It's been a while since I've hit the internet. What can I say? Sometimes life intercedes with life. But have no fear, I'm back with plenty to say. I've gone through so many different formats that I have reached a point where I have decided to just rant from the heart and see what the format looks like.
So, on with the show:
- Let's start with the absolute "Twilight Zone" of a season my beloved New Jersey Devils are having. At the NHL All-Star Break, the Devils are a league-worst 16-30-3 for a paltry 35 points. The first half of the season in Newark was highlighted by 11 consective road losses, the firing of John MacLean, another return for Jacques Lemaire, a ghastly -29 rating for star forward Ilya Kovalchuk, and a stretch where it seemed as though Martin Brodeur was being pulled from every start he made.
The Devils have rebounded slightly, going 6-3-1 in their last 10 games before the break. However, the club remains 22 points out a playoff spot and the postseason appears to be a pipe dream at best. If the club fails to make the postseason it will end a streak of 13 consecutive playoff appearances, the second-longest active streak to that of the Detroit Red Wings.
There are so many different theories that have been floated about to explain this debacle: MacLean was a poor hire who didn't have enough of a resume to be an NHL head coach. Kovalchuk's contract was a huge distraction and the club was unable to bring in players that would complement his style of play. Parise's knee injury derailed any hope of the club having more than one solid scoring line. Brodeur was finally running out of gas at 38 years old. There is a clear power struggle between GM Lou Lamoriello and principal owner Jeff Vanderbeek that has divided the organization.
Bottom line, it's beyond agonizing to see the Devils play this way. For most of my hockey-watching life the Devils have been a beacon for gritty, defensive, winning hockey. I have been privileged enough to witness the Devils capture nine Atlantic Division titles, four Eastern Conference titles, and three Stanley Cups. The way things went the first half of this season made me imagine how the fans for the Devils' first few seasons in Jersey must have felt, when the club was labeled a "Mickey Mouse" organization by the great Wayne Gretzky. Hopefully, the Devils will continue to be competitive in the second half, the youngsters will continue to grow, and the stage will be set for a huge 2011-2012 season at "The Rock."
- Sports Illustrated recently published an article that puts the PED spotlight once again on cyclist Lance Armstrong. I won't get into much detail on this but I have to wonder. Many of the individuals (Floyd Landis among them) who have accused Armstrong of doping are cheaters themselves and have been caught lying in public on numerous occasions. How credible are these sources? I almost feel like everyone is on a PED witch hunt at this point, looking to take down anyone who has accomplished something athletically mind-boggling. It is an absolute shame that we can no longer appreciate any great athletic feat without immediately accusing the athlete of doping. I wonder how the millions of cancer survivors that look to Armstrong for inspiration feel about all of this.
- The New York Mets' rebuilding took another turn for the strange and unusual when the Wilpon family recently came forward looking for a minority investor in the ballclub. This is the final piece of the puzzle and shows now (without much reasonable doubt) that the Wilpons were hurt by the Madoff scheme much more than they ever let on publicly. Now, let's get real here. There is no way someone is going to invest some $200 million in the Mets and not ask for more control than a lousy 25%. Don't be surprised if the Wilpons drag this show on, sinking the Mets even further into oblivion, until they are finally forced to sell the club. In the meantime, let's enjoy that Opening Day rotation of Mike Pelfrey, Jon Niese, R.A. Dickey, Chris Young, and Chris Capuano.
- And how about Brian Cashman speaking out against the Yankees' braintrust? Cashman is in the last year of his contract and both sides have repeatedly stated they want Cashman to remain the Yankee GM. So why is Cashman suddenly speaking out of turn so much? He was vocally against the Rafael Soriano signing and then did the unthinkable by suggesting that Derek Jeter would eventually be relieved of his everyday shortstop duties. Just when you thought Cashman had dug himself enough of a hole, he then went out and said the Red Sox (based on their Hot Stove work) currently have the better team. The Yankee Universe must have gone crazy upon hearing that one. Admittedly, it is refreshing to hear someone speak out against the Yankee machine, especially someone from that deep inside. However, it's clear that Cashman was hurt by some of the tidbits in the Joe Torre book and is starting to see that there aren't many people he can trust inside the organization. I still believe Cashman will get his extension but it will be a very entertaining ride along the way.
- After a scorching 18-0 start, the Syracuse men's basketball team has now dropped four in a row. The Orangemen (As an alum, I refuse to call them the Orange.) have bookended home losses against Villanova and Seton Hall with road losses to Pitt and Marquette. The Orangemen are young (only one senior: Rick Jackson) and just don't seem to be playing on the same page these days. The schedule in the brutal Big East doesn't let up. The next five games: at UConn, vs. Georgetown, at Louisville, and vs. West Virginia with a trip to South Florida after the UConn game the only respite.
- I went to the New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium just before New Year's to watch the 'Cuse defeat Kansas State, 36-34, in one of the more entertaining bowl games of the year. It truly was the perfect storm for Syracuse football with the game in head coach Doug Marrone's backyard. Hopefully this game (and this season) is a sign of good things to come for the program. 2011 will be even more wide-open than 2010 in the Big East's final year as constituted. The Horned Frogs of TCU will be joining the conference in 2012.
- The New York Cosmos are trying to bring themselves back to life and gain entry into MLS as an expansion team. I'm sure MLS commissioner Don Garber would love to have two New York/New Jersey franchises and the Cosmos have a great pitch and sound management. But until they find a viable stadium, let's just keep those Cosmo dreams on hold.
- Was anybody besides me excited to see Zach Greinke go to the Milwaukee Brewers instead of one of the big power clubs? Maybe I should start calling those teams (Yankees, Red Sox, Mets, Phillies) the BCS teams of Major League Baseball. I think it fits quite well.
- The Tampa Bay Rays may have lost some key pieces from last year's club (Carlos Pena, Matt Garza, Rafael Soriano) but they will be competitive once again this year in the beast known as the AL East.
- This March marks the beginning of the newly-expanded NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. March Madness now has a field of 68 teams and will begin with "The First Four" on March 15th. Curious to see how this one works. I don't believe the NCAA field needed to expand but just like the bloated number of college bowl games (I am still a fan of the bowl system but even I will admit that there are a few too many bowl games.), it was only a matter of time.
- Steelers/Packers in Super Bowl XLV. The Terrible Towels vs. The Frozen Tundra. Bradshaw and the Steel Curtain vs. Lombardi & the Packer Sweep. A great game for those who value history as two of the NFL's most-storied franchises lock horns. The current versions of these two squads are pretty good too, in case you haven't been watching. The Steelers boast one of the best run defenses in NFL history while the Packers boast a very strong, attacking 3-4 defense of their own. The quarterback battle of Roethlisberger vs. Rodgers should also prove highly entertaining. My pick: Steelers.
