Going Deep

Re-Seeding the NBA Playoffs

2007-04-21T10:40:00.000-04:00

It's hardly news to anyone who follows the NBA with a modicum of interest that the talent gap between the East and the West is canyon-sized. While the East has shown over the last 3 years that it is top-heavy (read: Detroit and Miami playing the big kid role in a field of oblivious 1st graders that is the rest of the East), there has been little depth to the conference. The same is true this year. Arguably, the top three teams in the West are all better than any team in the East. And while we shouldn't hold our breath expecting David Stern to re-seed the playoffs regardless of conference affiliation, that doesn't mean we can't fantasize about the possibility in this space. So here's how I would re-seed the entire playoff field if I were doing it NCAA Tournament style:

1 Dallas
16 Washington

8 Cleveland
9 Utah

5 Miami
12 LA Lakers

4 San Antonio
13 New Jersey

6 Chicago
11 Toronto

3 Detroit
14 Golden State

7 Houston
10 Denver

2 Phoenix
15 Orlando

A few notes on this seeding. First off, let's start with the bottom-feeders of this field. Even though Washington is seeded as a #7 in the East in reality, I'm putting them as the #16 seed in my field because they have absolutely no momentum going into the playoffs. (Remember, I'm doing this NCAA Tournament style.) This is the team that is most likely to get swept in the actual 2007 Playoffs, and that's why I'm putting them as the sacrificial lamb against the mighty Mavericks.

And who wouldn't want to see some of these matchups? A first-round series between Miami and Los Angeles would be the prime-time series of the first round for television purposes, guaranteed. Even if the Kobe-Shaq feud is officially over, you know TV execs would be salivating all over themselves to get that matchup in te premier time slot.

Houston and Denver stands out to me as another first-round matchup that you'd stop what you're doing to watch. Imagine the high-scoring theatrics possible when Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony go against Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming, with each of the teams bearing the burden of past failures to get past the first round at stake.

Here's how I would see my second round shaping up:

1 Dallas
8 Cleveland

5 Miami
4 San Antonio

3 Detroit
6 Chicago

7 Houston
2 Phoenix

No shortage of outstanding series here. Dallas-Cleveland stands out as the most one-sided series here. The Cavs have shown over the past year that they really can't count on anyone consistently other than LeBron James. In the West, the Cavs would probably be a #7 seed.

Detroit and Chicago is probably the most intriguing series in this second round. The young up and comers in the Bulls vs. the East's grizzled stalwart of the past 5 years in the Pistons. Ben Wallace against his former team. The geographic proximity of the two cities. This is a series that I would see going 7, with the Bulls coming out on top. The Pistons escaped a dangerous Cavs team in 7 last season, but this year's Chicago edition is better than last year's Cavs and hitting their peak at the right time.

By the way, you'll notice that I'm not picking many upsets here so far. That's the way the NBA works for the most part. You'll get a series or two where some favored teams go down. But a complete shocker like Denver beating Seattle in the first round in 1994 is rare. For the most part the favorites win.

My conference finals:

1 Dallas
4 San Antonio

6 Chicago
2 Phoenix

Let's start with the easier of the two picks here. Chicago is capable of making it to the finals in this bracket, and could match the Suns' athleticism in addition to having a banger in Wallace that could go up against Amare Stoudemire. But Chicago's probably a year away from taking that last step into true elite status. So I pick the Suns in 6 in this series.

Dallas and San Antonio. Wow, talk about clash of the titans. For the first time in a while, the Spurs are heading into the playoffs not regarded as either the favorite or co-favorite not only to win the West, but to win it all. But they're hitting their peak and still have Tim Duncan, who's still one of the top 5 players in the game. But Dallas, which had 3 separate win streaks of at least 10 games this season, showed me last year that they are championship caliber on the defensive end while breaking their hex against the Spurs. This will be a battle to the end, but I see the Mavs advancing to the finals in 7.

Phoenix vs. Dallas. The finals series that everyone wants to see, but won't be able to in the traditional playoff format. The two teams produced a couple of classics this year, including the game of the year, a 2OT Suns win a few weeks back. Steve Nash is the best player in this series, but Dallas is the more complete team and has Finals experience from last year. They've had the benefit of a year to learn from their mistakes against Miami and will have the home court advantage, a huge plus for the Mavs, who are nearly unbeatable at home. This is another series I see going 7 with Dallas finally earning their coronation as the league's best team.

Would you re-seed the playoffs differently? Do you think the results would be different? Let me know what you think.

Heroism at Virginia Tech

2007-04-17T18:05:00.001-04:00

I know this isn't exactly a sports post, but in the wake of the tragedy at Virginia Tech yesterday, there was this bright spot amid the chaos that I felt like I had to post about. We always talk about great athletes being able to make good decisions in the blink of an eye - and this student did the same with infinitely more pressure on him than any athlete will ever have to face.

Seems like with any unthinkable tragedy like this, you always hear at least one story of true heroism come out, and this is no exception.

(Via CNN.com)

BLACKSBURG, Virginia (CNN) -- Monday's toll inside Virginia Tech's Norris Hall might have included 11 more students had it not been for a long, rectangular table and a quick-thinking senior who used it to deflect the rampage of his fellow classmate.

Zach Petkewicz said he didn't recognize the sounds that pierced the door and cinder-block walls of his classroom as gunshots until he heard a scream from the hallway of the engineering building.

"The girls in my class peeked out in the hall and saw a gunner come out of a classroom with his gun pointed down," Petkewicz told CNN.

"They immediately slammed the door shut, told us, everybody kind of went into a frenzy, a panic. I hid behind the podium and then just kind of looked up at the door. Like, there's nothing stopping this guy from just coming in. And so I said, 'We need to barricade this door.' "

Petkewicz described his state of mind unabashedly: "I was completely scared out of my mind originally, just went into a cowering position, and then just realized you have got to do something."

Petkewicz and two other students shoved a table against the door and held it there as gunshots continued to ring out from the hallway outside the classroom.

"He came to our door, tried the handle and couldn't get in because we were pushing up against it -- and tried to force his way in and got the door to open up about 6 inches -- and then we just lunged at it and closed it back up and that's when he backed up and shot twice into the middle of the door, thinking we were up against it trying to get him out."

But Petkewicz said that instead he and the other students had placed themselves in front of the cinder-block walls, where they listened to what was going on out of sight a few inches away.

"I just heard his clip drop to the ground, and he reloaded and I thought he was coming back for a second round to try to get his way in there. He didn't say a word, and he just turned and kept firing down the hall and didn't try to get back in."

As the drama was unfolding, Petkewicz said, other classmates were on their cell phones with 911 operators, who told them police were on their way.

Soon, "I could hear police shouting all around the building. They were there really fast, it was just a matter of getting up and getting to us and getting this guy out of the picture."

The shooter -- identified as Cho Seung-Hui, a 23-year-old English major and South Korean native from Centreville, Virginia -- used one of his two guns to take care of that himself, police said.

Asked what he would say to those who call him a hero, Petkewicz looked away, began blinking rapidly, shrugged his shoulders, shook his head back and forth, removed his right hand from the pocket of his blue jeans and used it to stroke his forehead, then said in a voice choked with emotion, "I'm just glad I could be here."

Norris Hall is shut for the remainder of the semester.

A Hockey Post?

2007-04-15T01:57:00.000-04:00

Hmm, the world must have shifted off its axis or something. But yes, it's true, I feel inspired to write about hockey. Rest assured though, that I won't be offering up any incisive comments on strategy or making any daring predictions as everyone now travels to the lower-seeded teams' homes. However, I haven't been completely oblivious, and can at least name the 16 teams that are in it.

Today, Sid the Kid Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins got even in Game 2 of their series with Ottawa thanks to a 4-3 win punctuated by a game-winning goal from none other than Gretzky Part Deux, Crosby himself. (Raise your hands if you didn't see this letdown coming from the Senators, those notorious playoff underachievers.) That's good news for the NHL. Even though the league can't express it in so many words, it's in its best interests for the Penguins to go as far as possible in these playoffs. In Pittsburgh, the NHL has a team loaded with exciting young talent, headlined by Crosby, who the league is hoping will be the sport's answer to Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods.

With some games now being broadcast nationally on NBC, as Pittsburgh-Ottawa was this afternoon, the league will likely catch a slight ratings uptick as general American sports fans channel surfing are likely to take a flier on a chance to see Crosby and the Pens in action in the playoffs. If for no other reason than to be a part of the excitement of Crosby's playoff debut or to see what the hype is all about, more people will tune in. There's a natural curiosity factor that's built in to a Penguins series at this moment that a series like Sabres-Islanders (no offense to Buffalo and Long Island) just can't match.

The interesting thing is, I think most people who aren't avid hockey fans will tell you that when they do watch a hockey game, they really enjoy it. It's fast, physical and full of action. But hockey will always play from behind in this country, and it needs that news hook for people to watch it. This is as close to as perfect a scenario as the NHL could ask for in building that hook. An American team with a potentially transcendent player making his playoff debut. And it helps that the Penguins play in a cold-weather city. Let's not forget that the last two Stanley Cup champions came from Raleigh, NC and Tampa, FL. There's still something that seems a little off about that, as plenty of Canadians I'm sure, will tell you. A Stanley Cup in Pittsburgh though, seems perfectly acceptable. The only way it could be better from the NHL's point of view was if he played for the New York Rangers.

Nonetheless, the Pens now have the upper hand in their first round series, and though this team isn't on the short list of Stanley Cup favorites, the league can hope for an extended run - and for good reason. Upsets that stretch into the conference finals or even the Stanley Cup Finals have been par for the course in the NHL of late. Edmonton, a #7 seed, was a game away from winning the Cup last year. Another #7 seed, Anaheim, memorably did the same in 2003. On the surface, the Pens appear to have that potential and more. Now it's time to see if Sid the Kid and his precocious mates can continue to deliver.

sidney crosby
pittsburgh penguins

A Tale of Two Coaches

2007-04-06T01:46:00.000-04:00

Two of the most high profile coaches in the business made headline-grabbing moves today when Gator Golden Boy Billy Donovan quickly spurned Kentucky, which was foaming at the mouth to lure him, to return to Florida, while Bob Huggins made his escape from Manhattan (Kansas that is) and grabbed the freshly minted vacancy at his hometown school, West Virginia. What I find interesting is my gut reactions to both these decisions.

The Donovan announcement came earlier in the day, and to be honest, I would have been surprised if he had defected to the Gators' SEC rival. He seems to have a great life going in Gainesville, and his professional success has reached a stratosphere inhabited only by coaches like Krzyzewski and Wooden, as coaches who have led repeat national champions. When I read the news that he was staying, I thought to myself, "What a classy move. Now he has the chance to build a Hall of Fame career at one school, Florida. And he didn't just go for the supposedly more glamorous position at Kentucky just because the opportunity presented itself."

Meanwhile, when I found out later in the day that Bob Huggins, a coach who has more than a couple stains on his reputation, was bolting Kansas State for West Virginia, my thought process when something like this: "What a bum. He's leaving Kansas State high and dry after just one year. He just dashed the hopes of an entire university. Bush league move."

And there you have exhibits A and B of the typical sports fan's construction of sports as theater. For whatever reason, you need to create a hero and a villain, as if this was all just a grand stage with figures like Donovan and Huggins playing the opposing leads. But is that really fair? It probably isn't. What if Donovan decided he wanted to go to Kentucky because he wanted a new challenge? (Because let's face it, he was going to get paid a bundle no matter what his decision was, so I don't buy the argument that money would have been the deciding factor for him to leave Florida.) Don't people employed in everyday jobs do that all the time?

And what about Huggins? Generally speaking, he's a lot less likable than Donovan seems to be, but maybe we shouldn't decry his choice to leave so quickly. After all, West Virginia is his hometown school, and this opportunity probably would not have come around again if he didn't take it now. Don't important executives leave big corporations with regularity too? But the corporations usually find another talented person to take his or her spot and business carries on.
In an ideal world, everyone would love their jobs and serve out the balance of their contract happily, but that's not the reality of the matter, least of all in sports. All I'm saying is that we shouldn't let our own constructed - and sometimes, distorted - conceptions of what should and shouldn't be in sports (and I'm as guilty of this as anyone) lead us as fans into unfairly scrutinizing a decision when we don't have all the facts about the situation.

billy donovan
bob huggins

Murphy's Law Hits the Wizards

2007-04-04T23:13:00.000-04:00

Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse. When losses in consecutive nights to the Charlotte Bobcats isn't even your top concern, you've got some real issues. Tonight, in losing to the 'Cats, Wiz star Gilbert Arenas injured his left knee in a collision with Charlotte's Gerald Wallace. He's having an MRI on Thursday to measure the damage, but let's not kid ourselves - you hear knee injury, and you don't think day-to-day.

Not that it's likely to matter at this point as far as Washington's chances in the playoffs go. When Caron Butler was lost, for all intensive purposes, for the season last weekend, the Wizards' season went down with it. Butler may not be the team's best player - it's Arenas - but he is the heart of the team, the glue in the Wizards' triumvirate of Arenas, Butler, and Antawn Jamison that holds it all together.

What's troubling for me is how quickly the season flipped on its head for Washington. At the All-Star break, this team was flying high. There was an MVP candidate in Arenas, an All-Star Game coach in Eddie Jordan, and a division title seemed like a formality. But the Wizards have shown an inability to play consistent ball if they are missing any of their three stars. On a team that doesn't play defense, you need all the offense you can get, and a duo of high-scorers isn't enough to win. Now, a team that once had the best record in the Eastern Conference is barely above .500 at 39-35, and an first-round exit in the playoffs seems more certain with each passing day. In the playoffs, the Wizards are likely to draw either Toronto, who they have had a ton of trouble with this year, or more likely, Miami, which has owned Washington seemingly since time immemorial.

Hopefully Arenas' MRI doesn't turn up disastrous damage, but even if that's not the case, don't expect to see Washington get past the first round for a second consecutive year.

gilbert arenas
caron butler
antawn jamison
washington wizards

Eddie Robinson Dies at 88

2007-04-04T12:10:00.000-04:00

College football and sports as a whole, lost one of its greats last night when longtime Grambling coach Eddie Robinson died at the age of 88 after battling Alzheimer's for the better part of the past decade.

Robinson's, and consequently, Grambling's success was due to the determination and passion that he brought to every aspect of his job, and he needed every bit of that to turn Grambling into a nationally recognized household name. Consider this - when he first got there in 1941, the school was still known as the Louisiana Negro Normal and Industrial Institute. Heading a program woefully short on resources in the segregated American South, he was forced to act as groundskeeper, trainer, and for lack of a better term, team mom, preparing sandwiches for his players for road trips.

In spite of the institutional obstacles in his way, he went on to achieve some remarkable feats in his six decades at the helm. His mark of 408 wins is the second most of all time in college football, and until it was topped by St. John's (MN) coach John Gagliardi four years ago, it stood alone as the record.

Perhaps most astonishing is his mentorship of over 200 NFL players, which averages out to about 3 or 4 Grambling players being selected per year by the league. There are programs in big time conferences that would kill to be able to churn out NFL players at a rate like that. Included in that fraternity are some real greats, including Doug Williams, Charlie Joiner, and Willie Brown.

In reflecting on his career, I wonder if we will ever see another coach with a career like Robinson's. If Robinson had coached in today's career-climbing obsessed game, schools from all over would surely be beating down his door trying to lure him to a bigger name program. To be so content and secure with the job, lifestyle, and constancy that he enjoyed for six decades is an incredible anomaly, and very well may be a product of the times he lived in. Even so, his was a fulfilling and wildly successful life by all accounts, and I'm sure he wouldn't have changed one bit of it.

eddie robinson
grambling
doug williams

Thanks Hoyas

2007-04-01T20:07:00.000-04:00

A day later, the unapologetic finality of it all is setting in. The dream run of the Georgetown Hoyas came to a close last night with a deflating loss to Ohio State in the national semifinals. With the gap between the Hoyas and the Buckeyes sitting at three possessions with two minutes left in the game yesterday, I knew there would be no miracle comeback this time. And when the game ended, I kept trying to find solace in the loss, as if that would somehow change the final score, and we would be the ones playing for the championship Monday night.

All my friends and I could focus on after the game were the ifs. If Jeff Green had played a more assertive game. If we could have capitalized on Greg Oden's limited playing time. If the officials had ruled in favor of Green on a questionable bang-bang foul in which Oden tried his best to impersonate Vince Carter dunking on Frederic Weis, 2000 Olympics style. But the fact remains, those ifs never came to fruition, and the Buckeyes were the better team last night. I know that Hoya fans everywhere will cling to the idea that if we played Ohio State in a best of 5 or a best of 7 game series, Georgetown would have ultimately come out on top. But unfortunately, this isn't the NBA, and it's something the team and the fans have to live with.

It's nice to say you have to live with a Final Four appearance though. This team gave Hoyas everywhere more reasons to be proud than we've had in a generation. And frankly, such a turnaround seemed like a pipe dream three years ago when the team finished with a miserable 13-19 record in the last season under Craig Escherick. Time after time this season, Georgetown rose up and met the challenges, one by one. Defeats of Big East rivals Marquette and Pittsburgh at home to punctuate a regular season conference title. A romp through the Big East Tournament. And sweetest of all, a thrill-a-minute ride through the East bracket of the NCAA Tournament, along the way producing a game for the ages against North Carolina. Green and Hibbert became marquee names in the college hoops game, and coach John Thompson III, the irrepressible linchpin of it all, showed the country that there are few coaches out there better at what they do.

This afternoon, a group of about 100 or 150 students waited outside venerable old McDonough Arena on the Georgetown campus waiting to welcome the team upon their arrival. Students screamed the familiar refrain of "Hoya! Saxa!" with the brio of a fan base celebrating a win. A big smile flashed by Hibbert upon stepping off the bus seemed to validate the experience at least somewhat. It was a bittersweet moment - we were all struggling with the fact that they were back in D.C. with a game still to be played in Atlanta. But much more than that, there was a real sense of appreciation present. It was the least we could do for the unforgettable joy ride they've given us over the last month.

jeff green
roy hibbert
john thompson iii
final four
greg oden

Kevin Durant Wins Player of the Year

2007-03-30T13:39:00.000-04:00

The inevitable finally came to fruition this afternoon, as Texas super phenom Kevin Durant won the AP National Player of the Year award overwhelmingly, earning 70 of the 72 overall votes, with the other two votes going to Wisconsin's Alando Tucker. Durant is now the first freshman to ever win the prestigious honor, and as the voting reflected, there was no question about it.

Durant probably had the most eye-popping statistical season ever for a freshman, with his 25.8 scoring average and 11.1 rebound average. Not just averaging a double-double, but doing so comfortably. And he came up big in Texas's most important games, upping his scoring average in 5 postseason games (Big 12 Tournament, NCAAs) to 28.5 per game.

Certainly it helped his case that he was by far the most talented player on the Longhorns, (a team that probably would have been a #7-#10 seed in the NCAA Tournament without him), meaning he had to carry the load. But that doesn't take away from the fact that he is a spectacular talent who was great all through the season.

The fact that he was recognized as the best player - not just freshman - in the country is what is truly unique about this situation. By the end of the 2003 season, it was plainly obvious that Carmelo Anthony, having just led Syracuse to its first title, was the best player in the country. However, the award went to David West of Xavier that year, likely because of the bias that had prevailed against freshmen. The thinking was, if you're a rookie, you can't be the best player in the country. Why not? Anthony proved the opposite in winning a championship that year, and now Durant has left the voters with no other choice.

Now the question is, will he leave for the NBA or won't he? My guess is yes, and he'll make some lucky team ecstatic with his array of skills and work ethic for the foreseeable future. What's less certain is Greg Oden's status. If the Buckeyes don't win the championship, I could see Oden sticking around another year. Celtics, Grizzlies, TrailBlazers fans, et al - be praying for the #1 overall pick. #2 is no guarantee at this point.

kevin durant
greg oden
alando tucker
carmelo anthony

Farewell to Faulk

2007-03-28T12:38:00.000-04:00

This is a couple days late, but I wanted to make sure I got this in before too long...

The long-expected announcement became official on Monday when St. Louis Rams running back and first-ballot future Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk retired from the NFL at age 34 after 12 seasons. Now, Faulk delves into the broadcasting world, a foray that served him well last year in his "year off" from football.

Even on great teams, Faulk's sublime presence stood out. On the 1999 "Greatest Show on Turf" Rams, Kurt Warner won the accolades, but Faulk was the fulcrum that kept that machine of an offense moving. His versatility as both an elusive ball carrier and a dangerous pass receiver int he open field kept defenses honest, forcing them to focus more than they would have liked on the Rams' short-mid range game. Of course, that worked to open up opportunities for dangerous deep threats Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt.

It was also Faulk, who indirectly, had some influence on the emergence of QB Kurt Warner in that 1999 season. In the preseason game in which then-Chargers safety Rodney Harrison knocked out St. Louis' Plan A starter, Trent Green for the season, it was Faulk who failed to complete his blocking assignment. Of course you know now that opened up the door for Warner, and Super Bowl followed.

I would rank Faulk just behind Barry Sanders as the second greatest running back of his generation. I put him ahead of backs like Emmitt Smith, Curtis Martin, and Terrell Davis for the plethora of ways he could affect a game. So long from the field Marshall. We'll see you in Canton holding up your bust in 5 years.

marshall faulk
kurt warner
trent green
barry sanders
emmitt smith

Hoya Saxa!

2007-03-26T03:07:00.000-04:00

I've been warned not to blog about the Georgetown Hoyas by my friends - if I do, I might jinx them into a loss. But the way I see it after today's improbable, heart-stopping win over North Carolina in the East Region Final, these Hoyas have been beating the odds all year, so my little old blog isn't going to wreak too much havoc.

What an incredible 48 hours to be a Hoya. After the shot of a lifetime from team bastion Jeff Green to beat Vanderbilt on Friday night, it was looking like we were going to suffer the ultimate letdown. From an incredible high to a feeling of desperation knowing we had come this close to Final Four immortality. That's how I felt with about 8 minutes left in today's game against the Tar Heels.

