I know it has been horribly talked about alot lately, but What's with the World Baseball Classic? I think it's more like an event than it is a classic because after this concludes and all the major leaguers return to their respective teams, something will happen to all of those pitchers and fielders or hitters with star power. It's a travesty...and who came up with this bad idea? Non other than Bud Selig, the innovator of baseball controversy in Minnesota and Montreal when he said both of those teams could be contracted, meaning they wouldn't exist. Well, he got one team right, but they exist in another baseball city..the Washington Nationals.
I think the worst decision baseball made was voting Bud Selig to be commissioner. He's veering on worse than NHL commissioner Gary Bettmann. Marketing in both of these sports just reached the basic point of downhill. Neither man says or does the right thing to guarantee money-making or growth of the sport in the small market areas. I mean look at Pittsburgh. They are basically a small market in everything, except for the NFL and steelmaking. The Pirates can't keep a good team at all, and the Penguins are on the verge of bankruptcy if they don't watch out. I think that may have something to do with why Mario Lemieux retired earlier this season. I mean he even owns a part of the team...I don't know which part, but he might want to trade up for something else within the ownership group. Even the poor Kansas City Royals, who want to compete in the AL Central, can't because they don't have the money, even with revenue-sharing, to field a solid team that doesn't look like it needs a couple of more years of playing in places like Omaha and other minor league towns. I mean even my hometown of Rockford, IL had an affiliation with the Royals. I think the only players from those Rockford teams you made the majors were Mike Sweeney and Johnny Damon, who isn't even with the team anymore, and he has a world series ring to show off for getting out of Kansas City. Now they have prospect Zach Grienke who has left the team for personal reasons...I shouldn't dog on him, but I wonder if any part of that is because he was dropped from the US roster in the WBC? I have to be careful with him though because I also have him on my fantasy roster this season, I hope he pans out on a staff that bodes Mark Prior, Mark Buehrle, and Brad Radke along with John Lieber and Ryan Dempster.
We'll see what comes of this World Baseball Classic, but I think it's another in a long line of bad publicity moves by a professional sports association who has no idea how to market to kids playing the game and having a dream of making it big in the pros. I mean pretty soon, we'll be going to games and instead of scorecards, we'll be buying pronunciation guides cause we won't be able to say many of the foreign names on the rosters.
Ugh, this is going to be an interesting Spring Training when even the radio listener will go "Who is this guy playing second base?" Get the WBC over after like a week of bad play and low ratings cause you'll have score reports and highlights set for some areas, like NBC had with the Olympics, so no one will watch.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Sunday, February 19, 2006
A Day Full of Basketball-Bracketbusters Style
First off, here's the list of games I watched or listened to a part of today...watch out there are 19 of them throughout the day.
Bucknell vs. Northern Iowa
Missouri St. vs. Wisconsin-Milwaukee
DePaul vs. St. John's
Texas A&M vs. Baylor
Northern Illinois vs. Winthrop
Chicago St. vs. Valparaiso (Women's game)
Oral Roberts vs. Montana
Marist vs. Old Dominion
Fairfield vs. Loyola (Chicago)
Delaware vs. Cleveland St.
Louisiana Tech vs. Southern Illinois
Illinois-Chicago vs. Murray St.
Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Wisconsin-Green Bay
Niagra vs. Valparaiso (Men's game)
George Mason vs. Wichita St.
Louisville vs. Syracuse
California St.-Northridge vs. Boise St.
Fresno St. vs. Creighton
Santa Clara vs. Hawaii
That's the list...what an incredibly insane number of games. It was great fun though, considering two of those games went to Double Overtime before a winner was decided.
I must say for a Bracketbusters game, Bucknell and Northern Iowa was just as great as ESPN hoped it would be. This game presented the best in fundamental basketball. Being that I'm more of a fundamental basketball player and fan of the game, I love getting to see things like a ballhandler using the armbar to protect the ball from being stolen, passing inside to get easy layups, and "pick the picker" so you can open up a passing lane to get the ball inside to a forward or center for the high percentage layup. Ah, Bucknell may not have won the game on the scoreboard, but in my heart when it comes to fundamentals, Bucknell won. A wonderfully played game by both teams, I must admit.