- Great article by ESPN's Jayson Stark about the Albert Pujols contract situation. Check it out here: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/hotstove10/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&id=6056760
- The WWE Royal Rumble is tonight and for the first time ever the Rumble match will feature 40 superstars, instead of the usual 30. When the company had WCW and ECW wrestlers in addition to its stocked rosters of superstars, a 40-man Rumble made complete sense. Now, I'm not so sure. Anyway, look for some surprises tonight as there are always some at the Rumble.
- Random Sporting Moment: On February 1, 2003, the Syracuse Orangemen defeated the #2 Pitt Panthers, 67-65, in a wild finish (including disputed 3-pointers and clock resets) at the Carrier Dome. #1-ranked Duke lost earlier that day and had Pitt won, they would've been ranked #1 for the first time in school history. Hakim Warrick led the 'Cuse with 20 points.
- Random Wrestling Match: The WWF Championship was on the line on January 21, 2001, at the Royal Rumble. With a huge assist from Stone Cold Steve Austin, WWF Champion Kurt Angle defeated #1 Contender Triple H to retain the WWF Title. With referee Earl Hebner knocked out, Triple H hit Angle with the Pedigree. As Helmsley went to get Hebner, Stone Cold raced down to the ring. Austin (seeking retribution for Trips costing him the title a few weeks before) planted Triple H with the Stone Cold Stunner. Angle then covered a prone Triple H for the victory.
Until next time.
-Meech
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Where Do We Go From Here?... - 3/23/10
Everyone has been thinking about it for quite some time. It's long been the elephant in the room. And now, with the current BCS contract expiring in 2014, it's the hot topic of conversation on the college football landscape. Anyone who follows the sport, from beat writers to casual fans, is filled with ideas regarding this topic. Spring practice is already underway for some teams but no one wants to talk about that. All the focus is on one thing...
Conference expansion and realignment.
It's only a matter of time before the NCAA realigns its Division 1-A (I still refuse to call it Division 1 Bowl Subdivision.) football conferences. Commissioners in both the Big Ten and the Pac-10 have recently followed through with studies exploring the possibility of expanding their conferences to 12 teams, allowing them access to that exclusive conference title game club, generating millions of dollars in extra revenue.
The Big East has been a popular place for those seeking expansion. Syracuse, Rutgers, and Pitt have all been linked to the Big Ten in various rumors and studies. Let's not forget the ACC raid in 2004 that took Boston College, Miami (FL), and Virginia Tech to the Atlantic Coast Conference. Naturally, that move had its own ripples as Louisville, South Florida, and Cincinnati relocated to the Big East from Conference USA (DePaul & Marquette also defected but those schools do not play football.). C-USA then put its hand into the MAC to replace those teams wtih Central Florida and Marshall.
Shockingly, the Big XII has also been subject to poaching rumors. The Pac-10 is rumored to be interested in Colorado...again. The Big Ten is rumored to be interested in both Texas and Missouri. It's hard to believe that Texas would leave the Big XII but it actually stands to make significantly more money in the Big Ten, exposing its product to a whole new media market. Plus, it would give the Big Ten a new media market to put its television network in, adding to the large revenue stream the conference already has. However, Texas makes more money than any other Big XII team based on the fact they have made the most national television appearances in the conference in recent years and the Big XII revenue sharing contract calls for those teams that make more national TV appearances to get a larger chunk of the pie.
The Pac-10 is also looking at Utah in the Mountain West and I could spend hours (or even days) talking about the pros and cons of all the rumored teams moving versus staying put, especially my alma mater, Syracuse. But there is something else that bears examination and it's something I never thought I would admit...
The Division 1-A conference structure as it stands needs to be torn down and remodeled.
We have to admit that there is a very good chance that the conference structure in 2014 will look nothing like it does now. In the late '80s the SEC decided to flex its muscles and wanted to expand into America's first superconference. So the SEC poached Arkansas from the old Southwest Conference, setting off a chain reaction. The end result was the demise of both the SWC and the Big 8, along with the creation of the Big XII.
It is very possible that we are in store for a similarly seismic shift in the college football landscape. Conferences such as the Mountain West and the WAC could cease to exist. Even the Big East, an established BCS conference, could be on the chopping block. Another part of the problem (in addition to those conferences looking for a seat at the conference title game table) is the inherent bloating in Division 1-A football. There are a number of programs that just don't belong at this level. Some of the 1-A independents and some schools in the Sun Belt and the MAC could drop down to the 1-AA level and the college football world would go on without experiencing even a blip on the mishap radar.
College football is not college basketball. There is the occasional fairy tale (Utah, TCU, Boise State) but for the most part the so-called "mid-majors" can't line up with the big boys on a regular basis. Cinderella is an integral part of the fabric of college basketball. That regular opportunity doesn't exist in college football. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that those schools can't play with the big boys. Boise State and Utah have already proved that as have some 1-AA schools (Appalachian State over Michigan; New Hampshire over Rutgers) but it's funny how everyone forgets about how overmatched Hawaii was against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl a few years back. Division 1-A college football needs Boise State, Utah, and TCU among others but it can most certainly exist without Western Kentucky, North Texas, and Arkansas State to name a few.
We need to think outside the box: 16-team superconferences, non-traditional geographic setups (i.e. I read a column proposing a merger between the Big East and Mountain West, playing in an East vs. West conference title game while maintaining their current league formats.), more daunting crossover and/or non-conference games. Everyone under the sun has a plan for realignment and I'm no different but I will wait until my next post to officially unveil that plan.
Some news and notes:
- The first uncapped NFL off-season in nearly two decades is well underway with a flurry of activity. In an unexpected development, many of these moves have been on the trade market. Trade deadlines in other major sports get big-time media coverage but the NFL trade deadline goes by with nary a whisper. Now all of a sudden trades are happening in a fast and furious manner. Brady Quinn to the Broncos. Seneca Wallace to the Browns. Antonio Cromartie to the Jets. Kerry Rhodes to the Cardinals. Anquan Boldin to the Ravens. And don't worry as there's been plenty of activity on the free agent scene as well. Jake Delhomme to the Browns. Derek Anderson to the Cardinals. LaDainian Tomlinson to the Jets. Antrel Rolle to the Giants. Julius Peppers to the Bears. Can't wait to see how this off-season continues to unfold with the free agency, the trades, and of course the draft.
- The first weekend of March Madness is officially history and what a weekend it was. After recent tournaments where practically all the top seeds advanced, upset order was finally restored to the tourney this year. Three double-digit seeds and a #9 seed all advanced to the Sweet 16. Saint Mary's (a 10 seed), Cornell (a 12 seed), Northern Iowa (a 9 seed), and Baylor (a 3 seed) will all be making their first-ever Sweet 16 appearances. Butler and Xavier (perenially tough mid-majors) will also be at the Sweet 16 party. Saint Mary's defated Big East heavyweight Villanova. Much-maligned Washington (an 11 seed) took down Marquette. Cornell took down Temple & Wisconsin. Purdue is marching on without injured star Robbie Hummel. Northern Iowa took down UNLV and overall #1 seed Kansas with a pair of last second threes by Ali Farokhmanesh. And the most important thing, the 'Cuse is still alive, dancing into the Sweet 16 after manhandling Vermont & Gonzaga in the first two rounds.
