Five Good Questions with . . . Jim Souhan of the Minneapolis-Star Tribune

This is the first installment of a new segment on Stiles Points called "Five Good Questions with . . . .".....the purpose of the segment is to get an in-depth opinion of people who are involved with sports.....today’s segment is with Jim Souhan, sports columnist of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune....Souhan began writing for the Star-Tribune in 1990 and has covered the Vikings and Twins....we asked Souhan five questions about this year’s Minnesota Twins....

Q1. There is talk that this may be Torii Hunter's last season with the Twins, if he should go elsewhere, who are some of the young candidates to take his place? Is Denard Span a possibility?
Span is almost a lock to be Torii's successor, and Torii knows it. He flew Denard to his home in Texas this winter for workouts and career guidance. Torii is looking for a big contract, and the Twins are trying to figure out how they're going to afford Santana, Mauer, Morneau and Nathan. Span most likely will be the Twins' leadoff hitter and centerfielder next opening day.

Q2. Have the Twins done a good enough job to patch-up the rotation with Francisco Liriano out for the season?
No. They're starting the season with three veterans who have spotty resumes at best. Carlos Silva has looked terrible this spring. Ramon Ortiz has looked OK, but he's had four straight poor seasons. Sidney Ponson actually looks the best of the three, but he's a rather unpredictable chap. He once punched an Aruban judge in a beach fight. Not many big-league pitchers can say that. Boof Bonser is a solid young pitcher who should be fourth or fifth in the rotation. In this rotation, he's second.

Q3. What type of spring training did young pitchers Boof Bonser and Matt Garza have?
Bonser has been fine. Matt Garza looked dynamic but the Twins want to see him develop better command of his off-speed pitches, so he's been sent to the minors. He, Glen Perkins and Kevin Slowey will compete to be the first pitcher called up.

Q4. Does Ron Gardenhire get enough credit for the job he does year-in and year-out?
He's very good at running the clubhouse and instilling a sense of cameraderie and daily competitiveness in his players. Tom Kelly was a better strategist, but then TK was better than almost anyone at in-game strategy. Gardenhire and pitching coach Rick Anderson also have excelled at pasting together rotations that survive and bullpens than excel.

Q5. Will Johan Santana, Joe Mauer, and Justin Morneau be with the Twins for their entire career, or will the move on like so many other good Twins players?
I can't see the Twins ever letting St. Paul Joe (Mauer) leave. Morneau wants to stay, and I think that's probably (going to happen). Santana will want about $20 million a year, and I can't see how the Twins can afford to invest 30 percent of their payroll in a guy who plays 33 times a year. Closer Joe Nathan should be a priority, because with him the bullpen is exceptional, and without him it could collapse.

I want to thank Jim Souhan for taking the time to respond to the questions.....it is nice that he took a few minutes to help out a blogger....

Why do people hate the Florida Gators?

Sometimes you just can’t win.....

Florida is the most hated team left in the Big Dance.....it is understandable why most people would feel that way because of the Gators success on the court with their showboating superstar in Joakim Noah and slick coach Billy Donovan.... basically, American sports fans hate successful teams....

Even though I picked Georgetown to win the tournament, it would still be nice to see the Gators win back-to-back titles because players like Noah, Al Horford, Corey Brewer, and Taurean Green all by-passed the big money of the NBA last year in order to comeback to try and win another title....

Now if these players all chose to opt for the NBA, after beating UCLA to win the title last season, the majority of sports fans would have called them money hungry and cried for the days of their youth when players stayed in college for four years....

From what I read about Noah, off the court he is a very engaging person who is smart and has many opinions about world events and societal problems....Noah could be considered a "model" student-athlete....he’s a young person who is not only a talented athlete but a talented person in class....also, I have yet to hear any of these four players names linked to arrests, DUIs, drugs, etc that can be found with other successful college athletes....

So after this tournament, Noah, Horford, Brewer, and Green have another decision to make....being they are all juniors, the Fab Four can decide to comeback and try for a possible three-peat (if they win this year).....

But no matter what choice they make, they will be vilified for it....

Remembering Al McGuire

Every year during the NCAA Tournament I always think about former Marquette head basketball coach Al McGuire....

McGuire was a street tough Irishman who was a quirky odd bird of sort....he came from the hard streets of New York City and started his coaching career at a little school in North Carolina called Belmont Abbey....

Of course, he gained his notoriety as the head coach of then Marquette Warriors....it has been 30 years since McGuire won his only national title at Marquette in his last game as head coach.....his team, led by Butch Lee and Jerome Whitehead, beat Dean Smith’s North Carolina 67-59 in Atlanta, where this year’s Final Four will be held....

McGuire was a different coach alright.....over 90 percent of all his players eventually graduated from college.....he recruited his players from inner cities....he once said, "My rule was I wouldn’t recruit a kid if he had grass in front of his house. My world was a cracked sidewalk....

He cared about his players.....while at Marquette, one of his best players Jim Chones had to make a decision whether to leave school early and enter the NBA draft or stay for another year....Chones grew up dirt poor and had five younger siblings....McGuire told him, :"When I look into my refrigerator and then I look into Jimmy’s - I told him - take the money"....

After retiring, McGuire probably gained greater fame as a college basketball analyst for NBC and later CBS....

Who could ever forget his screams of "Ahhhhhhhhhhhh......Holy Mackerel!!!....Holy Mackerel!!!"...after Georgia Tech stunned Southern Cal with a buzzer beater shot in the 1992 tournament...

There was the other time when he started dancing with the Syracuse players and fell down on his behind....

Basketball was his trade, but he was passionate about other things such as riding his motorcyle or collecting toy soldiers.....he loved seashells, balloons, clowns, and weepy country songs...

McGuire died in 2001 from leukemia.....in his last few days, after being hooked up to IVs for over two weeks, McGuire’s long time friend and former assistant Rick Majerus came to visit him....McGuire disconnected all his IVs and asked Majerus to get him a hamburger with onions and a hot fudge sundae....he was determined to go out "his way....

They don’t make them like Al McGuire anymore....

So this weekend, when the Final Four is about to tip-off, raise a frosty glass of beer to Al McGuire in honor of the 30th anniversary of Marquette winning the national title...

The last title game rematch - Duke-UNLV

The early line is out....Florida is favored by 3 ½ over UCLA.....the Georgetown-Ohio State game is Pick....
UCLA has waited an entire year to erase the thumping they received from Florida in last year’s title game.....
1991 was the last time there was a rematch of the previous year’s championship game.....the rematch also took place in the semifinals when defending champ and undefeated UNLV played Duke....
The two teams met in the 1990 title game with the Runnin Rebels routing Duke 103-73.....the Rebels were led by Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon, Greg Anthony, and Anderson Hunt while the Blue Devils had Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley, Grant Hill, and Thomas Hill....
While Jerry Tarkanian’s Rebels were routing everyone they played in 1991, Duke had one eye on a possible rematch....it happened in the semifinals in Indianapolis....
As you know, Duke got its revenge by beating UNLV, then two nights later, Coach K got his first championship by beating Kansas.....
Both Billy Donovan of Florida and Ben Howland of UCLA should remind their team about that 1991 Duke-UNLV game.....it is an interesting history lesson for both teams....

In some other tidbits.....most people assumed Tony Kornheiser would not be back in the Monday Night Football booth for ESPN.....but it was reported this morning by Newsday that Joe Theismann got the boot.....the report stated that Ron Jaworski or Bill Parcells may replace Theismann....

What was Warren Buffett doing at a Cleveland Cavaliers game on Sunday night?.....

If you ask me, this great tandem of Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson has not blossomed as expected.....the Nuggets are still 6th in the Western Conference.....

