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.
Friday, March 25, 2005
March 25 - Salim Shoots Down Sutton
Can anyone stop Arizona Wildcat Salim Stoudamire? That is the question being asked throughout the college basketball world today after the desert scorpion fatally stung Eddie Sutton’s Oklahoma State Cowboys last night in Chicago. The numbers may not be awe inspiring – 19 points and 7 assists on 7/11 shooting – but numbers alone don’t explain what Stoudamire meant to his team last night. Trailing by four with two minutes to go, Stoudamire nailed a crucial three to keep Arizona in the game and then with the game on the line, he nailed a game winning jumper with five seconds remaining. In both instances, there was never any doubt in my mind that those shots were going to find the bottom of the net. That is the way it has become with Stoudamire. He is locked in – much like Glen Rice was in 1989 and Dennis Scott was the following year. He is simply having one of those runs where everything he throws up finds its mark. This guy is simply fearless and that makes him particularly dangerous with the game on the line. Illinois will be favored in tomorrow’s Regional final, but I am not sure they want any part of Salim. The Illini has a solid backcourt of its own, but Coach Bruce Weber may not have an answer for Stoudamire. I am not sure anyone has an answer for Stoudamire right now.
Last night’s game between Arizona and Oklahoma State is already an instant classic and I am sure ESPN Classic would have it queued up if it had the re-broadcast rights. Last Saturday’s game pitting Wake Forest against West Virginia was a hell of a game, but for my money, last night’s game has been the most exciting of the tourney thus far. It was heavily hyped over the past week but it certainly didn’t disappoint. The key to the game was Oklahoma State’s inability to shut down Arizona from the field. The Wildcats ended up shooting 66 percent which is simply amazing considering it came against a team coached by Eddie Sutton. Had Ok State not been able to force some turnovers, the game wouldn’t have been close, but Sutton’s crew was able to get some cheapies and Joey Graham had a great game that helped the Cowboys keep it close. But each time it looked as if Ok State was finally ready to pull away, Arizona would counter with a stiff right. And in the last five minutes, Ok State just couldn’t get any stops as Arizona made five or their final six field goal attempts. Such marksmanship proved to be the key to the game.
The loss has to be devastating for Sutton. He took the core of this team to the 2004 final four and this squad looked like it was ready for a return trip. After all, six of Sutton’s top seven players were seniors and many, including myself, felt that this was the team that was going to get Sutton his first NCAA championship. Sutton, who is closing in on 70, now faces the job of rebuilding his team and time is getting short. Who knows if he will ever be able to get back to this spot with such a talented stable. On the bright side, Ok State’s loss means I will not have to see anymore shot of John Lucas looking like a crazed madman in the stands. Someone has to calm this guy down and tell him that psychotic dads belong in woman’s tennis and not men’s basketball. As for Lute Olsen, he now moves on to play Illinois on Saturday, looking for his sixth trip to the Final Four. He has a flawed team but he has a guy riding shotgun who is white hot right now and that could be enough to lift Arizona by Illinois. Saturday’s game could be another classic.
The Washington Huskies sure got dealt a bad hand last night. It was bad enough that they had to go up against a very lethal Louisville team, but it was another thing entirely to expect them to overcome an incredibly biased officiating crew. I know Washington lost by 14 so it’s hard to go crazy over the officiating, but that game would have had a much different outcome had the officials swallowed their whistles at least once or twice. Some early calls actually went against the Cardinals but the officials then attempted to rectify the situation by giving Louisville a huge windfall on its early investment. In about a four minute period, Washington got deluged by calls, including two cheapies that sent guard Nate Robinson to the bench for the balance of the first half. Other bad calls followed and at times, it seemed Washington players couldn’t wipe their ass without being called for hand checking. Just as the fouls were beginning to pile up, Louisville’s outside bombers began finding daylight and started making threes from just inside the Arizona state line. It was a bad combo for the huskies who saw a seven point lead turn into a ten point deficit in the blink of an eye. From that point on, the Huskies were never able to get back in the game. I am not saying Washington would have won the game had the officiating been a bit more even, but it sure would have helped them keep it tight.
So what do we have tonight? Well, the big game and really the only one that has much of my interest will pit Michigan State up against Duke CBS loves this game since it matches up two the game’s heavyweight coaches. Michigan State’s Tom Izzo has never beaten Coach K but tonight could see that streak come crashing down. I think Michigan State matches up well with Duke and I suspect they are going to give the Devils trouble. Spartan center Paul Davis has the size to matchup with Duke Center Sheldon Williams and Michigan State has guys on the perimeter that can play strong man-to-man defense. As such, J.J. Reddick may not find many open looks tonight, at least not from inside twenty-two feet. Hell, it he starts making bombs, Duke will win, but if he shoots as poorly as he did against Mississippi State, the Devils will have trouble moving on. I like the Spartans getting four in this one.
In the other early game, NC State will take on Wisconsin in a game that shouldn’t be televised at such an early time. This one is bound to be ugly and will surely scare kids under the age on eleven. Neither of these teams has ever run a fast break and both are content to pass the ball twelve times before taking a shot. This game will be so boring that it should be sponsored by Ambien, the nation’s leading sleep aid. With that said, I am taking Bo Ryan over Herb Sendek in this snoozer. As for the late games, it is impossible to pick against Carolina. They just have too many guns and Villanova can do little other then circle the wagons and hope Carolina kicks the game away. I don’t see that happening. And rounding out the night, we got Kentucky going up against Utah for the sixth time since 1993. I wish I could say Utah will break their winless streak against the Cats tonight, but I don’t think it is going to happen. Kentucky doesn’t have much, but they have enough D to give Utah fits, especially point guard Marc Jackson who handles the ball about as comfortably as Michael Jackson handles his responsibilities as an adult. The Utes have never been able to handle Kentucky’s athleticism and tonight will be no different. KU wins by eight.
Last night’s game between Arizona and Oklahoma State is already an instant classic and I am sure ESPN Classic would have it queued up if it had the re-broadcast rights. Last Saturday’s game pitting Wake Forest against West Virginia was a hell of a game, but for my money, last night’s game has been the most exciting of the tourney thus far. It was heavily hyped over the past week but it certainly didn’t disappoint. The key to the game was Oklahoma State’s inability to shut down Arizona from the field. The Wildcats ended up shooting 66 percent which is simply amazing considering it came against a team coached by Eddie Sutton. Had Ok State not been able to force some turnovers, the game wouldn’t have been close, but Sutton’s crew was able to get some cheapies and Joey Graham had a great game that helped the Cowboys keep it close. But each time it looked as if Ok State was finally ready to pull away, Arizona would counter with a stiff right. And in the last five minutes, Ok State just couldn’t get any stops as Arizona made five or their final six field goal attempts. Such marksmanship proved to be the key to the game.