And don't forget all of the first round madness. Old Dominion upset Notre Dame. Ohio slayed mighty Georgetown. Murray State made Vanderbilt a repeat upset victim. And how about Texas? In January, the Longhorns were ranked #1 in the country and riding high. Then it was just an absolute free fall. Losses to unranked teams, losses at home, a poor Big XII Tournament showing, forced to play in an #8/#9 game in the tourney, and finally the loss to Wake Forest in the first round of the tournament. Still hard to believe what happened to Rick Barnes's squad.
- The NHL playoff push is in full swing. Detroit is Detroit again. With all the injuries and poor play behind them, the Wings are 9-2-1 in their last 12. The Washington Capitals continue to streak towards the Presidents' Trophy as they have already clinched the Southeast Division. The Caps made some fortifying moves at the deadline, picking up tough defenceman Joe Corvo and rugged forwards Scott Walker & Eric Belanger. The Blackhawks and the Coyotes, yes you read that right, the Phoenix Coyotes, are battling (along with the San Jose Sharks) for the top spot in the West. The Desert Dogs recently jumped the Sharks for first place in the Pacific Division. Phoenix made some solid deadline moves in picking up Wojtek Wolski, Lee Stempniak, and reacquiring Derek Morris. Goalie Ilya Bryzgalov has been lights out in net with a 2.28 GAA and 8 shutouts. And don't sleep on the defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins. GM Ray Shero made a few solid deadline moves in acquiring Alexei Ponikarovsky and Jordan Leopold. Add those moves to the pickups he's made in recent years (Bill Guerin, Chris Kunitz, & Marian Hossa among them) and Shero is gaining quite the reputation as the trade deadline magician. But don't forget that the Devils (my team, always playing consistently tough hockey) have taken all six meetings from the defending Cup champs this year.
- Spring Training is in full swing now. So glad to see that Joe Mauer is practically a Minnesota Twin for life after signing that 8-year, $184 million dollar extension. Baseball finally got something right. The ESPN report last week that Cardinals and the Phillies were discussing an Albert Pujols for Ryan Howard trade was exciting. You just don't see old-time player for player trades anymore. Everything has payroll ramifications or players to be named later or something else that waters down the blockbuster deal. Although the Cards trading Pujols is highly unlikely, just the mere mention of a straight-up blockbuster deal is enough to whet the appetite. And after a succesful 2009 in which I did not once mention PEDs, I'm making that pledge once again in 2010, no mention of PEDs in any of my baseball posts.
- There will also be no Tiger Woods stories here.
- Somebody wake me up when the Nets matter again, Lebron picks a team for the forseeable future, and the NBA regular season is over.
- And let me tell you, I miss Olympic hockey so much right now. The two-week, 42-game international hockey bonanza was absolutely fantastic. The global reach of the game has never been more apparent and it's possible that the 2010 Olympic Tournament in Vancouver may have been the single greatest assembly of hockey talent ever. A few notes from the tourney: Congrats to Finnish winger Teemu Selanne. The Finnish Flash set the career Olympic scoring record in Vancouver. Selanne now has 38 career points (20g-18a) in his five Olympic appearances for the Suomi ('92, '98, '02, '06, '10). This was, in all likelihood the final Olympic go-round for the 39-year old Selanne. He also holds NHL records for most goals and points in a single season by a rookie when he netted 76 goals and scored 132 points for the Winnipeg Jets in the '92-'93 season. Selanne has always been nothing but a class act and will be greatly missed by both Finland and the NHL when he finally decides to hang up the skates for good.
The push by Slovakia to a 4th-place finish (the best in the country's history) was great to watch as the whole country got behind its team. The Slovaks beat Russia and Sweden before falling to Canada in the semifinals and then falling to Finland in the bronze medal game. However, this may have been the last chance for a while for the Slovaks as the eight players that make up their core are all over 30 years old: Zdeno Chara, Lubomir Visnovsky, Pavol Demitra, Marian Hossa, Ziggy Palffy, Miroslav Satan, Jozef Stumpel, & Richard Zednik.
The gold medal game was a phenomenal back-and-forth contest watched by 27.6 million viewers in the United States, the most Americans to watch a hockey game since the 1980 US-Finland gold medal game. Zach Parise tied it up for the Americans after they pulled their goalie for the extra attacker at 19:35 of the third period. A fast-paced 4-on-4 overtime ended when Sidney Crosby further cemented his status as a Canadian national hero, netting the gold medal winner 7:40 into the overtime. Ryan Miller and Roberto Luongo were both stellar in net and with the young cores of both teams hopefully remaining intact, the US-Canada rivalry will continue to heat up.
American goaltender Ryan Miller was named the MVP of the tournament, ending up with a .946 save percentage and 1.35 GAA, allowing just eight goals in 355:07. Zach Parise and Brian Rafalski paced the Americans in scoring with eight points each. There had been some talk of the Summit Series (Canada-Russia) returning on the road to the 2014 Games in Russia but let's get real here. The hottest rivalry in international hockey right now is US-Canada so why not let them have a Summit Series of their own and allow the emotions to continue to boil over.
And don't forget about the last night of the preliminary round where we were treated to the exact matchups from the previous three gold medal games: Czech Republic-Russia (1998), US-Canada (2002), and Sweden-Finland (2006).
Let's just hope NHL commissioner Gary Bettman realizes the NHL should send its players to Sochi in 2014 so we can have a chance at seeing another incredible two weeks of hockey.
- Finally, some WrestleMania XXVI predictions: Edge over Chris Jericho for the World Heavyweight Championship; John Cena over Batista for the WWE Championship; Triple H over Sheamus; Undertaker over Shawn Michaels, ending HBK's career; Bret Hart over Mr. McMahon; CM Punk over Rey Mysterio; Ted DiBiase over Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes in a Triple Threat Match; Big Show & The Miz retain the Unified Tag Titles over R-Truth & John Morrison; MVP beats nine other superstars to win Money in the Bank.
Until next time.
-Meech
Conference expansion and realignment.
It's only a matter of time before the NCAA realigns its Division 1-A (I still refuse to call it Division 1 Bowl Subdivision.) football conferences. Commissioners in both the Big Ten and the Pac-10 have recently followed through with studies exploring the possibility of expanding their conferences to 12 teams, allowing them access to that exclusive conference title game club, generating millions of dollars in extra revenue.
The Big East has been a popular place for those seeking expansion. Syracuse, Rutgers, and Pitt have all been linked to the Big Ten in various rumors and studies. Let's not forget the ACC raid in 2004 that took Boston College, Miami (FL), and Virginia Tech to the Atlantic Coast Conference. Naturally, that move had its own ripples as Louisville, South Florida, and Cincinnati relocated to the Big East from Conference USA (DePaul & Marquette also defected but those schools do not play football.). C-USA then put its hand into the MAC to replace those teams wtih Central Florida and Marshall.
