The national semifinals are due to begin in a little more than six hours and, according to all the pundits, we are in for a couple of treats tonight. In fact, I have not seen many dispassionate observers, including myself, predict a blowout in either of tonight’s games. In fact, most suggest that we will be treated to two close games much like we were last year when UCONN prevailed over Duke and Georgia Tech edged by Oklahoma State. But before anyone gets too confident about tonight’s prospects, it should be noted that the semis do not have the best track record on hitting high expectations. In fact, more often than not, the national semis usually fail to live up to expectations.
I have been a rabid college basketball fan since 1980, take or give a year. And since that time, there have been 50 semifinals played. Of these 50 games, a fair number were blowouts and another big slug resulted in fairly comfortable wins for the victor. In fact, the semifinals remind me a bit of the Super Bowl from 1983 through 1997 – a lot of hype but mostly unfulfilled expectations. With that said, I began to ponder which games over the past 25 years were the most exciting and, more importantly, which were the most memorable. I was not just looking for the ten closest games (If I was, the 1984 snoozer between Houston and Virginia would have been included), but those games that left a lasting impression for one reason or another. This is what I came up.
10) 1987 Indiana over Vegas 97-93 – The game itself was not all that memorable since Indiana, behind a torrid Steve Alford, was always seemingly in command. But I decided to put this game on the list because it provided the sports world with one of the great quotes in college basketball history. After the game, Vegas guard Freddy Banks was asked about the loss and he said something to the effect of: “I don’t feel too bad; I was tremendous out there today.” Banks may have had 38 that day, but I will always remember him for what he did after the game instead of what he did during the game. Banks lost a lot more then a game that day.
9) 1984 Georgetown over Kentucky 53-40 – This was not a fun game to watch, but it did provide us with the greatest display of defense in Final Four history. Trailing 29-22 at half, Georgetown came out and suffocated Kentucky in the second half. Kentucky was only able to score 11 points in the second stanza and I believe they shot under 15 percent over the last 20 minutes. Kentucky, which had guys like Mel Turpin, Kenny Walker, Sam Bowie and Jim Master, simply couldn’t score and ended up making just 13 of 53 shots. Hey, .245 doesn't cut it in baseball let alone basketball. Sure, the Cats missed some open looks that day, but Georgetown’s pressure went a long ways toward producing that abdominal shooting display.
8) 1999 Duke over Michigan State 68-62 – This was a very interesting game that gets on the list even though it lacked any dramatic late-game heroics. It was a slugfest between a stacked team from Duke and physical squad from Michigan State that was just a year away from getting its own championship. Make no mistake about it – this was a flat out street fight at the Trop in Tampa. And even though Duke was able to get by, they clearly did not come out of this fight with their legs. Many, including myself, think Duke, led by Elton Brand, left something on the floor Saturday night and that was the main reason UCONN was able to win the crown two nights later.
7) 2004 Connecticut over Duke 79-78 – This game was very exciting and would probably deserve to rank a bit higher if it weren’t for the fact that it was so poorly played. Lest you forget, UCONN played without Emeka Okafor for a big chunk of the game due to some early foul trouble. With the shot-blocker out of there, Duke was able to forge a lead and UCONN looked like it was in trouble late. But Okafor finally got back in the game and was able to be the catalyst for the Huskies comeback. This game also featured a bed-shitting from Coach K and any game that includes such a rare occurrence deserves some mention.
6) 2001 Duke over Maryland 95-84 – The Terps actually led this game by 20 points late in the first half, but Duke was able to cut into that lead right before halftime and then complete the greatest comeback in semifinal history with a terrific performance in the second half. I was watching this game from Joe’s (Stone Crabs) in Miami and was so drunk I don’t remember too many specifics other than the fact that my boss won ten grand on the Devils, but was angry that he had not been able to bet more.
5) 1993 Michigan over Kentucky 81-78 – In this classic semi, Michigan couldn’t stop UK forward Jamal Mashburn, who sprang for 26, but Kentucky had no answer for Chris Webber who went for 27. Again, I was pretty lit up watching this game at Third Edition in Washington D.C. so some of the details are a bit foggy, but I do remember this being a very close and entertaining game throughout.
4) 1983 Houston over Louisville 94-81 – The final score would indicate this was a blowout and thus not deserving of mention, but I remember this as an absolute classic since it featured Phi Slamma Jamma at its best. In the second half of this game, Houston had about a dozen dunks as they came back from a slight halftime deficit against a very good and athletic squad from Louisville. The Cards had a ton of athletes including Rodney McCray and Milt Wagner, but they were simply no match for a cougar team that was clicking on all cylinders that day. I say day because back in 1983, they played the semis in the afternoon. How times have changed.
3) 1989 Michigan over Illinois 83-81 – This game, played up in Seattle, featured two stacked teams that had met twice in the regular season, with Illinois winning both games. This game had many twists and turns, as each team was able to put together a few little runs, but in each case, any separation was quickly forfeited. The game eventually came down to a final play where Sean Higgins picked up an errant shot and put it back in with hardly any time remaining. I will always remember this game for being very dramatic, but also because it featured so much talent. Just think of all the guys who played in that game: Glen Rice, Loy Vaught, Sean Higgins, Terry Mills, Rumeal Robinson, Kendell Gill, Nick Anderson, Steve Bardo, Marcus Liberty and Kenny Battle. That is some stable of talent.
2) 1998 Kentucky over Stanford 86-85 in overtime – This was the Jeff Shepherd game, where the Kentucky guard went crazy and made a bunch of threes to help lead a big Kentucky comeback. Stanford actually trailed this game by four late, but a Mark Madsen putback and Arthur Lee’s super-clutch three with 25 seconds left, tied it up and sent this game into overtime. In overtime, Shepherd, who finished with 27, made a driving layup and a three that put Kentucky up by 4 with about 90 seconds to go. Stanford closed the game to one, but UK hit their free throws down the stretch and ended up clawing their way to a scant one point win. This was simply a phenomenal game that had each team absorbing a number of tough body blows. Yet every time it looked as if one team were ready to pull ahead, the other team would respond with a three. You had to watch this one to appreciate its significance
1) 1991 Duke over Vegas 79-77 – This is a no brainer. Not only was it the greatest semi-final ever, but it was probably one of the ten greatest NCAA tournament games ever played. Lest you forget, Vegas came into this game undefeated and it was only 12 months earlier that they had embarrassed this same Duke team in the national finals. Well, things changed over that year and the Duke team of 1991 had Grant Hill and a more mature Bobby Hurley. This proved to be the difference, as Hill gave Duke some athleticism that it sorely needed and Hurley came up huge with the game in the balance. His three with about 90 seconds to go was the big play in the game. Vegas, which had lost point guard Greg Anthony to fouls with about four minutes remaining, had a shot to win it late, but Larry Johnson inexplicably passed up a three and Anderson Hunt was unable to connect on a prayer at the buzzer. Not only was this game tight throughout, but it was probably the greatest upset in semifinal history and that is why it sits atop my list.
Saturday, April 02, 2005
Friday, April 01, 2005
April 1 - UNC to Play Louisville on Monday Night
There is probably not a whole lot the NCAA tournament can do to top last weekend, but tomorrow night’s doubleheader in St. Louis should be fun to watch nevertheless. I say this because we have a couple of tasty matchups and I am willing to bet that we will get at least one real good game. I am not going to go crazy and predict two since that rarely happens in the Final Four, but I think one is a safe bet.
Tomorrow’s opener has Louisville taking on the country’s top team in Illinois, and this has all the trappings of being a track meet. Both of these teams like to play fast and loose and for my money, Louisville does it just a bit better than Illinois. If I had to pick the key to this game, I would say it comes down to how well Illini guard Deron Williams can handle Larry O’Bannon. Williams shut down Salim Stoudamire last Saturday and if he can do the same thing to O’Bannon, Louisville may be in trouble. But I don’t see that happening and that is why I am picking Louisville. I think the Cards are playing better then anyone else left in the tourney and so long as they don’t have a horrendous night from three point land, they will manage to secure a narrow victory. Don’t get me wrong – Illinois is a tough team. But they basically got manhandled last weekend and, in the process, Illinois's defense was exposed as pretty ordinary. Most importantly, their guards can be taken off the dribble and there really is no credible last line of defense. I would be surprised if Pitino doesn’t exploit this weakness with his super quick backcourt.
In the second game, I am going to ignore my gut feeling and pick UNC. I have virtually zero confidence in this pick, especially since the game features a huge coaching mismatch. But something tells me that this is a favorable matchup for North Carolina since the Spartans like to play up-tempo and that is right in UNC’s wheelhouse. With that said, I wouldn’t be surprised to see MSU coach Tom Izzo throw UNC a curve by slowing things down a notch. He knows he will have trouble beating UNC in a track meet, so it may make sense to take a dozen possessions out of the game. I usually frown on teams getting away from what they are, but in this case, it may give MSU the edge it needs to win the game. On the other side, Roy Williams has got to serve up a giant helping of Sean May. I would bang it into May early and often, hoping that number 42 can pick up some fouls on MSU center Paul Davis. If he succeeds, MSU is in big trouble because Davis is really the only guy on the team who can guard someone as strong as May. The other key for North Carolina is Raymond Felton. The Carolina point guard tends to play out of control in big spots so there is every reason to believe he will be kicking it around on Saturday night. As an old Carolina fan, this prospect terrifies me. Quite frankly, I think it is highly probable that Felton plays poorly on Saturday night and I would be content if he could keep his turnovers down to four. UNC probably has enough horses to overcome Felton’s miscues, but that remains to be seen.
Tomorrow’s opener has Louisville taking on the country’s top team in Illinois, and this has all the trappings of being a track meet. Both of these teams like to play fast and loose and for my money, Louisville does it just a bit better than Illinois. If I had to pick the key to this game, I would say it comes down to how well Illini guard Deron Williams can handle Larry O’Bannon. Williams shut down Salim Stoudamire last Saturday and if he can do the same thing to O’Bannon, Louisville may be in trouble. But I don’t see that happening and that is why I am picking Louisville. I think the Cards are playing better then anyone else left in the tourney and so long as they don’t have a horrendous night from three point land, they will manage to secure a narrow victory. Don’t get me wrong – Illinois is a tough team. But they basically got manhandled last weekend and, in the process, Illinois's defense was exposed as pretty ordinary. Most importantly, their guards can be taken off the dribble and there really is no credible last line of defense. I would be surprised if Pitino doesn’t exploit this weakness with his super quick backcourt.
In the second game, I am going to ignore my gut feeling and pick UNC. I have virtually zero confidence in this pick, especially since the game features a huge coaching mismatch. But something tells me that this is a favorable matchup for North Carolina since the Spartans like to play up-tempo and that is right in UNC’s wheelhouse. With that said, I wouldn’t be surprised to see MSU coach Tom Izzo throw UNC a curve by slowing things down a notch. He knows he will have trouble beating UNC in a track meet, so it may make sense to take a dozen possessions out of the game. I usually frown on teams getting away from what they are, but in this case, it may give MSU the edge it needs to win the game. On the other side, Roy Williams has got to serve up a giant helping of Sean May. I would bang it into May early and often, hoping that number 42 can pick up some fouls on MSU center Paul Davis. If he succeeds, MSU is in big trouble because Davis is really the only guy on the team who can guard someone as strong as May. The other key for North Carolina is Raymond Felton. The Carolina point guard tends to play out of control in big spots so there is every reason to believe he will be kicking it around on Saturday night. As an old Carolina fan, this prospect terrifies me. Quite frankly, I think it is highly probable that Felton plays poorly on Saturday night and I would be content if he could keep his turnovers down to four. UNC probably has enough horses to overcome Felton’s miscues, but that remains to be seen.
Thursday, March 31, 2005
March 31 - Baseball's Back - (Divisional Preview)
It seems like only yesterday Joe Buck was screaming: “Back to Foulke! Red Sox fans have longed to hear it - the Boston Red Sox are World Champions!” Well, that extraordinary moment happened more then five months ago, and while Buck’s words and that championship will always be with me, its time to turn our attention to the season ahead. And what a season it promises to be. After an off-season highlighted by a tremendous amount of high-profile player movement, I am primed to get this thing cranked up. Hey, I love discussing Barry Bonds and all his problems, but its time to get back to basics. So no more talking about A-Rod running down to first with his purse flapping in the wind or what a jerk Sammy Sosa was in Chicago. Let’s focus guys! I want to talk about the Sox and Yanks. I want to talk about Smoltzie firing away as a starter. I want to discuss Pedro and Huddy and Mulder pitching away in their new digs. In fact, I have so much fucking stuff to discuss; it will take weeks before I have to scrap for new material. With that said, I am going to try and keep it concise today and focus my comments on how I see the divisions shaping up. So here are my picks:
AL EAST: 1) New York, 2) Boston, 3) Baltimore, 4) Toronto, 5) Tampa
AL CENT 1) Minnesota, 2) Cleveland, 3) Detroit, 4) Chicago, 5) KC
AL WEST 1) California, 2) Seattle, 3) Texas, 4) Oakland
Wild Card - Boston
MVP – Manny Ramirez – Manny has to win this thing one of these years
Cy Young – Johan Santana wins by three lengths.