The loss has to be devastating for Sutton. He took the core of this team to the 2004 final four and this squad looked like it was ready for a return trip. After all, six of Sutton’s top seven players were seniors and many, including myself, felt that this was the team that was going to get Sutton his first NCAA championship. Sutton, who is closing in on 70, now faces the job of rebuilding his team and time is getting short. Who knows if he will ever be able to get back to this spot with such a talented stable. On the bright side, Ok State’s loss means I will not have to see anymore shot of John Lucas looking like a crazed madman in the stands. Someone has to calm this guy down and tell him that psychotic dads belong in woman’s tennis and not men’s basketball. As for Lute Olsen, he now moves on to play Illinois on Saturday, looking for his sixth trip to the Final Four. He has a flawed team but he has a guy riding shotgun who is white hot right now and that could be enough to lift Arizona by Illinois. Saturday’s game could be another classic.
The Washington Huskies sure got dealt a bad hand last night. It was bad enough that they had to go up against a very lethal Louisville team, but it was another thing entirely to expect them to overcome an incredibly biased officiating crew. I know Washington lost by 14 so it’s hard to go crazy over the officiating, but that game would have had a much different outcome had the officials swallowed their whistles at least once or twice. Some early calls actually went against the Cardinals but the officials then attempted to rectify the situation by giving Louisville a huge windfall on its early investment. In about a four minute period, Washington got deluged by calls, including two cheapies that sent guard Nate Robinson to the bench for the balance of the first half. Other bad calls followed and at times, it seemed Washington players couldn’t wipe their ass without being called for hand checking. Just as the fouls were beginning to pile up, Louisville’s outside bombers began finding daylight and started making threes from just inside the Arizona state line. It was a bad combo for the huskies who saw a seven point lead turn into a ten point deficit in the blink of an eye. From that point on, the Huskies were never able to get back in the game. I am not saying Washington would have won the game had the officiating been a bit more even, but it sure would have helped them keep it tight.
So what do we have tonight? Well, the big game and really the only one that has much of my interest will pit Michigan State up against Duke CBS loves this game since it matches up two the game’s heavyweight coaches. Michigan State’s Tom Izzo has never beaten Coach K but tonight could see that streak come crashing down. I think Michigan State matches up well with Duke and I suspect they are going to give the Devils trouble. Spartan center Paul Davis has the size to matchup with Duke Center Sheldon Williams and Michigan State has guys on the perimeter that can play strong man-to-man defense. As such, J.J. Reddick may not find many open looks tonight, at least not from inside twenty-two feet. Hell, it he starts making bombs, Duke will win, but if he shoots as poorly as he did against Mississippi State, the Devils will have trouble moving on. I like the Spartans getting four in this one.
In the other early game, NC State will take on Wisconsin in a game that shouldn’t be televised at such an early time. This one is bound to be ugly and will surely scare kids under the age on eleven. Neither of these teams has ever run a fast break and both are content to pass the ball twelve times before taking a shot. This game will be so boring that it should be sponsored by Ambien, the nation’s leading sleep aid. With that said, I am taking Bo Ryan over Herb Sendek in this snoozer. As for the late games, it is impossible to pick against Carolina. They just have too many guns and Villanova can do little other then circle the wagons and hope Carolina kicks the game away. I don’t see that happening. And rounding out the night, we got Kentucky going up against Utah for the sixth time since 1993. I wish I could say Utah will break their winless streak against the Cats tonight, but I don’t think it is going to happen. Kentucky doesn’t have much, but they have enough D to give Utah fits, especially point guard Marc Jackson who handles the ball about as comfortably as Michael Jackson handles his responsibilities as an adult. The Utes have never been able to handle Kentucky’s athleticism and tonight will be no different. KU wins by eight.
Thursday, March 24, 2005
March 24 - Spare Me The Knight-Time Stories
Its been more then a decade since Bobby Knight won two games in a single NCAA tourney, but to hear the national media tell it, the old fox hasn’t missed a step. That is this week’s story from a bunch of lazy and tired pundits who are all too eager to rekindle the legend of Bobby Knight. Let’s be honest folks, Knight and his Red Raiders won two games last weekend over unexceptional teams. First, he beat a UCLA team with a center on loan from the March of Dimes and then he beats a Gonzaga team that wins a tourney game as a favorite about as often as Mt. Saint Helen’s explodes. Is this anything to get excited about? Did Knight somehow shock the world? I don’t think so but to hear Knight’s enablers tell it, Bob’s Red Raiders pulled off something truly amazing last weekend. According to this camp, Knight just took a bunch of cripples and molded them into a group of giant killers. If I didn't know any better, I would think an after-school television special was in development starring Gary Coleman as Texas Tech guard Ron Ross, Tim Meadows as Jarius Jackson, and Ken "White Shadow" Howard playing Coach Knight.
Kidding aside, Bobby Knight’s star is shining brighter right now than it has in a dozen years and this is just how CBS and the rest of the media want it. Come tourney time every year, the media has little to market other than big name coaches, and in this case, Knight fits the bill. Make no mistake about it, Knight has accomplished very little in this tourney so far, but he is a name and as such, CBS and company will do everything in their power to put him front and center. That is why you aren’t hearing too much this week about the past ten years of Knight's life. After all, this is a guy who couldn’t drag a decent player to Indiana once Calbert Cheney and Alan Henderson left Bloomington in 1993. From that point until his ouster, Knight ran a barebones program that was devoid of any urban talent. He coached his ass off during that time and it is probably to Knight's credit that he took a few of those teams to the tourney. But that doesn’t erase the fact that Knight just couldn’t get players to play for him. As a result, he got fired for cause and ended up in some godforsaken town in west Texas. And that begs the question of why we are celebrating this guy as if he is a god? HE HASNT DONE ANYTHING SINCE A DEMOCRAT WAS SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE! (Either has Joe Gibbs, but at least he has some Winston Cup victories under his belt since his last Super Bowl.) Despite this drought, the story on Knight is he is now a magician for taking a decrepit program to another level. Easy folks, you may hurt yourself dishing out all this bullshit. True, Texas Tech is a backwater program, but it has been to this point before. In fact, Texas Tech has been to this same spot more recently than Knight. If you don't believe me - look it up!