Shockingly, the Big XII has also been subject to poaching rumors. The Pac-10 is rumored to be interested in Colorado...again. The Big Ten is rumored to be interested in both Texas and Missouri. It's hard to believe that Texas would leave the Big XII but it actually stands to make significantly more money in the Big Ten, exposing its product to a whole new media market. Plus, it would give the Big Ten a new media market to put its television network in, adding to the large revenue stream the conference already has. However, Texas makes more money than any other Big XII team based on the fact they have made the most national television appearances in the conference in recent years and the Big XII revenue sharing contract calls for those teams that make more national TV appearances to get a larger chunk of the pie.
The Pac-10 is also looking at Utah in the Mountain West and I could spend hours (or even days) talking about the pros and cons of all the rumored teams moving versus staying put, especially my alma mater, Syracuse. But there is something else that bears examination and it's something I never thought I would admit...
The Division 1-A conference structure as it stands needs to be torn down and remodeled.
We have to admit that there is a very good chance that the conference structure in 2014 will look nothing like it does now. In the late '80s the SEC decided to flex its muscles and wanted to expand into America's first superconference. So the SEC poached Arkansas from the old Southwest Conference, setting off a chain reaction. The end result was the demise of both the SWC and the Big 8, along with the creation of the Big XII.
It is very possible that we are in store for a similarly seismic shift in the college football landscape. Conferences such as the Mountain West and the WAC could cease to exist. Even the Big East, an established BCS conference, could be on the chopping block. Another part of the problem (in addition to those conferences looking for a seat at the conference title game table) is the inherent bloating in Division 1-A football. There are a number of programs that just don't belong at this level. Some of the 1-A independents and some schools in the Sun Belt and the MAC could drop down to the 1-AA level and the college football world would go on without experiencing even a blip on the mishap radar.
College football is not college basketball. There is the occasional fairy tale (Utah, TCU, Boise State) but for the most part the so-called "mid-majors" can't line up with the big boys on a regular basis. Cinderella is an integral part of the fabric of college basketball. That regular opportunity doesn't exist in college football. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that those schools can't play with the big boys. Boise State and Utah have already proved that as have some 1-AA schools (Appalachian State over Michigan; New Hampshire over Rutgers) but it's funny how everyone forgets about how overmatched Hawaii was against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl a few years back. Division 1-A college football needs Boise State, Utah, and TCU among others but it can most certainly exist without Western Kentucky, North Texas, and Arkansas State to name a few.
We need to think outside the box: 16-team superconferences, non-traditional geographic setups (i.e. I read a column proposing a merger between the Big East and Mountain West, playing in an East vs. West conference title game while maintaining their current league formats.), more daunting crossover and/or non-conference games. Everyone under the sun has a plan for realignment and I'm no different but I will wait until my next post to officially unveil that plan.
Some news and notes:
- The first uncapped NFL off-season in nearly two decades is well underway with a flurry of activity. In an unexpected development, many of these moves have been on the trade market. Trade deadlines in other major sports get big-time media coverage but the NFL trade deadline goes by with nary a whisper. Now all of a sudden trades are happening in a fast and furious manner. Brady Quinn to the Broncos. Seneca Wallace to the Browns. Antonio Cromartie to the Jets. Kerry Rhodes to the Cardinals. Anquan Boldin to the Ravens. And don't worry as there's been plenty of activity on the free agent scene as well. Jake Delhomme to the Browns. Derek Anderson to the Cardinals. LaDainian Tomlinson to the Jets. Antrel Rolle to the Giants. Julius Peppers to the Bears. Can't wait to see how this off-season continues to unfold with the free agency, the trades, and of course the draft.
- The first weekend of March Madness is officially history and what a weekend it was. After recent tournaments where practically all the top seeds advanced, upset order was finally restored to the tourney this year. Three double-digit seeds and a #9 seed all advanced to the Sweet 16. Saint Mary's (a 10 seed), Cornell (a 12 seed), Northern Iowa (a 9 seed), and Baylor (a 3 seed) will all be making their first-ever Sweet 16 appearances. Butler and Xavier (perenially tough mid-majors) will also be at the Sweet 16 party. Saint Mary's defated Big East heavyweight Villanova. Much-maligned Washington (an 11 seed) took down Marquette. Cornell took down Temple & Wisconsin. Purdue is marching on without injured star Robbie Hummel. Northern Iowa took down UNLV and overall #1 seed Kansas with a pair of last second threes by Ali Farokhmanesh. And the most important thing, the 'Cuse is still alive, dancing into the Sweet 16 after manhandling Vermont & Gonzaga in the first two rounds.
And don't forget all of the first round madness. Old Dominion upset Notre Dame. Ohio slayed mighty Georgetown. Murray State made Vanderbilt a repeat upset victim. And how about Texas? In January, the Longhorns were ranked #1 in the country and riding high. Then it was just an absolute free fall. Losses to unranked teams, losses at home, a poor Big XII Tournament showing, forced to play in an #8/#9 game in the tourney, and finally the loss to Wake Forest in the first round of the tournament. Still hard to believe what happened to Rick Barnes's squad.
- The NHL playoff push is in full swing. Detroit is Detroit again. With all the injuries and poor play behind them, the Wings are 9-2-1 in their last 12. The Washington Capitals continue to streak towards the Presidents' Trophy as they have already clinched the Southeast Division. The Caps made some fortifying moves at the deadline, picking up tough defenceman Joe Corvo and rugged forwards Scott Walker & Eric Belanger. The Blackhawks and the Coyotes, yes you read that right, the Phoenix Coyotes, are battling (along with the San Jose Sharks) for the top spot in the West. The Desert Dogs recently jumped the Sharks for first place in the Pacific Division. Phoenix made some solid deadline moves in picking up Wojtek Wolski, Lee Stempniak, and reacquiring Derek Morris. Goalie Ilya Bryzgalov has been lights out in net with a 2.28 GAA and 8 shutouts. And don't sleep on the defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins. GM Ray Shero made a few solid deadline moves in acquiring Alexei Ponikarovsky and Jordan Leopold. Add those moves to the pickups he's made in recent years (Bill Guerin, Chris Kunitz, & Marian Hossa among them) and Shero is gaining quite the reputation as the trade deadline magician. But don't forget that the Devils (my team, always playing consistently tough hockey) have taken all six meetings from the defending Cup champs this year.
- Spring Training is in full swing now. So glad to see that Joe Mauer is practically a Minnesota Twin for life after signing that 8-year, $184 million dollar extension. Baseball finally got something right. The ESPN report last week that Cardinals and the Phillies were discussing an Albert Pujols for Ryan Howard trade was exciting. You just don't see old-time player for player trades anymore. Everything has payroll ramifications or players to be named later or something else that waters down the blockbuster deal. Although the Cards trading Pujols is highly unlikely, just the mere mention of a straight-up blockbuster deal is enough to whet the appetite. And after a succesful 2009 in which I did not once mention PEDs, I'm making that pledge once again in 2010, no mention of PEDs in any of my baseball posts.
