Life in the Cheap Seats

A Better Idea

2010-02-06T17:50:00.005-05:00

The NFL has unveiled a new "system" of designing future Super Bowl logos: put no design into them whatsoever. Coverage from ESPN and a photo of the template as it applies to Super Bowl XLV can be found here.

As the Super Bowl will be hitting Indianapolis in February, 2012, I decided I wanted a better logo than the corporate-tastic silver blob the NFL is proposing.

#1, based on the flag of Indianapolis:

#2, reminiscent of the "Wing and Wheel" logo of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with some racing flag colors:

#3, subliminally reflects the logo of the host team, the Indianapolis Colts:

As the title of this post says, a better idea (or three).

The Redskins Strike Again

2009-04-01T21:15:00.002-05:00

After actually opening up their brains and realizing that maybe it wasn't a good idea to hire Terrell Owens, the ownership of the Washington Redskins has shut them back in the safe and is flapping about again like a bunch of fools.

The latest grand idea from the Redskins' brass is to take a long, hard look at Denver Broncos resident troublemaker, Jay Cutler. I can understand why they might possibly take a look at Cutler, of course. He's a pretty damn good quarterback, and he's shown his ability in college and at times in the pros. In Washington, everyone is trying to figure out if Jason Campbell is ever going to figure out how to do...whatever it is coach Jim Zorn is thinking of.

However, let's take a look at the current off-season. For reasons beyond comprehension, the Broncos fired Mike Shanahan (who wears two Super Bowl rings, mind) and replaced him with...um...wait, let me look up his name...Josh McDaniels. If it had all ended at that, the story of the off-season would be the incompetence of the Broncos' leadership.

But no, Jay Cutler had to then open up and share his feeling with the world -- maily the feeling that he absolutely did not want to work with Coach McDaniels.

(Side Note: I'm kinda tired of my bosses. I think I'm going to make them and all of my co-workers hate me, then ask them to send me to an employer of my choosing with no penalty to myself...yeah, I think that'll work.)

Instead of trying his best to work with his new, young coach and try what he can to lead his team during this transition period, Cutler decided that he was going to just quit on the them. He would rather move to another team with coaches he likes in order to serve his own selfish interests.

Where have I hear of someone like this before...oh yeah, it was the other guy that was rumored to be considered for a spot in Washington: Terrell Owens. I don't know if it's his age, or the fact that it's only happened once, or the fact that he's white (don't try to deny it, there has to be something to it), or even the fact that his hometown has the quaint name of Santa Claus, IN. Whatever the case, Cutler is not being accosted by the media in nearly the same way that Owens has been.

I don't care how much pressure is being put on Snyder and Cerrato to fix the situation at quarterback and how many people think Jason Campbell is the worst thing to happen to the Redskins since...the guy he replaced. I didn't want T.O. around to destroy the team, and I don't want Cutler to do the same.

Why, Oh Wildcats?

2009-03-31T20:44:00.002-05:00

A couple of years ago, Mitch Barnhart, who probably uses five seconds per move in a chess game, uses a 3-wood for a 90-yard fairway shot, swings at every pitch on a baseball diamond, reads Cliff's Notes instead of whole books, and, most importantly, runs Kentucky's athletics program, decided to "persuade to resign" basketball coach Tubby Smith on account of the fact that he was...I don't know, a good coach? When it was done, though I disagreed with it, I suggested they make a hire that required some actual thought: then-Butler coach Todd Lickliter. Predictably, Barnhart freaked out when he couldn't get his pie-in-the-sky dream pick, Florida's double-champion coach Billy Donovan, so he just hired the first guy who would say yes to the job offer.

Now, Billy Gillespie is out of his job with the Wildcats because UK didn't bother to properly research him before hiring him, and Barnhart's knee-jerk hire bit back. So naturally, after learning from his mistake, Barnhart has decided to sit down with some names, run them past some trustees and other university officials, get together with them in some secret conference room, go over the pluses and minuses of each candidate, then pick the best one based on the merits discussed in that secret conference room.

Oh wait, did I say that? What I actually meant to say was: about five minutes after some news cameramen chased Billie Gillespie out of UK's athletic offices, Memphis' John Calipari was all-but-hired, according to numerous media sources.

I'll get to back to Barnhart, but I wouldn't mind having a look at Calipari first. Players on his teams either struggle mightily for their 2.0 GPA or they simply do not graduate. Players on his teams are known for not being the greatest of role models, with locker room fights and off-the-court issues at both Massachusetts and Memphis. Calipari himself has come under suspicion with the NCAA Infractions Committee more than once, most notably when his 1996 Tournament run with UMass was stricken from the records. Plus, he's the only coach I know of who has received, in person, a death threat from another coach (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51-4sJTf7iQ). Oh, and that little blowup was because Coach Chaney thought Coach Cal was intimidating the referees a little too much, changing the outcome of the game.

I'm an Indiana fan, so let me tell you something about hiring coaches who don't graduate players, have problems on and off the court, and are disrespected by more people than respect them: it's generally not a good idea. Indiana tried it a couple years ago and, while the win-at-all-costs attitude worked for a year and a half, the fans got a little testy when the NCAA came knocking. Now our program has been blown to smithereens and we were lucky to pick up the coach that we got, because many people thought no coach in his right mind would want this mess.

Because of his shortcomings, the fact that his players don't fit the mold of "student-athlete" at all, and the fact that he got so much credit for Memphis' 30-win seasons when they played in a joke conference, I really do not like John Calipari as a coach and, especially now that my school has been beat down by a similar, win-at-all-costs coach who bends the rules, I cannot give Kentucky a shred of respect for what they've done.

As for Barnhart, the worst part is that he's almost obligated to do dumb things like this because he has to appease the most ridiculous college basketball fan base on the planet. It's not a hundred percent clear if Barnhart actually wanted to send Tubby Smith packing two years ago, but he didn't have to do it. Tubby Smith was a very sound coach who had the right mix of mean and nice to make a basketball team do whatever he wanted. The problem was that the fan base was living in the past and hoping Tubby could deliver them fifty more championships and make UK Basketball the way it was in the good ol' days (y'know...when UCLA beat them every year and they were beat by Texas Western...oops, I guess they forgot about that part of UK history). But, for heavens sake, put some thought into what you do, Mitch. Indiana's athletic director got dragged through the mud for making one bad decision; I think Barnhart has made his third bad decision in three years. The fans at Kentucky are starting to get restless, and Barnhart had to make another ridiculous decision to try and appease them.

Now, UK is harboring a convicted cheater, Barnhart is, I'm sure, writing up some gushing words about a "new era of Kentucky Basketball" (perhaps borrowing some words from his introduction of Gillespie), and the fans are going to eat it all up again. Sure, it's all about winning at Kentucky -- it's the same way here at Indiana. But you have to win with class, and UK is on the right track to make enemies out of a lot of people.

Two years ago, I respected Kentucky basketball, their tradition, and their class-act of a coach. Tonight, I can't wait for the second Saturday in December, when Calipari brings his freak show into Assembly Hall and I can hate on him in person.

Of note: Tubby Smith's Minnesota Golden Gophers fought through the deepest Big Ten in recent memory, earned a 10-seed in the Tournament, and played hard in a tough loss against Texas. Kentucky fans, befuddled by an odd acronym of ancient legend called "N.I.T.", watched their their team stumble through a loss at Notre Dame and their coach stumble out the door again.

Just Say "NO" to T.O.!

2009-03-05T13:32:00.002-05:00

There have certainly been some bad thoughts that came into my head when the Terrell Owens-booted-from-Dallas saga started late last night. First, the morons who run the Cowboys (even if I weren't a Redskins fan, I would consider Jerry Jones a moron)seem to have found a small amount of brain matter between them, which means they might do more smart things in the near future. Second, one of my best reasons for hating the Cowboys is now gone.

But the worst thought that came to mind was this: Terrell Owens is on the market. Now, I know this conversation is probably happening at every newspaper in every NFL market in the country, but the idea has been pitched that the Washington Redskins could take a look at Owens. In nearly all of the other NFL markets, GMs would certainly write off Owens as a liability and not even bother with him. However, Daniel Snyder and Vinny Cerrato are just dumb enough to look at these media reports and say, "Hmm...big-time wide receiver, jersey sales, ticket sales, dollar signs, etc."

I make this declaration, with the internet as my witness:

If the Redskins sign Terrell Owens, I swear upon every religious deity that has ever been in the history of this planet and any other with intelligent life that I will shun the Redskins for as long a Snyder and Cerrato are part of the organization.

In 2000, I got fed up with being a fan of the Baltimore Orioles because Peter Angelos came in and imploded the base that had made them a successful team in one of the toughest divisions in baseball. Three years earlier, the Orioles had been within two games of going to the World Series and Camden Yards sold out every game for about 5 years. By the turn of the millennium, the Orioles had become the joke that they still are today and I look upon the seas of empty seats at Camden Yards and remember the killer atmosphere at the 1997 ALCS, and remember who it was that brought that team down. To make matters worse, when the Nationals have moved to my real hometown, Angelos went out of his way to first block the move, then screw money out of the team on a bogus TV deal.

Back on the Redskins: I never did like the current ownership group. When they signed Deion Sanders for a one-year debacle, it became apparent that they were willing to throw any amount of money at a whim that would sell tickets and give them more money. When Marty Schottenheimer, who led the team to an 8-8 season after the messy firing of Norv Turner and the mistreatment of Terry Robiskie, butted heads with them over personnel decisions, it was apparent that they wouldn't listen to any coach who actually knew what a team needed to succeed. Then they hired Steve Spurrier from Florida for no real reason and for a ludicrous amount of money and it was apparent that they were just dumb.

Sure, they had the Joe Gibbs return, and that was mildly successful. But that's because Gibbs probably made Snyder get down on his knees and make promises about giving Gibbs full control and beg Gibbs to join the team. Even then, it's hard to know just how much control Gibbs actually had behind closed doors, and there were still big, splashy, and questionable personnel decisions made that didn't pan out all that well (Brandon Lloyd, anyone?)

So now we move to today -- or rather, late last night. Terrell Owens was released from a team that prides itself on being the home of ridiculous personalities. Jerry Jones is one of the most egotistical owners in all of sports and makes some of the silliest decisions in the name of selling tickets. He hired Jimmy Johnson, whose best contribution to college football was ruining the reputation of Miami Football that Howard Schnellenberger worked so hard to build, and was the complete personalty opposite of stoic, businesslike Tom Landry. Jones dropped Michael Irvin and Deion Sanders into his roster in order, I guess, to make sure there was a ridiculous personality on the field at all times. Renowned angry old man Barry Switzer replaced Jimmy Johnson and, after winning a Super Bowl with Johnson's team, saw his team and his mind seem to fall apart. After some mediocrity, another angry old man, Bill Parcells, was installed as coach, with dirty player Roy Williams at safety and Keyshawn "Gimme The Damn Ball" Johnson at wideout. Jones then decided that Owens, who had spent the last five years tearing apart the 49ers and Eagles, should be thrown into the mix with a coach that takes no crap. Then Drew Bledsoe, well-respected and well-rounded QB extraordinaire, was replaced by a pretty boy for the second time in his career. Said pretty boy Tony Romo's biggest contributions to the team so far were dropping that snap in that playoff game against Seattle and dropping Carrie Underwood and Jessica Simpson, among others, into his bed. Then Jerry decided that his players weren't tough enough, so he would raid a couple of prisons for players and came up with Tank "Firearm Possession" Johnson and PacMan "Make It Rain" Jones.

So, an ownership group that has a history of hiring these stellar human beings apparently couldn't take the stress of having Terrell Owens on the squad.

Plus, T.O. is one of only a very few NFL players that I have absolutely no respect for. He's an overrated egotist who, after making one catch to win a game in San Fransisco, thought he was the greatest thing that ever happened to the game.

If veterans Jeff Garcia, Donovan MacNabb, Andy Reid, Steve Mariucci, and Bill Parcells couldn't handle T.O., how on Earth are a second year coach (Jim Zorn) and a young, inconsistent QB (Jason Campbell) going to handle him. Besides which, what's going to happen with Santana Moss, Antwaan Randle El, James Thrash, and Devin Thomas? If T.O. is on your roster, he IS your wide receiver. Nobody else.

So, to sum up: DO NOT SIGN TERRELL OWENS.

I don't feel like parting with my Darrell Green jersey just yet.

Update! According to Jason Reid and Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post, the Redskins say the cost of signing Owens and the cost to team cohesion are not worth any wins he may or may not add to the team's record.

Hey Mike Brown....Shut Up!

2009-02-11T12:06:00.002-05:00

Here's a neat little fact that some folks (especially those from Cleveland) don't seem to understand: LeBron James is just another basketball player in the eyes of the officials.

For the second time this season, a last-second call against LeBron affected the outcome of a game against one of my favorite NBA teams. Both times, someone affiliated with the Cavs went on a stupid, immature tirade about how this shouldn't be called or that shouldn't be called.

Against the Wizards earlier in the season, we had the famous "crab dribble", which was a patented NBA travel that an official actually decided to call. Sure, it was inconsistent with the lack of travels called in the rest of the Association, but if you count the steps, it fits the definition of a travel. LeBron's reaction: It was a "crab dribble", something he does all the time and has never been called, and why would anyone call him for a travel when he's the face of the NBA?

Fast-forward to last night. First, there's a foul called against the Pacers' Danny Granger that was extremely questionable. Granger jumped in front of LeBron, poked the ball away, but also hit LeBron's arm. Result of the play: foul, two made freebies for LeBron. About half a second later, LeBron got called for the exact same foul on an inbound to Granger. He jumped for the ball and backed into Granger as the ball came in. Result of the play: foul, one made free throw, Pacers win. Cavs' coach Mike Brown's reaction:

"I went back and I watched the last two plays and that last call on LeBron was the worst call I've ever been a part of. I cannot imagine another worse call than that by that official. It was an awful call and for him to take away a basketball game from a team with 0.4 seconds on the clock is irresponsible. That is an irresponsible call. It was predetermined from the call that was made on the other end of the floor and it was very unfortunate because there were a lot of men out on the floor that were working their (expletive) off to try to win the ball game. We got that game taken away from us on a horse...excuse my French...horsecrap call with 0.2 seconds left on the clock by that official. Absolutely horrible. I feel bad for the guys in the locker room. You can not...you can not...you can not predetermine a call to try to make something up for the other end of the floor. I saw it. It was a foul down there with 0.4 second. Down here, it was not. LeBron was in between his man and the basket. He went up in the air when the ball was tipped. And for that official to predetermine his call was awful. It was awful. That why we lost the game. I never blame the officials. But that call was a predetermined call and he should have swallowed his whistle on it. But he did not. It was a make up call. Make up. It was a foul. LeBron went up into the air. Danny jumped into him. It's a foul. For him to predetermine the call at our end of the floor...the ball had no chance of getting to Danny Granger. None whatsoever. None. It's two guys jumping into the air. And for him to predetermine that call at that point in the game was horsecrap. That was awful...to step in and use your whistle in that instance and have the power to determine the outcome of the basketball game at that time when it was no where near a foul. It should have been a no call. It's a no call. You have two men jumping straight up in the air on a bad pass. We played OK. We played well enough to give ourselves an opportunity. I don't know what would have happened in overtime. It wasn't like we were playing great. But that game should have gone into overtime until the official stepped in and made a call that was predetermined from the other end of the floor. I don't care if I get fined. It is what it is. I saw the two plays. It was a bad call. He determined the outcome of the game. If they want to fine me for telling the truth, they can fine me for telling the truth. This is not me. I never do this. If I didn't see what I saw on the tape and live, I wouldn't say anything. I'd swallow it. I'd tell our guys, 'Hey we didn't play well enough.' We didn't play particularly well. But that was a bad call that was predetermined that determined the outcome of the game. Simple as that. They can fine me for this crap. I don't care."

Pacers coach Jim O'Brien got it right, though. He said that both calls were "consistent". Indeed, Granger was called for a foul that no one liked, and LeBron was called for the exact same foul at the other end. Mike Brown and the entire Cavaliers organization and fan base needs to realize that, while LeBron is indeed the face of the league, he is not immune from foul calls. LeBron committed a foul on an inbound pass to decide the game, and he was rightly called for it.

GET OVER IT!

It's A Sport, Damnit!

2008-08-07T22:23:00.002-05:00

An old friend has descended on Bloomington. Something that hasn't been seen in this town since the mid-90s. A spectacle that has involved months of rigorous training from hundreds of young men and women. A sport, played between the lines of America's (and Canada's) football stadiums, where injury and fatigue are a real part of the danger. One of the most difficult things a human being can bring themselves to do: Drum and Bugle Corps.

Yes sir, the DCI World Championships rolled its way into town this afternoon and has serenaded the north side of Bloomington with beautiful music and the sound of raucous cheering for the last 7 or so hours.

Oh, and tonight was just the quarterfinals. Tomorrow, for the semifinals, the crowds get even bigger and the competition gets even tougher. Then the crowds become bigger still (close to 30,000, I would guess) for Saturday evening's World Class Finals: the show where the best marching music ensemble in the world will be crowned.

By the way, you may have notice my mention of the word "sport". Yeah, I stand by it, and I'll be damned if you tell me otherwise.

See, for those of you uninitiated to this particular activity, you should really try to experience it somehow -- there are plenty of videos on YouTube if you don't have to opportunity to make it to a show. These groups, generally about 100 members-strong, come together in late May after a rather grueling audition process, live as a group, train outside for eight-to-twelve hours a day, and go perform their art in front of thousands two or three times a week. They travel on buses across the nation for about ten weeks, entertaining crowds from Allentown, PA, to Pasadena, CA, without taking any breaks from their training. There are people who enter the May camps weighing 275 pounds and come out in August weighing 200.

That sounds kinda like a sport to me.

Plus, lets look at football players. Football players do similar training, but their sport involves standing around for 30 seconds, running into each other for 6 seconds, then standing around for another 30 seconds. Baseball players? Some of those guys hardly count as athletes. Basketball? Okay, they're athletic, but they don't have to deal with 95-degree heat and beating sunshine.

These drum corps kids (and they are kids, really -- the ages allowed by DCI rules are 14-21 years-old) have to learn how to coordinate their legs, their feet, their upper bodies, and their arms, all while playing a musical instrument (some of which can weigh up to 50 pounds). That means they also have to control their breathing in order to get the best sound possible out of the instrument. They also have to move in such a way that the concussion of their feet hitting the ground doesn't translate up to the instrument and hamper the sound (try humming while jumping up and down, and you'll get the idea of what they're trying to avoid). It requires a level of coordination and fluidity that many dancers would be jealous of.

I almost forgot: they don't get paid. In fact, they have to pay roughly $2,000 per member just to keep the corps running. They do this not for the money, but because they love what they do.

Don't tell me I'm just mindlessly defending this stuff without really knowing either. I tried three times to get into one of these World Class drum corps and failed. Just watch a video on YouTube, and you'll understand what I'm talking about.

Victim of Circumstance

2008-06-26T18:39:00.002-05:00

Well, it's finally over. The cleansing of Indiana University's men's basketball program is complete with the resignation of Athletic Director Rick Greenspan, which will become effective on January 1, 2009. This comes in light of a new charge from the NCAA Infractions Committee which falls under the "Failure to Monitor" banner, referring to the fact that Kelvin Sampson managed to break the rules while under previous sanction. Greenspan decided that, since this charge was leveled directly at the Athletic Department and that will direct the fan base's ire directly at him, it would be best for him to cut his losses and leave. I find all of this rather unfortunate, and I have two points that I'd like to make.

First of all, for those who actually like to look at things rationally, it is very obvious that Rick Greenspan was the victim of circumstance. Kelvin Sampson is a pathological liar, and any pathological liar can pathologically lie their way into anything. Since he is so good at lying, he was able to put on a straight face when he told Greenspan and the entire IU fan base that he wouldn't break the rules ever again. In the back of his mind, he was already planning how he would try to stretch the rules in order to bring in the big-name recruits.

If you are a good enough liar, you could go into any sort of job interview and, no matter what you might've done in the past, you can weasel your way out of any interrogation. Some of these people who immediately wanted Greenspan's head on a pike are owners of businesses who probably don't realize just how many liars they have hired in their time. I can guarantee you that every manager of every business in the world has had to deal with one, but they didn't know it because of how talented the liar was. Even Bob Kravitz, who obviously thinks himself the last bastion of commen sense in the world, despite spewing crap out of his pen for many years, probably has someone on the staff with him who has lied about something major.

My second point is that it seems awfully late for the NCAA to be coming up with new charges against IU. I know the NCAA is allowed to throw charges around whenever they want, but why would they wait until now to throw this one at IU? All of the evidence of "Failure to Monitor" was there before the IU delegation went to Seattle to defend the program. What possible evidence was there that might have come out in Seattle that would have suddenly made the NCAA throw more charges? It seems like the NCAA is going above and beyond to try and knock down the IU program for one reason or another.

Plus, why in the name of all that's good in the world is the NCAA concerned about this absurdly petty phone call scandal when there are some schools that have been accused of providing cash benefits to their recruits? Did I mention that the school in question has one of the most successful football programs ever? Or that this school also has an up-and-coming basketball program who has been knocking on the door at the tournament in recent years? No, the NCAA isn't worried about the idea of a program destroying the spirit of amatuerism. They're too busy making sure the phone bill doesn't run too high.

Honestly, I've tried to not hate Myles Brand, who is universally hated in Bloomington, but It's hard to keep defending him and his organization when they continuously try to throw Indiana under the bus. There is no reason to retroactively throw these charges at Indiana, and NCAA should re-evaluate how their infractions committee works.

As A Follow-Up...

2008-06-24T10:44:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, I touched on the subject of Scott Kalitta and what can be done about drag racing. First off, an interesting and absurdly simple solution to the problem of outdated drag strips from SpeedTV.com's Gregg Leary here. Read his argument and try to tell me that's a bad idea.

Second, I didn't get a chance to go over some of the reasons that death in motorsport has become, ultimately, a good thing for the drivers and spectators who live on. I know that's a tough thing to say, but driver deaths lead to better safety for everyone involved.

I'm going to take a look at some major incidents over the years and talk about how those incidents shaped the racing safety community.

Le Mans, 1955
One of the most horrific moments in the history of auto racing only led to the death of one driver, but Pierre Levegh's Mercedes-Benz flew in a fireball into a spectator area, showering it with flaming fuel and debris. All told, Levegh and 82 spectators were killed in the incident. Though sparked by the slowing Jaguar of Mike Hawthorn, officials decided that the fatalities were due more in part to the lack of safety standards at Le Mans, and effort was put into making the bleachers along the pit straight, an extremely fast part of the track at that time, safer for everyone.

Indianapolis, 1964
Though many people had died competing in the Indianapolis 500, the incident on Lap 2 of the 1964 race was one of the most spectacular, and changed the way Indy Cars were powered forever. Coming out of Turn 4, Dave McDonald's highly unstable "Skateboard" car broke loose and struck the inside wall. The impact ruptured McDonald's fuel tank and sparked a massive fuel explosion. Eddie Sachs, one of the most popular drivers in the race, hit the stricken car and was caught up in the fire as well. McDonald and Sachs both perished due to the burns they suffered. Because a gasoline fire was so difficult to extinguish, it was decided that, if the flames had been put out sooner, one or both of the drivers might have been saved. As such, Indy Cars switched over to alcohol fuel, whose flames can be extinguished by a simple bucket of water.

