Hello, my good friends! I know it's been quite a while since my last post...and I apologize...profusely. Football season takes over and Coach Meech goes to work. Anyway, I figured now would be a great time to return to cyberspace, especially with the Thanksgiving holiday now behind us. My next post will be sure to return to the usual format of one big subject rant followed by those infamous sidebars. But today's column will be sidebars everywhere (Hence the title). Enjoy.
- The New Jersey Nets finally made a formal announcement earlier today, officially firing head coach Lawrence Frank after ten seasons with the club, the last six and a half as head coach. Frank took over for Byron Scott (Ironically, he was the first coaching casualty of this NBA season.) during the 2003-2004 season and promptly won his first 13 games. In a cruel twist of fate, Frank's tenure ends with a 16-game losing streak. He will not get the chance to help the team avoid tying the NBA record for most losses to start a season when the Nets take on the reigning champion Los Angeles Lakers.
Frank really didn't have much of a chance this season. Devin Harris, Courtney Lee, Yi Jianlian, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Jarvis Hayes, Keyon Dooling, Tony Battie, and Eduardo Najera have all missed significant stretches of time to injury so far this season. It's hard to believe that this team actually represented the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals in 2002 & 2003. Jason Kidd, Richard Jefferson, Kenyon Martin, and Vince Carter have all found their way to greener pastures and the Nets have gotten next to nothing in return. The Nets are now in the midst of a financial freeze as Bruce Ratner (maybe the worst sports owner in recent memory) is in the process of selling the club and are trying to convince their fans (just like every other moribund NBA franchise) that they're bracing to be players in the Summer of 2010 free agent bonanza.
Frank leaves with a career record of 225-241, both (wins and losses) Nets NBA franchise records. To Frank's credit, he didn't whine, complain, or make excuses. This quote in The Bergen Record is a great microcosm into his feelings on the matter and his passion for the job:
"I know I've got to produce. I take full responsibility. I'm not hiding anywhere. I say bring it on. Put it on me...We're here to serve our guys. They're working their tails off. We just need to continue to get better. I'm not absolving myself from anything. Right now that record is indicative of where we're at and how I'm coaching. We need to do better."
- Congrats to Jimmie Johnson on capturing his fourth consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship. He's certainly staking his claim to the title of best driver of our generation. Naturally, his reign is being met with great skepticism. People are using every excuse they can come up with, ranging from the financial backing of Hendrick Motorsports to the Chase format. Maybe someday people will recognize just how great of a driver and competitor Johnson is; however, for now, the NASCAR garage will be entertaining its finest shade of green.
- Hopefully the BCS sorts itself out next week with the SEC and Big XII Championship Games. The SEC Title Game is essentially a play-in to the BCS National Championship Game as the winner (either Alabama or Florida) will walk out undefeated. And if Texas can get by Nebraska in the Big XII Title Game, we will have a national title matchup of two undefeated teams. Now this sounds just great until you realize that there may be two, or even three, more undefeated teams in the country that will be left out of the national title picture. TCU has already concluded its regular season undefeated while Boise State and Cincinnati each have defacto conference title games remaining between them and an undefeated regular season. So we may very well end the regular season with five undefeated teams! This may be the greatest shot anybody who wants a playoff will ever get to make a convincing argument. Personally, I will only support a plus one system, no national playoff. But we'll save that rant for another column, maybe the next one...
- I don't remember the last time there were this many downright awful teams in the NFL. I'm not quite sure what the problem is but it looks like parity is backfiring big time. The Browns, Lions, Raiders, Chiefs, Rams, Seahawks, and Buccaneers are just pitiful football teams. The franchises (with the exception of Seattle) are in absolute disarray and show no signs of getting things fixed any time soon. Eric Mangini is an awful fit in Cleveland, or anywhere else for that matter. Al Davis will always run the show in Oakland. Detroit is showing signs of life but has a long way to go. Steve Spagnuolo looks overmatched in St. Louis. Kansas City is having all sorts of issues. Tampa Bay hires Raheem Morris, who has never even been a coordinator at the NFL level let alone a head coach. I really want to know just what has brought us to this point. I never thought the NFL would get like the NBA or MLB where there were just a handful of teams that you would never want to watch because they are an embarrassment to the game. But this is where the NFL is at these days. There are a few marquee matchups each week, a few decent games, and then a few absolute clunkers. Hopefully some of these front offices pick up the pieces and get right soon.
- No comment on the whole Tiger Woods car accident situation.
- Congrats to the Indianapolis Colts, who at 11-0, have already clinched the AFC South Division Title. They are the first NFL team to secure a playoff berth this season. The Colts will now focus on the push for homefield advantage throughout the AFC Playoffs. Indy has a 3-game lead over both Cincinnati and San Diego (both 8-3) for the top seed in the AFC.
- Al Groh has become the latest coaching casualty in college football. After completing a 3-9 season, Groh has been relieved of his head coaching duties at Virginia. He was 59-53 in nine seasons at UVA (his alma mater), including a 36-36 record in ACC play. Groh took the Cavaliers to five bowl games and was ACC Coach of the Year twice, in 2002 and 2007. But Groh was just 1-8 against arch-rival Virginia Tech and hasn't beaten the Hokies since they joined the ACC in 2004. Groh has two years left on his contract and will receive a buyout of over $4 million. Naturally, one now has to ask, will this start the annual coaching carousel? And will Charlie Weis be next at Notre Dame?
- On the flip side, Memphis hired LSU's Larry Porter as its new head coach, replacing the recently-fired Tommy West. Porter had been both the running backs coach and assistant head coach at LSU under Les Miles; Porter also worked under Miles at Oklahoma State. Porter is a former Memphis running back who is widely regarded as one of the best recruiters in the country. It should be interesting to see how he leads the Tigers as they try to restore respectability to their program while trying to find a way into the Big East and the BCS.
- Gotta be excited about Syracuse basketball! The Orange have taken down #12 Cal and #3 North Carolina thus far in this young season and now find themselves up fifteen spots to #9 in the national polls. The team suffered some heavy losses heading into this season but Iowa State transfer Wes Johnson and freshman point guard Brandon Triche have eased those wounds a bit. Looks like Coach Boeheim's got another contender on his hands.
- Baseball's annual Winter Meetings are around the corner. Hopefully this will get the hot stove going after a very slow start to the MLB offseason. It seems that we should expect more trades as opposed to free agent moves this offseason and, of course, Roy Halladay will be the star of the show this winter. Will the Blue Jays finally find a suitable trade partner?
- I know all the NBA focus is on the usual suspects: Cleveland, Boston, San Antonio, Orlando, and the defending champion Lakers. But keep an eye on the Atlanta Hawks, currently at sitting at 12-5, trailing Orlando in the Southeast Division by a game and a half. The Hawks have an exciting and athletic young core including Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Marvin Williams, and Al Horford. Add in the veteran leadership of point guard Mike Bibby and you have what I believe to be a legitimate contender. Perhaps the East is finally catching up the West.
Until next time.
-Meech
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
From one point to another, well, sort of... - 6/3/09
It's been a few weeks now since Greg Paulus formally announced that he would use his final year of eligibility to play football and get his Master's degree at Syracuse. The feedback from many has been less than positive and I just can't understand why. The way I see it, this whole thing is a very low-risk situation for all involved.
Syracuse has been a program in an absolute state of flux for the past four seasons. The Orange's best showing in that span was a 4-8 finish in 2006. Play at the quarterback position has been average at best. Since Donovan McNabb graduated and moved along to the NFL the litany of individuals that has played QB at the 'Cuse reads like a list of "Hey, wait, who is that?" A few samples: Madei Williams, Troy Nunes, Cecil Howard, R.J. Anderson, Perry Patterson, Joe Fields, Matt Hale, Andrew Robinson, Cameron Dantley.
After a spirited first spring under new head coach Doug Marrone, redshirt freshman Ryan Nassib was named the starter. He appears loaded with both a strong arm and plenty of potential but the fact remains that he's still a lightly-regarded redshirt freshman with no experience. Dantley settled in behind him as the #2. Cam may have been the starter last season but save for a few great flashes (i.e. the final three scoring drives at Notre Dame) he is adequate at best. David Legree, the #3, has left school and appears to be headed to Hampton. Cody Catalina & Andrew Robinson are now tight ends. So you could say that depth at the QB position is lacking.
Enter Paulus. The former CBA quarterback was the Gatorade Player of the Year in 2004 before deciding to play basketball at Duke rather than football. Paulus was the favorite son in Central New York and many were heartbroken when he chose the orange basketball over the Orangemen. It seemed so effortless for Paulus, connecting on big pass after big pass with receivers Lavar Lobdell & Bruce Williams, both of whom would go onto rather non-descript careers with the Orange. Now, nearly five years removed from throwing his last meaningful pass, Paulus is looking to revive what certainly looked like a promising football career.
Critics from all over have weighed in on his decision. Most believe both Paulus and Marrone are crazy. Paulus hasn't touched a football in almost five years. Marrone needs to do something good in his first year on the job before he loses the fan base completely. Many simply hail it as a move out of sheer desperation. But hey, desperate times call for desperate measures.
And that's exactly what makes this whole thing acceptable. Syracuse hasn't appeared in a bowl game since it got waxed by Georgia Tech in the 2004 Champs Sports Bowl (I remember that one all too well.). They haven't had an over-.500 season since winning 10 games in 2001, capped by an Insight Bowl victory over Kansas State. They have been stuck in neutral while the rest of the Big East has leaped ahead in victories, facilities, recruiting, and reputation. So, really, what in the world do the Orange have to lose?
If Paulus shows all the rust that has accumulated since his CBA days and falls flat on his face, so what. No one is expecting a miracle and he can't be any worse than what Syracuse fans have seen for the last several years. But what if he doesn't fail? What if he finds his arm to be fresh and full of life? What if he summons that moxie from the court and brings it back to the huddle? What if the move turns out to be a home run?
One thing is for sure, people around the country are talking about Syracuse football. Marrone, the SU alum, has made quite an impact in his first few months on the job. He is bringing back the great traditions that used to be staples of the Orange program. He's changing the attitude surrounding what has become a moribound program. Full contact practices and plenty of competition flowed through the 15 spring practices. Players that don't fit his vision are dropping like flies. And now Paulus joins the fold. There is an undeniable buzz around CNY these days and it's providing hope for a program that once ruled the Big East.
Paulus may not single-handedly lead the Orange past Pitt, West Virginia, South Florida, and the rest of the Big East but he may give the Orange enough buzz to resolidify the foundation of a once-proud and consistent program. And make no mistake about it, Paulus will get every imaginable chance to win the starting job from Nassib in fall practice. The competition should be healthy and encouraging for all. Some will still criticize the move but in my opinion, Syracuse has already won. And any win, no matter how big or small, counts in the Dome.
Some news and notes:
- A couple of crazy games this past weekend in the NCAA Baseball Tournament. Texas & Boston College play the longest game in NCAA history, 25 innings spanning 7 hours & 3 minutes. Texas would win, 3-2, and BC would be sent packing the next day with a 4-3 loss to Army. Florida State then sets NCAA post-season records by racking up an absurd 37 runs, 38 hits, and 66 total bases in a huge victory over Ohio State. Gotta love the unpredictability of college baseball.
- Jon Gruden is replacing Tony Kornheiser on Monday Night Football this upcoming season. It's a win-win situation for everyone. Kornheiser wanted out and can now focus on PTI. Gruden finds work and gets to team up with Ron Jaworski to form an incredible X's and O's duo in the booth that should captivate any and all football fans.
- The Los Angeles Clippers have won the NBA Draft Lottery for the third time in franchise history. All signs point to the Clips taking Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin. Interested to see how this turns out. The Clips hit relatively big in 1988 when they selected Danny Manning but then whiffed big-time 10 years later when they selected Michael Olowokandi with the number one pick.
- New Orleans will host its record-tying 10th Super Bowl in February 2013. It's a capstone moment in the city's recovery from Hurricane Katrina. The city has hosted the Sugar Bowl and the NBA All-Star Game in its recovery efforts and will now get the biggest stage in professional sports to show just how far the Crescent City has come. Congrats to New Orleans on this crowning achievement.
- On the crazy front, it was confirmed that Boston Bruins forward Mark Recchi played in the Eastern Conference Semifinals with kidney stones & broken ribs. The stones were found before Game 4 and not removed until just before Game 7 of Boston's series with Carolina. Gotta love those tough hockey players.
- It's well-known that I've never been a big fan of Tom Brady but after reading his comments in this week's Sports Illustrated, I must say I have a lot more respect for him. Here's a sampling: "Playing ten more years is a big goal of mine...And if I get to that point and still feel good, I'll keep playing. I mean, what the hell else am I going to do? I dno't like anything else...Why would I even think of doing anything else? What would I do instead of run out in front of 80,000 people and command 52 guys and be around guys I consider brothers and be one of the real gladiators?...It's so hard to think of anything that would match what I do: Fly to the moon? Jump out of planes? Bungee-jump off cliffs? None of that s*** matters to me?" How can you not absolutely love that old-school attitude. You don't see enough of that passion in professional sports anymore.
- On the flip side, I have lost some respect for LeBron James after his childish act following the conclusion of the Eastern Conference Finals. After the Orlando Magic ended Cleveland's season and earned their first NBA Finals trip since 1995, LBJ stormed off the court without speaking to anyone or shaking any hands. He then left the locker room silent and left his not-so-great supporting cast to answer all the media inquiries. His excuse was that he's a "competitor" and he shouldn't shake someone's hand after they "beat his brains in." Quite frankly, that's a load of crap. A true competitor is unbowed yet humble in defeat. LeBron was a sore loser who left his teammates hanging, simple as that. He should've been a man, sucked it up, and congratulated Orlando on a well-earned series victory. His defenders will point out that LeBron played incredible ball throughout the series but got zero help from the rest of the Cavs so he had a right to be frustrated. Of course he has the right to be frustrated with the season ending without reaching the ultimate goal and with management refusing to give him any sort of credible help. Look at Carmelo Anthony & the Nuggets after the acquisition of Chauncey Billups. Enough said there. Bottom line, hockey players beat each other up for four, five, six, or seven games in a series yet at the end of the series the two teams line up and go through the traditional handshake line. Even though the dreams of one team are dead, they still show class and humility in defeat, like true competitors. Just another reason the NHL is that much better than the NBA. The only good that may come out of this is that Cavs management will realize that Anderson Varejao, Mo Williams, and Ben Wallace are not the supporting cast LeBron needs to win a title.
- Finally, it's that time...time to announce the 2nd-annual Women's College World Series All-Meech Team, a stellar combination of good looks and great softball players. Oh, and congrats to the Washington Huskies on winning their first NCAA Softball National Championship. Now for this year's All-Meech WCWS Team:
P Danielle Lawrie (Washington)
P Stacey Nelson (Florida) (2nd selection)
P Stacy Delaney (Missouri)
1B Ali Gardiner (Florida)
2B Ashley Charters (Washington)
SS K'Lee Arrendondo (Arizona)
3B Katie Crabb (Arizona State)
C Ashley Holcombe (Alabama)
OF Lauren Schutzler (Arizona) (2nd selection)
OF Brittany Rogers (Alabama) (2nd selection)
OF Francesca Enea (Florida) (2nd selection)
OF Kaitlin Cochran (Arizona State)
OF Jessica Mapes (Arizona State)
UT Megan Gregory (Michigan)
UT Kristin Schnake (Georgia)
UT Krista Donnenwirth (Arizona State)
Until next week.
-Meech
Syracuse has been a program in an absolute state of flux for the past four seasons. The Orange's best showing in that span was a 4-8 finish in 2006. Play at the quarterback position has been average at best. Since Donovan McNabb graduated and moved along to the NFL the litany of individuals that has played QB at the 'Cuse reads like a list of "Hey, wait, who is that?" A few samples: Madei Williams, Troy Nunes, Cecil Howard, R.J. Anderson, Perry Patterson, Joe Fields, Matt Hale, Andrew Robinson, Cameron Dantley.
After a spirited first spring under new head coach Doug Marrone, redshirt freshman Ryan Nassib was named the starter. He appears loaded with both a strong arm and plenty of potential but the fact remains that he's still a lightly-regarded redshirt freshman with no experience. Dantley settled in behind him as the #2. Cam may have been the starter last season but save for a few great flashes (i.e. the final three scoring drives at Notre Dame) he is adequate at best. David Legree, the #3, has left school and appears to be headed to Hampton. Cody Catalina & Andrew Robinson are now tight ends. So you could say that depth at the QB position is lacking.