It wasn't the North Carolina lead that bothered me. In theory it was more than a workable margin. It never ballooned to a point that would have put the game out of hand. It was the fact that Georgetown was playing North Carolina's game, and we seemingly had no answer for their fast-break offense. If the remainder of the game had played out like that, the Hoyas would be headed home empty, because they wouldn't have had the ability to cut the deficit. Luckily, with time starting to run out on Georgetown's season, they were able to impose their will on a game that had been in North Carolina's control for 30+ minutes.

In retrospect, you could see that Georgetown had a chance even before they began their surge late in the half. The prolific scoring of the first half, resulting in a 50-44 UNC halftime lead, played right into the Tar Heels' hands. If Tyler Hansbrough and company could score another 50 points in the second half, their ticket to Atlanta would most assuredly be punched. When that scoring pace didn't continue to start the second half, the Hoyas had new life. Now, a slow-down, half-court type of game was being played - exactly what Georgetown Coach John Thompson III wanted. It suddenly hit me with 6 or 7 minutes left that the score was only 75-72 Tar Heels. Neither team was pushing 85 or 90, which is what would have happened had the Tar Heels continued to play at their pace in addition to make some shots.

Ah yes, the field goal drought. Georgetown came back in this game in equal parts because they got tougher on the boards and got back to playing their trademark efficient half court game. But just as importantly, North Carolina went as dry as the Mojave for such a prolonged period of time that the lead couldn't help but be cut. I watched with utter amazement as the offensive firepower of the Tar Heels - dangerous from players 1-12 - flamed out in spectacular fashion. In the end, the Heels' sudden offensive futility combined with clutch shooting and toughness from the Hoyas resulted in a 12 point overtime win.

To me, this team is special because of their mental makeup. As they have shown in the last three games in this tournament, they do not allow themselves to get flustered when trailing. They keep the game within reach, and when they eventually able to figure out how to slow down what the opponent has thrown at them, they close the gap, then shut the door. That ability to strategically adjust in-game to the intricacies of the opponent's style has been a hallmark of Coach Thompson and the Hoyas all year, and it has become even more evident in the tournament.

Now comes Ohio State, in a rematch of last year's second-round tournament game in which the Hoyas came up victorious. But this game will bear little resemblance to the matchup from a year ago. Both teams have improved immensely over the course of that year. And now we get to see a matchup of the two best centers in the tournament, Ohio State's Greg Oden vs. Georgetown's Roy Hibbert. The right to play in the national championship game awaits.

roy hibbert
jeff green
john thompson III
final four
greg oden
tyler hansbrough

Peyton Manning on SNL

2007-03-25T12:18:00.000-04:00

I caught a little bit of Saturday Night Live last night with Peyton Manning as the host, and was pleasantly surprised by how well he did. I guess the 13,756 commercials he's done have served him well, because he seems to have a good sense for comedic timing.

Also, I've gotta say, he did one sketch late in the show with his shirt off, and I was shocked that he's not more built. From what you could see on the camera, he just looked like a regular guy. To be honest, with the arm that he has, I was kind of expecting Popeye-esque biceps.

Anyway, he acquitted himself well, and I bet he'll get an invite back to the SNL stage sometime in the future.

peyton manning
saturday night live

Thursday Thrillers

2007-03-23T12:45:00.000-04:00

Have you exhaled yet? College basketball at its highest level was on display last night with three down-to-the-wire thrillers out of the four total games. SI's Grant Wahl put it best in an article from today, saying, "Are you starting to see why a rash of opening-week upsets aren't always the greatest thing?" Amen. Now we get the best teams playing against each other, and yesterday, that produced three classic games. Some of my quick thoughts from last night:

- The Ohio State-Tennessee game encapsulates the Volunteers' season. They're capable of looking like world beaters when they're on their game, forcing their frenetic pace on the opponent and draining 3s. That's what happened in the first half when they raced out to a 20 point lead. But that hyper-aggressive style can also let teams back, and sure enough, the Buckeyes worked their magic for the second consecutive game, making it a workable margin very early in the second half.

- I have to come clean and admit it. I never thought Memphis would get so far, and I was very wrong. They've certainly got plenty of talent, and are determined to prove the many doubters out there. I think the win against Texas A&M shut up most of those doubters, myself included. And to do it in what essentially amounted to a road game in front of a throng of Aggie supporters in San Antonio made it all the more impressive. With Ohio State looking vulnerable, the Tigers have a great shot to make the Final Four.

- On the other hand, my opinion on Pittsburgh was confirmed with yet another Sweet 16 exit for Jamie Dixon's crew. For some reason, year in and year out, they have not had the ability to win the really big game. They're consistently at a level where you consider them one of the very good teams in college basketball, but they're struggling to reach the elite status.

- Kansas showed they were capable of winning a close game against a defensively smothering team in Southern Illinois, a huge statement for a team that likes to get up and down the floor and score a lot of points. This was about as great a preparation as they could have had in advance of playing another defensive-minded team in UCLA in the Regional Final.

Four more games tonight!

Georgetown vs. Vanderbilt
North Carolina vs. USC
Oregon vs. UNLV
Florida vs. Butler

final four
ucla
kansas
ohio state
memphis
sweet 16

I Guess This Means David Carr is Out of a Job

2007-03-22T13:18:00.000-04:00

Showing a remarkable (remarkably foolish or prescient is the question) amount of faith in a man who has started all of 2 regular season NFL games, the Houston Texans completed their trade for erstwhile Falcons backup Matt Schaub by signing him to a 6 year, $48 million deal to be the starter.

The details of the contract only bind the Texans to the first three years of the contract at $20 million overall. But that's still quite a bit of faith in a QB that has limited real-time game experience. My initial thought was that the Texans overpaid for him and that may yet prove to be true. But I can understand the rationale. They're trying to lay a stable groundwork for their offense for years down the line and this contract is an indisputable statement that Schaub is the guy who they believe will provide them with that stability. It's just that they're just taking a calculated gamble on a man with much to prove. My guess though is that he'll struggle this year for the same reason that Carr did during his time at the helm, which is the Texans' porous offensive line.

As for Carr, where does this trade leave him? Well, the former #1 overall pick is certainly out of Houston, a fact punctuated by Schaub's fat contract. But he will certainly have more than enough suitors in this QB hungry league. Minnesota comes to mind immediately as a place where one would think he'd be able to compete for a starting job right away. Even if he's not starting immediately, with the dependence on backup QBs we've seen of late in the NFL, my guess is that we'll see him leading the offense for some soon-to-be-determined team before too long.

matt schaub
david carr
houston texans

If I Had $2 Billion....

2007-03-21T13:14:00.000-04:00

The offbeat story of the week is that of journeyman Dodgers pitcher Matt White, who discovered he was sitting on $2 billion worth of stone on his land.

According to the AP article on this:

Matt White, a 29-year-old left-hander, discovered a valuable rock quarry behind a house he bought from an aunt three years ago in western Massachusetts.

That got me thinking. What would other figures in the sports world do if they had $2 billion?

Pete Rose would bet it all on the Cincinnati Reds, because that's how much he believes in his team

Cincinnati Bengals owner Mike Brown might have then have enough reserves for bail money for his players

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman could pay the American public to care about his league

Forget running for Governor of Alabama - Charles Barkley could set up a bid for the White House in 2008!

George Steinbrenner could finally put together the Yankees team of his dreams

Barry Bonds could start his own TV network where the programming is Bonds on Bonds 24/7

The U.S. could afford the services of David Beckham for 1.59 more years

Latrell Sprewell could afford to feed his family

Any more ideas that I'm missing?

barry bonds
charles barkley
david beckham
latrell sprewell
pete rose

Cinderella's Pumpkin Has Arrived

2007-03-19T20:04:00.000-04:00

Well, well. How quickly Cinderella retreated back to her attic room. The story of the tournament so far is the lack of any low-seeded teams to get excited about going into the second week. This year's George Mason is - UNLV? That in itself is a ludicrous statement to make. It's a school that along with sketchy dealings, is synonymous with domination, as the early '90s teams were some of the greatest in the sport's history. And considering the slim to nonexistent gap separating the tournament's #4-#10 seeds, it's really not all that surprising to see the Rebels there. They're more of a curiosity at this point because - let's face it - they're from Vegas and no one east of the Rockies has seen them play.

While the Tournament has been pretty ho-hum other than Saturday's batch of games, college basketball fans were still setting themselves up for disappointment this year. Excitement was at an all-time high last year when George Mason made the Final Four. And it was warranted. It was an unbelievable feat that has never happened in this modern era of college basketball. (By modern, I'm talking post shot clock and 3-point line implementation and major network exposure. So that's why I don't count Larry Bird's 1979 Indiana State team.) It was a high, and like a drug, you wanted more of it. But this time, a team making it to the Final Four wasn't enough - they had to get even further. Clearly that wasn't realistic, and as a result the tournament seems pretty boring to the fan that no longer has a team to root for.

But when you think about it, what was the real effect of George Mason's run? It gave the mid-majors the responsibility of raised expectations. Now, instead of a small school needing to catch lightning in a bottle and a couple of lucky breaks to make a real run, people expect them to advance because of their merits. That's why nobody is talking about Southern Illinois and Butler with any real excitement. They were expected to get this far because they are good teams that really can be counted among the best 15 or 20 in the nation. When they won, predictability won out, and that doesn't make for a compelling storyline.

I'm not saying that the mid-majors won't always have the some of that underdog in them - clearly they will, as there are only so many resources to go around. Not every school can realistically dream about a national championship. But as the gap between them and the power conferences closes, the aura of Cinderella that reached an all-time high last season will continue to wane.

The interesting point this brings up is - is this good for college basketball or not? I argue that it is, as more competition creates for a higher level of play, and more exposure for schools that would traditionally get none nationally. But if the rise of the small school continues, the number of teams that will fit our traditional profile of the Cinderella team in the NCAA Tournament will decline, and that could create for diminished excitement in a tournament whose appeal is based around excitement.

southern illinois
butler
unlv
george mason

Thoughts from Day 1 of the Tournament

2007-03-16T08:24:00.000-04:00

It wasn't too exciting of a first day of the 2007 Tournament, with one thriller in VCU's upset of Duke and only one other pretty good game in Xavier-BYU. With that in mind, here are some of my other thoughts from yesterday:

- Eric Maynor, the point guard of VCU who calmly sank the game winning shot against Duke last night, is a star. To be honest, I hadn't even heard of him until about a week ago, but this is now twice in the course of a week that he has willed his team to huge wins in the final minutes. Last week in the CAA Conference Tournament final, with his team losing to George Mason, with a couple of minutes left, he was clutch on the offensive and defensive end with a couple of steals to rally the Rams to the win. Yesterday against the Devils, everyone knew he was going to have the ball in his hands in the final minutes, and he still delivered. He's shown to not only be a composed leader but also an aggressive and quick player who penetrated into the paint time after time against the bigger Duke players.

-Speaking of VCU, their coach Anthony Grant looks like he's about 25 years old. I heard that he's 34 actually, but man, he looks young.

-What happened to George Washington yesterday? You'd think having been in the tournament for the third year in a row would translate into some kind of success on the court. Evidently not, as Vanderbilt mopped the floor with the poor Colonials.

-I know that North Carolina ended up winning by 21 over Eastern Kentucky, the #16 seed. But to take a 22-3 lead to start and let it get down to 6 in the second half is unacceptable for the Tar Heels. They were able to pull away at the end, but the lack of a killer instinct to put down an inferior team is troubling. This team just reminds me a lot of last year's UConn team - NBA talent all around, but you somehow doubt they can win a national championship.

-I'll be the first to admit, I was guilty of this, having picked Oral Roberts in the Sweet 16. (Ouch, that hurts.) But it's amazing how a lot of people dogged Washington State for their lack of tournament experience in picking them as the #3 seed most likely to be upset. But we don't seem to mind that lack of experience or lack of familiarity with teams from smaller schools when picking our upsets in our brackets.

- I love James Brown, but he doesn't do anything for me as a play-by-play man. He does best when he plays his role as the down-to-earth moderator in a group of over-exuberant jocks. As a play-by-play man, he's just not that exciting to listen to.

Games of the day today:

- Texas vs. New Mexico St. - because every game could be Kevin Durant's last in college

- Notre Dame vs. Winthrop - let's see if the Eagles can match the hype they've generated in recent weeks and pull off the upset

- Nevada vs. Creighton - good chance for the nation to see Nevada's star Nick Fazekas, one of the country's best players

eric maynor
nick fazekas
vcu
duke
washington state
james brown
kevin durant

Ode to the NCAA Tournament

2007-03-15T09:56:00.000-04:00

Everyone's turned in their brackets in the office pool (except for those last-minute stragglers). Anticipation is at a fever pitch.

What makes this tournament the greatest event in American sports today? Everyone can feel like they are a part of the action. The so-called experts are oftentimes outdone by the casual fan who couldn't locate schools like Winthrop and Belmont on a map if their life depended on it. Because of your bracket, you've got a real rooting interest in all the games, not just the ones in which your team is playing. And if your team is in the tournament, you'll justify any reason to take that team all the way to the Final Four or beyond, no matter how implausible it may seem. But hey, as George Mason showed last year, that kind of blind faith isn't as misplaced as it used to be.

Where else but the NCAA Tournament can a matchup between Butler, a small school in Indiana, and Old Dominion, a small school in Virginia, be so highly anticipated? Even if those teams probably have little shot at making the Final Four, they can still cling to just that - their fighting chance. Because it's single-elimination, you always have hope that any given day you walk on the court, you can walk back out a step closer to the ultimate prize. And hope in sports is a powerful thing. Hope doesn't just make for a nice story - it helps you win games.

So welcome to the people's tournament. Soak in the 32 games over the next 2 days, because there's nothing like it on a scale as grand as this.

My NCAA Tournament Picks

2007-03-13T03:09:00.000-04:00

As promised, below I give you my bracket breakdown by region. Scroll to the end of the post to see my picks for the regional finals and beyond.

EAST: Georgetown over North Carolina

This has the trappings of an awful matchup for the Tar Heels. They love to get out and run, while the Hoyas are the anti-Heels, cutting down on possessions and playing a patient half-court game. I'm not sold on UNC as a championship contender and think the Hoyas are clicking on all cylinders. The team that dictates the pace of the game will win - I think that will be Georgetown.

SOUTH: Texas A&M over Ohio State

I know that the Buckeyes have more talent and some NBA team's future franchise player in Greg Oden, but I just believe in point guard Acie Law IV and Coach Billy Gillespie. They've done the unthinkable by making Aggies basketball relevant. Now they'll cement their status as part of the college basketball elite by advancing to the Final Four.

WEST: UCLA over Kansas

Despite their first round loss in the Pac-10 tournament, I still believe that the Bruins have been the country's most consistent, well-rounded team this year. And they have the edge on experience as well. No key Jayhawk has won an NCAA Tournament game, while UCLA will be burning to make the Final Four for the second consecutive year.

MIDWEST: Florida over Oregon

As smoking hot as Oregon looked in the Pac 10 tournament, and as much as part of me wants to make the bold move and pick against the Gators, I just can't make myself do it. The Gators will overwhelm the Ducks with their talent, depth, experience and drive to advance to the Final Four.

NATIONAL SEMIFINALS:

UCLA over Florida

If this matchup happens, I could see it being an epic battle. I don't see any way this year's game would be anything but close after the Gators trounced the Bruins in the title game last year. However, I think Florida's bid to repeat ends here while UCLA makes another championship game appearance under coach Ben Howland.

Georgetown over Texas A&M

This would be a matchup of two disciplined, well-coached teams and would probably be close all the way. But I'd go with the Hoyas since both Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert have the potential to dominate any given game. The Aggies don't have a dynamic duo as imposing as those Green-Hibbert.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME:

Georgetown over UCLA

My head tells me that this game could go either way. Both teams can play smothering defense, both have go-to conference players of the year in Aaron Afflalo for UCLA and Jeff Green for Georgetown. So in a toss-up, I'll take that as reason enough to go with the Hoyas to win it all. Hey, you didn't think I was going to choose against my alma mater in my own blog, did you?

final four
ncaa tournament
georgetown
ucla
jeff green
aaron afflalo
greg oden
acie law

Back from Vacation

2007-03-11T23:56:00.000-04:00

Aided by my good friend Johnny, the blog stayed active this week while I was off in London for the week, so a big thanks to him before all else.

London was amazing, but I'm glad to be back just in time for the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, the best sports weekend of the year in my opinion. However, due to jet lag, I've now been up for 20 hours and can't string together more than a couple coherent thoughts. So while I've taken a look at the bracket, I'm not gonna be able to post about it until tomorrow night, when I'll look to get you my picks.

Where's Gaudet when you need him?

2007-03-09T09:46:00.000-05:00

After ten years of winning the regular season or the tournament, the Duke Blue Devils have finally finished a season without an ACC championship. This is also the first time sine 1997 that Duke has not won a single game in the ACC Tournament.

Finishing the season at 8-8 in the conference, losing in the first round of the ACC tournament, and having no real inside or outside threat, it is hard to believe that this team is still ranked 21 in the country according to both major polls.

They've lost 7 of their last 11, and somehow this team is a lock for an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament. With numbers like that, this team looks destined for the NIT, but with a name like that, they're one of the top teams in the country.

Besides winning the National Championship (highly unlikely) or winning the NIT Championship (even more unlikely), there's only one thing that can salvage this year's season: Steve Wojciechowski manning up and taking the losses on his personal record like Pete Gaudet did in '95. Coach K doesn't need this season on his record, and I'm sure he doesn't want it, no matter what he says ten years from now. Besides, unlike Gaudet, it'll be easy to put the losses on Wojo since he is the only man with a harder last name to spell than Coach K himself.

And speaking of manning up, I think Mike Krzyzewski should do his duty to NBA's to-be MVP, Gilbert Arenas. No, I don't mean put him on the USA team, that would be too decent for the Weasel Coach K. (If you're not going to put Allen Iverson on the team, the only All-Star who was willing, proud, and honored to play in the last Olympics and who expressed clear interest of returning, then you clearly have no soul.) No, no. I mean scheduling that game between the 2007 Blue Devils and the one-man team of Agent Zero. Hey, I bet he'd win that game with one hand.

Who's Gonna Be the LaDainian Tomlinson of 2007?

2007-03-06T11:52:00.000-05:00

You've heard it being asked all year. Who will be the George Mason of 2007? After yesterday's loss to Virginia Commonwealth in the CAA Championship game all but killing their NCAA tournament hopes, the notion that it could be the Patriots yet again has been laid to rest.

But what exactly does it mean to be the George Mason of 2007?

It's not a question that's asked too often in the media, but I think a good "What the hell are you talking about?" is in order here. The next time someone asks you, "Who will be this year's George Mason?" do me a favor, and respond with, "What the hell are you talking about?" Do they mean, "Which mid-major nobody is going to surprise the nation and make it to the final four?" Maybe. Or do they mean, "Which under-dog is going to go the furthest?" Could be. Or do they mean, "Which team is going to have a bizarre monster as their mascot when your usual big headed man in a hat would suffice?"

Let's just run through these options briefly.
1) "Which mid-major nobody is going to surprise the nation and make it to the final four?"
Now that's a silly question. My brother made a good analogy: In stud poker, the odds of getting a royal flush is 1 in 649,740. Let's say we're watching the World Series of Poker, (not an unlikely possibility seeing that ESPN2 has become All-Poker-All-the-Time) and for some reason Jim Larranaga has entered and is doing pretty well so far. Now imagine that to advance to the final round, he wins a huge pot with a royal flush. It would be absurd to say, "Who's gonna be next year's Jim Larranaga? Who's gonna get the royal flush this year?" You gotta be out of your mind to expect that to happen every year. It may not happen again in a 100 years.

So if after asking "What the hell are you talking about?" you get an answer that sounds anything like 1), tell the dude he's out of his gourd. And walk away.

2) "Which under-dog is going to go the furthest?"
That's a more acceptable question. And I don't know the answer. You'd probably have to wait until Selection Sunday, then fill out a fake bracket, then decide what you'd classify as an "under-dog", and then come up with an answer. Too long of a process for me.

So if after asking "What the hell are you talking about?" you get an answer that sounds anything like 2), tell the dude he's out of his gourd too. He's really not. But it's a lot easier than doing all of that stuff I just mentioned.

3) "Which team is going to have a bizarre monster as their mascot when your usual big headed man in a hat would suffice?"
That's an excellent question. Tell them it's unlikely that there'll be another one this year, but look out for DePaul. They probably don't have a shot of making it to the big dance unless they win the Big East Tournament, but if they do, he'll definitely give the Patriot a run for his money.

(P.S. I'm Johnny, and I'm helping Sami out with the blog this week since he's out of the country.)

A Pre-emptive Explanation

2007-03-02T07:08:00.000-05:00

Since I have a spare minute, I figured that I'd let everyone know that for the next week, I'll be out of the country on vacation, so it's pretty unlikely you'll see any more posts until after Selection Sunday. I'll be back on college basketball overload trying to soak in what I missed and put out bracket for you hopefully.

5 Feeling the Most Pressure

2007-03-01T00:13:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I gave you 5 individuals who will be feeling the heat of the respective situations they're stepping into this season. Today, here are the 5 individuals or groupings that will be under the gun more than anyone:

5. Gil Meche - Starting Pitcher, Kansas City Royals
The poster boy for free agency gone amok with his $55 million contract, Meche is going to be scrutinized like no other Kansas City player has been in years. He has the potential to actually live up to his contract because of his undeniably great stuff. But if that never translated into him blossoming into an ace in Seattle (another smaller market where the pressure isn't intense), then why should it here? I think on this Royals team, he'll be hard-pressed to collect more than 12 wins.

4. John Maine and Oliver Perez - Starting Pitchers, New York Mets
These two could be the difference between another near-miss for the Mets and a championship. Both were forced into prominent roles in the playoffs last year, and both performed admirably. Now the expectations have been raised, and these two won't be treated with kid gloves any more. On a staff where the top two pitchers are the ancient Tom Glavine and El Duque Hernandez, the young arms need to rack up quality innings. They could both easily blossom into 15 game winners with their potential and the run support they'll likely receive.