Hockenheim, 1968
The world lost one of its greatest racers at this Formula 2 race in 1968, and the results if the incident led to the first emasculation of one of Germany's great racetracks. Jim Clark, heading on the long blast between the Stadion and Ostkurve sections of the Hockenheimring, lost control of his car and spun into the deep forest on the side of the track. The collision with a tree fractured his neck and skull, leading to his death. It was decided that the track, renowned for its two gigantic straights that led deep into the forest, needed to have some sort of modification to slow the cars. The chosen modifications were a series of chicanes that broke up the long blasts. In 2002, the track was, as some purists would say, "neutered," to curb the high speeds of Formula One cars and allow greater opportunities for passing.

Indianapolis, 1973
For a very long time at Indianapolis, a concrete wall came from far inside of Turn 4, at an angle, to the inside edge of the front straightaway. During the 1973 500-mile race, Swede Savage, a rookie pegged by many to become a great champion, lost control of his car off of the fourth turn and hit that angled wall at great speed. His car shattered on impact, and Savage died in the hospital later on. The Speedway's management decided that, in order to lessen the chance of another such impact, they would move that wall back away from the track. Now, even if a car should spin in a similar fashion off of Turn 4, it will be able to lose a lot of speed spinning across the asphalt.

Nürburgring, 1976
Though this accident did not take a life, it very nearly did and it provided the impetus for one of the greatest comebacks in sports history. Despite concerns about the safety of the mighty, 14-mile Nürburgring, the 1976 German Grand Prix went on as scheduled. Coming through the quick section between Breidscheid and Bergwerk, Niki Lauda's Ferrari lost control and slammed into the side of a hill next to the track. The burns that Lauda suffered were considered by many to be fatal, but they were minimized by the fact that three of Lauda's fellow drivers stopped their cars to help Lauda out of his. This led to near-universal criticism of the Nürburgring's safety and the ability of safety crews to reach accidents on the massive course. Sadly, the track was closed to Formula One after that, but the new track in Nürburg is much more conducive to safety crews and fans alike.

Talladega, 1987
Due to their immense size and tall banking, Daytona and Talladega became synonymous with high speed among NASCAR fans. Unfortunately, even though the cars were very heavy, NASCAR stock cars were susceptible to taking flight if something went wrong at these tracks. As such, when Bobby Allison's car blew a tire, it took off directly towards the grandstands. Thankfully, the track's catch fence managed to hold the car inside the track and prevent a catastrophe that could have killed NASCAR. Still, NASCAR's officials decided that the cars needed to be slowed. As such, they placed restrictor plates on the car's air intakes to reduce horsepower at Daytona and Talladega. Instead of killing the racing, the plates actually evened up the racing and has produced some of the most exciting events in NASCAR.

Imola, 1994
Probably the blackest weekend in Formula One history ended with the reprofiling of one of Formula One's favorite tracks. The first incident involved Rubens Barrichello, whose car was launched off a curb into a tire barrier, knocking Barrichello unconscious. The second incident took the life of Roland Ratzenberger, who took the fast Villneuve turn incorrectly and slammed into the outside wall. The third incident took the life of one of Formula One's most popular driver's ever, Ayrton Senna, whose car broke in the ultra-quick Tamburello corner and speared the outside wall hard. Because of Barichello's accident, the curbs were lowered all around the Imola track and at tracks around the world. The deaths of Ratzenberger and Senna led to the installation of chicanes and sand traps at those two turns to slow the cars and protect them from impacts.

Indianapolis, The '90s
As cars began averaging 230 miles per hour around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the severity of accidents went up by leaps and bounds. If you hit the wall at Indianapolis, there was always the possibility of severe injury. In 1992, Jovy Marcelo was killed in practice, Nelson Piquet was seriously injured in practice, and Jeff Andretti was seriously injured during the race itself. In 1995, Stan Fox's car was torn in half when it nosed into the wall on the first lap and Fox went into a Coma. In 1996, Polesitter Scott Brayton was killed when his car hit the wall during practice. Eventually, Speedway management decided enough was enough, and they began working with the University of Nebraska on one of the greatest safety innovations in all of racing, the SAFER Barrier. Installed at Indianapolis before the 2000 race and at nearly every major oval track in the world since then, the SAFER Barrier has saved countless injuries, and probably more than a few lives.

Fontana, 1999
Greg Moore was a popular driver in the CART Championship Series and was probably a favorite to follow fellow Canadian Jacques Villneuve to Formula One. Unfortunately, after losing control of his car coming off of Turn 2 at California Speedway, his car sped towards the inside of the track and hit the angled wall at one of the safety truck entrances. The car exploded into pieces on impact and Moore was fatally injured. Two things came of this: first, the walls at the safety truck entrances were reprofiled to minimize the likelihood of such an impact; second, the inside of the first half of the back straightaway was paved with asphalt because a spinning car would lose more speed on asphalt than on grass.

Daytona, 2001
Probably the darkest day in NASCAR led to yet another of the greatest safety innovations in all of racing. On the last lap of the Daytona 500, Dale Earnhardt moved up the track and made contact with Sterling Marlin's car, spinning Earnhardt head-first into the concrete outside wall. On impact, Earnhardt's head apparently snapped forward and he may have hit his head on the steering wheel. Because whiplash may have caused Earnhardt's death, NASCAR (and many other racing series) mandated the use of the Head And Neck Safety (HANS) Device. The device was a simple shoulder brace that, in the event of an impact, kept the driver's head from moving forward beyond a certain angle, but it has virtually eliminated the broken neck or basal skull fracture as a cause of death in a racing accident. Also, the SAFER Barrier became a mainstay at every track on the NASCAR circuit to lessen the G-forces on impact with a wall.

Well, there you are. Safety in racing, unfortunately, is a product of injury and fatality. We generally don't see the problems with safety until they make themselves painfully obvious. Hopefully, the strides we've made will help minimize the risks these drivers will face as we head into the sport's future.

The Ugly Side of Racing

2008-06-23T13:18:00.002-05:00

Auto racing, as with many sports, can be a beautiful thing when played to perfection. Watching 20 Formula One cars take a standing start, or 33 Indy Cars accelerating out of turn 4 at Indianapolis, or a single rally car jumping a dirt hill on a narrow forest road, or 43 NASCAR stock cars going as one mass through the turns at Talladega, or watching a team celebrate at Le Mans after a grueling 24 hours of competition can elicit an emotional response that few other things can. However, as with all sports, racing can become ugly. In fact, when auto racing goes wrong, the consequences tend to be far more dire than for any other sport.

Saturday afternoon, we were once again reminded how dangerous the sport can be. NHRA Funny Car driver Scott Kalitta, 26-year veteran of NHRA competition, met his end at the wheel of his machine. As with many of the folks who plant themselves in the tight cockpits of NHRA drag racers, Kalitta went out the way he would have probably preferred: 300 miles per hour in a ball of flame. Many of these NHRA stars are tough competitors and proud human beings, and if they have to go early, they'd rather do it on the job.

Unfortunately, that does not take the sting away for the fans, the fellow crews and drivers, or the driver's family. That sting, after the initial shock of the accident abates, will eventually turn into a discussion on how to fix the problem and learn from the death of a driver.

So, how do we fix the problem? Well, for those of you who are not familiar with Old Bridge Township Raceway, it is in a highly developed part of New Jersey. Englishtown is not far off the New Jersey Turnpike, relatively close to Newark and New York City. Because of this, there is really no opportunity for the track owners to expand the sand trap at the end of the drag strip to better stop a wayward automobile. Unfortunately, this problem exists with many drag racing facilities and the only feasible option may be to simply close facilities like the Englishtown track -- a move that would not thrill traditional fans of the sport.

The other option is to try and slow the cars down, which is also a difficult problem to try and figure out. The only auto racing genre that has successfully capped the speeds of the cars at a reasonable level is IndyCar racing, and that is because they only have one engine supplier and one chassis supplier. Drag racing is all about who can build the better engine and which driver can apply every bit of power in that engine. Typical funny car speeds at the quarter mile exceed 310 mph, and any time the NHRA tries to lower speeds, the engineers find another way to get their speed up.

There is an option C, but it will make observers on the outside question the logic of the sport: do nothing. Many of the hardcore fans and a lot of the drivers accept that death is a possibility in a sport like this and the only reason they still participate is because they've accepted that fact. The lure of the sport for the regular fans is the speed of the cars through the quarter mile. Trying to close tracks or change the cars may help the sport in the end, but the NHRA could alienate its base.

The worst part of the whole thing is that, even if they solve the problem that took Scott Kalitta's life, there is always another problem that hasn't been thought of that might pop up to take someone else. It's all a part of the sport that can be so beautiful, but finds a way to be ugly at the worst possible time.

Pure Speculation...

2008-06-11T09:09:00.002-05:00

There are many things to theorize, speculate, or claim to know about here in Bloomington right now. IU's athletic administration has run off to Seattle to hear the NCAA's opinion of Kelvin Sampson's shenanigans, the basketball team is trying its damnedest to get recruits so they're not terrible in the coming season, and football season is nearly upon us.

However, the most important thing to me is why...WHY on Earth the field at Memorial Stadium performed so horribly during last week's rainstorms (striking photography seen in the last post). For some background, there were a total of four rather major thunderstorms over a two-day period last week. The first three were standard, summer-in-the-Midwest thunderstorms with lots of wind and noise and the occasional tornado siren. The fourth, however, was a pure rain-maker; it dumped tons of rain upon Bloomington, overwhelming city's drainage system an causing nasty flooding on IU's campus and in downtown Bloomington. As stated below, the rain also had a nasty effect on the turf at Memorial Stadium.

Now, at first I was thinking, "There were four storms over two days, and the sheer volume of rain just washed away the soil underneath the turf." Then I happened to be watching a replay of IU's victory over Purdue on November 17, 2007, and it dawned on me: the final play at the south end of the stadium caused the problem.

See, Austin Starr is certain to go into Hoosier legend as one of the best men to ever kick a football through the uprights. Some people, though, don't realize just how good he is. Look at the photo in the previous post, then find a video of Austin Starr's winning field goal in the Bucket game. Notice anything?

AUSTIN STARR'S FIELD GOAL WAS SO EPIC, IT BROKE THE FOOTBALL FIELD!

Yes, the sheer force of that amazing kick striking the turf just past the crossbar in the south endzone must have rearranged the dirt underneath the turf in such a way that, when weather of any consequence struck the stadium, the whole thing fell apart. There you have it.

One might say, "This is terrible! Something must be done!" While it may be an annoyance, though, I'll let Austin Starr break football fields all he wants, as long as the Hoosiers keep winning.

Rain, Rain Go Away

2008-06-09T20:15:00.003-05:00

Rains break Memorial Stadium turf, "experts" claim, "It's still safer for football than the old turf at Gillette Stadium..."

What a weekend...

2008-03-31T09:10:00.002-05:00

Ok....there was really way too much to talk about from this weekend, and I have a busy day today, so I'm just going to sum everything up with this:

Welcome home, Nationals. Ryan Zimmerman sends everyone home with the line drive into the Red Porch in left-center field.

post coming soon....

2008-03-30T08:54:00.002-05:00

Ok, several things are happening at once here, and I'll comment on them later on should they take place. 1) IU could very well have offered its basketball coaching job to someone by the end of the day, and 2) there's a little event coming up called the Final Four. Plus, I'm sure everyone would love to see just how awful my brackets are right now...

Dust Off your Dancin' Shoes

2008-03-17T14:06:00.003-05:00

Seats that would normally be cheap in many basketball and football arenas across the nation will become very expensive in a few days. The field of 64 (plus an awful Coppin State team) has been revealed to the nation. Today, fans across the country are yelling at their TVs and sending angry emails to the NCAA because of the decisions of the selection committee, while others are jumping for joy.

There are a couple of things I need to get into before the tournament kicks off. First (and easiest) is my bracket. What kind of amateur journalist would I be if I didn't fill one out?

Let's take a look at what stands out in the opening round, beginning with upset number one: George Mason over Notre Dame. There was a sign in the Richmond Coliseum last week as the Patriots were celebrating their CAA Championship that read "George Mason is this year's George Mason." While I don't see Mason making quite as much noise as they did two years ago, I see them putting a really tough game on against the Irish. Notre Dame has been good, but they seem to just hang around the middle of the Big East while not really winning huge games. Keep in mind, too, that the CAA is a very strong conference and last year's champion, VCU, took down the Duke Blue Devils.

In the Midwest, I posted one upset of note, even though I don't see it as much of an upset myself. Kansas State was seeded rather low, in my opinion, and they are a much stronger team than the number given to them by the selection committee. Kansas State has a little forward by the name of Michael Beasley who will absolutely dominate the inside against the Trojans. The Wildcats have taken down some tough teams this year, and there is no reason they can't do it up the road in Omaha.

The South region doesn't have much in the way of upsets, but I certainly threw a big one into the West region: Georgia over Xavier. Yes, Xavier is very good. As an Indiana fan, I know this firsthand. However, Georgia is absolutely on fire right now coming off of their amazing victory in the SEC tournament. This team showed a huge amount of toughness and heart by playing three games in a two-day period to take down three teams that earned their way into the big dance: Kentucky, Mississippi State, and Arkansas. There has to be a lot of momentum and fire in that locker room and I seriously believe that can translate to the first round.

We'll see what happens as the weekend progresses, but I really like the picks that I have made. Some might say that I'm crazy to pick some of the teams that I did, but that is the way this tournament works. You have to give a nod to some of the little guys because, if you don't pay attention to them, they'll end up knocking you over.

My second big thing that I absolutely have to talk about in regards to this tournament field is the number next to "Indiana" in the East bracket. A lot of people put pen to paper last night and wrote about how absolutely snubbed the Hoosiers were in receiving an 8-seed with a likely matchup against North Carolina lurking in the second round. Many folks thought the Hoosiers deserved a 5 or 6-seed and that they certainly deserved an easier road to the Sweet Sixteen. I see all of this complaining, though, as yet another case of Indiana fans not being able to get over themselves. For some reason, there is a prevailing feeling that, because of IU's tradition, it deserves more respect from the world. However, with the NCAA selection process, it's a question of "What have you done for me lately?" Here's what the Hoosiers have done: force the resignation of a cheating coach, barely beat Northwestern (winless in the Big Ten at the time), barely beat Ohio State (not a bad team, for sure), get creamed into the floor by Michigan State, barely beat Minnesota on Senior Night, lose to a less-than-good Penn State team, and lose to Minnesota in the Big Ten Tournament.

Other key games throughout the season, plus the fact that Indiana's defense has allowed bad teams to hang with the Hoosiers in many games, led the selection committee to believe that, even if the Hoosiers had a higher seed, they weren't going to win more than probably one game. Sure, it's disrespectful towards the program, but it's also more than this team deserves. Their shooting has been terrible for the last three weeks, Dan Dakich has been coaching the team into oblivion, and many players obviously don't care anymore. As you can see from my bracket, I don't expect IU to beat Arkansas, a team that beat Tennessee in the SEC Tournament. Even if they do beat Arkansas, there's a very low chance of the Hoosiers taking down North Carolina. The talent is there, but the will is not. I'll certainly be pulling for the Hoosiers to do their best, but I can't imagine them going very far.

March Laziness

2008-03-02T16:12:00.002-05:00

Watching the Indiana Hoosiers play basketball is a difficult thing. Sometimes -- a lot of times, in fact -- they are beyond stellar. Multiple players score lots of points, people are picking up rebounds, the defensive intensity is there, and everyone finds a way to contribute.

Then there's the game that just ended. What in the name of all that is good in this world was that? I almost want to ask for a refund or something. A lot of things came together to make Indiana simply forget a fairly simple fundamental of the game: defnese. It turns out, if the guy with the ball gets to the basket before any of the defenders, it's really easy for him to score. All of the usual suspects (that'd be you, ESPN) are going to talk about "Michigan State's inspired performance on Senior Night" blah blah blah.

Don't buy it. I could've shot 70% against the defense that Indiana put up today. It looked like an NBA defense that was going against the Spartans today. The baseline was always open. Somehow, the middle of the key was always open as well. People weren't stepping out on people who should probably be defended like, say, Drew Neitzel. There was no effort at all from the Hoosiers when MSU had possession of the ball.

One thing that kind of bothers me is that people are going to point the finger at Interim Coach Dan Dakich for the sheer lack of...well, anything. The problem is that the seeds for this issue have been growing in this team for a majority of the season. Considering the former head coach was apparently such a stickler for defense, this team did not play defense very well. The only thing that seemed to keep the team from imploding on itself was the intensity that Kelvin Sampson instilled in the team. Unfortunately, Coach Dakich doesn't share that intensity. Once the intensity was taken out of the picture, the team decided to simply stop playing (winning by 3 against Northwestern (0-14 in conference) and Ohio State (8-8)). The thing is that the Hoosiers were barely beating teams that they should have been destroying even before Sampson "resigned". The defense was barely there against middling teams like Georgia Tech, Penn State, and several others.

One nice thing to take out of all of this is that we know Dan Dakich's lack of intensity won't be on the sidelines in November. It remains to be seen, though, if the new coach (please let it be Sean Miller or Brad Brownell) can undo the hurts done by the lack of defensive coaching by Sampson and Company. Quite frankly, IU has the talent this year and they will have the talent next year to be extremely good. They just need the right person to get the talent out of them. Kelvin Sampson couldn't do it, and Dan Dakich isn't able to do it. We will just have to wait until next year to find out who might be able to.

Oh, by the way, IU stands a strong chance of not winning another game this season. Watch out for that.

Sampson's Last Stand

2008-02-13T08:01:00.002-05:00

Word is that the NCAA is about to release its big report on Kelvin Sampson's second round of impermissible phone calls. Now, the hearing for this is not set until June, so the hammer will not fall this season. However, if the investigation links any of this season's players to the impermissible phone calls, any accomplishments the Hoosiers make this season will likely be wiped off the map.

Now, there are two parties that I'm a little annoyed with in this situation. The first, obviously, is Kelvin Sampson and, in general, the IU athletic department. I don't want to jump to any conclusions before the official numbers are released, but it is entirely possible that we have been lied to by the Indiana coaching staff. We were originally told that there were something like 12 impermissible three-way calls from Sampson and assistant Rob Senderhoff to recruits such as DeAndre Thomas. From what I've read so far, it may be that the coaching staff made over a hundred impermissible phone calls, of the two- and three-way variety. Wheras the original numbers in the IU investigation fell under a minor violation to the coach -- a mere slap on the wrist -- the new numbers would fall under a major NCAA violations. If the NCAA finds that the Indiana coaching staff did indeed commit a major violation, this season could be a total loss. More importantly for fans in certain parts of the country, if these violations were committed in the recruitment of Eric Gordon, things will get extremely ugly.

The other party who really got this whole thing wrong, though, is the NCAA itself. Now, it is entirely possible that Myles Brand still feels a bit of an obligation to keep his old charge in check (remember, he was partially responsible for the probation and firing of Bob Knight), but the timing of all of this is completely wrong. The Hoosiers, beginning today, are about to play their three most important games of the season: Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Purdue. Six hours before this crucial homestand begins is not the right time to release this information to the world. In fact, maybe they should wait on releasing the information until after the season. It is completely unfair to the Indiana players, no matter how their recruitment went, to present such a major distraction at this point in time. The fans, who had mostly forgotten the prior transgressions of Coach Sampson because of the Hoosiers' 20-3 record, could very well attack Sampson in the way they attacked Mike Davis for not winning. The criticism against Davis obviously hurt the team as they went through Big Ten play in 2006, and that situation could come back up this season. The NCAA really should have waited until after the Tournament to release such a damaging report.

Whatever happens over the next few months, it is entirely possible that Kelvin Sampson will not be the coach of the Indiana Hoosiers going into the 2008-2009 basketball season, leaving the program in more disarray than when Davis was the coach. Since we don't really know how severe the transgressions or penalties might be, I won't jump ahead of myself thinking about a coaching search. However, if I start hearing rumblings about a certain coach who just came back on the market, I will not be very happy. We will get to all of this when it comes to us, not before.

The Greatest Ever?

2008-02-04T22:20:00.000-05:00

A lot of interesting superlatives were thrown about both pre- and post-game in Glendale, AZ over the last week. Coming into Super Bowl XLII (God forbid the NFL use actual English numerals...) the New England Patriots were being given the moniker of "greatest team ever" -- and rightly so. They were the highest-scoring team in history, Tom Brady is steadily padding his stats to become the greatest quarterback ever, and Randy Moss was having one of the greatest seasons ever for a receiver (easily the best season of his storied career). That's not even mentioning folks like Stephen Gostkowski, Lawrence Maroney, Donte Stallworth, and the best third-receiver option in the league, Wes Welker. Oh, that's also not mentioning a defense that contained names like Seymour, Bruschi, Vrabel, Seau, and Harrison. Being 18-0 going into this biggest of games certainly helped the Pats' cause for being called the best ever.

Post-game, however, there was a different tune. Instead of crowning the greatest team ever, many sports analysts and would-be "experts" were calling it the greatest upset ever. At this point, I must draw the line. This was not the greatest upset ever, and there are some pretty good reasons for it.

Certainly, it was quite an upset, and whoever set the Vegas Line at 14 in favor of the Patriots must feel like a complete fool right now. But this is nowhere near the greatest ever. One upset from past years crowned the team that kept the honor of being the NFL's last undefeated team: the 1972 Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VII (defeated George Allen's Washington Redskins). Another upset began the Patriots' dynasty of the first half of the 2000s (defeated the heavily-favored Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI). One of the most famous moments in NFL history, "Wide Right", handed the Giants an upset over the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXV. Indeed, there have been many great upsets in the forty-two-year history of the game.

The greatest upset ever, though, does not go to any of those. Anyone who knows anything about the history of this game knows that Super Bowl III takes that title and will hold onto that title for the rest of time. Not only was SB III the greatest upset in Super Bowl history, but it may have been the most influential as well. Until Joe Namath ran off the Orange Bowl turf with his finger raised in the air, the American Football League was considered a joke. The first two Super Bowls were considered mere trivialities by Vince Lombardi and the Green Bay Packers. It was believed by just about everyone that the mighty Colts would walk over the upstart Jets. But the AFL knew it had pulled nearly level with the NFL as far as football ability, and they needed one big win to prove their place in the world. The Jets provided that victory and set the wheels in motion for the moment in time by which all moments in football history are measured: The Merger. When you hear records or great games talked about, you hear the words "since the merger" or "before the merger" as a qualifier for the era that is being discussed. A team like the Patriots may not have ever had the opportunity to go 18-0 had the Jets lost that game.

Fast-forward thirty-nine years and look at the two teams involved in this year's Super Bowl. First of all, there was no justification for the bookies in Vegas to set the line at 14 points. The same two teams that were on the field in Glendale were also on the field in East Rutherford, NJ in Week 17 of the regular season, and the Giants played the Patriots right down to the end, finally losing by just three points. The Giants had shown that they could play with the Patriots in a high-scoring shootout, they just needed to pick up their defensive effort and the game was theirs. Being in the best division in the NFC didn't hurt the Giants, either -- The NFC East is probably the second-best division in football, with the AFC South being the only better one. Three teams from the NFC East had made it to the playoffs this season, all on the combined merits of good offense and ultra-strong defense. Any team from this conference had a shot at beating the Patriots, and everyone should have known it.

