, this is a weak group with no one standing in their way.

RUSSIA — It's impressive that the Russians won their World Cup qualifying group, which included Portugal. They did it by doing a slightly better job against the lesser lights of their group than the Portuguese did and pipping them by a point after trading 1-0 results with them.

Beyond that, this team is slightly enigmatic. Their five World Cup warmups include only one other group qualifier, South Korea, whom they beat. They have games coming up against ho-hum Norway and Morocco coming up. Their entire squad save one plays in the so-so Russian Premier League. Their ranked 18th in the world, which seems a bit high to me. I'm giving them an incomplete.

ALGERIA — While I make this post fairly U.S.-centric, I'll note that the victims of perhaps the most famous, or at least thrilling, U.S. World Cup victory is back for more after 2010, where besides taking the Americans to the wire, they also impressively drew with England.

They are 7-1-1 in their last 9 games, and while most of that is against African squads that never qualify for the World Cup, their most recent win was an avenging of their loss to Slovenia in the 2010 World Cup. There is plenty of European-league talent in this group, notably midfielders Saphir Taider and Hassan Yebda. In a group this weak, I do like their chances of advancing.

SOUTH KOREA — In what is turning out to be a very weak Asian Football Confederation, South Korea stands out as the best of a bad lot. Nine players on their World Cup roster play in Europe, and they've a great World Cup warmup schedule. Their last six friendlies were all against World Cup teams, and they've done alright, beating Switzerland, Costa Rica, and Greece, while losing to the U.S., Mexico, and their group mates Russia.

It's going to be very, very close between Algeria and South Korea to see who finishes second to Belgium in the group. I think Algeria has a bit more to prove, and they are ranked 30 spots higher than Korea in the FIFA rankings. I'm going with the North Africans.

Predicted Order of Finish

1. Belgium
2. Algeria
3. South Korea
4. Russia

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

May 21, 2014

Learning On the Go

When it comes to the business world, one thing that keeps getting pounded into our heads is that "experience matters." That phrase usually applies to the sports world as well. Star players don't usually win championships in their first go-round. General Managers usually have some sort of apprenticeship before taking over the day-to-day operations of a franchise. Coaches usually learn at the wingtips of a learned master before getting their own opportunity to call Xs and Os.

Experience matters ... sometimes.

While there are cases in every sport where you don't need experience on the bench to get a job leading a team of players, it appears that the NBA has more of these instances than in any of the other pro leagues. Now, it's true that the vast majority of first-time coaches have gone through the rigors of being an assistant (or a college coach). But, over the last 15 years, a growing number of hires have been coming from more unconventional places than your standard coaching tree. That's the case for two of the hotter names in this edition of the annual vacancy carousel. And the processing for either one of them seems to be filed under one of three separate ways of thinking.

The first line of thought focuses on the booth. Doc Rivers had a journeyman career on the court, but parlayed that experience into his color analyst duties for Turner Broadcasting's game coverage. That was impressive enough for Orlando to name him the coach in 1999. Mark Jackson, another journeyman point guard, garnered more consistent attention as part of the three-man team calling games on ESPN (where he has returned to). That gig helped him catch the eye of Golden State, who gave him their head coaching position for the last three seasons. Now, another Turner broadcaster will take a turn at leading a roster. After jettisoning Jackson, the Warriors franchise decided to go down the same road by tabbing Steve Kerr as their next coach.

The second line of thought hones in on the front office. Most of the time, when a person's bio has the title of Coach combined with General Manager (or President of Basketball Operations), it's the former becoming the latter. However, there are a few cases where the opposite has occurred.

Everybody remembers Isiah Thomas' failed run as the President (and then coach) of the Knicks (2003-2006). But how many people remind themselves that Indiana hired him as their head coach (2000-2003) after two unsuccessful turns at seemingly higher ranking positions (Executive Vice President/Minority Owner of Toronto and Owner of the CBA)? There's also the case of Vinny Del Negro, who took a turn at both broadcasting and the front office before becoming the Bulls coach in 2009. Kerr also fits this line of thought due to his stint as the Suns' general manager from 2007-2010.

The third line of thought takes us back to the court. There was a time where players could coach their fellow NBA teammates while competing for a few minutes themselves. The Association put the kibosh on that in 1984, but it appears that almost 30 years later, franchises are looking at a more instant gratification when it comes to the timeline between playing retirement and head coaching infancy.

Nearly one year ago, everyone celebrated the career of Jason Kidd, who retired after 20 Hall of Fame-worthy seasons on the floor. Just days later, many were scratching their heads when Kidd was named the new head coach of the Brooklyn Nets. Don't get me wrong. Kidd was always seen as a "coach on the floor" type of player. But we hadn't seen this type of turnover in years. In fact, J-Kidd became just the third player/coach to experience that type of instant turnaround since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976 (joining Mike Dunleavy and Paul Silas). Fast forward nearly a year, and we could see the next name on that list in under 365 days' time. Having missed out on Kerr, Phil Jackson is reportedly looking at Derek Fisher as a possible candidate to take the open Knicks position. If that situation somehow turns from rumor into reality, you have to wonder whether a trend may be growing over the next few years.

Overall, I think assistant coaches in the pros can still rely on the lion's share of the market for head coaching vacancies. However, it appears, more and more that experience doesn't necessarily matter.

Posted by Jonathan Lowe at 12:43 PM | Comments (0)

May 20, 2014

Michael Sam and "Tweeners"

In 2013, Missouri defensive end Michael Sam led the SEC in sacks (11.5) and in tackles for a loss (19). He was named first-team all-SEC, SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year, and first-team All-American. Despite his success in the country's most competitive college football conference, Sam was seen as an early-to-mid-round NFL draft pick, because he might be small for a defensive end and slow for a linebacker.

Michael Sam is gay. He came out to his Mizzou teammates in August 2013, without incident, and in early February of this year, Sam publicly revealed that he was gay. A few people around the league made public statements supporting Sam, but a number of front office men made anonymous and off-the-record remarks that Sam's draft stock would suffer. Despite strong and rapidly growing support for gay rights, people began to wonder if Sam might not even get drafted.

On Saturday, the St. Louis Rams drafted Michael Sam late in the 7th and final round of the 2014 NFL draft. He was chosen 249th overall. Forty-four defensive ends and outside linebackers were drafted before Sam. He was the 19th defensive player from the SEC to be drafted. Eight DEs and OLBs from the SEC were taken before Sam.

Football analysts have three potential explanations for Sam's low draft position:

1. Sam is a tweener, too small to play defensive end and too slow to play linebacker.

2. He did not perform well at the NFL Draft Combine. Sam ran a 4.91 40-yard dash, bench-pressed 225 pounds just 17 times, and showed an underwhelming 25½-inch vertical jump.

3. Homophobia.

Spoiler: the third answer is the real one. But let's look at the first two.

1. Sam is a tweener

At face value, this is true: Sam is a tweener, and it's not clear whether his pro position is DE or OLB. The idea that this dropped him to the late 7th round of the draft, though, is absurd.

What makes a tweener? Size, strength, and speed. We could measure this through height, weight, body mass index (BMI), and maybe 40 time or bench press. Let's start with a really simple measure: weight. NFL defensive ends usually weigh somewhere in the high 200s, occasionally the low 300s. Michael Sam is listed at 6'2" and 261 lbs. In last week's draft, teams selected 23 players listed at NFL.com as defensive ends, including Sam. Their average weight was 270.3 pounds. Sam could catch up with a big lunch.

The most obvious comparison is to Sam's college teammate Kony Ealy. At Missouri's pro day in March, Ealy measured the same size as Michael Sam.

That is basically equal. They ran the same 40-yard dash time (4.69 for Ealy, 4.71 for Sam), and Ealy's vertical jump was a little better (32") than Sam's (30"). Ealy, the less accomplished of the two in college, was drafted in the 2nd round. It's hard to see anything in the numbers that would push Ealy so far ahead of his teammate. Sam had one of the best 2013 seasons by any player in the NCAA. If NFL teams weren't attracted to that success simply because of his size, why was Sam drafted after:

Sam's size numbers are in line with all of these players, and all of them were selected before him. That includes his Mizzou teammate Ealy, who was chosen 189 spots before Sam. Eight players, all of whom play the same position, all between 73-76 inches tall, 250-275 pounds, BMI within two points of Sam's. If Michael Sam is a tweener, so are most or all of the others.

Of course, many analysts project Sam as an outside linebacker in the NFL, so maybe we're comparing him with the wrong players. Among the 24 OLBs drafted this year, we find an average size of 6-2½, 242 pounds, 30.8 BMI. Sam is almost exactly the right height, but he's heavier than most of these guys. Again, I'm not denying that he's a tweener. There are fewer comparisons for Sam here:

Sam is the heaviest player listed, but not by a lot. Plenty of guys the same size as him were early draft picks. To be fair, these players may have an easier transition, since they already played linebacker in college, but that's teachable, and no one has accused Sam of being lazy, stupid, or uncoachable. Size alone simply isn't an adequate explanation for Sam's tumble down NFL draft boards.

2. Sam made a poor showing at the NFL Combine

Like the tweener point, this is absolutely true. Sam's performance at the Combine was miserable. He ran a 4.91 40, benched only 17 reps, barely left the ground on his vertical jump (25½"), and was slow in the 3-cone drill (7.8 seconds). Every drill he did, he did badly.

Unquestionably, the Combine hurt Sam's draft position. Teams that might have been interested if Sam had run a 4.7 with a 30-inch vertical weren't nearly as interested in the player they saw in Indianapolis. But Combine performance is always tempered by a player's showing at his pro day, and all 32 NFL teams were represented at Missouri's pro day in March, where Sam did run a 4.7, with a 30-inch vertical.

A player's showing in his workouts for scouts matters, and the NFL Combine matters most. But there are decades of evidence that there's a limit to these things. Thirty years ago, Jerry Rice slipped to the middle of the first round based partly on his slow 40-yard dash (4.69). Rice is the NFL's all-time leader in 40-yard TDs (59).

Once again, Kony Ealy provides an interesting comparison with Sam. Ealy's 40-time at the Combine was the same as Sam's, actually a tick slower (4.92). His bench press was better (22), while his 3-cone (6.83) and vertical leap (31") were much better. But at Mizzou's pro day, their numbers were similar. They ran equal 40 times (4.7) with similar verticals (32" for Ealy, 30" for Sam), and Sam improved his bench press (19 reps; Ealy didn't lift on pro day). Ealy's numbers are better, clearly. But they're not a lot better, not the difference between 2nd round and 7th round, especially considering their on-field performances with the Tigers.

3. Homophobia

On February 8th, Michael Sam was a second-day draft pick, probably a 3rd-rounder. A week later, after he came out, Sam was a third-day pick, probably somewhere between the 4th and 6th rounds.