Did North Carolina drop a bomb in the last five minutes of regulation or what???.....that has to be one of the worst five minutes ever for a Roy Williams coached team....

What about Duke ACC Player of the Year Lyndsey Harding.....on Saturday, Harding had a chance to win the game for the Lady Blue Devils.....down by 1 point against Rutgers with a tenth of a second left, Harding, the All-American, went to the free throw line for two shots.....yep, she shot two bricks.....Duke finished the season with only 2 losses, but nothing to show for it....they did not win the ACC Tournament and failed to make the Final Four....

Kobe Bryant is finally DA MAN!!!

Kobe Bryant is finally happy....after years of playing second fiddle to Shaq, Kobe is now Da Man in Los Angeles.....
On Friday, Kobe scored 50 or more points for the fourth straight game – a mark that only Wilt Chamberlain accomplished....
Kobe has three World Championship rings....so he is in no rush to try and chase after an elusive title like that of Kevin Garnett, Steve Nash, or Jason Kidd....its all about Kobe – 24/7/365....for now, I believe Kobe is more concerned about getting his name in the record books.....

The Houston Texans made a good move by trading for Atlanta back-up quarterback Matt Schaub.....nothing against former Houston quarterback David Carr....Carr is still young and could be successful if on a more experienced team with an actual offensive line to protect him....
Maybe Carr accepts a role as a back-up for a year or two and then take over as the starter....a team that might fit that bill is Carolina....Jake Delhomme is the starter, but he is on the backside of his career....and as was evident late last season, the Panthers need a quality back-up if Delhomme should suffer an injury....

It was time for Tubby Smith to move on from Kentucky.....he was never truly accepted as the head coach in Basketball Capital USA.....Smith had to always defend his coaching ability while at Kentucky.....if he could turn around the dismal Minnesota basketball program, Smith will no longer have to answer any of his critics....

Some names mentioned to replace Tommy Amaker as the head coach of Michigan are Sean Miller of Xavier and Bruce Pearl of Tennessee.....both are good coaches, but I would be hesitant to have them lead Michigan basketball after both coaches could not seal the deal against Ohio State in the tournament.....Michigan already has enough experience with coaches who play Ohio State tough, but somehow always come up short.....

I am also hesitant about Miller after he was not vocal about the blatant no-intentional foul call last Saturday against Greg Oden......maybe Miller did not want to grandstand his mentor, Thad Matta.....but I am sorry, he needed to be more vocal about the official’s poor call....basically, Michigan needs a coach who flat-out hates Ohio State....

Elite 8 Call
Ohio State -3 vs. Memphis - the Buckeyes are fortunate to be in this situation after two lucky victories....I don’t see them "lucking out" again....Memphis plays in a weak Conference USA....Buckeyes win by at least 8 points today....

Kansas -2 vs. UCLA - like OSU, Kansas is also fortunate to be playing after their lackluster effort against Southern Illinois.....even though Kansas is the higher seed, UCLA is basically playing in their backyard in San Jose.....I just think Kansas is due to make the Final Four under Bill Self.....it will be a close game, but Kansas wins by 5.....

Is it 2002 again?

Have I been asleep for the past five years???....

I thought it's 2007, but after watching the last two games Ohio State played in the basketball tournament, I swear it is 2002....

Ohio State fans know 2002 pretty well.....that is the year their football team undeservingly won the BCS title....

That is the year when they won 7 games by 7 points or less.....the season when they would convert of fourth down when they had to, but their opponent couldn’t....

Another similarity is that an official played a role in one of their victories....Buckeye fans, you know that was not pass interference in the Fiesta Bowl and that was an intentional foul by Oden....

If this is a 2002 season all over again, God played a major role in it after his inspirational speech in January....
Maybe....just maybe this team is destined to win it....sometimes the best team does not always win....

God Spoke to Brother Thad's Team

Back in January after Ohio State lost to Wisconsin, head basketball coach Thad Matta was befuddled about his team....the Buckeyes had three losses on the season and was preparing to host nationally ranked Tennessee in the "mecca of basketball" - Columbus, Ohio....
After much gut wrenching thought and prayer, an idea came to Brother Thad....."let me ask God to intervene"....
So Brother Thad scurried to the gates of heaven at the Hayes Football Complex....there he fell to his knees and ask God himself if he would be kind enough to speak to his feeble basketball team.....after saying 20 Hail Tressels, God smiled and agreed to assist Brother Thad in his dilemma....
God pulled on his grey sweatervest and adjusted the American flag pin on his shirt and away he went as he walked across the Olentangy River to meet with the basketball team...
Brother Thad’s prayers were answered....as God spoke to the Goliath-like players, not a dry eye could be found in the Buckeye lockers....before his eyes, he saw his young men become enlightened and strengthened to the point of where they broke out in song -- Carmen, Ohio....
Brother Thad has proclaimed that the speech was one of the greatest talks he has ever heard.....
Since then, Ohio State has not lost a basketball game....they have risen to the heights of number 1 in the nation....just last week, God’s work came through again as a referee suddenly, and mysteriously, was unable to move his arms in the position of an intentional foul....
Yes all non-believers.....God is here on earth -- and he resides in Columbus....

Why March is Magical

Each year CBS concludes its coverage of the tournament with its traditional "One Shining Moment" clip of highlights from March Madness....
However, right before the clip begins, to me, the best part of the entire tournament is when CBS takes a few minutes to roll its credits while showing the winning team cutting down the nets....the raw emotion and excitement from not only the players, but also the cheerleaders, fans, and parents is unmatched....
What makes this also a special moment is that each player, no matter if he is the star or a walk-on 12th man, climbs the ladder and gets his opportunity to cut a piece of the nets....that is every kid’s dream from the time they are shooting baskets in their driveway or in a park....for that one moment, they get to take those few steps up the ladder and be acknowledged for their contribution....all the hard work and sacrifice was worth it....
This is best shown in a clip I found on Youtube from the 1987 tournament when Indiana beat Syracuse.....back then, even the losing team remained on the floor and awaited the presentation of the runner-up trophy....when watching this clip, just look at the contrasting emotions between Syracuse and Indiana....look at their eyes....look at the excitement....look at their faces...
This is why March Madness is great

One Shining Moment 1987

Ranking the Sweet 16

1. Kansas - the Jayhawks are playing the best ball....they are kinda like on the same roll Florida was last season....
2. North Carolina - Tyler Hansbrough (photo) may "will" this team to the title...he has been a monster...
3. Georgetown - I still believe the Hoyas will win it all....Roy Hibbert and Jeff Green can take over a game....
4. UCLA - they almost blew the Indiana game....the Bruins have the experience of making it to the finals last year....
5. Florida - this is flat-out the most talented team left, but it seems like they have a lack of focus at times.....they need to step it up....
6. Tennessee - the Vols will beat Ohio State....they are a seasoned team who played in a tough conference....Lofton is a legit leader...
7. Ohio State - over-rated!!!.....they played in a weak conference and lucked out against Xavier....
8. Texas A&M - the Aggies proved something to me by beating Louisville in Lexington....
9. UNLV - the Rebels impressed me with Kruger and Umoh running the show...plus head coach Lon Kruger has been to the Final Four before....
10. Memphis - the Tigers have the impressive numbers - 30+ wins....but the competitions gets tougher now....
11. Pitt - the Panthers are capable of beating UCLA....but then I could see them getting smoked by Kansas.....plus, they could not close the door on VCU the other day....
12. Southern Illinois - Tatum and Falker have been impressive this season....
13. Butler - A.J. Graves baby!!!....if the Bulldogs have the lead late in the game, Graves is the best free throw shooter in the land...
14. Vanderbilt - Derrick Byars (photo) is the best player no one has heard of....Byars, not Noah, Horford, Lofton, etc, was the SEC Player of the Year....
15. Oregon - the Ducks stop quacking....
16. Southern Cal - the Trojans have made a nice run....but it ends now....