3. Daisuke Matsuzaka - Starting Pitcher, Boston Red Sox
A roll of the Dice-K. The Dice is Right. Boston headline writers are going to have a field day with Matsuzaka, and not just for his pun-able name. Enormous expectations accompany him into the pressure cooker of Fenway Park. A lot of experts said that if he were on the free agent market this offseason, instead of the complex bidding system that the Red Sox utilized to sign him, he would have been the clear #1 starting pitcher on the market, a notch above Barry Zito. With so much that's been said about him, it seems that he's got the stuff to succeed. But the first time he gives up 5 runs in an inning, the Boston media is going to be out in full force.

2. Alex Rodriguez - 3B, New York Yankees
There haven't been many players in recent history who've had their every move scrutinized the way A-Rod has been since he's donned the Yankee pinstripes. The problem though, is that he seems to be feeding the situation to greater heights than it probably deserves to be. He's clearly insecure about his status as a Yankee and it shows in his comments. He could hit .330 with 50 HR this season, but nobody is going to be satisfied until he shows it in the playoffs. Until he makes a conscious decision to disregard the criticism (easier said than done, I understand), I have to believe that his woes will continue.

1. Barry Bonds - OF, San Francisco Giants/Bud Selig - MLB Commissioner
There's no escaping it. These two will be inextricably linked in history. The man who broke the all-time home run record due in part to performance-enhancing drugs, and the man who allowed it to happen, even if indirectly so. Most likely, Bonds will break the record this year, and God help him if it's not in San Francisco. Wow. The reception he would get would be mind-boggling. And Selig isn't helping himself with his noncommittal response to the question of whether he'll attend the possible record-breaking game. When it does happen, it will be an incredibly important moment for baseball, for better or for worse, and to not have the commissioner there is unfathomable to me. If he's not there, it really appears like he's ducking the game purposely. Selig probably can't do anything about the Bonds situation now - his time to act came and went. But as baseball's spokesman, he needs to be there.

barry bonds
bud selig
alex rodriguez
daisuke matsuzaka
gil meche
oliver perez
john maine

These Players Will be Feeling the Heat

2007-02-27T12:44:00.000-05:00

Spring training is upon us, and while that might equal a 6 week vacation for a lot of players, there are a couple handfuls of players, coaches, and one very prominent executive who are going to be under the microscope like never before. Below are 5 of the 10 individuals who I feel are facing the most pressure as the 2007 season approaches and how I think they'll fare. I'll give you the top 5 players under pressure tomorrow.

10. Justin Morneau - 1B, Minnesota Twins
Morneau broke out in a huge way the final 4 months of last season, rolling all the way to the unlikeliest of MVPs. Unlike last season however, Morneau won't be given any leeway should he struggle to start out the season. He's now an established power hitter, and his big challenge is to see how he handles being pitched around in a lineup without much thump.

9. Brad Lidge - Closer, Houston Astros
Lidge had a roller-coaster 2006, losing his closer job briefly, then regaining and holding it to the end of the season. If Lidge can regain the form he had through 2005 before NLCS Game 6 and the Albert Pujols home run, the Astros could be the team to beat in an NL Central that appears to be up for grabs. My guess: he'll be solid if not spectacular, keeping his job safe.

8. Fredi Gonzalez - Manager, Florida Marlins
Joe Girardi came out of his firing by the Marlins smelling like roses, and it didn't help Gonzalez in the court of public opinion since he was essentially hired before Girardi could clean out his office. What will really hurt Gonzalez though, are the expectations that accompany his team a year after overachieving under Girardi. Realistically, Florida is still probably a year away from being a serious playoff contender, and if they struggle, Gonzalez may get some heat unfairly.

7. Joel Zumaya - Reliever, Detroit Tigers
Zumaya had a spectacular season in 2006, bursting onto the scene as one of the premier set-up men in baseball. Then like one of his 101 mile per hour fastballs, he flamed out just as spectacularly in the World Series, giving up key hits and making crucial fielding errors. Does the negative momentum of the World Series stay with him, or will he ascend to the closer role? My guess is that he takes the job from incumbent Todd Jones at some point this year - he's got too much talent for the Tigers not to make the switch eventually.

6. Lou Piniella - Manager, Chicago Cubs
Cubs fans have become increasingly intolerant of mediocrity in recent years, and make no mistake, Lou ain't having any of that either. Maybe more than anyone else on this list, I expect Piniella to succeed because of his incredible track record as manager. However, he is coming off a putrid stint as Devil Rays manager, and faces sky-high expectations in Chicago after the off-season spending spree they went on. The Cubs should be right in the thick of things in the Central race, and Piniella will likely prove to be the Cubs' smartest investment of the offseason when all is said and done.

justin morneau
brad lidge
fredi gonzalez
joel zumaya
lou piniella

The NCAA Race is Wide Open

2007-02-26T00:56:00.000-05:00

This is what's great about college basketball that you don't get in any other sport: the closer you get to the postseason, the more teams that have hope (unfounded hope in some cases, I grant you) for a berth in the NCAAs seems to increase exponentially. And this year takes that uncertainty that makes the sport so exciting this time of year to a level we haven't seen in quite a while. Not only do you have a crowd of teams trying to squeeze in to the field of 65, but this year, you have a host of teams that that have a real chance at making a championship run. The across the board parity along the college basketball landscape that has prevailed this year, in addition to the lack of a dominant team gives a bigger group of teams legitimate hope for reaching the Final Four.

Today was a perfect example of why there is no clear favorite. The #1 and #2 teams in the polls, Wisconsin and Ohio State played an underwhelming game for a matchup of such prominence, with neither team able to crack 50 points. The thing is though, this is the first big win of the year for the Buckeyes, who will likely be #1 in both polls as of tomorrow. They've been thumped by two other top 5 teams this year, Florida and North Carolina, both of whom will continue to be ranked behind Ohio State in the new polls.

Florida, the national champs, have struggled as of late, and while they will probably respond to Coach Billy Donovan lighting into them following their embarrassing loss to SEC bottom feeder LSU on Saturday, I don't believe the Gators will repeat. They've got the talent and the experience, but there's a reason why schools rarely repeat in college hoops - it's too hard to get through the pressure cooker of a 6 game single-elimination tournament two years in a row. Look at the last team that had a profile that was very much like the Gator team now - the 1997-98 Arizona Wildcats, led by Mike Bibby and Miles Simon. That was a team that won the championship a year ahead of schedule the season before, and was considered the odds-on-favorite entering the tournament the following year. But they ended up getting whacked by a streaking Utah team in the regional final that came in prepared and hungry. I think it's very possible that we could have a similar situation with Florida in this tournament.

In my opinion, the most solid team in the country, the one that should be considered the favorite among a muddled field, is UCLA. They were #1 in the polls for a number of weeks earlier in the season, and have no alarming losses. They lost by 2 to a very dangerous Oregon team, by 7 to a good Stanford team, and by 5 at West Virginia in a game they did well to get back into following a horrendous start. They have two of the best players in the country in Aaron Afflalo and point guard Darren Collison, and you know that with Ben Howland as their coach, they're going to play good defense. The cherry on top is their hunger to finish the job they got so close to last season when they got ambushed in the national championship game to the Gators.

Some of the other teams may be flashier and have bigger name stars, but the Bruins deserve the mantle of favorites in a crowd of flawed teams.

aaron afflalo
ucla bruins
ben howland
billy donovan
final four

Hoyas Take Over Big East Lead

2007-02-25T00:55:00.000-05:00

In the Big East's most significant game of the year, Georgetown outslugged Pittsburgh 61-53 in what is probably the program's biggest regular season win since the Allen Iverson era. The victory wasn't the prettiest, with an abundance of turnovers and bodies banging in the air and on the ground, but impressive nonetheless.

Everyone knows about the contributions of the team's big two, Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert and to a lesser degree, on-the-money point guard Jonathan Wallace. But I came away very impressed with the way Patrick Ewing Jr. affected the game. He's not a scorer, but he showed today that he can impose his will on the game on the defensive end and in the energy and emotion he brings. There was a sequence during the game when a Pitt player got by the 7'2" Hibbert and understandably, looked to ease up as he went in for the layup. But out of nowhere came Ewing, blocking the shot from the back and taking away what should have been an uncontested 2 points for Pitt. If you can make the rim that difficult to penetrate, you will usually win, and that's what happened here.

Today's win also affirmed for me that the Hoyas are never out of a game, even when they fall behind. Defense doesn't usually take an off day, so their defensive presence is going to be a constant, keeping games close. And their offensive philosophy dictates that they milk the shot clock for everything it's worth, which cuts down on possessions and making it unlikely for games to get away from them. Today, when they fell behind by 8 in the 2nd half, they were able to stem the Pitt momentum and got back to basics offensively, pounding the ball into Hibbert for a 3 point play immediately following a timeout. And watching the Pitt players chest-bumping on their home court when Georgetown called the momentum-breaking timeout had to stir the team's sense of pride. They responded to the adversity, just as they have throughout their now 11 game winning streak, when they came back from deficits against St. John's, Villanova, and Cincinnati.

Now the Hoyas have the leg up on the Big East regular season title and are showing the country that their preseason top 10 ranking wasn't in fact too high, as many had protested. Georgetown and Pitt are the clear class of the conference this year, and I'm hoping for a third round in this heavyweight fight.

georgetown
jeff green
roy hibbert
pittsburgh panthers

It's About Time

2007-02-22T12:34:00.000-05:00

After more than a century (123 years to be exact), the All England Club at Wimbledon finally came to its senses today and announced that it would be handing out equal prize money to both men and women after years of giving women a lesser purse.

The argument that had been used that women were paid less than the men because they play fewer sets is total bunk. This is the entertainment business, and if the fans are entertained, that should be the determining factor in the bottom line. You are paid what you are worth in the market. That's the way it goes, particularly in sports. This isn't a 40 hour a week office job where overtime pay makes sense. It doesn't make sense to apply it to this situation. Does anyone say that they were cheated of an optimal spectator experience after watching a thrilling, 3-set tiebreak women's match just because they didn't play an extra two sets? Conversely, it doesn't take a whole lot longer for a dominating male player than it does a woman to blow through his opponent in straight sets. In that case, aren't you merely delaying the inevitable anyway?

I would argue as well that the women's side of the draws in majors are usually a lot more interesting to watch than the men's side. At this point in time, the men's side is basically all about battling to become the sacrificial lamb at Roger Federer's altar. There's no drama involved. On the women's side though, you get some variety, which very recently came up in a big way when Serena Williams came out of nowhere (well, that's overstating it for a player of her enormous ability, but I digress...) to win the Australian Open. So pay them what they're worth, that's all there is to it.

The other side of this is that Wimbledon was really starting to look bad after the French Open last year joined the U.S. Open and Australian Open in offering equal prize money to each of the sexes. That left Wimbledon, the most prestigious event in the sport, the venue you most closely associate with tennis, looking, rightfully so, like the old codger unwilling to let go of the old days. Anyways, I bet the All England Club is not hurting for money in the least to give as prize money.
wimbledon
serena williams
roger federer

Norv's in for Some Rough Sailing

2007-02-21T02:25:00.000-05:00

Norval Turner - coach of the Vegas' oddsmakers' preseason favorites to make the Super Bowl, the San Diego Chargers. Raise your hands if you think that amicable old Norv is overmatched for the job. OK, Redskins and Raiders fans, stop screaming, we see you. And we can feel your bitterness seeping through.

Seriously, I think Norv is in a no-win situation here. Because as remarkable as it seems for a man with his historically awful winning percentage as a head coach, some people seem to be giving him the benefit of the doubt. Pointing to the, shall we say, unorthodox owners he worked under in Dan Snyder and Al Davis, and his unquestioned success as an offensive coordinator, there seems to be a faction that thinks he can succeed. And his name isn't Marty Schottenheimer, so he's sure to get along swimmingly with GM A.J. Smith, who with every passing day, seems more and more like one of the most powerful GMs in the league. To me, that sounds like he's only set up to fail because the expectations are so enormous. He has everything he could want going for him. Now he just has to win.

He inherits a team that went 14-2, one of only 21 teams in league history to have done as well in a 16-game regular season. The way, I see it, he faces three scenarios and the public reaction that will accompany each:

A.) Chargers miss the playoffs - Norv's legend as an incompetent head coach grows.

B.) Chargers get into the playoffs and lose - Why did we hire this guy to do what Marty Schottenheimer could do with his eyes closed?

C.) Chargers win the Super Bowl - With that roster, he's supposed to win it all. He becomes the Barry Switzer of his generation, winning with a team that another staff so brilliantly built up.

Now, the above reactions are probably at least a little unfair, especially Option C, as Norv has at least accomplished quite a bit in the NFL on his own merit, which is not something that Barry Switzer can say. But I think you would hear those reactions to each of those scenarios.

As for me, I think that Norv will take San Diego to the playoffs and lose this coming year. The Chargers are too talented not to make the playoffs, but I can't see them winning it all. I don't even think I see them making the Super Bowl. It's become more apparent with every passing year, that in the hypercompetitive NFL, you need a great head coach who can put you over the top. Colts players will attest to the importance of Tony Dungy this year. So will the Steelers to Bill Cowher's motivational techniques that rallied them to a title in 2005.

I just don't think that Norv has that certain something that pushes his team over the edge. You know that phrase that's used that players "will run through a wall" for their coach? You never hear that applied to Norv Turner. He's got all the tools he could ask for, now's the time to put it all to good use.

norv turner
marty schottenheimer
a.j. smith
san diego chargers

Sizing Up BracketBuster Saturday

2007-02-17T00:03:00.000-05:00

First off, let me clarify something - this post isn't going to be about analyzing tomorrow's BracketBuster games and predicting winners. I don't know how Butler and Southern Illinois match up against each other. And I have no idea if Virginia Commonwealth out of the CAA can be this year's George Mason.

What I do know is that the mid-majors for whom this day is dedicated have carved out quite a niche for themselves that would have been hard to foresee a decade ago. Upsets from lower-profile schools in the NCAA Tournament have always brought 15 minutes of fame to #15 seeds like Santa Clara and Hampton (upsetting Arizona and Iowa St. respectively). But until the last 5 years or so, teams like that were an afterthought. making their 2-line cameo appearance in the major motion picture of the big time conferences.

So how did we get to the point where now, in 2007, BracketBuster Saturday is a big-time, all-day event that gets real, substantive attention? The emergence of Gonzaga as a consistent force that can hold its own among the big boys is probably the biggest factor. It's not just that they made the Elite 8 (and held a lead on eventual champion UConn with 10 minutes to go in the Regional Final) in 1999. The fact that they sustained their success and translated it into recruiting prowess, regular national television appearances, and respect (even fear) from major conferences is what made them an enduring force. And it gave hope to the other mid-major conferences that you don't necessarily to be Duke or North Carolina to win and win big, year in and year out.

George Mason's run to the Final Four last year was the coming-out party of the mid-major uprising, but really, the signs had been there all year. A national player of the year candidate from the West Coast Conference in Adam Morrison of Gonzaga. The Missouri Valley tournament championship game being televised nationally on CBS. And perhaps sweetest of all, an across-the-board grilling of smug CBS candidate Billy Packer for his initial criticism of the Selection Committee placing too many mid-majors in the tournament.

Even with all that, I think the mid-majors in college basketball are given attention now more because they're a burgeoning curiosity than the completely legitimate fact that they play great basketball. People want to be able to try and predict the next George Mason so they can look like the genius in their March Madness pool. Or they watch a Missouri Valley game because it's the hot conference of the moment, that carries a certain sex appeal to it. (Which in itself, seems outright odd to say on the surface, but you'd have to say it's true.) Mid-major basketball is kind of like indie music - a few select people really truly appreciate its beauty, and then a whole lot of people say that they're into it because it's hip at the moment.

Either way, I'd say they're glad to have the attention.

bracket buster
billy packer
adam morrison

Celtics Win!

2007-02-14T21:44:00.000-05:00

As I write this post, there is less than 3 minutes left in the game between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtics, losers of 18 straight games - and wouldn't you know it, the Celts are going to finally end the skid. They're up by, ironically, 18 as I write this.

Today is February 14th. The last time that Boston won before tonight was January 5th. Let's reflect on the time that was the Celtics' losing streak and what has changed in a little more than a month. On January 5th:

- Greg Oden was the definitive #1 pick in the 2007 NBA Draft

- The Ohio State football team was an unstoppable force waiting for their coronation as champions

- You would have felt comfortable betting your 401K that Ron Rivera would get a head coaching job before Lane Kiffin

- Isaiah Thomas was still a dead man walking in New York

- Nobody gave two thoughts to the love lives of astronauts

- Peyton Manning couldn't win the big game and the Colts defense was a serious liability

- The other side of karma hadn't reared its ugly head on the Duke basketball team

- Art Monk wasn't yet in the NFL Hall of Fame....Oh wait, he's still not. (I apologize for that bitterness, but as a Redskins fan, I can't help it.)

- Chris Webber was a washed-up has-been

- The Boston Celtics were still playoff contenders (Yes, even at 12-20, which is where they stood on Jan. 5th, that was reason to hope in the Eastern Conference.)

boston celtics
greg oden
isaiah thomas
art monk
lane kiffin
chris webber

Blanket New Orleans

2007-02-13T13:12:00.000-05:00

Not exactly a sports post here, but I just wanted to give some exposure to a new organization that's been doing some great things. Blanket New Orleans, started by a group of Georgetown University students, has been working to help rebuild the Gulf Coast region.

The group has gotten publicity on CNN, and with the recent tornadoes hitting the city, the region could use more help than ever.

I have a link to the group's blog on my blogroll, and the official site is www.blanketneworleans.org.

(As a disclaimer, no one from the group asked me to put up this post - I just think it's a great organization.)

Marty Schottenheimer Fired

2007-02-12T23:02:00.000-05:00

If a head coaching firing in the NFL can be both stunning but not unexpected at the same time, this is it. The San Diego Chargers finally decided to cut their losses with the embattled Marty Schottenheimer after 5 years as coach. The tipping point has been building in the last month ever since the juggernaut Chargers lost in the divisional playoff to the Patriots then witnessed an exodus of assistant coaches to other teams (i.e. Wade Phillips and Cam Cameron) and higher positions. An already frosty (at best) relationship between Schottenheimer and GM A.J. Smith couldn't take any more stress than it had already come under, and as a result the last thread that Marty was holding on by finally snapped.

Of course this is the logical and correct decision by San Diego in the decision of GM Smith or Coach Schottenheimer. If one of them had to go - and clearly, one did - it was going to be Schottenheimer. He was already a lame duck head coach who hasn't won a playoff game in more than a decade. And let's not forget that Smith has done an incredible job assembling a roster than many regard as the most talented in the league.

What does this mean for the Chargers? Who will they hire at this point so late in the game? Again, Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera pops out as a obvious possibility. Colts assistant Jim Caldwell, who along with Rivera interviewed last week for the Cowboys job, could also get a look. Maybe they'd try to lure Redskins offensive coordinator Al Saunders? It's hard to envision the Bolts going after a college coach - it's much too late, with National Signing Day having just wrapped up last week.

And now, what happens to Marty Schottenheimer? At 63, I'd say that he has one more coaching stint left in him. He's going to get a call from teams that need a coach next year, no doubt about it - he's too good for that not to happen. But you would think that'll be his last chance to win a Super Bowl. And considering how badly he wants to win one, I don' t think he'd take just any job. I doubt that at this point in his career, he's willing to wait around and build a team from scratch. The team he takes over will need to have some pieces in place.

For an offseason that wasn't supposed to have too many spins on the coaching carousel, this will be the seventh head coaching change of the offseason. Just par for the course in the oftentimes crazy world of the NFL.

marty schottenheimer
a.j. smith
ron rivera

Kris Benson out for the Year

2007-02-12T18:05:00.000-05:00

It was revealed today that Orioles pitcher Kris Benson is out for the year with a partially torn rotator cuff, leaving a big hole in the 2007 rotation. Benson's no ace, but you know that when healthy, he'll give you a solid 150-200 innings and is good for 10-15 wins per year.

You would think that this is a logical time to install young Hayden Penn as the #5 starter in place of Benson, but Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports is reporting that the O's might go after former Met and Cub Steve Traschel instead.

That would essentially plug the hole in the rotation, but why not see what Penn can do? We'll see what spring training brings us on the pitching front.

kris benson
steve trachsel

Twins Lock Up Mauer

2007-02-11T14:41:00.000-05:00

The Minnesota Twins signed their 23 year old catcher and reigning AL batting champion Joe Mauer to a 4 year, $33 million deal today. According to the terms of the contract, he earns more with each passing year, culminating with a $12.5 million payday in the final year of the deal.

Twins GM Terry Ryan said, "This is a market deal. Don't worry about that."

Well, it's certainly a good contract given the financial limitations of the Twins, but I have a hard time believing that if Mauer was allowed to hit the open market that he wouldn't make a good bit more. A 23 year old batting champion playing at a premium position with the potential to be one of the all-time greats? If J.D. Drew can make upwards of $70 million, then what would Mauer be offered if the Yankees or Red Sox or Mets had gotten a chance?

That being said, smart of the Twins to not let it get to that point.

joe mauer
terry ryan
minnesota twins

Georgetown Runs Winning Streak to 7

2007-02-10T18:39:00.000-05:00

On a day celebrating the 100th anniversary of Georgetown basketball, the Hoyas made a capacity crowd filled with Georgetown greats of old, including Patrick Ewing, proud with a convincing 76-58 victory over #11 Marquette. As usual when Georgetown wins, their two stars, Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert both played superbly with Green putting up a career high 24 points and Hibbert going for 23 and 11 rebounds.

It seems like the Hoyas have turned a corner ever since an embarrassing loss at home to Villanova last month. In their 7 game winning streak, they've beaten up on the teams they should beat, and now have proven that they can beat a top-15 caliber team by defeating the Golden Eagles, who were riding an 8 game streak of their own.