- There will also be no Tiger Woods stories here.
- Somebody wake me up when the Nets matter again, Lebron picks a team for the forseeable future, and the NBA regular season is over.
- And let me tell you, I miss Olympic hockey so much right now. The two-week, 42-game international hockey bonanza was absolutely fantastic. The global reach of the game has never been more apparent and it's possible that the 2010 Olympic Tournament in Vancouver may have been the single greatest assembly of hockey talent ever. A few notes from the tourney: Congrats to Finnish winger Teemu Selanne. The Finnish Flash set the career Olympic scoring record in Vancouver. Selanne now has 38 career points (20g-18a) in his five Olympic appearances for the Suomi ('92, '98, '02, '06, '10). This was, in all likelihood the final Olympic go-round for the 39-year old Selanne. He also holds NHL records for most goals and points in a single season by a rookie when he netted 76 goals and scored 132 points for the Winnipeg Jets in the '92-'93 season. Selanne has always been nothing but a class act and will be greatly missed by both Finland and the NHL when he finally decides to hang up the skates for good.
The push by Slovakia to a 4th-place finish (the best in the country's history) was great to watch as the whole country got behind its team. The Slovaks beat Russia and Sweden before falling to Canada in the semifinals and then falling to Finland in the bronze medal game. However, this may have been the last chance for a while for the Slovaks as the eight players that make up their core are all over 30 years old: Zdeno Chara, Lubomir Visnovsky, Pavol Demitra, Marian Hossa, Ziggy Palffy, Miroslav Satan, Jozef Stumpel, & Richard Zednik.
The gold medal game was a phenomenal back-and-forth contest watched by 27.6 million viewers in the United States, the most Americans to watch a hockey game since the 1980 US-Finland gold medal game. Zach Parise tied it up for the Americans after they pulled their goalie for the extra attacker at 19:35 of the third period. A fast-paced 4-on-4 overtime ended when Sidney Crosby further cemented his status as a Canadian national hero, netting the gold medal winner 7:40 into the overtime. Ryan Miller and Roberto Luongo were both stellar in net and with the young cores of both teams hopefully remaining intact, the US-Canada rivalry will continue to heat up.
American goaltender Ryan Miller was named the MVP of the tournament, ending up with a .946 save percentage and 1.35 GAA, allowing just eight goals in 355:07. Zach Parise and Brian Rafalski paced the Americans in scoring with eight points each. There had been some talk of the Summit Series (Canada-Russia) returning on the road to the 2014 Games in Russia but let's get real here. The hottest rivalry in international hockey right now is US-Canada so why not let them have a Summit Series of their own and allow the emotions to continue to boil over.
And don't forget about the last night of the preliminary round where we were treated to the exact matchups from the previous three gold medal games: Czech Republic-Russia (1998), US-Canada (2002), and Sweden-Finland (2006).
Let's just hope NHL commissioner Gary Bettman realizes the NHL should send its players to Sochi in 2014 so we can have a chance at seeing another incredible two weeks of hockey.
- Finally, some WrestleMania XXVI predictions: Edge over Chris Jericho for the World Heavyweight Championship; John Cena over Batista for the WWE Championship; Triple H over Sheamus; Undertaker over Shawn Michaels, ending HBK's career; Bret Hart over Mr. McMahon; CM Punk over Rey Mysterio; Ted DiBiase over Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes in a Triple Threat Match; Big Show & The Miz retain the Unified Tag Titles over R-Truth & John Morrison; MVP beats nine other superstars to win Money in the Bank.
Until next time.
-Meech
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Just when you thought it was over... - 1/17/10
First of all, happy new year!
Now, let's talk ball.
When Brian Kelly took the head coaching job at Notre Dame, abandoning his Cincinnati Bearcats in the midst of their Sugar Bowl preparation (They should really either move the national signing date back or mandate a longer dead recruiting period to prevent coaches from jumping ship during the bowl season like this.), we all thought that was the last big move on this year's college football coaching carousel.
Then the wheels came off the bus.
Mark Mangino gets bought out at Kansas. Mike Leach gets canned at Texas Tech. Jim Leavitt finds himself unemployed after being let go by South Florida. Mangino and Leach were the winningest coaches in school history. Leavitt was the only coach South Florida EVER had.
Urban Meyer resigns, comes back, and takes a leave of absence. Pete Carroll, amid the oncoming NCAA investigation, leaves USC and takes his "California Cool" to the Seattle Seahawks. Lane Kiffin, after one mediocre (7-6) year at Tennessee, packs up and takes over for his former boss at USC.
And don't even get me started on the whole Bobby Bowden fiasco at Florida State!
I'm sure by now you've read all the commentary on these departures. So I'm going to look at it from the other side rather than bore you with more analysis, except for some shots on Lane Kiffin, who I still don't like. Let's take a look at the coaches that will be stepping into all these jobs.
I will start with an individual who is slightly detached from all this nonsense: Charlie Strong. Louisville hired one of the most respected defensive minds in the game, in the process making Strong just the fifth African-American head coach at a BCS school. Randy Shannon (Miami), Joker Phillips (Kentucky), Turner Gill (Kansas), and Mike London (Virginia) are the others. Gill and London were just hired this off-season. Strong had been the defensive coordinator at Florida since 2003 with stops at Notre Dame and South Carolina (among others) before that. The 49-year-old Strong is a great hire for Louisville who I believe will clean up the mess left behind by the failed Steve Kragthorpe regime. The Cardinals certainly have the players and the facilities to compete in the Big East and they aren't too far removed from a Big East title and an Orange Bowl appearance in 2007. Strong is also helping his cause by hiring good coaches Mike Sanford (formerly the head coach at UNLV) and Vance Bedford (a Florida colleague) as his coordinators. Strong also took several other Florida assistants with him, taking some of the continuity out Gainesville in the wake of Meyer's leave of absence.
Then there's Kansas, where Turner Gill will step in for Mangino. Gill has spent the last four seasons as the head coach at Buffalo. There, he turned a perennial MAC doormat into a league champion and brought the school its first-ever bowl appearance. While Gill's 20-30 career record is not all that impressive, his work in turning Buffalo into a respectable program is incredible. In the seven seasons before he arrived, the Bulls had won more than two games in a season just once. Gill's second year on the job brought them a share of the MAC Eastern Division title followed the next year by the outright MAC title and a bowl game. Gill brings considerable knowledge of the Big XII to the job, having spent four years as a player at Nebraska and another twelve in Lincoln as an assistant coach. I get the feeling that with some better players in place, Gill can only continue to climb up the ladder. And a little tidbit, Gill is the first African-American coach in Big XII history.
Texas Tech decided to go the established route, hiring former Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville as the 14th coach in program history. If you remember, I wrote a column last year defending Tuberville and severely chastising Auburn for dismissing him (Check out that column for more details on Tuberville's resume.). I think this is a dynamite hire for Tech; although, I still believe Tuberville will have a difficult time leaping Texas, Oklahoma, and, perhaps, Oklahoma State. Plus, I think Tuberville would've had more success in South Florida.