The tweener issue did affect Sam's draft stock, and so did his poor workout at the Combine. But the biggest factor in his slide — the slide of the best player on the 2013 Missouri Tigers, a team that played in the SEC Championship Game, won the Cotton Bowl, and finished the season ranked 5th in the nation — the biggest factor in the slide of the SEC sack leader and Co-Defensive Player of the Year (with 1st-round draft pick C.J. Mosley), the slide of a consensus All-American, the biggest factor in the slide of Michael Sam's draft stock was his sexuality.

The other factors, size and workout stats, are insufficient to explain the lack of enthusiasm for such a successful player. There are two types of homophobia that affected Sam. One is plain old "I-hate-gay-people" homophobia. NFL front offices are full of old men with outdated ideas, who prefer to hire people they're comfortable with, and convince themselves afterwards that they really chose the most qualified candidate. This has been obvious for years in the difficulties of African-American head coaching candidates, a problem so obvious and ugly that it necessitated the Rooney Rule. More than half of all interim head coaches are black, so there are obviously qualified minority coaching candidates. But under 20% of long-term hires are black. Unconscious bias, conscious discrimination, or inequities in the interview and hiring process deprive African-Americans of head coaching opportunities. It's logical to presume that the same prejudice that hurts racial minorities will affect openly gay ballplayers. It was reported at the 2013 NFL Combine that at least one team asked a prospect, "Do you like girls?"

There's another factor, though, besides direct bigotry: perceived homophobia. I'm confident that some teams were interested in drafting Sam, but concerned about the publicity that would accompany adding the league's first out-of-the-closet player. These teams worried about public reaction, from fans, media, and opponents. They worried about private reaction from other players and team personnel. This is a less hateful, but equally cowardly homophobia: I'm not prejudiced, but I'm sure everyone else is. Support for LGBT rights has grown enormously, just in the last decade, and it continues to increase quickly — already, Michael Sam jerseys are the second-best-selling among rookies, behind only Johnny Manziel — but some NFL decision-makers don't know (or don't want to know) this.

Michael Sam was drafted late in the 7th round, 249th overall. Forty-four defensive ends and outside linebackers were drafted before Sam, a consensus All-American. Eighteen SEC defensive players were drafted before Sam, the conference's Co-Defensive Player of the Year. Sam was eventually drafted by the St. Louis Rams, where he'll continue to enjoy the support of Missouri fans, and there's no pressure for him to produce right away, because St. Louis already has an exceptional defensive line. But his low draft position implies ugly things about the NFL and the men who guide it. Michael Sam should be fine for now. It's the rest of us I'm worried about.

Posted by Brad Oremland at 3:00 PM | Comments (0)

May 19, 2014

Q&A With Co-Founder of Gallipoli Youth Cup

Back in 2008, I wrote an article titled "Something Different to Do in 2008" about tennis tournaments that you will not read much about in the general media, but are worth attending because they have separated themselves from many other calendar ITF events. The Gallipoli Youth Cup (GYC) is one such event, and it just wrapped up in Melbourne, Australia.

The GYC has entered its sixth year and along the way this tournament has created history in many ways. However, in terms of creating ground-breaking history, with influential figures supporting GYC, 2014 and 2015 will be very important years for this event.

Pat Cash (1987 Wimbledon Men's Singles Champion) and Umit Oraloglu (successful businessman and second generation Australian from Turkish parents), are the co-founders of the GYC. I asked the latter several questions regarding the past 6 years and what the future holds for the tournament.

How did the GYC come about and why is it so different from other ITF junior tournaments?

Umit: In Australia, we are all educated at school about the Gallipoli campaign, where during World War 1, Australian and New Zealand soldiers (known as the ANZACs), formed part of an Allied expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli Peninsula (the European side of Turkey), under a plan to open the way to the Black Sea for the Allies. Even though the Gallipoli campaign failed in its military objectives, the landing at Gallipoli made a profound impact on Australians and New Zealanders at home and 25th of April became the day on which they remembered the sacrifice of those who died in war.

Since sport is inherently a big part of Australia, Pat Cash and I thought (in conjunction with Tennis Australia), what better way to give our youth the opportunity to commemorate our war veterans through ongoing participation and competition in sport by establishing the Gallipoli Youth Cup.

Not only are the junior players commemorating the fallen soldiers, we also created a "School Commemoration Program," where year six students from various primary schools can participate in tennis activities and education programs commemorating the fallen soldiers at Gallipoli. The GYC is now the only International junior tennis tournament in the world where the tennis players and school students commemorate the fallen soldiers.

Even though the GYC was established in 2008, it took four long years to get it off the ground due to unimaginable twists and turns. What were these twists and turns?

Umit: In 2004, Pat Cash and I traveled to Turkey, so we could create a tennis event by commemorating the fallen soldiers at Gallipoli. The event was called Anzac Legends Cup (ALC) and the concept was to have two past legend tennis players from two of the countries that lost soldiers at Gallipoli to play an exhibition match and then the following year, add another two players to the event (from two other countries).

Other than Turkey, Australia, and New Zealand, countries such as France, Canada, England, South Africa, Ireland, India, etc. also lost soldiers at Gallipoli. With this being the case, in 2005, Pat Cash (Australia) and Henri Leconte (France), competed against each other in the first ever ALC to be held in Istanbul at the renowned Coliseum Centre.

Unfortunately that was to be the first and last ALC because the Turkish Government thought only the countries that lost soldiers at Gallipoli would be interested in the ALC and they wanted to hold a tennis tournament by attracting interest from all over the world, so they wanted Pat Cash and I to organize a WTA or ATP tournament in Turkey. In that same year, with both of us playing a crucial role, a WTA event was held in Istanbul and it was named after the historical city itself, the Istanbul Cup.

It was like we awakened the sleeping giant because with the success of the Istanbul Cup, the Turkish Government went on to hold the end of year WTA Championships held between 2011 and 2013. That being said, after establishing the Istanbul Cup, Pat Cash and I came back to Australia with an empty sense of feeling. Our initial goal for going to Turkey was to annually commemorate the fallen soldiers through a tennis event, and we didn't achieve our goal.

After giving it some thought, we noticed that at a senior level, the codes of Australian Rugby League and Australian Rules Football held matches to commemorate our war veterans, however there was no event held at a youth level. After consulting with Craig Tiley, CEO Tennis Australia (then Director of Tennis Australia), I'm proud to say, we eventually created the GYC.

So far in this journey, what has been the highlight of the GYC?

Umit: There have been so many highlights, however if I had to narrow it down to a few, I would have to say, since 2008, we have educated thousands of school kids about the Gallipoli campaign and this will continue for many years to come.

Also in 2013, for the first time we had 12 Turkish junior tennis players compete at the GYC. These kids created long lasting friendships with players from Australia and New Zealand. Last but not least, to celebrate our achievements, last year we invited Mr. Turgut Kacmaz — 77-years-old and the son of the last Turkish veteran at Gallipoli — to be the special guest at our Gala Dinner. He also handed out the trophies to the singles and doubles winners of the GYC, which attracted profound media coverage from all over the world.

This year there was a major development with Tennis Australia announcing that the GYC is now one of the major projects of the Australian Tennis Foundation. However, since 2015 will be the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli landing, what plans are in place to mark this special occasion?

Umit: Yes it was definitely a major development. Just before this year's Australian Open, the Australian Tennis Foundation held one of its first projects by teaming up with Roger Federer's Foundation and raising valuable funds for both foundations.

The event was called, "A night with Roger Federer and friends," which was a televised event and it ended up raising more than $1 million on the night. It just makes me so happy that the GYC has reached a certain level, where it's now officially going to be run by the Australian Tennis Foundation.

Regarding 2015, this year will be very special. We have two major objectives. The first is to educate five thousand students during the tournament through our "School Commemoration Program" (which has never been achieved before) and the second is to invite junior tennis players from all the countries that lost soldiers at Gallipoli, so that we can continue promoting the notion of mateship. These countries are Turkey, England, New Zealand, France, Canada, South Africa, Ireland, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Senegal, and Algeria.

Umit, this sounds fantastic! Any last thoughts?

Umit: Yes. Even though Pat Cash and I are the co-founders of the GYC, there are two people that also played a very important role in making the GYC a huge success. From day one, Craig Tiley and Michael Annett (CEO of Victorian RSL Branch) understood the concept of the GYC and I can't thank both of them enough. For more information on the GYC and to see what we have achieved in the past six years, everyone can log onto GallipoliYouthCup.com.

Posted by Mert Ertunga at 12:50 PM | Comments (0)

May 15, 2014

Foul Territory: White Supreme Assist?

* Train Wrecks, Lies, and Videotape, or if Donald Sterling Could Pass Like Magic Johnson, Would it Be Called a "White Supreme Assist?" — Donald Sterling told Anderson Cooper that he's "not racist" in an interview that aired Monday on CNN. Ironically, the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers didn't "own" up to anything.

* He's the Shirt, or Johnny Retail — Johnny Manziel's No. 2 Cleveland Browns jersey is the top-selling jersey on NFLshop.com since April 1st. The jersey is made by Nike, not Starter, as Manziel contends.

* He Annexed the Goal Crease — Vladimir Putin scored 6 goals and recorded 5 assists in an exhibition hockey game in Sochi on Sunday. As Al Michaels once said: "Do you believe in politically-staged, unrealistic, super-human feats of athletic prowess? Yess!"

* He isn't Used to Umpires Saying "Strike 3," or Exiled Thing — Former Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Mitch Williams was ejected from his kids' baseball game after a profanity-laced tirade at a tournament in Aberdeen, Maryland on Saturday. After he was ejected, the reliever known as "Wild Thing" had trouble finding "home."

* Heckuva Job, Brownie, Or Baseball Had "Oil Can" Boyd; Basketball Has "Two Can" Brown — The Cleveland Cavaliers fired head coach Mike Brown for the second time in four years. When asked if he would ever return as head coach to Cleveland, Brown said he would follow the example set by the team, and "not make the same mistake twice."

* Cue Eminem's "Stan" as Entrance Music — The Detroit Pistons signed Stan Van Gundy as coach and president of basketball operations. Van Gundy said he's looking forward to being a Piston in Detroit, as opposed to being "pist-on" in Orlando.

* He's a Squirter, or He Claimed Subban Was a Calgary Flame — Boston Bruins forward Shawn Thorton was fined $2,820.52 for squirting Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban in the face with a water bottle in Boston's 4-2 Game 5 on Saturday. Thornton, who's from Ontario, played down the incident, and said he had no problem being called a "hoser."

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 1:09 PM | Comments (0)

May 14, 2014

Why Scott Brooks Should Go

In recent years, there's been a very questionable trend take hold in NBA front offices, where coaches get fired even after guiding their teams to excellent, 50-win-plus seasons.