Now, one thing that I will gladly add the "greatest ever" tag to is The Play from XLII. Eli Manning was down, then he wasn't, then he was heaving a pass downfield, then the ball was trapped by David Tyree on his own helmet. Words are inadequate to describe exactly how ridiculous this play was to watch. Even if it had been the first play of the first quarter, this one would have stood out as one of the truly great moments in football history. The thing is that this one happened to come on 3rd & 5 in Giants territory with 1:15 left in the fourth quarter. Manning's scramble and Tyree's catch were exactly what the Giants needed at this point in the game in order to get the momentum they needed. A few plays later, victory rested in Plaxico Burress' hands in the corner of the endzone. Manning-to-Tyree, the greatest play in Super Bowl history.

Time to Warm Up The Hot Seat

2008-01-31T23:07:00.000-05:00

Once again, after a blistering start to the season, the Indiana Hoosiers are doing what they always do: losing in the Big Ten. Kelvin Sampson showed up last year with his big recruiting pickup and the promise of turning things around and hanging more championship banners in Assembly Hall. for the first half of last season, the Hoosiers lost several close games to very good teams on the road, won some other good games, and competed in the Big Ten. However, IU was never really an ultra-strong team, and they lost in ugly fashion to Illinois in the Big Ten Tournament and to UCLA in the NCAA Tournament.

This season, however, things looked to turn around. A talented recruiting class, led by Eric Gordon, was added to some fine veterans, including DJ White. The Hoosiers were expected to compete with Michigan State for the Big Ten title and they were expected to easily exceed 20 wins. The thing that is really annoying is that this actually looks to be the way the season is going to turn out. Unfortunately, the Hoosiers, like they've done in so many years past, seem to be mailing it in during the most important part of the season.

Don't get me wrong, the Hoosiers are 6-1 in the conference and 17-3 overall, which is much better than they have been doing in the past 10 years or so. However, if you've actually watched the games, you are seeing something troubling. The Hoosiers have been disgustingly weak on defense this year, despite playing for a coach who prides himself on his defensive game. After beating Minnesota on the road, easily their best victory this season, the Hoosiers have fallen to pieces on offense as well. They still score a fine number of points, but they've looked shaky while doing it.

The game before the trip to Minnesota, a home tilt against Illinois, the Hoosiers struggled a bit, finally winning by four points. People, myself included, seemed to chalk that down to the emotions of the Illini, who were facing their favorite former recruit. Then IU struggled for a half against Penn State, looking none too good while giving up the lead several times to the Nittany Lions. Later on, the Hoosiers played Iowa and put up another weak first half showing. After that, everything fell apart. IU put up something slightly above zero effort and allowed Connecticut to walk all over them in Indiana's first home loss in two years. Then the Hoosiers went on the road to Wisconsin and found a way to put up an even worse effort in a nasty loss to the Badgers.

The bottom line is that, despite what Kelvin Sampson may have dome so far for this program, this program is not performing to its potential. In pro basketball, it's easy to blame such things on the players, but the only people responsible in college are the coaches. A team with two Naismith Award candidates and some of the best players you may not have heard of should not be playing with the lack of coherence and passion that this team is showing. IU's record should be 19-1 or 20-0 at this point, given what they have taking the floor each game. Kelvin Sampson, if he cannot get this team playing at the level that it should be playing, will be squarely upon the hot seat with Indiana fans.

Who Needs Consistency?

2008-01-18T07:34:00.000-05:00

In many ways, this year's Indiana Basketball team is very much the same as it has been for the past 15 years or so. In every game, there seems to be one aspect of the team that just goes wrong and causes the team to falter. Sometimes it's a lack of defense, or shots are not falling, or there are too many mental errors. The key difference here is what happens at the end of games.

In those past years, that inconsistency would cost the Hoosiers the game. It's the reason that the Hoosiers have been so lackluster since the 1992 trip to the Final Four. This year, however, the scores have nearly always gone down in favor of IU, the Xavier game being the one exception. For some reason, when IU manages to throw one aspect of their game out for the evening, the other aspects step up and pick up the slack. This is allowed the Hoosiers to pull out several tough wins this season.

Last night, the mental errors were running rampant for the fellows wearing crimson in Minnesota's Williams Arena. On most nights, with most teams, twenty-six turnovers would spell immediate and certain doom. On top of that, having the conference's leading scorer sit for nearly the entire first half and one of the best rebounders in the country pick up his fourth foul about 14 minutes into the second half would kill a team. Indiana, however, picked up the scoring with Gordon on the bench. led by a very inconsistent Jordan Crawford, and found a way to just hold on when DJ White was on the bench. It was a very telling, but very good team victory for IU in front of a very loud and active crowd in The Barn.

All of this does make me think, however: what happens when this team clicks on all aspects of the game? It's a frightening thought for those who might oppose the Hoosiers this season, especially fellow Big Ten contenders Michigan State and Wisconsin. Winning games at MSU's Breslin Center or UW's Kohl Center is a rather tough proposition for the visiting team, and it has been a long while since IU has taken victory in either arena. However, given that IU has found ways to win at both Iowa and Minnesota over the last few weeks, victory against the Big Ten's upper teams in their own houses seems a lot more likely. I feel that, should the Hoosiers find a way to click in every aspect of the game -- defense, shooting, and mental -- for at least 30 minutes, they could easily beat anyone in the Big Ten, and possibly even teams like Kansas, Memphis, and North Carolina. I think Kelvin Sampson knows this and, seeing as IU has a trip to Wisconsin upcoming, he will be coaching his team especially hard. If everything clicks right, Indiana could conceivably run the table right through the Final Four.

Spelling Bee

2008-01-10T10:08:00.000-05:00

Well, I was entirely wrong about Ohio State this year, as they proved exactly how consistent they are by scoring the first ten points and allowing LSU the next 31. Needless to say, Tressel and his crew of misfits couldn't bounce back from that. At least this time, their star player didn't bust his leg celebrating his big touchdown (though Beanie Wells' 65-yard touchdown was easily as spectacular as Ted Ginn's 98-yard kick return last year).

One has to ponder, though: were there any indications or omens that might have led us to believe that Ohio State was not fully prepared for this match?

Obviously, the cheerleaders haven't been taking their English classes...or any classes at al, it would seem.

My final bowl prediction record: 19-13. Thank god I can focus on basketball now.

It's Almost Over...

2008-01-07T20:31:00.000-05:00

As Ohio State jumps out to the quick lead (how about the speed of that LSU defense with Chris Wells taking off up the middle?), let's take a look at my record for the other 31 games that we were treated to this post-season.

Okay, it turns out I am not good at picking these BCS games and the morons running some of these bowls were proven very right. Kansas turned out to be a much better choice than everyone thought they would be. However, I would say that, were Missouri to be in the game, the score would have been even more lopsided. Hawai'i, it turns out, totally had no answer for Georgia's defense and going into next season, the Bulldogs are sure to be highly-ranked. Finally, the West Virginia Mountaineers gave a metaphorical finger to Rich Rodriguez and went on to win the Fiesta Bowl without him.

In BCS games that I've gotten right, Illinois was ridden out of the Los Angeles area by the hometown USC Trojans in another game that was totally lopsided. It's always difficult to pick against the Trojans in the Rose Bowl and they proved me correct on this one.

My bowl prediction record up to the BCS Championship: 19-12. A winning record, for sure, but not nearly as good as it could be. Maybe I'll be better when basketball's post-season rolls around.

January Bowl Time

2008-01-01T23:19:00.000-05:00

Well, I was planning on putting up some BCS bowl predictions from the Philadelphia airport, but then I couldn't get onto their wireless internet. So you know, I was going to pick USC anyway for the Rose Bowl. But I was also going to pick Hawai'i to beat Georgia because I thought their offense would show up, and I am being proven wrong. As for the other BCS Bowls...

January 2
Fiesta Bowl, Glendale, AZ
University of Oklahoma vs. West Virginia University

Oklahoma is a bit mad since they thought they deserved to be in the national championship game (which isn't true), but they are indeed a fine team. If they hadn't given up really poor losses to Colorado and Texas Tech, they would most certainly be playing for the big prize. West Virginia was a chic choice for national champion with a week left in the season. But then they lost to Pitt. And then their coach abandoned them to go to Michigan. This WVU team is emotionally a mess and, despite having one of the best QB-RB combos in the nation, they are not going to be a match for Oklahoma. Boomer Sooner.

January 3
Orange Bowl, Miami, FL
Virginia Tech vs. University of Kansas

Ok, I'm not going to actually break down this game in any way for personal reasons. The reason is that Kansas does not deserve to be in this game and, as unfair as this may be, I hate them for being in this game over Mizzou. Now, if Mizzou had been in this game, this would be a pretty good game. However, Kansas doesn't deserve this game, the game will be a blowout, and the fat idiots who run the Orange Bowl will still be wallowing around in their money. Virginia Tech wins by a multitude of points.

January 7
BCS National Championship, New Orleans, LA
Louisiana State University vs. Ohio State University

A lot of people around the nation are calling this one over already "the Big Ten is weak". Oh wait, Michigan beat Florida earlier today, proving exactly how weak the Big Ten must be. Ohio State has the #1 defense in the nation, and they have a pretty darn good offensive attack. Now, I'm not calling LSU weak or anything -- their defense is right behind Ohio State's, and they have a great offense with a crazy, scheming coach behind it. This will be a great struggle of a game, but I think Ohio State will have a little extra motivation given what happened to them in last year's championship game. Look for the Buckeyes to knock out the Tigers in LSU's own backyard.

Well, there you go. I only picked 30 of the games, but we'll blame Philadelphia's airport for the two missing ones. Like I said, I was going to pick USC and Hawai'i in today's games, so those will be my official predictions. I'll tally up how right or wrong I was about this year's bowl season later.

Rolling Through the Bowls

2007-12-22T18:19:00.000-05:00

Well well, after my inauspicious start to bowl season, I've come back onto the winning side. Last night, Florida Atlantic capped off a great season to take their first ever bowl victory of what promises to be many. Earlier today, Cincinnati showed a little Big East toughness by knocking off Southern Mississippi. Right now, i'm watching the halftime show of the New Mexico Bowl and, surprisingly enough, New Mexico is leading Nevada 20-0 at their home stadium.

My prediction record: 2-1

December 31
Peach Bowl, Atlanta, GA
Clemson University vs. Auburn University

This could be the best of the non-BCS bowls this postseason. Auburn came oh-so-close to taking out LSU in Baton Rouge earlier in the season, and took some big victories against Alabama and Florida. Clemson is simply fun to watch on offense and they can score a lot of points if the opposing defense isn't paying attention. Having the game be a just-about-equal distance from both Clemson and Auburn means the crowd should be pretty even. My prediction? I like Auburn more than Clemson, personally, so I'll just pick them winning by a field goal.

January 1
Outback Bowl, Tampa, FL
University of Tennessee vs. University of Wisconsin - Madison

Another great matchup that everyone will automatically give to Tennessee because "the SEC is faster and the Big Ten is weak". Obviously, those people haven't seen PJ Hill run the ball because he is fast and strong when he gets the chance to run. Of course, Tennessee is a strong team and I think this will be quite the shootout in Tampa. There will be big plays on offense interspersed with a lot of defense from both teams. Unfortunately, Wisconsin won't quite have what it takes to beat the Vols. Tennessee wins by a touchdown.

January 1
Cotton Bowl, Dallas, TX
University of Missouri vs. University of Arkansas

Well, this one would have been a great game except that Arkansas went and fired their head coach and will probably never go to another bowl game after this year. Missouri will be angry because they were snubbed by the Orange Bowl for no reason whatsoever and they'll want to prove their worth to the nation. This game will be a blowout -- Arkansas shouldn't even show up.

January 1
Capital One Bowl, Orlando, FL
University of Florida vs. University of Michigan

This is one that has the potential to be a good game except for one thing: I'm pretty sure Michigan fans stopped caring after the team lost to Appalachian State way back in September. Since then, it seems like Michigan just kind of sleepwalked through the season. Of course, Michigan's sleepwalking can still take down a lot of Big Ten teams, but they could not beat Ohio State at the end of the season. Florida, on the other hand, has Tim Tebow, who Florida fans and members of the media equate to the second coming of Jesus, and they'll have a gigantic crowd packed into the Citrus Bowl to cheer them on. Florida wins huge.

January 1
Gator Bowl, Jacksonville, FL
University of Virginia vs. Texas Teck University

A lot of people might look at the top-25 ranking that UVA is carrying into this game and automatically give them the game. Unfortunately, as they showed us when they played Virginia Tech, the Cavaliers can't really stop a well-oiled offense. Did I mention that Texas Tech has one of the best offenses in the country with the country's best receiver hauling in any ball that comes anywhere near him? Yeah...Michael Crabtree brings in at least three touchdowns and Texas Tech wins this one over Virginia.

January 5
International Bowl, Toronto, ON
Rutgers University vs. Ball State University

Ball State is a very spunky team out of a very spunky Mid-America Conference. Unfortunately for them, Rutgers is just a terribly strong team. Rutgers, who couldn't win on a $5 scratch-off ticket ever since defeating Princeton in the first-ever intercollegiate football game, has made their third straight bowl game and does not look to be slowing down for a long time with Greg Schiano at the helm. Ray Rice will run circles around the Ball State defense and Rutgers will come away with the victory.

January 6
GMAC Bowl, Mobile, AL
Bowling Green University vs. University of Tulsa

A totally fun matchup of non-BCS schools the day before the National Championship game. I'm going to be honest here: I don't know much about either of these teams and no one is going to care about this game outside of Bowling Green and Tulsa, so I'm just going to pick Bowling Green. Their colors are so totally nauseous...how can they lose?

There you have it! All of the games that don't fit into that wonderful BCS system have been picked. I'll be back later with the five BCS games. In the meantime, enjoy the football!

Curses!

2007-12-21T10:49:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks of practice turn out to be all you need to topple Navy's triple-option offense. Navy went out and jumped to a fast 17-7 lead. But Navy's defense couldn't hold back Utah and, when they were in a hole, their offensive line could not hold the Utes' defense back long enough for some big passes and the game ended on an interception.

As such, my prediction record: 0-1.

December 31
Armed Forces Bowl, Fort Worth, TX
Air Force Academy vs. University of California - Berkley

I really don't know where to go with this game, but I think the Golden Bears' Pac-10 schedule will prove the difference in this game. They picked up some great wins throughout the season (namely at Oregon, still including Dennis Dixon), while picking up some rather embarrassing losses. Air Force has been good, but if the Bears show up to play, they'll come out on top.

December 31
Humanitarian Bowl, Boise, ID
Fresno State University vs. Georgia Tech

The second of our two cold-weather bowl games (though this is the one that's actually outside). Georgia Tech is really a mess this year, and I can't even put up the excuse of strength of schedule for them. Chan Gailey is out as coach and Paul Johnson is in, but Paul Johnson's big-time offense won't be in effect for this one. Fresno State was pretty darn good in the WAC this season and gave Hawai'i their biggest test of the year. Also, going to a stadium in Boise that the Bulldogs will be familiar with is going to help them a lot. Look for Fresno State to take victory.

December 31
Sun Bowl, El Paso, TX
University of South Florida vs. University of Oregon

Both of these teams started out great this season. In fact, this was picked to be a possible BCS matchup by the time we got to this point in the season. Unfortunately, South Florida could not hold up their momentum and rattled off some ugly losses in October and November. Oregon posted some huge wins, including a home victory over USC, and they were #2 in the country when their quarterback, Dennis Dixon, went down with a busted knee. Without Dixon, everything simply fell apart for Oregon. South Florida is healthy and ready to go and their super-strong defense will make Brady Leaf look like a pee wee QB. South Florida wins.

December 31
Music City Bowl, Nashville, TN
Florida State University vs. University of Kentucky

This game was really interesting until the beginning of this week. Then Florida State managed to lose 23 of its players for the bowl game because of an academic cheating scandal. The emotions will be low for Florida State coming into this one. Kentucky, despite some second half losses, still have a Heisman-caliber quarterback, an equally good running back, some good receivers, and an offensive coordinator with one of the coolest names in football (Joker Phillips). Kentucky will roll, just like they did against Clemson last year in Nashville.

December 31
Insight Bowl, Tempe, AZ
Oklahoma State University vs. Indiana University

This game gives us a showcase of two excellent QB-WR combinations. Oklahoma State will be sending out QB Zac Johnson and WR Adarius Bowman, while Indiana will put QB Kellen Lewis and WR James Hardy on the field. Both QBs can run and pass and both WRs can make any defense look silly. That will be interesting because both defenses already look marginally silly, and these offenses are good. This will be a high-scoring game, but I think the added emotion of IU playing in Terry Hoeppner's memory will push them over the edge like it did against Purdue. Indiana (and, most importantly, I myself) will be partying in the desert for New Year's Eve.

Well, there you have it. Another batch of bowls and, hopefully, a few correct picks. See you 'round, folks.

Again With The Bowls

2007-12-19T22:54:00.000-05:00

Back once again. Let's jump right into the next set of bowls.

December 28
Emerald Bowl, San Francisco, CA
Oregon State University vs. University of Maryland

Maryland is a total underachiever this season and the only reason they're in a bowl game is because there are 32 games. Oregon State, on the other hand, is a mildly impressive 8-4 in a very tough Pac-10. The fact that the game is in San Francisco will not help Maryland at all and the Terrapins will be at a distinct disadvantage thanks to the crowd. Look for Oregon State to walk away fairly easily with this one.

December 29
Meineke Car Care Bowl, Charlotte, NC
University of Connecticut vs. Wake Forest University

Connecticut has been surprisingly strong this season, but I've had a feeling that they're a bit of a fraud. After all, it took some terrible officiating to give them victory over a very poor Louisville team. Wake Forest is nowhere near the level they were last year when they won the ACC, but they are still strong. Since the game is about 100 miles away from Winston Salem, there will be a lot of Black and Gold in the stadium. Look for the Deacons to take care of business.

December 29
Liberty Bowl, Memphis, TN
Mississippi State University vs. University of Central Florida

Mississippi turned a lot of heads this season by winning some huge games. UCF turned heads by having a heck of a lot of talent coached by a great head coach in George O'Leary. The major question in this game will be how a mid-level SEC team will fare against a great C-USA team. I know SEC teams just love to flaunt the speed of their defenses, but the difference in this game will be UCF's running back Kevin Smith. Look for UCF to bring a little love to C-USA.

December 29
Alamo Bowl, San Antonio, TX
Texas A&M University vs. Pennsylvania State University

I'd like to be nice to Texas A&M, but I just can't do it. Dennis Franchione has left the team in disarray after his booster newsletter scandal and he would've needed a miracle to remain coach there. That miracle did not come and the Aggies are left without a leader. The Nittany Lions, on the other hand, have known who their coach is for the past 40 years and will continue to know until Joe Paterno has finally passed on. On top of that, Penn State has been doing quite well this season in spite of themselves. Sure, there will be a lot of A&M fans in the stadium, but they'll be unhappy at the end of the day.

December 30
Independence Bowl, Shreveport, LA
University of Colorado vs. University of Alabama

This is going to be an ugly game, but it will be a close one. Nick Saban's Alabama team is a complete mess by Alabama standards, having lost to Louisiana-Monroe as well as Southern Miss and Auburn. Colorado had to deal with a sudden rise in performance from Big 12 North rivals Kansas and Missouri, but they pulled off a huge victory against Oklahoma early in Big 12 play. Both teams have stumbled down the stretch, but I think Colorado has a mental edge over the disorganized Crimson Tide. The Buffs will take the big victory and avoid their second-straight losing season.

There you have it. Come this (Thursday) evening, we will be watching the first of our 32 bowls. Navy vs. Utah in the Poinsettia Bowl will kick off the big postseason bash. I'll be back around later with yet another batch of bowls.

Bowling, Part Deux

2007-12-17T18:09:00.000-05:00

More bowl predictions from yours truly, as we come up on the first game of the postseason.

December 23
Hawai'i Bowl, Honolulu, HI
Boise State University vs. Eastern Carolina University

East Carolina is better than you might think this season. However, Boise State, even without Jared Zabransky, is still a terribly dangerous team. Ian Johnson remains one of the best runners in the nation and he will probably run roughshod over ECU's defense. Look for the Broncos to be partying on the beach.

December 26
Motor City Bowl, Detroit, MI
Central Michigan University vs. Purdue University

This is somewhat interesting, because the teams have already played each other this season. Even more interesting is that Purdue knocked the stuffing out of the Chippewas. What makes it interesting is that this game has the potential to be a lot closer. One huge factor will be the crowd in attendance in support of the Chippewas -- Detroit is one of CMU's homes away from home. Of course Purdue will have a decent crowd there, but the atmosphere will be tipped in the Chippewas' favor. That said, I still think the Boilermakers, who play in a substantially tougher conference, will get their act together and find a victory.

December 27
Holiday Bowl, San Diego, CA
Arizona State University vs. University of Texas

The Holiday Bowl people got themselves a huge matchup. Texas is still Texas, perennial Big 12 power and they have a great set of players and a great coach. Arizona State, with Dennis Erickson as their head coach, has stepped up big time into the Pac 10's upper echelon. ASU may not have made it into the upper echelon had Oregon not fallen apart (literally and figuratively), but what happened cannot be undone, and the Sun Devils are for real. This will be a very good, very close game, and I think ASU will have the home field advantage, since this game is relatively close to Tempe, I see Arizona State taking this one.

December 28
Champs Sports Bowl, Orlando, FL
Boston College vs. Michigan State University

Boston College was a pick to be in the national championship game at one point in the season, but they then lost some key games at bad times. Michigan State may actually be one of the most underrated teams in the nation, coming through a Big Ten that's considered weak by nearly everyone and playing a lot of strong teams very close. Unfortunately for MSU, BC also has a very potent offense and a pretty darn good defense as well. Michigan State may be good, but I cant see them going into ACC country and beating BC.

December 28
Texas Bowl, Houston, TX
University of Houston vs. Texas Christian University

This bowl will be fun, just because it will be a) sold out, and b) the teams play about 150 miles apart, meaning those people in the crowd will be wild. I honestly don't know much about either of these teams apart from this: TCU has been sniffing around the top 25 all season long. Also, TCU plays in a conference which is slightly stronger than Houston's. I'll take the Horned Frogs in this one.

I'll be back around later for some more bowl predictions. Can't wait until Thursday when the action all begins!

Let's Go Bowling!

2007-12-15T12:49:00.000-05:00

As the first real snow of the season is hitting the area, I'm trapped inside with naught but a pot of coffee and a nice, warm fire. But I've still got my internet connection, and since I did such a good job predicting the Men's Basketball Tourney way back in March (at least for one weekend), I thought I'd try my hand at football's postseason. Since there are 32 games, it would be really silly of me to toss all of them into one entry. So I'll space them out nicely so you won't get bored out of your minds.

December 20
Poinsettia Bowl, San Diego, CA
US Naval Academy vs. University of Utah

This is a pretty simple one. Utah's signature win this season is over a terrible UCLA team. Granted, they won 42-0, but it's still not that impressive in the long run. Navy, on the other hand, has shown themselves to be full of that tough spirit that you might expect from a bunch of guys who are going to be defending military bases instead of end zones when they graduate. The running attack of Navy, mixed with the fact that it will amount to a Navy home game with all of the sailors stationed in San Diego, will give Navy the win.

December 21
New Orleans Bowl, New Orleans, LA
Florida Atlantic University vs. University of Memphis

These teams are matched fairly evenly, so picking a definite winner will be tough. If you look at the stats for these guys, the numbers are a lot closer than you might think. The New Orleans Bowl people managed to pick themselves out a heck of a matchup, and it should be quite the shootout. My pick? Florida Atlantic, because they have a little more momentum in this one, given the historic nature of their run this year.