Enter Paulus. The former CBA quarterback was the Gatorade Player of the Year in 2004 before deciding to play basketball at Duke rather than football. Paulus was the favorite son in Central New York and many were heartbroken when he chose the orange basketball over the Orangemen. It seemed so effortless for Paulus, connecting on big pass after big pass with receivers Lavar Lobdell & Bruce Williams, both of whom would go onto rather non-descript careers with the Orange. Now, nearly five years removed from throwing his last meaningful pass, Paulus is looking to revive what certainly looked like a promising football career.
Critics from all over have weighed in on his decision. Most believe both Paulus and Marrone are crazy. Paulus hasn't touched a football in almost five years. Marrone needs to do something good in his first year on the job before he loses the fan base completely. Many simply hail it as a move out of sheer desperation. But hey, desperate times call for desperate measures.
And that's exactly what makes this whole thing acceptable. Syracuse hasn't appeared in a bowl game since it got waxed by Georgia Tech in the 2004 Champs Sports Bowl (I remember that one all too well.). They haven't had an over-.500 season since winning 10 games in 2001, capped by an Insight Bowl victory over Kansas State. They have been stuck in neutral while the rest of the Big East has leaped ahead in victories, facilities, recruiting, and reputation. So, really, what in the world do the Orange have to lose?
If Paulus shows all the rust that has accumulated since his CBA days and falls flat on his face, so what. No one is expecting a miracle and he can't be any worse than what Syracuse fans have seen for the last several years. But what if he doesn't fail? What if he finds his arm to be fresh and full of life? What if he summons that moxie from the court and brings it back to the huddle? What if the move turns out to be a home run?
One thing is for sure, people around the country are talking about Syracuse football. Marrone, the SU alum, has made quite an impact in his first few months on the job. He is bringing back the great traditions that used to be staples of the Orange program. He's changing the attitude surrounding what has become a moribound program. Full contact practices and plenty of competition flowed through the 15 spring practices. Players that don't fit his vision are dropping like flies. And now Paulus joins the fold. There is an undeniable buzz around CNY these days and it's providing hope for a program that once ruled the Big East.
Paulus may not single-handedly lead the Orange past Pitt, West Virginia, South Florida, and the rest of the Big East but he may give the Orange enough buzz to resolidify the foundation of a once-proud and consistent program. And make no mistake about it, Paulus will get every imaginable chance to win the starting job from Nassib in fall practice. The competition should be healthy and encouraging for all. Some will still criticize the move but in my opinion, Syracuse has already won. And any win, no matter how big or small, counts in the Dome.
Some news and notes:
- A couple of crazy games this past weekend in the NCAA Baseball Tournament. Texas & Boston College play the longest game in NCAA history, 25 innings spanning 7 hours & 3 minutes. Texas would win, 3-2, and BC would be sent packing the next day with a 4-3 loss to Army. Florida State then sets NCAA post-season records by racking up an absurd 37 runs, 38 hits, and 66 total bases in a huge victory over Ohio State. Gotta love the unpredictability of college baseball.
- Jon Gruden is replacing Tony Kornheiser on Monday Night Football this upcoming season. It's a win-win situation for everyone. Kornheiser wanted out and can now focus on PTI. Gruden finds work and gets to team up with Ron Jaworski to form an incredible X's and O's duo in the booth that should captivate any and all football fans.
- The Los Angeles Clippers have won the NBA Draft Lottery for the third time in franchise history. All signs point to the Clips taking Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin. Interested to see how this turns out. The Clips hit relatively big in 1988 when they selected Danny Manning but then whiffed big-time 10 years later when they selected Michael Olowokandi with the number one pick.
- New Orleans will host its record-tying 10th Super Bowl in February 2013. It's a capstone moment in the city's recovery from Hurricane Katrina. The city has hosted the Sugar Bowl and the NBA All-Star Game in its recovery efforts and will now get the biggest stage in professional sports to show just how far the Crescent City has come. Congrats to New Orleans on this crowning achievement.
- On the crazy front, it was confirmed that Boston Bruins forward Mark Recchi played in the Eastern Conference Semifinals with kidney stones & broken ribs. The stones were found before Game 4 and not removed until just before Game 7 of Boston's series with Carolina. Gotta love those tough hockey players.
- It's well-known that I've never been a big fan of Tom Brady but after reading his comments in this week's Sports Illustrated, I must say I have a lot more respect for him. Here's a sampling: "Playing ten more years is a big goal of mine...And if I get to that point and still feel good, I'll keep playing. I mean, what the hell else am I going to do? I dno't like anything else...Why would I even think of doing anything else? What would I do instead of run out in front of 80,000 people and command 52 guys and be around guys I consider brothers and be one of the real gladiators?...It's so hard to think of anything that would match what I do: Fly to the moon? Jump out of planes? Bungee-jump off cliffs? None of that s*** matters to me?" How can you not absolutely love that old-school attitude. You don't see enough of that passion in professional sports anymore.
- On the flip side, I have lost some respect for LeBron James after his childish act following the conclusion of the Eastern Conference Finals. After the Orlando Magic ended Cleveland's season and earned their first NBA Finals trip since 1995, LBJ stormed off the court without speaking to anyone or shaking any hands. He then left the locker room silent and left his not-so-great supporting cast to answer all the media inquiries. His excuse was that he's a "competitor" and he shouldn't shake someone's hand after they "beat his brains in." Quite frankly, that's a load of crap. A true competitor is unbowed yet humble in defeat. LeBron was a sore loser who left his teammates hanging, simple as that. He should've been a man, sucked it up, and congratulated Orlando on a well-earned series victory. His defenders will point out that LeBron played incredible ball throughout the series but got zero help from the rest of the Cavs so he had a right to be frustrated. Of course he has the right to be frustrated with the season ending without reaching the ultimate goal and with management refusing to give him any sort of credible help. Look at Carmelo Anthony & the Nuggets after the acquisition of Chauncey Billups. Enough said there. Bottom line, hockey players beat each other up for four, five, six, or seven games in a series yet at the end of the series the two teams line up and go through the traditional handshake line. Even though the dreams of one team are dead, they still show class and humility in defeat, like true competitors. Just another reason the NHL is that much better than the NBA. The only good that may come out of this is that Cavs management will realize that Anderson Varejao, Mo Williams, and Ben Wallace are not the supporting cast LeBron needs to win a title.
- Finally, it's that time...time to announce the 2nd-annual Women's College World Series All-Meech Team, a stellar combination of good looks and great softball players. Oh, and congrats to the Washington Huskies on winning their first NCAA Softball National Championship. Now for this year's All-Meech WCWS Team:
P Danielle Lawrie (Washington)
P Stacey Nelson (Florida) (2nd selection)
P Stacy Delaney (Missouri)
1B Ali Gardiner (Florida)
2B Ashley Charters (Washington)
SS K'Lee Arrendondo (Arizona)
3B Katie Crabb (Arizona State)
C Ashley Holcombe (Alabama)
OF Lauren Schutzler (Arizona) (2nd selection)
OF Brittany Rogers (Alabama) (2nd selection)
OF Francesca Enea (Florida) (2nd selection)
OF Kaitlin Cochran (Arizona State)
OF Jessica Mapes (Arizona State)
UT Megan Gregory (Michigan)
UT Kristin Schnake (Georgia)
UT Krista Donnenwirth (Arizona State)
Until next week.
-Meech
Monday, May 4, 2009
A three-day affair?... - 5/4/09
Word leaked last week that the National Football League is investigating the possibility of turning the Draft into a three-day event. The first round would be in primetime on Thursday night, with the second and third rounds on Friday night, and rounds four thru seven on Saturday. This is another one of Commissioner Roger Goodell's out-of-the-norm suggestions, right up there with the 17 or 18-game regular season and the moving of both the Pro Bowl & Super Bowl. We'll start with the Draft, though.
I'm not really sure what this possible move is going to do for television ratings. ESPN has been broadcasting the Draft since 1980 with plenty of success. Mel Kiper has given birth to "draftniks" everywhere and millions of people have capitalized on the Draft's exposure, creating a whole business culture around the seminal NFL event of the spring. It seems like everyone who has an opinion about football publishes an annual Draft guide and the NFL Scouting Combine has become a five-day tour-de-force. With all this in mind I really don't know how much higher the ratings will climb as millions of people already faithfully tune in to ESPN on the final Saturday in April to see who ends up where.
Come to think of it, this whole three-day Draft might actually hurt the league. Now, I do agree that the first round can be an event unto itself. With the time between picks shortened from fifteen to ten minutes, this year's first round took just three hours and twenty-three minutes, the fastest first round since 1990 when the league had four less teams. That makes for a perfect 7:30-11:00pm primetime slot for a Thursday night event. Plus, most of the reality programming giants schedule their programming from Monday-Wednesday, giving ESPN & the NFL an entire uncontested evening to showcase their products.
The hurt comes after the first round. I can't imagine common fans being interested after the first round. Most common fans (and that's who this initiative is aimed it) will stay tuned for the second round because it immediately follows the first round on Saturday. And I'm willing to bet that many of those common fans don't even bother turning on the television at 10am Sunday to watch rounds three thru seven. I fear that if the NFL does indeed spread the Draft over three days, it may become all about the Day One headlines while the rest of the Draft becomes nothing more than an afterthought.
Football addicts (like me) already watch the entire Draft from start to finish so this change really doesn't affect us. This whole move actually reminds me of Vince McMahon (and not just because I enjoy the WWE). You see, Vince knows that the die-hard wrestling fans will always watch and invest in his product no matter what he puts out there. So he tries to make changes that will appeal more to the common fan and maybe bring on pieces of a new audience. He does this because no matter how much the die-hard fans may hate what he's doing, we'll still tune in every Monday, Friday, and pay-per-view. I feel like Goodell is doing the exact same thing. He knows that the real football fans will watch anything with the NFL logo slapped onto it. This is a move designed to purely bring in new fans and streamline the product for those still not in love with or aware of the NFL and its products. The first round will be a great event but I just don't think the three-day spread is worthwhile.
As for the draft moving to different cities, I am actually 100% in favor of that. Every city with an NFL team has tremendous passion for the game and fans of all teams make the trek to New York City every year. I think it would be a nice reward (like choosing the site of an All-Star Game) for some of the other fans to be able to host the Draft and really add their own flavor to it. This could definitely change the appearance of the event as the pre-Draft parties and Draft Day itself would take on some traits of the city they are in, like the atmosphere of Super Bowl Week.
I'm not gung-ho on the 17 or 18-game regular season, though. I agree that pre-season games are not worth paying regular-season ticket prices but that doesn't mean we can get rid of them altogether. Coaches still need some of those games to determine who is going to fill those last few roster spots, step up on special teams, or win a fierce position battle. The pre-season isn't about the stars. The solution is just to cut one or two pre-season games while not adding regular-season games. Don't get me wrong, people are going to watch the additional regular-season games no matter what. But now the chances of players getting hurt is even higher and it is very possible that an extra game or two in an already-taxing regular season could hurt the NFL's postseason product, which would be devastating to all involved.
Goodell would be wise to use NASCAR as a cautionary tale. Earlier this decade, NASCAR found a sudden surge of popularity. Their answer to this was to give the people more of what they wanted. So the powers-that-be expanded the race schedule, added new tracks in non-traditional NASCAR locales, and stretched out their drivers to the point of exhaustion. Now NASCAR is considering taking a few races off the schedule and is staring down some serious financial and sponsorship issues. No sport, not even the mighty NFL, is recession-proof.
Oh, one other thing. The Pro Bowl is the most useless of the four major All-Star Games. Football just doesn't translate into a glorified exhibition. Here's an idea. Why not make the Pro Bowl a flag football game? Or just make an All-NFL Team at the end of season, like college football has their All-American selections? Just saying.
Some news & notes:
- Two NBA first-round contests went to a Game 7 and both were in the East. The Atlanta/Miami series was not as close as you would think despite going the distance. Every game was a blowout, a double-digit win for the victorious team. Meanwhile, the Boston/Chicago series was every bit as thrilling as you would expect a 7-game series to be. The teams traded scintillating wins and four of the series' seven contests went to overtime, an NBA playoff record. The four second-round matchups look to be exciting. Keep on eye on those Denver Nuggets. They easily dispatched Dallas in Game 1 of their Western Conference Semifinal series and look poised to keep doing big things. Carmelo must really be thanking his lucky stars for bringing him Chauncey Billups.
- Brett Favre should stay retired. Enough said about that one.
- Congratulations to former Syracuse head football coach Dick MacPherson on being selected for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. MacPherson had a 66-46-4 record during his time on The Hill, from 1981-1990. His best year was the undefeated season of 1987, which ended with a Sugar Bowl tie against Auburn. He also laid the foundation for the program that one of his assistants, Paul Pasqualoni, would take over and then guide to 107 wins, including six bowl victories. I had the pleasure of working with Coach Mac during my four years at Syracuse. He is a great football coach and a great man who absolutely deserves this honor. Congrats again, Coach.
- Mine That Bird, a 51-to-1 longshot took home the win in the Kentucky Derby this past Saturday. Only Donerail in 1913 won the Derby with longer odds. Now, the horse's handlers are saying Mine That Bird is no sure bet to run the Preakness. This would be a huge blow to the sport of thoroughbred racing. It is only truly relevant for one glorious six-week period every year when the Triple Crown races are contested. If Mine That Bird doesn't even try for the Triple Crown and sits out the Preakness, I get the feeling no one will care about Pimlico or Belmont this year.
- I wonder how the Mets must feel as they watch Oliver Perez struggle right now. They refused to pay Derek Lowe an extra $4 million total on top of their initial contract offer. Instead, they gave Perez a 3-year, $36 million deal to fill the rotation behind Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey, and John Maine. Well, Lowe is 3-1 with a 3.03 ERA, 28 K's, and just 14 walks in 35 and 2/3 innings. Perez, meanwhile, has allowed 49 baserunners (21 walks & 28 hits) in just 21 and 2/3 innings. His ERA is an abysmal 9.97. He's headed to one of three places: the bullpen, the minors, or the disabled list. Way to go, Omar Minaya, way to go.
- 47-year-old defenceman Chris Chelios became the second-oldest player ever to appear in an NHL postseason game. Chelios dressed for Game 1 of Detroit's Western Conference Semifinal series due to an injury to star defenceman & power-play point man Brian Rafalski. Chelios is a 3-time Norris Trophy winner and has 24 years of postseason experience to his credit. See, experience does go a long way in postseason play.
- Keep an eye on the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Minnesota Twins this month. The Dodgers have raced out to a 10-0 start at home, the best in franchise history, and have an incredible young core of homegrown talent that includes Russell Martin, James Loney, Matt Kemp, & Chad Billingsley. The Twins finally have their heart and soul, catcher Joe Mauer, back in the lineup and healthy again. Minnesota is a very different team with Mauer out there and there is no clear front-runner in the AL Central.
- And pay attention to the Vancouver/Chicago series in the NHL's Western Conference Semifinals. Both of these teams are loaded with young, high-flying talent. This series has the potential to go the distance and will be filled with heavy hitting, fast skating, and lots of goals.
- Finally, Coach Meech actually has two posts today. The post following this one is a venting exercise for me regarding the Devils' Game 7 defeat in their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series last Tuesday. If you want to read about my love of Jersey's Team and the sadness accompanying the end of the Devils' season then check it out. But if you're not a hockey fan, I would suggest stopping here until the next post.
Until next time.
-Meech
-
I'm not really sure what this possible move is going to do for television ratings. ESPN has been broadcasting the Draft since 1980 with plenty of success. Mel Kiper has given birth to "draftniks" everywhere and millions of people have capitalized on the Draft's exposure, creating a whole business culture around the seminal NFL event of the spring. It seems like everyone who has an opinion about football publishes an annual Draft guide and the NFL Scouting Combine has become a five-day tour-de-force. With all this in mind I really don't know how much higher the ratings will climb as millions of people already faithfully tune in to ESPN on the final Saturday in April to see who ends up where.
Come to think of it, this whole three-day Draft might actually hurt the league. Now, I do agree that the first round can be an event unto itself. With the time between picks shortened from fifteen to ten minutes, this year's first round took just three hours and twenty-three minutes, the fastest first round since 1990 when the league had four less teams. That makes for a perfect 7:30-11:00pm primetime slot for a Thursday night event. Plus, most of the reality programming giants schedule their programming from Monday-Wednesday, giving ESPN & the NFL an entire uncontested evening to showcase their products.
The hurt comes after the first round. I can't imagine common fans being interested after the first round. Most common fans (and that's who this initiative is aimed it) will stay tuned for the second round because it immediately follows the first round on Saturday. And I'm willing to bet that many of those common fans don't even bother turning on the television at 10am Sunday to watch rounds three thru seven. I fear that if the NFL does indeed spread the Draft over three days, it may become all about the Day One headlines while the rest of the Draft becomes nothing more than an afterthought.