Then, there's Skip Holtz at South Florida. Holtz becomes just the second head coach in USF history. Holtz comes in fresh off his second consecutive Conference USA championship at East Carolina. He restored some mid-major luster to an East Carolina program that was 3-22 in its last 25 games before his arrival. It was this stint that has solidified his credibility independent of that of his father Lou. Skip worked under his father at both Notre Dame and South Carolina. I believe Holtz is charismatic enough to take advantage of the vast Florida recruiting pool and with the turmoil at Cincinnati, he easily has a chance to take over the Big East. His biggest challenge will be getting the Bulls to play a full season of ball. This is a team that is notorious for hot starts and meteoric rises in the polls before fizzling out and playing in a second-tier bowl game. I'm not sure if Holtz is the right guy to pull this team out of the doldrums. He has shown great poise at the mid-major level (Remember that UConn was still playing 1-AA ball when he was in charge in Storrs.) but there has been a fair share of bigger jobs his name was in consideration for but never called upon. We shall see how this one develops.
I will sum up the next few moves before moving on to Tennessee. Urban Meyer is a great case study for the dangers that come with this profession. There was a great column in Sports Illustrated about this last week. Brian Kelly has won everywhere he has been but the deck is stacked against him at Notre Dame. They don't have one defensive player who did not look overmatched against bigger foes and their two best offensive players have vanished courtesy of the NFL. The Irish played their softest schedule in years and still couldn't muster a better than .500 finish. Throw in the usually stringent academic requirements along with the lost luster of the ND mystique and Kelly has his work cut out for him. Pete Carroll is an ultra-competitive guy and I have always felt that it was only a matter of time before he went back to the NFL to wash out the sour taste of his previous NFL head-coaching stints in New York and New England.
Then there's Lane Kiffin. I don't know what Kiffin has done to deserve the USC job but he's got it and the fat contract and publicity that go along with it. The Trojan players seem happy for reasons that can't really be denied. Kiffin is a Carroll disciple so there will be a measure of continuity in both the on-field schemes and off-field demeanor. Kiffin is also regarded as an excellent recruiter so bringing in top-flight talent shouldn't be a problem. But this is a guy who won only five games in a season and a half with the Oakland Raiders and then went 7-6 in his one season in Knoxville. His signature "wins" were close losses to Alabama and Florida. Sure, he blew out Georgia and South Carolina but UGA was very down this year and Spurrier's troops in Columbia have never been more than average during his tenure. His top assistants (Ed Orgeron and father Monte) have far more impressive resumes.
The Volunteers will certainly be better off in the long run without Kiffin; however, in the short term, this is a devastating loss. The recruiting period goes live again on Sunday and it's possible the Vols may have lost several of their top commits by then. Jon Gruden preferred to stay with ESPN. Will Muschamp decided he would rather stay at Texas and wait for Mack Brown (who just got a fat new contract) to retire. David Cutcliffe took himself out of the running, saying he would rather finish what he started at Duke. Cutcliffe has done a great job in Durham (and did a good job while at Ole Miss before that and as the offensive coordinator at Tennessee before that). The Blue Devils are 9-15 in his two seasons after winning just 10 games in the previous eight seasons before his hiring. His words may be hollow and well-timed in light of Kiffin's departure but knowing Cutcliffe, I believe these words to be sincere:
"You follow your heart in big decisions. I have a lot of ties and a lot of people that I'm very close to, and a lot of respect for the University of Tennessee, but my heart is here. We've worked very hard these two years to change the culture, to change the team physically. You feel like the job's not done, and in this era, it bothers me, what we do as coaches, moving here and there. This is mid-January. Nothing about that felt right to me as a person."
Former Louisiana Tech head coach Derek Dooley (son of legendary Georgia head coach Vince Dooley) was hired to fill the void in Knoxville. While this may be a good hire and Dooley may be a good football coach, I still find it hard to believe that this is the man Tennessee wanted to fill its head coaching job, a coach who had a sub-.500 record in the WAC. Then again, they rushed into Kiffin last year after a disgraceful dismissal of Phillip Fulmer and then spent the last 14 months defending his absolute idiocy. Only time will tell just how far back the Vols, who have been borderline irrelevant the last few years anyway, have been set back in the ultra-competitive SEC. I don't think it's much of a stretch at this point to say that even the Kentucky Wildcats have leaped over the Vols in the SEC Eastern Division.
See what I mean, just when you thought the coaching carousel was going to be a smooth ride, everything goes topsy-turvy on you.
Some news and notes:
-The New York Mets continue to embarrass themselves as it turns out they had no clue about Carlos Beltran's knee surgery. The back-and-forth between the Mets and Beltran (mostly through agent Scott Boras) is ridiculous. The Mets should just blow up the entire infrastructure of the organization and start over again. We all know manager Jerry Manuel is on borrowed time and general manager Omar Minaya should be too. I don't care how great of a guy he is or how talented of a scout he was. This is still the same guy who traded Grady Sizemore, Brandon Phillips, and Cliff Lee away for Bartolo Colon. Somebody get Bobby Valentine on the phone!
- No comment on the Gilbert Arenas situation.
- Big shoutout to the #5 Syracuse men's basketball team! The Orange moved to 17-1 this weekend with a big win over #9 West Virginia down in Morgantown. Jimmy B's got to be pretty fired up about this squad led by Iowa State transfer and All-America candidate Wes Johnson.
- How loud is the Louisiana Superdome going to be next week??? The New Orleans Saints dispatched the Arizona Cardinals, 45-14, in their NFC Divisional Playoff matchup. Drew Brees and company shook off the rust after Tim Hightower's 70-yard TD run on the first play of the game for Arizona to run roughshod over the Cardinals' defense. And how about Reggie Bush's impressive showing from the 46-yard TD run to the 82-yard punt return TD. He was running with a sense of purpose that I haven't seen since his Heisman Trophy campaign at USC. Bottom line, I don't think there is any city that needs and identifies with its professional sports team more than New Orleans, especially after the Katrina disaster. This will be the Saints' second appearance in the NFC Championship Game in the last four years (and in franchise history). Plus, it will be the first time ever that the Saints have hosted the NFC Title Game. Open up those umbrellas and start dancing, New Orleans, as Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings make their way into town next week.
- And how about Rex Ryan and the New York Jets. The Jets were the only road team to win on Divisional Playoff weekend, sending Norv Turner and the San Diego Chargers home, 17-14. The Jets picked off Philip Rivers twice and scored all their points in the second half. Rookie QB Mark Sanchez minimized his mistakes again and threw a key TD pass to TE Dustin Keller in the fourth quarter to seal the deal. The Jets, with the #1 rushing offense and the #1 overall defense in the league, will be going to Indianapolis to take on the Colts in the AFC Championship Game. Everyone thought Ryan was crazy when he declared the Jets the odds-on favorite and now they are just one win away from the Super Bowl.