December 22
PapaJohns.com Bowl, Birmingham, AL
University of Cincinnati vs. University of Southern Mississippi

A matchup of giant-killers -- Cincy has taken down so many great teams over the last couple of years, and Southern Miss put the beatdown on Nick Saban's Alabama squad this year. The key in this game will be the running game of Southern Miss. If they can put down some yards on the ground, this game will be close. Cincinnati has Southern Miss beat in pretty much every other offensive category. I'm going to go with the Big East team in this one -- Cincy has faced a lot more competition this year than Southern Miss has.

December 22
New Mexico Bowl, Albuquerque, NM
University of New Mexico vs. University of Nevada

This one seems pretty easy to me because it's a home game for New Mexico. They're 5-1 so far this year in University Stadium, and I fully expect them to go 6-1. In fact, I'm not even going to bother with the stats in this one because it just seems so painfully obvious to me.

December 22
Las Vegas Bowl, Las Vegas, NV
Brigham Young University vs. University of California - Los Angeles

This is another really poor matchup. BYU is the 17th-ranked team in the nation, and UCLA just fired its under-achieving coach. UCLA was one of only three teams to put up a losing effort against Notre Dame, and they managed to do it in their home stadium. BYU, because they're in the Mountain West Conference, was not invited to a better bowl and had to settle for this horrible matchup. BYU will be marching victoriously down The Strip after this one.

Well, there you go. Five down, 27 to go. I'll come back tomorrow or something with the next batch of bowls.

Uh....

2007-12-14T12:21:00.001-05:00

So, tell me what's wrong with this picture...

That's right! Johnny High School is wearing what looks like an RFID ankle bracelet! Word on the street is that the Cincinnati Bengals are already talking to his parents and a family lawyer about contract terms...

A Long Weekend...

2007-12-03T12:03:00.000-05:00

After something of a long week, thanks to the Sean Taylor situation, the weekend contained more ridiculous drama than should be allowed in a year.

We start with the simple (and happy...for me, at least). Indiana's basketball team did something that it just hasn't been able to do for several years: go on the road, against a ranked opponent, and win. No wonder it's cold outside, Hell must've frozen over. Since I'm feeling lazy right now, I'm not going to bother trying to find out the last time the Hoosiers beat a ranked opponent on the road, but I can tell you it's been a pretty long time. A little execution and a lot of defense made the difference for the Hoosiers, with the Salukis' game being symbolized by Randall Falker's airballed free throw in the first half. This was a great warmup for Big Ten road games and I have a lot more confidence in this team going into Big Ten play.

Also in the happy department, the Football Hoosiers have officially punched their tickets to Tempe, AZ, to play Oklahoma State in the Insight Bowl. Now, I really don't know much about Oklahoma State apart from this: they are 6-6, and 4-4 in the Big 12; they have Kellen Lewis' long-lost twin at quarterback, since this fellow has the same throw-and-run abilities as the Hoosier QB; their coach can become very angry when provoked sufficiently. I know I'll be in Tempe come December 31 and I'll be wearing my Cream and Crimson.

In more sour news, the Washington Redskins still stink more than a pound of limberger. I have a sinking feeling that the defining play of this season for the 'Skins will be Joe Gibbs calling an illegal second timeout in an attempt to ice Buffalo's kicker -- a decision which resulted in a fifteen yard penalty which moved the Bills from a 51-yard field goal to a 36-yarder. This will be the play that ends Joe Gibbs' head coaching career, which is something that I ultimately think will benefit the team. Joe Gibbs is more of a personnel guy and a businessman at this point, which makes him a perfect candidate for the general manager position -- a post Dan Snyder has refused to fill up until now. Gregg Williams, whose defense is so utterly brilliant even without Sean Taylor, has proven himself as a decent head coach when he had zero personnel in Buffalo. Al Saunders, who seems to have not gotten a decent chance to put his insane offense on the field because of Gibbs' intervention, needs to get full control of the offense so they can have a set system and a reduction of confusion.

In the more ridiculous, yet entirely obvious, the BCS is still the worst thing that ever happened to the world of collegiate sports. I pretty much entirely agree with the fact that LSU and Ohio State will be playing for the national championship, because those two teams play the best defense in the country. Everyone will say that Ohio State, who has not played in two weeks, doesn't deserve to be #1 because, well, they didn't play. Not playing turned out to be the reason Ohio State got in because you can't lose a game when you're not playing -- every other top-ranked team in the nation fell victim to the post-thanksgiving football game. My one surprise was that Virginia Tech, who came into the weekend ranked higher than LSU and also won their conference championship game, got shafted by the human polls and placed behind LSU.

Now, you may hear a noise coming from I-70 East between St. Louis and Indianapolis. That would be the sound of really, REALLY pissed-off Missouri fans marching on the NCAA headquarters with torches and pitchforks. How in the name of all that is good in this world did Mizzou get beat to the BCS bowls by Illinois and Kansas? Oh, by the way, Mizzou beat BOTH of these teams on neutral fields in very convincing fashion. Now, I can maybe understand Illinois, who have turned their football program around in huge fashion, getting put into the Rose Bowl because the folks in Pasadena absolutely love that annual Big Ten-Pac 10 matchup. But Kansas, who lost in Kansas City to Mizzou just a week ago and is ranked BELOW Mizzou in the final BCS poll, has absolutely no right to be in the Orange Bowl. Instead, while Mark Mangino eats every orange and grapefruit in the state of Florida (along with a few immigrant children or something), Missouri is sitting in Dallas saying, "What the hell?" The worst part of this whole deal for Mizzou is that the Big 12 has two teams in the BCS bowls and wont defend them in the same fashion as the SEC when Auburn was shafted out of the title game in 2004. The other worst part of this deal is that there aren't any computers to blame this time around -- the rankings got it right this time around. This is entirely the fault of the representatives from the Orange Bowl and the folks in the BCS offices who said, (Person A) "Well gee, Missouri lost this week and Kansas didn't." (Person B) "Wait, Kansas didn't play because they lost to Mizzou last week." (Person A) "You're fired."

That's my rant. Stay tuned for a preview of IU vs. Kentucky on the hardwood and the Insight Bowl. Later, folks.

Fly-Swatting

2007-11-28T08:57:00.001-05:00

Well, the Hoosiers didn't quite knock the Yellow Jackets to pieces as I thought they would last night. While that was a bit discouraging, the fact that IU managed to overcome deficits no less than four times in this one to ultimately take their four-point victory was very nice to see. Instead of folding up under pressure like they did on Saturday against Xavier, the Hoosiers found their stride and, with a little help from the Assembly Hall crowd, managed to overwhelm Georgia Tech in the second half.

One total bright spot for the Hoosiers was the absolutely inspired play of Lance Stemler. Ever since getting kicked in the head during a Fall '06 practice by Xavier Keeling, then spraining his ankle later in the season, Stemler had not been the same person he was early in the '06-'07 season. He did pick up the pace a little bit when IU played UCLA in the NCAA Tournament, but this season started off rather slow. Tuesdaynight, however, everything seemed to change. Playing with the same intensity that he began exhibiting during IU's game with UNC-Wilmington a week prior, Stemler did things like drive the lane for floating layups, tip offensive rebounds for two points and, most importantly of all, knock down a few threes. The fans had been waiting for this from Stemler, and when it happened, the crowd just exploded.

On the other side of things, Eric Gordon still looks a little shaken up after the game against Xavier. I think the problem in this situation was that someone told him he needs to dish the ball a little more and stop trying to make things happen on his own. Now, Eric had the right idea going when he made pretty much all of his passes and he showed that he can certainly dish the assist every now and then, but almost all of his passes sailed over everyone or was deflected out of bounds. When Gordon made his drives to the basket and finished them off, he was unstoppable. He should really keep up with that and only pass out of the drive when he knows the guy on the other end is open and he can make the pass actually happen.

One other note is that Jordan Crawford got suspended for three games for "violating team rules". My guess is that he screwed up somewhere on the Chicago trip last weekend and Kelvin Sampson was less than pleased. Of course, three games may seem a little steep given that we do not know the offense, but it does bring Jordan back off the bench just in time for one of the more interesting story lines of the early season: Jordan vs. Joe on December 8. I think Coach Sampson decided that three games would be perfect because it would still allow Jordan to come off the bench to face his brother, who plays for Kentucky. Unfortunately, the lack of Crawford's presence off the bench and the fact that Brandon McGee is sick forced IU to play a zone defense to avoid foul trouble -- a move that nearly killed the Hoosiers' chances on Tuesday.

Next game is going to be a real doozy when the Hoosiers go to Carbondale, IL to take on a ridiculously good Southern Illinois team. This is the one I picked the Hoosiers to lose in the non-conference when I looked over the schedule, but I was not expecting the loss to Xavier. Maybe the Hoosiers have learned from the Xavier and Georgia Tech games and can pull off the big win on Saturday.

Forgetting the Weekend, and Looking to Tomorrow

2007-11-26T22:08:00.000-05:00

I know I didn't write about the bucket game, and here's my opinion: 1) Austin Starr is the greatest thing that ever happened, and 2) Insight Bowl.

Since bowl selection day is a painful six days away, we're going to move on to something that totally matters: BASKETBALL. Okay, I realize that Saturday may not have been the best day ever for the basketball Hoosiers, but let's look on the bright side of things. First of all, this Xavier team is a very similar one to the team that played Gonzaga tough in the '05 Dance, and was just a bit of completely blown officiating away from knocking down eventual runner-up Ohio State last year. The Atlantic 10 conference may not be the Missouri Valley Conference, but it's certainly nothing to laugh at. I expect Xavier to make the NCAA Tournament and maybe get through the first weekend.

As for the Hoosiers, they looked like a total mess, but everyone has to do it at some point in the season (see Michigan State, Kentucky, USC, Louisville, etc.). Luckily, the Hoosiers got this nasty loss out of their way nice and early, instead of putting it in sometime during Big Ten play. Knowing the tenacity of one Kelvin Sampson (which has gotten him in trouble in the not-too-distant past), I would say that practice has been tough and nasty since the Hoosiers returned from Chicago. The boys will be pouring over the tape and understanding that they simply cannot do things like play Mike Davis' old 4-around-1 offense, take shots when they should pass, and pass when they should take shots.

The other bright spot that comes out of this one is that Eric Gordon had a bad game. While one might say, "How on Earth is that a good thing?!" I would respond by saying that this could very well be the low point of his collegiate career. Given the work ethic that Gordon reportedly has, I would imagine he went to the nearest basketball hoop after he got back to Bloomington and just started throwing basketballs at it until he couldn't miss. Also, since he found the breaking point of his ridiculously stoic demeanor on Saturday, he and Coach Sampson will know exactly what to do to keep him cool and collected and doing what he should be doing on the floor.

Honestly, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets should be shaking in their Nikes right about now. First of all, the team will be mad. Second of all, the coaches will be mad. Third of all, there will be 17.456 very scary Hoosier fans looking for someone to take their disappointment over Saturday out upon, and those gold-uniformed Yellow Jackets will provide the perfect target. I'm not saying the atmosphere will be anything like the Duke game in the fall of 2005 (we save that sort of atmosphere for Kentucky and Michigan State this season), but it will certainly be loud in Assembly Hall. I can only hope that the 7 PM start time does not throw off the alumni and the students, who will be somewhat hard-pressed to get away from evening classes or jobs and get to their seats. Having the game on ESPN will help a lot on that front, and it will certainly be fun to attend an ACC/Big Ten game that the Hoosiers are actually picked to win.

Mah Bukkit!

2007-11-16T12:39:00.000-05:00

In honor of tomorrow's game (which I will cover in greater detail later) and as a shout out to one of my favorite things of all time (The LOLrus), I present you with the following...

For the inspiration behind this magical picture, go here. Come to think of it, Joe Tiller looks an awful lot like a walrus...

Deja Vu

2007-10-28T18:04:00.000-05:00

If I had known that I would end up watching the exact same game for two days in a row, I wouldn't have turned on my TV this afternoon. Yesterday, the Indiana Hoosiers played soft defense, inept offense, and put up one score in a blowout road loss against the Wisconsin Badgers. As I type, the Washington Redskins are playing soft defense, inept offense, and have only put on one score in a beyond-blowout road loss to the New England Patriots. While the games are quite similar to each other, what happens down the road will be two entirely different things.

For the Hoosiers, the future is simple: the entire coaching staff should and will be liquidated and athletic director Rick Greenspan will make yet another amazing head coach hire (Bobby Petrino, if he decides to skip on the Atlanta Falcons). The Hoosiers' offense should stay essentially the same for next year, assuming James Hardy doesn't chase the money into the NFL Draft. Kellen Lewis will still be the quarterback, and most of the rest of the supporting cast will remain. The defense will have a slightly different look because Tracy Porter will be heading off to the pro level, but most of the other starters will remain the same.

The key difference for the Redskins is that, while IU has only three games remaining this season, the Redskins have 9 more games. There will be a lot of demoralized people in the Redskins' locker room after their 52-7 loss, but there will also be a lot of angry people. The first one is going to be the unofficial leader of the team, London Fletcher. Whenever this team needs a pep talk, he is the one to deliver it. I also think that, after watching his team throw up all over the field, Joe Gibbs will be angrier than he has ever been his life. It doesn't matter how good the Patriots might be, no NFL team should ever give up 52 points and provide absolutely no answer.

Maybe next week, with the Hoosiers playing Ball State and the Redskins playing the Jets, things will look a little nicer.

Why It's Good To Be A Catholic School

2007-10-19T11:31:00.000-05:00

I found this little article from the Indianapolis Star's website mildly amusing, even if the experience might not have been so funny to the people involved:

Storm pummels USC team plane

In short, USC's football team nearly found itself as part of a pile of burning airplane because a thunderstorm hitting northern Indiana provided a huge amount of lightning and turbulence. Sounds like the students at Notre Dame (a Catholic school, if you weren't aware) sent a message to the Dean upstairs to let USC know who's boss tomorrow. Apparently, it's sometimes it's good to have God on your side...

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

2007-10-15T10:43:00.000-05:00

We're talking about Indiana University's basketball program, which has gone through one of the most ridiculous weekends since Bob Knight was choking his bench players.

The Good

Friday night's Hoosier Hysteria event was an absolute blast for the fans and players alike. The players on both the men's and women's team were in great spirits and the crowd of 13,000 that showed up was pumped up beyond belief. When the lights died out for the introduction of the men's basketball team, the building shook in a way I haven't felt since the Hoosiers took down the #5 Wisconsin Badgers last season. On top of the amazing atmosphere, we learned some interesting things about the team.

First of all, this team is deep. In fact, it's beyond deep. Even walk-on Brett Finkelmeier showed some promise and he will be useful in the close-out stages of games. One thing that these Hoosiers don't have to worry about this time around is injuries to the front-court players. The list goes as follows: DJ White, Mike White, Lance Stemler, DeAndre Thomas, Eli Holman, Brandon McGee, Jamarcus Ellis, Kyle Taber. All of these guys except maybe Taber could conceivably start. If any of these guys goes down, someone will be there to take his place. The back-court has the same scenario, with Armon Bassett, Jordan Crawford, and Eric Gordon holding down the fort while Ellis, Stemler, and McGee can easily make the plays from the outside. Also, watch out when AJ Ratliff finds his way back onto the court in a couple of months.

Second, the size of that front-court is freakishly good. DJ White is still himself, and he will be backing down defenders and hitting his turnaround jumper all season. Eli Holman, who averaged a quadruple-double during his high school career, has a wingspan of 7'8", which will translate to big blocks and big rebounds. Mike White is still a bowling ball of a forward and he still plays some amazing defense. The highlight is DeAndre Thomas who, even after losing 57 pounds over the summer, still weighs 298. Despite his size, Thomas can dunk the ball and he put up some solid defense on DJ White during the Cream vs. Crimson scrimmage.

Third, "Er-ic Gor-don" (clap clap clapclapclap). I hadn't really gotten a look at Eric Gordon's play before Hoosier Hysteria, but I know now what the big deal was about. Even though his first play in front of an Assembly Hall crowd was a missed dunk, he showed such a great shooting touch and some amazing athleticism while electrifying the crowd. The only downside to all of this is that after this season, he probably won't be wearing an Indiana uniform.

The Bad

Barely a day after they sent his name thundering down from the seats at Assembly Hall, members of the most reactionary fan base this side of Lexington, KY, are calling for Kelvin Sampson's head. Much as it was last summer, the topic du jour is Coach Sampson's telephone. This time around, it was determined that a collection of 10 three-way phone calls between Sampson, one of his assistants, and recruits were made. Sampson has said that he was unaware that nine of the calls were conference calls, but he did know that one of them had two people on the other end of the line. Since three-way calls of this type have been deemed illegal by the NCAA, Sampson got a self-imposed pay cut for next season and an extension of his telephone restrictions by the IU Athletic Department.

The other issue here -- one that doesn't involve Coach Sampson in any way, for the record -- was a collection of 35 phone calls apparently made by assistant coach Rob Senderhoff. Senderhoff was disciplined by the Athletic Department by being put under what is essentially house arrest. He cannot talk to recruits and he cannot go on the road to visit the recruits. If he gets caught breaking these rules again, you would have to expect that he would be fired outright.

What really annoys me about this whole situation is the reaction from the fans and the media around this program. When you look at the evidence, Kelvin Sampson was involved in only a few of the impermissible calls and the Athletic Department reacted properly. Some people around here, under the leadership of The Indianapolis Star's Bob Kravitz (I won't share my opinion of him with you because, in the end, I would like to retain some journalistic integrity), want Sampson and Athletic Director Rick Greenspan fired immediately for these transgressions. These so-called "fans" who just want Bob Knight, who is supposedly a perfect human being, to return to Bloomington cannot accept the fact that there is a different coach in town.

This, of course, is absolutely insane. We went through the same process when Mike Davis, who did better here than Bob Knight would have ever done between 2000 and 2006, was sent packing by fans after two poor seasons. All of these people trumpet the integrity of the program under Knight's stewardship as the reason that we need to return to the good old days (like 1982, a.k.a. the "season on the brink). While there may not have been much in the way of recruiting violations in those days, but I would say that verbally and physically attacking players and coaches on both benches does not do much for the integrity of the program either.

I believe that, despite the fact that there definitely needs to be some better book-keeping in the basketball offices, this is an honest mistake on Sampson's part. Sampson made no outgoing calls on his personal phone during this period, and the conference calls were all set up by the assistant coaches. As for Senderhoff's 35 illegal calls, those fall on his head and his alone. One might say that the head coach should be responsible for the actions of his assistants, but how do we know that Senderhoff may not have been doing this in secret himself. If you can look me in the eye and tell me that you haven't done something against the rules at work while the boss wasn't looking, I would call you a liar anyway. The bottom line is that Sampson, after taking a huge pay cut for next season and having his sanctions extended, will come out of this cleanly.

The Ugly

Apart from all of this bunk about phone calls, the ugly part of the 07-08 basketball season will be the scoreboard at the end of a lot of these games. This team is so incredibly strong that there are only a few opponents that can really give them a run for their money. The Hoosiers will need to watch out for Kentucky, Wisconsin, and Michigan State, but I don't think there is anyone out there beyond those three that can really scare this team.

Indiana in the Top 25...And Not in Basketball

2007-10-07T20:50:00.000-05:00

In the two weeks since I last wrote my opinion (somewhat vociferously) on this page, a few things have changed in the 50,000-seat concrete bowl across the street. With the campus and alumni in shock after the thorough drubbing of the Hoosiers by Illinois, grumblings began to come up of how we're looking at the old Indiana football team. That was the one who would beat up on a mediocre non-conference schedule, maybe win one Big Ten game, and cruise through the season until everyone left Memorial Stadium for some basketball. Losing a game to Illinois, a team which regularly muddles around at the bottom of the standings, seemed like the end of the world for the fans that believed this was the year.

Then, that same Illinois team posted huge upsets of Penn State and Wisconsin, who were supposed to be the conference favorites this year. At the same time, Indiana traveled to Iowa and pasted the Hawkeyes to Kinnick Stadium's brick walls, then welcomed Minnesota into The Rock for yesterday's 40-20 drubbing. Instead of a demoralizing loss to the worst team in the conference, the Illinois game was a tough loss to a great team that served as the springboard to greater things. Now, Indiana is sitting on 5-1 for the first time since 1994, which was the last time the football Hoosiers were eligible for a post-season bowl.

Another interesting thing that has come out of the Hoosiers' recent run of success is a collection of top 25 votes in both major polls. After beating Iowa, Indiana picked up its first top 25 vote in years in the Coaches' Poll. After following up the road win with the defeat of Minnesota, the Hoosiers now have 30 votes in the Coaches' Poll and 40 votes in the AP Poll. That puts the Hoosiers in the "Also Receiving Votes" category in both polls, but is equivalent to 29th in the AP Poll and 33rd in the Coaches' Poll. Just for kicks, let's have a look at the teams that are sitting in between the Hoosiers and the magical top 25.

AP #25 Tennessee (3-2): Tennessee found its way into the 25th spot (despite the poor record) after absolutely crushing a tough Georgia team. A trip to Mississippi State should end up in the win column, but a subsequent trip to Alabama will trip Tennessee up.

Coaches' #25 Auburn (4-2): Auburn found its way past Florida for the second straight year to hit the top 25. However, their next two games are at Arkansas, which will be tough, and a trip to the Bayou to take on #1 LSU. Look for a drop from Auburn.

Texas A&M (5-1): The Aggies are only 5-1 because of a terribly weak schedule. Their one loss is to a mediocre Miami team and a trip in two weeks to Nebraska will burn the Aggies.

Purdue (5-1): Purdue may have been exposed as a fraud by Ohio State. The Buckeyes showed that the Boilers big-time offense can be stopped and that Purdue can be beat. Purdue is very much IU's equal and the Battle for the Old Oaken Bucket will be a great game.

Colorado (4-2): The Buffs are a very solid team and could be in the hunt for the Big 12 North this year. Colorado has a huge win over Oklahoma to hang its hat on and they could easily break the top 25.

Virginia (5-1): After a terrible loss at Wyoming, the Cavs have rolled through their schedule for five straight wins. A game at Maryland in two weeks could trip UVA, but they seem to be on the up-and-up.

Texas Tech (5-1): The Rebels don't really have a big win to put on its resumé, and there are three games (Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma) that could easily catch Texas Tech out.

Rutgers (3-2): The Scarlet Knights are nowhere near the level they were last season, but they are still a good team. That said, they have lost two straight, and they have games against South Florida and West Virginia coming. Look for a drop by the Knights.

Boise State (4-1): The Broncos still have one of the nation's best backs and can win a lot of games. However, they did not come through in big games this year the same way they did last year. The weak schedule will hurt the Broncos in the polls.

Connecticut (5-0): Don't look now, but the football Huskies are undefeated. Of course they do have tough games coming up against South Florida, Cincinnati, and West Virginia. Connecticut might make bowl eligibility, but they probably won't find the top 25.

Indiana, while in a similar situation as some of the teams on this list, has an advantage over these teams in several categories. The Hoosiers are sitting 25th in the nation in total offense and 49th in total defense. The most important statistic, though is that Indiana is ranked first in the nation in sacks with 29, three clear of second-place Georgia Tech. Defensive ends Greg Middleton and Jamie Kirlew and Linebacker Will Patterson have been tearing up offenses all season long and don't look to be slowing down anytime soon.