The Chicago St./Valpo game for the Valpo women was incredible. At one point late in the second half, the women were down as much as 11 points. They came back with excellent passing and getting the ball inside for layups and some drawing of fouls. I was shocked that this game went to one overtime, but on Senior Day, the ladies were after my heart and they didn't give up when the win looked out of their grasp. What a way to win for the classy trio of seniors, who in the 2 years I knew each of them, they won my hearts with their play and character off the court. It will be different listening to the women after this season when I only know about 3 women on the roster again. It was a great ride watching and listening to these ladies play a game they love.
Louisiana Tech played a heroic game against Southern Illinois. With SIU being in the might Missouri Valley Conference many didn't believe that LA Tech stood a chance. The men of Tech showed they really want to win the bid in the Western Athletic Conference. It's possible they could get it, but they have to work out some kinks, but they should get there sometime in the near future. Keep it up Tech and you'll be there.
The Valparaiso men were a class act tonight as well. This started with the exceptional allowance of a senior walk-on getting the chance to start when another senior stepped aside and gave him the spot to start for the first and last time in the Crusader uniform at home. Way to go Homer for allowing Jim to have Seth's starting spot tonight. Jim really worked hard to just get into a Valpo uniform three years ago. He played a good game, even if he didn't get very many minutes (4). It was a great ride for this team..especially the group of seniors in their last home game as well.
While this whole concept of Bracketbusters is a unique opportunity for some of the "mid-majors" in smaller conferences to get some national exposure with a possible game on any of the ESPN family of networks, it sorta makes a fan wish that more of the games were actually good games, rather than opportunities for about 75 teams to just have a non-conference game that is a guaranteed return game for next season. It has gotten to be a bloated tournament setup where maybe two or three of these games are of good quality, otherwise many of the games are just extra drivel for ESPN to have something to replace the fact that they no longer show hockey and they really want to cause an office NCAA bracket pool to get blown up massively.
It's good to support teams that aren't in the bloated conferences like the Big East, Big Ten, ACC, SEC or the Mountain West, and the Big Twelve. These conferences get over-billed because they have all the big name schools mostly the one who overpopulate the brackets come tourney time or the top25 rankings throughout the season.
It will definitely be good to see how the Bucknells, Northern Iowas, and Southern Illinois-types will do in pulling the proverbial upset in the first round of the tournament. I hope for a few good ones, but it'll probably be an upset by one of the lower ranking teams in a major conference that does something in the second round or in the Sweet Sixteen or Elite Eight rounds.
I don't know about you, but this was a great day of basketball and I'm glad I got to enjoy it. If you don't mind, I'll get back to the games I'm currently watching or listening to...they would be the last two on the list above. Take care all...and have a good weekend. Watch some Daytona 500 or Olympic something, my cheeky wee monkeys.
Bucknell vs. Northern Iowa
Missouri St. vs. Wisconsin-Milwaukee
DePaul vs. St. John's
Texas A&M vs. Baylor
Northern Illinois vs. Winthrop
Chicago St. vs. Valparaiso (Women's game)
Oral Roberts vs. Montana
Marist vs. Old Dominion
Fairfield vs. Loyola (Chicago)
Delaware vs. Cleveland St.
Louisiana Tech vs. Southern Illinois
Illinois-Chicago vs. Murray St.
Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Wisconsin-Green Bay
Niagra vs. Valparaiso (Men's game)
George Mason vs. Wichita St.
Louisville vs. Syracuse
California St.-Northridge vs. Boise St.
Fresno St. vs. Creighton
Santa Clara vs. Hawaii
That's the list...what an incredibly insane number of games. It was great fun though, considering two of those games went to Double Overtime before a winner was decided.
I must say for a Bracketbusters game, Bucknell and Northern Iowa was just as great as ESPN hoped it would be. This game presented the best in fundamental basketball. Being that I'm more of a fundamental basketball player and fan of the game, I love getting to see things like a ballhandler using the armbar to protect the ball from being stolen, passing inside to get easy layups, and "pick the picker" so you can open up a passing lane to get the ball inside to a forward or center for the high percentage layup. Ah, Bucknell may not have won the game on the scoreboard, but in my heart when it comes to fundamentals, Bucknell won. A wonderfully played game by both teams, I must admit.