I am not here to bash Knight. I think he is an entertaining and intelligent guy who can certainly coach the game of basketball. But I could do without all the warm and fuzzy Knight stories. I could do without ESPN's Mike Greenburg telling me what a wonderful story it would be if Knight could get back to the Final Four. I can do without Knight being given an unchallenged platform to revise history and defend his performance over the past dozen years. And most importantly, I can do without Knight telling me what a great job he has done with this group of over-achievers. Such talk is nothing more than Knight masturbating his own ego. Knight is a Hall of Famer – there is no question about it. But let’s leave it at that. This isn’t a “great” story. In fact, it’s not even a story at all. The guy has won two games. That is it! Now he has a good shot at making it three in a row tonight against WVU, and at that point, I will concede that something is afoot. But until that time, lets tone it down a bit.
While Knight is getting a ton of adoration for turning around a dormant program, his adversary in tonight’s regional semifinal is getting almost none. Of course I am talking about West Virginia’s John Beilein who took over the Mountaineers following their dismal 2002 campaign. Lest you forget, West Virginia basketball was teetering on the brink of extinction three years ago. They had finished 1-15 in the Big East in 2002 and there was no hope in sight. In fact, it got so bad that West Virginian Bobby Huggins took a pass at the opportunity to take the helm after he visited Morgantown and saw the mess under the hood. Since no high-profile coaches would take the job, WVU turned to Beilein who was coaching just over the ridge at Richmond. Beilein came in to find the program as stripped as a 19th century Appalachian mine. He was left with nothing, but even without any talent, he managed to get his guys to play hard. In his first year at WVU, Beilein somehow managed to squeak out five conference wins and last year he won a deuce in the NIT. This year, his team came out of nowhere to make the NCAAs and last week, they pulled off the upset of the tournament by beating Wake Forest. This guy has truly accomplished a miracle at a place that was about as moribund as it gets. The media can laugh about a place like Lubbock all it wants, but Morgantown is no prize. This is of no concern to Beilein who has his team playing very good basketball right now. I am picking him to win tonight and give either Washington or Louisville a tough time on Saturday afternoon. If this guy can somehow make it to St. Louis, it will be a story worth printing.
The most absurd comment I heard this morning comes to us courtesy of ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla who was on the radio previewing tonight’s games. When asked about the Illinois game against Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Fran mentioned that he thought WM could hang tough especially since they had already played well against Big-10 teams this year His evidence was a WM win over Purdue, and based on this, Fran claimed he thought WM would have finished somewhere in the middle of the Big-10. This may be the case, but a win over Purdue is not a relevant piece of evidence and I would have declared it inadmissable. Purdue was simply atrocious this year and Fran should not have used this game as a barometer of anything. If anything, Fran should have pointed to the fact that WM lost to in-state rival Wisconsin by 29. I do not see WM giving Illinois too much trouble tonight. They will try to press Illinois, but the Illini’s great backcourt should be able to dice ‘em up. I don't see Deron Williams or Dee Brown strugglig agaisnt pressure and its possible that early success will force WM coach Bruce Pearl to back off. WM has made a lot of threes in their two wins so far and if they keep hitting long-balls, they could keep it close, but I don’t see Illinois losing this game.
Regardless of who wins, I am tired of hearing any more stories aboout how Illinois fans are pissed off at what WM coach Bruce Pearl did to Illinois when he was an assistant at Iowa. For those in need of a history lesson, Pearl turned Illinois in during the late 80's for illegally recruiting a Chicago phenom named Deon Thomas. Pearl is referred to as a "rat" down in Champaigne and the nickname is probably well deserved. But I don't want to hear how tonight's game is payback. That incident happened a long time ago and well before any "twenty somethings" were fans of the Illini. What Pearl did was wrong, but it is not as if Illinois didn't cheat. Lou Henson's staff improperly recruited Thomas and they got busted - end of story.
The other two games tonight will be delicious, and in particular, I am really looking forward to the Louisville-Washington matchup. I know I picked Louisville to go to the Final Four, but I am switching picks for tonight’s game. I really like this Washington team. They have a ton of interchangeable guys and they can be real hard to stop when they attack the offensive glass. This is particularly true with their guards who are relentless. This can lead to some easy transition baskets for their opponents, but it can also cause havoc, especially for those who have trouble cleaning their own glass. I like Louisville plenty, but I think Washington gets this done in a game played in the 80s. As for Ok State and Arizona, I am staying with the Cowboys, but this is a close call. The Cowboys were very mediocre last week and star forward Joey Graham has been awful of late. They need him tonight or it will be good night for the team I picked to win it all. Although concerned, I still think the cowboys have enough to move on although I do like Lute Olsen in these kinds of situations. Olsen is a lot like Jim Boeheim in this regard – they both are real dangerous as the underdog.
Kidding aside, Bobby Knight’s star is shining brighter right now than it has in a dozen years and this is just how CBS and the rest of the media want it. Come tourney time every year, the media has little to market other than big name coaches, and in this case, Knight fits the bill. Make no mistake about it, Knight has accomplished very little in this tourney so far, but he is a name and as such, CBS and company will do everything in their power to put him front and center. That is why you aren’t hearing too much this week about the past ten years of Knight's life. After all, this is a guy who couldn’t drag a decent player to Indiana once Calbert Cheney and Alan Henderson left Bloomington in 1993. From that point until his ouster, Knight ran a barebones program that was devoid of any urban talent. He coached his ass off during that time and it is probably to Knight's credit that he took a few of those teams to the tourney. But that doesn’t erase the fact that Knight just couldn’t get players to play for him. As a result, he got fired for cause and ended up in some godforsaken town in west Texas. And that begs the question of why we are celebrating this guy as if he is a god? HE HASNT DONE ANYTHING SINCE A DEMOCRAT WAS SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE! (Either has Joe Gibbs, but at least he has some Winston Cup victories under his belt since his last Super Bowl.) Despite this drought, the story on Knight is he is now a magician for taking a decrepit program to another level. Easy folks, you may hurt yourself dishing out all this bullshit. True, Texas Tech is a backwater program, but it has been to this point before. In fact, Texas Tech has been to this same spot more recently than Knight. If you don't believe me - look it up!