ROY – Jeremy Reed will emerge as another Mark Kotsay
NL EAST 1) Florida, 2) Atlanta, 3) Mets, 4) Philly 5) Washington
NL CENT 1) Cards 2) Cubs 3) Cinci, 4) Houston, 5) Pitt, 6) Milwaukee
NL WEST 1) San Diego, 2) LA, 3) SF, 4) Arizona, 5) Colorado
Wild Card – Atlanta
MVP Albert Pujols takes this in a squeaker over Angel Cabrera
Cy Young – Pedro (18.6 with a 2.92 ERA) will pull ahead in Sept when Tim Hudson misses two starts.
ROY - Garrett Atkins, because he is a Bruin and I am not sure if David Wright is eligible.
ALCS – Boston over NY in the rubber match – this one ends in six
NLCS – Florida over San Diego – Peavy wins two but Padres lose in six
WS – Boston over Florida - If the Pats can win 3 in 4 years, the Sox can repeat.
Let’s start in the NL East where I am finally ready to predict that the Atlanta Braves dynasty will begin to crack. I don’t foresee a full blown collapse, as evidenced by the fact that I see the Bravos winning the NL wild card, but this will be the year that General Cox finally comes up short in his quest for division supremacy. The Braves come into this season with just too many holes. I know people say that every year, but look at this lineup. Hell, I love Marcus Giles, Chipper and Estrada, but how far can you go with Brian Jordan and Raul Mondesi as your corner outfielders? Huddy at the head of the rotation is a big improvement and Smoltz stands a good shot of having a 16-18 win season, but the back half of that rotation is spotty at best and closer Danny "soft stuff" Kolb is little more than a journeyman in my eyes. The Braves have enough talent to win 90 games, but that will not be enough to topple the Marlins who I think have a shot at 95 wins this year. To get to that spot, the Marlins need Josh Beckett and A.J Burnett to stay healthy and pitch up to their ability. This is a big question mark considering their injury-plagued pasts, but both have great ability and I think it is safe to assume that one, if not both, have breakthrough years. For Beckett, that would mean 20 wins and for Burnett, who is in a contract year, I am looking at something closer to 16. The other key for Florida is in the bullpen where former set-up man Guilermo Mota must prove he can close games. This guy has never had trouble getting guys out, but we will have to see whether he can do it ninth inning with a one run lead. As for the lineup, Florida is jacked. Throwing Delgado in with Cabrerra, Lowell, La Ducal and Pierre is a recipe for success so I don’t see this team having too much trouble scoring runs. As for the rest of the division, I think the Mets will be greatly improved, largely because of Pedro’s arrival. This is the way I look at the Mets. Pedro will be 12 games over .500 while the rest of the team will play breakeven baseball. The bullpen is horrific and it will end up costing some games, but the Mets can win somewhere in the neighborhood of 85-87 games so long as they can stay relatively healthy. The situation is not as rosy in Philadelphia where I have little faith in the pitching staff and I think the cracks we began to see with Billy Wagner last year could begin to snowball. Bounce back years from Pat Burrell and Vincent Padilla would help, but there are a bunch of holes in the lineup including Kenny Lofton in center and Jimmy Rollins at short. Ed Wade has done a terrible job building this team - too many Ks in the lineup and too few on the mound – and he could lose his job by mid-year. Lastly, things in Washington should be much improved over what they were in Montreal, but probably not enough to get the Nats out of the cellar. The infield isn’t bad, but any rotation that relies on Esteban Loaiza is spotty at best. GM Jim Bowden spent some money on this team in the off-season, but unfortunately for Washington D.C. residents, he didn’t spend it all that well.
The NL central should be there for the Cards picking. I know they disgraced the league in the World Series, but they ran away with this division last year and there is no reason to think they will be aggressively challenged this year. In Pujols, they have best player in the league other than the perjurer, and Mulder should be able to steady that staff. I am not really a fan of either Edmonds or Rolen since both are outs against top line pitchers, but they hang good numbers and can be counted on to drill bad pitching. Losing Renteria will hurt, but he was a bit overrated to begin with so that loss can be overcome. Come to think of it, I don’t really love this team too much, but given the competition, they should win this division by five games. Their closest competition will probably come from rival Chicago, which has some upside if Kerry Wood and Mark Prior can each start 30 games. With those guys, the Cubs have the best pitching in the league, but I have given up on Kerry Wood and Prior is a question mark as well. Meanwhile, the Cubs lineup is a bit hard to figure out. On one hand, you have Nomar poised for nice bounce back and the always solid Aramis Ramirez. That duo, along with Todd Walker, isn’t a bad core, but you also have Corey Patterson and Jeremy Burnitz who are collectively good for at LEAST 300 strikeouts. Moreover, Todd Hollandsworth should be pinch hitting and not playing everyday in left. Lastly, the Cubs bullpen is a disgrace and that will probably cost them five more games than the league average. Moving along, the Reds should be fun to watch, especially when Eric Milton pitches in that cozy park. That guy gave up 40 plus bombs last year and fifty isn’t out of the question this year. The Reds will score some runs, but the pitching is just not there to support a 90 win season. Pundits will argue that is not the case in Houston, where the Astros are expecting to have one of the best staffs in baseball. I have no faith in this premise whatsoever. Roger Clemens is 42 and coming off a horrible spring. I have been ready for the Clemens ship to sink since he was knocked out of the 2003 ALCS, and this is the year it will happen, As such, I am predicting no more than 13 wins for the Rocket. The Astros do have Roy Oswalt ready to step up and take Roger’s place, but can they count on Andy Pettitte? I have never been a fan of Pettitte and I doubt he does a whole lot with Houston’s meager offense behind him. Speaking of that offense, it is entirely right-handed and with Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell at the end of the line and Lance Berkman coming off an injury, this team simply will not score too many runs, at least not outside of crackerjack Minute Maid Park. This is one of the more overrated teams in baseball, largely by those who have always wanted to hop into a ménage with Roger and Andy. Rounding out the division: Pittsburgh has a nice young nucleus, but they are at least a year away. And Milwaukee will never have a shot so long as they aren’t owned by someone who is willing to absorb huge financial losses.
Out West, I am picking San Diego, primarily because I love their middle infielders and Jake Peavy has huge upside. I predict he wins twenty games this year and gives Pedro and Jason Schmidt a run for the Cy Young. The Padres will need a big year out of either Phil Nevin of Brian Giles to win this division, but I like the makeup of this team. Mark Loretta is one of the games top second baseman and the Pads have a terrific bullpen. I think it will be enough to scratch out a title over San Francisco. The obvious question in San Francisco is how much Barry Bonds will play. We know he is out until May 1. So let’s call that 25 games. Plus, he is good for another 15 off-nights a year. Can the Gyros win with Barry in the lineup for at most 120 games? I think it is debatable and that is a best case scenario. If I had to guess, I would say Bonds plays less then 100 games this year and there is no way that this team can overcome that loss. I have heard a few pundits try to argue that the Giants have enough depth to overcome Bonds absence, but this is just foolish optimism. Case in point – does anyone think Moises Alou is a suitable replacement for Barry Bonds? Alou hasn’t done anything away from Wrigley in two years so why should we expect him to do anything at SBC? Without Bonds, this lineup is in the bottom third of all of baseball and the pitching is nothing to write home about. Lowry and Tomko were big down the stretch, but can they be relied upon once again? The Giants do have the exceptional Jason Schmidt to anchor the staff and Benitez will help a bullpen that was amongst the worst in baseball last year, but this team cannot get it done without Barry and his cream. Sorry Russo, your window is closing. Turning south, the Dodgers had probably the worst off-season in baseball and there is no reason to think they will be anything more than a .500 team. Not only will Dodgers fans have the treat this year of watching Derrick Lowe meltdown on the mound, but they also will no have the privilege of hearing ex-yank broadcaster Charlie Steiner call some games. I don’t know which is worse, but it is safe to say, neither is pretty. In Arizona, things may be a bit better with Troy Glass mauling pitchers, but Russ Ortiz was the worst signing of the off-season and it goes without saying that neither he nor Javier Vasquez is a suitable substitute for Randy Johnson. The staff is still weak and this team will struggle to win 70 games. Colorado is the most irrelevant team in baseball so we will skip them for now.
In the AL West, I predict the Angels will cruise. They have that enormous outfield, and even though there are some holes at second and third, the Angels will be able to score plenty of runs. Vlad, Garrett and Finley should be good for 100-110 home runs and that should be enough to turbo-charge this offense. Also, Cabrera is an upgrade at short and Paul Byrd could be a nice addition to the staff. This team should have little trouble winning the division, but its post-season hopes will ride on Barolo Colon. He showed up last year weighing close to 280 pounds and as a result, he never got it going. The Angels need Colon to be an ace if they have any hope of winning a post-season series. Up in SeaTac, I think the Ms will be much improved this season which isn’t saying much considering how abysmal they were a year ago. Mike Hargrove’s lineup should be dangerous with Ichiro and Adrian Beltre and things could get interesting up north if Jeremy Reed is as good as advertised in center. Plus, Raul Ibanez had a great spring and he could be due for a nice comeback year. When it comes to pitching, the picture is not quite as bright although I like young lefty Bobby Mardritsch. He could easily be this year’s Jake Peavy. Aside from Mardritsch, the Ms are pretty short from the rubber although Pinero and Meche may be good enough to win with this loaded lineup supplying runs. I don’t see Seattle winning 90 games, but 85-87 is a possibility. In Texas, things remain largely unchanged from a year ago. The Rangers should score a pile of runs with Mark Texeira and Hank Blaylock leading the way, but pitching is a huge question mark. Last year the Rangers got by with decent starting pitching and great bullpen work. But I feel the starters last year - guys like Ryan Drese and Kenny Rogers - pitched over their heads and I don’t think it is logical to assume that will continue. I say the starters revert to the mean and Texas pulls back to .500 as a result. Lastly, we get to Oakland where Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder are no longer holding down the fort. The As will have a better lineup this year with the addition of Jason Kendell, the emergence of Bobby Crosby (assuming he is healthy) and the return of Mark Ellis, but it won’t be enough to support this young staff, especially if Atlanta import Dan Meyer is not as good as advertised.
In the central, many pundits are going crazy over the Twins and some are even predicting a Minnesota pennant this year. I will concede the Twins look good to win their fourth consecutive division flag, but let’s not go crazy. It’s hard to not love Johan Santana at the head of this staff, but the balance is just a bit better than mediocre. I am not a huge Radke guy and Carlos Silva and Kyle Lohse don’t exactly strike fear into the hearts of hitters. It seems the reason some are particularly high on the Twins is an expectation that Joe Mauer will be a terror this year. That seems like a bit of a stretch to me although he did have a great spring and it’s conceivable he will add some juice to that pretty staid lineup. But even if Mauer is a .300 hitter with 25 dongs, how far can this team go with guys like Torii Hunter, Lew Ford and Shannon Stewart? These guys are all nice players, but are they good enough to compete with the big boys in the East? I don’t think so, but I do think the Twins have more then enough firepower to win 95 games and handle anyone in the Central. The Twins biggest rival will probably come from Cleveland, a team which is probably still a year away. The Indians have a great young nucleus and they will score a ton of runs, but I am not sure they have enough pitching to mount a serious challenge. They only won 80 games a year ago, but that was with the worst bullpen in baseball. If they can take that up from an F to a C minus, they will automatically pick up five games in the standings. That should be no sweat. I’ll then throw them 3 more games because Hafner, Broussard and Martinez are a year older. That gives them about 88 wins on the year which will give them second in this woeful division. I have Detroit in third, although I think the Tigers are going to be interesting this year and they could threaten for second place. Everyone thinks Jason Bonderman is going to have a huge year and even if he is only 80 percent as good as advertised, the Tigers will finally have someone to lead that staff. The Tigers bit the bullet a couple years back and let some young pitchers like Bonderman and Maroth gain some valuable experience. That decision should start paying dividends this year. Plus, it looks like Maglio Ordonez may be healthy enough to hit 25-30 bombs for this club and with Pudge and Carlos Guillen chipping in, the Tigers have some ability to sting. The White Sox will be a basket case once again, but that is what we have come to expect on the South side of Chicago. The Chisox tried to revamp over the winter to become more aggressive and speed-oriented, but it won’t help. The staff is real thin after Freddy Garcia and Mark Buehrle and there are holes all over the lineup. This could be a sub-70 win team. Nonetheless, I think they will remain above Kansas City which is laden with crap. The Royals have some good young prospects (Mark Teehan), but they have nobody to throw the ball and they should be mathematically eliminated sometime around my July 17th birthday.