The Chicago St./Valpo game for the Valpo women was incredible. At one point late in the second half, the women were down as much as 11 points. They came back with excellent passing and getting the ball inside for layups and some drawing of fouls. I was shocked that this game went to one overtime, but on Senior Day, the ladies were after my heart and they didn't give up when the win looked out of their grasp. What a way to win for the classy trio of seniors, who in the 2 years I knew each of them, they won my hearts with their play and character off the court. It will be different listening to the women after this season when I only know about 3 women on the roster again. It was a great ride watching and listening to these ladies play a game they love.
Louisiana Tech played a heroic game against Southern Illinois. With SIU being in the might Missouri Valley Conference many didn't believe that LA Tech stood a chance. The men of Tech showed they really want to win the bid in the Western Athletic Conference. It's possible they could get it, but they have to work out some kinks, but they should get there sometime in the near future. Keep it up Tech and you'll be there.
The Valparaiso men were a class act tonight as well. This started with the exceptional allowance of a senior walk-on getting the chance to start when another senior stepped aside and gave him the spot to start for the first and last time in the Crusader uniform at home. Way to go Homer for allowing Jim to have Seth's starting spot tonight. Jim really worked hard to just get into a Valpo uniform three years ago. He played a good game, even if he didn't get very many minutes (4). It was a great ride for this team..especially the group of seniors in their last home game as well.
While this whole concept of Bracketbusters is a unique opportunity for some of the "mid-majors" in smaller conferences to get some national exposure with a possible game on any of the ESPN family of networks, it sorta makes a fan wish that more of the games were actually good games, rather than opportunities for about 75 teams to just have a non-conference game that is a guaranteed return game for next season. It has gotten to be a bloated tournament setup where maybe two or three of these games are of good quality, otherwise many of the games are just extra drivel for ESPN to have something to replace the fact that they no longer show hockey and they really want to cause an office NCAA bracket pool to get blown up massively.
It's good to support teams that aren't in the bloated conferences like the Big East, Big Ten, ACC, SEC or the Mountain West, and the Big Twelve. These conferences get over-billed because they have all the big name schools mostly the one who overpopulate the brackets come tourney time or the top25 rankings throughout the season.
It will definitely be good to see how the Bucknells, Northern Iowas, and Southern Illinois-types will do in pulling the proverbial upset in the first round of the tournament. I hope for a few good ones, but it'll probably be an upset by one of the lower ranking teams in a major conference that does something in the second round or in the Sweet Sixteen or Elite Eight rounds.
I don't know about you, but this was a great day of basketball and I'm glad I got to enjoy it. If you don't mind, I'll get back to the games I'm currently watching or listening to...they would be the last two on the list above. Take care all...and have a good weekend. Watch some Daytona 500 or Olympic something, my cheeky wee monkeys.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Coaching Changes Aplenty
Read these first:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=2332415&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab3pos1
http://espn.go.com/dickvitale/060215Vitaleondavis.html?lpos=spotlight&lid=tab3pos2
It has been a wild last two weeks of college basketball.
First, the resignation of Quin Synder at Missouri. While this one was expected to happen, some say it was a year later than it should have been.
Second, Eddie Sutton, a legend in his own right, only man to coach four different teams into the NCAA tournament (Creighton, Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma St.), is now on leave of absence for what some might consider personal reasons, but it is result of his car accident Friday night. As of now, we know it's from drinking, which he had previously sought treatment for in 1989. He's at a school who already has his successor named, his son Sean Sutton. It's a good time for him to go. His only reason for staying now is a selfish plea for the Hall of Fame, by becoming the fifth coach in Men's College Basketball to have 800 career coaching wins. Sorry, Eddie..you had a good career, time to let Sean loose.