I am not here to bash Knight. I think he is an entertaining and intelligent guy who can certainly coach the game of basketball. But I could do without all the warm and fuzzy Knight stories. I could do without ESPN's Mike Greenburg telling me what a wonderful story it would be if Knight could get back to the Final Four. I can do without Knight being given an unchallenged platform to revise history and defend his performance over the past dozen years. And most importantly, I can do without Knight telling me what a great job he has done with this group of over-achievers. Such talk is nothing more than Knight masturbating his own ego. Knight is a Hall of Famer – there is no question about it. But let’s leave it at that. This isn’t a “great” story. In fact, it’s not even a story at all. The guy has won two games. That is it! Now he has a good shot at making it three in a row tonight against WVU, and at that point, I will concede that something is afoot. But until that time, lets tone it down a bit.
While Knight is getting a ton of adoration for turning around a dormant program, his adversary in tonight’s regional semifinal is getting almost none. Of course I am talking about West Virginia’s John Beilein who took over the Mountaineers following their dismal 2002 campaign. Lest you forget, West Virginia basketball was teetering on the brink of extinction three years ago. They had finished 1-15 in the Big East in 2002 and there was no hope in sight. In fact, it got so bad that West Virginian Bobby Huggins took a pass at the opportunity to take the helm after he visited Morgantown and saw the mess under the hood. Since no high-profile coaches would take the job, WVU turned to Beilein who was coaching just over the ridge at Richmond. Beilein came in to find the program as stripped as a 19th century Appalachian mine. He was left with nothing, but even without any talent, he managed to get his guys to play hard. In his first year at WVU, Beilein somehow managed to squeak out five conference wins and last year he won a deuce in the NIT. This year, his team came out of nowhere to make the NCAAs and last week, they pulled off the upset of the tournament by beating Wake Forest. This guy has truly accomplished a miracle at a place that was about as moribund as it gets. The media can laugh about a place like Lubbock all it wants, but Morgantown is no prize. This is of no concern to Beilein who has his team playing very good basketball right now. I am picking him to win tonight and give either Washington or Louisville a tough time on Saturday afternoon. If this guy can somehow make it to St. Louis, it will be a story worth printing.
The most absurd comment I heard this morning comes to us courtesy of ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla who was on the radio previewing tonight’s games. When asked about the Illinois game against Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Fran mentioned that he thought WM could hang tough especially since they had already played well against Big-10 teams this year His evidence was a WM win over Purdue, and based on this, Fran claimed he thought WM would have finished somewhere in the middle of the Big-10. This may be the case, but a win over Purdue is not a relevant piece of evidence and I would have declared it inadmissable. Purdue was simply atrocious this year and Fran should not have used this game as a barometer of anything. If anything, Fran should have pointed to the fact that WM lost to in-state rival Wisconsin by 29. I do not see WM giving Illinois too much trouble tonight. They will try to press Illinois, but the Illini’s great backcourt should be able to dice ‘em up. I don't see Deron Williams or Dee Brown strugglig agaisnt pressure and its possible that early success will force WM coach Bruce Pearl to back off. WM has made a lot of threes in their two wins so far and if they keep hitting long-balls, they could keep it close, but I don’t see Illinois losing this game.
Regardless of who wins, I am tired of hearing any more stories aboout how Illinois fans are pissed off at what WM coach Bruce Pearl did to Illinois when he was an assistant at Iowa. For those in need of a history lesson, Pearl turned Illinois in during the late 80's for illegally recruiting a Chicago phenom named Deon Thomas. Pearl is referred to as a "rat" down in Champaigne and the nickname is probably well deserved. But I don't want to hear how tonight's game is payback. That incident happened a long time ago and well before any "twenty somethings" were fans of the Illini. What Pearl did was wrong, but it is not as if Illinois didn't cheat. Lou Henson's staff improperly recruited Thomas and they got busted - end of story.
The other two games tonight will be delicious, and in particular, I am really looking forward to the Louisville-Washington matchup. I know I picked Louisville to go to the Final Four, but I am switching picks for tonight’s game. I really like this Washington team. They have a ton of interchangeable guys and they can be real hard to stop when they attack the offensive glass. This is particularly true with their guards who are relentless. This can lead to some easy transition baskets for their opponents, but it can also cause havoc, especially for those who have trouble cleaning their own glass. I like Louisville plenty, but I think Washington gets this done in a game played in the 80s. As for Ok State and Arizona, I am staying with the Cowboys, but this is a close call. The Cowboys were very mediocre last week and star forward Joey Graham has been awful of late. They need him tonight or it will be good night for the team I picked to win it all. Although concerned, I still think the cowboys have enough to move on although I do like Lute Olsen in these kinds of situations. Olsen is a lot like Jim Boeheim in this regard – they both are real dangerous as the underdog.
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
March 23 - Bonds Breaks Down
Has any public figure in recent memory had a worse couple of weeks than Barry Bonds? I have searched my memory banks but nothing is coming up. And it is not for lack of candidates. It is just that Barry has set the bar so high that no one else can compare. This is a guy who in just a few short weeks has been formally and informally charged with narcotics violations, perjury, obstruction of justice, adultery, tax evasion, and surliness. His former trainer appears poised to testify against him and his former girlfriend is telling all who will listen that Bonds is an adulteress snake. On top of that, he underwent knee surgery and had to watch on television as some of his steroid-abusing peers were brutally embarrassed by a panel of inquisitive legislators. All in all, it has not been the best of times for number 25.
After taking a flurry of body blows, Bonds finally cracked yesterday when he revealed to the world that he is “tired” of being picked apart and harassed. It was a touching moment that was hard to hear with the violins playing in the background. Bonds didn’t mention any recent events in specificity, but it was clear that the deluge of negative news in recent days had taken its toll, Looking frustrated and despondent, Bonds tried yesterday to recast himself as a sympathetic victim and the press as the vicious blood-thirsty villain. The irony here is almost too much to consider since Bonds has bullied the media for years. But to hear him say it yesterday, the media now has him up against the fence and is demanding he fork over his milk money. Make no mistake about it - yesterday’s scorn was directed at the San Francisco Chronicle and the media in general who Bonds claims “wanted me to jump off the bridge. I finally jumped. You wanted to bring me down. You finally have brought me and my family down. You’ve finally done it, everybody, all of you. So now go pick a different person. I’m done.” Sorry Barry, you haven’t jumped, the media didn’t bring you down, and you are not done by a long shot.
Barry has created problems that cannot be summarily waived by his own decree. Instead, he has problems that will fester for months on end. Bonds may think he can wave his magic 34 ounce wand and be done, but that is not his call. He can’t call off the media hounds. He can’t prevent his old friend and trainer from becoming a government witness. And he cannot block an old girlfriend from turning over damaging testimony and documentation to federal authorities. Basically, he is at the proverbial plate with no stick. He has got to understand he is playing a game that is much bigger than baseball. He may want all this to end but only the Justice Department can make that call. Welcome to the real world Barry.
