Weekend Hangover - Love/Hate

LOVE

- College basketball put on quite a show this weekend. Without any football (and my wife away for the weekend), there was no reason to do anything except watch college basketball. And I took full advantage of it, watching 8 of the top 11 teams in the country on Saturday. And it was a heck of a performance by college basketball itself, with multiple buzzer beaters, overtimes and great players.

- Kansas will make it to the Final Four. Why? What do Sherman Douglas, Khalid El-Amin and Mateen Cleaves have in common? They have all won in the Final Four, and they are all short, fat point guards. Kansas is led by Sharon Collins, a short, fat point guard. And if you don’t believe that, then how about their overrated, slow, white center, Cole Aldrich? He’s a perfect match for Eric Montross, Greg Ostertag or Tyler Hansborough – all overrated, slow white centers with Final Four appearances.

- Jimmy Dykes is the best college basketball color analyst in the country, and it’s not even close. Dykes typically covers the SEC for ESPN games along with Brad Nessler, and he has the ability to break the game down, pointing out the real nuances of the game (rebounding, defense, the extra pass and free throw shooting) that make the difference between winning and losing. Dykes also is not afraid to criticize a player or coach for a bad decision, which I think shows confidence in his knowledge of the game. Dykes played under Eddie Sutton at Arkansas before spending years as an assistant college coach and a pro scout, so his knowledge of the game is solid. Yet, he’s also highly entertaining, with the ability to let a big moment speak for itself with an understated excitement in his voice. He is the exact opposite of ESPN’s flagship blowhard, Dick Vitale. While I appreciate the enthusiasm Vitale brings, he clearly has lost the motivation to prepare for games, instead focusing on promoting his friends who donate to charity and yelling for the purpose of yelling. It’s a shame ESPN continues to promote Dicky V, and Dykes goes underappreciated by most. Vitale is more washed up than Jennifer Lopez – who by the way, looked like she couldn’t breathe in her dress last night at the Grammys.

- Ohio State’s Evan Turner is the best player in the country. He missed some games earlier in the season with a back injury from falling after a dunk, but he is back, healthy and as dangerous as anyone in the country. He can shoot from the outside, get to the hoop off the bounce, play defense (4 steals in the first half against Minnesota on Sunday), and rebound. Of all the players I watched this weekend, he has the most talent and the most complete game. He fills up the stat sheet the way Carrie Underwood fills up a dress for an awards show – no one talent outweighing the full package.

- As long as we’re talking about Carrie Underwood, for those of you that watched the Grammy Awards, it was a really amazing Michael Jackson tribute. As impressive as it was, I had a couple of questions that need to be answered. What was up with the weird 3-D thing they tried to do? It was lame – I didn’t have 3-D glasses – so it was all blurry and I felt like I was drinking backstage with Kings of Leon. And they had an extremely impressive group singing with Celine Dion, Smokey Robinson, Usher, Carrie Underwood, and Jennifer Hudson. Yes, Jennifer Hudson. How did she make the cut? I have no idea. I mean, she can sing I guess, it just seemed like a bigger star would have been more appropriate.

HATE

- Kansas State will be an early flame out in the NCAA tournament……again. Why am I so sure? Everyone loves the emotions and weird faces of their coach, Frank Martin, yet that is the reason his team will not advance deep into the March tourney. The Wildcats have taken on the personality of their fiery coach, yet their emotions run too hot and it costs them on the court. In their overtime loss to Kansas this weekend, mental errors cost the team over and over again, from two lane violations during free throws to out of control shots and turnovers at crucial times. Their starting point guard – who happens to be the second cousin of Roberto Clemente – plays at a frenetic pace that is even too fast for himself, leading to terrible shot selection – like Saturday when he went 4-15 from the field.

- Remember when Billy Donovan was relevant? After taking one exceptional recruiting class to a couple of titles, Billy has sat back on his laurels and is now just an egotistical pudgy look-alike for Eddie Munster. His current Gator team is good enough to scare some teams if they get into the dance, but they won’t last long. And I’m not really sure Billy cares. He was content to trade interest from Kentucky into more money from Florida a few years ago, and appears to have lost some of his fire.

- I think Rick Barnes of Texas went to the Lane Kiffin school of coaching. Or maybe it is the other way around? Either way, both guys have a knack for recruiting an insane amount of talent to their programs, yet they are not good coaches. Texas has as much, if not more, athletic and talent than any basketball team in the country. Yet they have no idea how to play together, they lack focus (as evidenced by their 19-31 free throw performance in their OT loss to Baylor on Saturday), and they don’t play any defense. Damion James has all the tools (he put up 20 points and 19 boards against Baylor) but his teammates have no idea how to get him the ball with a chance to score, and the Longhorn offense wastes Dexter Pittman inside. It seems like Rick Barnes might be more useless once the ball gets tipped than the white(ish) guy in the Black Eyed Peas. I had to look up that his name is Taboo.