I'm not exactly unbiased here, but it's looking more and more like the Hoyas could make a deep run into March. They have size that most teams can only dream about, an offensive philosophy that places a premium on quality possessions, and experience from a Sweet 16 appearance last year. That being said, there are also a few things could doom them. First is their free throw shooting. Jonathan Wallace, Green, and DaJuan Summers hold their weight, but it gets ugly after that - starters Jessie Sapp and Hibbert are in the 60% range, and none of the first 4 players off the bench shoot better than 50% at the line.

Also, despite playing in an offense where any given starter could lead the team in scoring on any night, Green needs to get opportunities to score against quality opponents. Except for a close loss against a good Pittsburgh team, Green has been a non-factor scoring-wise in all of the Hoyas' defeats. He's picked it up big time in the last four games, probably the team's most impressive four game stretch of the season.

Next, Georgetown gets West Virginia at home on Monday night. The Mountaineers blew #2 UCLA out of the building at home today, and have played surprisingly well this year even after the graduation of their two stars Doug Gansey and Kevin Pittsnoggle. I'll be interested to see if the 'Eers build on the momentum from today's upset or suffer an emotional letdown after their biggest win of the year.

If the Hoyas win their next 3 games, in which they'll be favored in all of them, that'll set up an enormous game against current Big East front-runner Pittsburgh at the Verizon Center in what could be a game that ends up deciding the regular season Big East title. Now that'll be a charged atmosphere.

Wade Phillips Named Cowboys Coach

2007-02-09T00:00:00.000-05:00

Jerry Jones decided to take everyone a little bit by surprise today and introduced former Chargers defensive coordinator and erstwhile Broncos and Bills head coach Wade Phillips as the new Dallas head coach.

In hindsight, this is probably the logical ending to an illogical search. After hiring Jason Garrett as the offensive coordinator before the head coach was hired, it wouldn't have made sense to bring in Norv Turner to be the head coach, like most expected was going to happen. Norv's biggest strength as everyone knows, is his mind for offense. That's why he's always been a great offensive coordinator. But he's not exactly Bill Parcells when it comes to the intangibles of getting a team ready to play as a head coach. So why bring in Garrett if you'd just be better off having Turner call the plays? That would make Garrett a wasted hire, and from what everyone seems to be saying about him, he's a bright guy with quite a future ahead of him as a coach in the league. In the end, Jones wasn't going to leave the potential of his young star, Garrett, unfulfilled.

There are two camps that should be especially thrilled with the Phillips hiring. One is DeMarcus Ware. Under Phillips' direction, Shawne Merriman exploded as maybe the most feared player in the NFL over the last two years. Ware is another linebacker with just as much freakish skill as Merriman, and he could very well blow up this coming season with Phillips as his mentor.

The other player that should be relieved at the Phillips hire is actually a group of players - namely, the San Francisco 49ers offensive unit - in particular, QB Alex Smith and RB Frank Gore. With Phillips the man in Dallas, Turner stays on as the offensive coordinator in San Francisco, meaning that the 49ers' two young offensive cornerstones who made incredible strides this year, can take the next steps towards greatness under Turner's tutelage.

Finally, while Phillips got a three year deal to coach the Cowboys, in reality, he probably has two years to get Dallas into the Super Bowl. Dallas has plenty of talent on both sides of the ball, and all signs point to the NFC being open for the taking next year, just as it was this year. Expectations are high, and if Phillips can't take the team to an NFC title at the least, I would think that Jones will be looking to his hotshot new assistant in Garrett or maybe even another big name that surfaces, like Bill Cowher. Enjoy the honeymoon now, Wade, because the expectations are enormous.

wade phillips
jerry jones
norv turner

John Amaechi Comes Out of the Closet

2007-02-07T20:09:00.000-05:00

Former NBA center John Amaechi, who played for Orlando, Utah and Cleveland in his NBA career that ended in 2004, will publicly come out as a gay man in his new autobiography, Man in the Middle. With his pronouncement, Amaechi becomes arguably the most visible male athlete to come out to date.

Amaechi was never a star in his brief NBA career, but he is a name that NBA fans will recognize - he was a key contributor to some overachieving Orlando teams back in the Doc Rivers era some 5 years ago. And his name is one that is known on two continents: in addition to the United States, the native Brit is well-known in the UK.

The first thing that I thought of when I heard this news is that we're still nowhere close to the point where an athlete in a major professional league could openly declare his homosexuality in the middle of his career. It's no secret that in the NBA, as is the case in any sport really, intolerance of homosexuality is rampant. I don't need to be an NBA insider to know that. The NBA is a young man's game - I know a lot of young men, and "gay" is thrown out as an insult routinely.

Commissioner David Stern's comments about the story were questionable at best:

"We have a very diverse league. The question at the NBA is always 'have you got game?' That's it, end of inquiry."

That looks great when you're drawing up the NBA's official statement on diversity, but it's also blatantly false in many cases. Listen, that's not to say that the NBA is nothing but a bunch of insensitive jerks, but clearly there is an atmosphere where masculinity and verility are prized, and being gay tends to fall on the other side of the spectrum in that conversation. Instead of trying to sweep it aside, Stern needs to acknowledge that there's an institutional problem of insensitivity towards the issue, and take steps to address it.

There's no question that there are current NBA players that are gay - it would be a statistical improbability for that not to be true. But it would take quite a bit of courage for any of them to come out during their career. At this point, in the year 2007, it would probably be career suicide to do so. That player would risk the ire not only of opponents and fans, but probably some of his own teammates as well. And this is clearly secondary of course, but any marketability that player had in terms of endorsements would probably go down the drain too.

The thing is, if you asked any of Amaechi's teammates what they thought of him back when he was playing, I would guess that they would give their opinion on him without the thought of his sexual orientation ever crossing their mind. So, it shouldn't be any different today either.

The Post-Super Bowl Blues

2007-02-06T13:07:00.000-05:00

The Super Bowl has come and gone. Peyton Manning got his championship, and the Colts got their victory celebration in Indy in front of thousands of adoring fans.

Now what? How do we go on without football??

The next couple of weeks are a bit of a wasteland for sports fans. In that space of time, we have not one, but two of the most irrelevant, uninteresting events in all of sports - the professional All-Star Game.

First, you have the NFL Pro Bowl, the worst All-Star Game of them all. In a sport in which players conceal major injuries for weeks so they won't have to lose playing time, players annually fall all over themselves to find any excuse to avoid going. Did you get a paper cut that required a bandage? Hey, call in sick - the conference's fifth alternate at your position is eager and waiting to take your spot in Honolulu.

Then you have the NBA All-Star Game, which might have a little bit of novelty appeal this year, with it being played in Vegas. The problem with the NBA All-Star Game, much like the MLB All-Star Game, is that the most anticipated event isn't the game itself. Like the Home Run Derby in baseball, the Dunk Competition in basketball is the main event. Actually for me, the actual game is third on the list of All-Star related events. First is the Dunk Competition, second is the unveiling of the game's starters and reserves, and then it's the game itself. It's almost anticlimactic, really.

With college basketball's conference tournaments leading into the NCAA Tournament still about a month away, there's about a month of drudgery ahead before we get an exciting event to throw ourselves into. Not that I can't appreciate the NBA and NCAA regular seasons, but after a month of glory that was the NFL playoffs, being plunged back into the routine is a little tough to get used to.

The Colts Win the Super Bowl

2007-02-05T01:10:00.000-05:00

Colts fans - you can exhale now. Peyton Manning, Tony Dungy, and the rest of the Indianapolis organization delivered on their previously unfulfilled promise and won Super Bowl XLI in sound fashion tonight, 29-17 over the Chicago Bears.

This game was the final step in the evolution of the Indianapolis Colts to championship status. No longer are they the thrill-a-minute offense that scores 3 touchdowns in the span of 5 minutes to the detriment of its overworked defense. It's not that they're not capable; instead, they collectively realized that method wasn't going to win them a championship. Tonight, they took what they were given by the Bears' play-it-safe Cover 2 defense and mixed pass with run to perfection. Manning has seemed more unstoppable and awe-inspiring in the past, but in the last two games, he has never been better, and it resulted in a well-deserved championship.

Some of my thoughts watching the game:

-The final score will read 29-17, but in reality, it was never that close. The Bears put together one good drive the entire game, the one that resulted in the Muhsin Muhammad touchdown that put Chicago up 14-6. And even that was aided by a short field provided by an Indianapolis turnover. They exploited the one matchup they had a clear advantage in - their return game vs. the Colts' cover unit - to the tune of a Devin Hester TD return, but in every other way, the Bears were dominated. Both Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes were able to cut through the vaunted Chicago defense with regularity, allowing Indianapolis to chew up the clock, methodically breaking the Bears' spirits. The defense continued its shocking postseason turnaround and came up big in the second half.

- Speaking of chewing up the clock, the game turned to the Colts' for good on their first possession of the second half. Even though it only resulted in a field goal, it took 13 plays and extended for the better part of the third quarter. That wore down the Bears defense and prevented the Bears offense from ever getting back into rhythm, a fact that was punctuated by the ugly play of QB Rex Grossman later in the half.

-Speaking of Grossman, as much as the Bears depend on the running game to drive the offense and at points tend to take the game out of his hands, they, like any other team, need their QB to make at least a couple big plays to have any ability to win the game. Even back in 2001 when the Ravens won the Super Bowl with Trent Dilfer, a QB who was thought of as the weak link, he made some plays that won the game for them. Rex was never able to do that in this game and turned the ball over 3 times to boot. He's sure to be one of the most highly scrutinized players in the NFL when next season starts.

-Adam Vinatieri has now played in 5 Super Bowls, 4 with the Patriots and 1 with the Colts, and he has been part of teams that have beaten representatives from all 4 NFC divisions: as member of the Patriots, he helped to defeat the Rams of the NFC West, Panthers of the NFC South, and Eagles of the NFC East. Now his Colts team victimized the Bears of the NFC North. Useless tidbit, I know, but interesting to me.

-Classy move by Colts owner Jim Irsay during the trophy presentation to take a moment to reflect on the natural disaster in some Florida communities this past week and offer assistance on behalf of the organization. Nice to see there's a sense of perspective there amid the elation.

-I noticed today that during pre-game intros, both the Bears and Colts went out as a team instead of having individual player introductions. I know this is now the norm ever since the Patriots did it in 2002, and I applaud the new standard of glorifying the team instead of individuals. However, I wonder if the part of the motive for doing so is fear of being portrayed as selfish and individualistic, as the Rams were unfairly pictured in that 2002 Super Bowl when they had individual player introductions.

-As far as game MVP, you can't argue too much with Peyton Manning on a night when it was truly a team effort that won Indianapolis the championship. However, if it was up to me, I would have given the MVP to both Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes, the Colts' running backs. Their ability to routinely break plays of 6, 7, 8 yards or longer was the key to the offense tonight.

-Chalk up another Super Bowl win for the AFC - that makes 4 in a row and 8 out of the last 10 Super Bowls won by the conference. And nothing leads me to think that the significant disparity between the NFC and AFC will change much heading into next year. But despite the win, I would say that the Bears have a better shot than the Colts at getting back to the big game next year just because the competition in the AFC is so fierce that it'll be tough to do two years in a row.

My Favorite Super Bowl Commercial of All-Time

2007-02-03T21:50:00.000-05:00

The moment of truth is upon us...you can cut the tension with a knife. Anyway, on with it.

#1: Apple - 1984 - I think this is not only the best Super Bowl commercial of all time, but could be the best commercial of all time, period. The tie-in with George Orwell's "1984" and the implied comparison of IBM to Big Brother is brilliant. Apple's always sought to identify itself as innovate, different, and ahead of the curve. And this commercial does all that in an exceedingly clever way. Not to mention the production qualities of the commercial are excellent.

The ad is before my time, but I can't help but give it the top spot because I've never seen anything better.

As for tomorrow, I'm not expecting to see anything on the level of this masterpiece - all I'm hoping for is an upgrade from the mediocrity of recent years. And for God sakes, please let's not have too many pharmaceutical commercials.

Tony Dungy and the Colts' Final Step

2007-02-03T11:51:00.000-05:00

After two long weeks, the Super Bowl is finally just a day away. Instead of trying to break down the game (which would be a fruitless endeavor - go to the real experts on that), I just wanted to be able to write a post expressing my rooting interest for the Colts tomorrow. And it's really nothing against the Chicago Bears - got nothing against them. But it would be so much more satisfying for me to see the Colts win, because it would be the culmination of a long road to success that has been filled with obstacles that could have crippled others. And naturally, a win would taste especially sweet for their venerable leader, Head Coach Tony Dungy.

Much like the Pittsburgh Steelers (in fact, when you look at the two teams and the paths they took to championship status, they're almost mirror images of one another) last year, an Indianapolis win would confirm that you always have a chance when you dig deep and believe in the seemingly impossible.

Who believed that they were championship material at the start of these playoffs, when the defense played like a sieve and they were up against a formidable AFC field? Who believed that they could come back from an 18 point deficit against their longtime tormentors in the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game? And who believed that even with a 38-34 lead in the final minute of the AFC Championship, they would win with the balance of the game in the hands of the Colts defense going against Tom Brady?

Obviously, the Colts believed in themselves - if they didn't, they wouldn't be at the point they're at now. And that's a testament to the leadership that Coach Dungy has provided. In my opinion, getting his team, and himself to persevere and learn from years of professional near-misses and personal tragedies and win a Super Bowl would be a more impressive accomplishment than coaching a team that suddenly rose up and won it all in the span of a year, a la the 1999 Rams.

If the Colts lose, from everything I've heard about Dungy, I feel confident saying that he would not let the loss define him or his legacy - not that he particularly cares about his "legacy." He's too well-rounded of a man to let that happen. But for a man that has gone through the struggles that he has gone through in recent years (watching his old team, the Buccaneers win a Super Bowl the year after he was fired; enduring the Colts' series of playoff failures in recent years; most significantly, somehow carrying on after the suicide of his son last year), he deserves to have a taste of the other side. After putting in all the work that he has, and maintaining his faith in more difficult circumstances than any of us would care to do, it only seems right that he get to have the incomparable feeling of having won a Super Bowl.

If the Colts do in fact win, I hope people will take more from it than just the thrill of having watched a Super Bowl victory. I know that I'll be looking at it as confirmation that no matter how hopeless it seems, any obstacle can be overcome with strength of will and belief in yourself and those around you.

Favorite Super Bowl Commercials: #2

2007-02-02T23:51:00.000-05:00

Getting down to the home stretch here, so you know these last two have to be pretty special.

#2: Pepsi - Cheating Heart - I love the way the guy just slowly leaves the scene of the crime trying to act as invisible as possible - I'm almost expecting him to just suddenly dash out and hear the screech of his car pulling out of the parking lot. Pepsi really hit some out of the park back in the '90s with their ads, but this is the best in my opinion.

Let the drumroll begin for #1....(!)

Brett Favre Back for One More Year

2007-02-02T12:15:00.000-05:00

According to Brett Favre's hometown newspaper, the Sun Herald in Mississippi, the Packers QB is coming back for another year.

"I am so excited about coming back," he told the newspaper. "We have a good nucleus of young players. We were 8-8 last year and that's encouraging. (AP)

Two things come to mind:

1. Favre is right to be excited. While he didn't put up great numbers last year, he's still more than capable, and if the team can build on the momentum they created at the end of last year, they're a legitimate playoff threat in 2007 in the weak NFC.

2. Aaron Rodgers, the Pack's backup QB, might be one of the most snake-bitten players in recent memory. He went from being the possible #1 pick in the entire draft a couple of years ago (he nose-dived all the way to #24) to now likely having to wait until his 4th season to start his first NFL game, a pretty safe bet considering Favre has started 257 consecutive games.

brett favre

Favorite Super Bowl Commercials #3

2007-02-01T13:30:00.000-05:00

#3: Budweiser - Zebra - A true football fan's ad - so perfectly encapsulates the frustration felt by all fans when the refs go into their peep show booth.

Favorite Super Bowl Commercials: #4

2007-02-01T02:36:00.000-05:00

#4: Tabasco - Exploding Mosquito - The two best things about this commercial: 1.) The mosquito exploding is totally unexpected the first time you watch it, and it makes all the more hilarious; and 2.) The guy's expression after he sees the explosion is priceless. Don't try to mess with a man and his Tabasco.

Favorite Super Bowl Commercials: #6 and #5

2007-01-31T00:37:00.000-05:00

#6: Mountain Dew - Bohemian Rhapsody Remake - The original Queen song is sacred, and you've got to be really careful not to mess with it for commercial reasons. But this ad gets it right. It really pays homage to Queen rather than desecrating their signature song. I don't think you could have pulled off this ad with any other soda though. Mountain Dew seems to fit the occasion.

#5: McDonald's - "The Showdown" between MJ and Larry Bird - This commercial has it all - big stars, memorable lines, and that outfit that Michael Jordan is wearing - unmistakeably '90s.

Favorite Super Bowl Commercials: #8 and #7

2007-01-28T18:54:00.000-05:00

Next couple in my top 10: a pair from Budweiser. And yes, I do like the sequel commercials with the lizard a little better than the original frogs.

#8: Budweiser frogs

#7: Louie the Lizard out for revenge on the frogs

Helton to Boston?

2007-01-28T00:24:00.000-05:00

ESPN's Buster Olney is reporting that the Rockies and Red Sox are in talks about a potential deal that could send 1B Todd Helton to Beantown. According to Olney:

"In the current proposal, the Red Sox would send (3B Mike) Lowell, (RP Julian) Tavarez and prospects to the Rockies. But the identity of the prospects could hold up the deal: The Rockies want relief pitchers Craig Hansen and Manny Delcarmen, while the Red Sox do not want to give up either at this time."

To me, that would be too steep a price to pay. If the Red Sox did pull the trigger on the deal, they would have quite a powerful lineup, with Helton joining Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, and JD Drew. But if they had to give up even just one of the duo of Hansen and Delcarmen, that would leave their bullpen dubiously thin heading into the season. Unless the Red Sox know something about Joel Pineiro that the rest of us don't, the back end of their pen looks shaky.

As it stands now, the Sox look to have one of the best lineups and rotations in all of baseball, the Helton deal notwithstanding. But they should take a lesson from the 2006 Indians, a team that had great talent in both the lineup and their in their starting rotation. But their nonexistant bullpen killed their chances, and they ended up as one of the biggest underacheiver in baseball.

My 10 Favorite Super Bowl Commercials

2007-01-27T23:49:00.000-05:00

With the Super Bowl about a week away - let the pre-game shows begin - I started thinking about that other Super Sunday staple, the commercials. And while I don't think the ads have been up to par in recent years, especially last year, there have been plenty of great ones over the past 25 years. So these that I'll count down every day for the next week aren't necessarily "the best" commercials, but are my favorites. So without further ado....

#10. Elmer Bruker - Miller Lite - The only man to play in every Super Bowl, but never played

#9. When I Grow Up... - Monster.com - Wow, what a brilliant ad; cynical yet hilarious at the same time. Monster couldn't have gotten their point across any better.

Glibert Arenas Gets the All-Star Nod

2007-01-26T22:55:00.000-05:00

Wizards point guard and mid-season MVP candidate Gilbert Arenas came from behind to pass Vince Carter and eke out a spot as an Eastern Conference All-Star Game starter.

I should be thrilled that we have a legitimate star in town for the first time since the Stone Age. (And no, I don't count Michael Jordan. He was as much a true Washington Wizard as much as I am 7 feet tall. And yes, I realize I just used the phrase "true Washington Wizard." Yuck.) But I can't help but say that I'm a little disappointed he got the starting All-Star spot. Why do you ask?

Well, a little bit because that could have been about the 359th slight, real or perceived, that he would have used as motivation to raise his game to an even higher level.

But mostly, I would have liked to have seen how he would have tried to get back at the people who left him off the starting squad in favor of Carter. What would he have done? Take on 4 Nets fans and a random Raptors fan in a pickup game to make them pay for their sin?

Maybe that could be the first game of a doubleheader. Game 2: Gilbert vs. the 2006-07 Duke Blue Devils. First to 85 points wins.

SI Story on Jermareo Davidson

2007-01-25T22:34:00.000-05:00

Just read a great article in Sports Illustrated by Grant Wahl on Alabama forward Jermareo Davidson, who went through the incredible tragedy of having both his older brother and his long-term girlfriend die within days of each other back in November. There's no need to rehash how mind-bogglingly sad that is - that'd be gratuitous.

It is important though, to point out Davidson's strength of character and will, not to mention the indelible impression his two deceased loved ones made on him, for the fact that he's still playing this season with the Crimson Tide. It's so easy, when racked with difficulty and/or tragedy to let yourself wallow in the sadness and allow yourself to be too incapacitated to function. It's incredibly hard to make a step forward when you're in a pit of grief so deep.

But Davidson, to his credit, has been able to draw strength from loved ones, his faith, and the memory of his brother and girlfriend and step back on the court. He didn't have to continue the season, but he got back on the court after missing only a game, because he knew that's what his brother and girlfriend would have wanted him to do. Making the decision to move forward, while always keeping the memory of his loved ones close to him is really an act of determination to be praised.

Roger Federer: Tennis G.O.A.T.

2007-01-25T12:54:00.000-05:00

Ho-hum. Another day, another dominating victory by tennis god Roger Federer, blasting poor Andy Roddick in straight sets, 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 in the Australian Open semifinal. I'm not usually a big tennis fan, but I have found it incredibly enjoyable the last few years watching Federer rack up major victory after major victory. It's less about the tennis than it is being in the midst of history. When authorities like Andre Agassi are saying that he may be the best player of all time, I tend to believe that.

And what a renaissance we're in now for G.O.A.T.'s (Greatest of All Time, to steal Muhammad Ali's term). We have Federer, who barring injury or abrupt retirement, will surely hold all the records there are to hold, and of course the incomparable Tiger Woods. Add in Michael Jordan, and in the last 20 years, we've seen the greatest players of all time in three different sports.

I've found that it's more fun to root for a dominating player in individual sports rather than team games. With a team game, you have a city that you identify with and unless your team is dominating, winning title after title, you're going to be resentful of any city and team that is hogging the spotlight. There's something to the civic pride that's natural to people.

But with individual sports like golf or tennis, you may root for a particular player because you like his or her personality, but there's probably not the deep attachment that you would get with your local baseball team for example. So you're more tolerant of an athlete who is preposterously head and shoulders above the rest of the competition, a la Federer. You're free to watch a feat of greatness without the cumbersome resentment of city rivalry coming into play.