There is no doubt that Barry has backed himself into a corner and he has reached his boiling point. He is injured, embarrassed, scared and fed up with the world. And that begs the question - will he retire? I think that if he can play, he will return. That is a big if considering his age and health, but I am fairly certain he will make an effort to at least pass Babe Ruth on the home run chart. He has big race-related issues with Ruth and I feel he will do what is necessary to hit a 715th home run. But who knows after that. If I had to bet, I would say number 44 is safe at 755. Nonetheless, it is pretty clear from yesterday’s performance that Bonds is no longer having any fun as a baseball player or a public figure. And at some point fairly soon, perhaps by the end of this year, I think he may call it quits. A prosecutor and a jury of his peers may make the choice for him.
After taking a flurry of body blows, Bonds finally cracked yesterday when he revealed to the world that he is “tired” of being picked apart and harassed. It was a touching moment that was hard to hear with the violins playing in the background. Bonds didn’t mention any recent events in specificity, but it was clear that the deluge of negative news in recent days had taken its toll, Looking frustrated and despondent, Bonds tried yesterday to recast himself as a sympathetic victim and the press as the vicious blood-thirsty villain. The irony here is almost too much to consider since Bonds has bullied the media for years. But to hear him say it yesterday, the media now has him up against the fence and is demanding he fork over his milk money. Make no mistake about it - yesterday’s scorn was directed at the San Francisco Chronicle and the media in general who Bonds claims “wanted me to jump off the bridge. I finally jumped. You wanted to bring me down. You finally have brought me and my family down. You’ve finally done it, everybody, all of you. So now go pick a different person. I’m done.” Sorry Barry, you haven’t jumped, the media didn’t bring you down, and you are not done by a long shot.
Barry has created problems that cannot be summarily waived by his own decree. Instead, he has problems that will fester for months on end. Bonds may think he can wave his magic 34 ounce wand and be done, but that is not his call. He can’t call off the media hounds. He can’t prevent his old friend and trainer from becoming a government witness. And he cannot block an old girlfriend from turning over damaging testimony and documentation to federal authorities. Basically, he is at the proverbial plate with no stick. He has got to understand he is playing a game that is much bigger than baseball. He may want all this to end but only the Justice Department can make that call. Welcome to the real world Barry.
There is no doubt that Barry has backed himself into a corner and he has reached his boiling point. He is injured, embarrassed, scared and fed up with the world. And that begs the question - will he retire? I think that if he can play, he will return. That is a big if considering his age and health, but I am fairly certain he will make an effort to at least pass Babe Ruth on the home run chart. He has big race-related issues with Ruth and I feel he will do what is necessary to hit a 715th home run. But who knows after that. If I had to bet, I would say number 44 is safe at 755. Nonetheless, it is pretty clear from yesterday’s performance that Bonds is no longer having any fun as a baseball player or a public figure. And at some point fairly soon, perhaps by the end of this year, I think he may call it quits. A prosecutor and a jury of his peers may make the choice for him.
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
March 22 - Gammons' Gas
Well, Opening Day is fast approaching and that means only one thing – a flurry of pieces from the pen of Peter Gammons predicting greatness for every team in baseball other than Tampa and Kansas City. Is there a more optimistic reporter than ESPN’s Peter Gammons? Or put another way – is there another print or on-air analyst who provides less critical analysis than Mr. Gammons? Let’s take a look at some recent evidence.
I will start by saying I have never been a fan of Gasman. I have always felt he is a tool of his sources and I have long suspected that the only people who talk to the King of Fluff are agents who want to see their agendas show up in print or on Baseball Tonight. Moreover, Gammons simply refuses to ever criticize anything that happens on the baseball field. You will never hear him say something akin to “Jeff Suppan is nothing more than a journeyman,” or “Bernie Williams is shot.” And you can just forget about a shot at a general manager. I honestly believe Peter would resign his commission at ESPN before he publicly ripped one of his buddies in that club. He just refuses to bite the hand feeds him. That makes him lazy and, in my mind, nothing more than a propagandist.
Gammons weaknesses are always showcased at this of the time of year since this is when he starts going out with his season previews. Over the past ten days, some of these team previews have begun leaking out and they all basically mirror each other. All are wildly optimistic and to hear Peter tell it, there are at least 24 teams competing for playoffs spots this year. Two recent Gasman gems involve previews of the Cubs and Giants. As far as the Cubs go, Gammons piece basically just regurgitates Chicago’s roster and sums up that the Cubs could be dangerous if their pitching stays healthy. Really? That is quite a piece of analysis. That is a bit like saying the Germans may have gone deeper into Russia had they had some more fuel and armor. Aside from that, the piece has enough sugar to keep a diabetic in business for a year. Gammons, at one point in his story, had the audacity to say Derrick Lee is a “star” and Nomar is playing like he did in 1999. You have got to be kidding me. Did Nomar’s agent Arn Tellem pay him to write that? And while Derrick Lee is a nice player, he is not a “star” under even the most liberal definition of the word. He then went on to mention that pitcher Ryan Dempster is “throwing extremely well” even though Dempster couldn't get anyone out the other night. That happened after the date of publication so Pete has an excuse, but I will bet you Gammons had absolutely nothing to base his Dempster comment on other then what he was being told by Cubs management. That is a no-no in journalism and a Hall of Famer like Peter should now that. In sum, the piece basically serves as a platform for Cubs GM Jim Hendry to sound off about his team. There is no mention that the Cubs have one of the worst outfields in the NL or the fact that the lineup is loaded with strikeouts. Gammons, as usual, refuses to focus on such trivial points.
That takes us to Gammons recent piece on the Giants. The gist of this piece is that the Giants have added a ton of depth and that should hold them over in the event that Barry Bonds is out for a significant period of the season with a knee injury. Gammons mentions in his piece that the Giants have some issues, such as age and questionable pitching, but he explains these issues away by quoting Giants who say the issues are moot. Gammons goes on to print these claims without spending a moment considering the source or the validity of the statement. Of course manager Felipe Alou thinks his staff will be better than others think. Pete – what the hell else is he going to say? Your job is to second guess such comments when they clearly straddle the line. How about something akin to – “Alou thinks Brett Tomko and Noah Lowry will be solid all season, but that seems like a stretch given the track records of these two.” And what about just assuming Jason Schmidt will return to form this year. Schmidt was awful at the end of last year, but Gammons ignores this point altogether. Gammons concludes by saying that if this goes right, if that goes right and if Bonds can come back, the Giants are in great shape. I would like Peter to just once take the opposite approach and say something like “this flawed club has a lot of question marks going into Spring Training.” Dare to dream!