- So much for that Coach K and his teams that play such fierce and intelligent defense. The Dukies got shredded by Georgetown in D.C. with the president in attendance, and the Hoyas shot a blistering 72% from the field. I have no idea how Duke wins as many games as they do. I think they intimidate teams that aren’t mentally tough and teams that are surprised to be on the court with them, because they have the least athletic team in the country that doesn’t play in the Ivy League. They always flame out in the tourney once they get up against teams that know they are better than Duke, just like they got run off the floor by the disciplined Hoya team. Just like they lost earlier in the year to Bo Ryan’s disciplined Badger team.

- Bryant McKinnie getting kicked off the Pro Bowl team. What an assclown. I mean, at least have the dignity to fake an injury like the rest of your peers instead of going down to Miami and just partying and skipping practices.

For those of you new to the site, every Monday I recap the events of the weekend broken down into whether those events or thoughts are a “love” meaning I enjoyed them or it was good or whether they are a “hate” meaning it is poor behavior or annoying play. Thanks for stopping by, come back often, spread the word and become a follower on this site or a fan on Facebook.

Degenerate Friday! What Is There to Bet On?

Wait, there are no football games this weekend……..so what the hell am I going to bet on? I could have my wife flip a coin and bet on the outcome, would that mean I have a problem? I’m definitely not going to bet on the Pro Bowl. The NFC is favored by 2.5, but who is betting on an exhibition game? That might be the sign that you have a problem. But if you forced me to take a side, I guess I’ll take the NFC and lay the points. Why? Because the AFC has the AFC South quarterbacks – Matt Schaub, Vince Young and David Gerrard. Well, almost all of the AFC South quarterbacks, with the exception of the best one, Peyton Manning. So go NFC and lay the points. But again, please call gambler’s anonymous after you cash your ticket.

So what else can we bet on now? NBA? No chance there – too many factors that can’t be controlled. You have to look at who is playing on back-to-back nights, is a team on a road trip, what’s the night life like in the city the team played in the night before, and so on and so on. Then after all of that analysis, you have to add in the “Vince Carter” factor, which is to say you have to try and guess whether a team is going to put forth 50%, 70% or 85% effort on any given night. And there is no way of ever knowing that answer. That’s why the NBA is off limits for my betting money………if gambling were legal.

College hoops? That could be a place to go because you’re going to get maximum effort every game, home court advantage can make a difference, and the teams typically only play 2 games a week. The problem? The best place to make money in college basketball is with the small conferences because it’s all about getting value. And the way to get value is through information mismatches. That lack of transparency and lack of information is more prevalent with the small conference games than it is with games in the Big Ten, SEC, ACC or Big East. Yes, that means you’re gambling on Harvard laying 7 at Columbia on Friday night. But you also know that the kid from Harvard, Jeremy Lin carries a grudge because he didn’t get recruited by many D-I schools, and already lead the Crimson to a victory over ACC member Boston College, and only lost to UConn by 6. I mean, anyone can make a case for either Jennifer Anniston or Angelina Jolie. The real value is if someone can point out an up and coming superstar, like AnnaLynne McCord.

All-Star Mockery in the NBA & NFL

Quick note before we get to today’s post. You know that when you start typing things into Google, it automatically suggests topics which are the “most searched” that start with the letters or words you type in. If you want to kill some time, just type in “Why Does” and check out what are the most searched topics. That’s some crazy stuff. Or my personal favorite is type in “Why Can’t” and the most searched topic is “Why Can’t I Own a Canadian” – awesome. I mean, it is a good question.

Do you know what the biggest false stat used when people argue about which player is better? Player A is a 5-time all-star and Player B is only a 3-time all-star. All-Star games and the voting process is a complete joke and a total sham. I’m not even going to waste my time talking about the joke that is the baseball all-star game and deciding the home field advantage in the World Series in this article. Ever since “Proud To Be Your” Bud Selig threw up his hands (literally) at the 2002 game, the baseball all-star game has been a lightning rod of criticism. Instead, I want to focus on the ridiculous voting process used in the NBA and the substitution effect in the NFL, resulting in a very deflated value to being an “all-star” in those sports.

NBA Highlights Has-Beens

Since the 1970’s the NBA has used 100% fan voting to determine the All-Star teams, and the league sees it as a great way to engage their fans and allow them to have a say in who they want to see at their showcase event. It’s a great theory. Then again, at one point in time, “The World Is Flat” was a viable theory. It turns the game into a popularity contest and not a showcase of the best talent or brightest stars. I mean Miley Cyrus will win some “People’s Choice” music awards because young kids text in votes, but no one will make the argument it shows she is the most talented musician out there.