Last year, three 50-win coaches (George Karl, Lionel Hollins and Vinny Del Negro) were either fired or not asked to return to their respective teams, with another interim coach not retained after being on a 50-win pace (P.J. Carlesimo). And just a week ago, despite taking the franchise to heights not seen in two decades, Mark Jackson was fired as the Warriors' head coach.

With just about everyone, be it players, media or front offices themselves in agreement that team culture and continuity are of great importance to professional sports, how is it that teams are so willing to get rid of coaches, even after good or stellar seasons?

All that having been said, to me, there's still a potential firing for this season that would make the utmost sense. Scott Brooks should no longer coach Oklahoma City if the Thunder fail to win the NBA title.

By any statistical measure, Brooks is a highly successful NBA coach. The Thunder have won 50 games in each full season Brooks has coached, and nearly won 50 in the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season in which the Thunder went to the Finals. His .633 winning percentage ranks 11th all-time among coaches to coach 200 or more regular season NBA games.

However, at some point, with two of the league's best 10 players in their primes, plus a borderline all-star playing at a high level, the goal has to be title or bust. That time should be now.

And to be clear, Oklahoma City still does have a decent shot at winning the title. As of press time, OKC is tied at two games a piece in the Western Conference Semifinals with two home games left in the series, if needed. In that series, the Clippers have been largely unable to defend Oklahoma City for long stretches of play. It's almost as if the Clippers' macro-level strategy is to try to score 115 points every game, and then hope the Thunder have a bad shooting quarter or two.

In the Western Conference Finals, the Spurs would almost certainly be waiting. The Thunder beat the Spurs in all four meetings this season, winning by an average of more than nine points per game. Then, in a potential Finals matchup, OKC would obviously be favored against anyone but Miami. A second Thunder/Heat Finals in three years would likely be judged a toss-up.

But before Oklahoma City can even consider winning six or 10 more games, there are big questions that need to be answered about the team's ability to close out playoff games.

In case you'd forgotten, Game 4's collapse against the Clips from 22 points up early and up 16 in the fourth quarter wasn't exactly the Thunder's first crushing playoff loss from a position of strength during a contending playoff run.

In Game 4 of the 2011 West Finals, with a chance to even the series at 2-2, Oklahoma City was up 15 points with 5 minutes to go, only to lose by seven in overtime against Dallas. In the next game of that series, the Thunder led nearly the entire final quarter before losing in the final minute to get eliminated. In the 2012 Finals, Oklahoma City had plenty of opportunities in Games 3 and 4 to make that Finals a much different animal.

One of the Thunder's main issues seems to be that Brooks' teams don't have enough of an identity when closing out games. Will Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook take the biggest shots? How can they involve Serge Ibaka's stellar mid-range game in the offense if the defense focuses on the two stars? Also, the offense seems to become completely stagnant, unoriginal and void of much off-ball movement in those situations.

In Sunday's game, the key adjustment that turned the game was that Doc Rivers switched Chris Paul on to Kevin Durant in the fourth quarter. But instead of getting Durant to attack Paul, or finding ways to draw a help defender and kick to an open man, Brooks was fine with Durant setting up at or near the elbow, 15 to 20 feet from the basket. While this strategy worked with Paul on Durant in a late possession in Game 3 Friday night, a now-experienced Brooks can't rely on the league's best point guard to guard Durant the same way two days later.

Then there's the issue of late-game clock management for the Thunder. In Game 5 against the Grizzlies in the first round, Brooks indefensibly elected to play defense down one possession and with no timeouts in the final seconds, only to have his poor decision-making bailed out by a Westbrook steal and dunk. The Thunder later lost in overtime. Then, on Sunday, in the same exact circumstance, Brooks elected to play out the possession again, instead of giving his team a better chance to win by lengthening the game.

It is true that Durant and Westbrook are each only 25, and should theoretically each have many more years to play alongside each other. But each can become a free agent after the 2015-16 season. If Scott Brooks is still the coach then and the Thunder are still suffering from the same ailments, late-game struggles and haven't won a title, each player should test the market.

Despite the questionable way the franchise relocated from Seattle, the NBA has its trademark small-market success story for the 21st century. In order for that team to achieve its title-winning potential, it probably needs to find a new coach.

Check out the odds on the next Thunder/Clippers game by Sports Interaction!

Posted by Ross Lancaster at 9:28 PM | Comments (0)

NASCAR Top 10 Power Rankings: Week 11

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Jeff Gordon — Gordon took the lead with eight laps to go and held off the hard-changing Kevin Harvick to take the checkered flag at Kansas. It was Gordon's first win this season and third career win at Kansas Speedway.

"My pit crew really came through with a great stop," Gordon said. "In this sport, it's all about the 'seconds.' Just ask Mark Martin.

"Winning a race is a weight off my shoulders. Now, I've got to take that wait off my shoulders, because it's been 13 years since my last Cup title."

2. Joey Logano — Logano took third in the 5-Hour Energy 400, posting his sixth top 5 of the year. He is sixth in the points standings, 48 behind Jeff Gordon.

"The lights went out on the backstretch during the race," Logano said. "I guess NASCAR's "Drive For Diversity" program is working, because it just got darker."

3. Matt Kenseth — Kenseth finished 10th at Kansas, the best finish among Toyota drivers. Kenseth is second in the Sprint Cup points standings, 15 behind Jeff Gordon.

"I didn't see the light," Kenseth said. "And, I also didn't see the 'Lite.' That's because Brad Keselowski was driving the No. 2 car with the Würth paint scheme. If you'll notice, in the word 'Würth,' the are two dots over the 'u.' On a related note, I'd like to give Keselowski two dots in his 'i.'"

4. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. — Earnhardt posted his sixth top-five finish with a fifth at Kansas as Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon took the win. Earnhardt is fourth in the points standings, 26 out of first.

"Another problem with the lights for NASCAR," Earnhardt said. "I guess this gives new meaning to the term 'night racing.' But let's not be too alarmed. There are hundreds of blackouts in every NASCAR race, most in the infield, and nearly all involving fans of Junior Nation."

5. Carl Edwards — Edwards led six laps and finished sixth in the 5-Hour Energy 500 at Kansas. He moved up one spot to fifth in the points standings, and trails Jeff Gordon by 27.

"After the lights went out," Edwards said, "NASCAR officials asked the drivers if they could see well enough to continue. You could say, for once, that NASCAR started on the 'poll.'"

6. Kyle Busch — Busch finished a disappointing 15th at Kansas, as Matt Kenseth was the top Joe Gibbs Racing finisher, in 10th. Busch is still third in the points standings, 21 out of first.

"Despite driving the No. 18 Snickers car," Busch said, "I'm not satisfied."

7. Jimmie Johnson — Johnson led 24 laps at Kansas, but was no match for the faster cars of Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick. He faded to ninth at the finish, and remains winless on the season.

"I heard Danica Patrick got a big thrill passing me," Johnson said. "Give her a pat on the back. Usually, when Danica passes a Sprint Cup champion, the only thing back is her lap."

8. Kevin Harvick — Harvick led a race-high 119 laps, but was beaten out of the pits on the final caution by Jeff Gordon. Harvick couldn't catch Gordon down the stretch and settled for second.

"We just didn't get it done on the pit stop," Harvick said. "It's one thing to get caught speeding on pit lane; it's another to get caught 'sleeping.'"

9. Ryan Newman — Newman finished 11th in the 5-Hour Energy 400 at Kansas, just missing out on his fourth top-10 result of the year. He is, however, in the top 10 in the points, in eighth, 62 behind Jeff Gordon.

"Clint Bowyer's mother gave the command to start the engines," Newman said. "She really gave it a nice personal touch. You could say she put her own 'spin' on it."

10. Greg Biffle — Biffle finished 16th at Kansas in the No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Toyota. He is ninth in the Sprint Cup points standings, 66 out of first.

"It was an eventful race," Biffle said. "Between the threat of storms, cars on fire, and malfunctioning lights, NASCAR is probably saying 'Glad we're not in Kansas anymore."

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 10:12 AM | Comments (0)

May 13, 2014

Active MLB Players' HOF Chances

Steroids, lies, and more steroids have tainted the baseball Hall of Fame conversation for several years now. Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and Roger Clemens remain on the ballot for 2015, but Rafael Palmeiro is off with only 25 votes — 4.4%. Over 3000 hits and over 500 home runs is a shoo-in without the stain of performance-enhancing drugs, but after only his fourth year on the ballet, Palmeiro will never appear again. The only other players with that stat are Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and Eddie Murray.

So Alex Rodriguez will probably suffer the same fate as Bonds, McGwire, and Sosa. Hitters who were really good, but cheaters.

But the rest of Major League Baseball's active list of potential Hall of Fame careers appear relatively clean. Let's turn over a new leaf and look at some worthy active candidates.

Locks

Derek Jeter

Currently ninth in career hits, Jeter could move up to fifth or sixth by the end of the season. He's an obvious first ballot choice, a true leader, and one hell of a hitter.

Ichiro Suzuki

Ichiro is currently third among active hitters in the hit category, after Jeter and Rodriguez (if you can count him as active) with nearly 2800 hits in MLB. Considering he began his MLB career at age 27, I think we can assume he would have gathered a few more hits had he come to the U.S. earlier — maybe even 1000 more. Ichiro had over 200 hits in each of his first 10 seasons. The man is a real talent and another first ballot Hall of Fame choice.

Albert Pujols

Pujols is already a nine-time All-Star a three time MVP (a four-time second place finisher, twice to the cheating Barry Bonds). 2013 was an off year for Pujols, but he has been showing signs of life in 2014. He may never have another year of batting .350 with 40 home runs and 130 RBI, but .280 with 30 home runs and 100 RBI is still high quality performance. If he retired tomorrow, I still think he'd be a first ballot choice, but I could be wrong on that. If he plays another four to eight years, he may reach 3000 hits and 700 home runs and join Hank Aaron as the only other person to do that.

Should Be In

Miguel Cabrera

At age 31, Cabrera is already an eight-time All-Star and two-time MVP. He's had 100 or more RBI in the past 10 seasons. In that time, he's hit 30 home runs all but once, and hit .300 all but twice. He's a machine at the plate. He'll likely go over 400 home runs this season and is already over 2000 hits. And he's 31. He may tail off a bit over the next decade, but I still think 3000 hits and 600 home runs is in reach for Cabrera. Barring a career ending injury or a severe drop-off in production that leaves him pinch hitting, Cabrera should be a Hall of Famer without question.

David Ortiz

David Ortiz is a nine time All-Star with very similar numbers to Paul Konerko (later). He's even the same age as Konerko. He'll probably reach 500 home runs. If he hadn't been terrible for the first six seasons of his career in Minnesota, this would be a no brainer. But what makes Ortiz a top candidate in my opinion is his clutch playoff performances. He has three World Series rings and one World Series MVP. Passing the 500 home run mark will help his cause, but I think Big Papi gets in one way or another, but probably not right away.