Mike Francesa sank to a new low yesterday afternoon on the WFAN radio show that he hosts with “Puppy Chow” Russo. Francesa has never, and I repeat never, been hard on his friends in the coaching ranks, and it continued yesterday with his gentle handling of Jim Calhoun following Connecticut’s early exit from the NCAA tourney. Calhoun doesn’t rank as high as Bill Parcells on Francesa’s list of close friends, but he is a close pal. Anyways, when yesterday’s discussion turned to UCONN’s 65-62 loss to lowly North Carolina State on Sunday, Francesa pulled out the soft velvet gloves that are reserved for handling very fragile objects. He began by reluctantly conceding it was a bad loss for UCONN, and this half-baked concession had to be forcibly extracted by his angry sidekick. But he refused to go any further and he had a laundry list of excuses at the ready for why this loss hardly dings Calhoun’s impressive resume. Francesa’s basic point was that every team has to reload and this year it was UCONN’s turn. Later, he started pulling out some injury excuses and pointing to the inexperience of UCONN’s backcourt as factors why UCONN rolled craps on its second roll. He then scolded Husky fans who dared to show any frustration over the loss, citing them as crybabies who have come to expect too much from Calhoun. Hey, I am not here to bash Calhoun. I think he has done a wonderful job in Storrs, but this is not his first bad loss or bad team. Francesa knows that but you couldn’t have detected it from yesterday’s show, which ultimately segued into a rant on Dean Smith’s tourney gaffs. Listen Mike, your good friend is not god. He is a damn good coach, but his resume has plenty of question marks.
If you want the truth – I’ll give you the truth. In 1997, UCONN missed the tourney entirely. That doesn’t happen to great coaches. Coach K hasn’t missed a tourney since he hurt his back in 1995 (one absence since 1983) and Dean Smith didn’t miss a tourney from 1976 until his retirement in 1997. But Calhoun didn’t do it just once. He repeated the feat in 2001, making it two debacles in a single decade. There are a bunch of guys – Gary Williams, Roy Williams, Mike Montgomery, Tom Izzo, Coach K, Tubby Smith – that haven’t swum in that pool of late. You want some more? How bout that loss to UCLA in the 1995 Regional Finals? Okay, UCONN wasn’t favored, but expectations were high in Storrs that year. The Huskies got blown out of that game despite the fact that the final score credited them with only a six point loss. And what about the Donyell Marshall team that lost to Florida in 1994, the Ray Allen team that lost to Mississippi State in 1996, or the act of god that guided an out-coached UCONN to a win over Washington in 1998? Those are the same type of games that Francesa and the Pup use to POUND other coaches. Hey, Calhoun has two rings and two Final Four victories over Krzyzewski. For that alone he has earned my respect. He is a very good coach and perhaps a great one, but a bad loss is a bad loss and friendship shouldn’t get in the way of calling it like it is. In the future Mike, when buddies come up, recuse yourself from the conversation because your friendship is getting in the way of your objectivity. If you are going to kill the rest of the world for these types of losses, your friends should get the same treatment.
Staying with UCONN, it was reported this morning that Husky forward Charlie Villanueva intends to leave school for the NBA. Good Riddance. This is a classic case of addition by subtraction. Villanueva had skills, but there was no telling when he was going to show up and play. He had a number of big games this year, but his two point game against UNC sticks with me as evidence of his inconsistency. I do not closely follow UCONN hoops, but it never struck me that Charlie fit in at Storrs. He had a very uncomfortable freshman year and while his second year was an improvement, he seemed like an outsider on this year's club. I don’t see his absence hurting this team so long as Josh Boone returns. If Boone returns, UCONN will probably have the country’s top front line next year (assuming Sean May and/or Marvin Williams leave UNC) and I suspect that the Huskies will probably be a top-5 pre-season team. If he leaves, which is a definite possibility, the Huskies will find themselves a bit thin up front unless incoming frosh - Andrew Bynum and Jeff Adrien – can provide immediate help.
The Villanova Wildcats suffered a huge blow yesterday when they found out that forward Curtis Sumpter will miss the rest of the season, which could conclude Friday night against North Carolina. The 6’7 Brooklynite has been a mainstay for Villanova all year and his absence robs the Cats of their best inside player and their best free throw shooter. Without him, Jason Fraser will have to log big minutes against Carolina’s Sean May and Marvin Williams. That is not a good matchup for Villanova, but they still have a dangerous backcourt that may be able to keep this game close. Meanwhile, Carolina just keeps getting the breaks. First, potential foes UCONN and Kansas lost this past weekend weakening the Syracuse region and now Villanova looses this key player. It seems fate is trying to make things just about as easy as possible for Roy Williams to get back to the Final Four. Even Roy should be able to knock this softball out of the park. But before anyone just hands UNC this Friday’s game, remember that this is the 20th anniversary of Villanova’s 1985 NCAA Championship. That run culminated in 66-64 shocker over Georgetown, but as I mentioned yesterday, it also included a 56-44 win over UNC in the Southeast Regional Final. The Heels led that game 22-17 at half, but Nova shut down UNC in the second half and walked away with an easy win down in Birmingham. From there, Nova went on to Lexington and took out Memphis State in the national semi-finals and Georgetown in the finals.
The clouds over the Southside of Chicago lifted a bit this morning when it was reported that White Sox pitcher Mark Buerhle’s foot injury was not as bad as first thought and may only cost the left-hander a single spring training start. But those clouds seemed to have moved north and have now enveloped Wrigley Field. Why do I say this? Well, just as it seemed like concerns over Kerry Wood’s arm were easing; the Cubs found out today that they have probably lost closer Joe Borowski for a month with a broken hand. This is a big blow for the Cubs who already had concerns over Mark Prior and their shaky bullpen. Last year, with Borowski largely sidelined, the Cubs had among the three worst bullpens in the National League. LaTroy Hawkins proved highly unreliable and late inning collapses went a long way towards explaining why the Cubs lost out to the Astros in the race for the NL wildcard. General Manager Jim Hendry has been banking on Borowski to solidify the Cubs bullpen, but these plans have been laid to waste – at least until May 1st. With Mark Prior a question mark, Wood nursing a sore arm, and Borowski hurt, the Cubs are undeniably having the worst Spring Training in the major leagues. Not even ESPN’s Peter Gammons could sugar coat this one.