Third, Mike Davis. What can you say about a coach who basically was stuck between a rock and a hard place since 1976 when Bobby Knight coached Indiana to its first of three NCAA championships? Granted Mike Davis was probably starting to play basketball in 1976, but as previous "legend replacers" have proven...you're screwed if you expect to replace a legend and be just like him. I know Mike had already voiced his opinion that "Indiana needs to one of their own". The problem: Indiana Hoosier fans want either Bobby Knight to come back home to Bloomington where the fans will accept him with open arms and several steak dinners, or they want Steve Alford, their golden boy, to resign the coaching job he's successfully enjoyed at Iowa to come and take over the spot IU fans believe he should have gotten the second he was handed his diploma from IU. Of course he would have been an assistant first, but that would have kept the bickering to a minimum, and Steve Alford probably would have ended up at someplace like Iowa once Dr. Tom Davis had stepped down anyway. Like I said before though, Indiana Hoosier fans really just need to grow up and grow out of their conservative ways. You make a mockery of college basketball when you try to hold all of your coaches to the same expectations that were presented by coaches like Bobby Knight or Valparaiso's Homer Drew.
I'm sure there will be plenty more coaching changes once March comes along and all but 97 teams have turned in uniforms and sworn off the weight room for a couple weeks. It will be interesting to see what comes of these three coaching positions and where Quin Synder and Mike Davis may work next season or thereafter.
I'll go through the coaching ranks here soon and see what coaches look like they may not be back at their schools after this season. I'll also kind of think about where coaches like Rick Majerus, Bob Huggins, and Steve Lavin or others along that line will be next season too.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=2332415&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab3pos1
http://espn.go.com/dickvitale/060215Vitaleondavis.html?lpos=spotlight&lid=tab3pos2
It has been a wild last two weeks of college basketball.
First, the resignation of Quin Synder at Missouri. While this one was expected to happen, some say it was a year later than it should have been.
Second, Eddie Sutton, a legend in his own right, only man to coach four different teams into the NCAA tournament (Creighton, Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma St.), is now on leave of absence for what some might consider personal reasons, but it is result of his car accident Friday night. As of now, we know it's from drinking, which he had previously sought treatment for in 1989. He's at a school who already has his successor named, his son Sean Sutton. It's a good time for him to go. His only reason for staying now is a selfish plea for the Hall of Fame, by becoming the fifth coach in Men's College Basketball to have 800 career coaching wins. Sorry, Eddie..you had a good career, time to let Sean loose.
Third, Mike Davis. What can you say about a coach who basically was stuck between a rock and a hard place since 1976 when Bobby Knight coached Indiana to its first of three NCAA championships? Granted Mike Davis was probably starting to play basketball in 1976, but as previous "legend replacers" have proven...you're screwed if you expect to replace a legend and be just like him. I know Mike had already voiced his opinion that "Indiana needs to one of their own". The problem: Indiana Hoosier fans want either Bobby Knight to come back home to Bloomington where the fans will accept him with open arms and several steak dinners, or they want Steve Alford, their golden boy, to resign the coaching job he's successfully enjoyed at Iowa to come and take over the spot IU fans believe he should have gotten the second he was handed his diploma from IU. Of course he would have been an assistant first, but that would have kept the bickering to a minimum, and Steve Alford probably would have ended up at someplace like Iowa once Dr. Tom Davis had stepped down anyway. Like I said before though, Indiana Hoosier fans really just need to grow up and grow out of their conservative ways. You make a mockery of college basketball when you try to hold all of your coaches to the same expectations that were presented by coaches like Bobby Knight or Valparaiso's Homer Drew.
I'm sure there will be plenty more coaching changes once March comes along and all but 97 teams have turned in uniforms and sworn off the weight room for a couple weeks. It will be interesting to see what comes of these three coaching positions and where Quin Synder and Mike Davis may work next season or thereafter.
I'll go through the coaching ranks here soon and see what coaches look like they may not be back at their schools after this season. I'll also kind of think about where coaches like Rick Majerus, Bob Huggins, and Steve Lavin or others along that line will be next season too.
Monday, February 13, 2006
Unreal Sports Dilemmas
Eddie Sutton just cemented his seat in retirement. After a good career at Oklahoma St. and the revelation, at least to me, of the probationary issues he brought to Kentucky plus his alcohol abuse, it's time for him to step back even if he is 6 wins away from 800 for his career. That is exceptional, and although it may hold him back from the College Basketball Hall of Fame, he knows he will have a spot in Ok State's hall. I don't think he'll be able to overcome this DUI stance that Oklahoma considers tough.