In that vein, I'm not afraid to say that I'm rooting for Federer to finish the job and win his 10th major title.

I Guess This Means T.O. Is Staying

2007-01-22T12:38:00.000-05:00

Report just coming out via AP that Bill Parcells is retiring, this time probably for good. You can say this about the man, you never really know what he's thinking. Remember how everyone said that the play of Tony Romo energized him this season? Well, didn't play out that way in the end. Romo's bobble in the playoff game against Seattle was probably the cherry on top of a maddeningly inconsistent year for Dallas, fraught with Terrell Owens-led distractions.

The really rotten thing of it all for Dallas is the fact that former Parcells assistant Sean Payton, just coming off a championship game appearance with the Saints, isn't around to fill Parcells' shoes. It'll be interesting to see who they can hire as coach this late in the game. My guess goes to Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera.

My Pick for Saints-Bears

2007-01-20T19:36:00.000-05:00

Earlier in the week, I went out on a limb and picked the Colts to break their playoff hex against the Patriots and advance to the Super Bowl. And now, after a lot of time spent trying to rationalize a winner, I'll give you my NFC Championship pick.

As is the case with almost all of the games in this year's playoffs (New York-New England is the only game that stands out to me as having had a clear favorite in the Pats), these two teams are pretty evenly matched and I do see a close game shaping up.

Here are some of the key storylines going into the game, and how I see them playing out in the result:

The homefield advantage factor: Yes, the Saints play in a temperature-controlled dome, but that doesn't mean they don't know how to play in the natural elements. New Orleans actually had a better record on the road than at home this season, going 6-2, including wins at cold-weather locations in Green Bay and Cleveland in addition to a 7 point loss at Pittsburgh. And QB Drew Brees is no stranger to winter in the Midwest, having played four years in the Big Ten at Purdue. If the Saints lose, it won't be because of the weather - they're too focused and driven of a team to let that defeat them.

Good Rex vs. Bad Rex: The eternal guessing game goes on for at least another week: which Rex Grossman will show up? Early season MVP candidate Rex, or 1.3 QB rating (referring to his performance in a game against Minnesota this season), Rex? If history is any indication, I would anticipate seeing Bad Rex in this game. He seems to have his best performances when everyone is doubting him. He shuts everyone up for one week, then goes out and proves why the doubters were out in the first place. The ironic part is, for the Bears to win, they're going to need Grossman to challenge the Saints' secondary, one of New Orleans' weaknesses.

Saints Offense vs. Bears Defense: I give the edge to the Saints' offense here. Bears' opponents have scored at least 24 points in 4 of their last 5 games, including Seattle last week. An important addendum to that is the fact that Seattle QB Matt Hasselbeck was playing with an injured hand, meaning the Seahawks' offense wasn't really at full strength. And rare is the occasion when New Orleans is shut down on the offensive side - they have put up at least 20 in 13 of their 17 games this year. Their offense is humming along, just as the Bears' defense has slumped.

So it probably shouldn't come as shocker that I'm picking the Saints to continue their dream season and advance to Super Bowl XLI. That being said, they need to keep the ball away from Chicago return man extraordinaire Devin Hester at all costs, and if it's a close game in the final minutes, will need to hope that they get the ball last - if the Bears do, their kicker Robbie Gould has already shown that he can kick the clutch field goal to win the game.

Tomorrow we'll see if the people's choice Super Bowl of Colts-Saints comes to fruition.

Kwame Brown Steals a Cake

2007-01-17T18:12:00.000-05:00

Yes, you read that right. I was trying to see if I could think of a clever title for this post, but I figured that just describing the run-in with the man and his cake would be ridiculous enough.

Kwame's Steal that Didn't Make the Stat Sheet

I don't know what I can add to this except that I wish I could see video of this happening live with Benny Hill's wacky theme music in the background.

Circle of Life for Sammy Sosa

2007-01-16T21:34:00.000-05:00

Word is that Sammy Sosa is close to signing a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers, the team he started his major league career with hundreds of home runs ago way back in 1989. The good thing for the Rangers is that it's low-risk - and let's be honest, this is about as good of an offer that Sosa was going to get - but I still don't see him improving the club much.

As an Orioles fan, I saw Sosa play a lot the last season he was in the game, 2005, and his spot in the lineup was a huge weak point for the team. His skills just seemed to free fall all at once that season, and a year older and a year out of the game, there seems to be little reason to think he can regain much of his former glory. I think he's never been the same since he got hit in the head by Solomon Torres on a pitch that shattered his helmet. Now, he stands too far away from the plate and can't reach a lot of pitches.

Understandably, the prolonged slump he went through in 2005 crushed his confidence, so it'll be interesting to note his mental state when and if he comes back. If Sosa has anything working for him, it's the fact that this is a no-pressure situation for him, because not much is being expected. Just don't count on him being the kind of player he once was - he needs to find a niche on that team, like part-time DH, to be successful. But for a man with the healthy ego that he has had, that might be a tough pill to swallow.

But then again, so is the professional state he finds himself in now.

Game of the Year, Part II

2007-01-15T20:39:00.000-05:00

What a weekend of seeming oxymorons in the AFC. On Saturday, the Colts, one of the statistically worst rush defenses in the history of the National Football League out-slugged a Baltimore Ravens team with stars all over the defensive side of the ball in an uncharacteristically ugly 15-6 win.

Then on Sunday, the New England Patriots, who if you listened to the media last week, would have you think that aside from Tom Brady, they have less talent than your local Pop Warner team, came from behind to defeat a supremely talented Chargers team that had made come-from-behind wins one of their staples this season. (And what a cruel turn for (at the moment) Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer, who must feel like Charlie Brown getting the football taken out from under him by Lucy over and over again.)

And now, the two old nemeses meet again in the playoffs, for the third time in four years, for the AFC Championship, which for a lot of people, will be tantamount to the Super Bowl, given the weak state of the NFC. But this time, the Colts get the Pats on their own turf, the RCA Dome, where they were unbeatable this season. This time they won't have to deal with the extreme New England elements that helped to doom them in the 2003 and 2004 playoffs.

That's just one reason why I like Indianapolis to finally break through and reach the Super Bowl after so many years of frustration. As Tom Brady reaffirmed for everyone on Sunday, picking against him usually ensures that you will look like a fool, but I'm going to do it anyway.

Though the stakes were much lower, the Colts have shown that they are capable of beating the mighty Pats by taking the last two regular season meetings. While they still have quite a lot to prove, those two wins shouldn't be forgotten - the Colts surely won't be shaking in their boots when it's time to take the field.

Second, it seems like Indianapolis has finally learned how to play winning playoff football. They've showed the last two games that they don't need Peyton Manning to play spectacularly in order to win. Particularly in the Ravens game, they've shown that they just need him to make plays when it counts, (to be Tom Brady-like in a sense), and the suddenly stout defense and run game will bring it home. Unlike the 2003 team, an offensive juggernaut that stormed into New England for the AFC Championship with their hair on fire only to be meekly put away on a cold day, this team can win ugly, and it may take that against New England.

Lastly, and most importantly, the Colts look to have the resolve of a team that has learned from its past mistakes and the hunger to prove everyone wrong who doubted them. The late-season slump they suffered may in the end be their best friend, because it has forced them to dig down and find out what they are really made of. And right now, they've shown to be a resilient team that has the ability to go all the way.

Whisenhunt Takes Cardinals Job

2007-01-14T13:27:00.000-05:00

It's official - the Arizona Cardinals have hired the Steelers' innovative offensive coordinator, Ken Whisenhunt as their next head coach. Everybody speaks very highly of his offensive smarts, and having worked under Bill Cowher will no doubt aid him in his quest to finally turn that Cardinals franchise around. One caveat though - he needs to upgrade the personnel on the offensive line, or else he won't be able to execute a lot of that offensive innovation.

This means that current Steelers assistant Russ Grimm and Georgia Tech head coach and former Steelers offensive coordinator Chan Gailey appear to be the front-runners for the Pittsburgh job. They should have a decision made by next week.

And Now for Something Completely Different

2007-01-14T12:34:00.000-05:00

Great story here that was on SI.com about Appalachian State basketball head coach Houston Fancher. He persevered through some incredibly tough times professionally, and it's refreshing to see a coach who appreciates what he has. Instead of having the mindset of using Appalachian State as a stepping stone, he does his program and himself justice by committing for the long-term whole-heartedly. Appalachian State is lucky to have him.

The Cinderella Colts Get it Done Again

2007-01-13T21:25:00.000-05:00

It's a team that is the first in NFL history to start consecutive seasons 9-0 and has arguably the preeminent quarterback in the game. Yet, it seems appropriate to label the suddenly tough Indianapolis Colts a bona fide Cinderella story after their 15-6 slugfest upset win over the talkative Baltimore Ravens.

The Colts shed their two biggest demons of the 2006 season with their performance in this win:

First, their struggles on the road this season, which included a couple of embarrassing losses to the Texans and the Jaguars. And they were facing a stadium full of Ravens fans out for blood, still bitter about the Colts' departure from Baltimore more than two decades ago. That's about as hostile of an environment as it gets.

And even with the D's impressive showing against Larry Johnson and the Chiefs last week, it was widely thought that the unit wouldn't be able to sustain it two weeks in a row, surely not when you give the Ravens a lot of time to prepare, which they had with the bye.

The most impressive part about it was that Peyton Manning, by anyone's standards, had a fairly mediocre game. Instead, they did what you have to do to win playoff games: they played tough defense, got great special teams play, and ran the ball to perfection, never better than in their stunning and methodical game-clinching drive to essentially run out the clock in the fourth quarter. If any game was an affirmation of their off-season moves, namely signing clutch kicker Adam Vinatieri and entrusting the running game to Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes, it was this one.

As a native of Maryland (though I'm first and foremost a Redskins fan), logic dictated that I should have been rooting for the Ravens. But to be honest, I couldn't help but smile seeing the reaction on the sidelines when Vinatieri kicked the game-clinching field goal. None was better than the jubilant yet characteristically understated expression on Tony Dungy's face. After the personal tragedy and professional failure he had to endure at the end of the 2005 playoffs, not to mention a rep as a coach that can't win the big one, it's nice to see him advancing in the playoffs with a chance to play for the Super Bowl.

Blast from the Past with the Oakland A's

2007-01-10T12:50:00.000-05:00

With Mark McGwire officially getting shut out of the Hall of Fame yesterday, I went on YouTube to see if I could find a good McGwire video - instead, I found this clip from Reading Rainbow from 1989, where trusty and lovable host Levar Burton goes to spring training with the Oakland A's.

This clip gets even more amusing when you think of some of the players who were on that team: Jose Canseco, Dennis Eckersley, and Dave Stewart to name a few of the team's stars that you don't normally think of as kid-friendly.

Just Stop the Boorishness, Please

2007-01-09T02:53:00.000-05:00

Tonight, instead of watching the BCS championship game, I had an offer to go watch my alma mater, Georgetown, play a home game against one of its Big East rivals in Villanova. Unfortunately, I came away feeling disappointed - yeah, a lot of it had to do with the Hoyas' close loss in a game they led rather comfortably at halftime. (And though the Florida-Ohio State romp wasn't much of a contest, I wish I could have seen at least a little bit of that history take place.)

But the biggest reason I had a sour taste in my mouth was because some of the Georgetown cheering section, believe it or not. I'm no dummy - I know that jeering the opponent is a huge part of being a fan, especially when it's a rivalry game like this one is. But there have to be some restraint involved, or else you come away looking like an idiot, which some of our fans did.

My pet peeve among the moronic insults is screaming "Bullshit!" at the top of your lungs to any call that goes against the home team. Hey, believe it or not, the home team does commit fouls every once in a while. Instead of priming yourself to shout that out every time the whistle blows, why not try to watch the game instead? And how does that chant of "bullshit" come off to the other fans in the stadium who aren't students? There are plenty of families attending with their children - it's just not appropriate in this venue.

And how about chanting "You suck!!"to cap off one of those jaunty little tunes that the band plays? Yeah...not so effective when you're losing the game. Gotta pick your spots for that classy insult. At least some of the fans around me noticed, and said something to the effect of, "Yeah, but we're sucking more than they are now."

I was especially shocked by what the Georgetown booster club left for the students when they arrived at their seats. On each chair was a sheet of paper that was essentially a forum for taking low-level pot shots against Villanova. On it, it called one of Villanova's freshmen a "white stiff" and coach Jay Wright "a greasy guy." That was really disappointing to me because unlike a few individuals acting like morons, this was a bunch of mean-spirited messages with the Georgetown name affixed to them. That makes the institution look bad, which is a shame because most of the students at the game probably were more interested in cheering on the Hoyas than tearing down Villanova.

When you have to resort to ripping the opponent rather than devoting your energy to supporting your own team, you look desperate and classless - which isn't how I usually think of Georgetown.

Will Petrino Be the Answer?

2007-01-08T12:44:00.000-05:00

Moving swiftly to fill their head coaching position, the Atlanta Falcons lured erstwhile Louisville head coach Bobby Petrino to fill their vacancy with a contract of 5 years, $24 million. Now, the question with Petrino, as it is with any coach moving from the college ranks to the pros, is will his coaching skills translate to the unique challenges of the NFL?

Petrino does have a few things working in his favor:

1. He inherits a team that, if it ever played up to its potential, could easily back in the playoffs next year in the mediocre NFC. There's talent there on both sides of the ball, but they have to make the most of their ability and hope to avoid injuries that hurt them in 2006.

2. Regarding the big question of how he will be able to maximize one Michael Vick's talents, he does have a good deal of experience with similarly mobile quarterbacks. He was quarterbacks coach and later offensive coordinator in Jacksonville when Mark Brunell was firmly entrenched as starter. He also was at Arizona State to aid the development of Jake Plummer in his first two years. Who knows if that will mean anything in the end, but it's at least a promising start.

3. This is a job he really seems to want, meaning he's committed for the long haul. Following Nick Saban's about-face, spurning the Dolphins for Alabama, there will now be scrutiny attached to the commitment of college-turned-pro head coaches. However, this wasn't just the first NFL job he was offered. He turned down an offer from the Oakland Raiders in 2005, because it wasn't the right job. He's of course saying all the right things, calling the Falcons job, " the best job in the National Football League." So on the surface, the Falcons should be getting the best of Petrino.

Now comes the hard part, building a consistent winner for a team that has never had consecutive winning seasons in its history.

The Jaw Steps Down

2007-01-06T16:19:00.000-05:00

As has been anticipated pretty much the whole year, ever since Jerome Bettis's journalistic faux pas on opening night of the NFL season, Bill Cowher stepped down yesterday as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers yesterday. Cowher was the Steelers' coach since 1992, solidifying Pittsburgh as the probably the most stable franchise in all of sports. Whoever gets the job next, whether it be Ken Whisenhunt or Russ Grimm, should probably make plans to spend the next decade or so in Steel Town.

In contrast to the Steelers' remarkable stability, (not to mention their ability to pick out Hall of Fame caliber coaches), the rest of the NFL has been lived up to its moniker of the "Not for Long" league. In the time that Cowher has been in Pittsburgh, there have been 129 other head coaches in the league, and 131 separate coaching tenures when you count the second acts of Joe Gibbs in Washington and Art Shell in Oakland.

Here are the NFL franchises going from most turbulent to most stable:

7 Head Coaches:
Detroit Lions
New York Jets
Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders
Washington Redskins

6 Head Coaches:
St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams

5 Head Coaches:
Arizona Cardinals
Atlanta Falcons
Buffalo Bills
Dallas Cowboys
Miami Dolphins
New Orleans Saints
San Diego Chargers

4 Head Coaches:
Cincinnati Bengals
(New) Cleveland Browns
Green Bay Packers
Indianapolis Colts
Kansas City Chiefs
New England Patriots
New York Giants
San Francisco 49ers

3 Head Coaches:
Baltimore Ravens/Cleveland Browns
Carolina Panthers
Chicago Bears
Denver Broncos
Minnesota Vikings
Philadelphia Eagles
Seattle Seahawks
Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2 Head Coaches:
Houston Texans
Jacksonville Jaguars
Tennessee Titans

(Of course here, you have 2 relatively recent expansion teams in Houston and Jacksonville)

1 Head Coach:
Pittsburgh Steelers

Here's Cowher at one of his most triumphant moments, after winning the 2006 AFC Championship en route to their Super Bowl XL victory.

Darrent Williams: 1982-2007

2007-01-01T16:00:00.000-05:00

Sadly, we need to start the New Year in the NFL talking about the tragic death of 24 year old Broncos CB Darrent Williams. Williams, who was 24, was shot to death following an altercation in a Denver area nightclub.

Amazing how quickly things change - less than 24 hours ago, the Broncos were crushed by their season-ending loss to the 49ers, which kept them out of the playoffs. Now, they have to mourn one of their teammates, one of their brothers. You always hear about how a huge part of the satisfaction of playing football comes from the camaraderie that the players have. I'm sure that the Broncos would consider themselves a big family, and this is going to be tough for them to get over.

The worst part is that he was only 24. As a 23 year old, I tend to think, like most other people my age, that I'm invincible. When you hear news like this though, you realize how fragile life really is, and how you have to be grateful for every day that you have.

Rest in Peace.

The Race for the Bottom

2006-12-31T13:54:00.000-05:00

It's the last week of the NFL season and along with games with playoff implications, let's not forget the importance of this week to the lowly Raiders and Lions, who are jostling for the #1 pick in the draft. They're both tied at 2-13, and if they both lose, the Lions get the #1 pick.

But there's not nearly as much hype associated with losing the final game to secure the top pick as there was last year, when the "Bush Bowl" between the 49ers and Texans was actually an eagerly anticipated game for that very reason. And that's for good reason. Last year's draft was incredibly strong, as it was both top-heavy and had plenty of depth. You had your future stars selected in the top 15 - Reggie Bush, Vince Young, Matt Leinart, Jay Cutler - but you also had a ton of great talents that have emerged picked after the first round: Devin Hester, Marcus McNeill, Maurice Jones-Drew, Marques Colston, Demeco Ryans, etc.

This year's draft doesn't appear to be as strong as last year's and even the presumed top pick (though it's way early in the game and this could change in a heartbeat), Brady Quinn of Notre Dame, appears to have more question marks surrounding him than the top picks from last year did.

Again, much too early to say anything with a hint of certainty, but if it ends up being Lions #1 and Raiders #2, it wouldn't surprise me to see the Lions pick Brady Quinn first and the Raiders go with Georgia Tech WR Calvin Johnson second. The Lions need a star QB, and the incumbent, Jon Kitna, has been through this situation before in Cincinnati with Carson Palmer. He'd be a pro at handling the transition. And Johnson, with his deep threat and acrobatic catch ability, might be too much for the Raiders and their eternal dreams of a vertical passing game to pass up. (Even though it might make more sense to draft a QB - perhaps JaMarcus Russell of LSU? - given the abysmal play they've gotten out of the position this year.)

In any case, don't expect the commissioner to need to watch those two games too closely to make sure the teams aren't tanking it.

Packers Need the Miracle of the Century to Make the Playoffs

2006-12-31T02:07:00.000-05:00

So the Giants' 34-28 win against the Redskins tonight ended the seasons of the Panthers, Falcons, and Rams. Good. That puts those pretenders out of their misery - but it keeps another pretender, the Giants, in the #6 slot in the playoffs. That means that the only games that mean anything in the NFC tomorrow are Cowboys-Lions and Falcons-Eagles, to determine the NFC East champ.

Oh yeah, the Packers are still mathematically alive. But they need a miracle of epic proportions to surpass the Giants now. They need a whole lot of games to turn out a certain way, and barring the aforementioned miracle, they will also be playing for nothing by the time they suit up against the Bears for the Sunday nighter. CBS Sportsline does a good job highlighting what needs to happen for the Packers tomorrow.

As usual, the AFC gives you a reason to watch, as the 2 wild card spots and home field jostling among the division winners is still at stake. In total, 10 of the 16 AFC teams have something to play for tomorrow. Just hand the conference the Lombardi trophy now.

Men Everywhere Prepare to Make Lame Excuses to Their Wives

2006-12-30T00:15:00.000-05:00

Yeah, New Year's Eve and its parties come only once a year.

But this December 31st, football fans will have an event that has happened....well, never.

For the first time, if your local team isn't at home, you will get to see both games of a double-header on both FOX and CBS. (Tough luck if your local team is at home though, as you don't get the game opposite the local game during the same timeslot.)

When you combine that with the NFL Network game on Saturday (though some - me included - would prefer to watch that game with the sound off to avoid the nails-on-a-chalkboard NFL Network commentary) and the NBC Sunday night game, you have the possibility of 6 NFL games in two days. Pretty sweet indeed.

And by the time all that watching is done, there'll hardly be time to go out for New Year's. But hey, that's a sacrifice a true fan of the NFL has got to make, especially on a day like Sunday.

Barry Zito, the Final Domino, Falls to the Giants

2006-12-29T15:01:00.000-05:00

Is it just me, or did it seem to anyone else that the primary reason for the many bold moves in free agency this year, with cash being thrown at players like it was monopoly money, were to serve the purposes of Barry Zito?

Zito, the big free agent prize this year on the pitching side, is the last big name to sign this off-season, and it seemed like with every pitcher that signed a big contract, all you heard was that this would drive up the price for Zito. So Barry should thank Jeff Suppan, Daisuke Matsuzaka, and especially Gil Meche, for driving up his price tag to the $126 million mark that the Giants signed him to yesterday. Because of course, they weren't signing for their own good, they were just doing it to get Zito a big payday.

Of course I'm kidding, but a few things did pop out at me with this signing:

1. When the Royals can sign Gil Meche to a $55 million contract, it's clear that players no longer have to go to one of the New York teams to get a fat payday. To me, this was made abundantly clear with the Zito signing - if any player was destined for New York, be it with the Mets or the Yankees, it was him. But as it turned out, he could and did get his money somewhere else, San Francisco. It seems the off-season bidding wars are getting more competitive.