Tournament Quick Hits

Now that the first two rounds are done, here are some tournament thoughts....
The tournament committee made a massive error by putting Arkansas and Stanford in the tournament....both teams were not competitive in their first round losses....
Syracuse, Kansas State, or even Akron should have been selected before Arkansas and Stanford....
It seemed as if Florida was not playing hard in their win over Purdue....
Just like in football, the Big 10 was the most over-rated conference....Wisconsin and Ohio State were ranked in the top 5 most of the year because the conference lacked strong teams who were consistent throughout the year....
Wisconsin got bounced yesterday by UNLV and by rights, they should have lost on Friday to Texas A&M Corpus-Christi....
I wonder what Jerry Tarkanian is doing?....
Ohio State needed help from a referee’s no-call to survive against Xavier....
Tennessee will beat Ohio State on Thursday night....
Greg Oden reminds of Robert Parrish....
Kansas has been the most impressive team so far....
There are no double-digit seeded teams left...
For the first time, all number 5 seeds survived their first round game against the 12 seed...
Tyler Hansbrough is the best center in college basketball this year....

The time was right to replace Amaker

Tommy Amaker came to Ann Arbor in 2001 from Seton Hall....there was much promise and hope for the Michigan basketball program after being mired by allegations, violations, and sanctions....

Amaker was a young refreshing leader with a good pedigree from Duke's Coach K....during Amaker's six years as head coach, he ran a clean program.....he seemed like a nice person who cared about his players....he helped stabilize the basketball program and brought it back to respectability.....but in the end, he could not win on a consistent basis to lead Michigan back into the NCAA tournament or to a Big Ten title....

In 6 years he posted a 109-83 record and 3 NIT bids including the 2004 NIT championship....

However, when you are the head basketball coach of a program the size of Michigan’s you are hired to win Big Ten and NCAA titles, not NIT banners....

People within the coaching brethren will bemoan the fact that Amaker was a good man who did all the right things, but ultimately was fired because he could not win....

Right or wrong, that is the nature of the beast....

The time was right for Michigan to move in another direction....the athletic department has been more than patient with Amaker....as Michigan received annual invitations to the NIT, their Big Ten opponents continued to move forward.....

During the last 6 years Illinois came close to a perfect season and lost in the title game....Michigan State made another Final Four appearance....Wisconsin rose to number 1 in the nation....and even hated rival Ohio State has become a national power in basketball as they somehow snatched Greg Oden from the state of Indiana to help the Buckeyes win back-to-back Big Ten titles and possibly a national title....

During the last six years, even the Purdue basketball program fell to the basketball dungeon only to rise again within 2 years.....In 2005 the Boilermakers finished 7-21 and was 10th in the Big Ten under legendary head coach Gene Keady....in just 2 short seasons, new head coach Matt Painter has the Boilermakers back in the Big Dance as they will play defending champion Florida on Sunday in the tournament's second round....

The time was right for Michigan to make the move because too many teams have passed them by over the last six years....it is now time for Michigan to put the pedal to the metal.....

Officials lack guts to call intentional foul on Oden!!

No guts....

That is what the officials in the Ohio State-Xavier game had - no guts....with less than 10 seconds remaining and the Buckeyes fighting the strains of defeat, Greg Oden clearly and intentionally fouled Xavier’s Justin Cage after Cage grabbed a rebound under the Ohio State basket....

Oden did not try to strip the ball or steal the ball....it was clearly a malicious shove of frustration....it clearly fit into the parameters of an intentional four....the Xavier bench also was making the hand motion of an intentional foul....instead an intentional foul was not called....

This was a poor call by the officials which helped lead to Xavier's loss....

It a shame that Xavier’s gallant effort was thwarted by game officials who lacked the guts to make the correct call of an intentional foul which would have given Xavier two foul shots and the ball with 9.6 second left....

Saturday's Tournament Predictions

Here is look at Saturday’s key games....
Ohio State -8 vs. Xavier (1:10 pm) - Xavier has not played the Buckeyes since 1984 and they would love nothing more than to beat their former coach Thad "Mr. Good" Matta....X is led by former Pitt hotshot guard Sean Miller....X is a team with balanced scoring....look for them to give Mr. Good a hard time, but in the end, Ohio State wins by 9....

Texas A&M - 2.5 vs. Louisville (3:40 pm) - this was the one game that screwed up my brackets because I was wanting them to face-off later instead of in round 2....this will be one of the best games of the tourney....the Aggies have the best 3-point shooter in the tourney in Josh Carter and stud leader in Acie Law.....but The ‘Ville is my team in this region......The ‘Ville wins by 2 because of their experience at coaching.....

Pitt - 7 vs. Virginia Commonwealth (5:50 pm) - a win here by VCU and the Rams officially get sized for the Cinderella show....something tells me the Rams are going to win this game.....VCU wins by 5...

UCLA -8 vs. Indiana (8:05 pm) - these are traditional NCAA basketball powers....this is a classic match-up - in name only.....Bruins win by 12....

North Carolina -10 vs. Michigan State (8:15 pm) - everything favors Carolina in this game....except the coaching match-up where it is even between Tom Izzo and Roy Williams....Sparty must hit the 3 ball if they want to pull the upset....they led the Big 10 in 3 point shooting....look for Sparty to hang around, but Carolina wins by 8....

Other games
Maryland -6 vs. Butler (3:20 pm) - Maryland wins by 10
Georgetown -8.5 vs. Boston College (5:45 pm) - this is like old times when BC used to be in the Big East.....Georgetown wins by 12
Washington State -2.5 vs. Vanderbilt (5:40 pm) - Vanderbilt wins by 7

The Big Dance - early thoughts

Here are quick hits after the first day of the tourney....

Those who cried that Drexel should have been in the tournament - SHUT UP!!!....Drexel got bounced at home in the first round of the NIT against N.C. State....

Stanford did not belong in The Big Dance....that was a pathetic effort the Cardinal displayed against Louisville....

I like Rick Pitino because he goes into the streets of New York City to get his players....freshman point guard Edgar Sosa (photo) learned the game while playing at famous Rucker Park.....these NYC kids are tough and do not get rattled.....this is where Michigan coach Tommy Amaker should be recruiting....recruit the NYC kid!!!....

Just think Blue fans....Pitino could have been coaching in Ann Arbor if the Michigan athletic department would have put out the money for him....

Bob Knight will never make it to the Final Four while at Texas Tech....

By the way, if anyone cares, Michigan got smoked by Florida State in the second round of the NIT....

If Florida is going to get tripped up anywhere, I just have a feeling it may happen in the Sweet 16 if they have to play Maryland....

I had Virginia Commonwealth in my bracket.....but I also had Oral Roberts....

I would rather have the grapefruits and make some bold picks than have BB’s and play it safe...

Butler survived the dreaded 5-12 match-up.....three other 5-12s go today....#5 USC vs Arkansas.....#5 Tennessee vs. Long Beach State......#5 Va. Tech vs. Illinois.....history shows that at least one, if not two, number fives will fall....I think Va. Tech has to worry....

All the so-called "experts" are calling for Notre Dame to lose to Winthrop today....the only reason I don’t see it happening is that too many people are expecting it....the Irish know that people are calling for them to lose so expect Notre Dame to play well and win a tough contest....

More Sterger

For more about Jen Sterger, here is a link to her latest S.I. posting

Sterger S.I.