The Hoosiers have some very pivotal games coming up in the next three weeks. The next one is against a Michigan State team that has looked nearly invincible on the field this year. Or, at least, they did until losing at home to a very beatable Northwestern team. The Hoosiers' offensive attack, which is an evolved form of Northwestern's spread could very well give the Spartans trouble. I won't go so far as to say the Hoosiers will win on Saturday, but they have a good chance at taking down the Spartans and holding onto the Old Brass Spittoon.

Stupid Pills!

2007-09-23T18:31:00.000-05:00

Yes, sir, the stupid pills were flowing big time around my favorite football teams this weekend. The Indiana Hoosiers got their shipment of the wonderful drugs of pure idiocy before their game against Illinois started on Saturday. In the meantime, the Washington Redskins received their shipment a little late, but they were able to down all of their compliment during the halftime break.

I would start with Saturday's debacle, but it's difficult to figure out where to start. The Hoosiers, coming off their second 3-0 start in about 15 years, came out of the gate...well, they didn't really come out of the gate. Illinois, with their amazing running game, exposed IU's defense as an apparent fraud, running rampant all over the place. On the other side of the ball, the 9th-ranked running game in the entire nation looked like they didn't even know how to walk correctly. On top of that, they turned the ball over way too much and blew far too many chances for the team to be competitive.

I thought that was pretty bad, but then I watched the Washington Redskins play the New York Giants. The 'Skins came out for the first half absolutely on fire. Jason Campbell was completing passes, Clinton Portis was making good runs, and the defense was doing everything it could to keep the Giants down to 3 points. Then there was the second half. for about 20 minutes of the second half, the Redskins had a total yardage of 14 yards. There were no first downs until the Redskins' final drive. The defense, though they put up a valiant effort, could not make up for the absolutely ridiculous mistakes that the offense was making. There was a glimmer of hope near the end, when Antwaan Randle El returned a punt to the Giants' 35, but it would've been better if he could have gotten the touchdown. Instead, the offense put up two stupid plays for each good play they came up with and, unfortunately, those last two stupid plays came from the Giants' 2 yard line.

Two unbelievable collapses from two undefeated teams. For a while there, I thought my teams had turned the corner and were ready to take that next step. Instead, they decided to reach back to recent tradition and lay a fat, rotten egg all over their respective home fields.

To Men's Soccer Coaching Staff, University of Alabama-Birmingham...

2007-09-21T20:23:00.001-05:00

There's a little thing in this world called class. Class is a set of behaviors that set you apart from everyone as being that person that can take some heat, and continue on with your day with a smile on your face. Case in point: Tiger Woods. Tiger Woods gets a little criticism here and there, pops back up at the next tournament, and kicks everybody's ass.

Now, in the world of intercollegiate athletics, there is an extra element to everything called students. Students, myself included, are loud, boorish idiots when it comes to being spectators at a sporting event. We taunt you, we make fun of you, and we try to make your life as miserable as possible for the time that you are on our field of competition. However, since we're the ones who pay the university thousands of dollars a year, plus whatever the cost of tickets might be, we get cut a little slack. We're trying to defend the turf that we are putting huge amounts of our money into.

However, you the coach, making tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars per annum, have no right to turn around to face the students and be a total dick.

So, let's set up the scene. UAB's men's soccer team has come to take on the Indiana Hoosiers and, most importantly, IU Soccer's fans, who are probably some of the toughest fans in the business. UAB's head coach (whose name I don't care to look up because I have no respect for them right now) is complaining about everything all evening. Whenever the referee blows his whistle, coach is right off his seat, saying some stupid thing to any official he can find. On one play, there is some mutual shoving in front of the IU net, a UAB player goes down, and the ref gives IU the ball after a lengthy discussion. Coach is not thrilled, and he gives the business to the assistant ref, who finally gets the coach to sit down and shut up. On a later play, and IU attacker is blatantly tripped up in the box and is awarded a penalty shot. Coach is back on his feet, goes over to the assistant ref (who had absolutely nothing to do with the call, mind you), and starts giving him the business again. The AR is obviously annoyed at this point, forcefully sends the coach back to the bench, and puts his flag up to signal the head official. Head official comes over, chats with the AR, and puts the red card on the coach. Game over, goodbye, don't let the door hit your ass on the way out.

Of course, the student section is going to get on the coach, because he was being ridiculous and he really deserved to be ejected from the game. Unfortunately, the players on the UAB side happen to be really good at getting up, dusting themselves off, and overcoming these kinds of issues. They come back a few minutes later and put the ball in the IU net for the go-ahead goal....and this is where things get stupid.

The IU fans are quiet. Their team is three minutes from getting beat and they know that it'll be a tough battle just to come back and tie the game. The UAB players go mob the goal-scorer, as soccer players would generally do, but there is one man who isn't joining the celebration: UAB's fat piece of shit of an assistant coach. This guy immediately turns around and starts dancing around in front of the bleachers like a fucking retard. Then, he repeatedly pumps his fists up in front of his face and, even though he kept them down, you know he was just dying to throw his middle fingers up at the IU faithful.

I would describe what might have happened to this gentleman had there not been a fence between the stands and the field, but i think your imagination can figure it out. In fact, if this had been in Europe of South America, that gentleman would be damn near dead right about now. As a member of a collegiate coaching staff, it is not your place to go around being a total dick to the opposing fans, just because they had been taunting you. Even your team, which you are in charge of in the head coach's absence, was playing it real and celebrating the goal. They know what it's like to be in an opposing stadium and take the heat from the fans, but apparently you don't. You seem to think that because the students are taunting you, you can turn around and taunt them right back because you seem to be better than everyone. Well guess what, dickwad. You're a terrible role model, a terrible human being, and you're damn lucky that you coach intercollegiate soccer because, if this had been football or basketball, your ass would be out of a job real fucking fast. If you can't stand the heat, get out of the fucking fire.

...Ok, I'm off my soapbox now. Pardon my French.

Hail to Monday Night

2007-09-17T10:42:00.000-05:00

Tonight around 8 PM, Hank Williams, Jr, will come out on screen and ask Redskins fans the most important question that can be asked on any Monday this time of year: Are you ready for some football?

Of course, everyone who knows anything about Washington, DC, sports fans is that they are always ready for some football. What's important is whether or not the Redskins themselves are ready to go into the Veterans Stadium Light (Lincoln Financial Field on Philly's south end) and take on the boys win green and white. This will be an amazingly difficult test for this Washington team who, for the first time, will throw Jason Campbell into the fire of Philly's raucous crowd. Obviously, the most important thing for this team will be to establish the running game with Ladell Betts, Clinton Portis, and Mike Sellers, so that Campbell can feel a little easier in the pocket.

If the Burgundy and Gold can establish their running game, the job will fall to Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle-El to find their way past the secondary and make the big plays happen. This game will be vintage Redskins football, with most of the work coming out of the backfield, and the receivers playing the part of the old Fun Bunch to nail down the game.

On the other side of the ball, it will be all about containing Bryan Westbrook and preventing him from making the big run. Donovan McNabb, though still a skilled and intelligent quarterback, has nowhere near the physical ability he once did because of the rash of injuries that he has been through during his career. If he is forced to drop back into the pocket because Philly's run is going nowhere, he can be left to the very tough front seven, who should have a large impact on the game. Look also for a lot of blitzing from the likes of Carlos Rogers, Shawn Springs, and Sean Taylor.

Since I really haven't seen much of either of these teams so far this season, I'm somewhat weary of giving a final score. However, I believe that, if the Readskins do everything I just mentioned, they could take this game by the margin of one touchdown. See you tonight, folks.

"First Dooooown Hooooosiers!"

2007-09-16T20:40:00.000-05:00

I'd like to comment on something that has become (gasp) a football tradition for the fans at Indiana University. From an outside perspective, you might look in at an IU football game (since they ARE 3-0 for the first time in who knows when), see the students and a fair number of the alumni doing this:

And then you might say, "What the hell was that?!"

Well, let me describe all this to you, since I've been in the middle of it a few times. For some amount of time now (I can't really give you an exact timeframe...), IU's Marching Hundred has played a strain from the "National Emblem" march every time the Hoosiers picked up a first down. For the first couple of years I was there, nobody really seemed to know what to do with this song, probably because we weren't very adept at getting first downs back then. However, I believe some of the fans started noticing something that the Hundred's drum majors would do during the song, which was pump their fists out into the air, then point in the direction of the first down. People began to catch on and, lo and behold, Hoosier football fans suddenly have their own ridiculous thing that they get to do at games. As with all football traditions, it may look kinda stupid at first, but when 30,000 or 40,000 people are all doing it at the same time, it looks really cool.

Yesterday afternoon against the Zips from the University of Akron, the Hoosier fans got quite a few opportunities to break out their first down celebration, especially in the second half. If you take a gander back a couple of posts, I said that Akron would keep it interesting for a lot of the game, but the Hoosiers would pull away. After the first quarter, that seemed like a stupid statement on my part, but then someone in the Akron coaching staff read the blog and decided to follow what I said. With under ten minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, in fact, it was a four point game with the score reading 27-23. Then, Kellen Lewis took the game on his back and ran it all over the field.

Kellen Lewis was obviously the player of the game because of this stat: 199 yards. You might say, "199 yards, that doesn't seem like a lot for a quarterback," until you realize that those 199 yards were rushing yards. Coming into this season, many fans were drawing comparisons between Lewis and the last big-time Hoosiers QB, Antwaan Randle-El. On Saturday, Lewis showed us the reason for those comparisons, falling ten yards short of Randle-El's school record of rushing yards in a game. Not only did Lewis run the ball well, but he tossed some great passes (as he always does to a number of different receivers. In light of all of this, I'd like to postulate this little gem: Kellen Lewis will be in some Heisman Trophy discussions before he graduates from Indiana University.

What on Earth is a Zip?!

2007-09-14T16:46:00.000-05:00

As it turns out, Indiana is not the only school in this world that has an identity crisis. It turns out that the best answer we have here for the question, "What is a Hoosier?" is still, "a person from Indiana." However, as I looked ahead to tomorrows showdown in Memorial Stadium, I looked at the opposing team and said, "What on Earth is a Zip?"

Well, thanks to our good friends at Wikipedia, the most trusted source for any sort of information ever (/sarcasm), we have an answer. Despite the fact that their mascot is a kangaroo (huh?!), the name "Zips" actually comes from "Zippers," which was the old name of Akron's athletic teams. You might think that "Zippers" is some sort of slang for kangaroos and that the kangaroo is actually a cool animal to use, since it's original, it moves fast, and it punches its rivals like a heavyweight boxer -- a perfect image to convey with your team.

Unfortunately, it's not nearly that complicated or cool. The name "Zippers" is, in fact, derived from that useful little thing that's on the front of your jacket or the back of your dress. For today's history lesson, we learn that one of the steps in the invention of the zipper took place in a town called Elyria, Ohio, which sits somewhere between Cleveland and Akron. As such, someone decided that the local university's athletic teams should take the name. Eventually, since "Zips" is easier to say, the teams took on that name

I can't really tell you where the kangaroo comes into all of this, but I actually do like the unique nature of using that animal as a mascot. Also, get this: Zippy the kangaroo is one of six female mascots in college sports.

As for the game, I think the great defense Akron displayed last week will keep the game interesting. However, their total lack of offense will translate to them losing on the Hoosiers' home ground Saturday afternoon. Watch for some fireworks out of Tracy Porter and Mitchell Evans in the Hoosier secondary and Will Patterson in the linebacker corps. Kellen Lewis and the offense will probably put two or three scores on the board and will look pretty solid as we get ready to hit the Big Ten schedule.

A Glance Back, and A Look Ahead

2007-09-11T19:34:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I didn't blog immediately after the Indiana-Western Michigan game. First of all, I was completely zombie-fied by watching that game for over 4 hours. Then I went and sprained my ankle on Sunday, which has kept me completely distracted for the past couple days. But here I am, finally.

First of all, let's have ourselves a look at the good that came out of this 37-27 victory in front of a wet and wild crowd of over 32,000 at WMU's Waldo Stadium. What is becoming entirely clear is that, even if the offensive line is still rather average, Kellen Lewis can make a something out of nothing with relative ease. When the defense finds Lewis, he runs away from them until he either tucks the ball and runs, or one of his receivers gets into the open. The ability to run away from defenses will be very useful when the tough defenses of the Big Ten come knockin'.

Another thing Lewis did well in this weekend's game was spread the ball around to different receivers. Five different men pooled together to pull in 20 passes for 221 yards and three touchdowns. The stud of the receiving corps this time around was Ray Fisher, who caught nine of those passes for 77 key yards.

One other big bright spot in this game was the play of the defense, most notably true freshman Mitchell Evans. Evans stepped in front of two Bronco passes, taking away two key Western Michigan drives and becoming the first IU freshman in three years to pick off two passes in a game. The line also played impressively, holding the Broncos to a grand total of 30...yes, 30 yards rushsing. That number comes from WMU's positive yardage of 80 and an incredible negative yardage of 50. 39 of those negative yards are on the stat line of QB Tim Hiller, meaning the defensive line was putting tremendous pressure on passing plays.

Despite all of those positives, there was one glaring negative: Western Michigan outscored the Hoosiers 20-6 in the second half. Luckily, IU had put up 31 points to WMU's 7 in the first half. However, things suddenly felt a little tense as the game progressed through the fourth quarter and WMU closed the gap. A fair part of WMU's rally can be attributed to a less-than-stellar performance by the Hoosier secondary, despite the two interceptions earlier in the game. When all was said and done, the Broncos had managed to pick up 354 yards through the air, which will be something IU's defensive coaches will want to look at in preparation for the Akron Zips.

Speaking of Akron, I am actually a little worried about how they will do against the Hoosiers. The Zips played a very strong first half against Ohio State at the Horseshoe, holding the Buckeyes to 3 first half points while forcing a safety in the first quarter. Even when Ohio State found its groove in the second half, Akron's defense only allowed 17 more points to a team that is supposed to vie for the Big Ten title. Thankfully, IU's spread-out offense differs quite a bit from Ohio State's more traditional run-first mentality. Hopefully that use of the spread will keep the Akron secondary on their heels.

On offense, Akron was completely inept this past Saturday. That bodes well for the Hoosiers who, as previously mentioned, have gotten a lot better at putting pressure on the quarterback and the running game. Look for an interesting game for two or three quarters, but a Hoosier victory when all is said and done and the clock reads 0:00.

Indiana 55, Indiana State 7

2007-09-03T07:43:00.000-05:00

No interesting or clever title needed for this one. That score right there says it all. The Indiana Football Hoosiers came out andIn absolutely dominated in front of an official crowd of about 34,000 (it was closer to 40,000 because freshmen got free tickets).

Lets start with what I think is one of the most impressive stat lines I have ever seen: 3 catches, 153 yards, 2 TDs. The name next to that line was James Hardy, who put on a dominating show against ISU's secondary. In fact, this line should have been even bigger because it does not include a long pass on which ISU's Warren English-Malone was forced to put the hammer down on Hardy and pick up a pass interference penalty. That pass, plus another pass interference call in the second quarter, would've put Hardy over 200 yards on 5 catches. Hardy looks good at this point in the season, and his improved speed and footwork will come in handy when it's time to go up against the big defenses in the Big Ten.

The man on the other end of those passes was also quite impressive for the Hoosiers. Kellen Lewis seems to have his mind and concentration in the right place at this point in the year. There were only two or three passes that didn't look all that great, including one toss under pressure into double coverage that became an interception. The rest of his stuff was spot-on, and he would tuck the ball and take to the ground at all the right times.

When combined with a little bit of shutdown defense, the Hoosiers easily knocked over the Sycamores and looked quite impressive in the process. The next test comes in Kalamazoo, Michigan, in what will be the one trap game in IU's non-conference schedule. The Western Michigan Broncos, despite the beatdown they received in West Virginia this weekend, are one of the tougher teams in the Mid-America Conference. Given that it will be a night game on the road in Kalamazoo, the crowd will be there in force and will give IU a tough time. I believe that this game will be the one that shows us exactly what IU will do this season and we will have a much better idea of whether or not Terry Hoeppner's dreams will be fulfilled.

Random, Off-Topic Note:
A stadium-record 7,240 rowdy fans showed up to Jerry Yeagley Field at Armstrong Stadium on Sunday to watch IU Soccer take out #1/#2 UCLA 1-0. Can this soccer team make it back to the College Cup and bring IU it's 8th soccer championship? We'll find out come December.

Back to School!

2007-08-27T13:32:00.000-05:00

Sitting in the food hall at the Herman B. Wells Library at Indiana University and seeing all the folks come through with piles of books and notes in their hands can only mean one thing: school is back in session! As such, here is the short story on my bold predictions for this year in IU sports:

IU Football: 7-5, bowl victory of some sort
IU Basketball: Final Four
IU Soccer: I don't care how they do, I'm still going to love it

So, for the long story of it, we first turn to the wonderful story that is IU Football. Sometimes, you need a very large negative to occur to bring about positives. Of course, the last 14 years of Hoosier Football have been full of negatives (Cam Cameron, anyone?). Still, all of those negatives pale in comparison to the one suffered this summer, as head coach Terry Hoeppner succumbed to complications from a brain tumor. While this is a great tragedy for all involved, it is also a great opportunity to galvanize the fan base, pump up the team, and win games for the man who was just starting to get IU back on the football map. Normally, I would predict a crowd of maybe 25-30,000 at the opening game versus Indiana State, but with the emotion surrounding this season (and new coach Bill Lynch's offer of free tickets for freshmen for the ISU game), I wouldnt be shocked to see 40-45,000. My earlier prediction of 7-5...that too could easily be an underestimation.

As for this campus' favorite sport, things look very promising. Assembly Hall will no doubt be sold out for every game and the Hoosier Hysteria event so that fans will be able to catch a glimpse of a roster that could make up a significant portion of the All-Big Ten list at the end of the season. DJ White will be coming back for his fourth year on the roster and his third year of playing (broken foot in '05-'06), and he looks set t be more dominant than ever. Complimenting him down low will most likely be either Mike White, a powerful and energetic bundle of pure muscle down low, or Lance Stemler, who presents the added threat of a pretty good 3-point shot. The first shooting guard position will be up for grabs during the first half of the season beacuse senior AJ Ratliff was declared academically inelegible, but I predict that his spot will be filled by sophomore Armon Bassett, who showed that he can shoot and distribute the ball pretty well last year. Taking Bassett's spot at the point will be Jordan Crawford, who has impressed just about everyone he can impress during the summer with his hot point guard play. Finally, the crown jewel of the lineup, Kelvin Sampson's dream recruit, and a name that will be echoing through the rafters all season: guard Eric Gordon. As if that weren't enough, the bench is stacked with a great lineup of star recruits and veteran players. Barring a major disaster, this team is definitely Final Four-capable and should bring home at least a share of their 21st Big Ten title.

The other sport I'm excited about? IU Soccer! I don't even care how many games they win or if they make it to the College Cup this year. I just want to go to Armstrong Stadium and act ridiculous for a couple of hours while watching that other form of football.

Well, it's time for me to run off with my own books to class. If you're lucky enough to have the Big Ten Network by the end of this week, be on the lookout for IU vs. Indiana State at 8 PM on Saturday. I'll try to bring a little preview of that on Friday.

All Hail the King

2007-08-08T00:18:00.000-05:00

Contrary to what I predicted earlier today, Barry Bonds' 756th career home run came from the hands of Mike Bacsik. Bacsik admitted to ESPN's Erin Andrews that he made the mistake that led to this record-breaking event. He said that the 3-2 pitch called by catcher Brian Schneider was supposed to be a fastball down and away which would catch Barry out and make him swing at a pitch that would jam him. Bacsik let the ball sail a bit and it ended up sliding right down the pipe and right onto the fat part of Bonds' bat. Obviously, the mistake was punished hard, with the ball sailing over 430 feet to the deepest part of AT&T Park.

As far as the record itself, I do not think it is tainted by anything other than Barry's abrasive personality. Since there is nothing but circumstantial evidence against Bonds, the record is clean for now. While we may not respect the man behind the bat, we should respect the number. 756 home runs is a very big number and, even for the most muscle-bound baseball players out there, it is a very difficult achievement. Congratulations are in order for the time being, and a fine performance it was by Bonds.

Bonds vs. The Nats: Night 1

2007-08-07T17:45:00.000-05:00

How about that? Despite the fact that John Lannan looked incredibly shaky in the Nationals' 3-2 extra-inning loss to the San Francisco Giants, He still had the wherewithal to give up exactly one run -- none of which came off the bat of Barry Bonds. Even more incredible was the fact that the one run came off of eight hits and five walks. Yes, Lannan let 13 batters reach base and only one of them, Rajai Davis in the first inning, made it to home plate.

When faced four times with the Giants' star slugger, Lannan had a distinct advantage in that Barry Bonds had never seen (and, in fact, probably never heard of) him. Therefore, when Lannan's breaking curveball flew towards him in the first inning, Bonds was not ready for it. Instead of taking a sure home run ball into McCovey Cove, Bonds popped the ball high in the air towards the Giants' dugout, well within the range of third baseman Ryan Zimmerman.

After a walk in the third (which drew the obligatory chorus of boos), Bonds had a great chance against Lannan in the fifth. A fastball sailing towards the outside corner, which was a similar pitch to the one that became 755 in San Diego, was hit from above and bounced harmlessly to second baseman Ronnie Belliard for a double play.

In the seventh, Lannan finally showed just how much potential he has. After feeding Bonds several pitches around the outside corner to bring the count to 2-1, Lannan fired a killer fastball up and in on Bonds. Usually, such a pitch is an easy homer for Bonds, but he simply swung under it because he wasn't ready for an up-and-in fastball. on the 2-2 pitch, Lannan sent the ball sailing towards the same spot, but just before it hit the plate, the pitch fell like a rock and Bonds swung right over the top of it.

Now, if Bonds had such a difficult time with a pitcher who was decidedly not having their best day, you have to think that more experienced pitchers will have what it takes to knock Bonds down a notch. The main issue is that Bonds has faced both Mike Bacsik and Tim Redding before. However, these two pitchers are throwing the best they ever have, and the Giants will certainly have trouble with them. I'm very much looking forward to the next few nights, and I still stand behind my initial judgement that 756 will not be hit against the Nationals.

Note: Ronnie Belliard and Dimitri Young are still tearing up opposing teams. End statement.

756

2007-08-05T22:13:00.000-05:00

Well, here's something interesting. Everyone had assumed that, by now, Barry Bonds would be long past his milestone 756th career home run and he'd be preparing for a long retirement filled with all sorts of peace and quiet (along with a few pleasant discussions about asterisks).

Well, it's August 5, and Barry has finally hit number 755. The thing that makes this so interesting (to me, at least) is that Barry's next four games are against the Washington Nationals. Normally, since I'm a cynic, I would say that 756 is a sure thing in the next few days. But these are not normal circumstances.

The facts are that Barry has hit one home run in the last week, the Giants are not a particularly strong team, and the Nationals are, to say the least, overachieving at the moment. After taking six straight against the Reds and the Cardinals who, much like the Giants, are poor teams with a big-name slugger, it's hard to see the Nationals losing more than two games to the Giants.

The other thing is that the Nationals' flakiest starter, Matt Chico, pitched Sunday afternoon. That means his next start is on Friday in Phoenix. John Lannan, Mike Bacsik, Tim Redding, and Joel Hanrahan (none of whom were in the Majors -- the Majors -- at the start of the season) have shown very few cracks in the last week. The bullpen for the Nats is still somewhat inconsistent, but they are certainly not bad right now. Chad Cordero has converted 23 of his 30 save chances this season, Jon Rauch has been solid, Ray King has more confidence than he had in April, and Saul Rivera is throwing some serious stuff.