The best example for why the system has run it’s time and needs to be changed is taking place this year. Two aging superstars who have barely played are currently in position to start in this season’s NBA All-Star game, Tracy McGrady and Allen Iverson. McGrady has played in 6 games this season and the Rockets have benched him while exploring trading options. Iverson was signed in the off-season by the Grizzlies who promptly cut him 3 games into the season because his selfishness didn’t fit with their young and talented team. (We've already covered the Demise of The Answer before). Yet, that somehow is enough for the fans to vote for them to start in the All-Star games.

The players that are hurt by this embarrassment are the young stars who are having great seasons and will not get enough votes to warrant a spot. Brandon Roy is 7th in the western conference in scoring and 10th in voting among guards in the conference. Zach Randolph, Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo are all among the top 20 in the conference in scoring for the up and coming Grizzlies, yet none of the three are listed among the top 11 in votes for the All-Star game. That’s because people still think of the Grizzlies when they were in Vancouver with Bryant “Big Country” Reeves or when they gave away Pau Gasol to the Lakers a few years ago.

Thankfully there is still time left and hopefully McGrady will get passed by Steve Nash or Chris Paul.

Who is the NFL Showcasing?

As for the NFL, prior to 1995, the Pro Bowl was determined by voting from the players and coaches. In 1995 the system was adjusted to incorporate the fans vote, splitting the votes 1/3 each for the fans, coaches and players. So my problem isn’t necessarily with the voting process in the NFL. I have a problem with the number of players that have to back out of the game due to injury, disinterest, or laziness. Again, it is the players’ prerogative to decide that they do not want a free trip to Hawaii (or Miami this year) to recuperate from the long grind of the season. So someone needs to take their place so they can fill up the roster. (We've already covered the flop of putting the Pro Bowl before the Super Bowl in November.)

However, if you’re the fourth alternate at your position within your conference, should you really get to consider yourself a “Pro Bowler” when talking about your career achievements? When they’re looking at your Hall of Fame credentials, they always mention that Player X was a 7-time Pro Bowler, but they never mention that 5 of those trips were only made possible because Brett Favre, Donovan McNabb and Drew Brees already went to 7 Pro Bowls and wanted to rest after the season. It really waters down the accomplishment.

If someone asked you who the best quarterbacks were in the AFC this season, who would be mentioned? Peyton Manning, Phillip Rivers, Tom Brady, Matt Schaub, and Ben Roethlisberger would likely be the names mentioned the most. And yet, Vince Young, the 10th-highest rated quarterback IN THE CONFERENCE, with less than 2,000 yards passing, will be on the AFC roster. He didn’t even play until week 7 of the season! Yet because Brady, Roethlisberger and Rivers are passing on the game for injury reasons and Manning may have a small thing called the Super Bowl still in front of him, VY will be suiting up. Again, I get that they need to fill out the roster and someone has to play. Young just should not be able to claim that he is now a two-time Pro Bowl player. When Halle Berry won her Oscar in 2001 (for her role of getting wrecked by Billy Bob Thornton in Monster’s Ball), if she couldn’t make the awards ceremony, Beyonce doesn’t get to say she won an Oscar because she picked up the award for Halle.

So please never tell me that Zach Thomas was a much better linebacker than London Fletcher because Thomas has been to 7 Pro Bowls and Fletcher has yet to make his first. Fletcher has had 10 straight seasons with more than 90 tackles. Thomas had only 5 seasons with more than 90 tackles in his entire career. In addition, Fletcher has 8.5 more sacks in one less season than Thomas. Yet Thomas did allow Jason Taylor to marry his sister, so that’s something. The number of pro bowls is an exaggerated and meaningless stat.

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Had this article forwarded to me comparing the Leno-Conan fiasco at NBC to the Packers and Brett Favre. There are some interesting parallels between them, the most surprising to me was that 1992 was the year Leno began on the Tonight Show and Favre got his first start in Green Bay.

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This is beyond explanation – a basketball league only for American-born white guys. Not surprising that they are looking for towns in the south that might be interested. There is no truth to the rumor that they’re looking at putting the 1980’s Milwaukee Bucks teams together again to compete with a team of Fred Roberts, Brad Lohaus, Jack Sikma, Randy Breuer, Scott Skiles, Paul Mokeski, Frank Kornet and Larry Krystowiak.

Tuesday Ramblings - Bad Decisions

Bad decisions are everywhere…..the NY liquor authority, college football, pro hoops, pro football, and in most bars right around 2am. But we'll just cover the first four and leave the rest for your walk of shames.