2. The Yanks' failure to get Zito may hasten their pursuit of Roger Clemens. The writing seems to be on the wall for fading star Randy Johnson in the Bronx, and New York will likely look to fill the hole in their rotation with Clemens with the failure to land Zito. The Red Sox, who are thought of as the other major player in the Clemens sweepstakes, do not have the need for him that the Yankees do with their signing of Matsuzaka, and may not push for him as hard as the Yankees will.

3. The NL West might have the best collection of starters of any division in baseball. Here are the presumed top 1-3 starters for the NL West teams excepting the Rockies:

Arizona:
Brandon Webb
Livan Hernandez
Doug Davis

Los Angeles:
Jason Schmidt
Brad Penny
Derek Lowe

San Diego:
Jake Peavy
Chris Young
Greg Maddux

San Francisco:
Barry Zito
Matt Morris
Matt Cain

That's an impressive group - should mean a good race in that division next season.

OK, Maybe the Eastern Conference isn't That Bad

2006-12-28T11:23:00.000-05:00

But the Atlantic Division still sucks.

Who would've thunk it? There is a pulse among the collective bodies of Eastern Conference teams. Unlike several weeks ago, when you could count the number of East teams with .500 records on one hand, we now have 7 better than .500 squads, which would make a legitmate playoff grouping.

Actually, the Central Division is the most balanced division in the NBA, with 3 bona fide conference champion contenders in the mix (Detroit, Cleveland, Chicago), along with a couple of solid playoff-caliber teams (Indiana, Milwaukee).

And you've got perhaps the hottest player (borderline pyromaniac based on his Hibachi comments) in the NBA in Gilbert Arenas. Very astute observation on ESPN.com making the comparison that the Wiz are the Eastern Conference's version of the Phoenix Suns - mile-a-minute offense, no defense.

The Western Conference on the whole is still obviously superior to anyone with a pair of eyes, but the East has suprised us before (see Detroit's upset of the Lakers in the 2004 Finals), maybe it could happen again.

NFL MVP: Brees or LT?

2006-12-27T15:30:00.000-05:00

The debate has been simmering for a couple weeks now, since Week 14 when LaDainian Tomlinson set the single-season touchdown record and Drew Brees orchestrated a thorough and ruthless demolition of the Dallas Cowboys in front of a national audience. The debate is fierce, and whichever of the two former Charger teammates wins (and this is only a two-horse race) will be well-deserving of NFL MVP. But who is more deserving?

The case for Tomlinson:
- He has always been an elite runner, but he has taken his game to an other-worldly level this year. After averaging 3.9 and 4.3 yds/carry in the last two seasons respectively, Tomlinson has bumped the figure up to a hefty 5.3 yds/carry this season. And of course the touchdowns - there was a reason he was in every fantasy draft's top 3 this year, but even the most knowing experts wouldn't have expected 31 touchdowns, a league record by 3, with a game still to play.

- Tomlinson has gotten better as the year has gone along. After starting the season well, he became downright dominant in November, when the Chargers took control of the AFC West after the struggles of the Broncos. His yards per carry average and touchdown tally spiked in that month, at 6.2 yds/carry and 12 TDs respectively.

- His imposing presence has helped to ease the burden on first-time starter at QB, Philip Rivers, who blossomed into a Pro Bowl selection. The loss of Brees to free agency didn't hurt as much as it might have because there remained a consistent source of offense in Tomlinson.

- LT will be productive anytime and anywhere. He is a model of high-level consistency, the likes of which the NFL has rarely seen. He can get his yards anywhere, behind the left side, right side, or middle of the offensive line, making it difficult for defenses to overplay to any one area. (Not to mention his superior receiving skills for which you have to account.) He gets his touchdowns in equal doses at home and on the road, with a remarkable 14 rushing TDs apiece. And most importantly, you know he's going to get the ball in the red zone and defenses still can't stop him. That is domination.

The case for Brees:
- The leadership qualities he brings to a team that was perhaps in more need of them than any other franchise after last season's Katrina-driven nightmare. Fellow players and coaches are unanimous in saying that he brought an identity and a confidence that were sorely lacking before he arrived. The Saints would follow him anywhere, and that can't be underestimated in the team's rise this season.

- He played big in crucial games. In three wins that looking back, were integral to the Saints getting to this point, against Atlanta (the first Superdome game since Katrina), and Philadelphia and Dallas (wins that gave them the tiebreak advantage they parlayed into a first-round playoff bye) he has a combined 850 yds, 8 TDs, and 71% completion percentage.

- In a league in which a steady hand at quarterback has been hard to come by, Brees has been the rare exception - a free agent acquisition who has not only met, but exceeded expectations. Compared against a lot of uneven play at the quarterback position this year, his play has stood out even more than it would have already.

Who gets the vote?
Tomlinson is commonly referred to as the best player in the game today, but that's selling him short. This season he's also the most valuable. He is the surest thing there is the NFL, and his play has made a good Chargers team great in the regular season - a step up that is arguably harder to achieve that going from bad to good, as the Saints have done.

Brees has been terrific this year, but you can argue that coach Sean Payton has actually been the team's most valuable addition. When you factor in the addition of super-rookies Reggie Bush and Marques Colston, a healthy Deuce McAllister, and a true slate of home games, the Saints improved in a lot of areas from last season to this. The Chargers' main personnel upgrade has been the Pro Bowl-caliber play of OT Marcus McNeill, which is not to be diminished, but the franchise hasn't had the overall upheaval that the Saints have experienced. Tomlinson is the main difference in turning the Chargers into the Super Bowl favorite, and for that he deserves MVP.

The Best of Funky in Sports

2006-12-25T13:27:00.000-05:00

In honor of James Brown, the funk legend who passed away early this morning, I've decided to put together a list of the funkiest, most colorful individuals, items, and institutions in sports history. I'm bound to forget somebody or something, so let me know if you think there are any glaring omissions. The following however, are my favorites:

Funkiest Player: Walt "Clyde" Frazier. One of the most stylish players in NBA history earned his nickname due to the movie Bonnie and Clyde in honor of the outlaw Clyde Barrow. Add the combination of an elegant but timeless style of play with his untamed 70's facial hair, and you've got funky.

Funkiest Name: World B. Free. Originally named Lloyd, you couldn't get a more perfect stage name for a man with his surname and career during the NBA's most colorful period, the 1970's. With his flashy playing style and his flamboyant dress off the court, he has always seemed to live up to his name.

Funkiest Owner: Al Davis. You want to talk about an outlaw, a non-conformist, a man who flies in the face of seeming logic, here's your man. He's had both successes and failures during his tenure as face of the Raiders, but no matter what, he'll stay true to his philosophy - a commitment to the vertical

passing game and an intense hatred for the Denver Broncos. The silver and black leisure suits he wears are just the cherry on top.

Funkiest Stadium: Fenway Park. Yeah, you don't usually put funky and Boston in the same sentence, but you can't deny the quirks that make Fenway one-of-a-kind. Whether it be the Green Monster turning a sure home run into a long single or double turning into a triple because the visiting outfielder can't handle the the angles of the outfield barriers, the park is something of a 10th man, playing a role in the outcome of the game.

Funkiest Uniform: Houston Astros' Rainbow Uniforms. You look at this uniform and you do one of two things: Either you puke with disgust, or you visit your local retro uniform retailer and make plans to get one of your own. There is no middle ground on a uni like this.

NFL Week 16 Observations

2006-12-24T22:05:00.000-05:00

Another week, and the playoff picture in the NFL is just as muddled as ever. Here are some observations with the two Christmas day games still left in Week 16.

- It is conceivable, (and maybe more than just conceivable considering the state of the conference these days) that the NFC could have 3 playoff participants at .500 or worse.

Seattle (8-7), which wouldn't have a shot if it played in any other division, will be the favorites against Tampa Bay next week, but they have virtually nothing to play for, locked into the #4 playoff seed- add to that the fact that the Bucs have been playing well of late, and you may be looking at an 8-8 division winner.

In the mess that is the race for the final playoff spot, whichever team backs into the #6 seed can have no better than an 8-8 record.

Philadelphia, 8-6 at the moment, will likely throw a wrench in this comedy of errors with its quality play of late, but in this season, anything is possible.

- Count me among the growing legions of football fans who are rooting for the Titans to make it into the AFC playoffs. If Tennessee does make it, I will clear my calendar to watch Vince Young do his thing. If it does happen, they'd likely play the Colts, a team they've already beaten this season, way back when it was improbable to even mention playoffs in the same sentence as Titans.

- Speaking of the Titans, their late season run reminds me a little bit of the Jaguars' streak in 1997, their second season of existence. The Jags were 4-7 before winning their last 5 to close the season, sneak into the playoffs, and somehow, advanced all the way to the AFC Championship Game. This Titans team was at 2-7, and now has won 6 in a row. The Titans need help to get in, even if they win, but so did the Jags back in '96, when they needed a rare missed field goal from Morten Andersen to win their final game. It could happen....

- I have a feeling that the Colts, now in the #3 slot in the AFC, will win their first playoff game at home, silencing doubters....for one week before they go out and lose to either the Ravens or Chargers on the road. It's hard for me to even say that this adversity will galvanize the team toward a deep playoff run, because united or not, the defense still can't stop the run. It's just a weakness they can't get over this late in the game.

- Baltimore may be on its way to one of the quietest 13-3 campaigns in NFL history. If they win next week and the Chargers lose, they believe it or not, will gain home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. I wasn't a believer earlier in the season, but they just keep winning, with a formula made for a deep playoff run - great defense and a steady offense. And this isn't the weak sister Trent Dilfer offense of the 2000 Super Bowl run. With Steve McNair at QB, weapons like Todd Heap and Mark Clayton to catch the ball, and - perhaps most importantly - head coach Brian Billick calling the plays, the Ravens can air it out too. I wouldn't be surprised if this team makes it all the way to Miami.

Arenas Goes Wild in Hideous Uniform

2006-12-18T12:49:00.000-05:00

In case you missed it, Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas went for 60 in an overtime victory against the Lakers last night, a franchise record. That's the good news. The bad news is that the performance was marred by the atrocious uniform he had to do it in:

Oh man, that's like looking at the sun - if you stare at it for more than a few seconds, you might go blind.

Who's the Favorite in the NFC?

2006-12-17T19:26:00.000-05:00

Another football Sunday has almost come and gone, and the ever-changing perception of who is the best team in the NFC is as muddled as ever. The Bears seemed to have a strangehold on that title through the first half of the season. Then the Tony Romo-led Cowboys took the NFL by storm for a few weeks, being "annonted" (to the dismay of Bill Parcells) best team in the conference. But as soon as you could say, "How bout them Cowboys," the Saints dismantled Dallas last week in a dominating 42-17 win on the road.

So after this week's games, who's in the driver's seat in the NFC? I'll rank the six teams that currently hold playoff positioning in order of worst chance to advance to the Super Bowl to best:

6. New York Giants: They're currently in the sixth slot in the conference after losing to the Eagles moments ago. If Michael Strahan is able to come back from his injury, it'll be huge for this team, but in the end, the fate of the Giants rests with Eli Manning, and he has yet to inspire any confidence in his late-season play over his three-year career.

5. Seattle Seahawks: Though it's a long-shot, the 'Hawks may yet be left out of the playoffs entirely and lose the division title if they lose their final two games and the 49ers win out. Seattle's been hit hard with injuries to key players this year and currently have no momentum on their side. At this point, this looks like a one-and-done team in the playoffs.

4. Philadelphia Eagles: Speaking of momentum, Philly has a lot of it right now, having won three consecutive games with Jeff Garcia at the helm. Their defense, led by their ferocious secondary, is still as aggressive and opportunistic as ever, and offense has gotten into a real groove recently. The Eagles right now look like a darkhorse that could make a run in the playoffs.

3. New Orleans Saints: The Saints have the advantage of having the best QB in the NFC in Drew Brees, and a multitude of weapons on offense including Reggie Bush, but their run defense remains iffy. They're capable of going all the way, but I have a feeling that the Dallas game might have been the best game they'll play all season, and if they play the Cowboys in the playoffs, you can bet Parcells and company will be ready and angry.

2. Chicago Bears: Based on record, (12-2) you can argue that the Bears actually deserve the mantle of favorites. However, it's been much more of a roller coaster ride than the record indicates. Their biggest wins have come against overrated Seahawks and Giants teams, and they've had to sneak out wins against some of the dregs of the league in Arizona and today against Tampa Bay. Homefield advantage throught will help, but is no guarantee of a Super Bowl berth.

1. Dallas Cowboys: I'm hating myself as I type this, but rationally, I still think that the Cowboys are the most dangerous and most balanced team in the conference. They're as explosive as anyone on offense, and have the ability to get it done on defense. But even they are a flawed team. Their last two opponents, the Falcons and Saints, have hung 28 and 42 points on the defense respectively, and the secondary is prone to getting beat deep. On offense, you never know what you're going to get from Terrell Owens, who could drop an easy pass as easily as he could break a long one for a touchdown. Even so, they're less flawed then their competitors in my opinion, and may have re-established themselves as the NFC favorite with their win over Atlanta last night.

NFL Network Needs to Get its Act Together

2006-12-16T23:44:00.000-05:00

Tonight was the first time I watched an NFL Network game in a setting where I could hear the play-by-play, and the criticism it has been receiving for its broadcast is warranted. To tick them off:

-Bryant Gumbel is the biggest problem. He's obviously a very knowledgable individual, but that doesn't mean that he knows how to call a football game. There is an air of arrogance to the tone of his voice, a no-no for any play-by-play man, but especially for one who does not have much credibility in the sports world. Adding to that, I lost count of how many times he interrupted the commentators, especially poor Dick Vermeil, who could barely get a couple of thoughts out from his hoarse voice.

-Speaking of Vermeil, why would NFL Network trot him out there to do the game knowing full well that he could barely speak? When it was obvious that his inability to speak was taking away from the quality of the broadcast, he was replaced in the second half by Deion Sanders. What an embarrassing gaffe.

-The halftime show left a lot to be desired. In terms of the physical setup of the halftime commentators, why was Adam Schefter smack in the middle, while former NFL coach Steve Mariucci on the side? Who is Adam Schefter?? Why are you making him the center of attention when you have a former coach who is a lot more recognizable to football fans than Schefter, who comes off as very smug. And did they really need to carry around those big honking microphones with the NFL logo emblazoned on them? It was very distracting, and does the mighty NFL really need more brand reinforcement than it already has?

-Aside from that, the content of the halftime show was weak too - too much empty analysis of the first half with no real insight. If you have that much time to fill, at least have a feature to show, like an interview, or something. Change it up a little!

The one bright spot I have to say was Deion Sanders. While he's not the next John Madden, he provided some real thoughtful insight during the second half, particularly when talking about how Marion Barber should be getting more carries than Julius Jones. And when the commentators (Rich Eisen, Mariucci, and Sanders) interviewed Terrell Owens in the post-game show, Sanders wasn't afraid to confront T.O. about his spitting into DeAngelo Hall's face during the game. Owens tried to brush off the initial question from Sanders and treat the incident like it was nothing, but Deion pressed on, essentially scolding him for his actions. Good for him - Deion's probably one of the few people with the credibility to get into T.O.'s face like that on national TV, and he took advantage of it.

Next time, I'll turn the sound down and just listen to the radio.

Jim Mora and Allen Iverson Have a Chat

2006-12-16T19:59:00.000-05:00

Speaking of Jim Mora, and Allen Iverson, who you made have heard is on the trading block, here's a brilliant YouTube video combining two of the best press conference sound bites ever.

Just Keep Your Mouth Shut

2006-12-16T19:26:00.000-05:00

Jim Mora Jr. made some headlines yeseterday when he said in a radio interview that he would leave the Falcons head coaching job in a second if the University of Washington spot became open, even if it was during the course of the playoffs. Mora, a Huskies alum, then had to go back in an official press conference, and clarify that he was kidding, apologizing to and reassuring those who might have questioned his desire to the club.

It seems pretty clear to me that Mora was indeed joking when he made the statement - logic dictates that because:

-Current U-Dub coach Ty Willingham isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
-He has already turned down the Huskies position once before.
-No NFL coach in his right mind would play with his job security like that (and not to mention his chances of ever getting another NFL head coaching job if there were actually legitimate doubts about his commitment).

Nontheless, it was an error in judgment for Mora, who forgot one of the cardinal rules of sports PR: if you say something ambiguous that can be construed the wrong way, it probably will be. An NFL head coach is in the public eye unlike 99% of people in this country, and the fans hang on his every word. Whether that's right or wrong, that's a fact of life in today's NFL, and Mora should have thought it through a little more before he opened his mouth.

I guess the foot-in-mouth tendencies run in the family though, as Jim Mora Sr, his father, made headlines a few weeks ago, when he called Falcons QB Michael Vick a "coach killer." Mora resigned from his job at Fox Sports Radio shortly thereafter, presumably due to the media firestorm that ensued.

On Tonight's Radio Show...

2006-12-16T13:55:00.000-05:00

Tonight on ivnet.tv, I'll be doing my weekly radio show at 6pm. Here's what I'll be talking about:

Who's the favorite in the NFC now?
In an amazing year for rookies, who's been the best in the NFL this season?
Jim Mora Jr.'s U. of Washington gaffe
The troubled case of Tank Johnson and what it means to the Bears
Allen Iverson waits..and waits...and waits some more to be traded
Feel-good, under-the-radar stories from the year in college football

Go to the English language page of Ivnet.tv to listen at 6 - you can chime in during the show by emailing me at sami.ghazi@gmail.com or IM me at sghazi0184.

Matsuzaka Signing a Watershed Moment for Major League Baseball

2006-12-14T00:23:00.000-05:00

After weeks of speculation and posturing that comes with any Scott Boras negotiation, the Red Sox finally signed (apparent) all-world Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka to a 6 year, $52 million deal today.

With the $51 million posting fee that Boston paid Matsuzaka's Japanese team, the Seibu Lions, just for exclusive negotiating rights, the Red Sox are betting over $100 million that Matsuzaka not only works out, but pitches like the ace pitcher that he's getting paid to be.

His success or failure is crucial because it may very well affect the way teams throughout Major League Baseball approach Japanese players. If he's a Cy Young contender, the pitching equivalent of Ichiro Suzuki, the Red Sox's risk in a fairly unknown quantity will be rewarded, and it may embolden other teams to look to the East in scouting players. The posting business (detailed wonderfully in this New York Times article by Richard Sandomir) will become a high-stakes competition. Meaning that for Japanese clubs like Seibu, Matsuzaka's success could result in a huge financial windfall. Washington Post writer Thomas Boswell says it well:

As for the Lions, they're swimming in sake now. Seibu, with a dinky $17 million payroll, gets a $51.1 million windfall because it "owns" the rights to Matsuzaka. For doing nothing, Seibu will get a check for three times its annual team payroll. That would be like a league from outer space offering the Red Sox $350 million -- three times their payroll -- so a team from Mars could try to sign Jonathan Papelbon.

The question now becomes: are the Japanese clubs willing to "sell their souls" and serve as the springboard for their stars, a pseudo farm system for Major League Baseball? If the answer is yes, then free agency in baseball has entered a new era where high revenue teams like the Red Sox and Yankees can now fight it out on two sides of the world. And with Major League teams showing an increased willingness to throw gobs of money at anyone with a pulse (Gil Meche anyone?), it seems likely that the cash will be too much for teams like Seibu and company to resist.

Here's a quick video of Matsuzaka's mysterious "gyroball."

LaDainian Tomlinson: King among Men

2006-12-11T13:04:00.000-05:00

What's been a considered a formality for the last few weeks has officially become reality. LaDainian Tomlinson, the dominant tailback of his era, has broken the record for touchdowns in a single season with 29. And that's in just 13 games! If he were playing back in 1972 with 14 game seasons, that would have held up. Now with a 16 game season, that means he has 3 more games to add to his record and put it out of reach maybe for all time. Currently, he's averaging a little more than 2 TDs per game; if he just stays on the track he's on, he'll have 35 touchdowns by the end of the year, an improbable figure when you consider that just 6 years ago, Marshall Faulk broke the record with his 26 TDs.

The question now is, how much will he be allowed to play with the Chargers rolling toward the top spot in the AFC playoffs? Well, he'll likely get at least 2 weeks of normal action, as San Diego is only a game up on the Colts and Ravens in the race for home field advantage. If he can get it up to 35 or above, it seems like a record that's out of reach for a long time. The only person who might be able to break it is the indomitable Tomlinson himself.

Best of all, Tomlinson is a great athlete that fans and especially children can look up to. Great article here by SI.com's Arash Markazi highlighting LT's good deeds, selflessness, and joy for the game. Here's hoping he'll be able to keep it up in the playoffs and showcase himself as a player and person to the nation.

McGwire Should be Shut Out of Hall of Fame

2006-11-28T01:29:00.000-05:00

The ballots for the 2007 baseball Hall of Fame are out, and it's one of the most intriguing and important years for the vote in a long time. That's because in addition to sure-fire first-ballot Hall of Famers in Cal Ripken Jr and Tony Gwynn, one-time single-season home run champion and suspected steroid user Mark McGwire is up for election. A lot has been made of this ballot being the first test case for how we evaluate the steroid era in the context of baseball history. The thinking goes that a few years removed from the beginning of widespread awareness of steroid use in professional baseball, we will have gained some perspective and hopefully, some wisdom on how to evaluate the players. So far, the prevailing thought seems to be, look at any power numbers from the era with a healthy dose of skepticism, which I believe is warranted. With that in mind, my thought is that if you are a Hall of Fame voter, you cannot vote Mark McGwire into the Hall of Fame.

There are a number of reasons that electing McGwire, at least at the moment, would be a foolish and potentially embarrassing idea for voters. First of all, there is way too much suspicion that has surrounded his career to be taken lightly.

- His time early in his career as a member of the Oakland A's "Bash Brothers" duo with Jose Canseco, admitted steroid user. Being so closely linked with Canseco can only damage McGwire's reputation. And with a confirmed steroid user there in the locker room, the temptation was certainly available for the young McGwire to partake as well.