You will hear a lot of people saying that the pitcher that throws 756 at Bonds will be wearing "Washington" on his chest. But you will not hear that from me.

(on the off chance that 756 does come this week, I'm glad it will be happening in San Francisco, where people will actually appreciate it)

Easy Ride

2007-07-20T13:30:00.000-05:00

The big news in the world of American motorsport has to be the Indianapolis Motor Speedway essentially giving the finger to the high-price, low-profit world of hosting Formula 1. Instead of bringing the Formula 1's dictatorial ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone and his circus to the Speedway, CEO Tony George is bringing in the much more economically-reasonable MotoGP motorcycle championship for 2008. While the Formula 1 US Grand Prix drew some of the biggest crowds on F1's calendar and brought a lot of money to the city, there are several reasons why MotoGP will be a much better fit for the region.

First of all, MotoGP is a lot more fun for the crowds. While Formula 1 races tend to dissolve into a 90-minute parade punctuated by a few moments of excitement, MotoGP races are an hour-long shootout at 180 mph on motorcycles. There is passing -- sometimes multiple passes in one turn or one straightaway. There is plenty of excitement as riders chase each other down, looking for the right opening at the right time. Finally, the riders are a great mix of characters, with the youthful excitement of Valentino Rossi, or the southern charm of Nicky Hayden.

I just touched upon another reason that MotoGP will work so much better here than Formula 1. Some kid from Kentucky who rides around on a Honda sport bike will immediately identify with Nicky Hayden, who just so happens to be a kid from Kentucky riding a Honda sport bike. Not only that, but Hayden is also one of the best riders in the series right now, coming off of winning a series title and the last two MotoGP races at California's Laguna Seca. That same random kid on his Honda had a very hard time trying to relate with an international driver driving a futuristic, very pricey F1 car.

Now, Hayden isn't even the only American in the series. John Hopkins and Colin Edwards are also very accomplished riders and will garner a lot of support from the fans in the crossroads of their home country. Whereas the majority of the fans at the Formula 1 race had a connection with South America, showing up to cheer for Felipe Massa, Rubens Barrichello, or Juan Pablo Montoya, I have a feeling that the MotoGP race will be a huge draw for American fans.

One last reason that this race will be a big success is the prevalence of motorcycle culture within America. Every city you go to in this country has dealerships that sell Harleys, Hondas, Yamahas, Suzukis, Ducatis, Aprilias, and Kawasakis -- and people buy them. There are so many motorcycles on the roads of the United States that there has to be someone who says, "You know, I'd like to go see someone take a motorcycle and go 200 miles per hour." It's the same reason that the normal-looking NASCAR stock cars have become such a success in America.

I know that I will be making my way to 16th and Georgetown in Indianapolis in September, '08 to watch these great machines and their extremely talented riders zip around IMS' re-tooled road course. Plus, I'll be doing something that was extremely difficult to do at the Formula 1 race: cheer for an American rider.

Note: The impetus for me writing this article is the fact that MotoGP's US Grand Prix at Laguna Seca is getting underway today. I strongly recommend that you watch the race on Sunday at 5PM on Fox. The Laguna Seca race will be coming back next year and the Indianapolis race will make the United States the second country on MotoGP's schedule along with Spain (which hosts 3 races) to hold multiple races.

Respecting the History of the Game

2007-07-01T20:14:00.000-05:00

There are few people within the world of baseball that I care for less than I care for Barry Bonds. He has a terrible personality for a baseball player. Even Alex Rodriguez chats with the media and the fans without causing a huge amount of drama. Sluggers like David Ortiz, Sammy Sosa, and even Mark McGwire were personable and would smile and talk to the media when they had to. Bonds, even before recent controversy, has always lashed out at members of the media and members of his own team. Now he's been brought into this whole steroids controversy in a huge way, despite a lack of solid evidence that he's knowingly and habitually done anything wrong.

That said, one of those few people that I care for less than the Giants' outfielder is the man who is his ultimate boss: Commissioner Bud Selig. Even if Bonds has been habitually using steroids for the past ten years or whatever, the blame ultimately rests with Selig. The reason that guys like Ken Caminiti and Jose Canseco were allowed to dip into the steroid market was the fact that Selig never, ever put rules into the game banning the drugs. It took a massive amount of media pressure and the threat of government investigation before Selig introduced his first, rather puny steroid policy.

Of course you can say that Bonds, if he took the drugs, should have gone with the morally correct choice and stayed clean. However, if the door is open for you to take an advantage over your competitors and, ultimately, earn more money, a majority of people would jump at the opportunity. Even in circles such as the Olympics, where the steroid police are among the strictest, people still try to get the advantage. In baseball, there was absolutely no penalty at all for juicing, so players felt free to bulk up.

So, what does this have to do with respecting the game's history? The answer is a very simple, three-digit number: 756. If your grandfather is a baseball fan, ask him about the significance of the number 715, and you will know the importance of 756. When Henry Aaron put his 715th career home run over the left-center field wall in Fulton County Stadium, it was as if the world had exploded. A number from the annals of baseball history that people thought would be impossible to achieve was achieved. Aaron went on to hit 40 more homers for his career and his final number of 755 was yet another that no one thought would be reached.

Now, Barry Bonds is sitting on 750 home runs and, barring a major catastrophe, he will put those last six baseballs over the outfield wall. Now, I am not, never was, and never will be a fan of Barry Bonds. I will watch the TV broadcast, but I'll be damned if I even think about going to AT&T Park (it will happen there; it's the only place where he'll be cheered) for the occasion. However, I am not the commissioner of Major League Baseball who mismanaged the steroid era that allegedly bred this slugging machine. Bud Selig, who has not announced his official intentions regarding number 756, needs to be in the park for this occasion. Even if Bonds has intentionally juiced in the past, there is still no actual proof of it. Therefore, this record is still clean and must be respected by the league and, more importantly, its commissioner.

Side Note: During today's All-Star Game selection show, Cal Ripken Jr., one of the most respected men in baseball (and one whose record will truly never be broken), broke down the actual reason that Barry Bonds is a good home run hitter: his swing. Fast, smooth, and compact is the best way to send a ball out, and that's exactly how Barry does it. Steroids won't give you that.

Terry Hoeppner: 1947-2007

2007-06-19T23:39:00.000-05:00

Rest In Peace, Hep...

Race Versus Racing

2007-06-10T15:55:00.000-05:00

(thanks to BBC.co.uk for the picture)

Today on the Ile-Notre-Dame, perched within the St. Lawrence river in beautiful Montréal, Quebec, history of the highest caliber has been made: A black man has won a major-league auto race. 22 year-old Lewis Hamilton, whose grandparents came to England from the Caribbean island of Granada, has become one of the most popular athletes in the world because of both his skin color and his amazing ability to get into any car and drive the wheels off of it. Today, he reached a new level on his meteoric rise through the ranks of the world's greatest form of motorsport by winning the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Canada.

Let's make one thing very clear before I continue. I usually don't give a hoot about the issue of race as it applies to sports. I grow very tired of basketball players complaining about discrimination from refs, baseball writers talking about the lack of African-Americans on MLB diamonds, et cetera. Given the amount of attention given to the subject by ESPN and many other news sources, it has become akin to beating a dead horse. Quite frankly, I'm sick of it.

However, the one form of sport that is decidedly in need of a shot of color: auto racing. Consider, if you will, the United States' most popular form of motorsport, NASCAR. This sport got its start in the southeastern United States, the core of American racism for nearly the entire history of our nation, and one look at the competitors drives that fact home. Forty-two drivers at the start of every NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race are white men and there is one Columbian. In most traditional NASCAR markets, some of the fans have yet to come to grips with the fact that a Californian (Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson) is winning races. The best shot for a black person to make the series fizzled out a couple of years ago when Bill Lester's Truck Series career lost its steam.

International racers have been staples in other US-based racing series, most notably IndyCar and Champ Car. IndyCar has been dominated recently by Brazilians, a Briton, and a Scotsman, while Champ Car has been under the dynasty of Frenchman Sebastian Bourdais for the past three years. Both disciplines have also embraced the presence of women on the track (IndyCar: Sarah Fisher, Milka Duno, and Danica Patrick; Champ Car: Katherine Legge), while NASCAR has not had a female driver for several years. However, it has been a long time since a black man had a chance at American open-wheel racing, with Willy T. Ribbs qualifying for several Indianapolis 500s in the early 90s.

On the international level, there is still not much competition from drivers of African descent. You can look through the lineup for this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans, which contains about 50 cars, each carrying at least three drivers, and you would be hard-pressed to find a black driver. Formula 1, the pinnacle of international motorsport, had not had a black driver in its history until Lewis Hamilton stepped into his McLaren at this year's Australian Grand Prix.

What makes Hamilton's presence so great for motorsports is that he is not just a publicity stunt. In the way that Tiger Woods was born with a natural ability to play golf, Lewis has a given ability to drive any vehicle to its max. The man could probably take a minivan and pound a great lap time out of it. When he was very young and still driving racing karts, he caught the eye of McLaren Formula 1 boss Ron Dennis, who became Hamilton's sponsor. Dennis' money turned out to be very well-spent, because Hamilton conquered every level of karting that he could before moving to real open-wheel cars. He then set about conquering a number of open-wheel series, culminating in his GP2 championship last year. That convinced Ron Dennis to put Lewis into the car vacated by Juan Pablo Montoya. Hamilton shocked the world by finishing third in his fist F1 race, and second in his next four races. Then, in his sixth Formula 1 outing, with veterans (relative to Lewis, at least) Felipe Massa, Kimi Raikkonen, and defending champion Fernando Alonso making key errors behind him, Lewis Hamilton drove a superb race to take the victory.

In his first Formula 1 season, Lewis hasn't finished lower than third, and is currently 8 points clear of teammate Alonso in the championship standings. It is possible that we are currently looking upon the greatest driver to ever step into a race car, and to have that driver be black will have a great effect on the social structure of motor racing. With the F1 circus coming to Indianapolis this Sunday, the United States will be exposed to the wonder that is Lewis Hamilton, and maybe this young man can raise a little interest in the sport amongst America's black community.

Notes: The Canadian Grand Prix was marred by several incidents. However, none of these were nearly as horrific as that involving BMW's Robert Kubica. Video can be found here. The nature of the accident (sweeping left hand turn, car going straight off and making hard contact) was eerily similar to Ayrton Senna's fatal crash at Imola in 1994. However, Kubica made it out with only an ankle sprain and a mild concussion. No details have been released as to whether or not he will be available for Sunday's US Grand Prix. A true testament to the safety that has been put into these racing machines.

In one of the stranger occurrences of the day, a beaver wandered onto the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. After dodging several race cars, the critter met its match in the Super Aguri of Anthony Davidson, who had to pit to get his car cleaned up and running properly.

Don Cherry for President...er, Commissioner

2007-06-06T00:04:00.000-05:00

Now, being from the United States, I would normally cheer for a US team were it to play against a team from some other locale. The only exception for me, however, is NHL Hockey. Assuming the Washington Capitals are not in the Stanley Cup Finals (and let's face it: they won't get there again for a while), I will cheer for the team from the land that invented the sport.

Why? Why indeed? First of all, Canadians care about their sport even more than we care about sports like baseball or basketball. You can go to any game played on the ice in Montréal, Toronto, Ottawa, Edmonton, Calgary, or Vancouver, and you will see an arena packed with some of the most knowledgeable and intense sports fans on the planet. The United States has only two cities that can come even close to the level of the Canadians: Detroit and Buffalo. Even then, the Ottawa fans knocked the fans in Buffalo dead. There is just such a passion for the game that is hard to find south of the border.

There is one man in the world of professional hockey who best personifies the spirit of Canadian hockey (despite, ironically, playing and coaching for a team called the Rochester Americans). His name is Don Cherry (the one on the left...the other guy is Brett Hull), and he puts even the most ridiculous of American sports commentators to shame. His wardrobe includes everything but the kitchen sink (and if they could find a way to make that into a suit, he'd wear it). He goes on red-faced rants that would make even Rush Limbaugh look like a school librarian. He is the epitome of the "old school" hockey fan -- all about the big hits, the fighting, and, most of all, giving the fans a great show. Ever heard of the Philadelphia Flyers of the late 70s that were known as the "Broad Street Bullies"? Cherry's Boston Bruins took them out of the playoffs. Twice.

Nowadays, as an iconic member of the Canadian Broadcasting Company's "Hockey Night in Canada", Cherry has become one of the most outspoken men on television. Unfortunately, since the NHL's offices are in the US, the rantings of this loud-mouthed, opinionated Canadian fall on the deaf ears of loud-mouthed, opinionated Americans (and commissioner Gary Bettman). According to old Don, fighting is an integral part of NHL hockey and is the part of the sport that brings in the fans. Don't believe him? Go back to the single most publicised event from the NHL's regular season: Ottawa and Buffalo dropping the game for about 10 minutes and beating the snot out of each other. What gets the home fans back into the game when all might seem lost? How about the enforcer from the home team taking the hated bully from the away team by the jersey and tossing him to the ice. Bettman is in the process of trying to take out one of the oldest (and, in my opinion, coolest) institutions in all of sports, and our well-dressed Canadian friend says that is a travesty.

That, my friends, is just one of the many logical and sensible arguments that Don Cherry comes onto Canadian television and yells about. Since, despite his fashion choices, the man makes a ton of sense, why shouldn't he be the commissioner of the NHL?

Let's face it: Gary Bettman is a spineless bum who has overseen one of the worst eras faced by any sport. At the beginning of his tenure, the league took off on the shoulders of guys named Gretzky, Messier, and Lemieux. Then, all of the sudden, those names disappeared and the league fell hard. The owners, backed by Bettman, realized that they were running out of money and took it out on the players. The players, knowing that the man at the other end of the table had no backbone, wouldn't accept his terms, but still wanted to play the game. So when the owners and Bettman locked the doors, the players ran off and kept making money. Bettman, realizing his mistake, caved in to a fair portion of the players' demands, thus shafting the owners that he originally backed.

Don Cherry, being the oh-so-pleasant man that he is, definitely would not have stood for the events leading up to the lockout, had those events even transpired in the first place. If the players had even decided to strike, you can guarantee there would have been replacement players, just like the NFL did in 1987. Also, you can guarantee that the replacement games would've been some of the roughest, toughest games you've ever seen. The man knows what's good for the sport, and he would be perfect in the league's driver's seat. Oh, and one other thing that makes him perfect: he's Canadian.

Free Lou!

2007-06-03T13:03:00.000-05:00

The cheap seats would be in Wrigley Field, but I'm too afraid of getting hit by a flying travel mug. Now, let me preface this entry by making sure everyone knows that I don't like the Cubs. Their fans are spoiled, snobby fools who make Alabama NASCAR fans look like a golf gallery. They still give grief about that Sox fan who leapt out of the stands and attacked an umpire, then they turn around and chuck hard plastic travel mugs onto the field, endangering not only the umps, but their OWN PLAYERS AND COACHES. The team itself is a mess of errors and diva-like behavior that even Alex Rodriguez would struggle to match. Their star pitcher sent their top catcher to the hospital after said pitcher threw a ball that makes knuckleballers say "what the hell?" They spend ridiculous amounts of money to bring in star players that underachieve every season, and the media and fans blame it on some curse or another. Plain and simple, the Cubs are terrible.

However, I am about to defend their manager, Lou Piniella. "Why," you might ask? Because the one entity in baseball that is more inept than the Cubs has wrongfully placed Lou on an indefinite suspension for nothing more than kicking dirt on an umpire. If you took the league office's word on the situation, you would think Lou took a baseball bat out of the dugout and hit each ump over the head with it before doing the same to Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox. The official language says that Piniella "made contact with umpire Mark Wegner."

Are you kidding me? I've seen the replay a hundred times in the past 24 hours, and Wegner's pant leg doesn't even ruffle at the point where all the officials are saying that Piniella kicked Wegner. In fact, the only direct contact made between an umpire and Piniella (apart from his substantial midsection bumping the umpire's) came when crew chief Bruce Froeomming starts trying to push Piniella away.

Let's get one thing straight. Piniella has had enough tirades directed towards umpires that he knows what's really out of bounds in this situation. He'll kick dirt, he'll throw hats, buckets of baseballs, bases, and anything else he can get his hands on, but you will never, EVER see Lou Piniella make physical contact with the ump. In fact, you will almost never see ANY manager make physical contact with an ump because, despite the rage that they are flying into, they know the rules. Even though some players may not get it (cough...Josh Bard), managers and coaches know the score.

What we're seeing here is a bunch of umpires defending one of their own by trying to knock down the guy who torments them the most (visibly, at least). Because one or two guys think they saw Piniella kick Wegner, the whole fraternity of umps has manipulated the pictures in their head to give them the outcome they want. Sure, they won't say it outwardly, but you know that every umpire who is assigned a Cubs game says to himself, "Crap, i have to deal with Piniella." They don't like him and he doesn't like them. But since they're the ones being backed by the league office, Lou is the one who gets screwed in this situation.

My version of the penalties that should've been given out over the past two days: Carlos Zambrano suspended by the Cubs for one start and Michael Barrett given no penalty, Lou Piniella given a small fine and a one-day suspension for the dirt-kicking, and the entire Cubs organization fined $500,000 for their drunken, moronic fans causing a dangerous situation on the field. The league office needs to get their act together and start making their penalties sensible and fair.

The Genius of David Stern

2007-05-17T11:03:00.000-05:00

So, it has become en vogue for absolutely everyone in the world to hate the hell out of NBA Commissioner David Stern in the wake of suspensions handed down to Phoenix Suns players Amare Stoudmire and Boris Diaw. In case you've been under a rock or in a coma for the past few days, a shoving match broke out when the Spurs' Robert Horry gave Steve Nash a hockey-style hip check into the scorer's table. Well, I'm going to go off the deep end and (gasp!) defend the commissioner.

This is very simple: the rule invoked by the NBA in the suspensions says that a player may not leave the bench area in the event of an on-court altercation. Both Stoudmire and Diaw...get this...LEFT THE BENCH. In fact, if you watch the replays, Stoudmire had to be held back at least twice in order to be kept away from the fight that took place. Now, in the replays I have seen, I did not see what Boris Diaw's involvement in the situation was, but I trust Stern's judgment on this one.

Now, people like Charles Barkley, Dan Patrick, and everyone in the world has been talking about this thing called "the spirit of the rule". Well guess what, princess, the "spirit" doesn't mean jack to this commissioner. What Stern considered was what the rule said, and handed down appropriate punishments. It doesn't matter what Stoudmire and Diaw were thinking of doing. It's about what they did do, and what they did do was leave the bench in the midst of an on-court altercation. Bring the hammer down and send 'em home for a day.

Now, everyone seems to hate the bejeezus out of David Stern at all times for being too (fill in the blank). Instead of complaining, though, they should probably look around at every other major sport and thank their stars that they have one of the best commissioners in all of sport. Let's look at the facts, shall we?

Bud Selig, Major League Baseball: Well, he has done some good things, but they aren't even close to the shortcomings of this guy. For one, he completely mismanaged the "steroid era", and only started investigating the problem when faced with a ton of media pressure. He called a tie in an MLB All-Star game when both teams ran out of pitchers (boo-freakin'-hoo. The third baseman has a good arm, put him out there). He made the All-Star game the decider of home-field advantage in the World Series, instead of...say...the accomplishments of the teams involved. Also, he presided over a strike period, which means he probably screwed up somewhere.

Gary Bettman, National Hockey League: Have you watched a regular season hockey game lately? Oh wait...Bettman screwed up the TV deal so you can't watch the game more than about 5 times a year. The lockout almost completely destroyed that league and Bettman played a key role in the ridiculousness that occurred during that period.

Roger Goodell, National Football League: Actually, Goodell is looking pretty damn good in his first year of commissioner-ing, so we'll move on to his predecessor, Paul Tagliabue. All in all, Tagliabue did a good job bringing the crowds into NFL stadiums and presiding over the biggest stadium-building boom in the history of the sport. However, when it came to punishments, the man was weak. Towards the end of Tag's reign, we saw some of the worst behavioral problems ever. The second Goodell came in, however, we saw a new league conduct policy and a one-year suspension to Pacman Jones to send a message to all of the league's bad boys. Things seem to be on the up-and-up in the NFL.

Mike Helton, NASCAR: One might look at the financial success of this sport and say, "Wow, Helton is doing a good job here!" Guess what. It's a lie. It's time for me to go all goody-goody on you and tell you that NASCAR is still firmly implanted in the 1960's. Think about it: pushrod V8 engines with those big airboxes and carburetors that you might remember from your grandparents' car, all driving a big, solid rear axle. In fact, 2007 is the first year -- THE FIRST YEAR -- that the cars have run on unleaded fuel. Do you remember when the US Government mandated unleaded fuel? Of course not, because you weren't born yet. Auto racing is a place where companies are supposed to come up with great new ideas for safety and efficiency for their road products (see: Audi V10 Diesel winning 24 hrs. of Le Mans, or the IndyCar series running on American-made Ethanol fuel, or brake and suspension developments from rally racing). NASCAR is using an old, retarded formula that has no use to the modern world so that they can make a ton of money off of some of the dumbest (not all of you...blame the guys who throw beer cans) fans in sports.

David Stern, National Basketball Association: Ridiculed for being "too strict" with the rules on numerous occasions, even though basketball contains some of the worst personalities ever to walk onto a field of competition. Instituted a dress code that, when first instituted, was ripped apart. Have you heard anything about the dress code since that first week or so? Neither have I. Brought a big, nasty hammer down on Ron Artest and the Indiana Pacers after Artest charged the stands in Detroit. Brought another big, nasty hammer down on referee Joey Crawford for ejecting Tim Duncan from a game for no reason. The only mistake he made recently was approving the technical foul for complaining, but that was mostly the fault of overzealous referees (like Crawford).

Listen up, NBA people. David Stern didn't ruin the Suns-Spurs series. Horry, Stoudmire, and Diaw did by breaking the rules. Don't like it? Shut up and deal with it.

The Quintessential Baseball Experience

2007-05-13T17:06:00.000-05:00

This is very simple: If you care about baseball on any level -- die-hard fan, casual observer, your boyfriend is obsessed, etc -- you must make the trip to the north side of Chicago, IL and take in the majesty of Wrigley Field, home of the Cubs. There are probably only two (maybe three) places left in the entire country where you can show up and immediately think, "This is what baseball is supposed to be". Wrigley Field is definitely one of those places.

When approaching the ballpark, you definitely want to come in from the intersection of Clark and Addison Streets, where the first thing you see is:

It's one of the most welcoming sights in the world. The stadium looks really small from the street, and the quaint red sign is akin to one of those welcome signs you might see on your friendly neighbor's front door. Sure, the gates look somewhat small and uninviting, but you're not at Wrigley to look at gates. The real prize is what's inside:

Unlike modern 41,000-seat baseball stadiums, even the last row makes you feel like you're on top of the action. The exposed steel in the peaked roof, the green seats, the brick and ivy walls, and the hand-operated scoreboard will give any baseball fan the feeling of being home. One of the greatest aspects of the park is that, unlike the remaining cookie-cutters in Washington, Toronto, and Miami that were built 50 years later, Wrigley does not show its age. Instead of disdain for the age and condition of the stadium, the fan feels respect for the history and condition of this place.

It's hard to imagine for a 20 year-old what it might've been like to take in a game at Ebbets, Griffith, Crosley, Yankee before the renovations, or the Polo Grounds, but thanks to the devotion of the Tribune Company to keep Wrigley Field standing, us youngsters can get an idea of what real baseball looks like.