The NFL draft is fast approaching and one story worth watching is whether California football coach Jeff Tedford has lost some of his luster with NFL personnel directors. One of Tedford’s players, quarterback Arron Rodgers, is expected to be selected near the top of the first round, but some are beginning to wonder whether Rodgers may slip because teams are concerned by the recent track records of other Tedford protégés. Is such concern well founded? Well, based on a quick survey of the literature, it seems Tedford’s star has begun falling and caution may be warranted. In case you don’t know his resume, Tedford has been associated with turning out a number of high-profile quarterbacks. During coaching stints at Fresno State, Oregon and California over the past decade, Tedford has coached the likes of David Carr, Akili Smith, Joey Harrington, Kyle Boller and Arron Rodgers. In years past, many commentators have lauded Tedford as a fine mentor of quarterbacks, but I am not so sure this reputation is deserved given the recent track records of these signal callers. Carr has shown flashes of brilliance and he probably has a future in the NFL, but Smith was a total bust and is now fighting for a spot in NFL Europe. Boller has shown very little other than an erratic arm in his two years in Baltimore and Harrington was rumored to be on the chopping block in Detroit this off-season. This is hardly murderers’ row. In fact, it is a pretty weak stable in my estimation. So is Rodgers going to be another Tedford bust or is he the real deal? From what I have read on a recent scouting workout, Rodgers is reportedly the real deal and deserves to be selected in the top few picks, So that begs the question of whether Tedford’s recent legacy will scare teams off? After all, nobody wants another Akili on their hands since that is the kind of mistake that gets people fired. I am not a draft guru, but I suspect that if Rodgers falls, he will fall to no lower than the eight spot where Arizona currently is slotted. Should this happen, I think more than a few “experts” will comment that Tedford’s shine has dulled.
I will start by saying I have never been a fan of Gasman. I have always felt he is a tool of his sources and I have long suspected that the only people who talk to the King of Fluff are agents who want to see their agendas show up in print or on Baseball Tonight. Moreover, Gammons simply refuses to ever criticize anything that happens on the baseball field. You will never hear him say something akin to “Jeff Suppan is nothing more than a journeyman,” or “Bernie Williams is shot.” And you can just forget about a shot at a general manager. I honestly believe Peter would resign his commission at ESPN before he publicly ripped one of his buddies in that club. He just refuses to bite the hand feeds him. That makes him lazy and, in my mind, nothing more than a propagandist.
Gammons weaknesses are always showcased at this of the time of year since this is when he starts going out with his season previews. Over the past ten days, some of these team previews have begun leaking out and they all basically mirror each other. All are wildly optimistic and to hear Peter tell it, there are at least 24 teams competing for playoffs spots this year. Two recent Gasman gems involve previews of the Cubs and Giants. As far as the Cubs go, Gammons piece basically just regurgitates Chicago’s roster and sums up that the Cubs could be dangerous if their pitching stays healthy. Really? That is quite a piece of analysis. That is a bit like saying the Germans may have gone deeper into Russia had they had some more fuel and armor. Aside from that, the piece has enough sugar to keep a diabetic in business for a year. Gammons, at one point in his story, had the audacity to say Derrick Lee is a “star” and Nomar is playing like he did in 1999. You have got to be kidding me. Did Nomar’s agent Arn Tellem pay him to write that? And while Derrick Lee is a nice player, he is not a “star” under even the most liberal definition of the word. He then went on to mention that pitcher Ryan Dempster is “throwing extremely well” even though Dempster couldn't get anyone out the other night. That happened after the date of publication so Pete has an excuse, but I will bet you Gammons had absolutely nothing to base his Dempster comment on other then what he was being told by Cubs management. That is a no-no in journalism and a Hall of Famer like Peter should now that. In sum, the piece basically serves as a platform for Cubs GM Jim Hendry to sound off about his team. There is no mention that the Cubs have one of the worst outfields in the NL or the fact that the lineup is loaded with strikeouts. Gammons, as usual, refuses to focus on such trivial points.
That takes us to Gammons recent piece on the Giants. The gist of this piece is that the Giants have added a ton of depth and that should hold them over in the event that Barry Bonds is out for a significant period of the season with a knee injury. Gammons mentions in his piece that the Giants have some issues, such as age and questionable pitching, but he explains these issues away by quoting Giants who say the issues are moot. Gammons goes on to print these claims without spending a moment considering the source or the validity of the statement. Of course manager Felipe Alou thinks his staff will be better than others think. Pete – what the hell else is he going to say? Your job is to second guess such comments when they clearly straddle the line. How about something akin to – “Alou thinks Brett Tomko and Noah Lowry will be solid all season, but that seems like a stretch given the track records of these two.” And what about just assuming Jason Schmidt will return to form this year. Schmidt was awful at the end of last year, but Gammons ignores this point altogether. Gammons concludes by saying that if this goes right, if that goes right and if Bonds can come back, the Giants are in great shape. I would like Peter to just once take the opposite approach and say something like “this flawed club has a lot of question marks going into Spring Training.” Dare to dream!
Mike Francesa sank to a new low yesterday afternoon on the WFAN radio show that he hosts with “Puppy Chow” Russo. Francesa has never, and I repeat never, been hard on his friends in the coaching ranks, and it continued yesterday with his gentle handling of Jim Calhoun following Connecticut’s early exit from the NCAA tourney. Calhoun doesn’t rank as high as Bill Parcells on Francesa’s list of close friends, but he is a close pal. Anyways, when yesterday’s discussion turned to UCONN’s 65-62 loss to lowly North Carolina State on Sunday, Francesa pulled out the soft velvet gloves that are reserved for handling very fragile objects. He began by reluctantly conceding it was a bad loss for UCONN, and this half-baked concession had to be forcibly extracted by his angry sidekick. But he refused to go any further and he had a laundry list of excuses at the ready for why this loss hardly dings Calhoun’s impressive resume. Francesa’s basic point was that every team has to reload and this year it was UCONN’s turn. Later, he started pulling out some injury excuses and pointing to the inexperience of UCONN’s backcourt as factors why UCONN rolled craps on its second roll. He then scolded Husky fans who dared to show any frustration over the loss, citing them as crybabies who have come to expect too much from Calhoun. Hey, I am not here to bash Calhoun. I think he has done a wonderful job in Storrs, but this is not his first bad loss or bad team. Francesa knows that but you couldn’t have detected it from yesterday’s show, which ultimately segued into a rant on Dean Smith’s tourney gaffs. Listen Mike, your good friend is not god. He is a damn good coach, but his resume has plenty of question marks.