- Is anybody besides me really enjoying these "Too Light/Too Heavy" Bud Light commercials?
- Lots of attention has been given to the Chicago Blackhawks as they and their dynamic young core currently sport the NHL's best record. The San Jose Sharks are playing their usually-dominant regular season hockey. But don't overlook the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres lead the Northeast Division and trail the Washington Capitals by just two points for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Goaltender Ryan Miller (the goaltending hope for the Americans in the upcoming Olympics) has been playing lights out with 26 wins (2nd in the league), 2.01 goals against average (2nd), and a .936 save percentage (1st). Keep an eye on this club as the season charges out of the oncoming Olympic break.
- Some big credit to the Florida Marlins for actually spending some money to keep ace Josh Johnson. The 26-year-old right-hander was given a 4-year, $39 million deal. The 6'7" righty went 15-5 with a 3.23 ERA while anchoring the Florida staff last year. Despite the lowest payroll in the league, the Marlins won 87 games and finished just seven games back of the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East and five games out of the wild card. Naturally, the contract doesn't have a no-trade clause but you still have to be impressed with Florida spending some money to keep its young core intact for once rather than trading them all away.
- We all know that Kurt Warner is contemplating retirement but how about the news that Ed Reed is doing the same. The 31-year-old Baltimore Ravens safety went through an injury-plagued 2009 and that, coupled with a disappointing 20-3 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Divisional Playoffs, has him wondering what's next. Reed has been battling a damaged nerve in his neck among other maladies and says he will seriously re-evalute things in the coming days. Reed possesses the Baltimore franchise record for career interceptions with 46. He is a six-time Pro Bowler and a former NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Reed is also the only player in NFL history to score a TD by blocking a punt, returning a punt, returning an interception, and returning a fumble.
Until next time.
-Meech
Now, let's talk ball.
When Brian Kelly took the head coaching job at Notre Dame, abandoning his Cincinnati Bearcats in the midst of their Sugar Bowl preparation (They should really either move the national signing date back or mandate a longer dead recruiting period to prevent coaches from jumping ship during the bowl season like this.), we all thought that was the last big move on this year's college football coaching carousel.
Then the wheels came off the bus.
Mark Mangino gets bought out at Kansas. Mike Leach gets canned at Texas Tech. Jim Leavitt finds himself unemployed after being let go by South Florida. Mangino and Leach were the winningest coaches in school history. Leavitt was the only coach South Florida EVER had.
Urban Meyer resigns, comes back, and takes a leave of absence. Pete Carroll, amid the oncoming NCAA investigation, leaves USC and takes his "California Cool" to the Seattle Seahawks. Lane Kiffin, after one mediocre (7-6) year at Tennessee, packs up and takes over for his former boss at USC.
And don't even get me started on the whole Bobby Bowden fiasco at Florida State!
I'm sure by now you've read all the commentary on these departures. So I'm going to look at it from the other side rather than bore you with more analysis, except for some shots on Lane Kiffin, who I still don't like. Let's take a look at the coaches that will be stepping into all these jobs.
I will start with an individual who is slightly detached from all this nonsense: Charlie Strong. Louisville hired one of the most respected defensive minds in the game, in the process making Strong just the fifth African-American head coach at a BCS school. Randy Shannon (Miami), Joker Phillips (Kentucky), Turner Gill (Kansas), and Mike London (Virginia) are the others. Gill and London were just hired this off-season. Strong had been the defensive coordinator at Florida since 2003 with stops at Notre Dame and South Carolina (among others) before that. The 49-year-old Strong is a great hire for Louisville who I believe will clean up the mess left behind by the failed Steve Kragthorpe regime. The Cardinals certainly have the players and the facilities to compete in the Big East and they aren't too far removed from a Big East title and an Orange Bowl appearance in 2007. Strong is also helping his cause by hiring good coaches Mike Sanford (formerly the head coach at UNLV) and Vance Bedford (a Florida colleague) as his coordinators. Strong also took several other Florida assistants with him, taking some of the continuity out Gainesville in the wake of Meyer's leave of absence.
Then there's Kansas, where Turner Gill will step in for Mangino. Gill has spent the last four seasons as the head coach at Buffalo. There, he turned a perennial MAC doormat into a league champion and brought the school its first-ever bowl appearance. While Gill's 20-30 career record is not all that impressive, his work in turning Buffalo into a respectable program is incredible. In the seven seasons before he arrived, the Bulls had won more than two games in a season just once. Gill's second year on the job brought them a share of the MAC Eastern Division title followed the next year by the outright MAC title and a bowl game. Gill brings considerable knowledge of the Big XII to the job, having spent four years as a player at Nebraska and another twelve in Lincoln as an assistant coach. I get the feeling that with some better players in place, Gill can only continue to climb up the ladder. And a little tidbit, Gill is the first African-American coach in Big XII history.
Texas Tech decided to go the established route, hiring former Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville as the 14th coach in program history. If you remember, I wrote a column last year defending Tuberville and severely chastising Auburn for dismissing him (Check out that column for more details on Tuberville's resume.). I think this is a dynamite hire for Tech; although, I still believe Tuberville will have a difficult time leaping Texas, Oklahoma, and, perhaps, Oklahoma State. Plus, I think Tuberville would've had more success in South Florida.
Then, there's Skip Holtz at South Florida. Holtz becomes just the second head coach in USF history. Holtz comes in fresh off his second consecutive Conference USA championship at East Carolina. He restored some mid-major luster to an East Carolina program that was 3-22 in its last 25 games before his arrival. It was this stint that has solidified his credibility independent of that of his father Lou. Skip worked under his father at both Notre Dame and South Carolina. I believe Holtz is charismatic enough to take advantage of the vast Florida recruiting pool and with the turmoil at Cincinnati, he easily has a chance to take over the Big East. His biggest challenge will be getting the Bulls to play a full season of ball. This is a team that is notorious for hot starts and meteoric rises in the polls before fizzling out and playing in a second-tier bowl game. I'm not sure if Holtz is the right guy to pull this team out of the doldrums. He has shown great poise at the mid-major level (Remember that UConn was still playing 1-AA ball when he was in charge in Storrs.) but there has been a fair share of bigger jobs his name was in consideration for but never called upon. We shall see how this one develops.
I will sum up the next few moves before moving on to Tennessee. Urban Meyer is a great case study for the dangers that come with this profession. There was a great column in Sports Illustrated about this last week. Brian Kelly has won everywhere he has been but the deck is stacked against him at Notre Dame. They don't have one defensive player who did not look overmatched against bigger foes and their two best offensive players have vanished courtesy of the NFL. The Irish played their softest schedule in years and still couldn't muster a better than .500 finish. Throw in the usually stringent academic requirements along with the lost luster of the ND mystique and Kelly has his work cut out for him. Pete Carroll is an ultra-competitive guy and I have always felt that it was only a matter of time before he went back to the NFL to wash out the sour taste of his previous NFL head-coaching stints in New York and New England.