Football addicts (like me) already watch the entire Draft from start to finish so this change really doesn't affect us. This whole move actually reminds me of Vince McMahon (and not just because I enjoy the WWE). You see, Vince knows that the die-hard wrestling fans will always watch and invest in his product no matter what he puts out there. So he tries to make changes that will appeal more to the common fan and maybe bring on pieces of a new audience. He does this because no matter how much the die-hard fans may hate what he's doing, we'll still tune in every Monday, Friday, and pay-per-view. I feel like Goodell is doing the exact same thing. He knows that the real football fans will watch anything with the NFL logo slapped onto it. This is a move designed to purely bring in new fans and streamline the product for those still not in love with or aware of the NFL and its products. The first round will be a great event but I just don't think the three-day spread is worthwhile.
As for the draft moving to different cities, I am actually 100% in favor of that. Every city with an NFL team has tremendous passion for the game and fans of all teams make the trek to New York City every year. I think it would be a nice reward (like choosing the site of an All-Star Game) for some of the other fans to be able to host the Draft and really add their own flavor to it. This could definitely change the appearance of the event as the pre-Draft parties and Draft Day itself would take on some traits of the city they are in, like the atmosphere of Super Bowl Week.
I'm not gung-ho on the 17 or 18-game regular season, though. I agree that pre-season games are not worth paying regular-season ticket prices but that doesn't mean we can get rid of them altogether. Coaches still need some of those games to determine who is going to fill those last few roster spots, step up on special teams, or win a fierce position battle. The pre-season isn't about the stars. The solution is just to cut one or two pre-season games while not adding regular-season games. Don't get me wrong, people are going to watch the additional regular-season games no matter what. But now the chances of players getting hurt is even higher and it is very possible that an extra game or two in an already-taxing regular season could hurt the NFL's postseason product, which would be devastating to all involved.
Goodell would be wise to use NASCAR as a cautionary tale. Earlier this decade, NASCAR found a sudden surge of popularity. Their answer to this was to give the people more of what they wanted. So the powers-that-be expanded the race schedule, added new tracks in non-traditional NASCAR locales, and stretched out their drivers to the point of exhaustion. Now NASCAR is considering taking a few races off the schedule and is staring down some serious financial and sponsorship issues. No sport, not even the mighty NFL, is recession-proof.
Oh, one other thing. The Pro Bowl is the most useless of the four major All-Star Games. Football just doesn't translate into a glorified exhibition. Here's an idea. Why not make the Pro Bowl a flag football game? Or just make an All-NFL Team at the end of season, like college football has their All-American selections? Just saying.
Some news & notes:
- Two NBA first-round contests went to a Game 7 and both were in the East. The Atlanta/Miami series was not as close as you would think despite going the distance. Every game was a blowout, a double-digit win for the victorious team. Meanwhile, the Boston/Chicago series was every bit as thrilling as you would expect a 7-game series to be. The teams traded scintillating wins and four of the series' seven contests went to overtime, an NBA playoff record. The four second-round matchups look to be exciting. Keep on eye on those Denver Nuggets. They easily dispatched Dallas in Game 1 of their Western Conference Semifinal series and look poised to keep doing big things. Carmelo must really be thanking his lucky stars for bringing him Chauncey Billups.
- Brett Favre should stay retired. Enough said about that one.
- Congratulations to former Syracuse head football coach Dick MacPherson on being selected for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. MacPherson had a 66-46-4 record during his time on The Hill, from 1981-1990. His best year was the undefeated season of 1987, which ended with a Sugar Bowl tie against Auburn. He also laid the foundation for the program that one of his assistants, Paul Pasqualoni, would take over and then guide to 107 wins, including six bowl victories. I had the pleasure of working with Coach Mac during my four years at Syracuse. He is a great football coach and a great man who absolutely deserves this honor. Congrats again, Coach.
- Mine That Bird, a 51-to-1 longshot took home the win in the Kentucky Derby this past Saturday. Only Donerail in 1913 won the Derby with longer odds. Now, the horse's handlers are saying Mine That Bird is no sure bet to run the Preakness. This would be a huge blow to the sport of thoroughbred racing. It is only truly relevant for one glorious six-week period every year when the Triple Crown races are contested. If Mine That Bird doesn't even try for the Triple Crown and sits out the Preakness, I get the feeling no one will care about Pimlico or Belmont this year.
- I wonder how the Mets must feel as they watch Oliver Perez struggle right now. They refused to pay Derek Lowe an extra $4 million total on top of their initial contract offer. Instead, they gave Perez a 3-year, $36 million deal to fill the rotation behind Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey, and John Maine. Well, Lowe is 3-1 with a 3.03 ERA, 28 K's, and just 14 walks in 35 and 2/3 innings. Perez, meanwhile, has allowed 49 baserunners (21 walks & 28 hits) in just 21 and 2/3 innings. His ERA is an abysmal 9.97. He's headed to one of three places: the bullpen, the minors, or the disabled list. Way to go, Omar Minaya, way to go.
- 47-year-old defenceman Chris Chelios became the second-oldest player ever to appear in an NHL postseason game. Chelios dressed for Game 1 of Detroit's Western Conference Semifinal series due to an injury to star defenceman & power-play point man Brian Rafalski. Chelios is a 3-time Norris Trophy winner and has 24 years of postseason experience to his credit. See, experience does go a long way in postseason play.
- Keep an eye on the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Minnesota Twins this month. The Dodgers have raced out to a 10-0 start at home, the best in franchise history, and have an incredible young core of homegrown talent that includes Russell Martin, James Loney, Matt Kemp, & Chad Billingsley. The Twins finally have their heart and soul, catcher Joe Mauer, back in the lineup and healthy again. Minnesota is a very different team with Mauer out there and there is no clear front-runner in the AL Central.
- And pay attention to the Vancouver/Chicago series in the NHL's Western Conference Semifinals. Both of these teams are loaded with young, high-flying talent. This series has the potential to go the distance and will be filled with heavy hitting, fast skating, and lots of goals.
- Finally, Coach Meech actually has two posts today. The post following this one is a venting exercise for me regarding the Devils' Game 7 defeat in their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series last Tuesday. If you want to read about my love of Jersey's Team and the sadness accompanying the end of the Devils' season then check it out. But if you're not a hockey fan, I would suggest stopping here until the next post.
Until next time.
-Meech
-
Maybe this will help... - 5/4/09
It's been almost a week now since the Devils were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series. It usually takes me a month or so to fully recover from the end of the Devils' season so the fact that I'm still extremely angry and saddened by the loss is no surprise. This one, however, may sting a little more because of the absolutely sickening way it went down...and the fact that it should have never come down to a Game 7 had the Devils not put out an awful effort in Carolina for Game 6 when they could have closed out the series right then and there.
At 8:47 of the second period, Brian Rolston broke through with a power-play goal (his first of the postseason) to give the Devils a 3-2 lead. This moment was huge considering how much of a disappointment Rolston had been this year. Jersey signed him to a 4-year, $20 million deal at the start of free agency as he was coming off his third consecutive thirty-goal season with Minnesota. But his season was derailed early with an ankle injury and Rolston found himself on the fourth line when he returned. Rolston ended up scoring just 15 goals in 64 games, not the kind of production the Devils thought they were getting when he signed up for his second stint in Jersey. But here he was in the deciding Game 7 of the series, scoring the go-ahead marker on a scorcher from the left point on the power play.
The Devils then nursed this lead into the third period. The penalty kill was sharp, killing off three consecutive Carolina power plays, including a 5-on-3 advantage for 1:08. But suddenly, around the 16:30 mark of the third period, the wheels started to come off the bus. Carolina was a middling team for the first half of the season but around the time they picked up Erik Cole from Edmonton (for his second stint with the 'Canes), Carolina got hot. They surged from being eight points out of a playoff spot all the way up to the sixth seed in the East. During this stretch, in which Paul Maurice was brought back for his second run as the 'Canes' head coach, Carolina came together and forged an identity as a hard-nosed, fast-skating team that could win any battle in the corner and capitalize on the slightest mistakes by their opponents. Around 16:30 of the third period many of us in Section 231 of the Prudential Center looked at each other and acknowledged that Carolina was about to kick their game into another gear.
Suddenly all of the action was in the Jersey zone. The Devils couldn't clear the puck. Carolina was applying tremendous pressure, making crisp passes, winning all the corner battles, and shooting at will. It was only a matter of time before the tying goal was scored and we all knew it. Sure enough, at 18:40 of the third period, Jussi Jokinen (who was waived by the Lightning earlier this season) scored his third goal of the series with a wrister from the right circle off a picture-perfect feed by Joni Pitkanen. Jokinen was the same individual who scored with 00.2 seconds left in the third period of Game 4 to give Carolina a last-second 4-3 triumph, evening the series at two.
So now we're all bracing for overtime until the unthinkable happens. Somehow, the Devils allow Eric Staal, arguably Carolina's best player, to skate across the blue line with a full head of steam towards Martin Brodeur. Staal then unleashed a twisting wrister from the right circle that ended up surprising Brodeur, and beating him stick side. With just 31.7 seconds left in regulation, Staal, the player I hate more than other in the entire National Hockey League (Yes, I hate him even more than Henrik Lundqvist), ripped my heart, and the hearts of the other 17,625 fans at The Rock, right out. It was Staal's fifth tally of the series.
There were just eighty seconds of regulation hockey left. That's it. Eighty more seconds and we all would've been talking about seeing each other at The Rock for Game 3 of Devils/Capitals in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Instead, we were all left with nothing but the absolute sickest feeling imaginable in the pits of our stomachs.
Many of the writers who cover Jersey's Team have been likening this heartbreaker to past Game 7 defeats in franchise history (Don't worry. The club has had some memorable Game 7 wins as well: Washington in 1988, Buffalo in 1994, Philadelphia in 2000, Ottawa & Anaheim in 2003.). The two notable losses that always pop up are Game 7 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals, in which Stephane Matteau scored the game-winner on a wraparound 4:24 into the second overtime to give the hated Rangers a 2-1 victory & Game 7 of the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals in which Alex Tanguay picked up the winner in a 3-1 Colorado Avalanche victory, giving Ray Bourque the long-awaited first Stanley Cup Championship of his storied career.
I believe the references to those two series are appropriate but not for the Game 7s. You see, just like in this year's ECQF series, the Devils had a chance to close out those series in Game 6 and failed to do so in shocking fashion. In the '94 Eastern Conference Finals the Devils had a chance to close out the series in Game 6 on home ice at the Meadowlands. But the Devils lost, 4-2, as Mark Messier netted a hat trick and cashed on his pre-game guarantee of forcing a Game 7. In the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals the Devils also had home ice advantage for Game 6 and a chance to win Lord Stanley's Cup for the third time in franchise history. But the Devils laid an absolute clunker and were shutout by Patrick Roy and the Avalanche, 4-0. This year...Cam Ward and the 'Canes shut out the Devils in Game 6, in Raliegh, 4-0, forcing the return to Newark for Game 7.
The Devils have had many outstanding playoff moments, both good and bad. I have been lucky enough to witness many of them first-hand, be it at the Meadowlands or at The Rock. As I tell everyone, football will always be my sport but the Devils will always be my team. They are Jersey's Team and I am a Jersey guy. I have cried tears of joy and sadness, publicly and privately, over this team. I've gone hoarse many times, thrown plenty of things, and had many days brightened and ruined by what Jersey's Team does on the ice. I still have nightmares of "Matteau! Matteau," and I still have glorious dreams of, "The championship...to New Jersey!" But I really believe that this Game 7 loss may haunt me even longer than '94. The Devils just gave up with three and a half minutes left in the game. They just put it in cruise control while Carolina found a gear the Devils simply didn't have. The entire final portion of the game was played in the Jersey end of the ice. With the 'Canes skating like demons the Devils never even had a chance.
The Devils have played Carolina four times in the postseason now and have only emerged victorious once, in the 2001 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. In addition to this year, Carolina owns victories in the 2002 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals and the 2006 Eastern Conference Semifinals. The series-ending Game 5 in 2006 was down in Carolina as was the series-clinching Game 6 in 2001 but in 2002, just like this year, the season ended in heartbreaking fashion in Jersey. I was at the Continental Airlines Arena on that Saturday afternoon in April, sitting in Section 213, as Kevin Weekes stopped all 32 Jersey shots to lead Carolina to a 1-0 victory. Ron Francis would score the only goal that night and Carolina would ride the momentum of that series-clinching win all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals before bowing to the Detroit Red Wings. After finishing off the Devils in five in 2006, Carolina would end up winning their only Stanley Cup Championship in franchise history. So if history is any indicator here, the 'Canes could be in for something big this year.
I remember being stunned on that Saturday afternoon as I watched the series-ending handshake line proceed. I had that same feeling last Tuesday at The Rock, only worse considering how the Devils just gave up. It took a good twenty minutes of just staring at the ice, conversations with three different ushers, and a total of about an hour before I finally left my seat in Section 231. It would be another hour (and a few drinks at the Bud Light Goal Bar) before I actually left the arena.
And so another season of Devils hockey comes to an end all too soon. Jersey has won just two playoff series (2006 (vs. Rangers) & 2007 (vs. Lightning) Eastern Conference Quarterfinals) since winning its third Stanley Cup Championship in 2003. Some key players (Oduya, Gionta, Zajac) will be free agents this summer, be it restricted or unrestricted. And the need for a top-four defencemen is pressing now more than ever. Everyone laughed at me when I went on and on about how much both I and the Devils would miss Brian Rafalski when he left to sign with Detroit after the 2007 playoffs. But here we are after a second consecutive first-round playoff exit wondering why we don't have a defenceman who can run the point on the power play and pinch to provide some pressure in the offensive zone. Those two areas would be Rafalski's specialties, by the way. It should be a very interesting off-season down in Newark. But one thing is for sure, I'll be back and ready to rock come October...and ready to keep yelling about how much I hate Eric Staal.
I'll leave you with this photo. It is a picture I took from my seat nearly 45 minutes after the conclusion of Game 7. You'll notice that there are just ushers remaining in the crowd and the only player on the ice is Eric Staal, sitting on the Carolina bench conducting a post-game interview. I think it's a good image to sum up the emptiness in my heart over the awful Game 7 defeat and just how bad I felt after that game.
-Meech
At 8:47 of the second period, Brian Rolston broke through with a power-play goal (his first of the postseason) to give the Devils a 3-2 lead. This moment was huge considering how much of a disappointment Rolston had been this year. Jersey signed him to a 4-year, $20 million deal at the start of free agency as he was coming off his third consecutive thirty-goal season with Minnesota. But his season was derailed early with an ankle injury and Rolston found himself on the fourth line when he returned. Rolston ended up scoring just 15 goals in 64 games, not the kind of production the Devils thought they were getting when he signed up for his second stint in Jersey. But here he was in the deciding Game 7 of the series, scoring the go-ahead marker on a scorcher from the left point on the power play.
The Devils then nursed this lead into the third period. The penalty kill was sharp, killing off three consecutive Carolina power plays, including a 5-on-3 advantage for 1:08. But suddenly, around the 16:30 mark of the third period, the wheels started to come off the bus. Carolina was a middling team for the first half of the season but around the time they picked up Erik Cole from Edmonton (for his second stint with the 'Canes), Carolina got hot. They surged from being eight points out of a playoff spot all the way up to the sixth seed in the East. During this stretch, in which Paul Maurice was brought back for his second run as the 'Canes' head coach, Carolina came together and forged an identity as a hard-nosed, fast-skating team that could win any battle in the corner and capitalize on the slightest mistakes by their opponents. Around 16:30 of the third period many of us in Section 231 of the Prudential Center looked at each other and acknowledged that Carolina was about to kick their game into another gear.
Suddenly all of the action was in the Jersey zone. The Devils couldn't clear the puck. Carolina was applying tremendous pressure, making crisp passes, winning all the corner battles, and shooting at will. It was only a matter of time before the tying goal was scored and we all knew it. Sure enough, at 18:40 of the third period, Jussi Jokinen (who was waived by the Lightning earlier this season) scored his third goal of the series with a wrister from the right circle off a picture-perfect feed by Joni Pitkanen. Jokinen was the same individual who scored with 00.2 seconds left in the third period of Game 4 to give Carolina a last-second 4-3 triumph, evening the series at two.
So now we're all bracing for overtime until the unthinkable happens. Somehow, the Devils allow Eric Staal, arguably Carolina's best player, to skate across the blue line with a full head of steam towards Martin Brodeur. Staal then unleashed a twisting wrister from the right circle that ended up surprising Brodeur, and beating him stick side. With just 31.7 seconds left in regulation, Staal, the player I hate more than other in the entire National Hockey League (Yes, I hate him even more than Henrik Lundqvist), ripped my heart, and the hearts of the other 17,625 fans at The Rock, right out. It was Staal's fifth tally of the series.