Finally we get to the AL East, where I am picking the Yankees to win the division title over my beloved Red Sox, just as they have done for the last seven or eight years. The Yanks are simply built to crush people during the regular season. The lineup is stacked and even though there are some question marks with the staff, this team will have no problem winning 100 games. I think 108 is more like it. Matsui is poised to have a huge season in his contract year and AROD cannot be nearly as mediocre as he was last year. There is probably some downside in Sheffield, but all in all, the Yanks have a shot at scoring 900 runs this year. That should be plenty for a staff that now has the Big Unit leading off. But that is not to say this team doesn’t have questions and question number one is Mariano Rivera. Mariano is clearly the most important guy on this team and he showed signs of mortality last year. The Sox got to him when it really mattered and he showed up this spring a little gimpy. If his slide has truly begun, the Yanks have an issue that cannot be addressed, and certainly not with post-season bed-wetters like Tom Gordon or Felix Rodriguez. Also, keep an eye on Mike Mussina. He was pretty solid in the post-season but he has thrown 3000 major league innings. and that usually is a breaking point He had a terrible 2004 and he could be on a slippery slope as well. Meanwhile up in Boston, I think the Sox have a good shot at 100 wins but it won’t matter. As much as it pains me to say, they will not beat the Yanks in the regular season. Nonetheless, I think the Sox have improved over last year even though they lost Pedro Martinez to the Mets. Losing Lowe was addition by subtraction, at least as far as the regular season goes, and getting Renteria is an upgrade. Plus, Trot Nixon is ready to go from day one this year and that is a huge boost for a lineup that scored 949 runs a year ago. It’s conceivable this year’s team could put up 950. As for the pitching, there are definitely some question marks. Will Wade Miller be ready, and if so, when? Can Dave Wells hold up? Can Jason Varitek harness Matt Clement’s considerable talent and keep the kid’s walks down? There are question marks, but as long as one or two cut right, the Sox will have a more than suitable staff. Beyond these two superpowers, Baltimore is the class of the division and I think they will be much better than people assume. The birds have a stacked lineup headed by Tejada and Mora, and Sosa’s addition will add some pop. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Sosa have a massive year in comfy Camden. Forty-five bombs is not out of the question if given 500 at bats. Further, I think the O’s pitching will be better than expected. Eric Beddard, Rogerio Lopez and Dan Cabrera are passable given all the offense that sits behind them. Ponson is a bum, but BJ Ryan may be the best left-handed reliever in baseball. As such, this team will be more dangerous than many assume. The same cannot be said for either the Jays or the Devil Rays. Each will be lucky to win more then 5 of 19 against the Sox or Yanks.
AL EAST: 1) New York, 2) Boston, 3) Baltimore, 4) Toronto, 5) Tampa
AL CENT 1) Minnesota, 2) Cleveland, 3) Detroit, 4) Chicago, 5) KC
AL WEST 1) California, 2) Seattle, 3) Texas, 4) Oakland
Wild Card - Boston
MVP – Manny Ramirez – Manny has to win this thing one of these years
Cy Young – Johan Santana wins by three lengths.
ROY – Jeremy Reed will emerge as another Mark Kotsay
NL EAST 1) Florida, 2) Atlanta, 3) Mets, 4) Philly 5) Washington
NL CENT 1) Cards 2) Cubs 3) Cinci, 4) Houston, 5) Pitt, 6) Milwaukee
NL WEST 1) San Diego, 2) LA, 3) SF, 4) Arizona, 5) Colorado
Wild Card – Atlanta
MVP Albert Pujols takes this in a squeaker over Angel Cabrera
Cy Young – Pedro (18.6 with a 2.92 ERA) will pull ahead in Sept when Tim Hudson misses two starts.
ROY - Garrett Atkins, because he is a Bruin and I am not sure if David Wright is eligible.
ALCS – Boston over NY in the rubber match – this one ends in six
NLCS – Florida over San Diego – Peavy wins two but Padres lose in six
WS – Boston over Florida - If the Pats can win 3 in 4 years, the Sox can repeat.
Let’s start in the NL East where I am finally ready to predict that the Atlanta Braves dynasty will begin to crack. I don’t foresee a full blown collapse, as evidenced by the fact that I see the Bravos winning the NL wild card, but this will be the year that General Cox finally comes up short in his quest for division supremacy. The Braves come into this season with just too many holes. I know people say that every year, but look at this lineup. Hell, I love Marcus Giles, Chipper and Estrada, but how far can you go with Brian Jordan and Raul Mondesi as your corner outfielders? Huddy at the head of the rotation is a big improvement and Smoltz stands a good shot of having a 16-18 win season, but the back half of that rotation is spotty at best and closer Danny "soft stuff" Kolb is little more than a journeyman in my eyes. The Braves have enough talent to win 90 games, but that will not be enough to topple the Marlins who I think have a shot at 95 wins this year. To get to that spot, the Marlins need Josh Beckett and A.J Burnett to stay healthy and pitch up to their ability. This is a big question mark considering their injury-plagued pasts, but both have great ability and I think it is safe to assume that one, if not both, have breakthrough years. For Beckett, that would mean 20 wins and for Burnett, who is in a contract year, I am looking at something closer to 16. The other key for Florida is in the bullpen where former set-up man Guilermo Mota must prove he can close games. This guy has never had trouble getting guys out, but we will have to see whether he can do it ninth inning with a one run lead. As for the lineup, Florida is jacked. Throwing Delgado in with Cabrerra, Lowell, La Ducal and Pierre is a recipe for success so I don’t see this team having too much trouble scoring runs. As for the rest of the division, I think the Mets will be greatly improved, largely because of Pedro’s arrival. This is the way I look at the Mets. Pedro will be 12 games over .500 while the rest of the team will play breakeven baseball. The bullpen is horrific and it will end up costing some games, but the Mets can win somewhere in the neighborhood of 85-87 games so long as they can stay relatively healthy. The situation is not as rosy in Philadelphia where I have little faith in the pitching staff and I think the cracks we began to see with Billy Wagner last year could begin to snowball. Bounce back years from Pat Burrell and Vincent Padilla would help, but there are a bunch of holes in the lineup including Kenny Lofton in center and Jimmy Rollins at short. Ed Wade has done a terrible job building this team - too many Ks in the lineup and too few on the mound – and he could lose his job by mid-year. Lastly, things in Washington should be much improved over what they were in Montreal, but probably not enough to get the Nats out of the cellar. The infield isn’t bad, but any rotation that relies on Esteban Loaiza is spotty at best. GM Jim Bowden spent some money on this team in the off-season, but unfortunately for Washington D.C. residents, he didn’t spend it all that well.
The NL central should be there for the Cards picking. I know they disgraced the league in the World Series, but they ran away with this division last year and there is no reason to think they will be aggressively challenged this year. In Pujols, they have best player in the league other than the perjurer, and Mulder should be able to steady that staff. I am not really a fan of either Edmonds or Rolen since both are outs against top line pitchers, but they hang good numbers and can be counted on to drill bad pitching. Losing Renteria will hurt, but he was a bit overrated to begin with so that loss can be overcome. Come to think of it, I don’t really love this team too much, but given the competition, they should win this division by five games. Their closest competition will probably come from rival Chicago, which has some upside if Kerry Wood and Mark Prior can each start 30 games. With those guys, the Cubs have the best pitching in the league, but I have given up on Kerry Wood and Prior is a question mark as well. Meanwhile, the Cubs lineup is a bit hard to figure out. On one hand, you have Nomar poised for nice bounce back and the always solid Aramis Ramirez. That duo, along with Todd Walker, isn’t a bad core, but you also have Corey Patterson and Jeremy Burnitz who are collectively good for at LEAST 300 strikeouts. Moreover, Todd Hollandsworth should be pinch hitting and not playing everyday in left. Lastly, the Cubs bullpen is a disgrace and that will probably cost them five more games than the league average. Moving along, the Reds should be fun to watch, especially when Eric Milton pitches in that cozy park. That guy gave up 40 plus bombs last year and fifty isn’t out of the question this year. The Reds will score some runs, but the pitching is just not there to support a 90 win season. Pundits will argue that is not the case in Houston, where the Astros are expecting to have one of the best staffs in baseball. I have no faith in this premise whatsoever. Roger Clemens is 42 and coming off a horrible spring. I have been ready for the Clemens ship to sink since he was knocked out of the 2003 ALCS, and this is the year it will happen, As such, I am predicting no more than 13 wins for the Rocket. The Astros do have Roy Oswalt ready to step up and take Roger’s place, but can they count on Andy Pettitte? I have never been a fan of Pettitte and I doubt he does a whole lot with Houston’s meager offense behind him. Speaking of that offense, it is entirely right-handed and with Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell at the end of the line and Lance Berkman coming off an injury, this team simply will not score too many runs, at least not outside of crackerjack Minute Maid Park. This is one of the more overrated teams in baseball, largely by those who have always wanted to hop into a ménage with Roger and Andy. Rounding out the division: Pittsburgh has a nice young nucleus, but they are at least a year away. And Milwaukee will never have a shot so long as they aren’t owned by someone who is willing to absorb huge financial losses.
Out West, I am picking San Diego, primarily because I love their middle infielders and Jake Peavy has huge upside. I predict he wins twenty games this year and gives Pedro and Jason Schmidt a run for the Cy Young. The Padres will need a big year out of either Phil Nevin of Brian Giles to win this division, but I like the makeup of this team. Mark Loretta is one of the games top second baseman and the Pads have a terrific bullpen. I think it will be enough to scratch out a title over San Francisco. The obvious question in San Francisco is how much Barry Bonds will play. We know he is out until May 1. So let’s call that 25 games. Plus, he is good for another 15 off-nights a year. Can the Gyros win with Barry in the lineup for at most 120 games? I think it is debatable and that is a best case scenario. If I had to guess, I would say Bonds plays less then 100 games this year and there is no way that this team can overcome that loss. I have heard a few pundits try to argue that the Giants have enough depth to overcome Bonds absence, but this is just foolish optimism. Case in point – does anyone think Moises Alou is a suitable replacement for Barry Bonds? Alou hasn’t done anything away from Wrigley in two years so why should we expect him to do anything at SBC? Without Bonds, this lineup is in the bottom third of all of baseball and the pitching is nothing to write home about. Lowry and Tomko were big down the stretch, but can they be relied upon once again? The Giants do have the exceptional Jason Schmidt to anchor the staff and Benitez will help a bullpen that was amongst the worst in baseball last year, but this team cannot get it done without Barry and his cream. Sorry Russo, your window is closing. Turning south, the Dodgers had probably the worst off-season in baseball and there is no reason to think they will be anything more than a .500 team. Not only will Dodgers fans have the treat this year of watching Derrick Lowe meltdown on the mound, but they also will no have the privilege of hearing ex-yank broadcaster Charlie Steiner call some games. I don’t know which is worse, but it is safe to say, neither is pretty. In Arizona, things may be a bit better with Troy Glass mauling pitchers, but Russ Ortiz was the worst signing of the off-season and it goes without saying that neither he nor Javier Vasquez is a suitable substitute for Randy Johnson. The staff is still weak and this team will struggle to win 70 games. Colorado is the most irrelevant team in baseball so we will skip them for now.
