NCAA First Weekend Wrapup

By admin | Published March 20, 2012

 

The first weekend of the NCAA tournament is over.  We’ve seen two number 15 seeds advance, several of the powerhouse schools coast, and two teams from Wisconsin make the Sweet Sixteen.  That last one was my own personal cheesehead bias.  Regardless of who you root for, the first weekend proved once again why college basketball is king when it comes to the post season.

The “one and done” format of the NCAA tournament makes college basketball the most compelling post season in sports.  This year, Lehigh upset Duke, and something called Norfolk State stunned Missouri.  The latter punched a huge whole in this writer’s bracket.  Although the higher seed wins most of the time, upsets happen.   Smaller automatic qualifying schools reside in the fact that they only need to play better than a big school for 40 minutes.   The larger school is most certainly more talented.  In a three or five game series, the chalk wins every time.  But playoff series are for the NBA.   College basketball embraces a single elimination tournament.  It’s this format that makes college basketball in March so popular.

As a college basketball fan, there is nothing better than the first Thursday and Friday of the NCAA tournament.  Each day sees a total of 16 games on the schedule.  In the past, fans needed to purchase a special television package to watch every game.  However, for the last two years, CBS partnered with TNT, TBS and TruTV to provide all games as part of the viewer’s normal cable or satellite package.  While it’s unclear what prompted this change, it has been nothing short of a success.  Giving viewers the ability to choose the game that most interests them is a model that should be considered by all sports.

Each year there are a number of intriguing story lines that surface with the NCAA tournament.  This year was no different.  Among the best stories was that of Purdue’s Robbie Hummel.  Set aside the fact that a 23 year old man goes by “Robbie”, and you have a great story of perseverance.  Hummel, who broke a vertebrae in his back during his sophomore season, tore the ACL in his right knee not once, but twice.   The second injury came in Perdue’s first practice of the 2010 season.  Hummel had just finished the rehabilitation from the FIRST injury. He came back from each of those setbacks to finish his career with 1772 points, 862 rebounds, and 268 assists.  Hummel was also named to the All Big Ten First Team by both the coaches and writers.  Despite the fact that he scored 22 points in the first half alone, the fifth year senior’s career ended with a loss to Kansas in the third round of the NCAA tournament.  Hummel was emotional as the end of his college basketball journey came to close.  Someday, the Valparaiso native will look back on his time at Purdue and fully realize all that he overcame just to stay on the court.

The first weekend wrapped up late Sunday night with a fantastic game between the Florida State Seminoles and Bearcats of Cincinnati.  The Bearcats, as you may recall, were involved in an ugly brawl earlier in the season with Xavier.   Their coach, Mick Cronin, reportedly was so incensed with the behavior of his team that he physically removed the jerseys of some of the players involved.  It was probably the low point in the season for each team, not to mention the NCAA.  However, Cincinnati pulled out a thrilling victory against Florida State.  Both Xavier and Cincinnati have now advanced to the Sweet Sixteen as well as Ohio University and North Carolina State.  All four number one seeds have also advanced.  With any luck, next weekend’s games will be just as exciting as the first weekend’s were.  There is only one question remaining: Is it Thursday yet?

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NCAA Tournament Automatic Qualifiers

By admin | Published March 8, 2012

The NCAA tournament is again upon us.  A field of 68 teams is reduced to 2 for the championship game on April 2nd.  Each team that makes the tournament has hopes of reaching that final game.  Some have a better chance than others.  Some teams are the perennial favorites.  Some have a chance to pull off an upset.  Yet others have virtually no chance at all of winning a game.  Then why are they even invited? 

Since 1985, the 14, 15 and 16th seeds are a combined 22-86.  18 of those 22 wins were by the 13 seed.  The 16th seed has NEVER won in the NCAA tournament.  The furthest that any of these seeds have advanced is the Regional Semifinals.  Who are these teams?  How about East Tennessee State, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Morgan State, Radford, Chattanooga, Portland State, and Mississippi Valley State.  And you wonder why these teams haven’t won.  There are more syllables in their names than there are ‘W’s in the left hand column. 

The lower seeds are nothing more than fish bait for the powerhouse schools.  They are the reward for the Kentucky’s and North Carolina’s earning a number one seed.  That’s why there will continue to be spots allocated for these automatic qualifiers.  These schools from the smaller conferences that are “just happy to be here”.  This is why a 16 seed will never upset a 1 seed. 