I also have a feeling that with all the recent coaching matters in the college game there will be other coaches to join the carousel that already holds Bob Huggins and Quin Synder. I wouldn't to surprised to see either Huggins or Rick Majerus with the job at Mizzou. Either one would be a good fit. Huggins just got a raw deal because Cincy is more of a local style for most of the students who do go there. Mike Davis will most definitely be out. He's made enough excuses about the school's theory of keeping him or showing the long road to nowhere, which I believe goes thru every small town in Indiana. I'm sure I'm also missing a few other coaches who will join the carousel in the coming weeks. More will be known come conference tourney time or after the NCAA field has been set.
And it's official, Michelle Kwan has stepped aside. Luckily it was with enough time for the US to call a suitable replacement for her. She lived a good Olympic shelf life, but now she's got time to heal up and either start here professional skating career or starting the career she went to school for. It was a good career Michelle. We'll see you sitting in a broadcast booth somewhere soon.
I also have a feeling that with all the recent coaching matters in the college game there will be other coaches to join the carousel that already holds Bob Huggins and Quin Synder. I wouldn't to surprised to see either Huggins or Rick Majerus with the job at Mizzou. Either one would be a good fit. Huggins just got a raw deal because Cincy is more of a local style for most of the students who do go there. Mike Davis will most definitely be out. He's made enough excuses about the school's theory of keeping him or showing the long road to nowhere, which I believe goes thru every small town in Indiana. I'm sure I'm also missing a few other coaches who will join the carousel in the coming weeks. More will be known come conference tourney time or after the NCAA field has been set.
And it's official, Michelle Kwan has stepped aside. Luckily it was with enough time for the US to call a suitable replacement for her. She lived a good Olympic shelf life, but now she's got time to heal up and either start here professional skating career or starting the career she went to school for. It was a good career Michelle. We'll see you sitting in a broadcast booth somewhere soon.
Saturday, February 11, 2006
Here's What I'm Burning On
Ok, so after that 'Ode To Jim Rome'...
Today, in olympic coverage I read that Michelle Kwan may be withdrawing from the figure skating competition because of a groin pull. This groin pull she has was what caused her to have to sit out of the National Championship and Trials. If she knew prior to today that this was going to be a problem, she should have withdrawn consideration for being on the team. She became a grievance before the Trials because she wants to win the gold so badly...well, who wouldn't? This is where Emily Hughes should be, not sitting back waiting for Michelle to sit it out. This should tarnish the reputation and great image that Kwan made in winning the US championships for a few years in a row there. I don't want to go as far as calling her a "has been", but she needs to be responsible and know that injuries of her nature need time and with all the striding and jumps she has to do in skating, she should have sat out, even if it means she would never get the gold. I mean how many of us recreational athletes have dreamed at one time or another of being an Olympian and winning the gold?
Another burn is all the whining from the Colts camp because they didn't win their first playoff game...so they struggled. It happens, get over it and move on. At least now you know that Peyton Manning is an overpriced QB who hasn't really known how to win since he led Tennessee to the national title back in 1997. They are like the Red Sox of the NFL. They do everything to buy or keep a winning team, but they can't seem to win when it counts. (Though I give credit to the Sox, at least they have won a title, in my lifetime.)
I'm also tired of hearing the debate for J.J. Redick vs. Adam Morrison as National Player of the Year in College Basketball. They are both overrated players who can win as long as the team revolves around them. Once either one experiences some defense on them, they freeze up and don't make or create the shots that give them so many 30+ point games. They aren't quality for talk of Player of the Year yet...they have conference tourneys and NCAA Tourney games to still play. Let the debate begin once they get to the first round of the NCAA tourney. Even if it is only the Eastern Seaboard Production Network (Thanks, Sports Radio 670 The Score) that keeps that debate going cause they can't create relevant stories for the current week or the way a team like the Indiana Hoosiers are playing. Granted alot of the Hoosier talk is still bitterness at Myles Brand for firing Bobby Knight. Hey Indiana, Bobby Knight might be a great coach and Myles Brand might be an idiot but, GROW UP!
And that fans is what I'm burning on...Goodnight!