In the AL West, I predict the Angels will cruise. They have that enormous outfield, and even though there are some holes at second and third, the Angels will be able to score plenty of runs. Vlad, Garrett and Finley should be good for 100-110 home runs and that should be enough to turbo-charge this offense. Also, Cabrera is an upgrade at short and Paul Byrd could be a nice addition to the staff. This team should have little trouble winning the division, but its post-season hopes will ride on Barolo Colon. He showed up last year weighing close to 280 pounds and as a result, he never got it going. The Angels need Colon to be an ace if they have any hope of winning a post-season series. Up in SeaTac, I think the Ms will be much improved this season which isn’t saying much considering how abysmal they were a year ago. Mike Hargrove’s lineup should be dangerous with Ichiro and Adrian Beltre and things could get interesting up north if Jeremy Reed is as good as advertised in center. Plus, Raul Ibanez had a great spring and he could be due for a nice comeback year. When it comes to pitching, the picture is not quite as bright although I like young lefty Bobby Mardritsch. He could easily be this year’s Jake Peavy. Aside from Mardritsch, the Ms are pretty short from the rubber although Pinero and Meche may be good enough to win with this loaded lineup supplying runs. I don’t see Seattle winning 90 games, but 85-87 is a possibility. In Texas, things remain largely unchanged from a year ago. The Rangers should score a pile of runs with Mark Texeira and Hank Blaylock leading the way, but pitching is a huge question mark. Last year the Rangers got by with decent starting pitching and great bullpen work. But I feel the starters last year - guys like Ryan Drese and Kenny Rogers - pitched over their heads and I don’t think it is logical to assume that will continue. I say the starters revert to the mean and Texas pulls back to .500 as a result. Lastly, we get to Oakland where Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder are no longer holding down the fort. The As will have a better lineup this year with the addition of Jason Kendell, the emergence of Bobby Crosby (assuming he is healthy) and the return of Mark Ellis, but it won’t be enough to support this young staff, especially if Atlanta import Dan Meyer is not as good as advertised.
In the central, many pundits are going crazy over the Twins and some are even predicting a Minnesota pennant this year. I will concede the Twins look good to win their fourth consecutive division flag, but let’s not go crazy. It’s hard to not love Johan Santana at the head of this staff, but the balance is just a bit better than mediocre. I am not a huge Radke guy and Carlos Silva and Kyle Lohse don’t exactly strike fear into the hearts of hitters. It seems the reason some are particularly high on the Twins is an expectation that Joe Mauer will be a terror this year. That seems like a bit of a stretch to me although he did have a great spring and it’s conceivable he will add some juice to that pretty staid lineup. But even if Mauer is a .300 hitter with 25 dongs, how far can this team go with guys like Torii Hunter, Lew Ford and Shannon Stewart? These guys are all nice players, but are they good enough to compete with the big boys in the East? I don’t think so, but I do think the Twins have more then enough firepower to win 95 games and handle anyone in the Central. The Twins biggest rival will probably come from Cleveland, a team which is probably still a year away. The Indians have a great young nucleus and they will score a ton of runs, but I am not sure they have enough pitching to mount a serious challenge. They only won 80 games a year ago, but that was with the worst bullpen in baseball. If they can take that up from an F to a C minus, they will automatically pick up five games in the standings. That should be no sweat. I’ll then throw them 3 more games because Hafner, Broussard and Martinez are a year older. That gives them about 88 wins on the year which will give them second in this woeful division. I have Detroit in third, although I think the Tigers are going to be interesting this year and they could threaten for second place. Everyone thinks Jason Bonderman is going to have a huge year and even if he is only 80 percent as good as advertised, the Tigers will finally have someone to lead that staff. The Tigers bit the bullet a couple years back and let some young pitchers like Bonderman and Maroth gain some valuable experience. That decision should start paying dividends this year. Plus, it looks like Maglio Ordonez may be healthy enough to hit 25-30 bombs for this club and with Pudge and Carlos Guillen chipping in, the Tigers have some ability to sting. The White Sox will be a basket case once again, but that is what we have come to expect on the South side of Chicago. The Chisox tried to revamp over the winter to become more aggressive and speed-oriented, but it won’t help. The staff is real thin after Freddy Garcia and Mark Buehrle and there are holes all over the lineup. This could be a sub-70 win team. Nonetheless, I think they will remain above Kansas City which is laden with crap. The Royals have some good young prospects (Mark Teehan), but they have nobody to throw the ball and they should be mathematically eliminated sometime around my July 17th birthday.
Finally we get to the AL East, where I am picking the Yankees to win the division title over my beloved Red Sox, just as they have done for the last seven or eight years. The Yanks are simply built to crush people during the regular season. The lineup is stacked and even though there are some question marks with the staff, this team will have no problem winning 100 games. I think 108 is more like it. Matsui is poised to have a huge season in his contract year and AROD cannot be nearly as mediocre as he was last year. There is probably some downside in Sheffield, but all in all, the Yanks have a shot at scoring 900 runs this year. That should be plenty for a staff that now has the Big Unit leading off. But that is not to say this team doesn’t have questions and question number one is Mariano Rivera. Mariano is clearly the most important guy on this team and he showed signs of mortality last year. The Sox got to him when it really mattered and he showed up this spring a little gimpy. If his slide has truly begun, the Yanks have an issue that cannot be addressed, and certainly not with post-season bed-wetters like Tom Gordon or Felix Rodriguez. Also, keep an eye on Mike Mussina. He was pretty solid in the post-season but he has thrown 3000 major league innings. and that usually is a breaking point He had a terrible 2004 and he could be on a slippery slope as well. Meanwhile up in Boston, I think the Sox have a good shot at 100 wins but it won’t matter. As much as it pains me to say, they will not beat the Yanks in the regular season. Nonetheless, I think the Sox have improved over last year even though they lost Pedro Martinez to the Mets. Losing Lowe was addition by subtraction, at least as far as the regular season goes, and getting Renteria is an upgrade. Plus, Trot Nixon is ready to go from day one this year and that is a huge boost for a lineup that scored 949 runs a year ago. It’s conceivable this year’s team could put up 950. As for the pitching, there are definitely some question marks. Will Wade Miller be ready, and if so, when? Can Dave Wells hold up? Can Jason Varitek harness Matt Clement’s considerable talent and keep the kid’s walks down? There are question marks, but as long as one or two cut right, the Sox will have a more than suitable staff. Beyond these two superpowers, Baltimore is the class of the division and I think they will be much better than people assume. The birds have a stacked lineup headed by Tejada and Mora, and Sosa’s addition will add some pop. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Sosa have a massive year in comfy Camden. Forty-five bombs is not out of the question if given 500 at bats. Further, I think the O’s pitching will be better than expected. Eric Beddard, Rogerio Lopez and Dan Cabrera are passable given all the offense that sits behind them. Ponson is a bum, but BJ Ryan may be the best left-handed reliever in baseball. As such, this team will be more dangerous than many assume. The same cannot be said for either the Jays or the Devil Rays. Each will be lucky to win more then 5 of 19 against the Sox or Yanks.
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
March 30 - Denver's Experiment with the Three Stooges
You have to wonder what the Denver Broncos are doing with their defense this off-season. It started out with the news that the Broncos were putting high-priced defensive end Trevor Pryce on the trading block. They then went out and acquired two problem children from Cleveland – Courtney Brown and Gerald Warren. Brown was the first player selected in the entire 2000 draft, while Warren was the third overall selection in the 2001 draft, but each was a certifiable bust in Cleveland. Now the Broncos have gone out and traded running back Reuben Droughans to Cleveland for defensive lineman Ebenezer Ekuban (20 sacks in 70 NFL games). So the Broncos have now re-assembled Cleveland’s inept line out in Denver. Is this a good idea? At first glance, these moves collectively look a bit tortured. I say this because Cleveland was dead last in the entire NFL last year in stopping the run. That is not a misprint. The Browns were last! To put this in perspective, teams went out and chalked up 144 rushing yards per game against this line. That is not too pretty. So what the hell is Denver doing? Why would they go out of their way to acquire a threesome that is basically on par with Jack, Chrissie and Janet? Something must be amiss in that highly regarded rocky mountain drinking water because someone at Broncos HQ has lost his mind. Hey, reclamation projects sometimes work out, but this seems like a stretch unless Denver is simply throwing a bunch of noodles at the wall and hoping one sticks. This series of moves is particularly puzzling given the fact that Denver plays in a division with a couple of guys named Priest and LT. These two have got to be licking their chops in anticipation. Meanwhile, the natives must be getting restless in Denver. This team hasn’t won a playoff game since John Elway walked off the field after Super Bowl 33, and 2005 doesn’t exactly look too promising at this point. How much longer can Coach Mike Shannahan get away with such mediocrity? The bet here is two years at most.
Where is this steroid mess going to end? Last week, we heard that an Irish equestrian gold medalist is under suspicion for shooting up his horse with juice and now CBS is reporting that Carolina punter Todd Sauerbrun, along with two of his teammates, was greasing himself up with testosterone cream during the 2003 season. What the hell is a punter doing with this stuff? I guess you can picture steroids helping a punter extend his length, but this is getting a bit ridiculous. The funniest part of this story concerns how the puffed up punter reacted when he was confronted by 60 Minutes. According to reports, when asked about a doctor who is under suspicion for illegally dispensing banned substances, Sauerbrun said, “I like him very much.” Just ten minutes later, Todd called 60 Minutes back and claimed he was confused and doesn’t even know the doctor in question. With that move, Todd is now a candidate to become Mayor of Lameville.
If the steroid story being run by CBS has merit, the NFL has got a real credibility issue. I say this because the NFL has long argued that its testing program has largely cleaned up the sport and thus it is the gold standard of professional sports. But now we hear that three Panthers were juiced for an entire season and that begs the question of whether the NFL’s program is all that vigorous. Such insinuations are heresy to NFL apologists like ESPN’s Mike Golic who claim that the league is free and clear, but if that were the case, how come these three guys weren’t caught in the net? Perhaps it is because these drugs are becoming harder and harder to detect, but that may not be the entire story. It is time for the NFL to get with the program and introduce mandatory random testing.
You cannot accuse the University of Virginia Athletic Department of being bashful. I say this after hearing Virginia wants to speak with Kentucky basketball coach Tubby Smith about the coaching vacancy in Charlottesville. Why stop there guys? Why not put out a feeler to Tom Izzo or Coach K why you’re at it? Heck, why not try John Wooden while you’re shooting for the moon. For god’s sake – this is Virginia we are talking about. Somebody should tell UVA’s AD to stop wasting his time because there is virtually no way he is going to pull a guy away from a premier program like Kentucky to take a job in the cellar of the ACC. Virginia is a great school located in beautiful surroundings, but it has a terrible gym and is simply not a leading basketball program. As such, I would counsel Virginia to tone down its expectations. The other guy that is high on Virginia’s list is Texas coach Rick Barnes. Again, Virginia is probably shooting too high since Barnes has a pretty good gig at Texas even though he bemoans the fact that basketball is a red-headed stepchild in Austin. Virginia needs to ratchet down its expectations and focus on guys who actually would consider taking this job. The guy they should recruit is just over the mountain range in Morgantown. Jim Beilein, the coach of West Virginia, would be a perfect fit for Virginia, although I am not so sure he is willing to leave after having just taken his Mountaineers to the NCAA regional finals. It is easy to say now, but the coach Virginia really should have pursued was South Carolina Assistant Ricky Stokes – a Virginia alum who has been assistant for Dave Odom at Wake and South Carolina. Stokes is known as a solid recruiter and he would have been the perfect choice for Virginia had he not just decided to take a job at East Carolina. Virginia really screwed up by waiting until the end of the year to fire Pete Gillen. Had Gillen been pink slipped sooner, perhaps UVA would have been in a position to grab Stokes before ECU athletic Director Terry Holland was able to snag his former point guard.
Speaking of Tubby, there was probably a bit of grumbling down in horse country this week when it was reported that coach Smith intends to honor his contract which runs through the 2011 season. I suspect that there are more then a few wildcat fans who were hoping Smith would pack his bags and jump to the NBA at some point – and sooner rather than later. Now some may disagree with me, but Smith has not exactly impressed with his recent tourney resume. His record speaks for itself. Since winning the 1998 national championship with a team he inherited from Rick Pitino, Tubby has been unable to get Kentucky back to the Final Four. He has made three regional finals since 1998, but he lost two of those games to Tom Izzo and the third to Marquette. The fourteen point loss to Marquette was particularly unsettling since that Kentucky team was absolutely loaded and was penciled in to play Kansas in the national semis. The story on Smith is he has been able to rack up big win totals during the regular season, but his teams just cannot breakthrough in March. Case in point is 2004 when Kentucky entered the tourney as the number one team in the country and ended up losing in the second round to Alabama- Birmingham. Don’t get me wrong - 27-5 is a real nice season, but UK fans get a little steamed when that fifth loss comes on the first weekend of the NCAA tourney. Tubby’s resume would be plenty good at places like Florida or Alabama, but it falls a bit short at a place like Kentucky where expectations are super-charged. Smith has done more then enough to keep his job, but the fans have got to be getting restless, especially after Tubby made some crucial mistakes that contributed to last week’s loss to Michigan State. Smith will be on the sidelines next year and I suspect he will be there again in 2007, but if both those seasons end with losses in the regionals, my bet is Tubby will not be around to coach the 2008 wildcats.