Adrian Beltre

I'm not sure about Adrian Beltre. He's only a three time all-star. He's never won an MVP (though he has finished second once and third once), he'll go over 2500 hits this season, he'll likely go over 400 home runs this season. He's 35-years-old. He's 75 in career total bases, right after Harmon Killebrew and just ahead of Jim Rice — both Hall of Famers. He's good in the field with four Gold Gloves at third base. I don't know why, but I think he has more work to do. He's just never been a guy who has dominated and he's probably too old to do that now. Sustained greatness measures pretty deeply, but so does a run of domination.

I'd say his chances right now would be about 10%. Another three years of solid play — 40%. Another five years along with breaking the 3000 hit and 500 home run mark, closer to 90%.

Justin Verlander

Of course the recently retired Mariano Rivera will make the Hall of Fame, but most active pitchers are a bit more questionable in their credentials.

Verlander is a six-time all-star. He won the Cy Young and the MVP in the same season. Verlander has thrown two no-hitters and continues to be dominant. It's unclear how long Verlander can keep performing at all-star status. Today's pitcher statistics have a hard time measuring up against former times. It's very unlikely Verlander will reach 300 wins and merely possible he'll reach 3000 strikeouts. But he may be the most dominant pitcher of the past decade. Continuing his success puts him in the Hall in my opinion.

CC Sabathia

Sabathia is much like Verlander. But Sabathia came up earlier and has some stat padding against Verlander. Sabathia is currently 208-119. If he can hold on for another seven years, he could be the last 300-game winner we ever see in Major League Baseball. But at 6'7” and nearly 300 pounds, I don't see Sabathia's body holding up that long. He's 33 and his ERA is already slipping big time. In 2013, it was 4.78, the worst of his entire career. In seven starts in 2014, it's hovering up at 5.75. Sabathia may have already done enough for some to warrant Hall of Fame consideration, but I need to see at least three more years of 15 wins and 150 to 200 strikeouts if he wants my vote.

Less Likely

Adam Dunn

Dunn will likely be the next active player to cross the 500 home run mark. The problem with Dunn is that 28.5% of his hits are home runs …meaning he doesn't have that many hits. He will likely end up being the career leader in strikeouts (he's already in fourth) and he's only made two all-star games, which I will label as unjust. It's very likely that he'll slow down real fast real soon. Once Dunn isn't hitting 35 to 40 home runs per season, he won't be playing every day anywhere. But he's only 34. Another six years of 35 home runs is 650 of them. Know anybody with 650 home runs not in the Hall of Fame ... who didn't take steroids. I don't. Personally, though, I don't think he has six good years left. Maybe three, which would put him likely around 550.

I'd say if he can manage 600 home runs he'll get in, but if not, he'll have a hard time getting the votes.

Paul Konerko

Konerko is basically between Pujols and Beltre, but 38-years-old and with a lot less in the tank. Konerko is a six-time All-Star and a very good contact hitter. His season high total for strikeouts is only 110, impressive for today's era of power hitter. I just don' t think Konerko will have enough games to prove he's Hall of Fame material. He was crawling in 2013 and 2014 looks worse. I think he may be in his final year, which means probably not happening for Konerko.

Joe Mauer

Mauer has three batting titles, an MVP, and six all-star appearances. It looks like 2013— his 10th year will be his final year of catching. Those 10 years of catching were about as good as you can expect from anyone in MLB history. Mauer needs another 10 years with that level of production at first base or designated hitter. If he can keep his career average up at .322 where it currently stands for the next eight to 10 years, I don't know how you could say no to this guy. It would put him near 3000 hits most likely, barring missing too much time for injury. But as a first baseman/designated hitter, Mauer might need to hit more for power. Not 40 home runs per year power, but 15 to 20 would be nice.

Joe Nathan

Nathan is a six-time all-star with 348 saves, ninth most all-time. Of the eight men ahead of Nathan on that list, only Dennis Eckersley is a Hall of Famer. Mariano Rivera certainly will be, but Lee Smith — with 130 more saves than Nathan made it to 50% of the votes in 2012. In 2014, he dipped below 30%. I'd love to see more closers in the Hall of Fame, but the trend is Nathan doesn't stand a chance. What does that mean for Francisco Rodriguez, Craig Kimbrel, Jonathan Papelbon and other closers of our era? I don't know.

So who am I missing from this list? Is there anybody else who would get your Hall of Fame vote?

Posted by Andrew Jones at 11:10 AM | Comments (1)

May 12, 2014

2014 NFL Draft Winners and Losers

Over the next two paragraphs, I'll explain why I rated teams where I did. If you don't care about the methodology, by all means skip ahead.

I'm an NFL writer, and I don't follow college football closely enough to make insightful judgements about which players are and are not likely to succeed at the pro level. Instead, for each team, I'm looking at two fundamental goals: [1] Did the team get good value for its picks, and [2] Did those picks fill needs?

I'm looking for teams that addressed their needs without reaching for lesser talent, made profitable trades, and selected highly-rated players long after we thought they'd be off the board. Conversely, even if you got good players, taking someone who probably would have been available a round later — I don't see that as a good pick. Most drafts are close to average, so not every team is listed.

2014 Draft Winners

* Houston Texans — If I have learned anything from covering the NFL draft, it's that you don't get away from the obvious to make a sexy pick. Everyone knew Julius Peppers was the best player in the 2002 draft, but Houston took David Carr. Everyone knew Calvin Johnson was the best player in the 2007 draft, but Oakland chose JaMarcus Russell. The Rams picked Sam Bradford over Ndamukong Suh. Sure, Houston needs to figure out a plan at QB. But Jadeveon Clowney, playing across from J.J. Watt, gives the Texans a really dangerous defensive front.

Xavier Su'a-Filo should start at guard in Week 1, and C.J. Fiedorowicz can help fill the void created by Owen Daniels' departure. Louis Nix is a natural nose tackle, and Pitt QB Tom Savage gives the team a prospect who shouldn't be rushed into action. No one knows how these players will pan out, but it was a really sensible draft, and the Clowney-Watt combination has got to worry opponents in the AFC South.

* San Diego Chargers — I loved their 2013 draft (D.J. Fluker, Manti Te'o, Keenan Allen), and I like this year's, too. San Diego ranked 29th in pass defense last season (4,139 yards, 96.4 passer rating), so TCU cornerback Jason Verrett made a lot of sense with their first pick. He's small (5-9, 189), but fast and athletic. The biggest worry is probably whether or not he stays healthy. The Bolts traded up for outside linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu, a good fit for their defense, and picked up guard Chris Watt in the 3rd round. Fifth-round selection Ryan Carrethers is among the most intriguing picks from the last day of the draft. Carrethers is a nose tackle, big and strong but not real quick. That may hold him back at the pro level, but he's an interesting prospect at an important position.

* Cleveland Browns — They laid the groundwork last year, sacrificing 2013 picks for earlier choices this year, then trading away Trent Richardson for an extra 1st-round pick. They made four more trades during this year's draft. Cleveland only drafted six players this year, but all in the first four rounds.

A pair of trades dropped the Browns from 4th overall to 8th, but added Buffalo's 1st-round choice in 2015 (which could easily be a top-10 selection). With that 8th pick, Cleveland took Oklahoma State CB Justin Gilbert. Some people questioned this selection, but I like it a lot. Gilbert is a physical marvel who had an impressive Combine, but he also produced on the field in the Big 12. He intercepted seven passes in 2013, and finished his college career with eight non-offensive touchdowns. Paired with Joe Haden and free agent acquisition Donte Whitner, Gilbert gives Cleveland an intimidating defensive backfield.

The Browns also traded up to get Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner. Manziel was seen as a possible top-10 pick, and the Browns got him late in the 1st round, 22nd overall. Even with the likely suspension of all-pro wide receiver Josh Gordon, Cleveland had a very nice offseason with regard to its roster. The team added Whitner, RB Ben Tate, and LB Karlos Dansby in free agency, without any major subtractions. Wide receiver is probably a concern at this point. Manziel needs people to throw to.

* Defensive backs — Thursday night's first round saw nine defensive backs selected. Five cornerbacks is a lot, but it's especially unusual to see four safeties drafted so early. This does continue a trend, however: one safety in the first round of 2011, two in the first round of 2012, three in 2013, and now four. I'm betting against five in 2015, though.

* Oakland Raiders — Dynamite offseason, adding some big-name players in free agency. Most of those guys are a couple years past their primes, but not to the point they aren't valuable. Oakland's first-round draft pick, Buffalo LB Khalil Mack, is widely viewed as a can't-miss NFL talent. QB Derek Carr made a ton of sense in the 2nd round, especially in combination with the 6th-round pick they traded for Matt Schaub, who can play while Carr develops. They traded down in the 3rd round and still got Gabe Jackson, who should compete for a starting job on the offensive line. If Schaub plays the way he did a couple years ago, the Raiders could be a playoff team.

* St. Louis Rams — Let's re-visit the RG3 trade. The Rams had the 2nd pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. They traded it to Washington (who selected Robert Griffin III), and after some further wheeling and dealing, that trade two years ago yielded Michael Brockers, Janoris Jenkins, Isaiah Pead, Rokevious Watkins, Alec Ogletree, Stedman Bailey, and Eric Robinson.

The team obviously has high hopes for Robinson, while Brockers and Ogletree are already success stories. Brockers has 9.5 sacks in two seasons, which is phenomenal for a defensive tackle, and he started all 16 games last year on a defensive line that is among the best in the NFL. Ogletree didn't receive any votes for Defensive Rookie of the Year, but he easily could have, after ending the 2013 season with the team lead in tackles, plus 6 forced fumbles, 10 passes defensed, and a 98-yard interception return for a touchdown.

Rokevious Watkins played only one game for the Rams, but the RG3 trade yielded an immensely promising linebacker (Ogletree), a good defensive tackle (Brockers), a starting offensive tackle (Robinson), a starting cornerback (Jenkins), a running back with potential (Pead), and a backup WR (Bailey). That's a tremendous value from one draft pick.

In addition to Robinson, the Rams spent their own high draft picks on Combine sensation Aaron Donald, FSU cornerback Lamarcus Joyner, and running back Tre Mason. Joyner may have been a reach, but the Rams need a corner to replace Cortland Finnegan. Donald solidifies that already-powerful defensive line, presenting opponents with a matchup nightmare.

* Green Bay Packers — Drafted Ha Ha Clinton-Dix in the bottom half of the 1st round, filling a critical need at safety, and picked Fresno State WR Davante Adams to replace James Jones, who left in free agency. The Packers had two 3rd-rounders, and used both to address free agent departures. Khyri Thornton is a 300-lb defensive tackle, and Green Bay will need him to contribute in 2014. Richard Rodgers is a candidate to earn Jermichael Finley's old job. I'd still like to see the Packers add a quality offensive lineman before September, but they drafted positions they needed.