There were just eighty seconds of regulation hockey left. That's it. Eighty more seconds and we all would've been talking about seeing each other at The Rock for Game 3 of Devils/Capitals in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Instead, we were all left with nothing but the absolute sickest feeling imaginable in the pits of our stomachs.
Many of the writers who cover Jersey's Team have been likening this heartbreaker to past Game 7 defeats in franchise history (Don't worry. The club has had some memorable Game 7 wins as well: Washington in 1988, Buffalo in 1994, Philadelphia in 2000, Ottawa & Anaheim in 2003.). The two notable losses that always pop up are Game 7 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals, in which Stephane Matteau scored the game-winner on a wraparound 4:24 into the second overtime to give the hated Rangers a 2-1 victory & Game 7 of the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals in which Alex Tanguay picked up the winner in a 3-1 Colorado Avalanche victory, giving Ray Bourque the long-awaited first Stanley Cup Championship of his storied career.
I believe the references to those two series are appropriate but not for the Game 7s. You see, just like in this year's ECQF series, the Devils had a chance to close out those series in Game 6 and failed to do so in shocking fashion. In the '94 Eastern Conference Finals the Devils had a chance to close out the series in Game 6 on home ice at the Meadowlands. But the Devils lost, 4-2, as Mark Messier netted a hat trick and cashed on his pre-game guarantee of forcing a Game 7. In the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals the Devils also had home ice advantage for Game 6 and a chance to win Lord Stanley's Cup for the third time in franchise history. But the Devils laid an absolute clunker and were shutout by Patrick Roy and the Avalanche, 4-0. This year...Cam Ward and the 'Canes shut out the Devils in Game 6, in Raliegh, 4-0, forcing the return to Newark for Game 7.
The Devils have had many outstanding playoff moments, both good and bad. I have been lucky enough to witness many of them first-hand, be it at the Meadowlands or at The Rock. As I tell everyone, football will always be my sport but the Devils will always be my team. They are Jersey's Team and I am a Jersey guy. I have cried tears of joy and sadness, publicly and privately, over this team. I've gone hoarse many times, thrown plenty of things, and had many days brightened and ruined by what Jersey's Team does on the ice. I still have nightmares of "Matteau! Matteau," and I still have glorious dreams of, "The championship...to New Jersey!" But I really believe that this Game 7 loss may haunt me even longer than '94. The Devils just gave up with three and a half minutes left in the game. They just put it in cruise control while Carolina found a gear the Devils simply didn't have. The entire final portion of the game was played in the Jersey end of the ice. With the 'Canes skating like demons the Devils never even had a chance.
The Devils have played Carolina four times in the postseason now and have only emerged victorious once, in the 2001 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. In addition to this year, Carolina owns victories in the 2002 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals and the 2006 Eastern Conference Semifinals. The series-ending Game 5 in 2006 was down in Carolina as was the series-clinching Game 6 in 2001 but in 2002, just like this year, the season ended in heartbreaking fashion in Jersey. I was at the Continental Airlines Arena on that Saturday afternoon in April, sitting in Section 213, as Kevin Weekes stopped all 32 Jersey shots to lead Carolina to a 1-0 victory. Ron Francis would score the only goal that night and Carolina would ride the momentum of that series-clinching win all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals before bowing to the Detroit Red Wings. After finishing off the Devils in five in 2006, Carolina would end up winning their only Stanley Cup Championship in franchise history. So if history is any indicator here, the 'Canes could be in for something big this year.
I remember being stunned on that Saturday afternoon as I watched the series-ending handshake line proceed. I had that same feeling last Tuesday at The Rock, only worse considering how the Devils just gave up. It took a good twenty minutes of just staring at the ice, conversations with three different ushers, and a total of about an hour before I finally left my seat in Section 231. It would be another hour (and a few drinks at the Bud Light Goal Bar) before I actually left the arena.
And so another season of Devils hockey comes to an end all too soon. Jersey has won just two playoff series (2006 (vs. Rangers) & 2007 (vs. Lightning) Eastern Conference Quarterfinals) since winning its third Stanley Cup Championship in 2003. Some key players (Oduya, Gionta, Zajac) will be free agents this summer, be it restricted or unrestricted. And the need for a top-four defencemen is pressing now more than ever. Everyone laughed at me when I went on and on about how much both I and the Devils would miss Brian Rafalski when he left to sign with Detroit after the 2007 playoffs. But here we are after a second consecutive first-round playoff exit wondering why we don't have a defenceman who can run the point on the power play and pinch to provide some pressure in the offensive zone. Those two areas would be Rafalski's specialties, by the way. It should be a very interesting off-season down in Newark. But one thing is for sure, I'll be back and ready to rock come October...and ready to keep yelling about how much I hate Eric Staal.
I'll leave you with this photo. It is a picture I took from my seat nearly 45 minutes after the conclusion of Game 7. You'll notice that there are just ushers remaining in the crowd and the only player on the ice is Eric Staal, sitting on the Carolina bench conducting a post-game interview. I think it's a good image to sum up the emptiness in my heart over the awful Game 7 defeat and just how bad I felt after that game.
-Meech
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Spring is in the air... - 4/25/09
We're gonna go with the news & notes format for this post. Back to the normal one-subject rant followed by a few news & notes next time.
- The postseason is in full swing in both the NBA & the NHL. Shockingly, I'm going to start with the NBA Playoffs here. (Don't worry. I'll get back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the greatest postseason tournament, a little later here.) The combination of seeding and some new blood has really infused some life into this year's NBA Playoffs for me. It's great to see the young Portland Trail Blazers finally put it all together and make their first postseason appearance since 2003. Brandon Roy & LaMarcus Aldridge are the core of a very exciting team. They are also a far cry from the "Jail Blazer" days of Stoudamire, Randolph, and Rider, to name a few. On the other side of that, it's nice to not have to watch another Phoenix Suns playoff failure as Steve Nash & company failed to qualify for the postseason.
The West is so competitive that the Utah Jazz (at 48-34) are the 8th seed and giving the Los Angeles Lakers everything they've got, clawing back into the series with a scintillating 88-86 Game 3 win. The Mavericks and Jason Kidd (still mad at him for forcing his way out of Jersey) are pushing to go up 3-1 on the third-seeded Spurs. Over in the East, the Bulls are fighting the Celtics, who are just not the same club without Kevin Garnett in the lineup. And how about that #4/#5 matchup between the Atlanta Hawks and the Miami Heat? Good stuff there.
But for me the story of the postseason is the slumping Detroit Pistons. Here's a club that was once the class of the Eastern Conference, winning an NBA Title in 2004 and making seemingly-annual appearances in the Eastern Conference Finals. This year, though, the tables have finally turned. Detroit backed into the playoffs at 39-43 and is on the verge of elimination as LeBron & the Cavaliers have a 3-0 advantage in the series. These Pistons look nothing like their predecessors. Michael Curry, just 39 years old, looks lost as a head coach in his first NBA postseason. Allen Iverson has been a drain on the club all season and has been inactive the entire series. Rip Hamilton & Tayshaun Prince are good players but don't have anything close to the leadership chops possessed by Chauncey Billups. Why they sent him to Denver, I'll never know. But I'm sure the Nuggets (and Carmelo Anthony in particular) are still thanking their lucky stars that they were not only able to get Billups and push to the #2 seed in the West, but to also shed themselves of the albatross that is Iverson. I've always had a tremendous respect for Pistons executive Joe Dumars but the 2008-2009 season should easily go down as his worst.
- Don't know about anyone else but I am taking great joy in watching CC Sabathia, Chien-Ming Wang, and Joba Chamberlain all struggle this April for the Yankees. I'm not going to harp on Sabathia too much as he has historically been a slow starter. If he's still struggling in June, then I'll give him some grief. Wang has been a shocking disappointment thus far. His velocity is down and that patented sinker is not biting at all. Wang currently has a 34.50 ERA and has gone just six innings in his three starts. His batting average against is a preposterous .622. Mechanics may be a problem but I have a hard time believing he's fully recovered from the Lisfranc injury that ended his 2008 season. Let's remember how long it took Michael Strahan to recover from the same injury and he was never the same player after that. The Yanks have put Wang on the 15-day DL, skipped his last scheduled start, and sent him to Tampa for an extended spring training start. Chamberlain's numbers may appear fine on the surface but underneath that, trouble is brewing. The power pitcher whose game relies on strikeouts has just 11 K's in three starts and has seen his velocity fall from 97 down to the low 90s, topping out at 93. His control is still not there, walking 10 in just 16 innings, and you have to wonder how much his stuff really translates over six or seven innings as opposed to that eighth-inning burst. Phil Hughes is coming up to take over for Wang. It's a little early to be patching up the rotation in the Bronx but here they are once again struggling in April. If this persists and the Bronx Bombers fail to go to the postseason again, I believe Joe Girardi will be hanging out where countless other Americans have over the last year...the unemployment line.
- The Mountain West Conference submitted a new playoff proposal at this week's BCS Meetings. I've discussed the MWC's legitimacy before so I'm not going to revisit that. This league, at the very least, deserves an automatic BCS spot. That could happen if the ACC, Big Ten, and Big East continue to struggle. But don't hold your breath for a 1-A playoff because it's just not gonna happen.
- For many 1-A schools last week was the annual rite of passage known as the Spring Game. I love spring football. You get 15 practices to go back to fundamentals, slowly install your "bread & butter" schemes, evaluate talent new & old, and cultivate some genuine competition on your football team. I watched the Alabama spring game on ESPN last Saturday and other than the countless cuts to suit-and-tie clad-coach Nick Saban, it was fantastic. 84,050 Crimson Tide fans packed Bryant-Denny Stadium to watch the Crimson team defeat the White team, 14-7. Those that are not college football fans are probably wondering why 80,000 people would come to watch a controlled, glorified intrasquad scrimmage but that's the beauty of college football and what ultimately makes it better than the NFL. The passion that runs through the college game is unequaled & unrivaled. And just to show the insanity of the SEC, a Tennessee fan (fully dressed in orange) showed up at the A-Day Game to taunt the 'Bama fans. I guess he needed some practice for that annual grudge match on the third Saturday in October.
- A few NFL Draft notes as the first round continues: I'm glad the Detroit Lions didn't use their whole ten minutes of clock time to hand their pick to Commissioner Roger Goodell. They reached a deal with Matthew Stafford and announced it prior to the draft. There was no suspense to be had so thanks for not wasting ten minutes of my time and allowing the next pick to step up. Big play by the Jets to move all the way up from #17 to #5 to take USC QB Mark Sanchez. Kellen Clemens is definitely not the answer there so kudos to new head coach Rex Ryan for recognizing that and taking a chance. Josh McDaniels continues to prove what an arrogant idiot he is in Denver. They don't move from #12 and end up taking yet another running back, Georgia's Knowshon Moreno. Say what you want about the whole Jay Cutler ordeal but the bottom line is that he is a Top 10 NFL quarterback and those are hard to come by these days. He got nothing of value back for him and then used a pick on a running back who may be gifted but has loads of durability questions. McDaniels came into Denver blazing, cutting half of the starting defense, angering veterans at every turn, and then creating a rift with his Pro Bowl QB. People say that McDaniels is a miracle worker with Matt Cassel. I hate to break your heart but Cassel always had talent. It's not his fault he sat behind this guy at USC. What was his name? Oh yeah...Carson Palmer. Cassel had plenty of ability, just like Tom Brady did at Michigan. McDaniels may have rounded him out and helped him take that final step into NFL stardom but he certainly did not make Matt Cassel. Here's hoping Denver just falls out of contention in the AFC West and that Jay Cutler takes Chicago to new heights. Oh, and Al Davis, have fun with another useless speed receiver in Darius Heyward-Bey. Great job with that #7 overall pick.
- The Stanley Cup Playoffs have been hotly contested thus far. The Boston Bruins took the arch-rival Montreal Canadiens behind the woodshed and swept them right out of the first round, outscoring them 17-6 in the process. What a pathetic end to what was supposed to be a glorious Centennial Season for Montreal. The 8th-seeded Anaheim Ducks have the San Jose Sharks on the ropes with a 3-1 series advantage. The Sharks had the league's best regular-season record but are one loss away from adding another year to their monumental list of playoff failures. Even though the Columbus Blue Jackets & St. Louis Blues were both swept out of the first round I have to give them credit for getting back to the playoffs, and in Columbus' case, making their first-ever Stanley Cup Playoff appearance. Both teams are very young and it showed against Detroit and Vancouver, respectively. But they've got loads of talent, great fan bases, and bright futures ahead of them. The Philadelphia Flyers & Pittsburgh Penguins had a six-game dogfight in the Battle of the Keystone State. The Flyers lost Game 6, and the series, after blowing a 3-0 lead as the Pens scored five unanswered goals.
The East & the West also have one series each that has just been off the charts. The Chicago Blackhawks (making their first playoff appearance since 2002) & the Calgary Flames series has been every bit the battle a #4/#5 series is supposed to be. Chicago won two exciting one-goal games on home ice to start the series. Calgary then battled back to win the next two at home, withstanding furious Chicago rallies in both contests. But the series of the first round has to be the Devils/Hurricanes matchup in the East. I am a die-hard Devils fan and season-ticket holder but that's not the only reason I say this. Just look at the series: Four one-goal games, two overtime games, one game decided with a goal with just 00.2 seconds left in regulation after a 3-goal comeback practically assured overtime, heavy hitting, and incredible goaltending. Martin Brodeur picked up his record-tying 23rd playoff shutout in Game 5, stopping 44 Carolina shots. Carolina goalie Cam Ward has also been playing well as he picked up 41 saves of his own in Game 5. Game 6 is scheduled for Sunday night in Carolina. The way this series has been going back and forth, don't be surprised if the two teams are forced to face off again...in a deciding Game 7 Tuesday night in Newark.
- Finally, I was sad to see my favorite wrestler, 13-time (and current) WWE Champion Triple H go back to RAW in the annual WWE Draft. I felt Triple H's time on Smackdown was great for both him and the company. He brought new respectability to the "Blue Brand" and cultivated some up-and-coming stars in the process. Unfortunately, his move back to Monday nights most likely paves the way for Batista to turn on him at Backlash, costing "The Game" the WWE Championship in the process. On the plus side of the draft, Chris Jericho moves from RAW to Smackdown. This move should put Jericho back in the main event spotlight, a long-overdue move for one of the greatest entertainers and technical wrestlers of our time.
That's all for now. Until next time.
-Meech
- The postseason is in full swing in both the NBA & the NHL. Shockingly, I'm going to start with the NBA Playoffs here. (Don't worry. I'll get back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the greatest postseason tournament, a little later here.) The combination of seeding and some new blood has really infused some life into this year's NBA Playoffs for me. It's great to see the young Portland Trail Blazers finally put it all together and make their first postseason appearance since 2003. Brandon Roy & LaMarcus Aldridge are the core of a very exciting team. They are also a far cry from the "Jail Blazer" days of Stoudamire, Randolph, and Rider, to name a few. On the other side of that, it's nice to not have to watch another Phoenix Suns playoff failure as Steve Nash & company failed to qualify for the postseason.
The West is so competitive that the Utah Jazz (at 48-34) are the 8th seed and giving the Los Angeles Lakers everything they've got, clawing back into the series with a scintillating 88-86 Game 3 win. The Mavericks and Jason Kidd (still mad at him for forcing his way out of Jersey) are pushing to go up 3-1 on the third-seeded Spurs. Over in the East, the Bulls are fighting the Celtics, who are just not the same club without Kevin Garnett in the lineup. And how about that #4/#5 matchup between the Atlanta Hawks and the Miami Heat? Good stuff there.
But for me the story of the postseason is the slumping Detroit Pistons. Here's a club that was once the class of the Eastern Conference, winning an NBA Title in 2004 and making seemingly-annual appearances in the Eastern Conference Finals. This year, though, the tables have finally turned. Detroit backed into the playoffs at 39-43 and is on the verge of elimination as LeBron & the Cavaliers have a 3-0 advantage in the series. These Pistons look nothing like their predecessors. Michael Curry, just 39 years old, looks lost as a head coach in his first NBA postseason. Allen Iverson has been a drain on the club all season and has been inactive the entire series. Rip Hamilton & Tayshaun Prince are good players but don't have anything close to the leadership chops possessed by Chauncey Billups. Why they sent him to Denver, I'll never know. But I'm sure the Nuggets (and Carmelo Anthony in particular) are still thanking their lucky stars that they were not only able to get Billups and push to the #2 seed in the West, but to also shed themselves of the albatross that is Iverson. I've always had a tremendous respect for Pistons executive Joe Dumars but the 2008-2009 season should easily go down as his worst.