- The discovery during his record-breaking 1998 season that he used a supplement, "andro," that while not banned by Major League Baseball at the time, has since been forbidden. While you can't blast McGwire for using andro if it was an allowed substance at the time, the episode is significant because it reveals his some of his philosophy on how to maintain the unmatched physical shape he had acheived by that point in his career. If this supplement was fair game, you can't rule out others.

- Of course, the 2005 Congressional hearing on steroid use in baseball in which McGwire repeatedly took the fifth when asked critical questions , saying that he wasn't "here to talk about the past." While that's not such an overt admission of guilt, don't you think that if you've been called to this hearing, there is some suspicion that you have used steroids? And if you're McGwire, who has so much to lose, namely your reputation and Hall of Fame candidacy if you don't convincingly deny your involvement, wouldn't you run with the opportunity to clear your name if you were at all capable? To me, the fact that he didn't do just that is an implicit admission of guilt.

With so much suspicion clouding his candidacy, it would be foolish for voters to elect him to the Hall unless there is conclusive evidence that proves otherwise. What if hypothetically, he was voted in on the first ballot and then somebody with nothing to lose and intimate knowledge of the situation, a la Jason Grimsley this past season, revealed that he in fact was guilty of steroid use? What an embarrassment that would be for the baseball Hall of Fame, which holds itself up to be the most prestigious of all the Hall of Fames in sports.

At this point, voters seem to agree with this assessment, as an overwhelming minority of those surveyed in an Associated Press poll said they would not vote for McGwire on this ballot.

The Charmed Life of the San Diego Chargers

2006-11-27T01:11:00.000-05:00

Maybe it's just good karma going their way after the Ryan Leaf draft pick in 1998 went so horribly wrong and shackled them for several years. More likely, it's shrewd and forward-thinking decision-makers. Whatever it is, the San Diego Chargers are at 9-2 after today's win against the Raiders, and hardly has there been a week when it has been more evident the genius of their general manager A.J. Smith and his predecssor, the late John Butler, in putting this formidable team together.

The story starts in 2001, when Smith, then the assistant to Butler, and the Chargers had the top pick in the draft in hand. They seemed to be poised to take Michael Vick, the once-in-a-lifetime, make you do a double-take quarterback out of Virginia Tech. He was supposed to be the quarterback who would usher in a new era of NFL offense, changing the way the game was played. He was a slam-dunk choice, kind of like Reggie Bush was supposed to be in the 2006 draft. Of course, the Chargers defied convential wisdom and passed on Vick, trading the pick to the Falcons, and gaining the opportunity to draft TCU RB LaDainian Tomlinson at #4 overall and Purdue QB Drew Brees with the first pick in the second round. While everyone agreed that they got a couple of good players, the Chargers were lambasted for passing on a chance that they would never have again. At the time, people labeled it an overly-cautious move by the Chargers, who were still smarting from the Leaf debacle just a few years earlier.

Turns out Butler and Smith knew what they were doing. Fast forward 5 years later, and Drew Brees gave the Chargers two Pro Bowl caliber seasons before moving on to New Orleans, where he now leads the NFL in passing yards and is on the short list of MVP candidates. And wouldn't you know it, the leading MVP candidate in the league this year is that other 2001 Chargers draft pick, LaDainian Tomlinson. LT is on pace to break the single-season touchdown record this year, and with a couple more good years, can legitimately be considered among the greatest running backs in NFL history.

Vick on the other hand, who had success earlier in his career, leading the Falcons to the NFC Championship Game two years ago, has fallen on tough times. His raw athletic talent is still very much there and something to behold. However, he constantly faces questions about his quarterbacking ability in the pocket, and seems to be playing in an offensive system ill-suited to his talents. Today, his Falcons were beaten handily by Brees' Saints, a game that was capped off by Vick giving some Atlanta fans the finger as he stomped into the locker room.

Part 2 of the assemblage of the Chargers happened in 2004, when again, the Chargers had the top pick in the draft. When Eli Manning made it clear that he would not suit up for San Diego, the Chargers were able to swap Manning to the Giants for NC State QB Philip Rivers, in addition to the 2005 draft pick that would materialize as DE Shawne Merriman. Who's laughing now? Rivers, who has had to endure questions about his ability as an NFL QB because of his awkward throwing motion, has thrived in his first year as starter, while Manning is looking shakier by the week as the Giants continued their recent slide with a shocking 24-21 come-from-behind loss to the Titans, a loss that was due in no small part to Manning's critical interception late in the game with the score tied. Meanwhile, Merriman is in the midst of a four-game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy, but before he was busted, he was looking like a prime candidate for league Defensive Player of the Year.

And wouldn't it be ironic and quite a jab to the Manning family if San Diego was able to overtake Indianapolis and their QB, Peyton Manning, and reach the Super Bowl this year? Who would have thought that the team that drafted Ryan Leaf might reach a Super Bowl before a Peyton Manning-led team did? Very interesting indeed....

NFL Week 12 Predictions

2006-11-25T16:46:00.000-05:00

With the NFL regular season entering its final six weeks, action is starting to heat up and the games mean more. With that, I'll begin predicting games the rest of the season, starting with this week's slate of weekend games:

New Orleans at Atlanta - In the tightly packed NFC South, this game will be huge in propelling the playoff hopes of one of these teams. Atlanta is the NFC's most inconsistent team, and they've lost three in a row, which means they're due for a win this week. New Orleans' suddenly suspect defense has given up 31 and 38 points the last few weeks. Atlanta is capable of putting a lot of points on the board, and they're the pick.

Cincinnati at Cleveland - Other than a one-point loss to the Bucs, the Bengals' losses have all come to playoff contenders this year. That means, despite the collective misperception of the Bengals as an elite team, they're still a team that will beat the teams they're better than on paper. Cincinnnati will keep up their playoff hopes with a win to improve to 6-5.

San Francisco at St. Louis - If there was a team that was going to challenge Seattle in the NFC West, a lot of people would have said Arizona, some would have said St. Louis, but I don't think anyone would have said the 49ers. But, here they are, at 5-5, with a real shot to contend for a playoff spot. The Rams have made ill-use of their weapons on offense, especially running back Stephen Jackson, who has only been given 16.4 carries over the last five games, all of which have been losses, not coincidentally. The 49ers seem to have had the Rams' number of late, and they're the hot team, so I'm picking them to win on the road and keep the NFC West race close.

Pittsburgh at Baltimore - I was really tempted to pick the Steelers in this game given the desparate straits they find themselves in, and the history of the Ravens and Steelers playing each other close, no matter the records. But Ben Roethlisberger has a whopping 17 interceptions this year - Pittsburgh barely got by Cleveland last week in spite of his 3 picks - and I can't see him facing a defense the caliber of the Ravens and getting out alive. Baltimore will keep it up at home.

Carolina at Washington - New Redskins QB Jason Campbell was impressive in his first start against Tampa Bay last week, and I expect the Redskins to put forth a great effort at home on Sunday. However, the mystery of the deterioration of their defense has yet to be solved, and facing a Panthers team that needs to win to keep the Saints and Falcons from nipping at their heels, they will go down to defeat in a close game.

Arizona at Minnesota - Here's the stinker of the week, a game that nobody outside of Arizona and Minnesota will want to watch. Minnesota has rapidly slid from contender status in recent weeks, and I think Cardinals' coach Denny Green will be fired up visiting his old home and with nothing to lose given the lame-duck position he finds himself in. Matt Leinart could have a big game against a questionable Vikings pass defense, and I'm picking Arizona to get their third win of the season.

Houston at NY Jets - There's no doubt that the Texans are a team headed in the right direction, but nothing in their season to date leads me to believe that they can beat a tough opponent on the road in late November. The surprising Jets will keep up their playoff hopes by winning a game they should win.

Jacksonville at Buffalo - This is a game that Jacksonville can't afford to lose in the tight race for the wild-card spots in the AFC. But Jacksonville is a curious team that will lose some games that will make you scratch your head in confusion. The Bills, playing at home, and coming off of a an exciting last-second win in Houston, will surprise the Jags and deal them a crushing blow to their playoff chances.

Oakland at San Diego - Some games don't need too much analysis. The Chargers are arguably the AFC's best team right now, and nobody needs a reminder of how bad the Raiders are. San Diego wins easily.

NY Giants at Tennessee - The Giants are coming off of two consecutive losses, and Tiki Barber is unhappy with the number of carries he's getting. But New York has historically been a team that bounces back when their backs are against the wall, including multiple times this season. That's why I like them to defeat the ever-improving Vince Young and the Titans in a close game on the road.

Chicago at New England - This is probably the game of the week, and it's a tough one to pick. It'll be an interesting litmus test to see how wide the gap is between the conferences when the NFC's best team faces one of the elite in the AFC. While Chicago has beaten good teams in the Seahawks and Giants this year, both were missing key players at the time, and neither team is at the level of the Patriots. New England has already lost three games at home this year. No way Bill Belichick lets them lose a fourth.

Philadelphia at Indianapolis - Once upon a time, Jeff Garcia was a Pro Bowl quarterback for the 49ers. A couple of failed stints in Cleveland and Detroit later, he's now the Eagles' backup QB for the injured Donovan McNabb, and will get a chance to start this week against the Colts. My guess is that Indianapolis has learned something from last year, and will come back focused and ready to rock at home following their first loss of the season last week in Dallas. I like the Colts to pull away in the second half and get the win.

Green Bay at Seattle - In another mediocore Monday Night Football matchup, it looks like the Seahawks will get Matt Hasselbeck back this week, and have the tandem of Hasselbeck and running back Shaun Alexander together for the first time in a long while. Meanwhile, Green Bay hasn't beaten a team with a winning record this year. They won't break that streak this week. Seattle will maintain their first-place standing in the division with a win.

Radio Show Tomorrow 6-7PM on IVNET.TV

2006-11-24T16:13:00.000-05:00

Please tune in tomorrow to ivnet.tv at 6pm to listen to my weekly sports talk radio show, "Going Deep." Just log on to ivnet.tv and click on the English language page. You'll be taken to the main media page, where you click on IVNET Radio on the left-hand side of the screen. Tomorrow's topics include:

- Recap of the three Thanksgiving day NFL games.
- A preview of Week 12 in the NFL, including predictions
- The race for BCS spots in college football, including the big Notre Dame-USC game
- Baseball's big-time free agent signings
- The rise of the mid-major in college basketball

Make your voice heard by emailing me at sami.ghazi@gmail.com

Year of the Second-String QB

2006-11-24T12:09:00.000-05:00

Job security of NFL quarterbacks has always been a fragile thing, but has the revolving door of starting QBs ever been this active in one season? Yesterday on Thanksgiving, we were treated to three games, and in each, the winning quarterbacks had started only 7, 5, and 3 games respectively.

Detroit Lions reject Joey Harrington came back to his former home and led the Dolphins to a convincing 27-10 victory over his old team. It was Harrington's fourth straight win as starter, something he never did as Lions QB, improving his record to 4-3 as starter after taking over for the ineffective Daunte Culpepper.

After his near-flawless 5 TD effort against the hapless Buccaneers, Cowboy QB Tony Romo is now officially the hottest quantity in the NFL, and has ascended to rock star status in Dallas, much to the dismay of Bill Parcells. He is now 4-1 as starter, and his insertion into the starting lineup has given the Cowboys a new identity, as an exciting offensive team that is a threat to score on any given play.

And finally, Trent Green, who was projected to be the Chiefs starter going into the season, got his his second win since coming back from a horrific concussion in the opening game against the Bengals. And while he looks to be Kansas City's starter the rest of the way, backup QB Damon Huard was integral in keeping the Chiefs season alive after an 0-2 start, by going an impressive 5-3 in his time at the helm.

This season, 11 teams have turned to quarterbacks who were not projected to be their starters to start a game for them. The erstwhile second-string QBs have gone 28-31 for a winning percentage of .474. That may not sound impressive, but the quarterbacks who were replaced have gone 20-37, a percentage of only .350. And not to rag on Andrew Walter too much, but 6 of the 31 losses by the "backups" were by the Raiders' Walter, who has been hamstrung by an outdated offensive system and a subpar offensive line.

Several of the QB moves have very possibly signaled the end of the road as a starter for the benched signal caller. Drew Bledsoe of the Cowboys, Mark Brunell of the Redskins, Kurt Warner of the Cardinals, and Kerry Collins of the Titans may now be relegated to sideline status for the rest of their careers. This means of course, that most of the QB changes have been successes - Romo, Vince Young of the Titans, and Arizona's Matt Leinart are now entrenched as starters, while Washington's Jason Campbell will likely get to that point soon.

Then there are the quarterbacks who have stepped in at least in part because of injury. Bruce Gradkowski of the Bucs has been OK as starter, but he has played well enough to at least merit a debate as to whether he should be the #1 QB again next year. Harrington and David Garrard of the Jags were inserted partly because of injuries to the opening-day QBs, but are likely to stick in the lineup for the long-term because they've just been plain better than Culpepper and Byron Leftwich respectively.

Now, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady shouldn't be looking over their shoulders, but this season has shown that the level of talent in the NFL, in this case at the quarterback position is so evenly matched, that no starter should take his job for granted, regardless of past accomplishment and/or contract status.

Stop the Madness!

2006-11-23T02:50:00.000-05:00

When did major league baseball GMs and owners decide to go Dan Snyder on us and overpay anyone who's put on a glove? The Cubs paying $136 million for 31 year old-to-be Alfonso Soriano was excessive, but at least he's one of the top offensive forces in the game. The Red Sox paying $51 million just to negotiate with Japanese star pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka is huge, but he's only 26, and if he's as good as everyone says he is, you'd have to consider that a necessary price of doing business.

But the Angels paying $50 million over 5 years for centerfielder Gary Matthews Jr? We need to draw the line here. At this point, you're just throwing your money away. This past season his numbers for Texas were: .313, 19 HR and 79 RBI, and he made his first All-Star Game. Don't get me wrong, he's a good player, but he came up with his career-best numbers in a contract year, and has not had anywhere near the kind of season he had last year at any other time in his career. Wouldn't you think you'd like to have a little less risk in your substantial investment - for example, knowing that he could put together his numbers two years in a row?

What really boggles my mind on this signing is that the Angels could have stuck with their current outfield roster and probably come out even without having had to spend $50 million. Instead of bringing in Matthews, why not give utility-man extraordinaire Chone Figgins a chance to start everyday in center? Figgins is four years younger than Matthews, has a higher career batting average (.285 to Matthews' .263), and gives an added dimension as a real base running threat (52 stolen bases last year to Matthews' 10). While Matthews will likely get you somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 HR and 25 RBIs more than Figgins would provide, in addition to some spectacular defense, is that really worth an additional $10 million per year? I guess the Angels think so, but I don't.

I know that some people will say that a huge part of Figgins' value is in his versatility, but the Angels have young Maicer Izturis looking to emerge at third base, the infield position that Figgins plays most often, along with strong corner outfielders in perennial MVP candidate Vladimir Guerrero and the solid Juan Rivera. Plus, this guy's been bounced around the field enough with nary a complaint the last few years - doesn't the Angels organization at least owe him a well-deserved shot to stick at one position rather than importing an expensive free agent?

MVPs Anonymous

2006-11-22T02:03:00.000-05:00

In a bit of an upset, Justin Morneau, first baseman for the Twins, won the AL MVP today in a close vote over Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter. Morneau, who hit .321 with 34 HR and 130 RBI is probably the most improbable, and for the moment, the most anonymous league MVP of this generation. A native of British Columbia, Canada, Morneau won the award in only his second full season as the Twins starting first baseman. What makes it all the more impressive is that his huge year came after a season in 2005 in which he fell well short of lofty expectations that were heaped upon him.

For Morneau to break through and win the award meant he had to overcome a lack of name recognition that comes his lack of experience and his status as member of a smaller market team in the Twins. And the players he finished above in the voting are about as big-name as they come: Derek Jeter, David Ortiz, and Frank Thomas. Usually in baseball, big names like that end up walking away with the award. The only leauge MVPs in the last 15 years that are comparable in terms of their surprise emergence are Ken Caminiti who won for the Padres in 1996, and Terry Pendleton for the Braves in 1991. But even those two players were more firmly established when they won the honors than Morneau is now.

Maybe the most comparable example to Morneau is Miguel Tejada, who won the AL MVP for Oakland in 2002. His numbers that year are eerily similar to those of Morneau this year - he also had 34 HR with 131 RBI. Both players were the top offensive threats on teams that were not star-studded but were full of good players. And the key thing is that both players played their best during remarkable winning stretches by their teams. You may remember that the A's won 20 games in a row in that 2002 season, and this year's Twins overcame a mediocore April and May to become the hottest team in baseball over the final four months of the season. Both teams won their division in tight races, and as a side note, both teams were upset in the first round of the playoffs - the A's in 2002 by Minnesota, and Minnesota by the A's in 2006 ironically enough.

If anything the MVP results in both leagues this year show that you need a torrid stretch in the back half of the season in addition to solid production throughout the year in order to win the award. This year's two second-place winners, Jeter in the AL and Albert Pujols in the NL, had great overall seasons, but did not have the signature late-season stretch that gave the MVPs to Morneau and Ryan Howard of the Phillies in the NL.

Yet Another Take on a College Football Playoff

2006-11-21T12:17:00.000-05:00

In the aftermath of this weekend's round of games in college football and the subsequent BCS rankings, there's been a firestorm of debate surrounding who should face Ohio State in the national championship game in Glendale, AZ. As it is right now, Michigan remains #2 in the BCS with their one loss, but has a slim lead over #3 USC, who will likely pass the Wolverines if they end up winning their final two games over Notre Dame and UCLA. All the while, fans around the country are putting in their two cents over who should play the Buckeyes in the title game. That all seems a little pointless to me - regardless of who you may want to see in the game, or which matchup might bring in the best ratings, you are going to see the #2 team in the rankings in Glendale. That's why the whole computerized BCS ranking system was put together: to mitigate, at least to a degree, the bias of human subjectivity in determining a national champion. And for the most part, the system in place gets it right.

But there is room for improvement. This year, there is a legitimate argument that Michigan might be a more worthy opponent to Ohio State than USC, which is exceedingly valid given the showing they put up last Saturday in Columbus. The Trojans would say that with only one close loss in their season, why should they be any less entitled to the spot than Michigan is? And the same goes for the SEC champion, whether it be Florida or Arkansas, which will likely end up with only one loss on the season. In my opinion, no other teams this season, merit a discussion. That assumes however that USC beats Notre Dame. If the Irish beat the Trojans, they would replace USC in that foursome deserving a discussion.

My solution: this muddled mess could be cleared up by having a two-round playoff. Having only a pair of semifinals in addition to the championship would remove any gray area around who is worthy enough to have a shot at the title game. In the era of the BCS, there hasn't been a year in which you could legitimately argue for more than four teams (though usually it's no more than three) deserving a shot in the championship game. When unbeaten USC and Oklahoma battled for the title a few years ago, undefeated and #3 Auburn was left in the lurch. With a semifinal game, any debate about Auburn would have been resolved.

Logistically, it's not unreasonable either. It would only be one additional game, so it's not an overwhelming burden on the players as student athletes, especially since the timing of the game would coincide with the start of a new semester, where some leeway is allowable. And think of the ratings bonanza for the TV networks if they had another big-time game to be able to broadcast.

And while a playoff would expose the top team to the possibility of an upset, it's no different than the danger that a top team in any other sport on any level would have to face. And besides, top college football teams are essentially playing in a charged playoff atmosphere every week, where one loss puts you in real jeopardy, and two losses are fatal. With the number of one-loss teams in the mix this year, I think a simple system like this would provide some real clarity.

Sports Illustrated Jinx Strikes Again

2006-11-20T12:28:00.000-05:00

Well, at least it wasn't a devestating, season-ending injury. Just a week ago, when I saw that Roy Hibbert and Jonathan Wallace of the Georgetown Hoyas were on the cover of Sports Illustrated's college basketball preview issue for the Mid-Atlantic region (the cover featuring the pair of Hoyas was one of five versions of SI's preview issue), my first reaction was excitement. Finally, after too many years of blending in with the crowd, my Hoyas were back in the national spotlight on the cover of the country's premier sports magazine.

After crowing about our glorious return to prominence for a bit, a co-worker reminded me to be cautious - if they're on the cover of SI, there's always the possibility of being struck with the infamous SI jinx. Kansas, one of the other teams featured on the cover in other parts of the country, had already been struck, being upset by Oral Roberts.

Last night, Georgetown, playing at McDonough Arena, the rarely-used on-campus arena where they hadn't lost in 24 years, was upset rather handily by little Old Dominion 75-62. Hopefully, any powers of the jinx stop here and we're not in for an extending losing streak or injury to a key player like Hibbert or Jeff Green. More importantly, this game may serve as a wake-up call early in the season for the Hoyas, who have looked surprisingly sluggish in their first three games.

Recapping a Busy Football Weekend

2006-11-20T01:39:00.000-05:00

Now, things are starting to get interesting. If you're a football fan, of both the college and pro game, this is when you can really start discussing the battle for postseason positioning in earnest. With the college football season approaching its final couple of weeks and the NFL season rounding the bend into its final stages, there's hardly a more interesting time to speculate about who'll get in to the desired postseason spots and who'll be left out. With that said, here are some of the biggest stories of the weekend:

- We don't have to speculate about one thing. Ohio State will be playing in the national championship game in January. And boy, good luck stopping that offense. Michigan came into the game riding its reputation as one of the staunchest defensive teams in the country, with a unit full of potential future pros. Whole lot of good that did them on Saturday, when Troy Smith and his arsenal of weapons carved up the Wolverine defense to the tune of 42 points. The offense is so explosive and so varied in its attack, and they have the ideal quarterback in Smith acting as maestro. Another reason why you have to like the Buckeyes' chances regardless of who they play: Ohio State is 4-1 in bowl games under Jim Tressel. He will have his team prepared to play under the brightest of lights.

- The BCS rankings that were released today have Michigan still at #2 over USC, a bit of a surprise. However, don't go thinking that a rematch is certainly in the works. The Wolverines hold a slim .075 margin over USC for the #2 spot, and while Michigan's season is complete, the Trojans still have games against Notre Dame and UCLA. If they win both, they'll likely leapfrog Michigan for #2 and earn the chance to play Ohio State in the title game.