Now, if the NCAA did away with automatic qualifiers and allowed more mediocre schools from the larger conferences to be invited to the tournament, that big upset might happen.  Every year a highly ranked team gets dumped by an unranked team in conference play.  This is because even the worst team in a large conference has more talent than the best school in a smaller conference.  Granted, talent does not equate to winning, but it’s definitely a good start.  Having more schools from the larger conferences would only serve to make the NCAA tournament more interesting.  What’s more appealing? A first round matchup between number 1 seed Duke and number 16 seed Arkansas?  Or Duke taking on Southern University as it did in 2006? 

Whatever the case, college basketball fans will tune this March as they have in previous years.  Some small school from a largely unknown conference will be paired up with the Kentucky Wildcats.  The game will be neck and neck for the first minute or two.  Then Kentucky blows out the underdogs by halftime and advances to the next round.  But what if Kentucky lost?  Nah………..

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Trade Rajon Rondo?……no way

By admin | Published March 5, 2012

RondoYesterday, Rajon Rondo did what only two other players in the last 25 NBA seasons have done.  Rondo became the third player to record at least 15 points, rebounds and assists in one game.  By recording 18 points, 17 rebounds and 20 assists, the Celtics point guard entered into the company of Magic Johnson and Jason Kidd.  Both players achieved the feat on two occasions.  Rondo is averaging 14.3 points, 10.2 assists and 5.4 rebounds this season. Yet, as the NBA trade deadline approaches, rumors of a swap involving Rondo continue to fill media reports.

Trade Rondo?  Are you kidding me?  Trade Garnett. Trade Ray Allen.  They’re both getting older and their contributions have become more inconsistent every season.  Trade Jajuan Johnson, E’Twaun Moore or Brandon Bass.  Heck, trade Greg Stiemsma.  But trade Rajon Rondo? The sixth year player out of Kentucky has become the best player on the team.  Paul Pierce may be a better scorer, but Rondo’s contributions across the board are irreplaceable.  Who would play point guard?  Doc Rivers?  The aforementioned Boston coach has publicly said Rondo will be a Celtic come season’s end.  General Manager Danny Ainge has said that the Celtics are not “actively trying to trade Rondo.”  However, Ainge also said that “he wouldn’t turn down a trade that made the Celtics better.” 

Could the root of Rajon Rondo’s trade rumors be a poor locker room demeanor?  There have been rumblings of a moody player who is difficult to deal with.  So what.  Run down this year’s All Star roster and you could probably dig up a negative locker room story on most of them.  Rondo nearly averaged a triple double in the 2009 playoffs.  A triple double.  From a 6’1 point guard.  Magic Johnson nearly averaged a triple double in the playoffs several times in his career.  Of course, the great Oscar Robertson averaged a triple double in the 1961-62 season.  These are two of the greatest players of all time.  That’s the level that we are talking about here. 

Now before we anoint Rondo as one of the greatest ever, he’s got to maintain his production over the course of a long career.  Undoubtedly, he has a long way to go.  But to trade a cornerstone of the legendary Celtic franchise is almost unthinkable.  Rondo may be tough player to deal with on a personal level.  I’m not in the locker room, so I can’t say for sure.  But if I’m the coach or general manager of this team, I’d put up with quite a bit of “moodiness” to receive this type of production from my point guard.

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Gus Johnson

By admin | Published March 1, 2012

Gus JohnsonGus Johnson. Where do I begin? Any sports fan can recognize his calls. Type ‘Gus Johnson’ into your favorite search engine and you could kill a morning watching his clips. You could also recreate any of his moments in broadcasting by simply opening your bedroom window and screaming to world outside. It doesn’t necessarily have to be clear, as Johnson rarely is. Just let it rip.

Johnson has been calling NCAA games for CBS since 1995. He has called NFL football since the late 90’s, as well as various other sporting events. One thing remains constant through all of Johnson’s work: He goes way overboard. It’s not just the game winning shot with 2 seconds on the clock. It’s the three pointer in the middle of the second quarter. The fourth quarter touchdown in a blowout NFL game. The trainer taping up the backup point guard’s ankle. It doesn’t matter. If it’s sports and Johnson is on the call, it will be loud…..and usually completely obnoxious. The guy would get excited calling a wedding buffet line.
“The bride goes for the red potatoes. NO!! SHE DROPS THE SERVING SPOON!! SHE’S GOING FOR THE WILD RICE!! AMAZING! WHAT CAN’T THIS GIRL DO!?!??!”