- Don't know about anyone else but I am taking great joy in watching CC Sabathia, Chien-Ming Wang, and Joba Chamberlain all struggle this April for the Yankees. I'm not going to harp on Sabathia too much as he has historically been a slow starter. If he's still struggling in June, then I'll give him some grief. Wang has been a shocking disappointment thus far. His velocity is down and that patented sinker is not biting at all. Wang currently has a 34.50 ERA and has gone just six innings in his three starts. His batting average against is a preposterous .622. Mechanics may be a problem but I have a hard time believing he's fully recovered from the Lisfranc injury that ended his 2008 season. Let's remember how long it took Michael Strahan to recover from the same injury and he was never the same player after that. The Yanks have put Wang on the 15-day DL, skipped his last scheduled start, and sent him to Tampa for an extended spring training start. Chamberlain's numbers may appear fine on the surface but underneath that, trouble is brewing. The power pitcher whose game relies on strikeouts has just 11 K's in three starts and has seen his velocity fall from 97 down to the low 90s, topping out at 93. His control is still not there, walking 10 in just 16 innings, and you have to wonder how much his stuff really translates over six or seven innings as opposed to that eighth-inning burst. Phil Hughes is coming up to take over for Wang. It's a little early to be patching up the rotation in the Bronx but here they are once again struggling in April. If this persists and the Bronx Bombers fail to go to the postseason again, I believe Joe Girardi will be hanging out where countless other Americans have over the last year...the unemployment line.
- The Mountain West Conference submitted a new playoff proposal at this week's BCS Meetings. I've discussed the MWC's legitimacy before so I'm not going to revisit that. This league, at the very least, deserves an automatic BCS spot. That could happen if the ACC, Big Ten, and Big East continue to struggle. But don't hold your breath for a 1-A playoff because it's just not gonna happen.
- For many 1-A schools last week was the annual rite of passage known as the Spring Game. I love spring football. You get 15 practices to go back to fundamentals, slowly install your "bread & butter" schemes, evaluate talent new & old, and cultivate some genuine competition on your football team. I watched the Alabama spring game on ESPN last Saturday and other than the countless cuts to suit-and-tie clad-coach Nick Saban, it was fantastic. 84,050 Crimson Tide fans packed Bryant-Denny Stadium to watch the Crimson team defeat the White team, 14-7. Those that are not college football fans are probably wondering why 80,000 people would come to watch a controlled, glorified intrasquad scrimmage but that's the beauty of college football and what ultimately makes it better than the NFL. The passion that runs through the college game is unequaled & unrivaled. And just to show the insanity of the SEC, a Tennessee fan (fully dressed in orange) showed up at the A-Day Game to taunt the 'Bama fans. I guess he needed some practice for that annual grudge match on the third Saturday in October.
- A few NFL Draft notes as the first round continues: I'm glad the Detroit Lions didn't use their whole ten minutes of clock time to hand their pick to Commissioner Roger Goodell. They reached a deal with Matthew Stafford and announced it prior to the draft. There was no suspense to be had so thanks for not wasting ten minutes of my time and allowing the next pick to step up. Big play by the Jets to move all the way up from #17 to #5 to take USC QB Mark Sanchez. Kellen Clemens is definitely not the answer there so kudos to new head coach Rex Ryan for recognizing that and taking a chance. Josh McDaniels continues to prove what an arrogant idiot he is in Denver. They don't move from #12 and end up taking yet another running back, Georgia's Knowshon Moreno. Say what you want about the whole Jay Cutler ordeal but the bottom line is that he is a Top 10 NFL quarterback and those are hard to come by these days. He got nothing of value back for him and then used a pick on a running back who may be gifted but has loads of durability questions. McDaniels came into Denver blazing, cutting half of the starting defense, angering veterans at every turn, and then creating a rift with his Pro Bowl QB. People say that McDaniels is a miracle worker with Matt Cassel. I hate to break your heart but Cassel always had talent. It's not his fault he sat behind this guy at USC. What was his name? Oh yeah...Carson Palmer. Cassel had plenty of ability, just like Tom Brady did at Michigan. McDaniels may have rounded him out and helped him take that final step into NFL stardom but he certainly did not make Matt Cassel. Here's hoping Denver just falls out of contention in the AFC West and that Jay Cutler takes Chicago to new heights. Oh, and Al Davis, have fun with another useless speed receiver in Darius Heyward-Bey. Great job with that #7 overall pick.
- The Stanley Cup Playoffs have been hotly contested thus far. The Boston Bruins took the arch-rival Montreal Canadiens behind the woodshed and swept them right out of the first round, outscoring them 17-6 in the process. What a pathetic end to what was supposed to be a glorious Centennial Season for Montreal. The 8th-seeded Anaheim Ducks have the San Jose Sharks on the ropes with a 3-1 series advantage. The Sharks had the league's best regular-season record but are one loss away from adding another year to their monumental list of playoff failures. Even though the Columbus Blue Jackets & St. Louis Blues were both swept out of the first round I have to give them credit for getting back to the playoffs, and in Columbus' case, making their first-ever Stanley Cup Playoff appearance. Both teams are very young and it showed against Detroit and Vancouver, respectively. But they've got loads of talent, great fan bases, and bright futures ahead of them. The Philadelphia Flyers & Pittsburgh Penguins had a six-game dogfight in the Battle of the Keystone State. The Flyers lost Game 6, and the series, after blowing a 3-0 lead as the Pens scored five unanswered goals.
The East & the West also have one series each that has just been off the charts. The Chicago Blackhawks (making their first playoff appearance since 2002) & the Calgary Flames series has been every bit the battle a #4/#5 series is supposed to be. Chicago won two exciting one-goal games on home ice to start the series. Calgary then battled back to win the next two at home, withstanding furious Chicago rallies in both contests. But the series of the first round has to be the Devils/Hurricanes matchup in the East. I am a die-hard Devils fan and season-ticket holder but that's not the only reason I say this. Just look at the series: Four one-goal games, two overtime games, one game decided with a goal with just 00.2 seconds left in regulation after a 3-goal comeback practically assured overtime, heavy hitting, and incredible goaltending. Martin Brodeur picked up his record-tying 23rd playoff shutout in Game 5, stopping 44 Carolina shots. Carolina goalie Cam Ward has also been playing well as he picked up 41 saves of his own in Game 5. Game 6 is scheduled for Sunday night in Carolina. The way this series has been going back and forth, don't be surprised if the two teams are forced to face off again...in a deciding Game 7 Tuesday night in Newark.
- Finally, I was sad to see my favorite wrestler, 13-time (and current) WWE Champion Triple H go back to RAW in the annual WWE Draft. I felt Triple H's time on Smackdown was great for both him and the company. He brought new respectability to the "Blue Brand" and cultivated some up-and-coming stars in the process. Unfortunately, his move back to Monday nights most likely paves the way for Batista to turn on him at Backlash, costing "The Game" the WWE Championship in the process. On the plus side of the draft, Chris Jericho moves from RAW to Smackdown. This move should put Jericho back in the main event spotlight, a long-overdue move for one of the greatest entertainers and technical wrestlers of our time.
That's all for now. Until next time.
-Meech
Friday, February 20, 2009
Someone smashed all the grapefruits... - 2/20/09
Pitchers and catchers have officially reported to MLB camps across Florida & Arizona and position players are almost all in as well. The annual rite of passage known as Spring Training is once again upon us. Usually this brings joy and renewed hope of a championship season. It's probably the only time of the year when a fan of any of the 30 MLB clubs can actually feel as though his or her team has a shot at winning it all. Spring Training takes us all back to a simpler time...a time when players were accessible and the game was far more woven into the fabric of this country.
But for the first time in my life, I can honestly tell you that I am just not excited for Spring Training this year. The Grapefruit & Cactus League action has always been riveting in the past. No professional sport has a preseason quite like that of Major League Baseball. The past, present, and future are combined so flawlessly at big league camps. I'll use the Mets as an example. You've got Johan Santana (the present) throwing off a mound for the first time since surgery. Next to him is Hall of Famer Tom Seaver (the past) spreading some words of wisdom. Then on the next field over you've got 2008 first-round draft pick Bradley Holt (the future) getting some work in as he prepares for his first full minor league season. Usually, this is all enough to get the emotions flowing and the anticipation for April building.
However, I'm just not feeling the usual nostalgic glow that Spring Training provides anymore. Baseball is a game in disarray. Commissioner Bud Selig gets $18 million a year from owners and hasn't shown himself to be any sort of the authority figure a professional sports commissioner should be. Competitive balance doesn't exist. It seems like the same teams are in the playoffs every year with the exception of one upstart. Yes, the Rays & Phillies made for quite the surprise this year but if you take that away, there's not much left. Games drag on to the point of exhaustion and World Series games start so late that everyone is asleep by the bottom of the 5th inning. Free agents everywhere are out of work and completely unrealistic (That means you, Manny.) about how much they're actually worth. The game is focused on one rivlary (Yankees-Red Sox) and has no other marketable contests as a result. I won't even start in on this one.
And then of course there's the whole steroids issue. I'm really sick of turning on the TV, grabbing the newspaper, or opening my internet browser to find some sob story of another baseball player issuing a half-hearted apology for taking performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). I would love to see one player take the podium and say something like, "I knew exactly what I was doing. These are the substances I took. I knew the proper cycles to avoid testing positive. I'm sorry but I felt the pressure to perform so I did what I had to do to get ahead. I truly apologize to my teammates, my employers, and the fans, for duping every single one of them that believed in me." Wouldn't that be nice?
Now we all now that will never happen. Take Alex Rodriguez's pathetic press conference...or Mark McGwire's...or Rafael Palmeiro's...or Sammy Sosa's. I find it extremely hard to believe that A-Rod, who has long had a sterling reputation for knowing the ins and outs of his workout and diet, had no clue what he was doing to himself. Just like it's impossible to believe Sammy Sosa, who was quite charismatic during the great home run chase of '98, suddenly forgot how to speak English one day.
And no one is immune to this. It's not just the big-name hitters. Miguel Tejada got everything he needed from former Oakland teammate Adam Piatt, not exactly a Bash Brother. Andy Pettite admitted using HGH last spring. Pettite is very religious and a down-home Texan. He was portrayed as one of those Yankee for life types who would have a place in Monument Park when his career was over. He claims to have only used it in injury recovery on one or two instances but does anyone remember how tight he was with Roger Clemens in both New York & Houston???
The cold hard reality is that baseball, which is still a beautiful game, will never be seen the same way again. There has always been poetic beauty in many aspects of the game from a great catch to spotting the perfect pitch to turning the picturesque 4-6-3 double play. But now we have to question everything...every pitch, every hit, every catch, every homerun, everything. Any player who had great stats during the height of the so-called Steroid Era must be under review.
It's an absolute shame that it's come to this but is anyone clean anymore? Has any All-Star performance we've seen in the last decade been legit? So what do we do now? Should the other 103 names on that list of positive tests be released? Should PED users be left out of the Hall of Fame?
As always, there will be plenty of great storylines in baseball this year but the cold reality is they just don't matter. Until the game is cleaned up steroids will be the only story that matters in the minds of many. The only way for the game to come clean at this point is to be brutally honest, with both the fans and itself. The current testing program is pathetic and needs to be overhauled and tightened. A salary cap may be a necessity at this point. Should we revisit contraction?
Really I just want someone in baseball to be honest with us, the fans. Admit you were wrong. Admit there was a bigger drug culture than we'd ever know. Make some changes to the economic structure of the game. Make testing mandatory and let us in on the results. Stop covering things up like the CIA. It took the NHL an entire lost season to realize it needed to change for the fans. The NHL may not be winning the hearts of everyone but it has picked up new fans, attendance is up (except in Phoenix), and TV ratings (despite not being through the roof) are higher than they've ever been. It's a slow process but the NHL is taking steps in the right direction.
The NBA has to be thrilled. I'm still not a big NBA (or David Stern) fan but the league has had back-to-back awesome weekends. With the All-Star festivities last week and matchups of the league's best four teams the week before, the NBA has gotten plenty of publicity...and for all the right reasons. The NFL is a ratings and money-making machine. The league is on year-round now with the Scouting Combine, Draft, and minicamps. And college football is headed in that direction as well, with the airing of several Spring Games.
Despite it all, there are still two baseball events I'm excited about: The World Baseball Classic and the College World Series. With Olympic-style drug testing in the WBC and NCAA testing in Omaha at least I'll know those events are truly pure baseball. After the WBC in March I'll have plenty of better things to watch than the mundane first three months of MLB action: Stanley Cup Playoffs, NFL Draft, Spring Football on campuses across the country, NCAA Tournament, WrestleMania.
Maybe the names behind the positive tests will be released. Maybe "A-Fraud" will get hurt so we can write about something (and someone) else. Maybe the sheer beauty of the game will take over once more. So I'm going to do my part. My resolution for the 2009 season is to not write any more about steriods & PEDs. Any baseball notes or stories in "Coach Meech's Highlight Reel" from here on out will have no mention of any banned substances.
This will help us all see if ignorance truly is bliss. I hope you're paying attention, Mr. Selig.
Some other news & notes:
- The topsy-turvy world of the NFL offseason is in high gear. The Patriots have franchised QB Matt Cassel. The Giants have franchised RB Brandon Jacobs. Fred Taylor & Deuce McAllister, historic running backs for their franchises, were cut by the Jaguars & Saints respectively. The Denver Broncos have cut half of their starting defense. Brett Favre retired...again. The scouting combine is upon us. If you crave football in mid-February, turn on the NFL Network and take a look at football's version of a meat market. Take joy in the individual position drills and be amazed by the freakish athleticism of some of these future NFL stars.
- The NHL is so thrilled by the success of the Winter Classic that the league is contemplating adding a second outdoor game. The Winter Classic would remain the centerpiece of the league's New Year's Day lineup and would be played in the U.S. The league would then play a second outdoor regular-season game in Canada. The NHL has long had an inferior marketing department but it's nice to see they're finally getting one right. Perhaps the game is on the right track after all.
- Congrats to Matt Kenseth on winning a rain-shortened Daytona 500. Kenseth, the 2003 champion, hasn't been on the radar lately, falling victim to a winless streak of nearly 40 races. But Kenseth, now 36, is back with a revamped team and approach. Long the most consistent driver in NASCAR, Kenseth has put his name back on the map and should be considered a threat to take down the reign of Jimmie Johnson.
- Will the solution to the Phoenix Suns' woes be the firing of head coach Terry Porter? General Manager Steve Kerr seems to think so. Porter was canned earlier this week and replaced by assistant Alvin Gentry, a former Mike D'Antoni aide. The Suns pounded the Clippers by 40 in Gentry's first game at the helm so, naturally, everyone was praising the move. Let's remember, the Suns were playing the Clippers. The Clippers. When the Suns fail to make any waves in the playoffs, again, maybe Kerr should take his own advice and get out of town.
- Way to go, Mike Green. The Washington Capitals defenceman became the first defenceman in league history to score at least one goal in eight straight games. Green leads all defencemen with 51 points (22 goals, 29 assists) and has really been a catalyst on the Caps' power play. 15 of his 22 goals have come via the man advantage.
- Will this be the year Florida State finally breaks through and makes the NCAA Tournament? The 'Noles are part of a four-team logjam in second place in the ACC with a 7-4 conference record. They are 20-6 overall with wins over Florida, Clemson, Cincinnati, and Cal. Their last five regular-season contests will tell us all we need to now about the team's makeup: Duke, Clemson, Boston College, and Virginia Tech (twice).
- We all know I've never been a fan of Lane Kiffin. An article about his first few months on the job in last week's Sports Illustrated only continues to confirm my feelings that he is a brash, arrogant idiot. And Tennessee is supporting this moron by paying a combined $5.3 million to his assistant coaches. In contrast, Alabama, who had the highest-paid assistant coaching staff last year, spent $2.4 million. Kiffin is already in trouble with the good ol' southern boy establishment of the SEC, ruffling feathers with his comments about Urban Meyer and Florida. There are some who like that Kiffin shaking it up. I'm sure the Big Ten would love a Kiffin infusion. But the SEC is the class of college football right now with the strongest programs, smartest coaches, best athletes, and greatest traditions. Kiffin can say all he wants and although he certainly has the resources to win at UT, I for one am hoping he falls flat on his face...and that Urban Meyer and the Gators smoke him when the Vols visit "The Swamp" on September 19th.