If you want the truth – I’ll give you the truth. In 1997, UCONN missed the tourney entirely. That doesn’t happen to great coaches. Coach K hasn’t missed a tourney since he hurt his back in 1995 (one absence since 1983) and Dean Smith didn’t miss a tourney from 1976 until his retirement in 1997. But Calhoun didn’t do it just once. He repeated the feat in 2001, making it two debacles in a single decade. There are a bunch of guys – Gary Williams, Roy Williams, Mike Montgomery, Tom Izzo, Coach K, Tubby Smith – that haven’t swum in that pool of late. You want some more? How bout that loss to UCLA in the 1995 Regional Finals? Okay, UCONN wasn’t favored, but expectations were high in Storrs that year. The Huskies got blown out of that game despite the fact that the final score credited them with only a six point loss. And what about the Donyell Marshall team that lost to Florida in 1994, the Ray Allen team that lost to Mississippi State in 1996, or the act of god that guided an out-coached UCONN to a win over Washington in 1998? Those are the same type of games that Francesa and the Pup use to POUND other coaches. Hey, Calhoun has two rings and two Final Four victories over Krzyzewski. For that alone he has earned my respect. He is a very good coach and perhaps a great one, but a bad loss is a bad loss and friendship shouldn’t get in the way of calling it like it is. In the future Mike, when buddies come up, recuse yourself from the conversation because your friendship is getting in the way of your objectivity. If you are going to kill the rest of the world for these types of losses, your friends should get the same treatment.
Staying with UCONN, it was reported this morning that Husky forward Charlie Villanueva intends to leave school for the NBA. Good Riddance. This is a classic case of addition by subtraction. Villanueva had skills, but there was no telling when he was going to show up and play. He had a number of big games this year, but his two point game against UNC sticks with me as evidence of his inconsistency. I do not closely follow UCONN hoops, but it never struck me that Charlie fit in at Storrs. He had a very uncomfortable freshman year and while his second year was an improvement, he seemed like an outsider on this year's club. I don’t see his absence hurting this team so long as Josh Boone returns. If Boone returns, UCONN will probably have the country’s top front line next year (assuming Sean May and/or Marvin Williams leave UNC) and I suspect that the Huskies will probably be a top-5 pre-season team. If he leaves, which is a definite possibility, the Huskies will find themselves a bit thin up front unless incoming frosh - Andrew Bynum and Jeff Adrien – can provide immediate help.
The Villanova Wildcats suffered a huge blow yesterday when they found out that forward Curtis Sumpter will miss the rest of the season, which could conclude Friday night against North Carolina. The 6’7 Brooklynite has been a mainstay for Villanova all year and his absence robs the Cats of their best inside player and their best free throw shooter. Without him, Jason Fraser will have to log big minutes against Carolina’s Sean May and Marvin Williams. That is not a good matchup for Villanova, but they still have a dangerous backcourt that may be able to keep this game close. Meanwhile, Carolina just keeps getting the breaks. First, potential foes UCONN and Kansas lost this past weekend weakening the Syracuse region and now Villanova looses this key player. It seems fate is trying to make things just about as easy as possible for Roy Williams to get back to the Final Four. Even Roy should be able to knock this softball out of the park. But before anyone just hands UNC this Friday’s game, remember that this is the 20th anniversary of Villanova’s 1985 NCAA Championship. That run culminated in 66-64 shocker over Georgetown, but as I mentioned yesterday, it also included a 56-44 win over UNC in the Southeast Regional Final. The Heels led that game 22-17 at half, but Nova shut down UNC in the second half and walked away with an easy win down in Birmingham. From there, Nova went on to Lexington and took out Memphis State in the national semi-finals and Georgetown in the finals.
The clouds over the Southside of Chicago lifted a bit this morning when it was reported that White Sox pitcher Mark Buerhle’s foot injury was not as bad as first thought and may only cost the left-hander a single spring training start. But those clouds seemed to have moved north and have now enveloped Wrigley Field. Why do I say this? Well, just as it seemed like concerns over Kerry Wood’s arm were easing; the Cubs found out today that they have probably lost closer Joe Borowski for a month with a broken hand. This is a big blow for the Cubs who already had concerns over Mark Prior and their shaky bullpen. Last year, with Borowski largely sidelined, the Cubs had among the three worst bullpens in the National League. LaTroy Hawkins proved highly unreliable and late inning collapses went a long way towards explaining why the Cubs lost out to the Astros in the race for the NL wildcard. General Manager Jim Hendry has been banking on Borowski to solidify the Cubs bullpen, but these plans have been laid to waste – at least until May 1st. With Mark Prior a question mark, Wood nursing a sore arm, and Borowski hurt, the Cubs are undeniably having the worst Spring Training in the major leagues. Not even ESPN’s Peter Gammons could sugar coat this one.
The NFL draft is fast approaching and one story worth watching is whether California football coach Jeff Tedford has lost some of his luster with NFL personnel directors. One of Tedford’s players, quarterback Arron Rodgers, is expected to be selected near the top of the first round, but some are beginning to wonder whether Rodgers may slip because teams are concerned by the recent track records of other Tedford protégés. Is such concern well founded? Well, based on a quick survey of the literature, it seems Tedford’s star has begun falling and caution may be warranted. In case you don’t know his resume, Tedford has been associated with turning out a number of high-profile quarterbacks. During coaching stints at Fresno State, Oregon and California over the past decade, Tedford has coached the likes of David Carr, Akili Smith, Joey Harrington, Kyle Boller and Arron Rodgers. In years past, many commentators have lauded Tedford as a fine mentor of quarterbacks, but I am not so sure this reputation is deserved given the recent track records of these signal callers. Carr has shown flashes of brilliance and he probably has a future in the NFL, but Smith was a total bust and is now fighting for a spot in NFL Europe. Boller has shown very little other than an erratic arm in his two years in Baltimore and Harrington was rumored to be on the chopping block in Detroit this off-season. This is hardly murderers’ row. In fact, it is a pretty weak stable in my estimation. So is Rodgers going to be another Tedford bust or is he the real deal? From what I have read on a recent scouting workout, Rodgers is reportedly the real deal and deserves to be selected in the top few picks, So that begs the question of whether Tedford’s recent legacy will scare teams off? After all, nobody wants another Akili on their hands since that is the kind of mistake that gets people fired. I am not a draft guru, but I suspect that if Rodgers falls, he will fall to no lower than the eight spot where Arizona currently is slotted. Should this happen, I think more than a few “experts” will comment that Tedford’s shine has dulled.
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