* Texas A&M Aggies — Three first-round picks — tied for the most of any school — including two top-10 selections, and QB Johnny Manziel at 22nd. The Aggies had two players chosen in the top seven; no one else had two in the top 20. This was A&M's fourth straight year with a player drafted in the top 10 (Von Miller, Ryan Tannehill, Luke Joeckel, Jake Matthews and Mike Evans).

* Alabama Crimson Tide — This was the fifth season in a row that multiple players from 'Bama were selected in the first round. No other school even has two years in a row like that, or three of the last five. Since 2010, Alabama has sent Rolando McClain, Kareem Jackson, Marcell Dareus, Julio Jones, James Carpenter, Mark Ingram, Trent Richardson, Mark Barron, Dre Kirkpatrick, Dont'a Hightower, Dee Milliner, Chance Warmack, D.J. Fluker, C.J. Mosley, and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix to the first round of the NFL Draft.

* New York Giants — Drafted for need. Odell Beckham fell to them in the first round, and he'll likely start at wide receiver in Week 1. They got an offensive lineman in the 2nd round, a much-needed defensive tackle in the 3rd, and a power running back in the 4th. If Beckham lives up to expectations and one or two of the others emerge as viable starters, this was a strong draft.

Question Marks

* Detroit Lions — Raised eyebrows by using their first pick (10th overall) on North Carolina tight end Eric Ebron. It certainly wasn't a need pick for a team stocked with receivers, including TE Brandon Pettigrew, who signed a new four-year contract in March. But Ebron is a great talent and a sound "best player available" selection. He joins a good offensive team where there's no pressure to become the next Vernon Davis overnight, and he'll benefit from the attention paid to Calvin Johnson.

Some analysts loved Kyle Van Noy, and others weren't sold on him, but not many people expected him to be available with the eighth pick of the 2nd round. The Lions opted to make value picks, but it's not obvious how much they improved the team this weekend.

* Jacksonville Jaguars — Blake Bortles was a surprise with the third overall pick. From a P.R. standpoint, drafting a quarterback from Central Florida was probably a good idea. From an on-field perspective, though, you're not going to convince many people that Bortles was the best player available. There was no consensus that he was the best QB in the draft, and Jacksonville's offense is so bad, you wonder how Bortles can possibly succeed, no matter his skills. The Jags followed up with two WRs and an offensive lineman, so at least they recognize that they need to support their young QB. That earns them a reprieve from the "loser" label, but I think they're going to regret choosing Bortles ahead of guys like Sammy Watkins and Khalil Mack. They probably could have traded down and gotten Bortles later.

* Carolina Panthers — If you don't follow the Panthers, you may not realize how many players they lost in the offseason. The glaring holes are wide receiver, defensive backfield, and offensive line. Carolina's top four WRs from 2013 are all gone, including Steve Smith. Both starting safeties left in free agency, as did starting CB Captain Munnerlyn and nickel back Drayton Florence. Longtime left tackle Jordan Gross retired, and Travelle Wharton is a free agent. Carolina got a few free agent WRs to patch the leaks, but no one who excites you. The team does not look ready to pick up where it left off at the end of the season.

The Panthers addressed their needs in the draft. They took a big possession receiver (FSU's Kelvin Benjamin) in the 1st round, a guard in the 3rd, DBs in the 4th and 5th. But how many of those guys can start in Week 1? It wasn't a bad draft, but Panther fans have to be disappointed at not seeing a couple more guys who look ready to make an impact.

* Washington — I liked what they did in the second and third rounds. A trade with Dallas turned the 34th overall pick into NCAA 2013 sack leader Trent Murphy and Nebraska guard Spencer Long. Some mock drafts had Washington choosing Morgan Moses in the 2nd round (34th), and they got him in the 3rd (66th).

But they didn't draft any defensive linemen, they didn't get an inside linebacker to replace London Fletcher, and it's their second straight year without a 1st-round pick.

* Minnesota Vikings — For the second year in a row, they made multiple picks in the first round. The question is when the players will be ready to contribute. Anthony Barr has a lot of potential, but he may be a project. You can't just plug him into Jared Allen's old spot on opening day. Teddy Bridgewater was terrific at Louisville, but he's probably not a starter in 2014.

Third-rounder Jerick McKinnon, a running back at Georgia Southern, is a freak athlete who had a terrific showing at the NFL Combine. He ran a 4.4, benched 32 reps, and showed a vertical leap over 40 inches. It's not obvious where he'll play at the pro level, but he's got a ton of potential. I'd love to see McKinnon and Cordarelle Patterson on the field together for kick returns.

2014 Draft Losers

* The GMs who passed on Michael Sam — Yes, it's homophobia. Sam was SEC Defensive Player of the Year, originally projected as a second-day (rounds 2-3) draft pick. Now, we're supposed to believe he dropped to the late seventh round just because he's a "tweener." With so many teams alternating between 3-4 and 4-3 defensive alignments, tweener is practically a position these days. Sam didn't perform well at the NFL Combine, but he had a strong pro day and a great college career. He got passed over because of prejudice, plain and simple.

For a league that tries to sell an image of tolerance and diversity, this is a real problem.

* Texas Longhorns — For the first time since 1937, no Longhorns were chosen in the NFL Draft. As of this writing, five Longhorns have signed as undrafted free agents, including DE Jackson Jeffcoat with the Seattle Seahawks.

* Indianapolis Colts — First pick was wasted in the Trent Richardson trade. I would have liked to see the Colts do more to address their run defense, the problem that sunk them in the playoff loss to New England.

* Seattle Seahawks — Traded out of the 1st round and used their first pick on Colorado WR Paul Richardson, a surprising selection in a draft with a lot of well-regarded receivers. Fellow 2nd-rounder Justin Britt was projected as a late-round (5th-7th) pick. I would have liked to see Seattle prioritize a cornerback to fill Brandon Browner's spot, and a pass rusher to replace Chris Clemons and Red Bryant. They drafted Cassius Marsh in the 4th round, but he's a tweener and probably not an impact player on this defense.

* Johnny Manziel — Like Aaron Rodgers and Brady Quinn, he was projected as a top-10 selection, and dropped into the 20s. That's a few million dollars gone, and a lot of water consumed during the wait to get chosen. Now Manziel joins a Browns team whose only good receiver just failed a drug test and will likely be suspended for the season. He's a rookie quarterback with no one to throw to, in a division with the Bengals, Ravens, and Steelers.

* Todd McShay — The ESPN analyst reported that Manziel was the top pick on the Cowboys' draft board. Mock drafts are never 100% accurate, and McShay's not a loser just because he got a high-profile pick wrong (Dallas passed on Manziel at 16). McShay is listed here because drafting Manziel would have ranked among the worst, dumbest picks in the history of the NFL draft. Even famous busts like JaMarcus Russell and Vernon Gholston appeared to be reasonable picks. But the Cowboys signed Tony Romo to a lucrative, long-term extension almost exactly one year ago. Drafting Manziel would have not only catapulted their Pro Bowl QB, it would have put the team in salary cap hell. Even if Dallas believes Manziel will be a great player, it wouldn't have made sense to draft him.

* New England Patriots — Dominique Easley, the 29th overall pick, could be a steal, but he tore his ACL in 2011 and 2013. No one questions his talent, just his health. I don't like their 2nd-round selection, QB Jimmy Garoppolo. The Patriots are contenders right now, and using a high draft choice on a player they hope won't see the field until 2016 or so doesn't make sense to me. I would have loved to see a linebacker or tight end somewhere in their draft.

* Tennessee Titans — There's something to be said for a "best player available" strategy, but you've got to balance that with your needs. Trade up or down, so that the player you want is the best available. Offensive line is one of the few strengths for the Titans, and they puzzled a lot of people by using their first pick on a tackle, Taylor Lewan. They failed to draft a CB or WR to replace Alterraun Verner and Kenny Britt. It's not clear how Lewan fits in 2014.

* Running Backs — The common draft began in 1967. From 1967-2012, there was always at least one running back selected during the first round, even when there were only 25 teams. Last year, UNC's Giovani Bernard was the first RB chosen, 37th overall by the Bengals. The first RB taken in the 2014 draft was Washington's Bishop Sankey, 54th overall to the Tennessee Titans.

Trent Richardson, drafted 3rd overall in 2012, looks like a serious bust, but not so bad that teams should devalue the entire running back position.

* Cincinnati Bengals — After strong drafts in 2012-13, they made puzzling choices this year. First-rounder Darqueze Dennard is highly regarded, but the Bengals have depth at cornerback, and it wasn't an obvious need for them. Second-round choice Jeremy Hill is a big running back (6-1, 233), but the pick seems redundant on a roster featuring Giovani Bernard and BenJarvus Green-Ellis. Bernard looks like a star, and the team should be trying to get him more carries, not bringing in another RB to split the load. In the 5th round, Cincinnati drafted Alabama QB A.J. McCarron. That's a high-profile quarterback joining a team with a young, successful passer who is already under fire. I hate the pick, just because of the pressure it puts on Andy Dalton.

Meanwhile, needs on the offensive and defensive lines were largely ignored. The Bengals did draft at those positions in the 3rd and 4th rounds, but they needed guys who can start right away. This team should be gearing up for a Super Bowl run, and I don't believe this draft positioned them well for that.

Posted by Brad Oremland at 3:09 PM | Comments (0)

May 9, 2014

World Cup Preview, Groups E and F

Continuing with our four-part series, here's a look at Group E and Group F in this summer's World Cup.

Group D

SWITZERLAND — The Swiss sort of fly under the radar, but they are solid. This will be their third consecutive World Cup, and they impressively allowed no non-shootout goals in the 2006 World Cup. They continue to be defensive-minded, making them something like the Baltimore Ravens of FIFA.

They are also like the Baltimore Ravens of FIFA offensively, as no one on their current squad has netted more than 10 goals for the national team, and that's a midfielder with 73 caps. They also are not really challenging themselves in the run-up to the World Cup, playing only one World Cup qualifier (a loss against South Korea). Expect more 1-0 games going either way with them.

ECUADOR — The way South American qualifying works is like this: Brazil and Argentina are always a given, a third team will often look very strong (most recently, Uruguay), and every other country takes turns at semi-relevancy.

Now it's Ecuador's turn. They are, by far, the lowest-ranked South American qualifier. But they will be battle-tested. Since qualification ended in October, all of their pre-World Cup friendlies have been, and will be, against other World Cup qualifiers. Specifically, they have draws against Argentina and Honduras, and have beaten Australia. Next up: Netherlands, Mexico, and England. That is how you prepare for a World Cup.

FRANCE — Ah, France. Either great, or horrid (like Italy). Either winning the whole thing (1998) or crashing out in the first round (2010, amid a player mutiny).