Bad Decision #1: NY State Liquor Laws
This is just a shame. The Mad River Grille, the Badger bar on the Upper East Side of Manhattan was busted for unauthorized selling of New Glarus Spotted Cow beer. New Glarus only distributes its beer within the state of Wisconsin, and the NY State Liquor Authority got wind of the beer in NY. I’m not an investigative reporter, but I may or may not frequent the bar on many game days, and may or may not have engaged in more than a few games of flip cup in the back of the bar after Badger games. The bar may or may not have allegedly been buying the beer from Sam’s Club in Madison and allegedly filling a U-Haul truck to drive it out to the bar.


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Bad Decision #2: Yale Football.
Is it ironic that the worst coaching decision, maybe ever, was made by a college coach in the supposedly full of genius Ivy League? Yale’s coach decided to try a fake punt when up 10-7 deep in his own territory, on 4th and 22!! Yeah, you read that correctly, 4th & 22. The play actually worked – for 15 yards – and Harvard took over and scored to win the game 14-10. It was actually worse than Les Miles clock management. It was a worse decision that asking Pacman Jones to host a party with Lindsay Lohan, Antonio Cromartie and Russell Crowe sharing a booth in the VIP room.


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Bad Decision #3: Nate Robinson
I also forgot to mention in yesterday’s “hate” section Nate Robinson during the Knicks-Nets game on Saturday afternoon. I mean, it’s a game of two of the worst teams in the league, so no one really cares, but with 0.5 seconds left in the first quarter, Nate decided to launch a shot at the wrong basket. Thankfully the ref declared the shot after the buzzer because it went in!! Coach D’Antoni went apeshit, and understandably so. I’d say Nate’s decision making is as poor as Marc Bulger dating former Miss America Carrie Prejean and not carrying a camera with him at all times.


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NFL Overtime
It happens a couple times a year when a team with a sizeable fan base plays an overtime game in the NFL. The people come out banging on the OT rules as “unfair” because whoever wins the coin toss wins the game. Well, unless you’re Marty Mornhinweg, who famously decided to take the wind to start an overtime game when he was coaching the Lions – and the Bears marched down field, kicked a field goal and the Lions never got to use the wind. Because the game is decided in sudden-death fashion, people want to find a way to give each team an equal chance with the ball. This past weekend, the Falcons lost when the Giants scored on their opening possession, but the Steelers lost after not scoring on their opening possession of overtime. The simple solution is to put 10 minutes on the clock and play it out, which is what Bill Belichick has proposed in the past. Or 8 minutes. That would definitely be a better solution than the current format or the current college format.

The current college format is a joke for overtime. Completely removing the special teams and field position from the game completely bastardizes the game. Special teams are a crucial part of being a good team, and by removing that aspect of the game, it is no longer true football. Too many times with the college format it turns into the teams trading TDs against tired defenses when they only have to cover 25 yards. This leads to ridiculous 3 and 4 OT games that end up with scores in the 40’s and 50’s when it was a 28-28 game at the end of regulation. It turns into a mockery of the game.

The problem with the short quarter plan is that it would likely be longer overtime periods than the current system. That means that there are extra plays when your quarterback could take a hit, your linemen could bust a knee, etc. The Steelers game was another example of that fear, as Big Ben left the game with a potential concussion in overtime, and Charlie Batch replaced him, and promptly broke his wrist. In addition, the extra effort takes a toll on the teams, and the stat is somewhere around 75% of teams that play overtime games that go beyond the first possession lose the following week – regardless of whether they won or lost the OT game. The other concern is that teams could drag out one long 8 or 10 minute drive that ends with a field goal and the other team would not get a chance on offense. However, the odds of a team being able to put together that long of a drive seem about as high as the odds of the Royals being competitive this century.

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NFL Pro Bowl
I’m not sure if you saw the memo, but just below the part about the cover pages on the TPS Reports, was a note that the 2010 NFL Pro Bowl was going to be significantly different than it has been the past 20 years. Since 1979, the annual pro football all-star game has been played in Hawaii, two weeks after the Super Bowl. This year, the game will be played in Miami (the site of the Super Bowl), the week before the Super Bowl. The change was driven by the ever increasing number of players who were skipping the game due to “injuries” after making the trip repeatedly for a number of years.

So the league decided the solution was to have a game that can no longer include the players on the best teams – i.e. those in the Super Bowl, in a location and time that will likely increase the likelihood of arrests by tenfold. It’s already a light version of real football, with no blitzing, and minimal hitting – with the exception of Sean Taylor (RIP) on Brian Moorman.

Oh, and they also forgot to take into account that the Super Bowl will be played in Indianapolis in 2012. Not exactly a great reward for Phillip Rivers or Ricky Williams to get a trip to Indy in February.

At least the league recognized the error and will return to Hawaii in 2011 and 2012. Whoops. On the scale of bad decisions from partying with Michael Phelps to asking Tara Reid for a plastic surgery reference, this ranks about a 5 – hiring Lady Gaga or Bjork as your fashion consultant.