- Kudos to the WWE for finally blowing the lid off the worst-kept secret in professional wrestling. After Randy Orton laid out Stephanie McMahon with an RKO on RAW this past Monday, the WWE Champion Triple H (her real-life husband and my all-time favorite wrestler) came to the rescue. Any wrestling fan with a half a brain has long known of their real-life connection since their on-screen marriage angle nearly a decade ago. Since then there have always been thinly-veiled references to their union but never an all-out admission. The WWE has taken steps in that direction now and let's just hope they don't screw it up. The main events for WrestleMania appear to be shaping up as Orton/Trips for the WWE Championship and Edge/Cena for the World Heavyweight Championship. Lots of potential here.
Until next time.
-Meech
But for the first time in my life, I can honestly tell you that I am just not excited for Spring Training this year. The Grapefruit & Cactus League action has always been riveting in the past. No professional sport has a preseason quite like that of Major League Baseball. The past, present, and future are combined so flawlessly at big league camps. I'll use the Mets as an example. You've got Johan Santana (the present) throwing off a mound for the first time since surgery. Next to him is Hall of Famer Tom Seaver (the past) spreading some words of wisdom. Then on the next field over you've got 2008 first-round draft pick Bradley Holt (the future) getting some work in as he prepares for his first full minor league season. Usually, this is all enough to get the emotions flowing and the anticipation for April building.
However, I'm just not feeling the usual nostalgic glow that Spring Training provides anymore. Baseball is a game in disarray. Commissioner Bud Selig gets $18 million a year from owners and hasn't shown himself to be any sort of the authority figure a professional sports commissioner should be. Competitive balance doesn't exist. It seems like the same teams are in the playoffs every year with the exception of one upstart. Yes, the Rays & Phillies made for quite the surprise this year but if you take that away, there's not much left. Games drag on to the point of exhaustion and World Series games start so late that everyone is asleep by the bottom of the 5th inning. Free agents everywhere are out of work and completely unrealistic (That means you, Manny.) about how much they're actually worth. The game is focused on one rivlary (Yankees-Red Sox) and has no other marketable contests as a result. I won't even start in on this one.
And then of course there's the whole steroids issue. I'm really sick of turning on the TV, grabbing the newspaper, or opening my internet browser to find some sob story of another baseball player issuing a half-hearted apology for taking performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). I would love to see one player take the podium and say something like, "I knew exactly what I was doing. These are the substances I took. I knew the proper cycles to avoid testing positive. I'm sorry but I felt the pressure to perform so I did what I had to do to get ahead. I truly apologize to my teammates, my employers, and the fans, for duping every single one of them that believed in me." Wouldn't that be nice?
Now we all now that will never happen. Take Alex Rodriguez's pathetic press conference...or Mark McGwire's...or Rafael Palmeiro's...or Sammy Sosa's. I find it extremely hard to believe that A-Rod, who has long had a sterling reputation for knowing the ins and outs of his workout and diet, had no clue what he was doing to himself. Just like it's impossible to believe Sammy Sosa, who was quite charismatic during the great home run chase of '98, suddenly forgot how to speak English one day.
And no one is immune to this. It's not just the big-name hitters. Miguel Tejada got everything he needed from former Oakland teammate Adam Piatt, not exactly a Bash Brother. Andy Pettite admitted using HGH last spring. Pettite is very religious and a down-home Texan. He was portrayed as one of those Yankee for life types who would have a place in Monument Park when his career was over. He claims to have only used it in injury recovery on one or two instances but does anyone remember how tight he was with Roger Clemens in both New York & Houston???
The cold hard reality is that baseball, which is still a beautiful game, will never be seen the same way again. There has always been poetic beauty in many aspects of the game from a great catch to spotting the perfect pitch to turning the picturesque 4-6-3 double play. But now we have to question everything...every pitch, every hit, every catch, every homerun, everything. Any player who had great stats during the height of the so-called Steroid Era must be under review.
It's an absolute shame that it's come to this but is anyone clean anymore? Has any All-Star performance we've seen in the last decade been legit? So what do we do now? Should the other 103 names on that list of positive tests be released? Should PED users be left out of the Hall of Fame?
As always, there will be plenty of great storylines in baseball this year but the cold reality is they just don't matter. Until the game is cleaned up steroids will be the only story that matters in the minds of many. The only way for the game to come clean at this point is to be brutally honest, with both the fans and itself. The current testing program is pathetic and needs to be overhauled and tightened. A salary cap may be a necessity at this point. Should we revisit contraction?
Really I just want someone in baseball to be honest with us, the fans. Admit you were wrong. Admit there was a bigger drug culture than we'd ever know. Make some changes to the economic structure of the game. Make testing mandatory and let us in on the results. Stop covering things up like the CIA. It took the NHL an entire lost season to realize it needed to change for the fans. The NHL may not be winning the hearts of everyone but it has picked up new fans, attendance is up (except in Phoenix), and TV ratings (despite not being through the roof) are higher than they've ever been. It's a slow process but the NHL is taking steps in the right direction.
The NBA has to be thrilled. I'm still not a big NBA (or David Stern) fan but the league has had back-to-back awesome weekends. With the All-Star festivities last week and matchups of the league's best four teams the week before, the NBA has gotten plenty of publicity...and for all the right reasons. The NFL is a ratings and money-making machine. The league is on year-round now with the Scouting Combine, Draft, and minicamps. And college football is headed in that direction as well, with the airing of several Spring Games.
Despite it all, there are still two baseball events I'm excited about: The World Baseball Classic and the College World Series. With Olympic-style drug testing in the WBC and NCAA testing in Omaha at least I'll know those events are truly pure baseball. After the WBC in March I'll have plenty of better things to watch than the mundane first three months of MLB action: Stanley Cup Playoffs, NFL Draft, Spring Football on campuses across the country, NCAA Tournament, WrestleMania.
Maybe the names behind the positive tests will be released. Maybe "A-Fraud" will get hurt so we can write about something (and someone) else. Maybe the sheer beauty of the game will take over once more. So I'm going to do my part. My resolution for the 2009 season is to not write any more about steriods & PEDs. Any baseball notes or stories in "Coach Meech's Highlight Reel" from here on out will have no mention of any banned substances.
This will help us all see if ignorance truly is bliss. I hope you're paying attention, Mr. Selig.
Some other news & notes:
- The topsy-turvy world of the NFL offseason is in high gear. The Patriots have franchised QB Matt Cassel. The Giants have franchised RB Brandon Jacobs. Fred Taylor & Deuce McAllister, historic running backs for their franchises, were cut by the Jaguars & Saints respectively. The Denver Broncos have cut half of their starting defense. Brett Favre retired...again. The scouting combine is upon us. If you crave football in mid-February, turn on the NFL Network and take a look at football's version of a meat market. Take joy in the individual position drills and be amazed by the freakish athleticism of some of these future NFL stars.
- The NHL is so thrilled by the success of the Winter Classic that the league is contemplating adding a second outdoor game. The Winter Classic would remain the centerpiece of the league's New Year's Day lineup and would be played in the U.S. The league would then play a second outdoor regular-season game in Canada. The NHL has long had an inferior marketing department but it's nice to see they're finally getting one right. Perhaps the game is on the right track after all.
- Congrats to Matt Kenseth on winning a rain-shortened Daytona 500. Kenseth, the 2003 champion, hasn't been on the radar lately, falling victim to a winless streak of nearly 40 races. But Kenseth, now 36, is back with a revamped team and approach. Long the most consistent driver in NASCAR, Kenseth has put his name back on the map and should be considered a threat to take down the reign of Jimmie Johnson.
- Will the solution to the Phoenix Suns' woes be the firing of head coach Terry Porter? General Manager Steve Kerr seems to think so. Porter was canned earlier this week and replaced by assistant Alvin Gentry, a former Mike D'Antoni aide. The Suns pounded the Clippers by 40 in Gentry's first game at the helm so, naturally, everyone was praising the move. Let's remember, the Suns were playing the Clippers. The Clippers. When the Suns fail to make any waves in the playoffs, again, maybe Kerr should take his own advice and get out of town.
- Way to go, Mike Green. The Washington Capitals defenceman became the first defenceman in league history to score at least one goal in eight straight games. Green leads all defencemen with 51 points (22 goals, 29 assists) and has really been a catalyst on the Caps' power play. 15 of his 22 goals have come via the man advantage.
- Will this be the year Florida State finally breaks through and makes the NCAA Tournament? The 'Noles are part of a four-team logjam in second place in the ACC with a 7-4 conference record. They are 20-6 overall with wins over Florida, Clemson, Cincinnati, and Cal. Their last five regular-season contests will tell us all we need to now about the team's makeup: Duke, Clemson, Boston College, and Virginia Tech (twice).
- We all know I've never been a fan of Lane Kiffin. An article about his first few months on the job in last week's Sports Illustrated only continues to confirm my feelings that he is a brash, arrogant idiot. And Tennessee is supporting this moron by paying a combined $5.3 million to his assistant coaches. In contrast, Alabama, who had the highest-paid assistant coaching staff last year, spent $2.4 million. Kiffin is already in trouble with the good ol' southern boy establishment of the SEC, ruffling feathers with his comments about Urban Meyer and Florida. There are some who like that Kiffin shaking it up. I'm sure the Big Ten would love a Kiffin infusion. But the SEC is the class of college football right now with the strongest programs, smartest coaches, best athletes, and greatest traditions. Kiffin can say all he wants and although he certainly has the resources to win at UT, I for one am hoping he falls flat on his face...and that Urban Meyer and the Gators smoke him when the Vols visit "The Swamp" on September 19th.
- Kudos to the WWE for finally blowing the lid off the worst-kept secret in professional wrestling. After Randy Orton laid out Stephanie McMahon with an RKO on RAW this past Monday, the WWE Champion Triple H (her real-life husband and my all-time favorite wrestler) came to the rescue. Any wrestling fan with a half a brain has long known of their real-life connection since their on-screen marriage angle nearly a decade ago. Since then there have always been thinly-veiled references to their union but never an all-out admission. The WWE has taken steps in that direction now and let's just hope they don't screw it up. The main events for WrestleMania appear to be shaping up as Orton/Trips for the WWE Championship and Edge/Cena for the World Heavyweight Championship. Lots of potential here.
Until next time.
-Meech
Friday, February 6, 2009
Super Fallout and The Rest... - 2/6/09
Super Bowl XLIII is officially in the history books and should go down as one of the better Super Bowls in the Big Game's history. I think there are two ways to look at this year's game. 1) It was a sloppy affair for three quarters filled with missed tackles and plenty of penalties but saved by an incredible final quarter that featured several lead changes, an Arizona offensive barrage, and an incredible answer to that in the form of Pittsburgh's final drive. 2) It was a game filled with so many great moments that you will be hard-pressed to pick just one in the future when someone asks you what you remember most from Super Bowl XLIII.
My view falls somewhere in between numbers one and two. There is no debating this was a sloppy affair. Arizona racked up nearly 100 penalty yards and left tackle Mike Gandy was called for holding three times. The Cards then gave the Steelers a score in third quarter, sustaining the Pittsburgh drive with three personal foul penalties. And neither team was moving the ball consistently as their scoring drives surrounded some big-time defensive stops. But there were moments that absolutely took your breath away. James Harrison returning an interception 100 yards for a TD and the longest play in Super Bowl history. Larry Fitzgerald being practically non-existent for three quarters before almost single-handedly willing the Cards to the title in the fourth. Kurt Warner staying calm and focused, rallying an offense that wasn't even supposed to be his. And, finally, the sheer beauty of Ben Roethlisberger proving he is one of the best, taking the Steelers on his back and driving them to victory...delivering the picture-perfect winning TD pass to Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes with just 35 seconds remaining. I can't even describe how incredible Holmes' end zone grab was. Just look at the cover of this week's Sports Illustrated and you'll get the picture.
We have truly been blessed as football fans the last two seasons. Super Bowl XLII last season needs no recap. Everyone knows the story of the mighty Patriots failing in their quest for perfection, courtesy of an improbable David Tyree catch and the will of Eli, Plax, Strahan, and the rest of the Giants. Now we get a game that may not have had as many subplots but was certainly not short on compelling football. The Tyree catch will always stand out as the indelible image of last year's Big Game but I think the overall football game was better this year in Tampa. Either way, we can only hope that next year's Super Bowl keeps the string of great games going.
Finally, congrats to the Steelers for winning their record sixth Lombardi Trophy. Congrats to Mike Tomlin, who I greatly respect, on becoming the youngest head coach to ever win a Super Bowl. And congrats to Ben Roethlisberger on winning his second Super Bowl ring. Big Ben more than made up for his lackluster performance in Super Bowl XL and proved he indeed belongs among the NFL elite.
Some random news & notes:
-The #1 ranking in men's college basketball seems to be a revolving door this year. Granted, the regular season #1 ranking always sees some change but it feels like this year has seen more than most. Off the top of my head I can recall seeing UNC, Duke, Wake Forest, Pitt, and now UConn at the #1 spot in the past few months. If this constant shifting is any indication, we could be in for an incredible month of March Madness.
-Henrik Zetterberg signed a 12-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings last week, ensuring he'll finish his career in Hockeytown and that he'll probably succeed Nicklas Lidstrom as team captain after the All-World defenseman retires. I know he has had some back and knee problems but I think Zetterberg will hold up just fine and continue producing at a high level. Detroit better hope so. Just ask the Islanders about Rick DiPietro and the 12 years left on his mega-deal.
-The Mountain West Conference has submitted a proposal that would give the league an automatic BCS bid. Personally, I could write a whole column on this and probably will at some point. But for now I'll leave you with this. The number of Mountain West teams that finished in the BCS Top 16 this year: 3 (Utah: #6, TCU: #11, BYU: #16). The number of Big East teams that finished in the BCS Top 16: 1 (Cincinnati: #12). Pac-10: 1 (USC: #5). Think about it. Oh, and Utah was the only BCS team that played all of its non-conference games against Division 1-A opponents, and won them all.
-LeBron and his Cleveland Cavaliers currently sit at 39-9 (1st in the East) with a perfect 23-0 home record. Throw in his Garden triple-double (with 52 points, 11 assists, & 10 rebounds) and the great play of Mo Williams as the #2 option and you have what seems to be a pretty legit Cavs outfit. Only time will tell on this one.
-A quick look back on my Royal Rumble Picks. I finished 4-for-7. Not bad, not bad at all. Edge won back the WWE Title from Jeff Hardy (Got it!). John Cena retained the World Title against JBL (Got it!). Melina defeated Beth Phoenix for the Women's Title (Got it!). Randy Orton won the Royal Rumble Match (Got it!). Here are my three misses: Jack Swagger retained the ECW Title against Matt Hardy (I had Swagger losing the belt.). Rey Mysterio entered the Rumble at #1 (I had Triple H entering first.). Triple H was the last man eliminated (I had The Undertaker as the last man out.).
-I'm not much of a tennis fan but I have to say this. How can you not be impressed with Serena Williams dispatching Dinara Safina in just 59 minutes to win the Australian Open???
-David Beckham is having such a good time playing for AC Milan that he wants his loan to become permanent. Becks is currently the property of the Los Angeles Galaxy of the MLS. Becks finally revealed his true feelings after several weeks of swirling rumors. This just proves how much of a joke MLS truly is.
-The college baseball season is set to get underway in just a few weeks. LSU is the preseason #1 in two of the three major polls (Collegiate Baseball/AP & USA Today/ESPN Coaches'). Texas A&M is the Preseason #1 in the Baseball America poll. No worries, though, LSU is #2 in that poll.
-Congrats to Washington Capitals' winger Alex Ovechkin for scoring his 200th career goal last night against the Los Angeles Kings. Ovechkin becomes just the fourth player in NHL history to reach 200 goals in his first four seasons. The other three men on that list: Wayne Gretzky, Mike Bossy, & Mario Lemieux.
-Congrats to Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat Summitt on becoming the first Division 1 coach, men's or women's, to reach 1,000 wins. Her Lady Vols dispatched Georgia, 73-43, last night to get Summitt that career milestone.
-Finally, North Carolina State women's basketball coach Kay Yow passed away last week at age 66, after a long and public battle with breast cancer. The Hall of Famer leaves an incredible legacy that extends far beyond the basketball court. I don't think my words can do her life justice. So here's a YouTube clip of her accepting the Jimmy V ESPY Award for perserverance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rn3K2JY9GvE
Until next week.