Gus Johnson is a parody of himself. He’s a real life caricature of a professional sports broadcaster. If Saturday Night Live wrote a sketch to poke fun at announcers, it would be based on a character exactly like Johnson. He has developed a persona and is running with it. To Johnson’s credit, it seems to be working. Johnson now calls college basketball for the Big Ten Network. He’s been featured on the popular Comedy Center show, Tosh.0. That said, it is what it is…..an act. Johnson’s brand of broadcasting is simple. Turn the volume up as high as it can go and go nuts. When he first broke into the national spotlight, it seemed genuine. As Johnson’s body of work has grown, it is apparent that he will continue to make very common sports moments into overblown YouTube clips. He’s not promoting the players or the games themselves. Gus Johnson is promoting himself.

Gus Johnson will continue to call sporting events. The NCAA tournament is a few weeks away. He will scream his way through layups and blocked shots. A walk on for a 12 seed might do something “UNBELIEVABLE”. Heaven forbid he catches game winner in there, too. If one of Johnson’s games reaches overtime, get your ear plugs ready. March Madness is here. Gus Johnson is on the mike. Grab your remote. Hit mute. Pray he loses his voice in the first weekend.

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Danica Patrick…..

By admin | Published February 28, 2012

Danica PatrickIt’s not Danica Patrick’s fault. If someone handed you the keys to the car (pun intended), and told you to give it a go, you would too. Especially for the amount of money that she is earning for the ordeal. As popular as NASCAR is, they still needed a face to appeal to the mainstream. Why not Patrick? She’s pretty, obviously has been well coached in media relations, and actually has driven a car. Unfortunately, Patrick’s performance on the track doesn’t measure up to the circus that surrounds her.

Monday night’s Daytona 500, delayed from the usual Sunday afternoon start because of weather, featured a second lap crash and safety vehicle fire that spilled 200 gallons of jet fuel onto the racing surface. Following a two hour delay after the fire to clean up the track, Matt Kenseth emerged as the race winner. Patrick, who was involved in the second lap crash, finished 38th. David Stremme finished one spot ahead of Patrick in 37th place. Why did I mention Stremme, who earned just under a million dollars in 2011? Because no one else did! Every story about the Daytona 500 mentioned Kenseth, the winner; various top 5 finishers, and Patrick.

The rain delay on Sunday afternoon attracted more viewers than the NBA All-Star Game, a Big Ten basketball game between Ohio State and Wisconsin, and the World Golf Championships. NASCAR is not hurting for viewership. However, it has hitched its wagon to marketing creation rather than a bonafide driver. Apparently, the Earnhardts, Johnsons, and Stewarts of the sport do not warrant as much attention as Patrick. Granted, no one is clamoring to see Tony Stewart in a swimsuit. But he is a three-time Sprint Cup Series champion. Danica Patrick is a spokesperson for several NASCAR sponsors. Open any sports website that mentions NASCAR and you will invariably see Patrick’s ad for Nationwide Insurance. As in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. GoDaddy.com is all over every NASCAR telecast. Patrick drives the GoDaddy.com car.

NASCAR cannot be faulted for elevating Patrick above more deserving drivers. Like everything in life, it all comes down to money. Other drivers must roll their eyes as countless promotions feature Patrick. Their stomachs must turn as they see billboards with her likeness. She will never be a quality NASCAR driver. What she will be is the force that keeps NASCAR in the media spotlight. Those other drivers had better stop by her garage to offer their thanks. But they don’t have to like it.

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So the Arbitrator ruled………..

By admin | Published February 24, 2012

Ryan BraunThe arbitration panel has decided, by a 2-1 vote, that Milwaukee Brewers leftfielder, Ryan Braun, will not be suspended for 50 games this season. The final decision was based, not upon a false positive test, but on the mishandling of Braun’s test sample. The person in charge of obtaining the sample and sending it to the laboratory for analysis, did not ship the sample immediately. Instead, he took it home and left it in his refrigerator for the weekend before sending via FedEx on the following Monday. This, in the eyes of independent arbitrator, Shyam Das, created a lapse in the chain of custody. Das then ruled in favor of Braun and broke a 1-1 tie.
Braun has now reported to the Brewers Spring Training facility in Maryvale, Arizona. The ruling now leaves him free to prepare for the 2012 season with his teammates. However, the ruling in favor of Braun was based on a technicality. It does not mean that his sample was negative for an elevated level of testosterone. It only means that proper procedure was not followed. Social media exploded late Thursday when the news broke. “Exonerated”. “Not guilty”. “Cleared”. “Innocent”. These words couldn’t be further from the truth. We may never know what caused Braun’s sample to show a positive test. A “lapse in the chain of custody” is akin to a police officer mishandling a key piece of evidence. Truthfully, the public should not have known that his sample tested positive in the first place. The results were supposed to be kept confidential. That issue lies between Major League Baseball, Braun and his legal team.
There are rumors that a medication Braun was taking caused the positive test. Braun stated in his press conference that he has never had an STD. But honestly, what would he say? “Yeah, I’ve got an STD and I take a medication that caused the positive test.” He doesn’t have to address that topic. Braun can maintain that the testing process was flawed and that a breach in the chain of custody was the reason for the ruling in his favor. He doesn’t have to explain what caused the positive test. When the person who collected Braun’s specimen failed to follow the proper procedure in getting the sample to the lab in Montreal, it created loophole that Braun’s legal team took full advantage of. There is only one person who knows the truth in this situation. Fortunately for the Brewers and their fans, he is batting third and playing left field.