And in the NFL.....

- The Colts were bound to lose some time, and better for them to lose on the road to an NFC opponent, than to a team in their own conference. And while they still have the inside track on homefield advantage throughout the AFC playoffs, they need to figure out a way to improve their rush defense between now and the playoffs, because if they don't, they will be toast, Peyton Manning or not. Looking down the road, they need to hope that they don't face the Chargers in the playoffs because LaDainian Tomlinson could make short work of the Colts defense the way he's playing now.

- Speaking of Tomlinson, there is no doubt that he is the front runner for league MVP at this point in the season. He has 20 touchdowns already, only 10 games into the season, on pace for 32, which would easily surpass the record of 28 TDs set by Shaun Alexander of the Seahawks just last year. The amazing thing is that everyone knows he's going to get the ball in the red zone and he still scores 3 or 4 touchdowns per game. Amazing how 6 years ago, everyone blasted the Chargers for trading the top overall draft pick and the chance to take Michael Vick. Well, all they ended up with was a Hall of Fame-to-be running back in Tomlinson, while Vick is now scrutinized ad nauseum for his quarterbacking style.

- While he won't win the award, it might be time to include San Francisco running back Frank Gore in discussions for league MVP. In the biggest game of the year for the 49ers, he came up huge with 212 yards in a 20-14 upset of the Seahawks. Don't look now, but the young Niners are only a game out of first place and can be considered serious contenders for a playoff spot in the NFC. Gore is leading a talented offensive nucleus that is getting better by the week. He is already over 1,000 yards for the season and is impressively averaging over 5 yards per carry.

And it only gets better from here - 3 games on Thanksgiving and more big-time rivalry games in college football this weekend in addition to the normal NFL action on Sundays.

Schembechler Raised both Michigan and Ohio State

2006-11-18T09:51:00.000-05:00

As if the attention devoted to the Ohio State-Michigan game couldn't get any greater, the hype machine blew a gasket with the passing of the legendary former Wolverines' coach Bo Schembechler. In addition to being a one-of-a-kind coach, Schembechler was also by all accounts a classy and principled man. Out of all the stories I heard yesterday in the coverage of his death, my favorite was one that came not in his role as head football coach, but rather as the athletic director of the school. On the eve of the 1989 NCAA basketball tournament, coach Bill Frieder announced that he had accepted an offer to coach at Arizona State, effective at the end of the tournament. In retrospect, knowing the kind of man Schembechler was, Frieder might have been wise to put off negotiations until after the tournament. Schembechler dismissed Frieder before he got to coach a game in the tournament, saying, ""A Michigan man will coach Michigan, not an Arizona State man." As a result, Steve Fisher was installed as interim coach, and the Wolverines went on to win the title, beating Seton Hall in the final. How many athletic directors put in that situation, knowing how lucrative a deep run in the NCAA Tournament can be, would have made a principled move like that? I can bet that even if the Wolverines had been upset in the first round of the tournament, Schembechler would have been convinced that he had made the right move because loyalty and devotion to Michigan comes before all else.

That episode is indicative of why the school will miss him so much. The man bled Wolverine maize and blue, and was the greatest force behind carving out the identity of Michigan sports, as the powerhouse we know it as today. But lest you think that Ohio State is unaffected by this untimely death, think again. Schembechler started his career as an assistant to another legend, Ohio State's venerable Woody Hayes, and between them, formed a great personal rivalry that added significantly to the luster of the big game.

My feeling is that today, both schools will show the due respect and restraint that is owed to the passing of such a larger-than-life figure. Michigan of course, but I would argue that Ohio State needed Schembechler nearly as much as Michigan did.

The annual Ohio State-Michigan game is one of the truly special events in the pantheon of college sports. We toss around the word "rivalry" often, but with these two foes, the meaning of the word is taken to a whole different level . Every Ohio State and Michigan student is thankful that their two teams have built one of the handful of rivalries that stand out as annual holidays. It is the ultimate showcase for competition and school pride, but that wouldn't have materialized if there wasn't an equally worthy opponent on the opposite sideline. Through their rivalry, each of these schools has been lifted up in a way that would not have been possible otherwise. Any memorable character in literature needs a worthy foil to do battle with, and it's no different in this case. Hayes and Schembechler are the primary men responsible for lifting this game to the holy day of obligation it has become, and for that, every Buckeye and Wolverine should be grateful.

Radio Show tomorrow 6-7pm

2006-11-17T14:08:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow, Saturday the 17th, I'll be doing my second broadcast of my sports talk radio show, also conveniently entitled, "Going Deep," from 6-7pm. How can you listen? Go to ivnet.tv , go to the English language page, and that'll take you to the main broadcast page. To listen, click on the box on the left-hand side that says, "IVNET Radio."

Tomorrow's topics include:

- The Ohio State-Michigan epic
- Longtime Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler's death
- Previewing Sunday's NFL games
- The effect of the Daisuke Matsusaka sweepstakes on the balance of power in the AL East
- Some offbeat stuff, including Emmitt Smith's "Dancing with the Stars" victory

Email me at sami.ghazi@gmail.com if you want to chime in on any or all of these subjects during the show

An Alternate Universe

2006-11-16T20:17:00.000-05:00

It was reported today from multiple sources that Frank Thomas, coming off a monstrous year DHing for the Oakland A's, is close to signing a two-year deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. It was weird enough seeing the Big Hurt suiting up in something other than a Chicago White Sox uniform this past season, but it'll be even more strange to see him wearing Blue Jays colors.

Remember that Seinfeld episode where Elaine makes friends with Bizarro Jerry, George, and Kramer and how disarming that was for everyone in the episode? It's kind of like that for me when I see a great athlete who has been a mainstay with one team for his whole career suddenly jump ship for what is usually a forgettable final couple of years before retirement.

In that vein, here are some of pro sports' most famous examples of legends who seeemed to be misplaced in their new duds:

Joe Namath and Johnny Unitas both were part of one of the most important games in NFL history, Super Bowl III, but later ignominiously played some unceremonious games for West Coast teams, Namath for the Los Angeles Rams, and Unitas with the San Diego Chargers.

Hakeem Olajuwon and Patrick Ewing were rivals from their college days on through to their matchup in the pivot during the 1994 NBA Finals. By the time each of them had migrated north, there were clearly no more Finals appearances in the offing.

Montana to Rice is probably the greatest quarterback to wide receiver combination of all time. But it was that way when they were winning champinships with the 49ers. These two accounted for 4 Super Bowl MVP trophies betwen them in the '80's, none in their post-San Francisco careers.

Presenting your newest "Dancing with the Stars" champion, Emmitt Smith, in an unfamiliar Cardinals red. It seems almost criminal for the NFL's career rushing leader to be associated with the mediocrity of the Cardinals.

And the most surreal image of them all. Michael Jordan, not in a Chicago Bulls jersey, but in that of the Washington Wizards. I'm a Wizards fan, and even to me, it didn't seem quite right. Most Jordan fans (as might MJ himself) will probably choose to forget the couple of playoff-less years in DC.

What do you think? Any more that I've missed?

The Latest Fallout of a Wild Season

2006-11-12T19:41:00.000-05:00

Another week, and yet another reshuffling of the rankings in college football. After this week's slate of upsets, it has become abundantly clear that if your team is hovering around the Top 10, it will have a chance to contend for the national championship. This week, 4 Top 10 teams lost - Louisville, Texas, Auburn, and Cal - opening the door right back up for teams like USC and Notre Dame, whose championship hopes were seemingly dashed after their sole losses. And other one-loss teams who seemed like longshots to be title game contenders, Arkansas and Rutgers, are now #5 and #7 respectively in the AP rankings. It wouldn't take much for either of those two to get into the national championship game. Here's why:

- USC and Notre Dame (at #4 and #6 respectively) still play each other, meaning that one of those two is guaranteed to have 2 losses.

-Besides playing Notre Dame, USC has 2 more tough games left, with Cal and archrival UCLA. At least one more loss is not unreasonable for the Trojans.

- The loser of Ohio State-Michigan is likely out of the running (despite the fact that the loser still might be the second best team in the country, but that's another matter).

- And for Arkansas, if things continue the way they are right now, a matchup with Florida in the SEC title game is on the horizon. Florida is at #3, but if the Razorbacks win, they will certainly pass them in the BCS standings.

Arkansas would appear to have the inside track on a title game spot if they take care of their own business and USC loses one more time. Rutgers needs more help to get in. They also need to win out - no small task considering West Virginia is still on the schedule - and they need Arkansas, Florida, USC, and Notre Dame to lose.

The fact that we're talking about these two teams as viable opponents to the Big Ten winner in the championship game is probably the most prominent story in this season full of surprises and oddities. Other highlights of the season:

- Two 1 vs. 2 matchups in one year. Ohio State and Texas squared off early in the season, and now the Buckeyes and archrival Michigan are ready to do battle this Saturday in the certainly the most anticipated regular season game of the year - perhaps of the millennium.

- The lack of a dominant player in Heisman discussions. Unless he goes belly up against the Wolverines on Saturday, Buckeyes QB Troy Smith likely has the trophy wrapped up. And despite his acheivements - quarterbacking the #1 team in the country, solid stats, and his playing his biggest game of the year against his toughest opponent so far in Texas - he has not had that transcendent year that you often see from a Heisman winner. It's certainly a big change from last year, when you had uber-talents Reggie Bush, Vince Young, and Matt Leinart at the top of the ballots.

- The resurgence of the Big East. This year, the top three teams - Louisville, Rutgers, and West Virginia, have all been mentioned at one point or another as national championship contenders, with the Scarlet Knights garnering the talk now.

- The major thud of the long-time giants, Florida State and Miami. Remember when the mathup between these two teams to start off this year was considered a gem of an early season game? Yeah, seems like a long time ago to me too. The 5-5 Hurricanes have a had an absolutely retchid season, with their very average performance on the field just one of their lowlights that include the past week's shooting death of D-lineman Bryan Pata and the infamous brawl against Florida International. The Seminoles, another 5-5 team, have had to endure calls for legendary coach Bobby Bowden to resign.

The ups and downs of the year have made for an amazingly interesting season, one of the most unique in recent memory. Here's hoping the excitement continues on into the bowl season.

Handicapping the Rest of the NFL Season

2006-11-04T17:09:00.000-05:00

With the NFL season half over, there are very few certainties present. You can count on one hand the number of teams that are locks to make the playoffs. The interesting thing is the number of first place teams in the NFL that are on shaky ground when it comes to maintaining their current standing.

First, I give you the teams that will make the playoffs, guaranteed: Chicago, Indianapolis, and New England. That's it. The other five divisions are so bunched up, it's hard to make sense of anything.

NFC East:
New York: 5-2
Dallas: 4-3
Philadelphia: 4-4

NFC South:
New Orleans: 5-2
Atlanta: 5-2
Carolina: 4-4

NFC West:
Seattle: 4-3
St. Louis: 4-3

AFC South:
Baltimore: 5-2
Cincinnati: 4-3

AFC West:
San Diego: 5-2
Denver: 5-2
Kansas City: 4-3

And that doesn't include a couple of other contenders, Minnesota and Jacksonville (both at 4-3), the Jets at 4-4, and included in this conversation only because they're the defending champions, Pittsburgh, at 2-5.

So, who are going to be the 9 other teams to join Chicago, Indianapolis, and New England in the playoffs? Let's start by getting the easy ones out of the way.

Had Their Chance, Blew It:
- St.Louis could be 6-1 right now, with a three game lead on Seattle with a chance to make it insurmountable with Matt Hasselbeck and Shaun Alexander out for the Seahawks. Instead they stand at 4-3, tied with the 'Hawks for the division lead, having lost games against a bad 49er team and blown a two touchdown halftime lead against Seattle at home. And their upcoming schedule is rough, with the Chiefs, Panthers, Bears, and a rematch with the Seahawks still to go.

-As if it wasn't bad enough already for the Steelers, they get the Broncos next. Even if Pittsburgh rallies in the next stretch of games, their final three games will likely spell their doom given their small margin for error: at Carolina, Baltimore, and at Cincinnati.

-The Eagles could be 7-1 by now, and probably should be at least 6-2. But they've had a rough time of it with the close game, losing tough ones in the final seconds to New Orleans, Tampa Bay, and the Giants. The first half of the season was their chance to sprint out in front and build a cushion to prepare themselves for a tough second half of the season. Now, only at .500 with two teams ahead of them in the NFC East, the playoffs are looking more and more like a distant shot.

Pencil Them In, but Have an Eraser Ready:
- Given the weakness of the NFC West, the tough schedule of their only real challenger in the Rams, and six more winnable games on paper left on the schedule, the Seahawks should be making their fourth consecutive trip to the playoffs this year. If they're able to get Hasselbeck and Alexander healthy and going, the defending NFC champs could be a darkhorse contender to go deep into the playoffs.

-Minnesota has been one of the surprises of the year, and throwing out their awful performance against New England last Monday night, have been in every game they've played. This is a team that is not likely to go into a prolonged slump given their steady running game, solid run defense, smart quarterback in Brad Johnson, and the great attitude their new coach, Brad Childress has brought. And the rest of the season is full of winnable games - this could be an 11-win team by season's end.

-The Giants have a famously difficult schedule they've had to and will continue to have to surmount. But so far, that hasn't seemed to faze Big Blue, as they've gone to a 5-2 start, with a 3-0 record in the division. And the remaining games against their top divisional competition, Philadelphia and Dallas, both will be at home in December when the winds at the Meadowlands will be at their fiercest. To top it off, this team has shown that no lead is safe for the opponent, with the ability to come back from anything. New York is a team to be feared, and by season's end, it could be the main threat to knock out the Bears in the playoffs.

-It remains to be seen how they'll finish in their own division, and how they'll get through the upcoming 4 game stretch without their star, Shawne Merriman, but the Chargers have too much talent to miss the playoffs for a second consecutive year. They're 5-2 with a Hall of Fame runner in LaDanian Tomlinson, an ever-improving quarterback in Philip Rivers, and a great defense. The real question is whether coach Marty Schottenheimer's conservative approach will doom them if they play enough close games, but that doesn't usually hurt his teams until the playoffs.

-The Broncos' defense probably isn't as good as their remarkable showing the first 6 games of the season, but it's definately not as bad as it was during their close loss to the Peyton Mannings (er, I mean Colts) last week. Jake Plummer is hearing it from his critics this year, and deservedly so. However, Denver can run and play defense, which should be enough to get them into the playoffs in spite of Plummer's unpredictability.

And now, some tougher choices:

Close But No Cigar:
-Nobody expected the Jets to be at .500 at the midway point in the season this year under a rookie coach. So for that, they deserve a lot of credit. And looking at their schedule, a 9-7 finish looks very possible. The problem with that is 9-7 might not be good enough to make the playoffs in the AFC this year. So far, they've beaten the teams they should beat, (excluding last week's defeat to the Browns), but they're probably not ready yet to go get that tough win or two that propels them into the playoffs.

-You just never know what to expect from the Jaguars. Sometimes, they'll wow you with their defense and a run or two from their rookie star, Maurice Jones-Drew. But they're also capable of some bad losses, as their drubbing to the Texans from a couple of weeks ago shows. And now, there's quarterback uncertainty, with David Garrard filling in for "injured" Byron Leftwich, which may just be a not-so-subtle ploy to bench Leftwich. Neither of the quarterbacks though, strike me as able to lead the team into the playoffs this year given the tough competition in the conference.

-I get the feeling that the Bengals this year are going to end up the way the Chargers did last year, the infamous "best team not to make the playoffs." I don't know if it's the off-the-field problems, or Carson Palmer isn't quite himself again yet, but this does not seem like the same team that looked so promising in the first three games of the season. And their schedule is absolutely murderous down the stretch - they still have both games against Baltimore, and to end the season, at Indianapolis, at Denver, and at home against Pittsburgh.

Should Make It, But Not a Lock:
-Everybody loves the Saints these days. They're the feel-good story of the NFL and they're sitting on top of the NFC South after 7 games. They've certainly proven that they can beat good teams and they appear to be benefitting from the fresh start they're getting with new coach Sean Payton. They have a solid, consistent offense - you know what you're going to get from Drew Brees, Deuce McAllister, and Joe Horn. And add in arguably the two best offensive rookies of the year in Reggie Bush and WR Marques Colston, and this is a team that will put up points. I like this team to win the NFC South over the Falcons and Panthers.

-The Ravens are surprisingly sitting on top of the AFC North, and I think they'll be able to maintain their lead on through to the end of the season. The defense is as good as ever, and I think Brian Billick taking control of the offense is a good thing. Don't forget that Billick headed some of the most awesome offenses in NFL history when he was the offense coordinator of the Vikings back in the late '90's. His creative playcalling may be what's missing to make the Ravens' offense respectable. The unforseen struggles of the Bengals and Steelers don't hurt either.

-Kansas City is surging right now, playing surprisingly good offensively under backup QB Damon Huard. At this point, it may be Huard's job to lose even when regualar starter Trent Green comes back. If I was coach Herman Edwards, I would keep Huard in there and maintain the momentum the team has built over the last several weeks. What may put them over the top and into the playoffs in the end is the fact that they play most of their remaining tough games at home in fearsome Arrowhead - Denver, Baltimore, and Jacksonville. They have San Diego on the road in mid-December, but the rest of their road games are eminently winnable.

-I'm really hesitant about this pick, but I'm going to go with the Falcons as my last NFC playoff team over the Panthers and Cowboys. Michael Vick is furiously inconsistent, but they can run the ball with the best of them with their three-headed monster of Warrick Dunn, Jerious Norwood, and Vick. But why do the Falcons get the edge? Among these three evenly-matched teams, the Falcons get first the Cowboys, then the Panthers at home in the third and second-to-last games of the season respectively.

So, after all that, here are my projected playoff seedings as I see it now:

NFC:

1. Chicago
2. New York
3. New Orleans
4. Seattle
5. Minnesota
6. Atlanta

AFC:

1. Indianapolis
2. New England
3. San Diego
4. Baltimore
5. Denver
6. Kansas City

Louisville, West Virginia in it for the Long Haul

2006-11-02T22:47:00.000-05:00

Last night, Louisville beat West Virginia at home 44-34 at home to get a leg up on the competition in chase to face the Ohio St.-Michigan winner in the BCS title game in January. This might have been the most interesting game of the year in college football - though not the best, given the mistakes that West Virginia made that killed their chances. I'll admit, that there was a curiousity factor built in to this matchup that was the main reason that I tuned in, rather than the mere fact that these are two of the best teams in the country squaring off. I won't be as interested in Ohio St.-Michigan in a couple of weeks. That's old hat. There was an excitement, a freshness, a hunger permeating through this matchup that made it all the juicier. Could it really be that these two teams, both of the formerly beleaguered Big East, and both holding a top-5 ranking were meeting to decide in all likelihood, a spot in the national championship game?

These two teams? Well, believe it, and believe that they will be around for the long haul. And while teams have cycles with up seasons and down seasons, the Cardinals and Mountaineers appear primed to maintain and build upon their success for the forseeable future. Here are the reasons why according to how I see it:

The coaches: Rich Rodriguez of West Virginia and Bobby Petrino of Louisville are two of the brightest stars in the college football coaching galaxy, and as long as they keep that up, there will always be some speculation about the possibility of their leaving for "greener pastures," places with more prestige and more football history. Here's why I don't think that will happen.

In Rodriguez's case, there's rarely been a man more suited to coach a particular team than he is for the Mountaineers. The man was raised on Mountaineer football growing up in West Virginia, and later went on to play under Don Nehlen there in the early '80's. Now, this is pure speculation on my part, but I think that if Miami does indeed fire their coach Larry Coker at the end of this season, a logical person to look at as a replacement is Rodriguez. But Miami these days is not looking like the most desirable place to go coach, and besides, do you think Rodriguez would be able to look at himself in the mirror if he left West Virginia for a former Big East rival in the Hurricanes?

For Petrino, the lure would more likely be the NFL. His creative offensive mind is a seductive lure for a lot of pro teams, and he does have NFL experience, having been on the Jaguars coaching staff during the hey day of Mark Brunell. But leaving college for the NFL just never works - and if anything confirms it, it's the struggles of Dolphins coach Nick Saban, who was seen as the one man who might be able to reverse that trend.

Plus, the both of them have teams on the rise, on the verge of becoming perennial national powers. They can become legends at their respective universities, and in the process, develop college football's next great rivalry in the remade Big East. The reasons to stay are too good for them to be leaving any time soon.

Street cred: It's not enough to be a good solid program when recruiting hot shot high school kids. You have to be able to say you can hang with the big boys of college football, the "name brand" schools that everyone knows and deifies. Both Louisville and West Virginia have two recent signature wins against those kinds of elite schools. Louisville earlier this year humiliated Miami, way back when the Hurricanes were ranked. Yeah, Miami's having a rough year, but that doesn't matter in this case - you beat Miami, and you have made it a step further with that recruit who has grown up watching the Hurricanes dominate. It's a major statement that the Cardinals made.

The Mountaineers got their win in last year's Sugar Bowl, beating (and doing so with a lot more ease than the final score indicated) an SEC team in the Georgia Bulldogs. Not only did West Virginia beat a team from the revered SEC, they did it on a grand stage in a game no one expected them to win, and in front of a hostile crowd in Atlanta, that was dramatically pro-Georgia.

Precedence: The emergence of these two schools reminds me a lot of the rise of another former Big East team, Virginia Tech, in the late '90's. The Hokies had always been a solid program under coach Frank Beamer, but they were just that, and never were seen as elite. Then came the Michael Vick's magical freshman year when he took them to a surprise appearance in the National Championship game against mighty Florida State. Most people expected the Hokies to get run off the field, but they held their own, even taking a brief lead on the Seminoles in the second half. They eventally lost the game, but the point was proven: Virginia Tech can play with anyone, and they have been consistently been regarded as among the nation's elite ever since.

Again here, we have two slightly disrespected teams because of their Big East background. But let the Hokies be a guide, either of these teams are worthy of playing for a national championship, and hopefully, we'll get to see Louisville get its chance this year.