Today, in olympic coverage I read that Michelle Kwan may be withdrawing from the figure skating competition because of a groin pull. This groin pull she has was what caused her to have to sit out of the National Championship and Trials. If she knew prior to today that this was going to be a problem, she should have withdrawn consideration for being on the team. She became a grievance before the Trials because she wants to win the gold so badly...well, who wouldn't? This is where Emily Hughes should be, not sitting back waiting for Michelle to sit it out. This should tarnish the reputation and great image that Kwan made in winning the US championships for a few years in a row there. I don't want to go as far as calling her a "has been", but she needs to be responsible and know that injuries of her nature need time and with all the striding and jumps she has to do in skating, she should have sat out, even if it means she would never get the gold. I mean how many of us recreational athletes have dreamed at one time or another of being an Olympian and winning the gold?
Another burn is all the whining from the Colts camp because they didn't win their first playoff game...so they struggled. It happens, get over it and move on. At least now you know that Peyton Manning is an overpriced QB who hasn't really known how to win since he led Tennessee to the national title back in 1997. They are like the Red Sox of the NFL. They do everything to buy or keep a winning team, but they can't seem to win when it counts. (Though I give credit to the Sox, at least they have won a title, in my lifetime.)
I'm also tired of hearing the debate for J.J. Redick vs. Adam Morrison as National Player of the Year in College Basketball. They are both overrated players who can win as long as the team revolves around them. Once either one experiences some defense on them, they freeze up and don't make or create the shots that give them so many 30+ point games. They aren't quality for talk of Player of the Year yet...they have conference tourneys and NCAA Tourney games to still play. Let the debate begin once they get to the first round of the NCAA tourney. Even if it is only the Eastern Seaboard Production Network (Thanks, Sports Radio 670 The Score) that keeps that debate going cause they can't create relevant stories for the current week or the way a team like the Indiana Hoosiers are playing. Granted alot of the Hoosier talk is still bitterness at Myles Brand for firing Bobby Knight. Hey Indiana, Bobby Knight might be a great coach and Myles Brand might be an idiot but, GROW UP!
And that fans is what I'm burning on...Goodnight!
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Valpo Losing Again
I don't know how it is that Valpo can't seem to win the games that are so important that they virtually have true meaning to how fans follow them. Tonight they once again lose a key conference to IUPUI 75-67. With this loss, they have cemented that they will not win the conference regular season title. It's always inevitable that they will lose at least one important game, but this year, they've lost 5 games in conference.
I dont' know if that has anything to do with the loss of Kenny Harris in April, the NCAA toying with the new center Mo Kone, or if this team is just being recruited wrong and so the hopes and expectations for the season are dashed like all the fans are cheering on the college basketball version of the Chicago Cubs. I've just about had it with getting my hopes up about a good game with this team. I've even said they will lose in the conference tournament semifinals...maybe it's time to retract that and say they won't get past the quarterfinals this year either?
After tonight, not one person on this season's team is worthy of a job as a professional basketball player. They might be ok as high school or junior high coaches, but none of these guys can make even a pro practice squad.
I hope they show some improvement on Saturday against Western Illinois, but I'm not holding out alot of hope. At least now I have the Fighting Illini to keep rooting on to do well in the NCAA tourney. Probably not going as far as last season, but they'll make some noise.
I'll write more later as I think of other things with this team that angers me.
I dont' know if that has anything to do with the loss of Kenny Harris in April, the NCAA toying with the new center Mo Kone, or if this team is just being recruited wrong and so the hopes and expectations for the season are dashed like all the fans are cheering on the college basketball version of the Chicago Cubs. I've just about had it with getting my hopes up about a good game with this team. I've even said they will lose in the conference tournament semifinals...maybe it's time to retract that and say they won't get past the quarterfinals this year either?
After tonight, not one person on this season's team is worthy of a job as a professional basketball player. They might be ok as high school or junior high coaches, but none of these guys can make even a pro practice squad.
I hope they show some improvement on Saturday against Western Illinois, but I'm not holding out alot of hope. At least now I have the Fighting Illini to keep rooting on to do well in the NCAA tourney. Probably not going as far as last season, but they'll make some noise.
I'll write more later as I think of other things with this team that angers me.
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