Here is another shot of the lovely Jen

The Big Picture Interviews Jen Sterger

Check out The Big Picture's interview with Sports Illustrated.com's Advice Babe - Jenn Sterger....click on The Big Picture link on the right

By the way, Sterger is the one on the left

Long live Chief Illiniwek

Tuesday was a sad day for longtime Illinois fans as The Chief was officially chopped....

The University officially voted to end all ties with Chief Illiniwek, their longtime mascot....
Chalk one up for the Political Correctness Police....now the Chief’s scalp hangs in their offices....

Long Live The Chief....may his memory be eternal!!!

Talkin women's hoops

Good news Steel City people....it looks like the Penguins are not moving....ESPN reports that inside sources state there will be a news conference today announcing that a deal has been struck to build the Penguins a new arena in the city of Pittsburgh....
The women’s bracket was announced last night.....Duke, North Carolina, Tennessee, and U. Conn are the number 1 seeds...
An interesting possible Sweet 16 match-up would pit Tennessee vs. Ohio State which would be played at Dayton....
First, OSU will have to get through a tough second round match-up against Middle Tennessee State who has a 26 game winning streak....
Duke is the top overall seed with a 30-1 record....but they too may have an interesting Sweet 16 match-up if they have to play Michigan State.....Lady Sparty is a quiet #5 seed....
I will give my women’s picks on Wednesday....
Can someone please tell me why Akron, Washington, and U.Conn did not make the NIT???...
What about the Golden State Warriors ending Dallas’ 17-game winning streak....on Sunday I took the Lakers, at home, and with seven points against the Mavs....the Lakers lost by 35!!!....

Bracket Thoughts

Before the pairings were announced on Sunday evening, my Final Four choices were Florida, North Carolina, Texas, and Georgetown....

Well, that changed after everything was announced because Carolina, Texas, and Georgetown are all in the same bracket....let’s breakdown the brackets....

East
This is a very tough bracket with Carolina and Georgetown as the 1-2 seeds....Texas has the talent and the one player in Kevin Durant to win this bracket....Carolina has a tricky second round match-up against either Marquette or Michigan State....you can never discount Tom Izzo during this time of the year....
Doesn’t belong - Arkansas....I believe that spot should have went to Syracuse.....
Don’t sleep on - Oral Roberts - they winnable games in the first two rounds
Who will win this bracket - Georgetown - the Hoyas gained valuable experience last season by making the Sweet 16....Jeff Green is hot for the D.C.. crew...

South
Thad Matta has a possible second round match-up against his former team, Xavier who could give OSU some trouble....BYU has an RPI of 18....a possible Sweet 16 match-up for is OSU vs. Tennessee....these two played earlier this season in Columbus with OSU winning by 1 point....I was surprised that Louisville was a number 6 seed....I think the Cardinals are better than that....Memphis has to be the quietest team all year....the Tigers are 30-3 and not talked about... .a possible second round match-up between Louisville-Texas A&M will be a good one...
Don’t sleep on - Tennessee - they have the talent to win this bracket because they can shoot the 3 ball....they got shocked in the first round of the SEC tourney, so they will be ready for a run....
Who will win this bracket - Louisville - if the Cards can get by Texas A&M in the second round, they should win this bracket....Ohio State will have a hard time with Tennessee in the Sweet 16....my second choice is Texas A&M.....

Midwest
It all comes down to Florida, Florida, Florida.....say what you will, the fact remains they are the team to beat....they are the defending champs and Joakim Noah has elevated his game.....however, the Gators possible second round game against Arizona could be interesting....the Cats had the second toughest schedule in the nation this year and never underestimate Lute Olsen....this wily coach may have the ability to pull off an upset....many people are calling for Winthrop to upset Notre Dame....I don’t see it happening....Wisconsin is fortunate to be a #2 seed with their dismal performance over the past two weeks...
Don’t sleep on - Maryland - the Terps got bounced early in the ACC....but they may have the freshest legs.....
Who will win this bracket - gotta go with Florida....

West
UCLA is not the #1 seed - big deal....they are still seeded out west.....Kansas’ second round match could be Kentucky or Villanova.....I could see Villanova beating Kansas....Kentucky cannot hit the three-point shot this year....Duke has been playing poorly as they are 4-6 in their last 10 games....look for VCU to win....a nice Sweet 16 game is Pitt vs. UCLA....Ben Holland goes against his former Steel City team....
Don’t sleep on - Pitt - they are battle tested by playing in the Big East
Who will win this bracket - Kansas - they are due to make the Final 4 again, but really, don't sleep on Pitt - they are my "ghetto" pick...
Overall - Look for Georgetown to beat Florida and cut down the nets in Atlanta...

Saturday Morning Tourney Thoughts

What has happened to the ACC tournament?....Maryland - gone, Duke - gone; Virginia - gone....and what about N.C. State and their two impressive wins....the Pack was down by 14 last night to Virginia but came back and won by 8....

The Georgetown-Notre Dame semi-final game in the Big East tourney was one of the best games of the year....Big East Player of the Year Jeff Green had a monster game with his silky smooth game that reminded me of James Worthy....the spark for the Hoyas was the play of Patrick Ewing, Jr off the bench (photo)...

The Hoyas take on Pitt tonight for the Big East title....boy does time go by fast....1989 was the last time Georgetown won this tournament.....Hoyas win tonight....

Don’t look now, but the Holy Cross Crusaders are dancing....

When will the Michigan administration wake up and smell the coffee after its third loss this season to Ohio State?....

Looks like we are looking at an Ohio State-Wisconsin title game....

Bubble teams that I would put in - Kansas State and Texas Tech......bubble teams that are out - Florida State, Iowa, and Stanford

Finally, I just saw one of the sickest things on television.....the Today Show was showing a video of Rose O’Donnell hanging upside.....the dingbat supposedly does this for 15 minutes each day to help with her depression.....just the site of her hanging upside down was gross....

Random Thoughts

This Pittsburgh Penguins saga about possible relocation needs to get resolved now....

The New York Jets got a steal in Thomas Jones at running back....the Jets have a young upcoming offensive line anchored by Nick Mangold and D’Brickashaw Ferguson....Jones should do well especially since he probably will not be sharing time in the backfield.....

The Chicago Bears are taking a risk with just Cedric Benson as their number 1 back....Benson is a load, but he has not proven he could carry the ball 20-25 time a game....plus he has a history of nagging injuries....

Cleveland finally got a big name back in Jamal Lewis....Lewis is a definite upgrade from what garbage Cleveland has back there now....but the fact remains that Lewis is getting up in age and has seen his better days as a workhorse....the Browns would have been better to trade for Thomas Jones....

Looks like the Raiders are a lock for Jamarcus Russell....

Just when it looked like Mike Shanahan was going to commit to Mike Bell as his running back, the team went out and got Travis Henry....

With Detroit picking up Tatum Bell from Denver two things can be assumed: 1. the team has lost faith in Kevin Jones; and 2. Adrian Peterson will not be drafted by Detroit....

What is up with Kobe Bryant slyly giving a cheap shot to opponents?....

Did anyone notice Hillary Clinton’s fake drawl this past weekend when she was campaigning in Alabama?.....she is a piece of work....

What’s up with this story about John Rocker allegedly using HGH when he played baseball?.....who cares....the guy is out of baseball and is a whack job....

It’s almost 7:30 a.m. on the east coast, does anyone know where Barry Bonds is?.....

What is up with Tommy Lasorda and his alleged visits to prostitutes?....he allegedly liked watching some girl-on-girl action....Tommy is our boy!!!....so maybe it wasn’t the Slim-fast diet that helped him lose weight years ago....

PAC 10 Tournament Overview

The PAC-10 tournament begins today ta the Staples Center in Los Angeles....UCLA is the top seed and the team to beat....