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Ryan Braun….Did He or Didn’t He???

By admin | Published February 19, 2012

Braun, MVP
A little more than two months ago, the news broke that National League MVP Ryan Braun tested positive for a banned substance. The hearts of Milwaukee Brewer fans collectively sank. Prior to the “official” announcement on ESPN, rumors and speculations began swirling on social media outlets. Could the first Brewer player to be named MVP since Robin Yount in 1989 be using steroids? He didn’t really cheat, did he? This has to be a mistake. There’s no way he would take something to enhance his performance. Braun had always seemed like clean cut player who did (and said) everything right.
There is no doubt that Braun has awesome natural ability. He’s a natural athlete. He owns one of the sweetest swings in the game today. From the time that Braun was inserted into the starting lineup, he has arguably been the best most productive player on the Brewer’s roster. Paired with Prince Fielder, who has since departed for the Detroit Tigers, Braun has been named an All-Star in each of the last four seasons. He moved from third base to left field; where he has proved to be serviceable as a defensive player. However, all that being said, Braun sported a noticeable larger physique in 2011.
Throughout his major league career, Braun has always been lean and muscular. Prior to the 2011 season, it was reported that Braun spent part of his off season training with former teammate and renowned workout fanatic Gabe Kapler. While working out with “The Body” doesn’t necessarily cement Braun’s guilt, it certainly adds some fuel to the fire. With a heightened focus on performance enhancing drugs in today’s sports, any story of a player adding off season muscle undoubtedly will raise a few eyebrows. Toss in a positive test for a banned substance, and it certainly seems plausible that Braun is guilty.
Braun has vehemently proclaimed his innocence. He claims that “highly unusual circumstances” contributed to the positive test. It’s possible that Braun had taken something that triggered a false positive. It’s also possible that Braun’s people have discovered a loophole in the system. As the Milwaukee Brewers await the results of the appeal hearing, they must prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Their chances in the National League Central hinge on the status of their starting leftfielder. Having to replace Ryan Braun for the first 50 games of the season will certainly put a dent in the club’s chances of repeating as Division Champions. Without Braun in the lineup, the Brewers must rely on strong pitching and defense to stay afloat until he returns. The hope would be that when Braun does return, he will add the offensive spark that’s akin to acquiring a player via trade midway through the season.
The shock that was felt in Milwaukee back in December has worn off. As pitchers and catchers have now reported to Maryvale for Spring Training, the 2012 version of the Milwaukee Brewers will begin to take shape. Every season has its ups and downs. Players are injured, go through slumps and don’t live up to potential. The pending absence of Ryan Braun will certainly force the Brewer to begin the season in a hole. If the team can persevere through a Braun suspension, it may develop the toughness required to make a run deep into the playoffs. Or, the upward climb may be so steep that even the addition of an MVP cannot turn the tide.

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Jeremy Lin

By admin | Published February 13, 2012

Jeremy Lin
Jeremy Lin has taken the NBA and more specifically the city of New York by storm. He’s quickly becoming the NBA’s version of Tim Tebow. Talented? Yes. Likeable? Yes? In a little over his head? He’s on the verge of drowning. Look out Jeremy Lin. The road ahead will not be paved in gold; or at least Knickerbocker blue and orange. We’re talking about New York. As fast as the love affair with Lin developed, it can and will fall apart if he can’t keep up the torrid pace.
Lin has been nothing short of spectacular. In his last five games, Jeremy Lin is averaging 26.8 points, 8 assists, and 4.2 rebounds. These numbers place him among the NBA’s upper echelon during that stretch. But, pull back the reins a little. The sample size is five games. Many players have had similar stretches during their NBA careers. Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Clyde Drexler, Jay Humphries. I had to throw Humphries in for comedic effect. There is no denying that Lin has performed well. However, let’s revisit his stat line in a month. Then we can put his picture on the side of Madison Square Garden.
It has been well documented that Lin’s recent success has occurred while two Knick superstars have been absent. Carmelo Anthony has been sidelined with a groin injury and Amare Stoudemire has missed games due to the death of his brother. Once these players return to the lineup, the true test for Knick’s coach Mike D’Antoni will be to mesh the returning players with Lin. Anthony, ever the black hole with the ball in his hands, will struggle with this more than Stoudemire. Stoudamire played under D’Antoni in Phoenix where he was paired with Steve Nash. If the three can coexist, New York might be on to something. If not, Knick fans will sour on Lin like they have on other players who have not delivered the goods.
The city of New York is starving for a return to NBA glory. The Big Apple has seen success in the other major sports. The Giants just won the Super Bowl for the second time in five years. The Yankees are a perennial baseball superpower. Even the Rangers have had success in recent years. That said, the Knicks have not finished above .500 in more than a decade. The addition of Anthony and Stoudemire was supposed to restore the franchise to NBA prominence. Yet, it has been Jeremy Lin who has created the buzz in Madison Square Garden. It remains to be seen if the Harvard grad can continue his rise in the NBA. Remember that this is the same Jeremy Lin who was on the verge of being cut by the Knicks a few weeks ago. However this storyline plays out, one thing is certain: Jeremy Lin has made a name for himself. It’s how Knick fans remember that name five years from now that is the real question.