I think the only guy in America who is upset to see the Lakers collapse over the past month is Boston GM Danny Ainge who will now have to wait at least another year for the Lakers to make good on a deal the two teams made last year. This is because the Lakers had the foresight last year to “protect” the pick they sent to Boston in exchange for Chucky Adkins. Boston got that pick under the condition that it would return to LA if it became a lottery selection, which it now appears will happen. Boston will not get that pick so long as LA stays in the Lottery and that could be a while given the current makeup of the Lakers. Ainge, on the other hand, was sitting pretty a month ago since LA looked like it would be the last Western team to make the playoffs. This was the perfect scenario for Boston since it would have given them a pick in just about the best spot possible under the terms of the trade. It is a striking comment on the state of the Lakers that this superfluous provision ended up being exercised.
The early returns are in and it now looks like Annika Sorenstam’s marital separation is paying big dividends. The Swede announced earlier this year that she was leaving her husband and since that time, she hasn’t been touched. It is not as if Sorenstam needed any help, but if last week’s Nabisco was any indication, Sorenstam has taken her game to a new level. She won the Nabisco by eight shots and that gives her five straight victories on the LPGA tour. She is basically having a “Tiger 2000” year and it is only March. After the Cracker Open, Annika followed tradition and took a dive in a nearby lake. If I had to guess, I would say more then a few early finishers stuck around to watch the tour’s most eligible bachorlette frolic in that pond.
Why is there so much breathe being wasted on the subject of whether the Tournament Players Championship should be relocated from March to May? This issue seems to have gained plenty attention this year and the momentum only increased after this year’s TPC was nearly washed out by rain. Proponents argue that the TPC, as currently constituted, lacks its own identity since it is played during the NCAAs and only a couple weeks before the Masters. And if the TPC were held in May, proponents argue it wouldn’t have to compete with any majors and chances are that it wouldn’t face the same weather problems that it does in March. So what? Since when are we here to take care of the poor old TPC? The TPC is doing just fine where it is. It comes at the end of the Florida swing and in most years, the weather is just fine. Hell, if the weather was good enough in Jacksonville to host a Super Bowl in early February, it is good enough to host a golf tournament six weeks later. And so what if the TPC is held in the shadow of the Masters? I am tired of people making this tournament into something it is not. I will say this once – the TPC is not a national treasure that deserves federal protection. Granted, it has a big purse and a nice field, but it also is played on a gimmicky track that does not exactly conjure up images of Pinehurst or Oakland Hills. At the end of the day, the TPC is not a major and it is time people stopped discussing it as if it were.
Where is this steroid mess going to end? Last week, we heard that an Irish equestrian gold medalist is under suspicion for shooting up his horse with juice and now CBS is reporting that Carolina punter Todd Sauerbrun, along with two of his teammates, was greasing himself up with testosterone cream during the 2003 season. What the hell is a punter doing with this stuff? I guess you can picture steroids helping a punter extend his length, but this is getting a bit ridiculous. The funniest part of this story concerns how the puffed up punter reacted when he was confronted by 60 Minutes. According to reports, when asked about a doctor who is under suspicion for illegally dispensing banned substances, Sauerbrun said, “I like him very much.” Just ten minutes later, Todd called 60 Minutes back and claimed he was confused and doesn’t even know the doctor in question. With that move, Todd is now a candidate to become Mayor of Lameville.
If the steroid story being run by CBS has merit, the NFL has got a real credibility issue. I say this because the NFL has long argued that its testing program has largely cleaned up the sport and thus it is the gold standard of professional sports. But now we hear that three Panthers were juiced for an entire season and that begs the question of whether the NFL’s program is all that vigorous. Such insinuations are heresy to NFL apologists like ESPN’s Mike Golic who claim that the league is free and clear, but if that were the case, how come these three guys weren’t caught in the net? Perhaps it is because these drugs are becoming harder and harder to detect, but that may not be the entire story. It is time for the NFL to get with the program and introduce mandatory random testing.
You cannot accuse the University of Virginia Athletic Department of being bashful. I say this after hearing Virginia wants to speak with Kentucky basketball coach Tubby Smith about the coaching vacancy in Charlottesville. Why stop there guys? Why not put out a feeler to Tom Izzo or Coach K why you’re at it? Heck, why not try John Wooden while you’re shooting for the moon. For god’s sake – this is Virginia we are talking about. Somebody should tell UVA’s AD to stop wasting his time because there is virtually no way he is going to pull a guy away from a premier program like Kentucky to take a job in the cellar of the ACC. Virginia is a great school located in beautiful surroundings, but it has a terrible gym and is simply not a leading basketball program. As such, I would counsel Virginia to tone down its expectations. The other guy that is high on Virginia’s list is Texas coach Rick Barnes. Again, Virginia is probably shooting too high since Barnes has a pretty good gig at Texas even though he bemoans the fact that basketball is a red-headed stepchild in Austin. Virginia needs to ratchet down its expectations and focus on guys who actually would consider taking this job. The guy they should recruit is just over the mountain range in Morgantown. Jim Beilein, the coach of West Virginia, would be a perfect fit for Virginia, although I am not so sure he is willing to leave after having just taken his Mountaineers to the NCAA regional finals. It is easy to say now, but the coach Virginia really should have pursued was South Carolina Assistant Ricky Stokes – a Virginia alum who has been assistant for Dave Odom at Wake and South Carolina. Stokes is known as a solid recruiter and he would have been the perfect choice for Virginia had he not just decided to take a job at East Carolina. Virginia really screwed up by waiting until the end of the year to fire Pete Gillen. Had Gillen been pink slipped sooner, perhaps UVA would have been in a position to grab Stokes before ECU athletic Director Terry Holland was able to snag his former point guard.
Speaking of Tubby, there was probably a bit of grumbling down in horse country this week when it was reported that coach Smith intends to honor his contract which runs through the 2011 season. I suspect that there are more then a few wildcat fans who were hoping Smith would pack his bags and jump to the NBA at some point – and sooner rather than later. Now some may disagree with me, but Smith has not exactly impressed with his recent tourney resume. His record speaks for itself. Since winning the 1998 national championship with a team he inherited from Rick Pitino, Tubby has been unable to get Kentucky back to the Final Four. He has made three regional finals since 1998, but he lost two of those games to Tom Izzo and the third to Marquette. The fourteen point loss to Marquette was particularly unsettling since that Kentucky team was absolutely loaded and was penciled in to play Kansas in the national semis. The story on Smith is he has been able to rack up big win totals during the regular season, but his teams just cannot breakthrough in March. Case in point is 2004 when Kentucky entered the tourney as the number one team in the country and ended up losing in the second round to Alabama- Birmingham. Don’t get me wrong - 27-5 is a real nice season, but UK fans get a little steamed when that fifth loss comes on the first weekend of the NCAA tourney. Tubby’s resume would be plenty good at places like Florida or Alabama, but it falls a bit short at a place like Kentucky where expectations are super-charged. Smith has done more then enough to keep his job, but the fans have got to be getting restless, especially after Tubby made some crucial mistakes that contributed to last week’s loss to Michigan State. Smith will be on the sidelines next year and I suspect he will be there again in 2007, but if both those seasons end with losses in the regionals, my bet is Tubby will not be around to coach the 2008 wildcats.
I think the only guy in America who is upset to see the Lakers collapse over the past month is Boston GM Danny Ainge who will now have to wait at least another year for the Lakers to make good on a deal the two teams made last year. This is because the Lakers had the foresight last year to “protect” the pick they sent to Boston in exchange for Chucky Adkins. Boston got that pick under the condition that it would return to LA if it became a lottery selection, which it now appears will happen. Boston will not get that pick so long as LA stays in the Lottery and that could be a while given the current makeup of the Lakers. Ainge, on the other hand, was sitting pretty a month ago since LA looked like it would be the last Western team to make the playoffs. This was the perfect scenario for Boston since it would have given them a pick in just about the best spot possible under the terms of the trade. It is a striking comment on the state of the Lakers that this superfluous provision ended up being exercised.
The early returns are in and it now looks like Annika Sorenstam’s marital separation is paying big dividends. The Swede announced earlier this year that she was leaving her husband and since that time, she hasn’t been touched. It is not as if Sorenstam needed any help, but if last week’s Nabisco was any indication, Sorenstam has taken her game to a new level. She won the Nabisco by eight shots and that gives her five straight victories on the LPGA tour. She is basically having a “Tiger 2000” year and it is only March. After the Cracker Open, Annika followed tradition and took a dive in a nearby lake. If I had to guess, I would say more then a few early finishers stuck around to watch the tour’s most eligible bachorlette frolic in that pond.
Why is there so much breathe being wasted on the subject of whether the Tournament Players Championship should be relocated from March to May? This issue seems to have gained plenty attention this year and the momentum only increased after this year’s TPC was nearly washed out by rain. Proponents argue that the TPC, as currently constituted, lacks its own identity since it is played during the NCAAs and only a couple weeks before the Masters. And if the TPC were held in May, proponents argue it wouldn’t have to compete with any majors and chances are that it wouldn’t face the same weather problems that it does in March. So what? Since when are we here to take care of the poor old TPC? The TPC is doing just fine where it is. It comes at the end of the Florida swing and in most years, the weather is just fine. Hell, if the weather was good enough in Jacksonville to host a Super Bowl in early February, it is good enough to host a golf tournament six weeks later. And so what if the TPC is held in the shadow of the Masters? I am tired of people making this tournament into something it is not. I will say this once – the TPC is not a national treasure that deserves federal protection. Granted, it has a big purse and a nice field, but it also is played on a gimmicky track that does not exactly conjure up images of Pinehurst or Oakland Hills. At the end of the day, the TPC is not a major and it is time people stopped discussing it as if it were.
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
March 29 - Funk Me? FUNK YOU!
I am still shaking my head in disbelief that Fred Funk was able to get up and down on 18 yesterday to win the Tournament Players Championship. The only guys on tour who are less clutch then Freddy are Len Mattice and Tom Lehman, meaning there was no reason to expect Funk to hold on. But despite a rather checkered resume in big spots, Funk managed to win the overrated TPC despite some tense moments at 17 and 18. First, Funk hits a great shot into the island green on 17, but three puts from 20 feet to leave the door open for a number of players to get even. His second putt was no more then six feet and it was classic Funk all the way. This guy is a “lights out” putter until it matters, but with cash on the line, he becomes about as dependable as Seve is off the tee. So what does the Funkster do next? Well, Freddy steps up to 18 and drills a ball down the left-hand side that leaves him in a perfect spot - 175 yards out with a one shot lead. But then, for reasons unexplained, Funk proceeds to short-side a six iron into a greenside bunker. He has a ton of green to work with, but Funk, for some reason, tried to be the hero and knock it stiff. Somebody has to explain to this guy that you don’t earn extra money for winning by additional strokes. Anyways, given Fred’s history (PGA at Hazeltine, 2004 Ryder Cup), I thought there was absolutely no way he was going to get up and down from the beach. But the old bastard proved me wrong as he hit a decent sand shot to about five feet and then rolled one in for the victory. With the win, Funk earned a huge payday and I believe a five year exemption on the PGA tour. Great, this guy is now exempted until his 54th birthday. Given this fact, I am willing to bet that someday Fred becomes the oldest player in PGA history to blow a four shot Sunday lead.
In case anyone missed it, ESPN columnist Bill Simmons took a huge swipe at ESPN color commentator Dick Vitale the other day. I didn’t think the suits at ESPN tolerated civil wars within the company, but I guess Simmons was given a special dispensation to call Vitale out for an egregious call that the “godfather of Crap” made several years back. Here is the setting. In a column released yesterday, Simmons poked fun at how CBS announcers have tried to portray Duke as some kind underdog story this year because they are not quite as loaded as in years past. This has been a theme of Vitale’s all year long. Well, Simmons had the temerity to scan the ESPN archives and dig out a piece that Vitale ran back in October of 2001. The article claimed that year’s senior class was “as good as any [Coach K] has brought into Duke. The article is terrific as it heaps piles and piles of praise on top of futures stiffs like Shavlik Randolph and Sean Dockery. The moral to Vitale’s piece, (http://espn.go.com/dickvitale/vcolumn011002ShavlikRandolph-more.html), was Duke had an incoming class that would ensure its future for another four years. Mind you, Vitale had probably never seen any of these high-school kids play a game in person, but he felt at ease penning a piece lauding their unbelievable talents. Well, if these kids are so great, then how come we are getting this story three years later that Duke was undermanned this year? The reason is that it helps buoy the status of Coach K and that is something that Vitale and his peers at CBS never shy away from. Kudos to Simmons for highlighting this tremendous nugget and revealing Vitale for what he is: an annoying analyst who has a transparent agenda and tends to speak out his ass when it comes to matters of recruiting. I am surprised this piece made it past the editors at ESPN and if I had to guess, Simmons has been warned.