The Wednesday match-ups are actually play-in games for the four bottom teams.....if Washington wins tonight, they get to play in-state rival Washington State (#2 seed) on Thursday....State is higher ranked, but watch the Huskies in this game....Washington is a deceiving 18-12 as UCLA found out this past Saturday when they lost up in Seattle....the Huskies are led by freshman guard Spencer Hawes....

Another good match-up on Thursday is #4 Oregon vs. #5 Arizona....the 20-9 Cats have been an inconsistent team of late even though they have an RPI rating of 13.....the Ducks are 5-6 in their last 11 games but are 23-7 overall....take the Cats here....

This could set up a possible Arizona-UCLA semi-final....the kitties have lost twice to UCLA so don’t expect an upset here either....it should be a good game, but UCLA wins...

In January, this may have been the best conference in the nation....but the top teams have faded over the last month....UCLA is the clear cut best team in the conference and will win the league tournament....I could see Washington beating Arizona State, Washington State, and even USC to make the conference finals....but the luster has faded from this conference....

Big XII Tournament Overview

The Big XII tournament begins on Thursday in Oklahoma City with the top four seeds getting a first round bye....the top seeds are: #1 Kansas, #2 Texas A&M; #3 Texas, and #4 Kansas State....

Without a doubt, the team to beat is Kansas....but there are some other loaded guns ready to explode in this conference....

Bob Huggins makes a difference....in just his second year at the helm at Kansas State, Huggins has the Wildcats a #4 seed with a 21-10 record....their second round match-up should be a doozy against Texas Tech....after a mid-season slump, The General has Tech back on track with a 20-11 mark and three straight wins to close out the regular season....

An interesting first round game is #7 Oklahoma State vs. #10 Nebraska....Okie State is 20-11 but surprisingly they are 0-8 on the road in conference games this year....they have a tremendous player in Keith Boggan who can take over a game....I believe Okie State needs to prove to the committee that they can win on the road if they want to go dancing....they need to win at least 2 games in this tournament....I don’t see it happening....the children of the corn will rise and pull the upset here...

If everything pans out right, the big match-up in this tournament will occur on Saturday in the semi-final game between Texas A&M and Texas....they split the season series....Acie Law vs. Kevin Durant....this will be a great game....I’ll say this, if Durant surprises everyone and does not go to the NBA after this season, look for Texas to win the NCAA title next year....this team is loaded with young talent, and Durant is a special special player.....if he gets blazing hot, he is the type of kid who can carry the Longhorns on his back....

Anyway, I will have to go with the Aggies if there is a rematch....that would set up a Kansas-Texas A&M title game...the Aggies have beaten the 27-4 Jayhawks already this year in Lawrence, Kansas....but that was back in early February....as much as I think there are many quality teams in this conference, right now I have to take Kansas to win the conference tournament....they are playing too well of late....

Here are a couple of interesting Big XII facts....the Jayhawks have held every opponent under 50 percent shooting this year....Kevin Durant has nine 30-point games this season.....

SEC Tournament Overview

The Southeastern Conference tournament begins in Atlanta on Thursday with the top four seeds getting a first round bye....the top seeds are: Mississippi State, Florida, Vanderbilt, and Ole Miss...

When you think of the SEC tourney only 1 team comes to mind - Kentucky - as the Wildcats have won the title 25 times during its 47 year history....this year it will take a big effort for Kentucky to get number 26.....they open up tomorrow against an up-and-down Alabama team....Kentucky is rated 11th in the RPI and is #1 in strength-of-schedule....the Tide is # 44 in the RPI.....look for Kentucky to win in a very close game....the Achilles heel for Tubby’s boys this year has been their inability to hit the three-pointer....

Other first round winners are Arkansas, Georgia, and Tennessee....

On the top half of the bracket, if Kentucky gets by Alabama, I could see them upsetting Miss. State in the quarterfinals and even sneaking into the title game....on the bottom half, everyone is wanting to see the semi-final match-up of Florida vs. Tennessee....the Vols are 8-2 in their last 10 games and have the 4th toughest schedule in the country....if these teams hook up, I am calling for an upset win by Rocky Top.....the key for the Vols is their 3-point shooting by Chris Lofton and JaJuan Smith....if they can consistently shoot the 3 ball, the Vols will win....

In the end, look for a Kentucky-Tennessee title game with the Vols winning.....Lofton is the engine of this team....earlier this season when he was out with an injury, Tennessee went 1-3....but since his return, they have posted a 7-1 mark....

ACC Tournament Overview

The ACC tournament begins on Thursday in Tampa....the top four seeds get a first round bye: #1 UNC, #2 Va Tech, #3 Virginia, and #4 Boston College....

Asides from Carolina, the top seeds are a tad different than usual....no Duke, Maryland, N.C. State, nor Ga. Tech as one of the top seeds....I guess some things are changing in ACC Country....

Three of the four first round games are intriguing....#8 Clemson vs. #9 Florida State....both teams are on the bubble and probably have to win at least two games in the tournament to make The Big Dance.....

#7 Duke vs. #10 NC State.....the Pack stands at 15-14, but they are very capable of pulling the upset.....

#6 Georgia Tech vs. #11 Wake Forest.....don’t sleep on Wake....just ask Virginia who lost to the Deacs on Saturday....also, the Jackets posted a dismal 1-8 record on the road this year and are 2-1 at a neutral site.....also, Tech has never won an ACC first round game....they are 0-3 lifetime....

The hottest team in the conference is #5 Maryland....they should breeze by the Canes of Miami and set-up a nice match-up on Friday against Boston College....the Terps have won 7 in a row and are 24-7.....

Because there are so many quality first round games, I am unable to give an accurate pick on second round games.....so I will update those later in the week....

I have to say, my money is on North Carolina to win the tournament....Tyler Hansbrough was a freakin beast on Sunday against Duke....and I loved how he was ready to "throw down" after getting a cheap shot from the angelic Dukie....I am hoping for a Carolina-Maryland semi-final game on Saturday.....by rights, that should be the title game....

As far as the hot chick goes....I came across her while looking for the ACC logo....don’t ask me who she is or what she has to do with the ACC....and who cares!!

Big Ten Tournament Outlook

The Big Ten tournament starts on Thursday in Chicago....the top five seeds received a bye: #1 Ohio State, #2 Wisconsin; #3 Indiana; #4 Iowa, and #5 Purdue....

First off, at the beginning of the season who would have thought that Purdue would have a 20-10 record and a first round bye....on Friday, the Boilermakers take on Iowa, a team who came on late in the season to secure a #4 seed....Iowa is ranked 84th in the RPI while Purdue is 45th....even though Purdue head coach Matt Painter has to be the Big 10 Coach of the Year, look for Iowa to win this game....

In Thursday’s opening round, the chalk will talk....look for Michigan, Michigan State, and Illinois to win which will set up some nice match-ups on Friday.....

In addition to the Friday’s Purdue-Iowa game, it is quite possible that Michigan will get their third shot at Ohio State this season....the Wolverines have the talent to pull the upset, but in the end, they lack the heart....if the Blue is going to pull the upset, they must contain Mike Conley while Dion Harris must score at least 25 points....

The second round game between Michigan State and Wisky should be a donnybrook....this will be their third match-up in just over 2 weeks...Sparty took the first game, but Wisky came back and beat MSU this past Saturday on a last second shot....Wisky is ripe to get dumped here...

The Indiana-Illinois game is a toss-up....both should make it to The Big Dance though....

Ultimately, I could see a Michigan State-Ohio State championship game with Sparty pulling the upset....a team like Iowa could make some noise because they have a 3-point sharpshooter in Adam Haluska...