They are coming off an impressive win over the Dutch, and other than that, they easing into the tournament, playing three more pre-World Cup friendlies, all at home, all against countries that didn't qualify. What may save the French is that Group E is ridiculously unchallenging. Many of their key players are in the 30s (Franck Ribery, Patrice Evra, Bacary Sagna) so this is either going to be a terrific swan song or a geriatric wheeze.

HONDURAS — This is the second consecutive World Cup for Honduras, who now firmly challenges Costa Rica as the third strongest squad in CONCACAF.

But it's a distant third behind the U.S. and Mexico, neither of whom are setting the world on fire. That draw with Ecuador was nice, but it came on the heels of a 5-0 shellacking by Brazil. Their upcoming matches before the World Cup, all in the United States, will be against Turkey, Israel, and England. That's decent. I'm looking for a way they or anyone squeaks by France into the knockout stages, but I'm just not seeing it.

Predicted Order of Finish

1. Switzerland
2. France
3. Ecuador
4. Honduras

Group F

ARGENTINA — It seems strange, but Argentina has not made it out of the quarterfinals of the World Cup since 1990. Is this the year they turn it around? Quite possibly. They have the best player in the world in Lionel Messi, and a robust and deserved FIFA ranking of 6th. You'd expect them to coast through qualifying with Brazil not taking part (qualifying automatically as hosts), and so they did, pipping Colombia for the top spot.

Thus far, their run-up to the World Cup has been unimpressive, with draws against Ecuador and Romania bookending a win over Bosnia, and they're taking it easy on the way out, hosting Trinidad and Slovenia at home.

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA — Europe doesn't produce many Cinderella stories, but they might have one in Bosnia, who will be participating in their first major tournament (they've never qualified for the Euro). Then again, it's hard to call them Cinderella when they blitzed through qualifying with an 8-1-1 record, and won the group, thanks to goal differential, over Greece. Can you win a tiebreaker on a blowout? Their goal differential was +24; Greece's was +8.

They have the lightest slate of post-qualifying, pre-World Cup matches I've seen, with just four. They have a pair of 2-0 losses to Argentina and Egypt, with Mexico and Cote D'Ivoire to come. Those losses, especially to Egypt, are disappointing, but you know with their qualification record they probably have a star you haven't heard of, and indeed, that would be Manchester City's Edin Dzeko (33 goals in 60 matches for his country).

IRAN — This will be the fourth World Cup in Iran's history, and they are still looking for their second win in the competition. The first came in 1998, against the United States.

I'm not sure they're going to get it. This is the absolute worst World Cup tuneup schedule, entirely against countries that didn't even come close to qualifying: Guinea, Belarus, Montenegro, Angola, and Trinidad. The Guinea match has already taken place, and Iran lost, Ye Gods.

Their most intriguing player is probably Reza Ghoochannejhad, who has scored 9 goals in 11 games for his country since switching FIFA allegiance from the Netherlands. His club strike rate is equally impressive for the most part, although he seems to have hit a wall this year at England second division squad Charlton (one goal in 15 matches).

NIGERIA — Throughout this series, I've been looking (and looking and looking and looking) for a dark horse squad. I think I may have finally found one. You know I place a lot of weight on who a team schedules and how they do in the friendlies leading up to the World Cup. In the case of Nigeria, they played an entire continental tournament the African Nations Championship, where they finished third. Since then, they have drawn against Mexico.

Their squad is peppered with young stars in Europe like Jon Obi Mikel, Ogenyi Onazi, and Victor Moses. In addition to that bronze at the African Nations Championship, last year they won the more prestigious African Cup of Nations. I don't see anything to dislike about this team.

Predicted Order of Finish

1. Nigeria
2. Argentina
3. Bosnia
4. Iran

Posted by Kevin Beane at 2:15 PM | Comments (0)

May 7, 2014

The New ACC/Big Ten Challenge

This week, the ACC and Big Ten announced the slate for this fall's 16th (!) ACC/Big Ten Challenge to something aspiring to lukewarm excitement. While the series was once innovative and noteworthy, the erosion of conference structure has left it mostly obsolete.

No two conferences have been more prolific in expanding in recent years, and the 2014 slate of games is an excellent reminder. Of the 14 matchups (and really, the concept of the Big Ten filling 14 games carries its own absurdity), only four would have actually met the pesky "ACC vs. Big Ten" requirement when the series started.

Given that grizzly tidbit, the source of the series' decline in relevance seems obvious. In 1999, the founders cleverly leveraged the ACC's superiority in basketball with the Big Ten's superiority in perceived superiority to create a series of games that mattered to several fan bases. While the ACC won the first ten challenges, three of the first four were 5-4 decisions that made Florida State/Northwestern and NC State/Penn State games somehow relevant.

(Crazy side note: Ohio State and Indiana did not play in either of the first two challenges in 1999 and 2000. Both were ranked in 1999, and Ohio State was coming off of a Final Four appearance. It's hard to believe a tradition-rich program like IU and one with recent success like OSU missed the first two go-arounds.)

But even with the one-sidedness, conference pride carried interest in the series through its first six years. The specter of the Big Ten possibly winning became a story line, and each year saw at least a couple of matchups between ranked teams.

In 2005, the first conference diaspora resulted in Virginia Tech and Miami making their debuts for the ACC side. Boston College joined the challenge in 2006. While each of these three programs has played at high levels within the last 10 years, the dilution had already begun. With new faces carrying the ACC banner, the stakes changed. After all, if the Big Ten now won the series, ACC traditionalists had three fresh faces to blame.

It's hard to rally around a flag when a third of the rallyers just showed up.

Familiarity may breed contempt, but it also often sires respect. Northwestern's NCAA Tournament virginity; UNC's home winning streak against Clemson; secretly tough road trips to Iowa City or Raleigh: these are the little details that decorate college sports. For people who cared about these conferences, the familiar minutiae filled the spaces within seasons with context.

And now, in 2014, the series has become theater of the absurd. Rutgers traveling to Clemson and Nebraska heading to Florida State are supposed to whet the appetite of a conference headquartered in Chicago. Syracuse could leave campus during a snowstorm or land in one in Ann Arbor, but it will spend most of its conference road slate south of the Mason-Dixon line. When Michigan State and Notre Dame play their feisty football rivalry, nobody in the ACC cares. But this November, Duke and Carolina fans are supposed to wake up the echoes?

The most absurd "ACC-Big Ten" matchup, however, is far more familiar. Maryland and Virginia have played basketball 181 times against each other. But for their 182nd meeting this fall, Big Ten pride will be on the line. Or something like that.

Look, conference realignment is not only a reality but a necessity. The shifting economic models of college sports make consolidation the most efficient means of operation for schools, especially those like Maryland or Virginia Tech, who can't afford the table stakes of top-level sports without association to a healthy league.

But there are consequences for this model. Rivalries and traditions have been discarded with an alarming lack of regret. Winning a conference used to have an understood value because the programs remained constant. When Virginia won the ACC regular season championship outright for the first time in 33 years this season, it came with a qualifier: this is a much different ACC.

For years, college football leaders insisted a playoff was logistically unworkable. Faced with the mounting pressure of a changing landscape, they found a way to make it work with relatively little lead time. They were lying all along.

For years, college basketball leaders preached the value of tradition and familiar competition within their leagues. Faced with the mounting pressure of a changing landscape, they played musical chairs with conference affiliation over a few tumultuous years to sure up their financial future. They were lying all along.

So this fall, enjoy the non-conference matchups. Syracuse/Michigan will be full of highlights from Final Fours past, and Duke/Wisconsin should be a great game. But let's stop pretending anything bigger is on the line.

Posted by Corrie Trouw at 10:48 AM | Comments (0)

NASCAR Top 10 Power Rankings: Week 10

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Jeff Gordon — Gordon ran up front much of the day at Talladega before he was collected in the "Big One" on lap 137. He finished 39th, his worst finish of the year, 32 laps down, but held on to the lead in the Sprint Cup points standings.

"Brad Keselowski really made a mess," Gordon said. "Sure, it was the 'Big One,' but a lot of drivers think Brad is the 'Biggest One.'

"Hey, the new season of '24' starts soon. I haven't won a Sprint Cup title since 2001, so I'm longing for the old season of '24.'"

2. Joey Logano — Logano was collected in a lap 175 wreck when Jimmie Johnson got loose and triggered a pileup that knocked Logano from the race. Logano finished 32nd, and is now sixth in the points standings.

"Johnson and Brad Keselowski wiped out half the field, it seemed," Logano said. "Their reputations may precede them, but accidents seem to follow them.

"Sure, NASCAR fined Marcos and Ambrose for fighting. But I think NASCAR wants this type of conflict. The 'Boys have at it' has become the 'Fine and Dandy' mentality."

3. Matt Kenseth — Kenseth finished a disappointing 37th after sustaining damage in a lap 137 crash triggered when Brad Keselowski spun, affecting 14 cars. Kenseth is second in the points standings, three behind Jeff Gordon.

"That was a mind-boggling move by Keselowski," Kenseth said. "That's said with just a hint of sarcasm. And, as we all know, 'mind-boggling' leads to 'head-shaking,' which, in turn, can lead to 'neck-throttling.' Brad's taken knockout qualifying one step further to knockout racing."

4. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. — Earnhardt hung back in an effort to avoid the inevitable late carnage at Talladega. He succeeded, but in doing so was too far back to make a run to the front. He finished 26th, and is now fourth in the points standings, 19 behind Jeff Gordon.

"I played it safe," Earnhardt said. "Sure, maybe I wasn't giving my all to win, which is a violation of NASCAR's '100 percent' rule. But I was following the '80 percent' rule. '100 percent' minus '80 percent' equals '20 percent,' also known as '40 proof' to the fans of Junior Nation."

5. Kyle Busch — Busch finished 12th at Talladega as Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin scored the victory. Busch is now third in the points standings, four behind Jeff Gordon.

"That was a great run by Denny," Busch said. "He really made a statement today, and you can see it in his attitude. Now, that sparkle in his eye isn't a piece of metal."

6. Brad Keselowski — Keselowski ran into trouble on lap 14 when he made contact with Danica Patrick, which sent the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford sliding down the track and into the infield grass. Later, on lap 137, he lost control and caused the 'Big One,' collecting 14 cars. Keselowski eventually finished 38th, 28 laps down.

"It was a tough day for the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford," Keselowski said. "I can't get out of here fast enough. I packed everything. I'm even taking blame and responsibility.

"But I plan to bounce back at Kansas. Hopefully, that 'bounce' won't be off several cars, as was the case at Talladega."

7. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson struggled in the Aaron's 499, finishing 23rd after a lap 175 spin that knocked out Joey Logano, among others. Still winless on the year, Johnson is seventh in the points standings, 43 out of first.