Last week, I penned a piece about Bobby Knight that was a bit critical of how some in the national media portray the Texas Tech coach. My piece appeared before Knight’s Red Raiders lost in the regional semi-finals last week and it specifically railed on Knight’s very limited accomplishments over the past dozen years. Subsequent to that game, I have heard a few Knight apologists claim that Bobby cannot be held accountable for his recent resume because he has had to make do with very little talent, first at Indiana and now at Texas Tech. This may be the lamest excuse I have heard since that freak in San Francisco claimed that Twinkie consumption led him to kill Mayor George Moscone. The last time I checked, player recruitment is the responsibility of the head coach. In fact, securing talented players is among the primary responsibilities of a coach. On this front, Knight has been failing for years. He simply cannot get people to play for him. And who is to blame for this? Some of Knight’s punk defenders try to argue that it is nearly impossible to get talented kids to play all the way out in Lubbock, but that is no excuse at all. Heck, coaches have been luring kids to places far worse than Lubbock for decades. If you doubt me, take a trip to Ames or Stillwater or Morgantown or Fayetteville one weekend. No, Lubbock isn’t an insurmountable problem. The real problem is Knight simply cannot fulfill half of his job description. I am not going to sit here and claim Knight cannot coach X’s and O’s, because that is asinine. But let’s get serious for a moment. Guys are winning in places with talent no greater than what Knight has in Texas. A perfect example is John Beilein at West Virginia. This guy took over a moribund program three years ago and turned in into a regional finalist. Bobby Knight cannot make such a claim. It’s time for some in the media to stop apologizing for Knight. He is stuck in Lubbock for a reason and that reason is he is an insufferable guy who couldn’t find a McDonalds All-American with a map in one hand and directions in the other. I still give Bobby an A for coaching, but that F in recruiting is weighing him down. Until he proves he can overcome this failing grade, he won’t receive anything higher than a B from this columnist.
It looks like Jose Contreras has been unable to shake the problems that plagued him in New York, and that is not good news for the Chicago White Sox. In case you haven’t been paying attention and there is really no reason why you would, Contreras is having a horrific spring. His ERA is over 7 in 19 innings and he got bombarded the other night, giving up six earned runs in four and a third. As he did in New York, Contreras remains terrified to throw strikes and as a result, his walk totals remain staggering (15 in 19 spring frames). If Contreras cannot figure this thing out, and there is no reason to expect that he will, the White Sox will have to turn to rookie Brandon McCarthy – a phenom who got absolutely smoked the other night. With Contreras a huge question mark, the White Sox must now hope Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez can come through with some big innings. If he can’t, the South Siders have a real short staff and a long summer ahead.
Another former New Yorker who is having all sorts of trouble this spring is Al Leiter who took his inflated ego and insufferable personality down to Miami over the winter. This ass clown has given up sixteen runs in 20 innings this spring, while walking thirteen batters and hitting three. I have never been a fan of this egomaniac, mostly because it is almost impossible to sit through one of his 30 minute innings. For years, this guy has refused to get batters out in less then six pitches and that makes for some excruciating viewing experiences. Well, it seems nothing has changed down in Florida other then the fact that Leiter used to be fairly adept at working out of jams. If this spring is any indication, that skill was lost in the move. I am not sure Florida was counting on a ton from Leiter (12-13 wins and 165 innings sounds about right), but they cannot be pleased with his opening act. This is a legitimate NL contender, but that is contingent on Josh Beckett and AJ Burnett pitching up to their capabilities and Leiter doing a little more than walk every third batter he faces. If Leiter has finally gone bust, the Marlins have a little hole in their staff.
I know its just Spring Training, but it looks like Ichiro didn’t put down a bat over the winter. In case you hadn’t noticed, Ichiro is hitting .519 in 54 spring at-bats. I realize he is getting a lot of those at bats against minor leaguers, but .519 is a big number no matter who is throwing. People may forget this is a guy who banged out a record 262 hits last year, largely on the back of a monstrous second half. If he jumps off to a fast start, and given his spring there is no reason to expect otherwise, Ichiro may be looking at upping his record. Another Mariner enjoying a great spring is newcomer Adrian Beltre. This too is good news for the Ms since Beltre is notoriously known for being a slow starter. The Ms spent huge money on Beltre over the off-season and his bat is crucial for this lineup. With Ichiro setting the table and causing havoc on the bases, Beltre should see a few fastballs and get plenty of good run producing opportunities.
There is a rumor afoot, that the San Diego Chargers are trying to send backup QB Philip Rivers to San Francisco for the Niners number one pick in the NFL draft. The theory behind the move is that the Chargers are now comfortable with Drew Brees at quarterback and there is no longer any need for a high-priced backup. The move makes a ton of sense for San Fran since Rivers is considered to be a much better prospect than any quarterback available in this year’s draft. Plus, Rivers does come with at least a bit of NFL experience. Hey, I know he didn’t play, but he sat in on meetings for a year and that is basically all Tom Brady had done when he was thrown to the wolves in 2001. The move would put San Diego in the drivers seat come draft day. It would give the Chargers three first-round picks, including the first pick overall (they have the Giants pick as well). They could use these picks to upgrade a fairly stout defense and pick up the big-play receiver (Braylon Edwards?) they sorely lacked last year. Or, they could choose to trade one of the picks to strengthen their hand in drafts to come. Either way, the Chargers are in position to dramatically improve their personnel and this is clearly a franchise on the come. If the Chargers could just find a way to dump their coach, they could make a lot of noise in the AFC over the next few years.
Denver Bronco Cornerback Champ Bailey seems to be envious of former Patriot, Troy “two way” Brown. Bailey made some noise at the Pro Bowl that he wants to play some wide receiver this year and Bronco coach Mike Shanahan appears all to willing to oblige. Speaking at the owners meeting last week in Hawaii, Shanahan said playing wide receiver “will be a big part of what Champ does in the off-season. We're going to see what he can do.” I don’t get this at all. Shouldn’t Champ be required to show aptitude at his primary position before he is allowed to moonlight? To me, this sounds a lot like the slightly overweight cocktail waitress at a strip bar who is always begging the owner for a shot up on stage. Bailey, in my estimation, is just about the most overrated and overpaid corner in the game. This is the same guy who got LIT up one Sunday night for about 200 yards by the Raiders Jerry Porter. And that game was not an outlier as far as I am concerned. Since leaving the airborne-challenged NFC East, Bailey has gotten burned more than just about anyone other than oil firefighter Red Adair. I know CB has a big reputation that lands him in the Pro Bowl each year, but I have seen this guy abused on many occasions. Further, this is a guy who had only three interceptions last year, which happens to be the same amount that Brown secured in just half a season. My suggestion is Bailey should try catching a few more balls at corner before he is given a chance to catch any balls as a receiver.
Nineteen year-old Hornet rookie J.R. Smith has flown under the radar screen this year, but fans should take note that this bee is starting to buzz. Over his last six games, Smith has averaged 22 a game, highlighted by a hard six (33) he threw at Memphis on Friday night. Some may quibble that he is doing it for the lowly Hornets, but check out the way he is getting his points. He is shooting well over 50 percent ever since he crapped out in Chicago on the 18th. That isn’t bad for kid who still cannot buy a drink on Bourbon Street. Smith, who stands 6’6 and weighs 220, is simply a man-child with awesome athletic skills. More importantly, it looks like he just keeps getting better as he gets more playing time. Just imagine what North Carolina would have looked like had he decided to attend school there instead of playing in the NBA. You could probably argue that Smith is every bit as talented as current Tar Heel Rashad McCants. The big difference is Smith was selected 18th in the draft and I suspect McCants will be a lotto selection when he decides to make himself available. In other words, it looks like New Orleans may have gotten one of the best deals in last year’s draft.
In case anyone missed it, ESPN columnist Bill Simmons took a huge swipe at ESPN color commentator Dick Vitale the other day. I didn’t think the suits at ESPN tolerated civil wars within the company, but I guess Simmons was given a special dispensation to call Vitale out for an egregious call that the “godfather of Crap” made several years back. Here is the setting. In a column released yesterday, Simmons poked fun at how CBS announcers have tried to portray Duke as some kind underdog story this year because they are not quite as loaded as in years past. This has been a theme of Vitale’s all year long. Well, Simmons had the temerity to scan the ESPN archives and dig out a piece that Vitale ran back in October of 2001. The article claimed that year’s senior class was “as good as any [Coach K] has brought into Duke. The article is terrific as it heaps piles and piles of praise on top of futures stiffs like Shavlik Randolph and Sean Dockery. The moral to Vitale’s piece, (http://espn.go.com/dickvitale/vcolumn011002ShavlikRandolph-more.html), was Duke had an incoming class that would ensure its future for another four years. Mind you, Vitale had probably never seen any of these high-school kids play a game in person, but he felt at ease penning a piece lauding their unbelievable talents. Well, if these kids are so great, then how come we are getting this story three years later that Duke was undermanned this year? The reason is that it helps buoy the status of Coach K and that is something that Vitale and his peers at CBS never shy away from. Kudos to Simmons for highlighting this tremendous nugget and revealing Vitale for what he is: an annoying analyst who has a transparent agenda and tends to speak out his ass when it comes to matters of recruiting. I am surprised this piece made it past the editors at ESPN and if I had to guess, Simmons has been warned.
Last week, I penned a piece about Bobby Knight that was a bit critical of how some in the national media portray the Texas Tech coach. My piece appeared before Knight’s Red Raiders lost in the regional semi-finals last week and it specifically railed on Knight’s very limited accomplishments over the past dozen years. Subsequent to that game, I have heard a few Knight apologists claim that Bobby cannot be held accountable for his recent resume because he has had to make do with very little talent, first at Indiana and now at Texas Tech. This may be the lamest excuse I have heard since that freak in San Francisco claimed that Twinkie consumption led him to kill Mayor George Moscone. The last time I checked, player recruitment is the responsibility of the head coach. In fact, securing talented players is among the primary responsibilities of a coach. On this front, Knight has been failing for years. He simply cannot get people to play for him. And who is to blame for this? Some of Knight’s punk defenders try to argue that it is nearly impossible to get talented kids to play all the way out in Lubbock, but that is no excuse at all. Heck, coaches have been luring kids to places far worse than Lubbock for decades. If you doubt me, take a trip to Ames or Stillwater or Morgantown or Fayetteville one weekend. No, Lubbock isn’t an insurmountable problem. The real problem is Knight simply cannot fulfill half of his job description. I am not going to sit here and claim Knight cannot coach X’s and O’s, because that is asinine. But let’s get serious for a moment. Guys are winning in places with talent no greater than what Knight has in Texas. A perfect example is John Beilein at West Virginia. This guy took over a moribund program three years ago and turned in into a regional finalist. Bobby Knight cannot make such a claim. It’s time for some in the media to stop apologizing for Knight. He is stuck in Lubbock for a reason and that reason is he is an insufferable guy who couldn’t find a McDonalds All-American with a map in one hand and directions in the other. I still give Bobby an A for coaching, but that F in recruiting is weighing him down. Until he proves he can overcome this failing grade, he won’t receive anything higher than a B from this columnist.
It looks like Jose Contreras has been unable to shake the problems that plagued him in New York, and that is not good news for the Chicago White Sox. In case you haven’t been paying attention and there is really no reason why you would, Contreras is having a horrific spring. His ERA is over 7 in 19 innings and he got bombarded the other night, giving up six earned runs in four and a third. As he did in New York, Contreras remains terrified to throw strikes and as a result, his walk totals remain staggering (15 in 19 spring frames). If Contreras cannot figure this thing out, and there is no reason to expect that he will, the White Sox will have to turn to rookie Brandon McCarthy – a phenom who got absolutely smoked the other night. With Contreras a huge question mark, the White Sox must now hope Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez can come through with some big innings. If he can’t, the South Siders have a real short staff and a long summer ahead.
Another former New Yorker who is having all sorts of trouble this spring is Al Leiter who took his inflated ego and insufferable personality down to Miami over the winter. This ass clown has given up sixteen runs in 20 innings this spring, while walking thirteen batters and hitting three. I have never been a fan of this egomaniac, mostly because it is almost impossible to sit through one of his 30 minute innings. For years, this guy has refused to get batters out in less then six pitches and that makes for some excruciating viewing experiences. Well, it seems nothing has changed down in Florida other then the fact that Leiter used to be fairly adept at working out of jams. If this spring is any indication, that skill was lost in the move. I am not sure Florida was counting on a ton from Leiter (12-13 wins and 165 innings sounds about right), but they cannot be pleased with his opening act. This is a legitimate NL contender, but that is contingent on Josh Beckett and AJ Burnett pitching up to their capabilities and Leiter doing a little more than walk every third batter he faces. If Leiter has finally gone bust, the Marlins have a little hole in their staff.