Big East Tournament Outlook

The Big East tournament starts on Wednesday in New York City.....the top four seeds are: #1 Georgetown, #2 Louisville, #3 Pitt, and #4 Notre Dame....
The one first round game that catches my eye is #5 Syracuse vs. #12 U.Conn.....Syracuse needed a win on Saturday at Villanova to guarantee them a first-round bye....this is a reversal of last year when the Orange was on the bubble to upset top-ranked Connecticut in the conference tournament...even with a first-round loss, Syracuse should still make the tournament, but they will be sweating bullets until Selection Sunday....the Huskies are headed to the NIT unless they make it to the conference finals....these two teams usually play tough games as they split the season series this year.....watch U.Conn in the upset....

Another possible upset is #10 Providence over #7 West Virginia....the Mountaineers need to win at least one, possibly two games, in the tournament to guarantee a spot in The Big Dance....and Providence is one of those teams who could catch you with your hand in the cookie jar....

A possible second round match-up of #9 Villanova vs. #1 Georgetown is intriguing....as is a #6 Marquette vs. #3 Pitt....Marquette has beaten Pitt twice this year including this past Saturday night....

My call for championship game on Saturday night is for a Louisville-Villanova or Louisville-Georgetown match-up.....one team that could surprise is U.Conn....they might not win the tournament, but they could possibly spoil a few teams season....

Saturday Night Thoughts

Even though Michigan put forth a valiant effort, the Wolverines fell short of beating the top ranked Buckeyes, which could be the last game in Ann Arbor for head coach Tommy Amaker....six seasons at the helm and he has yet to take Michigan to The Big Dance...Amaker needs to be fired after this season....

The Kentucky Derby is wide open again after favorite Nobiz Like Shobiz came in third in Saturday’s Fountain of Youth Stakes race at Gulfstream Park....two other Derby contenders, Scat Daddy and Stormello, took the top two spots....

Greg Oden may get all the headlines at Ohio State, but the Buckeyes are only going to go as far as point guard Mike Conley takes them.....he is the engine of that team....

Penn is the first team to get their ticket punched for the tournament...

Could the Big Ten get 2 top seeds in Ohio State and Wisconsin?....

Will someone explain to me why Tampa Bay now has three viable starting quarterbacks: Chris Simms, Jeff Garcia, and Jake Plummer?.....

All year long, people in Ohio heard about the burner speed of Ted Ginn Jr.....at the Combine last week, Georgia Tech’s Calvin Johnson showed that Ginn may not be the fastest player in this draft....

The Cleveland Browns should go all out and sign former Steeler Joey Porter....they need a vocal team leader who can create a swagger...

All I know, the 2007 Steelers will not be team of Bill Cowher’s....

Duke at North Carolina on Sunday.....gotta go with the Tar Heels at home after they have lost their last two games....

Kentucky Derby favorite gets another test today

It’s not to early to start talking about the Kentucky Derby....eight more weeks will be the Run for the Roses in Louisville.....and today, the early favorite will get another test....

According to all reports, Nobiz Like Shobiz is the horse to beat.....the trainer is Barclay Tagg and the jockey is Cornelio Valasquez ......

A few weeks back, The Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Railbird Roberts quoted Tagg of saying this is "the most magnificent horse I’ve ever seen"....now remember, Tagg knows a few things about horses as he was the trainer for 2003 Derby winner Funny Cide....

Nobiz gets another test today when he runs in the Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park.....it’s a mile and an eighth race....Nobiz will face off against other Derby contenders Stormello, Drums of Thunder, and Scat Daddy....

Tagg chose to run Nobiz in the Fountain of Youth instead of next week’s Louisiana Derby....

What is a "relationship"?

What is up with the word "relationship" when it involves Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter?....this week A. Rod said that their "relationship" is not the same....the next day Jeter commented that he had no problem with their "relationship"....

I don’t know about any of you, but I don’t have a "relationship" with any of my buddies....a friendship - YES.....a relationship - NO.....I am in no way starting any rumors, but I think they both could have used a better word than "relationship" when discussing this saga....

I’m a little disappointed that Bernie Williams has not taken the time to return Joe Torre’s phone calls....supposedly, over the last two weeks Torre left two messages for Williams but as of Wednesday, he has yet to hear back from the former centerfielder.....there is no doubt that Williams has to be a bit upset by not making the 40 man roster, but he needs to talk to Torre who is very loyal to his "original" Yankee players....

Whatever happened to Chuck Knoblauch?.....

Mel Stottlemyre has a book coming out on April 10th called "Pride and Pinstripes: The Yankees, Mets, and Surviving Life’s Challenges".....I miss seeing Mel in the Yankee dugout....

Random thoughts heading into the weekend

Some thoughts going into the weekend....
- Pacman Jones is one of the most talented players in the NFL, but he is a thug....instead of appreciating his chance of playing in the NFL, he is constantly running amuck of the law....don’t forget, Jones and Bengals team thug, Chris Henry, were teammates at West Virginia....say what you want, both are flat out THUGS.....
- Why isn’t Maryland getting any love from the pollsters....the Terps are 23-7 and just beat North Carolina and Duke in consecutive games....but they are still not ranked.....
- I heard on ESPN radio that Jeff Garcia could end up with the Oakland Raiders.....bad move for both....
- The Packers and Patriots are both interested in Randy Moss....hmmmm....
- Finally, after three weeks, Anna Nicole is being buried....
- In her prime, Anna was certainly sexy.....
- If Butler wins the Horizon Conference, it will be interesting to see if Wright State also gets a ticket to The Big Dance....
- Saturday is a statement game for Michigan basketball....number 1 Ohio State comes to Ann Arbor....this may be the biggest game for the Wolverines in the last 10 years....
- Saturday - Texas at Kansas; Michigan State at Wisconsin .....Sunday - Duke at North Carolina; Kentucky at Florida.......doesn’t get any better than that...
- The city of Pittsburgh better get a deal complete to keep the Penguins from moving....the Pens are a team on the upswing....they will win a Stanley Cup within the next five years....
- Mellon Arena is one of the oddest, but neatest shaped areans...
- Whatever happened to Tom Barrasso?....
- This is going to be a long baseball season in hearing about Barry Bonds....
- Can you believe a friend of mine still thinks Bonds is innocent!?!?....
- It’s Thursday, has anyone seen Britney Spears today?....
- ESPN.com had an interesting article about how new Michigan State football coach Mark Dantonio is trying to make Sparty mentally tough....

Dantonio article

- New Boston pitcher D. Mat has a pitch named the Gyroball....I don't get it....D. Mat is Japanese, so why are they naming his famous pitch after a Greek sandwich?.....

Late February quick hits

It’s been awhile, but here are some quick hits...

* This year’s NCAA basketball tournament is wide open....no team has shown it is the team to beat.....
* Michigan needs to fire Tommy Amaker as its basketball coach....even if he somehow finds a way to beat Michigan State and Ohio State this week, Amaker has not taken the Wolverines to the next level as they are probably not going to make the Big Dance again.....
* What has happened to Kentucky basketball?....are Tubby’s days numbered?....
* Big game on Monday when the Big East leading Georgetown Hoyas head to upper New York to take on The ‘Cuse!!!...
* My top 4 seeds: Ohio State, UCLA, North Carolina, and Georgetown....
* Louisville is one of the hottest teams in the country....
* How could the Boston Celtics have gotten this bad?.....
* Tiger Woods is deadly in tournament play, but he is very beatable in match play....check his Ryder Cup record for proof....
* Picked up a new book about former middleweight champ Roberto Duran.....I never knew his father was from America....
* Whatever happened to Boom Boom Mancini?.....
* For some reason I really like the Pittsburgh Pirates to break .500 this year....
* I could not believe that former Indian/Cardinal Ronnie Belliard had to sign a minor league contract last week with Washington.....you think he would have hooked up with a team much earlier....
* The term "perfect storm" is overused in sports....
* All I know, if tennis great Roger Federer was American, he would be just as popular as Tiger or Lebron....
* Can't wait to get my Mel Kiper Draft Guide....
* Look for Martin Scorsese to get his first Oscar tonight....
* My other picks - Whitaker - Best actor; Mirren - Best actress; Murphy - Best supporting actor; Hudson - Best supporting actress; The Queen - Best picture

It's time to give Ben a rest

After 7 games, who would have thought that the Pittsburgh Steelers would have the same 2-5 record as Oakland and Cleveland.....with 1 of Oakland’s 2 wins coming at the hands of the Steelers....