"I just lost it," Johnson said. "I can't apologize enough to those affected. But how many apologies are enough? Most say six is more than enough. Not me. I'm aiming for a legendary number of apologies."

8. Carl Edwards — Edwards had a strong run in the Aaron's 499 cut short when he cut a tire with six laps to go and started a wreck that took out several cars. Edwards eventually finished 30th, six laps down.

"You may have seen me warn the cars behind that I had a flat," Edwards said. "I did that by waving my hand out of my window. I'm surprised anyone understood, because that's four more fingers than most drivers are used to seeing out of the window of a NASCAR driver."

9. Denny Hamlin — Hamlin out-dueled Kevin Harvick on a restart with two laps to go to take his first win of the season, the crash-filled Aaron's 499 at Talladega.

"Joey Logano notwithstanding," Hamlin said, "I can honestly say I was happy to see 'yellow' coming at me."

10. Kevin Harvick — Harvick led with two laps to go at Talladega, but was passed by Denny Hamlin. With no draft help, Harvick faded to seventh, his fourth top-10 result of the year.

"I couldn't get a push from anyone," Harvick said. "Certainly not from Casey Mears. After what went down in Richmond, he's afraid to 'push' anyone."

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 10:22 AM | Comments (0)

May 6, 2014

A Decade Later: Grading the 2004 Draft

The 2014 NFL Draft will begin at the end of this week, and many journalists (including this one) will pass judgment afterwards, issuing grades and critiquing picks and trades — all of it based on educated guesses, sometimes not even all that educated.

Before I try to evaluate the new draft, I'm tackling a project I can handle with more confidence: grading the 2004 NFL Draft. It's a famous class, including three first-round QBs who still start, plus big names like Steven Jackson, Larry Fitzgerald, Vince Wilfork, and Jared Allen. Many of the best players are still active, but we've got a good sense at this point for which teams did well in '04, and which ones did not.

A+

San Diego Chargers

One of the best drafts, by any team, in the last 20 years or so. From 1996-2003, the Chargers never had a winning record, including 4-12 in '03. Following this draft, they posted a winning record for the next seven seasons in a row, including five division titles.

San Diego used the first overall pick on Eli Manning, but immediately traded him to the Giants for Philip Rivers and the draft picks used to select Nate Kaeding (3rd round) and Shawne Merriman (2005), both future All-Pros. Rivers himself has made five Pro Bowls and is still among the best quarterbacks in the NFL. But it's not just the Manning trade that made this a great draft for San Diego. The team also picked up longtime center Nick Hardwick and Pro Bowl pass rusher Shaun Phillips, plus Igor Olshansky, Shane Olivea, and running back Michael Turner. Counting Rivers, the Chargers drafted 10 players who appeared in a regular-season game, including five eventual Pro Bowlers and several solid starters (like Olshansky and Olivea) who never made the Pro Bowl.

A

Arizona Cardinals

With their first three choices, the Cardinals drafted Larry Fitzgerald, Karlos Dansby, and Darnell Dockett. All three are stars, and all played for Arizona in 2013. Their draft class also included Pro Bowl defensive lineman Antonio Smith, though his best seasons have come with Houston. Fitzgerald is the gem, obviously, but Dansby, Dockett, and Smith are all among the best defensive players from this draft class.

B+

New York Giants

They're here mostly for Eli Manning and Chris Snee. The Manning trade worked out well for San Diego, but the Giants still ended up with a 10-year starter and two-time Super Bowl MVP. Snee is a four-time Pro Bowler who still starts on the offensive line. The Giants' draft also produced defensive back Gibril Wilson, special teamer Reggie Torbor, and 1,000-yard rusher Derrick Ward.

B

Atlanta Falcons

Used their first pick on DeAngelo Hall, who had a nice a rookie season but spent his best years in Washington. Their other first-rounder, Michael Jenkins, never developed into a star, but he played nine years (seven with Atlanta) and gained over 4,000 yards receiving. The Falcons also drafted DeMorrio Williams, who a couple of nice seasons, and Matt Schaub, whom they later traded for a second-round pick (used on guard Justin Blalock), and a move up in the first round of the '07 draft (10th to 8th).

Jacksonville Jaguars

First-rounder Reggie Williams never amounted to much, but the Jags hit gold — or at least silver — with their second-round choices, linebacker Daryl Smith and fullback Greg Jones. Smith spent eight years with Jacksonville, and he had a great season for Baltimore in 2013. He's one of the better LBs of the past 10 years. Jones was underrated nationally, but he lead-blocked for both Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew. This draft also produced kicker Josh Scobee and wide receiver Ernest Wilford.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Their draft was almost a complete washout. It produced only three players that appeared in a regular-season game, one of whom, Ricardo Colclough, was never a major contributor. But the other two were quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and offensive tackle Max Starks, both starters on a pair of Super Bowl teams.

Chicago Bears

Chicago drafted two Pro Bowl defenders this year, months after Lovie Smith was hired as head coach. In the first round, the Bears selected Oklahoma DT Tommie Harris, an anchor on the 2006 team that appeared in Super Bowl XLI. In the fourth round, 110th overall, Chicago added defensive back Nathan Vasher. As a rookie, Vasher led the NFL in interception return yardage (177). The following season, he led the league in INTs (8) and set an NFL record with a 108-yard touchdown return of a missed field goal, making the Pro Bowl and the Associated Press All-Pro team. The Bears also drafted Tank Johnson and Bernard Berrian in '04.

Indianapolis Colts

Didn't make a first-round pick, but they got All-Pro safety and 2007 Defensive Player of the Year Bob Sanders in the second round. Fifth-round draft choice Jake Scott, a guard from Idaho, started eight seasons (four in Indianapolis), protecting Peyton Manning and blocking for Edgerrin James and Joseph Addai. Scott was among of the biggest steals of the draft. The only other player of any consequence to join the Colts from this draft was cornerback Jason David, though the 193rd pick did yield longtime backup QB Jim Sorgi.

B-

Tennessee Titans and Cincinnati Bengals

The Titans drafted 13 players in 2004, the most of any team. Only one of those 13, University of Maryland defensive tackle Randy Starks, ever made the Pro Bowl, but he did so with the Miami Dolphins. Players like Antwan Odom, Travis LaBoy, Jacob Bell, and Eugene Amano never became stars, or even standouts, but all were productive for at least a few seasons. It wasn't a great draft, but it wasn't a failure, either.

Cincinnati made 11 picks, second-most of any team, and nine of those players made the roster. None of them became stars, and first-round choice Chris Perry, a running back from Michigan, bombed badly. But the draft patched holes, providing average and above-average players to replace bad ones. Madieu Williams, Landon Johnson, and Robert Geathers were the best of the bunch. In 2005, the Bengals made the playoffs for the first time in over a decade.

These teams succeeded with volume. If you throw enough darts at the board, a few of them will stick.

New York Jets

Their first draft choice, Miami Hurricanes linebacker Jonathan Vilma, won Defensive Rookie of the Year. Vilma later became the defensive captain for the Super Bowl XLIV champion New Orleans Saints. The Jets' draft also produced longtime receiver Jerricho Cotchery (in the fourth round) and DB Erik Coleman (in the fifth).

Carolina Panthers

First-round selection Chris Gamble and third-round choice Travelle Wharton both became good players, and both have spent their whole careers with the Panthers. Wharton still starts on Carolina's offensive line. Their only other player from this draft class to start with any frequency was wide receiver Keary Colbert, a second-round choice out of USC.

New England Patriots

Drafted eight players, six of whom were useless and out of the league within four seasons. The other two were first-round selections Vince Wilfork and Benjamin Watson. Wilfork is a five-time Pro Bowler, one of the greatest defensive linemen of the past decade. When healthy, he has anchored New England's line and given opposing teams nightmares. Ben Watson had a few productive seasons and is still in the league. He started seven games for the Saints in 2013.

C+

New Orleans Saints

Eighteenth overall choice Will Smith became a good defensive end. Smith played nine years in New Orleans, had two seasons with double-digit sacks, made the Pro Bowl in 2006, and started for the team that won Super Bowl XLIV. The Saints' next pick, Devery Henderson, gained over 4,000 receiving yards in the NFL, most of them with New Orleans.

St. Louis Rams

Only four of their seven draft picks made the team, but one of those seven was running back Steven Jackson, the 24th overall choice out of Oregon State. DE Anthony Hargrove and LB Brandon Chillar also contributed for a while.

Kansas City Chiefs

They caught an awfully big fish in the fourth round, Idaho State DE Jared Allen. After four strong seasons, the Chiefs traded him to Minnesota for a first-round selection and two third-rounders. Those picks eventually became Branden Albert, Jamaal Charles, and DaJuan Morgan. Allen alone made this a successful draft, which is good, because KC's next-best pick was probably linebacker and special teamer Keyaron Fox, whose best years came with the Steelers.

Washington

Fewest selections of any team, four players. But the first two were University of Miami safety Sean Taylor and Pro Bowl tight end Chris Cooley. Taylor was a rising star before his murder in 2007, and Cooley may be the team's most popular player since the first Joe Gibbs era.

San Francisco 49ers

Last year, I named their first draft choice, Oklahoma State WR Rashaun Woods, the worst pick in the entire '04 draft. Woods played only one season and never started a game. He caught 7 passes for 160 yards and 1 touchdown. But the Niners made up for it with multi-year starters like second-rounders Shawntae Spencer and Justin Smiley, DT Isaac Sopoaga, and All-Pro punter Andy Lee.

C

Dallas Cowboys

No first-round selections, but two picks in the second round. The earlier pick, Notre Dame running back Julius Jones, rushed for over 5,000 yards in the NFL. The second, USC tackle Jacob Rogers, played two games in his professional career. Wide receiver Patrick Crayton was a nice value in the seventh round, and third-rounder Stephen Peterman spent six years as a starting offensive lineman for the Detroit Lions.

Green Bay Packers

Best pick was the last one, Tennessee Volunteers offensive lineman Scott Wells. The Packers chose Wells in the seventh round, 251st overall, and he spent eight years as a starter, even made a Pro Bowl. Sixth-round choice Corey Williams was probably the next-best Packer drafted in '04. The team later traded him to Cleveland for a second-round choice in the 2008 draft. Green Bay's first-rounder, CB Ahmad Carroll, drew too many penalties and never developed.

Teams rarely draft kickers and punters, especially in the first five rounds. Green Bay spent a third-round selection on Ohio State punter B.J. Sander, even trading away a fifth-round pick to move up for him. Sander appeared in only 14 games in the NFL.

Seattle Seahawks

First three picks were Marcus Tubbs, Michael Boulware, and Sean Locklear. Tubbs didn't work out, but Boulware contributed for a few seasons and Locklear became an anchor on the offensive line. Wide receiver D.J. Hackett was a decent find in the fifth round, and punter Donnie Jones became a success in St. Louis.