-Meech
My view falls somewhere in between numbers one and two. There is no debating this was a sloppy affair. Arizona racked up nearly 100 penalty yards and left tackle Mike Gandy was called for holding three times. The Cards then gave the Steelers a score in third quarter, sustaining the Pittsburgh drive with three personal foul penalties. And neither team was moving the ball consistently as their scoring drives surrounded some big-time defensive stops. But there were moments that absolutely took your breath away. James Harrison returning an interception 100 yards for a TD and the longest play in Super Bowl history. Larry Fitzgerald being practically non-existent for three quarters before almost single-handedly willing the Cards to the title in the fourth. Kurt Warner staying calm and focused, rallying an offense that wasn't even supposed to be his. And, finally, the sheer beauty of Ben Roethlisberger proving he is one of the best, taking the Steelers on his back and driving them to victory...delivering the picture-perfect winning TD pass to Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes with just 35 seconds remaining. I can't even describe how incredible Holmes' end zone grab was. Just look at the cover of this week's Sports Illustrated and you'll get the picture.
We have truly been blessed as football fans the last two seasons. Super Bowl XLII last season needs no recap. Everyone knows the story of the mighty Patriots failing in their quest for perfection, courtesy of an improbable David Tyree catch and the will of Eli, Plax, Strahan, and the rest of the Giants. Now we get a game that may not have had as many subplots but was certainly not short on compelling football. The Tyree catch will always stand out as the indelible image of last year's Big Game but I think the overall football game was better this year in Tampa. Either way, we can only hope that next year's Super Bowl keeps the string of great games going.
Finally, congrats to the Steelers for winning their record sixth Lombardi Trophy. Congrats to Mike Tomlin, who I greatly respect, on becoming the youngest head coach to ever win a Super Bowl. And congrats to Ben Roethlisberger on winning his second Super Bowl ring. Big Ben more than made up for his lackluster performance in Super Bowl XL and proved he indeed belongs among the NFL elite.
Some random news & notes:
-The #1 ranking in men's college basketball seems to be a revolving door this year. Granted, the regular season #1 ranking always sees some change but it feels like this year has seen more than most. Off the top of my head I can recall seeing UNC, Duke, Wake Forest, Pitt, and now UConn at the #1 spot in the past few months. If this constant shifting is any indication, we could be in for an incredible month of March Madness.
-Henrik Zetterberg signed a 12-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings last week, ensuring he'll finish his career in Hockeytown and that he'll probably succeed Nicklas Lidstrom as team captain after the All-World defenseman retires. I know he has had some back and knee problems but I think Zetterberg will hold up just fine and continue producing at a high level. Detroit better hope so. Just ask the Islanders about Rick DiPietro and the 12 years left on his mega-deal.
-The Mountain West Conference has submitted a proposal that would give the league an automatic BCS bid. Personally, I could write a whole column on this and probably will at some point. But for now I'll leave you with this. The number of Mountain West teams that finished in the BCS Top 16 this year: 3 (Utah: #6, TCU: #11, BYU: #16). The number of Big East teams that finished in the BCS Top 16: 1 (Cincinnati: #12). Pac-10: 1 (USC: #5). Think about it. Oh, and Utah was the only BCS team that played all of its non-conference games against Division 1-A opponents, and won them all.
-LeBron and his Cleveland Cavaliers currently sit at 39-9 (1st in the East) with a perfect 23-0 home record. Throw in his Garden triple-double (with 52 points, 11 assists, & 10 rebounds) and the great play of Mo Williams as the #2 option and you have what seems to be a pretty legit Cavs outfit. Only time will tell on this one.
-A quick look back on my Royal Rumble Picks. I finished 4-for-7. Not bad, not bad at all. Edge won back the WWE Title from Jeff Hardy (Got it!). John Cena retained the World Title against JBL (Got it!). Melina defeated Beth Phoenix for the Women's Title (Got it!). Randy Orton won the Royal Rumble Match (Got it!). Here are my three misses: Jack Swagger retained the ECW Title against Matt Hardy (I had Swagger losing the belt.). Rey Mysterio entered the Rumble at #1 (I had Triple H entering first.). Triple H was the last man eliminated (I had The Undertaker as the last man out.).
-I'm not much of a tennis fan but I have to say this. How can you not be impressed with Serena Williams dispatching Dinara Safina in just 59 minutes to win the Australian Open???
-David Beckham is having such a good time playing for AC Milan that he wants his loan to become permanent. Becks is currently the property of the Los Angeles Galaxy of the MLS. Becks finally revealed his true feelings after several weeks of swirling rumors. This just proves how much of a joke MLS truly is.
-The college baseball season is set to get underway in just a few weeks. LSU is the preseason #1 in two of the three major polls (Collegiate Baseball/AP & USA Today/ESPN Coaches'). Texas A&M is the Preseason #1 in the Baseball America poll. No worries, though, LSU is #2 in that poll.
-Congrats to Washington Capitals' winger Alex Ovechkin for scoring his 200th career goal last night against the Los Angeles Kings. Ovechkin becomes just the fourth player in NHL history to reach 200 goals in his first four seasons. The other three men on that list: Wayne Gretzky, Mike Bossy, & Mario Lemieux.
-Congrats to Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat Summitt on becoming the first Division 1 coach, men's or women's, to reach 1,000 wins. Her Lady Vols dispatched Georgia, 73-43, last night to get Summitt that career milestone.
-Finally, North Carolina State women's basketball coach Kay Yow passed away last week at age 66, after a long and public battle with breast cancer. The Hall of Famer leaves an incredible legacy that extends far beyond the basketball court. I don't think my words can do her life justice. So here's a YouTube clip of her accepting the Jimmy V ESPY Award for perserverance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rn3K2JY9GvE
Until next week.
-Meech
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Super Duper Skills... - 1/21/09
This weekend the NHL will send its best and brightest stars to Montreal for the 2009 All-Star Game. Sadly the All-Star Game, as it is in most sports, is nothing more than a watered-down version of the regular game. It's just a glorified exhibition that lacks the beautiful little nuances that make hockey so great. But if you're a hockey fan, like myself, then I highly suggest that you sit down (or set the DVR), find Versus on your local cable lineup, and enjoy the Honda/NHL Super Skills Competition. Forget the game on Sunday. Just focus on the Skills contest.
The Skills contest is a comprehensive showcase of all the talents and skill sets necessary to play hockey at the highest level. Events include the Hardest Shot, Fastest Skater, Breakaway Challenge, Elimination Shootout, Accuracy Contest, and the YoungStars showcase. For those who either lack an introduction to hockey or struggle to appreciate the sheer beauty of the game, this is the perfect avenue to change one's narrow mindset on the sport.
The Hardest Shot competition is a demonstration of brut force. It is simply one man putting everything he's got behind his shot and firing one into the net. I know it sounds so simple but it's riveting. It's amazing to watch an individual just rip a puck at over 100 mph into the net. Washington Captials defenseman Al Iafrate set the record back in 1993 with a shot of 105.2 mph. Ironically, that record was set in Montreal at the old Forum.
The Fastest Skater is another simple yet beautiful competiton. It's set up similarly to an Olympic speed skating competition as players race against both each other and the clock. Skaters simply have to complete one lap around the rink. Several players in the past have done this in under 14 seconds. Think about that for a minute: the size of the hockey rink, the tight turns, and the body control required to skate in hockey makes for a thrilling 15 second ride.
The Breakaway Challenge is like hockey meets an And-1 mix tape. Shooters start at the blueline and work in on the goalie utilizing as many tricks as they can before trying to put the puck in the back of the net. To ensure the maximum amount of creativity, the fans actually determine the winner of this contest. They text their votes to the NHL and the league tallies them up to determine the winner. There are some truly gifted puck handlers in this contest: Alexander Ovechkin, Ryan Getzlaf, Alex Kovalev, Patrick Kane, & Sidney Crosby. If you want to see some incredible stick work that reminds you of the Harlem Globetrotters on ice then this is the event for you.
The Accuracy Contest is an exercise in precision. There are four targets, one on each corner of the net. Players get a maximum of eight shots to hit the four targets. The dead-on aim is a sight to behold. Only four players have ever taken out four targets on just four shots, the most notable being Ray Bourque. The combination of finesse, strength, and accuracy is impressive and I feel that this event, along with the Hardest Shot contest, are the best parts of the SuperSkills competition.
The YoungStars showcase has been amended to a 3-on-3 showdown featuring 10 of the best sophomores in the league against 10 of the best rookies in the NHL. The 3-on-3 format takes me back to the days of pond hockey, the days when things were simple and all that mattered was playing the game. And that's how these young athletes treat this event. It's quite obvious the joy these youngsters have, being in the NHL and on this stage. This game is also a great peek into the future of the league as 17 YoungStars alumni have now played in the All-Star Game.
The only complaint I have about the SuperSkills is the lack of events for the goaltenders. Yes, they are involved in the Breakaway Challenge but that event is clearly designed for the tricks and moves of the shooters. There is also the Elimination Shootout where all 36 skaters shoot rapid fire, penalty shot-style, one after another until there is only one skater and one goalie left standing. Luckily, the goalies have their own showcase during the regular season in the form of the shootout.
Beauty, grace, power, speed, agility, and accessibility are all key components to the SuperSkills contest. Any hockey fan, new or old, knowledgable or curious, can enjoy this night. It's also a chance for players to take their helmets off, show their faces, and market their incredible sport. And the best part of the Superskills? Simply the fact that every single event involves the actual All-Stars. Imagine how much more exciting the NBA Slam Dunk Contest would be if the field included Kobe & LeBron.
So, like I said before, find Versus in your local cable channel lineup, grab a beer, sit back, and allow the stars of the NHL to show you just why their misunderstood and underappreciated sport is actually beyond incredible.
As for Sunday...Pass on the All-Star Game and wait for regular season play to resume on Tuesday.
Some news and notes:
-Brendan Shanahan is back in Jersey and already making an impact. The NHL's active leading all-time goal scorer netted the 651st tally of his career in the Devils' 3-1 win over Nashville on Monday night. Shanny, the 20-year veteran, was brought back for a second stint in the Garden State to provide help on the power play. His goal, you guessed it, was on the power play.
-Kudos to Tony Dungy on both a great coaching career and being able to leave the game on his terms to spend more time with his family. Dungy was the first head coach in NFL history to make the playoffs in 10 consecutive seasons and the first to have six straight 12+ win seasons. Dungy took the Buccaneers from laughing stock to legitimate playoff contender. He then racked up a .759 winning percentage in 7 seasons with the Colts, including the landmark Super Bowl XLI victory, becoming the first African-American head coach in NFL history to win the Super Bowl. He was an excellent football coach and a man of principle. If you haven't read his book, Quiet Strength, I strongly suggest you go out and buy it right now. The NFL needs more good men like Dungy roaming its sidelines and he will be missed.
-The Boston Red Sox are quite the study this off-season. They have raided the bargain bin for players such as John Smoltz, Mark Kotsay, Josh Bard, & Brad Penny. The pitching surplus that GM Theo Epstein has accumulated is both a great insurance policy against injury and a strong asset in possible trades. Even if only one or two of his acquisitions pan out, it would still be considered a successful off-season, considering he spent well below the market rate for these players. Another amazing fact, Epstein has never had a player take him to arbitration during his tenure as Red Sox GM. Impressive.
-It's always sad for me as a college football fan to watch so many underclassmen declare for the NFL Draft. But I just want to say thanks to all the dynamite players that decided another year as the big man on campus wasn't such a bad idea.
-I'll save you all the Super Bowl talk and simply say that if anyone thought the Arizona Cardinals would be playing for the Lombardi Trophy in two weeks, that person should open up his own Psychic Friends Hotline. Crazy.
-I'm curious to see how the new NFL head coaching hires pan out next season. Rex Ryan will be under a tremendous amount of pressure to win with the Jets. I think Steve Spagnuolo will regret his decision to leave the Giants to take over the Rams. Jim Schwartz will provide the Lions with passion, if nothing else. Josh McDaniels, the 32-year old whiz kid taking over the Broncos, will be lambasted at the first sign of distress. And whoever takes over the Raiders will probably want to lay the smack down on Al Davis within his first 24 hours on the job.
-Congrats to Rickey Henderson & Jim Rice for being voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Their paths to Cooperstown couldn't be any more different. Henderson was a near-unanimous choice in his first year on the ballot. Rice barely got over the 75% requirement in this, his final year of eligibility. Remember, it doesn't matter how you got there as you long as you made it there in the end. If Herm Edwards were here he would say, "It doesn't matter...We're on the bus!"
-Finally, the Road to WrestleMania kicks into high gear this Sunday at the Royal Rumble. Predictions: Edge takes the WWE Title from Jeff Hardy. Cena defends his World Title against JBL. Melina becomes the new Women's Champion as Rosa Mendes interference backfires on Beth Phoenix. Matt Hardy regains the ECW Title from Jack Swagger. Triple H is forced to enter the Rumble at #1. The Undertaker is the last person eliminated. Orton wins the Rumble.
Until next week.
-Meech
The Skills contest is a comprehensive showcase of all the talents and skill sets necessary to play hockey at the highest level. Events include the Hardest Shot, Fastest Skater, Breakaway Challenge, Elimination Shootout, Accuracy Contest, and the YoungStars showcase. For those who either lack an introduction to hockey or struggle to appreciate the sheer beauty of the game, this is the perfect avenue to change one's narrow mindset on the sport.
The Hardest Shot competition is a demonstration of brut force. It is simply one man putting everything he's got behind his shot and firing one into the net. I know it sounds so simple but it's riveting. It's amazing to watch an individual just rip a puck at over 100 mph into the net. Washington Captials defenseman Al Iafrate set the record back in 1993 with a shot of 105.2 mph. Ironically, that record was set in Montreal at the old Forum.
The Fastest Skater is another simple yet beautiful competiton. It's set up similarly to an Olympic speed skating competition as players race against both each other and the clock. Skaters simply have to complete one lap around the rink. Several players in the past have done this in under 14 seconds. Think about that for a minute: the size of the hockey rink, the tight turns, and the body control required to skate in hockey makes for a thrilling 15 second ride.
The Breakaway Challenge is like hockey meets an And-1 mix tape. Shooters start at the blueline and work in on the goalie utilizing as many tricks as they can before trying to put the puck in the back of the net. To ensure the maximum amount of creativity, the fans actually determine the winner of this contest. They text their votes to the NHL and the league tallies them up to determine the winner. There are some truly gifted puck handlers in this contest: Alexander Ovechkin, Ryan Getzlaf, Alex Kovalev, Patrick Kane, & Sidney Crosby. If you want to see some incredible stick work that reminds you of the Harlem Globetrotters on ice then this is the event for you.
The Accuracy Contest is an exercise in precision. There are four targets, one on each corner of the net. Players get a maximum of eight shots to hit the four targets. The dead-on aim is a sight to behold. Only four players have ever taken out four targets on just four shots, the most notable being Ray Bourque. The combination of finesse, strength, and accuracy is impressive and I feel that this event, along with the Hardest Shot contest, are the best parts of the SuperSkills competition.
The YoungStars showcase has been amended to a 3-on-3 showdown featuring 10 of the best sophomores in the league against 10 of the best rookies in the NHL. The 3-on-3 format takes me back to the days of pond hockey, the days when things were simple and all that mattered was playing the game. And that's how these young athletes treat this event. It's quite obvious the joy these youngsters have, being in the NHL and on this stage. This game is also a great peek into the future of the league as 17 YoungStars alumni have now played in the All-Star Game.
The only complaint I have about the SuperSkills is the lack of events for the goaltenders. Yes, they are involved in the Breakaway Challenge but that event is clearly designed for the tricks and moves of the shooters. There is also the Elimination Shootout where all 36 skaters shoot rapid fire, penalty shot-style, one after another until there is only one skater and one goalie left standing. Luckily, the goalies have their own showcase during the regular season in the form of the shootout.
Beauty, grace, power, speed, agility, and accessibility are all key components to the SuperSkills contest. Any hockey fan, new or old, knowledgable or curious, can enjoy this night. It's also a chance for players to take their helmets off, show their faces, and market their incredible sport. And the best part of the Superskills? Simply the fact that every single event involves the actual All-Stars. Imagine how much more exciting the NBA Slam Dunk Contest would be if the field included Kobe & LeBron.
So, like I said before, find Versus in your local cable channel lineup, grab a beer, sit back, and allow the stars of the NHL to show you just why their misunderstood and underappreciated sport is actually beyond incredible.
As for Sunday...Pass on the All-Star Game and wait for regular season play to resume on Tuesday.
Some news and notes:
-Brendan Shanahan is back in Jersey and already making an impact. The NHL's active leading all-time goal scorer netted the 651st tally of his career in the Devils' 3-1 win over Nashville on Monday night. Shanny, the 20-year veteran, was brought back for a second stint in the Garden State to provide help on the power play. His goal, you guessed it, was on the power play.