It is time for Pittsburgh to make a change at quarterback by starting Charlie Batch and sitting Ben Roethlisberger.....now before all the Steeler fans get upset, I am not saying that Big Ben is a bad quarterback.....however, I am not sure that he is a top rated quarterback either....

This I do know, Big Ben needs to sit....I am not solely blaming him for the Steelers 2-5 mark....but the fact is, Big Ben has been through a ringer physically over the last five months....

The man had his skull and face tattooed on the windshield of a car, the had an appendectomy, and just last week he suffered a concussion....I don’t care how much he and the Steelers spin it, Big Ben is not a healthy person right now....and who would be after going through all those traumatic events....

I have never been a big Charlie Batch fan....but he has been impressive with the Steelers and is very capable of leading this team.....

I would not write the Steelers off just yet either....they have backed themselves into a corner and cannot afford to lose any more winnable games (such as Oakland).....but this team has the leadership in head coach Bill Cowher and in players like Hines Ward who can make a difference....

But that difference has to start first by benching Big Ben - even if the move is temporary....

In his recent column, Sports Illustrated’s Peter King mentioned his smartest quarterbacks in the league....his QBIQ Top 10 were: 1. Peyton Manning; 2. Tom Brady; 3. Brett Favre; 4. Gus Frerotte; 5. Brad Johnson; 6. Trent Green; 7. Donovan McNabb; 8. Trent Dilfer; 9. Drew Brees; and 10. Mark Brunell....he went on to write that Charlie Batch, Jake Delhomme, Jon Kitna, Damon Huard, and Matt Hasselbeck were next on the list....

Missing from that top 10 list was last year’s Super Bowl quarterbacks, Big Ben and Hasselbeck (even though Hasselbeck was listed just outside the top 10).....also missing was Carson Palmer, Duante Culpepper, Chad Pennington, and Eli Manning....

What happened to the Donovan McNabb for MVP bandwagon?.....

Will people stop anointing Dallas quarterback Tony Romo as the next Troy Aikman.....Peter King called Romo, "Tony Terrific".....he led the Cowboys to 1 stinking win so far....1 win....these are the same media wonks who also praised Matt Leinart after his Monday Night game against Chicago....since then, Leinart has lost to Oakland and Green Bay....

Remember, 1 or 2 wins does not make a career.....

Peyton Manning’s performance against Denver was one of the best I have seen in years....when will defenses learn that the only way to beat Manning is by blitzing and making him move around in the pocket (ala the Steelers did in the playoffs last year).....if you drop 7 or 8 and give Manning time, he will shred any defense....

Manning was quite impressive, but hold off in writing the Colts ticket to the Super Bowl because the have to have the worst run defense in the league....Denver running back Mike Bell tore apart the defense with consistent runs of over 8 -10 yards....heck, fullback Cecil Sapp even ripped the Colts for a couple of good runs....looks like Booger McFarland is not the answer....

Arizona has a new quarterback......they have a new All-Pro running back....they have a beautiful new stadium.....but they are the same old Cardinals – losers....

Cincinnati has been a disappointment so far this season....I know they have injuries to the offensive line, but they just seem out of sync so far....

Remember when Carson Palmer was worried about his surgically repaired knee....

The biggest thug in the league is Tennessee safety Pacman Jones.....Jones is a good player, but he acts like he is in the hood or something....

Is the David Carr era starting to end in Houston?.....I don’t see why not....the Texans have given him more than ample time to lead this team....and it just ‘ain’t happening"....

What really has Reggie Bush done so far?.....

Will someone explain to me why Washington won’t give 2nd year quarterback Jason Campbell a chance?.....in 2005, the Redskins traded up late in the first round to draft Campbell....since then, he has been holding a clipboard while other young qbs are getting playing time such as Frey, Smith, Leinart, Young, Gradkowski, etc....

Bill Parcells will be back next year if the Cowboys make the playoffs and Romo shows promise....

Is the Big East getting slighted?

The closer it gets to the end of the season.....the pressure keeps mounting....

Some of that pressure will be alleviated on Thursday when West Virginia travels to Louisville....the loser is out, the winner stays in the hunt and probably has punched a ticket to Glendale if they can run the table....

The talk this weekend was should a perfect Louisville/West Virginia (LWV) go to the National Title Game over a team with 1 loss?.....there is speculation that if Ohio State should lose a close game to Michigan, that the Buckeyes should go over LWV.....or a 1 loss SEC team should make the trip to Glendale instead of LWV....

The first complaint against LWV is that they "do not play a tough schedule".....other comments range from, "the Big East is not a real football conference" to "they only played 1 tough game".....

To me, it is simple....if LWV goes undefeated, they deserve to play in the National Title Game over any 1 loss team....the Big East is an equal partner in the BCS.....if it was not a worthy conference, then the Big East should have been voted out of the BCS....also, remember that last season West Virginia beat a very good Georgia team, from the powerful SEC, in the Sugar Bowl....and back in 1988 West Virginia played Notre Dame for the national title in the Fiesta Bowl....

The loser of the Ohio State-Michigan game should not complain and make a case for being in the title game if LWV is undefeated....as of today, Ohio State and Michigan control their own destiny....it is simple - win out and you get a trip to Glendale....the loser has to accept a bid to the Rose Bowl....if the loser could not take care of business, then they shouldn't cry afterward....

The loser of Michigan/Ohio State also fall victim to the famous "who lost last" rule.....past national title games were determined by who lost last....who can ever forget in 1992, when undefeated Notre Dame beat Florida State on November 10th....the very next week Notre Dame lost to Boston College on the last play of the game....the powers to be invoked the "who lost last rule" even though both Notre Dame and Florida State each had 1 loss and that Florida State's loss came to Notre Dame....Florida State went to the Orange Bowl and played undefeated Nebraska while Notre Dame was sent to the Cotton Bowl....

If LWV is 12-0, then they deserve a trip to Glendale over a 1 loss Michigan/Ohio State, Southern Cal, Auburn, Texas, Tennessee, Florida, Notre Dame, etc....where does it state in the BCS agreement that only a big name traditional football power can play in the National Title game?.....

If that is the case, say a surprise team such as Purdue from the Big Ten or Oregon State from the PAC-10 or Iowa State from the Big 12 gets hot one year and has a perfect 12-0 season....does that mean they are worthy of playing in the title game because they are from a football power conference?....

I guess Cinderella only lives in March.....

Ultimately, if the Big East was not considered a football power conference, then the powers to be should have voted the Big East out of the BCS and let them be one of the secondary conferences such as the WAC which has 8-0 Boise State.....