Other ballparks on my list to visit: Fenway Park, Yankee Stadium, New Busch Stadium, PNC Park, Miller Park, Dodger Stadium. I'll be hittin' up Yankee probably next summer, but I have no idea when I'll get to the rest of 'em.

Went to Wrigley...details at 11

2007-05-06T00:32:00.000-05:00

As you may or may not know, I saw my Nationals take on the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Friday. Since it's one in the morning on Sunday and I have to be up early to 1) go to church, and 2) go to opening day at Indy, I will do a two-for-one in the next 24-48 hours covering the ballgame and opening day. See you all later!

The Most Boring Sports Day Ever

2007-04-26T12:02:00.000-05:00

No cheap seats this weekend. Just a big sofa, a lot of chips, and a lot of soda. It's the single most boring day of the entire sports year, yet so many people -- myself included -- will sit in front of their TV's for about six hours on Saturday, waiting for their favorite team to steal the guy who is supposed to be "the future" from his relatively humble college life. Yes sir, the NFL Draft is upon us. Where thousands of self-respecting football fans stare fixedly at their televisions and wait for NFL Commish Roger Goodell to read a name from a piece of paper.

Now, my most favorite of professional football teams, the Washington Redskins, are supposed to be picking sixth overall in the 2007 edition of the draft. Of course, this is all dependent still on how desperate the 'Skins are to get linebacker Lance Briggs from the Chicago Bears and how desperate the Bears are to get rid of Briggs. So far, both teams are saying that whatever deal they were going to strike is off, but things change at this time of year. After all, everyone seems to be saying that the Redskins will be taking a linebacker at that sixth pick anyway, so why not get Briggs and have the Bears replace him with that draft pick.

Of course, while everyone else is saying that the sixth pick will be used for a linebacker, I choose to disagree. I don't believe that the 'Skins need a linebacker from the draft, especially since the acquisition of London Fletcher from the free agent market and last year's drafting of Rocky McIntosh from Linebacker U (Miami). The team's big problem area from the 2006 season was putting pressure on the quarterback and stopping the run. Thus, it would be a prudent decision to pick up a defensive lineman. My choice: Amobi Akoye, DT, Louisville. If Akoye isn't there: Alan Branch, DT, Michigan. Akoye is the highest-rated tackle in the draft, so that would make him an obvious choice. That would also make him an obvious choice for one of the five teams picking ahead of Washington. Still, picking Branch from the very solid Michigan defense would be a fine alternative.

What all the pundits think and what all of the team managers think are two completely different things, so no one outside of the front offices knows exactly what's going to happen. I would imagine that, once all seven rounds have been completed, everyone will be scratching their heads over something the Detroit Lions or New York Jets have done, and there will be that one steal-of-a-pick that no one thought would be going wherever he is going. Then, for the next three months, the guys on ESPN will be dissecting every aspect of this weekend and how it will make or break the season. Why the draft is such a big deal is beyond me, but it's an important part of the sports year, so we'll all watch it, talk about it, and get on with life. Oh, how I can't wait for September to come...

Spring Is In The Air...Just Not Here

2007-04-15T14:18:00.000-05:00

Yes indeed, ladies and gentlemen, spring is upon us despite what Mother Nature wants you to believe. The Cheap Seats yesterday were the free seats on the metal benches of Memorial Stadium, as the Indiana Football Hoosiers held their traditional spring football game. Unfortunately it was cold, it was rainy, and towards the end of the game it was windy. As such, the 5-10,000 people that generally show up to the Cream and Crimson Game decided to stay home and watch anything other than themselves getting pneumonia. Still, the 1,000-or-so people that made an appearance seemed to enjoy the game thoroughly and they were shown some promising things by this Indiana team.

We start, of course, with the offense. When you look at the roster, it's immediately apparent that the offense will have to be this team's strength this year. With redshirt sophomore Kellen Lewis starting under center this year, Josiah Sears and Marcus Thigpen contributing from the backfield, and James Hardy, Ray Fisher, Nick Polk, and Terrance Turner running down the field to catch the ball, this offense is actually fairly loaded. Lewis, of course, contributed yesterday by running the ball out of the pocket in true Michael Vick style. Lewis' speed will provide some exciting plays this year and will befuddle many a defense. The 6'7" Hardy will most likely be the main target again, as he was in a fine rhythm with Lewis for most of the game yesterday. The running game from the actual running backs does seem like it might cause problems again, but Thigpen has a full season in the backfield under his belt, and that experience should help him.

The defense is still not quite up to Big Ten standards, but they seem to be improving. Play in the secondary, last years' weak point, will once again revolve around Tracy Porter. Porter, who will be a senior next year, is still very quick and very athletic and will make a difference in a few games. He could've used the help that would have come from Jerimy Finch, who declined the Hoosiers' scholarship offer to jump on the Florida bandwagon, but I think the secondary will still be alright. The rest of the defense may be somewhat nondescript, but they are solid and did a fine job of stopping the run and keeping the offense on their toes.

I'm still not entirely sure how many wins this team might pull down in the regular season, but this year will be their best chance in a long time to find their way into a December game. The Big Ten's traditional powers, Ohio State and Michigan, do not appear on the schedule this year. There are four non-conference games against teams that IU should beat: Indiana State, Western Michigan, Akron, and a November date with Ball State. The biggest tests will be at Wisconsin, who I believe will contend for the Big Ten this year, and at home against Penn State, who have re-established themselves as something of a power. The Penn State game will be the Hoosiers' best chance at an upset, as the game will be played in front of a nice, big homecoming crowd, and the Hoosiers have not lost a homecoming game in four years. When I look at the schedule, I see seven, and possibly eight wins for this team: the four non-conference games, vs. Illinois, at Northwestern, vs. Minnesota, a possible upset against Penn State, and the Battle for the Old Oaken Bucket against Purdue. Look for the Hoosiers in Tempe, AZ, Orlando, FL, or San Antonio come the last week of December.

The Greatest Sports Day Ever

2007-04-03T13:03:00.000-05:00

There were too many Cheap Seats to choose from yesterday, so I just parked myself in front of the TV and watched it all play out. Yesterday could've been great on its own for the simple reason that it was opening day of the Major League Baseball season. My TV was set to ESPN or ESPN 2 for nearly the entire day as the Yankees blew out the Devil Rays in The House That Ruth Built, the Braves took a thrilling 10-inning win in Philly, the Royals shocked Curt Schilling and the Red Sox in front of a sold out Kaufmann Stadium, and the Twins raised the air-inflated roof in Minneapolis with a solid win over the Orioles.

Oh, but it did not end there! As the day of baseball was winding itself down, it came time to crown ourselves a champion in the world of collegiate basketball. Now, while I have quite a distaste for both of the teams that competed for the crystal basketball (both teams completely screwed over my bracket, after all), I had to lean a bit towards the Florida Gators, since they're not the team that I dislike from my own conference. Plus, an OSU victory would mean I'd have to listen to my roommate complain about his friends from the Buckeye State lording the victory over him. Luckily for us, Florida decided to pull off the repeat for the first time since Mike Krzyzewski's Duke Blue Devils pulled it off in 1993.

So ended the greatest sports day I have ever been through. True, the basketball championship and baseball's opening day have coincided for several years now, but I've never really been as excited about it as I am this year. I'm still not entirely sure why, but I'm not going to complain about it. I just wish I could've been at one of the two events. Alas, I'm 500 miles away from my favorite baseball team, and my favorite basketball team has been sent home until October 14.

As for that favorite baseball team, they didn't really fare all too well in the midst of yesterday's festivities. Still, I see no need for a huge panic to be incited in the Nation's Capital (though the writers at the Washington Post don't seem to understand that...go ahead, click on the post link and see what they have to say). After all, the Nationals will only take the field 161 more times over the next six months. A 9-2 loss to a pitcher like Dontrelle Willis is nothing to be overly worried about. True, Nook Logan and Christian Guzman, who are supposed to be two of the bigger contributers this year, managed to receive minor injuries. Still, the Nats have been dealing with this kind of adversity since the days playing in front of 2,000 people at Montréal's Olympic Stadium as the Expos. Stan Kasten and Jim Bowden have been promising to deliver a great product, but it will take a while to undo the hurts caused to this team by Major League Baseball's shabby ownership.

On a side note, I will be attending yet another baseball game come Saturday evening. For my third trip to the diamond this year, I'll be watching the Indianapolis Indians take on the Columbus Clippers (Nationals farm club...can you say conflict of interest?) at beautiful, BEAUTIFUL Victory Field in downtown Indianapolis. I'll have photographs for you at the beginning of next week. Until then, happy Passover, Easter, Etc.

It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

2007-04-02T10:34:00.000-05:00

Not Christmas, silly! Baseball season has arrived! As such, that means it's now time to have a look at my most favorite of baseball teams, the Washington Nationals.

We're going to start today's post from the cheap (yet really good) seats at Cooper Stadium in Columbus, OH, where the Nats played the Baltimore Orioles in preseason exhibition action. Cooper is the home stadium of the Nats' newest farm club, the Columbus Clippers, and it looks to me like the partnership has gotten off to a great start. First of all, I can't remember a time when the New York Yankees, Columbus' old Major League affiliate, actually came to Ohio and played a game. Of course, the Yankees don't have the same commitment to their farm system that the Nationals do. The Nats' loyalty to their top farm club was shown through and through by bringing not only the team, but the three main cogs in the managerial gears, President Stan Kasten, GM Jim Bowden, and part-owner and overseer of day-to-day operations Mark Lerner. In fact, Lerner himself threw the first pitch to Nationals catcher Brian Schneider:

The game itself showed that there is yet some promise in this Nationals team. The most notable performance was by starting pitcher Shawn Hill, who has only pitched a few real games in the big leagues. Despite a rocky second inning, the youngster threw seven solid innings, giving up only three runs and striking out six batters. Hill is expected to be one of the top pitchers of the Nats' future, right behind the ace of the lineup, John Patterson.

There were also some fine performances by newcomer Dimitri Young (who has definitely lost weight from his days in Detroit), second-year National Felipe Lopez, and the always-reliable Ryan Zimmerman. Young, despite being called out on strikes on a couple of questionable calls, did well to fight off Orioles starter Daniel Cabrera and he made a fine diving play at first base to snare in a grounder. Lopez, who also had a couple of nice defensive plays, also showed potential at the plate. In two at-bats, he rocked the ball to deep center, but couldn't get the ball past the fence. If he can just speed up his swing a little to pull the ball, he would have had a five-RBI game on Thursday.

Despite the solid showings by the opening-day starters, I think the best performance came from the backups in the eighth inning. While much of the Nats' offensive production in the eighth can be attributed to the atrocious performance by Orioles reliever Danys Baez and a number of fielding issues by his defense, the Nationals still managed to pull back from a 3-0 deficit and tie the game. That definitely shows a lot of heart coming from the bench, which is where teams need their best efforts coming from late in games.

Much like the bench, the Nats' bullpen put up a solid performance, allowing a total of two hits and striking out three batters. The two hits came off of closer Chad Cordero, but he also had two of the strikeouts, which means he looks to be ready to face a tough situation when the time comes.

All in all, while the Nationals do not look particularly stellar, they may just be able to pull off a few surprises this season. The four victories over the defending NL East champion New York Mets in spring training are something that this team can hang their hat on as they begin the regular season in about an hour. As we go into opening day, I don't see this team going to the playoffs or anything. But I do think this team can surpass 70 wins this season and finish maybe fourth in the East ahead of the Florida Marlins. I will close off this entry with some more pictures from the ballpark in Columbus.

Take Me Out To The Ballgame!

2007-03-28T23:50:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow's Cheap Seats will be at beautiful (sort of) old (sort of) Cooper Stadium in Columbus, OH. Why, you ask? Well, when I looked over the pre-season schedule for my beloved Washington Nationals, I noticed that they'll be doing a sort of "farm tour" at the end of Spring Training. They will play two games at the home stadiums of two of their farm teams, the first in Columbus, and the second in Norfolk, VA, before moving on to a couple of exhibitions at RFK Stadium.

Why is this so amazingly excellent? Probably because Columbus is about three hours away from Bloomington, whereas RFK Stadium in Washington, DC, is about 11 hours away. That means...I'm seeing a pro baseball game! The crack of wood on polished leather, the snappy white or grey uniforms, the smell of the grass, and the taste of those most beautiful of food items: the stadium dogs. As for feel...well, judging by the weather we're having around here, it could be a tad cool and wet. You know what, though? WHO CARES! I'M SEEING A BASEBALL GAME!

So, what of the game itself? Well, those pesky Nats, as they were once called, will be taking on their rivals from up I-95 (and US-1 and US-295), the Baltimore Orioles. Of course, being in Ohio, this game has nothing to do with I-95, but that's a minor technicality. The Nationals actually seem to stand a good chance in this game because of their record thus far in Spring Training. True, they're only 11-15, but that translates to a .423 winning percentage, which is on a level with their record last season. Also, their wins have come against teams like the NL runner-up Mets, the AL champion Tigers, and National League rivals Florida, Houston, and Los Angeles. There does happen to be some promise in this team. If they can tap into that promise, they might be able to pull off some surprises, much like last years Florida Marlins.

I'll be sending some pictures along for you folks tomorrow night or Friday night. Take me out to the ballgame, and go Nats!

Pack Your Bags! We're Goin' to Hot-lanta!

2007-03-25T22:38:00.000-05:00

In 5 days, about 50,000 people will pack the not-so-cheap seats at the Georgia Dome for some Final Four basketball action. Before we get to that, though, let's have a look at how I did on my brackets through the Elite Eight:

Once again, as with every other round in this tournament, I have one pick that turned out to be a complete bust, and today's pick was Kansas. I don't think it's a matter of Kansas being a bad team, though they did look somewhat shaky in their game against Southern Illinois. UCLA's victory over Kansas is an example of the guys from Westwood doing exactly what they need to do to win games. The best example of this so far in UCLA's run was the close victory over Indiana. Right when they looked like they were going to collapse in the final minutes, they played solid defense which helped force the botched inbound play by the Hoosiers. This weekend, they did exactly what they needed to do to play two solid games against Pitt and Kansas. Needless to say, Florida will have a tough test on Saturday night.

Obviously, my best pick remains the Hoyas of Georgetown University. Georgetown went on a massive tear in the last 5 minutes of their elite eight game against the North Carolina Tar Heels to tie the game. Then they played some excellent shut-down defense to hold UNC to a total of 3 points in overtime. After being down for much of the game, the gritty effort showed that Georgetown is definitely ready to take this tournament.

Georgetown will face a tough test in the Buckeyes from Ohio State, who match the size of Georgetown's front three. UCLA will face Florida in the other Final Four game in a rematch of last year's national championship game. It promises to be a good day of semifinal games under the big top in Atlanta. I'll be previewing the Final Four a little more in-depth when it gets to be that time.

Let's Talk About Kentucky

2007-03-23T15:04:00.000-05:00

So, the news of the day in college basketball yesterday was not Ohio State's 20-point comeback against Tennessee, or the clock issues in San Antonio that could very well have cost Texas A&M a victory over Memphis. The news of the day involved the glaringly empty seat that now sits at the end of the Kentucky Wildcats' bench. For the past ten years, that seat has been occupied by Tubby Smith. For the past ten years, the Cats had 20-win seasons, and had gone to the NCAA Tournament, advancing past the first round every time. Unfortunately, they only reached the Final Four once, in Tubby's first season.

While consistently making the second weekend of the tournament is fine at many schools, the Kentucky job carries a whole new level of expectation. The majority of Big Blue Nation will not be satisfied unless their team gets to at least the Final Four. Cats fans have been spoiled, with 49 tournament appearances, a 100-44 record, and seven championships since the tournament's inception in 1939. In the nineties alone, the Cats made the Final Four four times, including an amazing three straight championship games from '96-'98. The man responsible for three of those Final Fours, Rick Pitino, brought the Cats out of the difficult times created by Eddie Sutton's NCAA infractions and became a hero in Lexington (until, of course, he took over at rival Louisville). When Pitino left, Tubby Smith became "the guy who replaced (blank)," much like Matt Doherty of UNC or Mike Davis of Indiana. No matter how many games he won, or how many recruits he got, he was forever compared to Pitino and UK legend Adolph Rupp.

The major problem for formerly-dominant programs in this era of college basketball is that there is so much more parity than there used to be. Even as recently as the nineties, there were only a few clear-cut "power" schools. That decade was dominated by UNC, Duke, and Kentucky, with Arizona, Michigan and Connecticut also making noise. This decade, however, has been dominated by no specific team. Between 2000 and 2006, there have been seven different national champions. Teams from "mid-major" conferences have started to find their way into the limelight, most notably George Mason last year and Butler and Southern Illinois this year. Even in Kentucky's own conference, which they dominated for the longest time, Florida has assumed the reins with teams like Tennessee, LSU, Arkansas, and Mississippi State turning some heads.

Kentucky fans, not seeming to realize this fairly plain-to-see fact, managed to pressure Tubby to the point that he decided he just had to get out. He went to a Minnesota program where he will be praised as a savior and to a Big Ten Conference whose play better suits his coaching style.

Now, unless the UK Athletic Department finds a way to exhume and reanimate the remains of Adolph Rupp, a similar fate is going to befall the next guy. Given some of the names that have been mentioned by the media, the next guy may already be a legend in his own right at another school. The problem is that a lot of these guys aren't going to want to step out of a place where they're a hero (see: Billy Donovan, Florida; John Calipari, Memphis; Billy Gillispie, Texas A&M) into a place where they will just be "the next guy".

Here's my best candidate for the Kentucky job: Butler's Todd Lickliter. The key to this one is that Lickliter is the coach at a mid-major school. Even the most stellar of mid-major schools are still considered second-class citizens by the general public. Lickliter has many connections in the state of Indiana, which is still a hotbed of high school basketball, and the results that he posted this season will make him an attractive coaching prospect. I'm fairly certain that the directors at Kentucky will be watching Lickliter's game against UK's SEC rival Florida tonight in the Sweet Sixteen. If Butler keeps it close, or even wins, there should be a contract offer sitting on Lickliter's desk when he gets back from St. Louis.

Let's Continue With The Madness, Eh?

2007-03-22T11:11:00.000-05:00

We've moved the Cheap Seats in front of my TV for this weekend, and we'll be watching The Madness intensely tonight. We have some pretty intriguing matchups to look forward to for the next two days, so let's take a look at what we've got.

Florida vs. Butler: Sure, Butler has some magic to them and they will provide Florida a tough test, but let's look at the facts. Butler has one major star player, AJ Graves. On the other hand, Florida's roster could give many NBA teams a run. It's a simple matter of ratios -- namely the ratio of five amazing starters for the Gators, and one star for Butler. Game goes to the Gators.

Oregon vs. UNLV: This one is one of the more interesting ones. Oregon has been an excellent team this year, and it would be easy to pick them over the Runnin' Rebels. The problem here is that UNLV seems to have found a spark that they haven't had since Tark the Shark was patrolling the sidelines in Vegas. They played good games against Georgia Tech and Wisconsin, neither of whom are pushovers. If the four day break didn't hurt them in any way, I see UNLV getting the upset (again) and playing Florida on Sunday.

Kansas vs. Southern Illinois: The Salukis are strong, but not that strong. Kansas plays such an amazing brand of basketball and has such great talent that it's very hard to imagine them losing this game. True, SIU played strong in their victory over Virginia Tech, but Kansas is on a whole new level from everyone else they've played this season.

Pittsburgh vs. UCLA: Having seen UCLA play twice in person, I'm not one-hundred percent sure they can roll with a team that plays consistent offense. Pitt's Aaron Gray will be looking out for the same moving double-team that frustrated Indiana's DJ White so much last Saturday. Unlike White, Gray will have more options for getting the ball out when the UCLA defense crashes on him. I think Pitt will have the upper hand in this one.

North Carolina vs. Southern Cal: The Trojans are one of the surprises of this season, rising up to contend with cross-town rivals UCLA in the Pac-10. North Carolina surprised no one, using their strong inside presence to dominate their ACC rivals. I think the Tyler Hansborough-Rayshawn Terry connection will propel the #1-seeded Tar Heels past the Trojans and into the Elite Eight.

Vanderbilt vs. Georgetown: Vanderbilt has a lot of heart, and that heart propelled them past a strong Washington St. team after two overtimes in Sacramento. That same heart will give Georgetown a tough run in the Sweet Sixteen. However, I still think Georgetown is one of the strongest teams in this tournament, with big man Roy Hibbert and sharpshooter Jeff Green leading the charge. Vanderbilt will be close, but not close enough. Georgetown moves on to meet UNC.

Ohio St. vs. Tennessee: Both of these teams have surprised people in this tournament, but for different reasons. Many people had Long Beach St. over Tennessee as their first round 5-12 upset. The Vols responded to that by posting a 121-86 beating. Ohio St., on the other hand, needed a missed flagrant foul call and a missed free throw just to force overtime against Xavier. I think now that Bruce Pearl understands that he can frustrate OSU's Greg Oden, he'll try his best to get the freshman fouled out. If Oden is riding the bench for most of the game, I don't know if Othello Hunter can pick up the slack. I know it goes against my original bracket, but I'm going to go with Tennessee in this one.

Texas A&M vs. Memphis: Memphis is a strong team with a great coach and a stellar record. They're also in Conference-USA. Texas A&M is the second-strongest team in a strong Big Twelve, and they have one of the best shooters in the country. The key, as it has been all season, will be Acie Law IV. If he's shooting like he normally does, this game is over. Texas A&M goes to the Elite Eight.

Well, there you go. The Sweet Sixteen begins tonight with Ohio St.-Tennessee, Texas A&M-Memphis, Kansas-SIU, and Pitt-UCLA. See you 'round, folks.

My Bracket: Post-Round 2

2007-03-19T14:05:00.000-05:00

After the incredible 30-2 first round on my bracket, things took a slightly sour turn with my second round predictions:

My two worst picks came out of the Big Ten. I seriously thought that my Hoosiers had a shot at the UCLA Bruins, and they came oh-so-close to proving me right. Details about that in my previous entry. I also thought that Wisconsin would breeze by UNLV in front of a friendly crowd in Chicago, but it seems like the loss of Brian Butch hurt the Badgers more than anyone could've anticipated. UNLV is playing like the Jerry Tarkanian-coached teams of yore and they never gave Wisconsin a chance.

The two results that surprised me the most came out of the East Region, where USC took down a seemingly invincible Texas team, and the Vanderbilt Commodores, in a game I had the distinct pleasure of attending, took out the Washington State Cougars after two overtimes. The effort by Vanderbilt was monumental, especially considering how the Commodores haven't played at this level in a very long time. I think the play of the game for Vandy came during the first overtime when Wazzu got a fast break in the final minute. Vanderbilt's star Derrick Byars raced down the court and blocked what would have been the go-ahead basket, helping send the game into the second, deciding OT period.

The last two mistakes on my bracket were a strong Virginia team getting one-upped by an inconsistent Tennessee team, and the fact that I had Creighton, first round losers, going to the Sweet Sixteen. In Creighton's stead, the Tigers of Memphis will face the toughest test they've had all season in Texas A&M.

In review, I had the play-in correct, went 30-2 first round, and a 10-6 second round, and I already have incorrect results for two Sweet Sixteen games. That puts me at 41-10 for this year's tournament. I'll come back some time during the week with a preview of the Sweet Sixteen.