Then there's Lane Kiffin. I don't know what Kiffin has done to deserve the USC job but he's got it and the fat contract and publicity that go along with it. The Trojan players seem happy for reasons that can't really be denied. Kiffin is a Carroll disciple so there will be a measure of continuity in both the on-field schemes and off-field demeanor. Kiffin is also regarded as an excellent recruiter so bringing in top-flight talent shouldn't be a problem. But this is a guy who won only five games in a season and a half with the Oakland Raiders and then went 7-6 in his one season in Knoxville. His signature "wins" were close losses to Alabama and Florida. Sure, he blew out Georgia and South Carolina but UGA was very down this year and Spurrier's troops in Columbia have never been more than average during his tenure. His top assistants (Ed Orgeron and father Monte) have far more impressive resumes.
The Volunteers will certainly be better off in the long run without Kiffin; however, in the short term, this is a devastating loss. The recruiting period goes live again on Sunday and it's possible the Vols may have lost several of their top commits by then. Jon Gruden preferred to stay with ESPN. Will Muschamp decided he would rather stay at Texas and wait for Mack Brown (who just got a fat new contract) to retire. David Cutcliffe took himself out of the running, saying he would rather finish what he started at Duke. Cutcliffe has done a great job in Durham (and did a good job while at Ole Miss before that and as the offensive coordinator at Tennessee before that). The Blue Devils are 9-15 in his two seasons after winning just 10 games in the previous eight seasons before his hiring. His words may be hollow and well-timed in light of Kiffin's departure but knowing Cutcliffe, I believe these words to be sincere:
"You follow your heart in big decisions. I have a lot of ties and a lot of people that I'm very close to, and a lot of respect for the University of Tennessee, but my heart is here. We've worked very hard these two years to change the culture, to change the team physically. You feel like the job's not done, and in this era, it bothers me, what we do as coaches, moving here and there. This is mid-January. Nothing about that felt right to me as a person."
Former Louisiana Tech head coach Derek Dooley (son of legendary Georgia head coach Vince Dooley) was hired to fill the void in Knoxville. While this may be a good hire and Dooley may be a good football coach, I still find it hard to believe that this is the man Tennessee wanted to fill its head coaching job, a coach who had a sub-.500 record in the WAC. Then again, they rushed into Kiffin last year after a disgraceful dismissal of Phillip Fulmer and then spent the last 14 months defending his absolute idiocy. Only time will tell just how far back the Vols, who have been borderline irrelevant the last few years anyway, have been set back in the ultra-competitive SEC. I don't think it's much of a stretch at this point to say that even the Kentucky Wildcats have leaped over the Vols in the SEC Eastern Division.
See what I mean, just when you thought the coaching carousel was going to be a smooth ride, everything goes topsy-turvy on you.
Some news and notes:
-The New York Mets continue to embarrass themselves as it turns out they had no clue about Carlos Beltran's knee surgery. The back-and-forth between the Mets and Beltran (mostly through agent Scott Boras) is ridiculous. The Mets should just blow up the entire infrastructure of the organization and start over again. We all know manager Jerry Manuel is on borrowed time and general manager Omar Minaya should be too. I don't care how great of a guy he is or how talented of a scout he was. This is still the same guy who traded Grady Sizemore, Brandon Phillips, and Cliff Lee away for Bartolo Colon. Somebody get Bobby Valentine on the phone!
- No comment on the Gilbert Arenas situation.
- Big shoutout to the #5 Syracuse men's basketball team! The Orange moved to 17-1 this weekend with a big win over #9 West Virginia down in Morgantown. Jimmy B's got to be pretty fired up about this squad led by Iowa State transfer and All-America candidate Wes Johnson.
- How loud is the Louisiana Superdome going to be next week??? The New Orleans Saints dispatched the Arizona Cardinals, 45-14, in their NFC Divisional Playoff matchup. Drew Brees and company shook off the rust after Tim Hightower's 70-yard TD run on the first play of the game for Arizona to run roughshod over the Cardinals' defense. And how about Reggie Bush's impressive showing from the 46-yard TD run to the 82-yard punt return TD. He was running with a sense of purpose that I haven't seen since his Heisman Trophy campaign at USC. Bottom line, I don't think there is any city that needs and identifies with its professional sports team more than New Orleans, especially after the Katrina disaster. This will be the Saints' second appearance in the NFC Championship Game in the last four years (and in franchise history). Plus, it will be the first time ever that the Saints have hosted the NFC Title Game. Open up those umbrellas and start dancing, New Orleans, as Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings make their way into town next week.
- And how about Rex Ryan and the New York Jets. The Jets were the only road team to win on Divisional Playoff weekend, sending Norv Turner and the San Diego Chargers home, 17-14. The Jets picked off Philip Rivers twice and scored all their points in the second half. Rookie QB Mark Sanchez minimized his mistakes again and threw a key TD pass to TE Dustin Keller in the fourth quarter to seal the deal. The Jets, with the #1 rushing offense and the #1 overall defense in the league, will be going to Indianapolis to take on the Colts in the AFC Championship Game. Everyone thought Ryan was crazy when he declared the Jets the odds-on favorite and now they are just one win away from the Super Bowl.
- Is anybody besides me really enjoying these "Too Light/Too Heavy" Bud Light commercials?
- Lots of attention has been given to the Chicago Blackhawks as they and their dynamic young core currently sport the NHL's best record. The San Jose Sharks are playing their usually-dominant regular season hockey. But don't overlook the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres lead the Northeast Division and trail the Washington Capitals by just two points for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Goaltender Ryan Miller (the goaltending hope for the Americans in the upcoming Olympics) has been playing lights out with 26 wins (2nd in the league), 2.01 goals against average (2nd), and a .936 save percentage (1st). Keep an eye on this club as the season charges out of the oncoming Olympic break.
- Some big credit to the Florida Marlins for actually spending some money to keep ace Josh Johnson. The 26-year-old right-hander was given a 4-year, $39 million deal. The 6'7" righty went 15-5 with a 3.23 ERA while anchoring the Florida staff last year. Despite the lowest payroll in the league, the Marlins won 87 games and finished just seven games back of the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East and five games out of the wild card. Naturally, the contract doesn't have a no-trade clause but you still have to be impressed with Florida spending some money to keep its young core intact for once rather than trading them all away.
- We all know that Kurt Warner is contemplating retirement but how about the news that Ed Reed is doing the same. The 31-year-old Baltimore Ravens safety went through an injury-plagued 2009 and that, coupled with a disappointing 20-3 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Divisional Playoffs, has him wondering what's next. Reed has been battling a damaged nerve in his neck among other maladies and says he will seriously re-evalute things in the coming days. Reed possesses the Baltimore franchise record for career interceptions with 46. He is a six-time Pro Bowler and a former NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Reed is also the only player in NFL history to score a TD by blocking a punt, returning a punt, returning an interception, and returning a fumble.
Until next time.
-Meech
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Randomness Rules the Day... - 11/29/09
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
- 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
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