As of today, here are my BCS projections....
National Title Game - Michigan/OSU winner vs. Louisville/West Virginia winner
Rose Bowl - Michigan/OSU loser vs. Cal/Southern Cal
Fiesta Bowl - Texas vs. Auburn
Sugar Bowl - Tennessee vs. Louisville/West Virginia loser
Orange Bowl - Boston College vs. Notre Dame

Heisman watch
If the vote ended today.....and if I actually had a vote, here are my top 4 players along with my +1, sleeper pick....
1. Troy Smith, Ohio State - is it over with yet?.....
2. Brady Quinn, Notre Dame - another game....another impressive performance by Quinn...in the past 4 games he has thrown 10 tds, 0 ints....and 1,147 yards.....
3. Pat White, W. Virginia - the entire nation will be watching the Mountaineers on Thursday.....it is time to shine....
3a. Steve Slaton, W. Virginia - ditto.....
4. Mike Hart, Michigan - he is the one who makes the Michigan offense run smoothly.....
+1 Lamar Woodley, Michigan - a defensive player will not get the award....but Woodley has been dominant for the best run defense in the nation....

Sweet 16 + 1 (Last week ranking in parenthesis)
1. Ohio State (1) (9-0) -Bucks slaughter Gophers....imagine if Glen Mason would have gotten the job over Tressel?....
2. Michigan (2) (9-0) - the only question is if David Letterman will be making an appearance this week since his alma mater, Ball State, will be in The Big House....
3. W. Virginia (4) (7-0) - the march for the national title begins on Thursday....
4. Tennessee (5) (7-1) - Vols get big win over in hostile territory....now they host LSU....the Bayou Tigers are capable of the upset....
5. Auburn (6) (8-1) - muscling for position in hopes to be the best 1 loss team....
6. Notre Dame (8) (7-1) - Weiss keeps ship afloat against Navy....now they get UNC - without Michael Jordan....
7. Texas (7) (8-1) - the Horns comeback to beat Texas Tech.....hmmm, if Notre Dame gets dropped because of their comeback over UCLA, why not Texas?....
8. Florida (9) (7-1) - Gators struggled in the second half and held on to win over the Dawgs....
9. Louisville (10) (7-0) - a win on Thursday will allow the Cards to leapfrog a lot of teams....
10. Southern Cal (3) (6-1) - if S.C. can run the table, they will get right back in the big picture.....it ain’t over yet for the Trojans....
11. Rutgers (12) (7-0) - beat U.Conn on Sunday...their next game is Louisville....
12. Cal (13) (7-1) - UCLA and Arizona come first...then the big showdown with USC....
13. Arkansas (14) (7-1) - see if Hogs could repeat what Tennessee did on Saturday....go in and beat Spurrier at South Carolina....
14. Wisconsin (15) (8-1) - a shaky win over Illinois....a good game this week against JoePa...
15. LSU (16) - (6-2) - LSU can redeem their season with a win over Tennessee....
16. Wake Forest (NR) - (7-1) - why not Wake?.....the Deacs will not go away....a biggie this week against Boston College....a win here and Wake leads the ACC Atlantic Division...
+1. Texas A&M (8-1) - are the Aggies for real?.....we’ll know this week if they can defend College Station against Oklahoma....

College Football - it's heatin up!

Here are some thoughts about college football....

What happened to Georgia Tech’s Calvin Johnson on Saturday against Clemson?....in the Jackets biggest game in years....and on national television, Johnson came up with a fat 0 in receptions....that’s right, 0.....he could kiss goodbye his chances of going to New York for the Heisman presentation....

Talked to a person from Nebraska this weekend....even though the Huskers lost on Saturday, he said that Husker Nation is finally accepting Bill Callahan as the head coach....

I wish Boise State would lose a game....I don’t want to see them in the BCS playing a team like Texas or Florida.....now as for Rutgers....that is a different story.....I think it is great if Rutgers make a major bowl...don’t ask me why?....maybe it’s the east coast elitist in me....

Hello....does anyone realize that Wisconsin is sitting at 7-1?......Wisky has to be the quietest 7-1 team in the country....

Here is a link to an interesting story by ESPN.com’s Pat Forde.....Forde wrote about this history of state troopers surround the head coach after the game....http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=2631660

What about Michigan State’s comeback over Northwestern?.....down 38-3 with 9:54 left in the 3rd quarter, the Spartans pulled off the greatest comeback in Division I-A football history....that is why I stated last week that Michigan State officials should have fired head coach John L. Smith after the Ohio State game last week....they had every reason to let him go at that time....say Smith is able to run the table, make it to a bowl game, and end up with a respectable record this season....they won’t have grounds for firing him then....

Clemson had a huge win on national television over Georgia Tech.....but the Tigers better not be celebrating too much because they have to play on Thursday night at Virginia Tech....Tech in the upset....

In I-AA news, YSU committed four turnovers in their loss to Northern Iowa....the loss moves YSU to 6-2 as they travel to 6-1 Illinois State on Saturday....a loss on Saturday, and suddenly the Penguins dream season may be a nightmare and another year at missing the playoffs....

The clash of the titans takes place this Saturday in Division III.....7-0 Capital plays at 7-0 Mount Union....everyone knows that Mount Union is the New York Yankees of Division III....but this is supposed to be Capital’s best team in years....

Bear hunting - the Fighting Manginos are watching their bowl hopes sink faster than 4 dozen of pierogies at Bear’s dinner table....Kansas had a 35-17 lead at halftime only to allow Baylor to score 19 points in the 4th quarter.....the Manginos lost 36-35....they are now 3-5 and 0-4 in the Big 12....

Heisman watch If the vote ended today.....and if I actually had a vote, here are my top 4 players along with my +1, sleeper pick....
1. Troy Smith, Ohio State - yawn....another game...another win.....
2. Brady Quinn, Notre Dame - why aren’t more people talking about Quinn’s comeback win over UCLA.....isn’t that a Heisman moment?.....
3. Pat White, W. Virginia - maybe next year?......
4. Mike Hart, Michigan - he does not put up Garrett Wolfe numbers, but he has been solid....
+1 Ray Rice, Rutgers - Rice rambled for 225 yards on Saturday at Pitt.....

Sweet 16 + 1 (Last week ranking in parenthesis)
1. Ohio State (1) (8-0) - they get the Gophers this week....a team that barely beat N. Dakota State last week....
2. Michigan (2) (8-0) - Northwestern faces another Michigan team after blowing a38-3 lead against John L. Smith...
3. Southern Cal (3) (6-0) - was on a bye last week....
4. W. Virginia (4) (7-0) - less than 2 weeks until the showdown in Louisville....
5. Tennessee (5) (6-1) - sure it was a tough win against Alabama....but that is a big rivalry....
6. Auburn (6) (7-1) - need to keep a steady hand the rest of the way.....
7. Texas (7) (7-1) - a tough win against the Huskers.....now they take on Tech.....
8. Notre Dame (8) (6-1) - the Irish cannot sleep on Navy this week.....
9. Florida (9) (6-1) - Georgia would love nothing more than to ruin the Gators season....
10. Louisville (10) (7-0) - took care of bitness this week....
11. Clemson (11) (7-1) - they leveled a very good Georgia Tech team....but the Tigers are on upset alert as they go to Blacksburg on Thursday to take on Virginia Tech....I smell upset....
12. Rutgers (16) (7-0) - a good win in a tough situation at Pitt on Saturday.....will they make the BCS instead of Boise State?.....
13. Cal (13) (7-1) - did anyone see Lynch driving like a wildman with the trainer’s cart....
14. Arkansas (14) (6-1) - why is no one talking about the Hogs?....
15. Wisconsin (NR) (7-1) - Wisky has been quietly winning games this year.....
16. LSU (15) - (6-2) - cleaned Fresno State’s clocks....
+1. Boston College (6-1) - they beat Florida State this past week....which is no big deal anymore.....they did beat Clemson earlier this year....