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Eli Manning…..Not Elite just yet

By admin | Published February 10, 2012

Eli ManningThe Giants run to the Super Bowl and their victory over the New England Patriots has spurred debate among sports talk radio across the country. Is Wes Welker the next Bill Buckner after his fourth quarter drop? Should the Patriots have let the Giants score earlier on that last drive to allow themselves more time for a comeback drive? Are Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning worthy of election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame? Should Tom Brady’s supermodel wife keep her opinions to herself? But one topic is much more outrageous than any of the rest: Is Eli Manning now a better quarterback than his brother Peyton? You’re kidding me, right? Peyton Manning. Doctor of Football? The man who can surgically dissect a defense while essentially serving as Offensive Coordinator? That Peyton Manning?
Peyton Manning has been the best quarterback in the National Football League for the past decade. He is the active leader in touchdown passes (399), passing yards (54,828), passing attempts (7,210) and completions (4,682). Manning has only thrown more than 20 interceptions in a season twice in his career. He threw 28 interceptions in 1998 and 23 in 2001. The 1998 rookie year total was only season in which Peyton Manning threw more interceptions than touchdown passes. So Peyton Manning is the second best quarterback in his family? Maybe in the 2011 season……when he was sidelined with an injury.
A comparison of the brothers Manning reveals that Peyton is superior to Eli in almost every statistical category. Over the first 8 seasons of their careers, Peyton tops little brother Eli in attempts, completions, passing yards, touchdown passes, passing yards per game, completion percentage, quarterback rating, and even rushing touchdowns. Eli threw one less interception over that span; however, he also fumbled 68 times to Peyton’s 43. Eli does lead Peyton in Super Bowl wins and Super Bowl MVP’s 2 to 1, however, older brother was named NFL MVP twice in his first 8 years in the league. Statistically, there is clearly no comparison. There is one Manning who has ruled in the NFL.
We live in a society that bases our opinions on the here and now. Eli Manning is the “now”. His playoff run is fresh in the minds of sports fans. However, if Tom Brady had pulled off an amazing fourth quarter comeback, we would be comparing Brady to Peyton Manning. Eli would be chastised for burning two timeouts during the second half of the Super Bowl. Eli Manning had a great 2011 season. He might be turning the corner to becoming an “elite” quarterback. However, let’s not forget that it was only one year ago that Eli threw 25 interceptions.
It’s a little too early to book Eli Manning’s ticket to Canton. Yes, he has won 2 Super Bowls. Then again, so did Jim McMahon. (Albeit one as a backup with the 1996 Green Bay Packers) The list of Super Bowl winning quarterbacks includes some of the greatest passers in the history of the NFL (Montana, Aikman, Bradshaw). However, it also includes Doug Williams, Jeff Hostetler, and Brad Johnson. Eli Manning may continue to improve and eventually pass his brother in terms of elite status. However, right now Peyton is the best quarterback at the Manning family dinner table. But don’t forget about father, Archie. The eldest Manning eclipses his boys in one category…..sacks. Archie Manning went down 396 times in his career. At least Peyton and Eli have something to shoot for.

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Gronkowski is a dancing machine

By admin | Published February 7, 2012

Check out Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski tearing up the dance floor just hours after the Super Bowl. Wonder if that ankle is bothering him as he grinds on female fellow party goer?
http://deadspin.com/5882983/rob-gronkowski-post+super-bowl-dance-videos-begin-to-surface

Rob Gronkowski

Rob Gronkowski

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