C-

Detroit Lions

Only made six selections in this draft, but all six players produced for a little while, and all spent most of their careers in Detroit. The most successful were both first-round picks. Texas wide receiver Roy Williams had an up-and-down career, but he did play very well at times, especially in 2006. Running back Kevin Jones showed flashes of promise but had trouble staying on the field.

Miami Dolphins

The success of their draft revolved around a pair of offensive linemen, frst-round draft pick Vernon Carey and sixth-round man Rex Hadnot. Carey started over 100 games for the Dolphins, while Hadnot was a 16-game starter from 2005-07 before moving on to other teams. He started every game for the 2011 Arizona Cardinals and retired following the 2012 season.

Cleveland Browns

Their later picks failed to produce, but the Browns did draft Kellen Winslow, Jr. Winslow was a tremendous talent who struggled with injuries and inconsistency, but did contribute some excellent seasons. Cleveland spent its second-round pick on defensive back Sean Jones, and in the fourth round took Luke McCown, who is still bouncing around the league as a backup QB.

Houston Texans

They had two first-round picks, both of which produced good players: cornerback Dunta Robinson and defensive end Jason Babin. As a rookie, Robinson intercepted six passes and forced 3 fumbles. He spent six seasons as a starter for Houston, three for the Falcons, and played part-time for Kansas City in 2013. Babin spent only three years in Houston, and had his best seasons with the Titans and Eagles.

D+

Philadelphia Eagles

Their first-round pick, Arkansas lineman Shawn Andrews, played brilliantly for a few seasons, before injuries wrecked his career. The rest of their draft was almost totally useless.

Buffalo Bills

Spent one of their two first-round selections on Tulane quarterback J.P. Losman, a major disappointment at the pro level. The other first-rounder, WR Lee Evans, was a valuable player for a few years, though he never lived up to the heights promised by his 40-yard dash time. No one else from their draft class amounted to much.

Denver Broncos

First-round choice D.J. Williams quickly became Denver's starting middle linebacker, a position he held for eight seasons. The rest of their draft flamed out, although RB Tatum Bell, acquired with the extra pick they got in the Clinton Portis/Champ Bailey trade, had his moments.

D

Minnesota Vikings

They drafted Kenechi Udeze one spot before the Patriots chose Vince Wilfork. Udeze's career was shortened by injuries and a leukemia diagnosis. If Udeze's career was a disappointment, second-rounder Dontarrious Thomas was simply a bust. Ohio State DE Darrion Scott stuck in the lineup for a couple of years, and Mewelde Moore was a useful backup RB.

Oakland Raiders

Robert Gallery was supposed to be a can't-miss prospect, a brilliant technical tackle and a smart pick with the 2nd overall selection. Gallery lasted eight years in the NFL, but he was never a standout. The only other Raiders drafted in '04 who amounted to much of anything were center Jake Grove and defensive back Stuart Schweigert.

D-

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Chose LSU wide receiver Michael Clayton in the first round. A couple times, it looked like Clayton was ready to emerge as an NFL playmaker, but it never happened. Fourth-rounder Will Allen is still in the league, but he's played mostly on special teams, with both the Bucs and Steelers.

F

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens are a good organization with a smart front office, but they just didn't do anything in this draft. First-rounder Dwan Edwards was a starter for a few years, but even most Ravens fans won't remember the names of their other draft picks, guys like Devard Darling and Roderick Green. None of them ever contributed anything meaningful on an NFL field.

Posted by Brad Oremland at 12:51 PM | Comments (0)

May 5, 2014

Bryce Reiser?

The line between hard-nosed and bull-headed can be a very fine one. The question before the house, as Bryce Harper begins his recuperation from surgery to repair a torn collateral ligament in his thumb, incurred during a head-first slide on a bases-clearing triple in late April, is whom on the Washington Nationals has crossed it further, Harper or his rookie manager Matt Williams.

Who can know for certain whether Williams' benching Harper the week before, over failure to run out a grounder on which even Rickey Henderson would have been a guaranteed dead duck, while Harper may or may not have been trying to be kind to the quad he'd dinged earlier, got into Harper's head just enough that he overdid it at the first available opportunity?

This isn't to say Harper's head was immune, previously, to playing the game as though he had a process server on his tail. He missed shy of a third of last season with injuries tied directly to a take-no-prisoners playing style. There are those who think now that if Harper ever again plays as many games a season as he did in his Rookie of the Year campaign (139) it'll be a miracle. Whether of medical science or stubbornness is a tossup.

Now he's down for the count until some time in July. And there are those among us who are beginning to renew earlier thoughts that there's also a line between real and false hustle, and that crossing it under any impetus can mean and usually does mean abject disaster.

Busting it up the first base line on a grounder you actually have a chance to turn into a base hit or a possible run scored is one thing. Busting it up the first base line with a testy quad when you could be Jesse Owens and still be dead meat by a mile is something else again. Running down fly balls you actually have a chance to catch is one thing, even if the outfield fence has something to say in reply. Running down fly balls for which you don't have a prayer no matter how you gun it is something else entirely.

"This ain't football," the late Baltimore Orioles manager Earl Weaver liked to say. "We do this every day." Playing baseball like football or hockey is deadly business. The big bust-it plays get the oohs and aahs from fans in the stands and coaches in the dugouts. Then you end up on the disabled list and with a pocketful of anything from questions to accusations, and the coaches in the dugouts end up with another round of second-guessing on their plates.

Among some Cincinnati Reds fans, Ken Griffey, Jr. had a very unfair reputation for dogging it and being in less than top shape during his tenure there. What they didn't know, or forgot conveniently, is that years of balls-out play took its toll on the Hall of Famer in waiting. His father knew the line between full tilt and foolhardiness. He didn't always know it. Junior averaged 121 games a season in 22 major league seasons; after his first season's return to Cincinnati he'd play 140+ games in a year twice and suffer three season-ending injuries. The wonder isn't that he didn't hit more than 630 home runs lifetime, the wonder is that he managed to last as long as he did.

There were those suddenly comparing Harper to Pete Reiser. National League MVP in 1941, 22 years old at the time, 70 extra base hits, led the league in batting (.343), runs (117), doubles (39), triples (17), total bases, getting plunked, and by the way he had a delightful .964 OPS. The only problem Reiser had was holding himself back. He became acquainted too intimately with outfield walls, particularly the center field side of Ebbets Field's beveled concrete offering.

W.C. Heinz caught up with Reiser in 1958, writing for True magazine, when Reiser was 39 and managing in the Dodgers' minor league system. Heinz recalled Branch Rickey — who signed Reiser to the Cardinals originally (the commissioner freed him in the minor leagues; Rickey arranged for the Dodgers to keep him in their system until he could be traded back to the Cardinals, until Leo Durocher singing Reiser's praises loud and long forced his call-up to the Dodgers when Reiser's minor league manager threatened to deal him) — telling the kid:

"Young man, you're the greatest young ballplayer I've ever seen, but there is one thing you must remember. Now that you're a professional ballplayer, you're in show business. You will perform on the biggest stage in the world, the baseball diamond. Like the actors on Broadway, you'll be expected to put on a great performance every day, no matter how you feel, no matter whether it's too hot or too cold. Never forget that."

A decade later, Rickey, now running the Dodgers, offered to pay Reiser his full 1948 salary if Pistol Pete (Reiser earned that nickname decades before basketball had ever heard of Pete Maravich) would just sit the season out to heal from yet another of his numerous injuries.

"That," Reiser would tell Heinz, "might have been the one mistake I made. Maybe I should have rested that year." Fat chance. "It was my way of playing. If I hadn't played that way, I wouldn't have been whatever I was."

Well, now. Whatever Reiser was, he was the poster child for what happens when you cross that fine line from hard-nosed to bull-headed. (They actually once gave him the last rites on the field.) Reiser ended up a minor league manager and major league coach, lived just about the rest of his life in pain, and died at 61 having thrown his likely greatness into one wall too many, among other places.

Is this what the Nationals want to happen to Bryce Harper?

"He's had some tough luck so far. But he's also very young. I think he's right on track to be the player he wants to be," Williams said after Harper underwent surgery to repair his thumb. "This is a little hiccup in the process. Certainly don't want to see it happen. Hope it doesn't happen. But sometimes it does. He'll be a fantastic player. This hiccup will be a part of it."

This isn't just a hiccup. This is a kid who doesn't think there are boundaries on the field and limits to what your body can withstand, now managed by a fellow who seems confused that there should be a difference between honest hustle and show hustle. Traducing that difference can turn a viable player into a might-have-been in a blink, if not a head-first slide.

Harper's been a talent worth watching and a player worth admiring when he does things right from the moment he hit the majors running. So was Pete Reiser. Until...

Posted by Jeff Kallman at 3:56 PM | Comments (0)

May 1, 2014

Foul Territory: Shop Lifters, Black Listers

* Long Arm of the Claw, or Publix Enemy, or Been Caught Stealing — Jameis Winston was charged Tuesday with shoplifting crab legs from a Publix supermarket in Tallahassee. He'll be fined $30, required to do community service, and will be suspended from the baseball team. It's the second instance in which Winston has been accused of improperly acquiring leg.

* Black Listed, or Clip', Clip', Clip' of the Lip, or Bye-ing Power — The NBA banned Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling for life and fined him $2.5 million for racist comments he made in a phone recording. NBA commissioner Adam Silver put it plainly when he said, "Don't bring him to my games."

* Seattle Slew, This Safety is Anything But Free — Seattle's Earl Thomas signed a four-year, $40 million extension with the Seahawks on Monday, making him the NFL's first $10 million-a-year safety. Thomas quipped that he money should "cover" him for life.

* Inc. Floyd, or Hoop Dreams, or Donald Sterling Took a Dive, Mayweather's Taking the Plunge — Floyd Mayweather said he wants to buy the Los Angles Clippers, just hours after Clippers owner Donald Sterling was banned for life and fined $2.5 million. Mayweather may have to fight Oprah Winfrey for the privilege, which would require a considerable step up in weight class.

* Chime of the Current Mariner, or Boo-Ya — Yankees fans showered former slugger Robinson Cano with boos when he made his first appearance at Yankee Stadium as a Seattle Mariner. Replied the Seattle second baseman, "They can make it shower, but $240 million can make it rain."

* Claret Jug-head — Donald Trump plans to buy Turnberry, the Scottish links course that has hosted the British Open four times. Trump said he has no plans to build a casino nearby, but that hasn't stopped the locals from yelling "crap's!"

* Fine, and Dandy, or Boys, Have a Tête-à-Tête — NASCAR fined Marcos Ambrose $25,000 and Casey Mears $15,000 for their post-race skirmish Saturday night at Richmond. Ambrose drives for Richard Petty Motorsports, under the acronym "RPM," while Mears, apparently, drives for "SNM," because he paid good money to get smacked.

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 2:40 PM | Comments (0)