I know its just Spring Training, but it looks like Ichiro didn’t put down a bat over the winter. In case you hadn’t noticed, Ichiro is hitting .519 in 54 spring at-bats. I realize he is getting a lot of those at bats against minor leaguers, but .519 is a big number no matter who is throwing. People may forget this is a guy who banged out a record 262 hits last year, largely on the back of a monstrous second half. If he jumps off to a fast start, and given his spring there is no reason to expect otherwise, Ichiro may be looking at upping his record. Another Mariner enjoying a great spring is newcomer Adrian Beltre. This too is good news for the Ms since Beltre is notoriously known for being a slow starter. The Ms spent huge money on Beltre over the off-season and his bat is crucial for this lineup. With Ichiro setting the table and causing havoc on the bases, Beltre should see a few fastballs and get plenty of good run producing opportunities.
There is a rumor afoot, that the San Diego Chargers are trying to send backup QB Philip Rivers to San Francisco for the Niners number one pick in the NFL draft. The theory behind the move is that the Chargers are now comfortable with Drew Brees at quarterback and there is no longer any need for a high-priced backup. The move makes a ton of sense for San Fran since Rivers is considered to be a much better prospect than any quarterback available in this year’s draft. Plus, Rivers does come with at least a bit of NFL experience. Hey, I know he didn’t play, but he sat in on meetings for a year and that is basically all Tom Brady had done when he was thrown to the wolves in 2001. The move would put San Diego in the drivers seat come draft day. It would give the Chargers three first-round picks, including the first pick overall (they have the Giants pick as well). They could use these picks to upgrade a fairly stout defense and pick up the big-play receiver (Braylon Edwards?) they sorely lacked last year. Or, they could choose to trade one of the picks to strengthen their hand in drafts to come. Either way, the Chargers are in position to dramatically improve their personnel and this is clearly a franchise on the come. If the Chargers could just find a way to dump their coach, they could make a lot of noise in the AFC over the next few years.
Denver Bronco Cornerback Champ Bailey seems to be envious of former Patriot, Troy “two way” Brown. Bailey made some noise at the Pro Bowl that he wants to play some wide receiver this year and Bronco coach Mike Shanahan appears all to willing to oblige. Speaking at the owners meeting last week in Hawaii, Shanahan said playing wide receiver “will be a big part of what Champ does in the off-season. We're going to see what he can do.” I don’t get this at all. Shouldn’t Champ be required to show aptitude at his primary position before he is allowed to moonlight? To me, this sounds a lot like the slightly overweight cocktail waitress at a strip bar who is always begging the owner for a shot up on stage. Bailey, in my estimation, is just about the most overrated and overpaid corner in the game. This is the same guy who got LIT up one Sunday night for about 200 yards by the Raiders Jerry Porter. And that game was not an outlier as far as I am concerned. Since leaving the airborne-challenged NFC East, Bailey has gotten burned more than just about anyone other than oil firefighter Red Adair. I know CB has a big reputation that lands him in the Pro Bowl each year, but I have seen this guy abused on many occasions. Further, this is a guy who had only three interceptions last year, which happens to be the same amount that Brown secured in just half a season. My suggestion is Bailey should try catching a few more balls at corner before he is given a chance to catch any balls as a receiver.
Nineteen year-old Hornet rookie J.R. Smith has flown under the radar screen this year, but fans should take note that this bee is starting to buzz. Over his last six games, Smith has averaged 22 a game, highlighted by a hard six (33) he threw at Memphis on Friday night. Some may quibble that he is doing it for the lowly Hornets, but check out the way he is getting his points. He is shooting well over 50 percent ever since he crapped out in Chicago on the 18th. That isn’t bad for kid who still cannot buy a drink on Bourbon Street. Smith, who stands 6’6 and weighs 220, is simply a man-child with awesome athletic skills. More importantly, it looks like he just keeps getting better as he gets more playing time. Just imagine what North Carolina would have looked like had he decided to attend school there instead of playing in the NBA. You could probably argue that Smith is every bit as talented as current Tar Heel Rashad McCants. The big difference is Smith was selected 18th in the draft and I suspect McCants will be a lotto selection when he decides to make himself available. In other words, it looks like New Orleans may have gotten one of the best deals in last year’s draft.
Monday, March 28, 2005
March 28 - The Best Ever?
Superlatives are flying all over the nation’s airwaves this morning as pundits and talk show hosts from around the country are trying to assess where this past weekend ranks in the history of college basketball. Lacking imagination, most are describing this weekend’s action with sophomoric words such as “incredible,” “amazing,” “unbelievable,” and “greatest.” I usually lampoon such hyperbole, but in this instance, such description is appropriate. I say this because the four regional finals played over this past weekend were truly extraordinary. Quite simply, we had the privilege of witnessing four terrific games, three of which were certifiably historic and destined to be featured in future CBS montages. Do you want to know how good it was? Well, if this were boxing, it would have been like watching Hagler/Hearns, Leonard/Hearns, Pryor/Arguello, and Haggler/Mugabi all fight in one weekend. Usually, we get one great Regional Final a year and are lucky to see a second. This year we got three and the fourth was teetering on the edge. And not only did we get four great games, but in those games, we got all of the basic elements that make the tourney such a special event. We had the great comebacks and the great buzzer beaters. We had the upstarts looking to pull off the big upset and the “chosen” fighting for their lives. We had storied programs fighting it out with one another and superstars rising to the top. In a nutshell, over the past 48 hours, we got to see four of those “shining moments” that CBS loves to memorialize. That takes us well past our yearly quota, but let’s hope there is still at least one other moment tucked away in the corner that we can open next weekend. If so, I will have no qualms declaring this tourney to be the most exciting in history.
Where do we begin? Well, let’s start off with Saturday’s matinee out in Albuquerque featuring West Virginia and Louisville. This future Big East rivalry started off with a bang as West Virginia came out and started making threes from spots as far away as West Texas. In fact, one three was launched from Juarez and had to clear customs before it was counted. The Mountaineers were absolutely dialed in and there was nothing Louisville could do to stop the juggernaut. The last team to be on the receiving end of so many bombs was North Vietnam in the early 1970s. At one point, WVU was a disgusting 17/22 from three. Some teams don’t go 17/22 during layup drills, yet WVU was doing it from 22 feet and sometimes further. But even as Louisville was getting bombed into oblivion, they were standing up and fighting. It was almost as if they were coached by a guy named Churchill and not Ricky P. And I knew when they cut the lead from 21 to 13 at half, they were still alive. You could tell that the Cards took some solace in the fact that they had taken West Virginia’s best punch and yet were still in the fight.
Despite this new found confidence and some improved defense, Louisville was unable to make a dent in WVU’s lead for the first eight minutes of the second half. They put together a little run at about the ten minute mark but WVU answered in a big way, and when Kevin Pittsnoggle (25 points) made a couple of threes around the five minute mark, WVU still led by ten. But that is when the clock struck midnight for this year’s Cinderfella and it was time for Beilein’s boys to haul it back to beautiful Morgantown. Louisville was clearly the more athletic team and it began to show. They got every lose ball late in the game and their guards were breaking WVU defenders down all over the place. And despite losing its best player with four minutes to go, Louisville was able to complete the comeback and have a chance to win the game in regulation with a buzzer beater. That effort came up short, but in overtime, it was all Louisville. WVU had exhausted their supply of ordinance in regulation and had nothing left in the extra period. Guys started missing threes and nobody could stop Louisville’s guards from getting to the basket. And so when the clock sounded, Louisville had secured one of the more amazing comebacks in tourney history and, in doing so, Coach Rick Pitino became the first man in history to lead three different schools to the Final Four. It seemed that Pitino was more relieved than ecstatic after the game, and rightfully so since he knows his team dodged a giant bullet. After all, how many teams give up 18 threes and still find a way to win? Other than Louisville, I am not sure that list is too deep.
Saturday evening’s nightcap between Illinois and Arizona was nothing short of extraordinary and I don’t mean that in a Liz Phair kind of way. I mean it was just about the most interesting and exciting Regional Final I have ever seen and I do not say that lightly. This was an utter slugfest between two of the best teams in the country, played right in the Illini’s backyard of Chicago. I felt the first half started off badly for Illinois. They had the crowd behind them and guards Dee Brown and Luther Head were on fire, but Arizona countered every Illinois run with one of their own. More importantly, Channing Frye and Hassan Adams were having their way with Illinois and I got the feeling that once Salim Stoudamire got in the action, Arizona was going to walk away. Well, Salim never did get into the fight, but that didn’t keep Arizona from mauling Illinois in the second half. Led by Frye, Arizona built a fifteen point lead with just four minutes to go. At this point, it was time to pull the feeding tube because the Illini were deader than dead. Heck, I am not sure even Congress would have butted in to save this corpse because there was nothing left to save. But a funny thing happened on the way to the funeral. After last rites were administered, Illinois began to rally. Behind Deron Williams, the Illini began fighting their way back and with a minute to go, Arizona led by only eight. That is still a big deficit, but at least the patient had a pulse.
This is when Arizona simply collapsed. They turned the ball over a couple of times off inbounds passes and Williams made the Cats pay as Illinois pulled even at the end of regulation. In doing so, the Illini completed what is probably the greatest comeback in NCAA tourney history. Things only got worse for Arizona from there as Illinois surged to a six point lead in overtime. Arizona could have folded right there but they rallied and trailed by only one with sixteen seconds to go. That set the stage for Lute Olsen to commit one of history’s great coaching blunders. This is the setting. Olsen has two guns -Stoudamire and Frye - at his disposal, yet he calls an ill-conceived play designed for Hassan Adams. What in the hell was skin flute thinking? That is tantamount to taking Tom Brady out of a Super Bowl with the game on the line. Lute, have you ever heard the term: “you dance with the gal who brought you to the dance.” Olsen arrived at the dance with Beyonce, yet he ended up dancing with Shirley from Good Times. That is not the way it is supposed to work and Lute got rewarded for his lunacy with a ticket back to Tuscon. Now I am sure Olsen apologists will argue that Stoudamire had a cold hand on Saturday while Adams was feeling it, but that is no excuse. You have to give Salim a shot to win that game. I am not sure Salim would have taken Deron Williams off the dribble to win the game, but you have to give him a shot. Lute has done some great things at Arizona, but he has lost a bunch of tough ones as well. None, however, was tougher than the loss he suffered on Saturday night. That is the kind of loss that one never gets over and I rank it up there as one of the great stingers of all time.
We now move on to Sunday and North Carolina’s win over Whiskey. Of all the games this weekend, this is the only one that doesn’t have the cache to be considered historic. Don’t get me wrong – it was a terrific game that was super-competitive. But it fell short of being a classic. The reason why it fell short was Wisconsin simply ran out of bullets and UNC closed at the finish to win by two and half lengths. The Badgers were game for 35 minutes, but UNC just had too many horses. Nonetheless, this was an awkward matchup for UNC and if you had told me they were going to score 44 points in the first half and be tied, I would have had you committed to an insane asylum. Yet that is where things stood at half and my guess is that the students down on Franklin Street could feel another UNC collapse coming on. And I bet a there more then a few tight sphincters in Chapel Hill when Whiskey jumped out to that early second half lead. But although Whiskey fought like hell, UNC executed when they had to and Sean May delivered when the Heels needed him most. It wasn’t all that pretty for UNC, but aesthetics don’t count when Final four berths are on the line. With the win, UNC moves on to St. Louis, a city that sits on the Mississippi. That river proved to be good luck for UNC in 1982 and 1993 (New Orleans) and perhaps it will be good luck once again.
It is funny, but after a very mediocre weekend, the national press is finally coming around to what I have been saying all year. This is a talented Carolina team, but not necessarily a very good team. This team simply cannot put anyone away and it’s usually because of mistakes committed by Ray Felton. If there was a way to measure a player’s basketball IQ, I would predict he would tally nothing higher then a 65. Felton is definitely on my all “special ed” team along with Aaron Miles of Kansas, Chris Thomas of Notre Dame and Chris Taft of Pitt. I cannot begin to count how many times over the past three years I have seen this guy kick a ball away or put up an idiotic shot at a crucial time. And he is probably the reason why UNC will not win this year. I say this because when you look back at UNC’s championships from 1982 and 1993, they were led by solid floor leaders - Derrick Phelps and Jimmy Black - that could be counted on to do the right thing in crunch time. Felton is just not this guy. In fact, he kind of reminds me of Jeff McInnis who played a leading role in short-circuiting the1995 Tar Heels.