-Kudos to Tony Dungy on both a great coaching career and being able to leave the game on his terms to spend more time with his family. Dungy was the first head coach in NFL history to make the playoffs in 10 consecutive seasons and the first to have six straight 12+ win seasons. Dungy took the Buccaneers from laughing stock to legitimate playoff contender. He then racked up a .759 winning percentage in 7 seasons with the Colts, including the landmark Super Bowl XLI victory, becoming the first African-American head coach in NFL history to win the Super Bowl. He was an excellent football coach and a man of principle. If you haven't read his book, Quiet Strength, I strongly suggest you go out and buy it right now. The NFL needs more good men like Dungy roaming its sidelines and he will be missed.
-The Boston Red Sox are quite the study this off-season. They have raided the bargain bin for players such as John Smoltz, Mark Kotsay, Josh Bard, & Brad Penny. The pitching surplus that GM Theo Epstein has accumulated is both a great insurance policy against injury and a strong asset in possible trades. Even if only one or two of his acquisitions pan out, it would still be considered a successful off-season, considering he spent well below the market rate for these players. Another amazing fact, Epstein has never had a player take him to arbitration during his tenure as Red Sox GM. Impressive.
-It's always sad for me as a college football fan to watch so many underclassmen declare for the NFL Draft. But I just want to say thanks to all the dynamite players that decided another year as the big man on campus wasn't such a bad idea.
-I'll save you all the Super Bowl talk and simply say that if anyone thought the Arizona Cardinals would be playing for the Lombardi Trophy in two weeks, that person should open up his own Psychic Friends Hotline. Crazy.
-I'm curious to see how the new NFL head coaching hires pan out next season. Rex Ryan will be under a tremendous amount of pressure to win with the Jets. I think Steve Spagnuolo will regret his decision to leave the Giants to take over the Rams. Jim Schwartz will provide the Lions with passion, if nothing else. Josh McDaniels, the 32-year old whiz kid taking over the Broncos, will be lambasted at the first sign of distress. And whoever takes over the Raiders will probably want to lay the smack down on Al Davis within his first 24 hours on the job.
-Congrats to Rickey Henderson & Jim Rice for being voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Their paths to Cooperstown couldn't be any more different. Henderson was a near-unanimous choice in his first year on the ballot. Rice barely got over the 75% requirement in this, his final year of eligibility. Remember, it doesn't matter how you got there as you long as you made it there in the end. If Herm Edwards were here he would say, "It doesn't matter...We're on the bus!"
-Finally, the Road to WrestleMania kicks into high gear this Sunday at the Royal Rumble. Predictions: Edge takes the WWE Title from Jeff Hardy. Cena defends his World Title against JBL. Melina becomes the new Women's Champion as Rosa Mendes interference backfires on Beth Phoenix. Matt Hardy regains the ECW Title from Jack Swagger. Triple H is forced to enter the Rumble at #1. The Undertaker is the last person eliminated. Orton wins the Rumble.
Until next week.
-Meech
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
The new Hot Stove... - 1/7/09
A Happy New Year to all! Let's hope 2009 treats us a little better than 2008. Now on with the show...
Earlier today, Boston College fired head football coach Jeff Jagodzinski after just two seasons in Chestnut Hill. Jagodzinski compiled a 20-8 record in his two seasons, with two ACC Atlantic Division titles, two bowl appearances, and one bowl victory; BC athletic director Gene DeFilippo announced the firing today. At this afternoon's press conference, DeFilippo said, "Today's action relates to a difference of vision for the future." This vague statement was followed by confirmation that Jagodzinski was indeed terminated without cause. Normally, this would be grounds for an immediate lawsuit but the specifics of his contract with the school have not been released. This leaves an odd specter over this entire episode as this all occurs just one day after Jagodzinski interviewed with the New York Jets about their head coaching vacancy. All of this also got me thinking about loyalty and the movement of college football coaches.
For quite some time now the college football coaching carousel has been great off-season theatre for millions of fans around the country. I would dare to say the carousel has even eclipsed baseball's annual Hot Stove as the premier off-season free agency shift. Every year coaches get canned and recycled (i.e. Rick Neuheisel) or seemingly appear out of thin air (i.e. Gene Chizik), much to the approval (or chagrin) of large alumni bases across the nation. All this occurs while sportswriters, university employees, coaching peers, and television "talking heads" pick apart every hiring, firing, interview, and rumor.
There was a time when the baseball Hot Stove was chock full of movement and rumors. However, with the current state of the economy, combined with the inherent competitive imbalance across MLB, there just isn't as much noise across the Hot Stove anymore. Only a select handful of teams can afford the big-name stars on the market and more and more teams are declaring themselves out of the running for a player before they even try to meet with his agent. MLB's off-season is now a long, drawn-out waiting game. Imagine if the Yankees waited another few weeks or so before signing C.C. Sabathia. We would probably still have no player movement. Unfortunately, the big contract has to be set in order for the rest of the market to fall into place.
The college coaching Hot Stove is fast and furious. Teams have to hire coaches quickly and effectively to please their ever-growing alumni bases and to avoid falling too far behind in recruiting. Most schools usually know they are going to let go of their head coach sometime in late October (or sooner, in some cases, like Auburn & Tommy Tuberville). Some schools will make an announcement. Others will let him coach out the string. And others yet will force the head coach to resign, saving the institution from a hefty contract buyout. It's a cold and calculated process that ends with many unhappy parties.
But this process makes for extremely entertaining tidbits for football fans. Seemingly every hour there's a new rumor surrounding a currently-employed coach or a new name that surfaces at a job that was thought to be filled. With the constantly-changing nature of this profession and the inherent lack of job security, the college coaching Hot Stove is a perfect fit for today's 24/7 sporting news climate.
To illustrate the topsy-turvy nature of college football, think about this. In just over a month we saw the number of black head coaches in Division 1-A go from six, down to three, then up to seven, courtesy of three firings and four hirings. I could start a whole other discussion here but I'll save that for another time.
There has been so much that has happened since the end of October when Phil Fulmer was asked to step down at Tennessee. The dismissal of Tommy Tuberville, the rise of high-profile assistants such as former USC offensive coordinator & new Washington head coach Steve Sarkasian, the return of familiar faces such as Lane Kiffin at Tennessee, the coaches who decided against leaving their current employers like Skip Holtz down at East Carolina, the Turner Gill saga, and the flat-out insane hiring of Gene Chizik at Auburn. It's like a high-profile gossip column right out of InTouch or US Weekly.
Thinking about this raises the question of loyalty and job security versus opportunity. There are coaches out there, like Florida State defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews, who will remain forever loyal to both their bosses and schools. His 20+ year tenure at Florida State, coupled with his incredible amount of success, will keep him in Tallahassee for the duration of his career. But then there are cases like Steve Sarkasian. He could've stayed at USC and, at the very least, been in the Rose Bowl practically every year with Pete Carroll & the rest of the Trojans. But Sarkasian, who had been in the running for several openings over the last few off-seasons, decided that now was the time (and the money was right) to jump ship and rebuild a winless Washington team. This basic human drama is far more enthralling than sitting around wondering, "Hmmm...is Teixeira gonna take the $160 million offer or the $180 million offer," or "Yankees, Mets, or Red Sox...Can anyone else afford this guy?"
Maybe in the near future, more and more schools will understand the reasons behind the parity in college football (scholarship limits, national television exposure due to weekday games, better recruiting tools, better coaches, the facilities race) and see that there really is no such thing as a quick fix at this level, giving better coaches more opportunities and more time to implement their ways. It's not the National Football League.
But for now cheers to the new Hot Stove! And Major League Baseball, let me know when it's time for pitchers and catchers to report.
Some other news and notes:
- The Tampa Bay Rays are out to prove that they are not a one-year wonder. The Rays recently signed former Phillies outfielder Pat Burrell to a 2-year deal. They also upgraded their bullpen with the signing of Marlins right-hander Joe Nelson. Plus, most of the team remains intact (Longoria, Crawford, Upton, Kazmir, Shields, Price). The Yankees may have spent half-a-billion dollars but the Rays are still the AL Champs until someone beats them.
- Syracuse head football coach Doug Marrone hired former Michigan defensive coordinator Scott Shafer to be the new DC at the 'Cuse. This leaves just three openings: running backs, tight ends, and wide receivers as the new staff is nearly complete. I hope Marrone, the SU alum, is able to bring back some honor to my alma mater. But I just can't shake the feeling that reaching into the NFL for a head coach again may not have been the best thing for the Orange.
- Congratulations to Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison for becoming the first undrafted player ever to win the AP Defensive Player of the Year Award.
- Last Friday all 30 NBA teams were in action on the same night for the first time in league history. If this isn't the definition of cruel and unusual punishment I don't know what is. Thankfully, I spent my Friday night at The Rock watching the Devils defeat Montreal, 4-1.
- Does anyone else see a resemblance between this year's Philadelphia Eagles and last year's New York Giants? Should be an exciting NFC Divisional Playoff on Sunday at the Meadowlands.
- The NHL All-Star fan voting has yielded the twelve starters; however, they represent just four teams: Montreal, Pittsburgh, Chicago, & Anaheim. I don't think anything else needs to be said there about the merits (or lack thereof) of fan voting.
- Despite all the uproar about bowl games versus playoffs, it's been a pretty exciting bowl season. TCU/Boise State, Texas/Ohio State, and Clemson/Nebraska have been incredibly exciting, down-to-the-wire affairs. I have never been in favor of a playoff as I think it severely diminishes the beauty and importance of the regular season. But after happily watching Utah dismantle Alabama and watching Texas get a gift of a spot on 4th down against Ohio State, I think a plus-one addition to the BCS would be more than enough to settle everything. Keep the bowls, add the plus-one, everyone wins.
- The Road to WrestleMania XXV is in full swing. I was at the first two Smackdown! tapings of 2009 last week at the Meadowlands. It was glorious watching Triple H fight not one, not two, but three times. The Royal Rumble, one of the most exciting events of the WWE year, is just over two weeks away as the silver anniversary 'Mania inches closer.
Until next week.
-Meech
Earlier today, Boston College fired head football coach Jeff Jagodzinski after just two seasons in Chestnut Hill. Jagodzinski compiled a 20-8 record in his two seasons, with two ACC Atlantic Division titles, two bowl appearances, and one bowl victory; BC athletic director Gene DeFilippo announced the firing today. At this afternoon's press conference, DeFilippo said, "Today's action relates to a difference of vision for the future." This vague statement was followed by confirmation that Jagodzinski was indeed terminated without cause. Normally, this would be grounds for an immediate lawsuit but the specifics of his contract with the school have not been released. This leaves an odd specter over this entire episode as this all occurs just one day after Jagodzinski interviewed with the New York Jets about their head coaching vacancy. All of this also got me thinking about loyalty and the movement of college football coaches.
For quite some time now the college football coaching carousel has been great off-season theatre for millions of fans around the country. I would dare to say the carousel has even eclipsed baseball's annual Hot Stove as the premier off-season free agency shift. Every year coaches get canned and recycled (i.e. Rick Neuheisel) or seemingly appear out of thin air (i.e. Gene Chizik), much to the approval (or chagrin) of large alumni bases across the nation. All this occurs while sportswriters, university employees, coaching peers, and television "talking heads" pick apart every hiring, firing, interview, and rumor.
There was a time when the baseball Hot Stove was chock full of movement and rumors. However, with the current state of the economy, combined with the inherent competitive imbalance across MLB, there just isn't as much noise across the Hot Stove anymore. Only a select handful of teams can afford the big-name stars on the market and more and more teams are declaring themselves out of the running for a player before they even try to meet with his agent. MLB's off-season is now a long, drawn-out waiting game. Imagine if the Yankees waited another few weeks or so before signing C.C. Sabathia. We would probably still have no player movement. Unfortunately, the big contract has to be set in order for the rest of the market to fall into place.
The college coaching Hot Stove is fast and furious. Teams have to hire coaches quickly and effectively to please their ever-growing alumni bases and to avoid falling too far behind in recruiting. Most schools usually know they are going to let go of their head coach sometime in late October (or sooner, in some cases, like Auburn & Tommy Tuberville). Some schools will make an announcement. Others will let him coach out the string. And others yet will force the head coach to resign, saving the institution from a hefty contract buyout. It's a cold and calculated process that ends with many unhappy parties.
But this process makes for extremely entertaining tidbits for football fans. Seemingly every hour there's a new rumor surrounding a currently-employed coach or a new name that surfaces at a job that was thought to be filled. With the constantly-changing nature of this profession and the inherent lack of job security, the college coaching Hot Stove is a perfect fit for today's 24/7 sporting news climate.
To illustrate the topsy-turvy nature of college football, think about this. In just over a month we saw the number of black head coaches in Division 1-A go from six, down to three, then up to seven, courtesy of three firings and four hirings. I could start a whole other discussion here but I'll save that for another time.
There has been so much that has happened since the end of October when Phil Fulmer was asked to step down at Tennessee. The dismissal of Tommy Tuberville, the rise of high-profile assistants such as former USC offensive coordinator & new Washington head coach Steve Sarkasian, the return of familiar faces such as Lane Kiffin at Tennessee, the coaches who decided against leaving their current employers like Skip Holtz down at East Carolina, the Turner Gill saga, and the flat-out insane hiring of Gene Chizik at Auburn. It's like a high-profile gossip column right out of InTouch or US Weekly.
Thinking about this raises the question of loyalty and job security versus opportunity. There are coaches out there, like Florida State defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews, who will remain forever loyal to both their bosses and schools. His 20+ year tenure at Florida State, coupled with his incredible amount of success, will keep him in Tallahassee for the duration of his career. But then there are cases like Steve Sarkasian. He could've stayed at USC and, at the very least, been in the Rose Bowl practically every year with Pete Carroll & the rest of the Trojans. But Sarkasian, who had been in the running for several openings over the last few off-seasons, decided that now was the time (and the money was right) to jump ship and rebuild a winless Washington team. This basic human drama is far more enthralling than sitting around wondering, "Hmmm...is Teixeira gonna take the $160 million offer or the $180 million offer," or "Yankees, Mets, or Red Sox...Can anyone else afford this guy?"
Maybe in the near future, more and more schools will understand the reasons behind the parity in college football (scholarship limits, national television exposure due to weekday games, better recruiting tools, better coaches, the facilities race) and see that there really is no such thing as a quick fix at this level, giving better coaches more opportunities and more time to implement their ways. It's not the National Football League.
But for now cheers to the new Hot Stove! And Major League Baseball, let me know when it's time for pitchers and catchers to report.
Some other news and notes:
- The Tampa Bay Rays are out to prove that they are not a one-year wonder. The Rays recently signed former Phillies outfielder Pat Burrell to a 2-year deal. They also upgraded their bullpen with the signing of Marlins right-hander Joe Nelson. Plus, most of the team remains intact (Longoria, Crawford, Upton, Kazmir, Shields, Price). The Yankees may have spent half-a-billion dollars but the Rays are still the AL Champs until someone beats them.
- Syracuse head football coach Doug Marrone hired former Michigan defensive coordinator Scott Shafer to be the new DC at the 'Cuse. This leaves just three openings: running backs, tight ends, and wide receivers as the new staff is nearly complete. I hope Marrone, the SU alum, is able to bring back some honor to my alma mater. But I just can't shake the feeling that reaching into the NFL for a head coach again may not have been the best thing for the Orange.
- Congratulations to Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison for becoming the first undrafted player ever to win the AP Defensive Player of the Year Award.
- Last Friday all 30 NBA teams were in action on the same night for the first time in league history. If this isn't the definition of cruel and unusual punishment I don't know what is. Thankfully, I spent my Friday night at The Rock watching the Devils defeat Montreal, 4-1.
- Does anyone else see a resemblance between this year's Philadelphia Eagles and last year's New York Giants? Should be an exciting NFC Divisional Playoff on Sunday at the Meadowlands.
- The NHL All-Star fan voting has yielded the twelve starters; however, they represent just four teams: Montreal, Pittsburgh, Chicago, & Anaheim. I don't think anything else needs to be said there about the merits (or lack thereof) of fan voting.
- Despite all the uproar about bowl games versus playoffs, it's been a pretty exciting bowl season. TCU/Boise State, Texas/Ohio State, and Clemson/Nebraska have been incredibly exciting, down-to-the-wire affairs. I have never been in favor of a playoff as I think it severely diminishes the beauty and importance of the regular season. But after happily watching Utah dismantle Alabama and watching Texas get a gift of a spot on 4th down against Ohio State, I think a plus-one addition to the BCS would be more than enough to settle everything. Keep the bowls, add the plus-one, everyone wins.
- The Road to WrestleMania XXV is in full swing. I was at the first two Smackdown! tapings of 2009 last week at the Meadowlands. It was glorious watching Triple H fight not one, not two, but three times. The Royal Rumble, one of the most exciting events of the WWE year, is just over two weeks away as the silver anniversary 'Mania inches closer.
Until next week.
-Meech
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