The Almost-Comeback of the Tournament

2007-03-18T17:09:00.000-05:00

The view from the Cheap Seats will no longer be of Indiana Basketball -- at least not until October. The Hoosiers got right to the edge, but could not take the final step against UCLA. Thus, the team will remain in Bloomington until Novermber, instead of getting ready to go to San Jose.

The first half of the NCAA Second-round game in Sacramento was really hard to explain, but I'll give it a shot. Great defense, plus inconsistent offense, equals a nasty, low-scoring game. I've seen some ridiculous things in my twenty-odd years on this planet, but a 20-13 first half in college basketball is way out there. These two teams had amazing offensive capabilities, with guys like Afllalo, Mbah-Amoute, and Collison out there for UCLA and White, Wilmont, and Ratliff out there for IU. However, if you these guys can't get a shot off, there's obviously no way they can score points.

Luckily, the second half was a decidedly smoother one to watch. IU still made some interesting mistakes here and there, but they found their stride around the 8 minute timeout. Then UCLA did something that has become a norm for them: collapse towards the end. Indiana, consistently down by 10 or more, managed to tie the game at 49 with a minute to go. Lance Stemler, who seemed to be morally against effective shooting for most of the year, hit two key three-pointers. UCLA couldn't get a ball to go through the rim if they climbed a ladder and placed the ball above the basket. Everything was pointing towards a comeback and upset.

It was 51-49, UCLA, and Indiana was ready to go down the floor and tie or take the lead. Stemler was inbounding the ball after a kicked ball by UCLA, and he threw it in just in front of Earl Calloway. Guess what else was just in front of Earl Calloway. UCLA's defense, which stole the ball away. In Lance's defense, this was the second Division 1 tournament game he'd ever played. The energy of the team was climbing inoxerably, and the resultant jitters caused the error. IU had plenty of time to score a basket, but the boys wanted to get it done right then and there. Lance's pass was intercepted, and UCLA ended up drawing two intentional fouls in order to jump ahead for good.

So, what does this mean for the Hoosiers? Well, there's an upside and a downside to the end of this season. On the downside, two of the most energetic players on the team -- Errek Suhr and Earl Calloway -- will be moving on to the life of a college graduate. Likewise, this year's best shooter, Rod Wilmont, is probably heading to the NBA. On the plus side, the loss of Wilmont should be no problem, because AJ Ratliff should be stepping into that hole and Eric Gordon will take Ratliff's spot. Another big plus will be the addition of Eli Holman to the team, giving the Hoosiers 5 big men to rotate on and off the bench. I think the key to next season will be either finding a new point guard in the recruiting class, or seriously improving the point play of Armon Bassett. The kid is a good guard, but he makes some key mistakes when they put him in the 1-spot.

All things considered, though, next year should be quite an interesting one for the Hoosiers. Look for a deep tournament run for the Cream and Crimson this time next year.

My Bracket, Post-Round 1

2007-03-17T12:51:00.000-05:00

Ok...this isn't about me lording the superiority of my bracket over you. Oh wait! Yes it is. See, I didn't enter any pools or contests or anything with my bracket this year. Thus, this is the only place where I can really show it off. Here it is in all it's glory (green checks = correct, red x's = wrong):

There is a lot of green on this bracket, and not much in the way of red. My worst pick was obviously Creighton over Nevada, because that ruined the first two rounds in that section of my bracket. I had seen Creighton's conference championship game against Southern Illinois, and I thought the Jays had what it took to upset both Nevada and Memphis. Obviously, I was wrong.

I also thought that, after hearing a lot about BYU beating Air Force and hearing nothing about Xavier, BYU would be able to handle the Musketeers. Wrong again, says the scoreboard. Still, 30-2 is definitely not bad considering the way most of my brackets turn out. All of my Final Four teams are still in it. In fact, all of my Elite Eight teams are still in it. I have three regions that are still 100% perfect.

Why the hell did I not enter a pool?!

The Madness: Game 1

2007-03-16T02:05:00.000-05:00

The view from the Cheap Seats looks upon an empty ARCO Arena with the scoreboard reading 70-57, Indiana over Gonzaga. Let's review what the last post said, shall we? Indiana's defense -- specifically Earl Calloway -- will overpower the guard play of Gonzaga. Check. DJ White will block shots. Check. Everyone else will rebound. Check. AJ Ratliff and Roderick Wilmont will drop 3's all over the place. Check.

The one thing I actually didn't mention is DJ White's beautiful turnaround jumper. The thing is a work of art that you just don't see many forwards in this world of college basketball employ, and DJ used it to absolute perfection tonight. That turnaround is really on par with Kareem's skyhook, in my opinion, as far as how well executed and unique the shot is.

As I walked into ARCO Arena this afternoon, I was quite nervous about the game. I knew everything that the Hoosiers had to do to win the game, but I wasn't sure if they could execute well enough to take the victory. Gonzaga wasn't nearly as good as they used to be, but they're still a dangerous team with dangerous players and a dangerous home-court advantage. Sure, Sacramento is 800 or so miles away from Gonzaga's campus, but they still have quite a following. Also, the UCLA fans wanted the underdog to face them on Saturday. Also, I suppose we can't discount the fact that some people still think Kelvin Sampson is a horrible person or that IU is a pack of cheaters. Whatever the reason, I will tell you that there were quite a few people cheering for the 'Zags.

Luckily, IU did manage to execute as they were supposed to and the defense caused quite a few of Gonzaga's shots to be just enough off their mark that they'd miss. Holding a team that averages 78 points a game to 33% field goal shooting is certainly nothing to sneeze at. Also, Indiana held a 40-27 advantage in rebounding, which is usually a key ingredient for a win. There were some silly turnovers and a couple of shots that should or should not have been taken, but they ended up not mattering in the grand scheme of things. The bottom line was that IU did what it had to do to win the big game.

Now Kelvin Sampson's boys have a huge test to face in the UCLA Bruins, defending national runners-up and number 2 seed in the region. I'll be previewing that one when Saturday rolls around, so stay tuned for that. In the meantime, congratulations to the Hoosiers.

How About a Rematch?

2007-03-15T12:32:00.000-05:00

I'm not quite in the Cheap Seats right now, but I am sitting in front of the window of my hotel room, watching the Goodyear Blimp float gracefully over Sacramento's ARCO Arena. It's getting to be about time for Washington St. to play Oral Roberts up on Sacramento's north side. But that's not what I'm here to talk about.

Tonight at 6:45 local time (9:45 for you insomniacs out east), the seventh-seeded Hoosiers will be taking on the tenth-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs -- a rematch of a 90-80 Gonzaga win in Salt Lake City's Huntsman Center during last year's tournament. I already gave you a bit of a preview of tonight's game a couple of entries ago. To reiterate: Gonzaga's best big man is awaiting trial for drug possession, so he won't be wearing a Gonzaga uniform for a while. Micah Downs has taken over fairly well for Heytvelt, consistently scoring 15-20 points in a game. However, this has been exclusively against West Coast Conference defenses. Not only did Indiana have a strong Big Ten-style defense to begin with, but they brought in Kelvin Sampson's tough style of defense. DJ White will be blocking shots, Earl Calloway will be pressuring defensively, and the rest of the guys will be rebounding.

Oh yeah...IU still has the best 3-point shooting in the Big Ten. Watch out for Rod Wilmont and AJ Ratliff in this one.

Alright, folks. I'm going to go back to my March Madness On Demand window (go to ncaasports.com/mmod for this wonderful service). I'll be back either tonight or tomorrow morning to recap the game.

My Bracket

2007-03-12T00:43:00.000-05:00

I sat in the Cheap Seats and studied the brackets. This is my opinion on what will happen in the Big Dance (blank bracket from ncaasports.com):

(click to enlarge)

I will explain my Final Four and NCAA Champion only. The rest of it, you'll have to ask about in the comments section.

Florida: Pretty self explainatory. They started the year on the wrong foot with a loss to Kansas in Las Vegas, but the Gators have jumped back into last year's Final Four form since then. They even went on a little rough streak towards the end of the season, just like last year's team. Joakim Noah will no-doubtedly be the spark plug that runs Florida's engine in this tournament. Whenever he is in the game, there is a notable difference in the level of intensity that this team has. The other key is how well the guards can shut down the other team with defense and 3-pointers. Horford, Brewer, and company should have an easy time with Purdue and Butler, and should be able to simply outplay Wisconsin.

Texas A&M: The game plan is easy for Texas A&M: get the ball to Acie Law IV. Law has been so good and so clutch throughout the entire season that there's no reason to think he won't knock the spirit out of any opponent with a clutch three-pointer or two...or seven. There are other players on this team, too, and they are all good. However, Law is still the key. Penn will be no issue for this team. Louisville will cause them issues, but i don't think the Cardinals' run will continue. Creighton will surprise people in the first two rounds, but the same fate will befall them that befell Louisville. The obvious surprise of A&M's road to Atlanta is a victory over Ohio State -- excuse me, the #1-in-the-nation Ohio State Buckeyes. The Buckeyes are amazingly strong. Greg Oden is amazingly strong. Mike Conley is an amazing point guard. Everyting points to A&M losing this game. That is why Acie Law will step forth and shock the nation under the dome in San Antonio. The clutch three will play a huge part in this game.

Kansas: Watching Kansas play basketball is sometimes akin to watching a master painter work his magic on canvas. They move the ball well, cut to the basket, shoot the three, and play defense so well. Bill Self built the Illinois team that Bruce Weber took to the Final Four, but he has the reins this time and will get his first Final Four appearance. The big win over Florida in November was a sign of things to come, and the Jayhawks have rarely disappointed. They cruised through the Big 12 regular season and tournament and they are going to stay on that roll, culminating with their final victory against the team that gave them their first big victory: Florida. Sasha Kaun is a dominant force for KU and will run step-for-step wlth Joakim Noah. The Hawks' guard play will be amazing as always and will knock the Gators out of their title defense. If KU is going to be so dominant against Florida, Niagra, Kentucky, Southern Illinois, and Indiana will have no chance against Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk.

Georgetown: Last year's tournament win over Ohio State was a big sign of things to come. Stellar play from Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert has propelled this team through an amazingly solid Big East including wins over Pittsburgh, Marquette, and Louisville. With a coach named John Thompson (JT the third, this time) and a forward named Patrick Ewing (Jr.) waving the banner for the Hoyas, it's just like old times on the west side of Washington, DC. Belmont will be a breeze. Texas Tech will provide little resistance because they have a good coach coaching mediocre talent. Washington State is good, but in a Pac 10 that doesn't prepare you for the size of Georgetown. UNC's Tyler Hansborough, who is obviously the key player for the Tar Heels, will have a very tough time with Hibbert, who is several inches taller than the Heels' sophomore. Acie Law's stretch of clutch three-pointers will be all spent after the big game against Ohio State, so A&M will have a really tough go at the Hoyas. Finally, the Kansas Jayhawks, with the inside game of Sasha Kaun being stifled by Hibbert and the three-pointer being their only option, will not be able to pull out from under Hibbert's shadow. JT3, Roy Hibbert, Jeff Green, Pat Ewing Jr, and the rest of the guys will bring Hoya Paranoia to the big dome in Atlanta and the glass basketball back to the Verizon Center in our nation's capital.

Put on Your Dancin' Shoes...

2007-03-11T20:05:00.000-05:00

We're putting on our dancing shoes here in the Cheap Seats. But before you tie those laces, let me share my opinion on IU vs. Illinois, round 3. Indiana played like dopes at certain points, blew a great opportunity at the end of regulation, and couldn't pull in enough rebounds -- or do anything -- in overtime. Sure, the officials were dumb, and I hate Illinois, but IU lost that one on their own.

And now...the tournament! First, we'll talk about the #1 seeds. Florida, SEC champs, defending national champs, 29-5 up until now, including two wins over Kentucky and a blowout of Ohio State. Kansas, 30-4, champions of a strong Big 12, wins over Florida and Texas and Texas A&M. North Carolina, 28-6, champions of a VERY strong ACC, swept arch-rival Duke, beat Ohio State back before Greg Oden's wrist healed. Ohio State, 30-3, champions of what some people are calling a mediocre Big Ten, has one of the most dominant front courts and dominant point guards in America, two big wins over Wisconsin. All of these teams are great and could take the glass basketball home.

There is one big common thread through all of these #1 seeds: They won both the regular season and tournaments in their respective conferences. True, Georgetown did the same, but a late-season loss to Syracuse (who we'll discuss in a bit) put the kibosh on their #1 seed. UCLA was in the discussion for a #1, but really weak losses at Washington and vs. Cal in the Pac 10 tournament knocked them down. Memphis would stand a better chance of receiving a #1 if the C-USA weren't terrible this year.

On the other end of the bracket, the list of snubs is quite an impressive one, and they could hold their own tournament that will probably have games just as exciting as those in the real tournament. Oh yeah...they do have that tournament...it's called the NIT and gets all the media attention of a grass field. As for the people who will be contending for that one, the aforementioned Syracuse probably has the best shot at winning. Their toughest competitor in that one will probably be either Big East rival West Virginia, or one of the teams from the SEC West that didn't get to go to the NCAAs. As to why Syracuse is in the NIT, i could only imagine that there are some strange drugs going around the selection committee. Syracuse is tied in the Big East with Marquette and ahead of Villanova, both of whom are in the dance. The Orange also have wins against both of those teams -- at Marquette's home court in that case. Syracuse also has their big win against Georgetown, which is something that neither Marquette nor Villanova can claim. You can imagine that the Orange -- not to mention the ever-vocal Jim Boeheim -- will be mad when they start NIT play and probably crush the heck out everyone who enters the state of New York (excepting Buffalo for the NCAAs).

Other notable snubs are Drexel, who was hurt by a fourth-place finish in the Colonial, West Virginia, who may have gotten snubbed thanks to a missed travel call in the Big East tournament, and Air Force, who simply stopped playing at the end of the season.

So, what does this mean for my most favorite of basketball teams: the Indiana Hoosiers? Well, IU received a #7 seed in the West Region and will take on, for the second year in a row, the #10-seeded Bulldogs of Gonzaga University. Last year's matchup took place as part of the second round of the tournament in Salt Lake City, Utah. Gonzaga came out on top thanks to foul trouble to IU's Marco Killingsworth and Adam Morrison's stellar play to move on to the Sweet Sixteen. This year's first rounder in Sacramento, California, will have a very different look. Gonzaga no longer has Morrison, and their star player Josh Heytvelt has been suspended from the team. There are still quite a few good players on the Bulldogs' roster, but they all happen to be guards. The Dogs' inside game left the team with the marijuana and 'shrooms found in Heytvelt's car. Indiana, however, has quite an impressive inside game. Foul trouble to Mike White made him a non-factor in the Illinois game, but he still had some strong minutes, and DJ white was still able to put up good numbers despite the Illini's defense. Look for IU's lockdown defense to kill the Zags' guard play, and the Whites to knock down the inside shot for IU.

Now, the next couple of games for IU in my bracket my have some people surprised. I have the Hoosiers knocking down a terribly inconsistent UCLA team in the second round and taking down the somewhat less-inconsistent Pittsburgh Panthers in the Sweet Sixteen before losing to Kansas in the Elite Eight. If the Hoosiers play to their potential, I see no reason why this outcome couldn't take place. The trick will be to see if Kelvin Sampson can snap these players out of the funk induced by the seven years of Mike Davis' tutelage.

Hinkle Fieldhouse

2007-03-08T03:14:00.000-05:00

The view from the Cheap Seats today looks upon one of the greatest -- if not THE greatest -- buildings in all of basketball thanks to a wonderful photo gallery posted by the Indianapolis Star (indystar.com). Hinkle Fieldhouse, the original home of Hoosier Hysteria. Built during the Roaring Twenties, this is one of the oldest barns to still host the game, and that nostalgia drips from every corner of the building. The hanging floodlights, the exposed steel arches and, most importantly, the frosted glass windows that allow natural light to bathe the court all make this one of the greatest experiences for any fan of the game. When you sit in the Fieldhouse, you can almost see Bobby Plump hitting his last-minute shot to push Milan past Muncie Central, or a young Steve Alford tossing long-distance baskets for the New Castle Trojans, or even Gene Hackman patrolling the sidelines for fictional Hickory High School in the movie "Hoosiers" (based on Bobby Plump and Milan HS). Though the IHSAA basketball finals have moved on to the retro-modern Conseco Fieldhouse, the spirit lives on in the bricks and steel of Hinkle.

The Butler Fieldhouse under construction.

March 1, 1947: Lawrence Central defeats Manual to win the Indianapolis Sectional of the Indiana State Basketball Tournament

Hinkle Fieldhouse as it is today...much the same as it was in the days of old.

Full gallery available here (scroll down to "Hinkle Fieldhouse" under the "Photo Galleries" list)

Fighting the "System"

2007-03-06T22:04:00.000-05:00

The view from the Cheap Seats is being muddled by ridiculously long and billowy shorts. In a stroke of genius that could only come from an upstanding company like Nike, the men's basketball teams from Arizona, Florida, Ohio State, and Syracuse will be modeling what has been named the System of Dress. The uniforms will look something along the lines of...

What you may notice right off the bat is the shorts -- and I use the word "shorts" quite loosely. Quite frankly, they're huge. They're unnecessary. I haven't even mentioned the fact that when you pair really long and baggy shorts with a really tight, sleeveless jersey, you look like you're wearing a dress. I don't know about you, but I definitely don't want to see Joakim Noah or Greg Oden -- or any other basketball player for that matter -- in a dress.

Now, not all is wrong with Nike's latest pet project. One thing you may notice on the Ohio State in Syracuse jerseys is...nothing! After several years of stylized stripes going every which way on all of nike's uniforms (see: any picture of Ohio State's team before now), they have stripped the tops down to their bare minimum: a color, a name, and a number. Florida's uniforms are a little more complicated, with a ugly, yet subtle, gator skin pattern adorning the fabric. There are two possible outcomes of this once we get to see the uniforms on TV (these four teams will debut the uniforms during the Big Dance): the minimalist approach of the shirts will look really good, or it'll look like we're watching an intramural game. My vote goes on the first outcome. Stay Tuned...

Of course, there are all sorts of issues with these jerseys. Obviously, they are much tighter than the flowing jerseys that basketballers have been wearing since Michigan's Fab Five brought their hip look to the game in the early nineties. If you are a lean, mean, fighting machine of a small forward or point guard, these jerseys will do you all sorts of justice. However, even on the basketball court, not everyone is the greatest of physical specemins. If you're a power forward with a little extra weight on you, this is not something you're looking forward to wearing. I haven't even mentioned the fact that these things will be on sale to the general public -- you know, that overweight American public.

Another glaring aesthetic deficiency is those damn undershirts. Here is a simple fact for you: nobody wears long sleeves when playing indoor basketball. I'm going to assume that nobody in their right mind will wear the long sleeves, but you never know. The strangest sleeves are those underneath the Syracuse jersey. For one thing, I'm fairly certain that color-blocking that works so well on the jersey will definitely not translate to someone's arm. For another, there has to be some sort of rule against a design that complicated. I never did like the shirt-under-jersey look started by Patrick Ewing, and this is a whole new, scary evolution of that concept.

Of course, what more could you expect from the company that brought you this?

Indiana vs. Illinois, Round 3

2007-03-05T21:13:00.000-05:00

The view from The Cheap Seats…well, there isn’t one right now. Come Friday evening, though, the view should be filled with the colors of the Big Ten’s newest, and possibly most heated, rivalry. Barring a miracle upset by the Nittany Lions of Penn State, the Indiana Hoosiers will be taking on the Fighting Illini from the University of Illinois in Chicago’s United Center.

Now, I don’t need to tell you that there will be plenty of Orange and Blue in the building, as Chicagoland is U of I’s home away from home in the non-conference schedule and in the postseason. What some may not realize is that Chicago has one of the biggest – if not the biggest concentration of IU alumni outside of the state of Indiana. In fact, for a little historical reference, the Chicago branch of the respective schools’ alumni associations started IU and Purdue’s traditional football rivalry. Believe me, the Indiana fans will show up in force.

Just to spice things up a bit, there will probably be a few Wisconsin and/or Michigan State fans watching with plenty of interest to see whom their team will be facing on Saturday. To put that little detail into perspective: Michigan State and Illinois have battled quite a bit over the past few years – one could imagine that their fans have grown a slight distaste for the other school’s colors; one of Wisconsin’s three Big Ten losses came at the hands of Indiana, complete with IU students rushing the court; Michigan State may have gotten a share of revenge with the primetime victory over IU a couple of weeks ago, but you know the Green and White are still smarting from the blowout they suffered back in January in Bloomington’s Assembly Hall.

Plus, there’s the little detail that tickets are kind of expensive for the Men’s Big Ten Tourney. You think those fans are going to leave before what could be an epic for the ages? Neither do I.

Here’s my mildly biased preview of the game. Indiana’s chief problem against The Chief has been outside shooting this season. In fact, IU has been very inconsistent with 3-point shooting outside of Assembly Hall. One might say that the Hoosiers will be fine because they’ve found their touch again in games against Penn State and Northwestern. I say that the Hoosiers will be fine for two big reasons: Mike White and Ben Allen. Allen finally found the basket against Minnesota and has been pulling down rebounds and getting a few blocks in the last weeks of the season. Mike White has turned himself into a dominant inside force with some tough low-post moves and solid dunks. When you put one of those guys inside with DJ White and his turnaround jumper, the options will open up for the Hoosiers.

All I know about Illinois is that they have only one or two good players (Pruitt and Randall), their mascot just got canned, and I don’t like their coach. That said, Weber will have them ready to take on the Hoosiers and their fans will be making plenty of noise. My prediction: this one will be close and it could even go to overtime, but I think Indiana will take this one and move to the Big Ten semifinals.

Big Ten Tourney Preview

2007-03-05T19:25:00.000-05:00

We’re looking down from the Cheap Seats at the bracket that will be played out in Chicago’s United Center between March 8 and March 11. The seeds have worked out to give us some really solid matchups and we could get a couple of surprises. That said, here’s what I think of the Big Ten Tournament (blank bracket from bigten.cstv.com):

The outcome of this bracket comes down to one very simple truth: Ohio State is really good. On a neutral floor, I don’t think any Big Ten team can stop them unless Greg Oden’s leg falls off. Michigan already had their shot and blew it, which is a trend that will continue on Friday. Purdue is close, but not close enough to OSU’s level. Indiana falls into the same boat as Purdue on that one.

The major surprise of this bracket is the quarterfinal game between Michigan State and Wisconsin. My reasoning here is easy: Michigan State was 3.9 seconds and a hell of a Kammron Taylor 3-point basket away from upsetting Wisconsin in Madison. Michigan State, specifically Drew Neitzel, really want to make a run into the postseason. On the flip side, Wisconsin lost its best inside presence in Brian Butch and his dislocated elbow. MSU’s inside of Suton and Naymick will force UW to win from the outside, and I don’t think they can do that. It will be another thriller, but with Sparty coming out on top this time.

The problem that Wisconsin will have on the inside should not translate to Michigan State's subsequent game against Indiana. If you want the details of that, check "Indiana vs Illinois, Round 3". Also, on the outside, Michigan State's shooting comes almost exclusively from Drew Neitzel. MSU has some impressive freshmen, but they're freshmen. Most of Indiana's outside shooting comes from fifth-year senior Rod Wilmont and junior AJ Ratliff, with junior Lance Stemler and senior Earl Calloway providing a few shots here and there. The only freshman that IU relies on is Armon Bassett. This is a simple matter of experience overcoming potential and translating to victories.