While Felton is a disaster waiting to happen, Sean May is emerging as the star of this tourney. If Carolina is able to win, it will be because May stepped up and dominated down low. He was more then Whiskey could handle on Sunday and Michigan State could have big problems with his bulk next Saturday. He is a wide body under almost any definition and I am not sure there in anyone left in the tourney that can stop this guy. If UNC and May are able to win, I believe Scott and Sean May will become only the third father-son duo to win NCAA championships as players. The Bibby’s (Mike 97 and Henry 70) and the Johnson’s (Marquess 75 and Kris 95) both accomplished the feat, but I cannot recall another winning pair, at least not over the past 45 years. The Walton’s came close in 2001 but Luke’s team finished in second place.
To wrap up the weekend, we go to Austin, where Michigan State and Kentucky played in a no holds barred death match. This was the rubber game of a three game regional final matchup that goes back to 1978 when Kentucky took out a kid named Magic Johnson on its way to the national championship. MSU got its revenge in 1999 when the Spartans ended Kentucky’s three year string of Final Fours. And yesterday, MSU made it two for the good guys when they dispatched what I thought was an inferior team from Lexington. Can you believe what MSU just did? They killed the two most evil dragons – Duke and Kentucky – in college basketball within 48 hours of each other. If J.R. Tolkein were alive today, he would probably write a 500 page novel to honor the occasion.
As for the game, it easily qualified as a classic. It was a double overtime thriller that had loads of interesting moments, including one of the craziest buzzer beaters you will ever see. Heck, if it takes five minutes to review, you know it was crazy. I thought the key for Michigan State was Shannon Brown. Shannon is a 31 percent shooter from three on the year who ended up hitting 5/6 yesterday and it seemed each came at a time when MSU really needed a big shot. He was simply fantastic and he was needed because MSU shooting specialist Chris Hill has folded like a chair over the past few weeks. Hill is probably the Spartan’s best threat from three but he is a scintillating 1/16 during the tourney. He clearly lacks confidence and he was actually benched yesterday for passing up an open shot. Nonetheless, Brown shouldered Hill’s load and his contribution went a long way towards securing the win for Michigan State. The Spartans were also helped out along the way by Kentucky coach Tubby Smith who appeared to lose interest in this thriller sometime early in the second overtime. That is the only explanation I have for why he had some questionable players out on the floor during the second overtime. Hey Tubby, this is not Little League. There is no rule that says everyone has to play. The object of the game is to score points, but Smith had guys out there who were woefully under-equipped to succeed. Unfortunately for UK fans, Smith didn’t figure this out until it was too late. It was not a shining moment for Smith who has a bit of explaining to do down in Lexington. He hasn’t been to a Final Four since 1998 and he inherited that team. With his own guys, Smith has been blanked seven times and many of those losses came against lower seeds. Seven years is an eternity down in horse country and Smith better pull something together soon or one of coaching’s plum jobs will have a vacancy.
Where do we begin? Well, let’s start off with Saturday’s matinee out in Albuquerque featuring West Virginia and Louisville. This future Big East rivalry started off with a bang as West Virginia came out and started making threes from spots as far away as West Texas. In fact, one three was launched from Juarez and had to clear customs before it was counted. The Mountaineers were absolutely dialed in and there was nothing Louisville could do to stop the juggernaut. The last team to be on the receiving end of so many bombs was North Vietnam in the early 1970s. At one point, WVU was a disgusting 17/22 from three. Some teams don’t go 17/22 during layup drills, yet WVU was doing it from 22 feet and sometimes further. But even as Louisville was getting bombed into oblivion, they were standing up and fighting. It was almost as if they were coached by a guy named Churchill and not Ricky P. And I knew when they cut the lead from 21 to 13 at half, they were still alive. You could tell that the Cards took some solace in the fact that they had taken West Virginia’s best punch and yet were still in the fight.
Despite this new found confidence and some improved defense, Louisville was unable to make a dent in WVU’s lead for the first eight minutes of the second half. They put together a little run at about the ten minute mark but WVU answered in a big way, and when Kevin Pittsnoggle (25 points) made a couple of threes around the five minute mark, WVU still led by ten. But that is when the clock struck midnight for this year’s Cinderfella and it was time for Beilein’s boys to haul it back to beautiful Morgantown. Louisville was clearly the more athletic team and it began to show. They got every lose ball late in the game and their guards were breaking WVU defenders down all over the place. And despite losing its best player with four minutes to go, Louisville was able to complete the comeback and have a chance to win the game in regulation with a buzzer beater. That effort came up short, but in overtime, it was all Louisville. WVU had exhausted their supply of ordinance in regulation and had nothing left in the extra period. Guys started missing threes and nobody could stop Louisville’s guards from getting to the basket. And so when the clock sounded, Louisville had secured one of the more amazing comebacks in tourney history and, in doing so, Coach Rick Pitino became the first man in history to lead three different schools to the Final Four. It seemed that Pitino was more relieved than ecstatic after the game, and rightfully so since he knows his team dodged a giant bullet. After all, how many teams give up 18 threes and still find a way to win? Other than Louisville, I am not sure that list is too deep.
Saturday evening’s nightcap between Illinois and Arizona was nothing short of extraordinary and I don’t mean that in a Liz Phair kind of way. I mean it was just about the most interesting and exciting Regional Final I have ever seen and I do not say that lightly. This was an utter slugfest between two of the best teams in the country, played right in the Illini’s backyard of Chicago. I felt the first half started off badly for Illinois. They had the crowd behind them and guards Dee Brown and Luther Head were on fire, but Arizona countered every Illinois run with one of their own. More importantly, Channing Frye and Hassan Adams were having their way with Illinois and I got the feeling that once Salim Stoudamire got in the action, Arizona was going to walk away. Well, Salim never did get into the fight, but that didn’t keep Arizona from mauling Illinois in the second half. Led by Frye, Arizona built a fifteen point lead with just four minutes to go. At this point, it was time to pull the feeding tube because the Illini were deader than dead. Heck, I am not sure even Congress would have butted in to save this corpse because there was nothing left to save. But a funny thing happened on the way to the funeral. After last rites were administered, Illinois began to rally. Behind Deron Williams, the Illini began fighting their way back and with a minute to go, Arizona led by only eight. That is still a big deficit, but at least the patient had a pulse.
This is when Arizona simply collapsed. They turned the ball over a couple of times off inbounds passes and Williams made the Cats pay as Illinois pulled even at the end of regulation. In doing so, the Illini completed what is probably the greatest comeback in NCAA tourney history. Things only got worse for Arizona from there as Illinois surged to a six point lead in overtime. Arizona could have folded right there but they rallied and trailed by only one with sixteen seconds to go. That set the stage for Lute Olsen to commit one of history’s great coaching blunders. This is the setting. Olsen has two guns -Stoudamire and Frye - at his disposal, yet he calls an ill-conceived play designed for Hassan Adams. What in the hell was skin flute thinking? That is tantamount to taking Tom Brady out of a Super Bowl with the game on the line. Lute, have you ever heard the term: “you dance with the gal who brought you to the dance.” Olsen arrived at the dance with Beyonce, yet he ended up dancing with Shirley from Good Times. That is not the way it is supposed to work and Lute got rewarded for his lunacy with a ticket back to Tuscon. Now I am sure Olsen apologists will argue that Stoudamire had a cold hand on Saturday while Adams was feeling it, but that is no excuse. You have to give Salim a shot to win that game. I am not sure Salim would have taken Deron Williams off the dribble to win the game, but you have to give him a shot. Lute has done some great things at Arizona, but he has lost a bunch of tough ones as well. None, however, was tougher than the loss he suffered on Saturday night. That is the kind of loss that one never gets over and I rank it up there as one of the great stingers of all time.
We now move on to Sunday and North Carolina’s win over Whiskey. Of all the games this weekend, this is the only one that doesn’t have the cache to be considered historic. Don’t get me wrong – it was a terrific game that was super-competitive. But it fell short of being a classic. The reason why it fell short was Wisconsin simply ran out of bullets and UNC closed at the finish to win by two and half lengths. The Badgers were game for 35 minutes, but UNC just had too many horses. Nonetheless, this was an awkward matchup for UNC and if you had told me they were going to score 44 points in the first half and be tied, I would have had you committed to an insane asylum. Yet that is where things stood at half and my guess is that the students down on Franklin Street could feel another UNC collapse coming on. And I bet a there more then a few tight sphincters in Chapel Hill when Whiskey jumped out to that early second half lead. But although Whiskey fought like hell, UNC executed when they had to and Sean May delivered when the Heels needed him most. It wasn’t all that pretty for UNC, but aesthetics don’t count when Final four berths are on the line. With the win, UNC moves on to St. Louis, a city that sits on the Mississippi. That river proved to be good luck for UNC in 1982 and 1993 (New Orleans) and perhaps it will be good luck once again.
It is funny, but after a very mediocre weekend, the national press is finally coming around to what I have been saying all year. This is a talented Carolina team, but not necessarily a very good team. This team simply cannot put anyone away and it’s usually because of mistakes committed by Ray Felton. If there was a way to measure a player’s basketball IQ, I would predict he would tally nothing higher then a 65. Felton is definitely on my all “special ed” team along with Aaron Miles of Kansas, Chris Thomas of Notre Dame and Chris Taft of Pitt. I cannot begin to count how many times over the past three years I have seen this guy kick a ball away or put up an idiotic shot at a crucial time. And he is probably the reason why UNC will not win this year. I say this because when you look back at UNC’s championships from 1982 and 1993, they were led by solid floor leaders - Derrick Phelps and Jimmy Black - that could be counted on to do the right thing in crunch time. Felton is just not this guy. In fact, he kind of reminds me of Jeff McInnis who played a leading role in short-circuiting the1995 Tar Heels.
While Felton is a disaster waiting to happen, Sean May is emerging as the star of this tourney. If Carolina is able to win, it will be because May stepped up and dominated down low. He was more then Whiskey could handle on Sunday and Michigan State could have big problems with his bulk next Saturday. He is a wide body under almost any definition and I am not sure there in anyone left in the tourney that can stop this guy. If UNC and May are able to win, I believe Scott and Sean May will become only the third father-son duo to win NCAA championships as players. The Bibby’s (Mike 97 and Henry 70) and the Johnson’s (Marquess 75 and Kris 95) both accomplished the feat, but I cannot recall another winning pair, at least not over the past 45 years. The Walton’s came close in 2001 but Luke’s team finished in second place.
To wrap up the weekend, we go to Austin, where Michigan State and Kentucky played in a no holds barred death match. This was the rubber game of a three game regional final matchup that goes back to 1978 when Kentucky took out a kid named Magic Johnson on its way to the national championship. MSU got its revenge in 1999 when the Spartans ended Kentucky’s three year string of Final Fours. And yesterday, MSU made it two for the good guys when they dispatched what I thought was an inferior team from Lexington. Can you believe what MSU just did? They killed the two most evil dragons – Duke and Kentucky – in college basketball within 48 hours of each other. If J.R. Tolkein were alive today, he would probably write a 500 page novel to honor the occasion.
As for the game, it easily qualified as a classic. It was a double overtime thriller that had loads of interesting moments, including one of the craziest buzzer beaters you will ever see. Heck, if it takes five minutes to review, you know it was crazy. I thought the key for Michigan State was Shannon Brown. Shannon is a 31 percent shooter from three on the year who ended up hitting 5/6 yesterday and it seemed each came at a time when MSU really needed a big shot. He was simply fantastic and he was needed because MSU shooting specialist Chris Hill has folded like a chair over the past few weeks. Hill is probably the Spartan’s best threat from three but he is a scintillating 1/16 during the tourney. He clearly lacks confidence and he was actually benched yesterday for passing up an open shot. Nonetheless, Brown shouldered Hill’s load and his contribution went a long way towards securing the win for Michigan State. The Spartans were also helped out along the way by Kentucky coach Tubby Smith who appeared to lose interest in this thriller sometime early in the second overtime. That is the only explanation I have for why he had some questionable players out on the floor during the second overtime. Hey Tubby, this is not Little League. There is no rule that says everyone has to play. The object of the game is to score points, but Smith had guys out there who were woefully under-equipped to succeed. Unfortunately for UK fans, Smith didn’t figure this out until it was too late. It was not a shining moment for Smith who has a bit of explaining to do down in Lexington. He hasn’t been to a Final Four since 1998 and he inherited that team. With his own guys, Smith has been blanked seven times and many of those losses came against lower seeds. Seven years is an eternity down in horse country and Smith better pull something together soon or one of coaching’s plum jobs will have a vacancy.
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