The One J

Mark Cuban was bound and determined to pull this deal off, and he finally did it. Jason Kidd is making his debut in a Mavericks uniform tonight, after the Mavericks gave up five players, two first round draft picks, 3 million dollars, a bag of basketballs, and dinner at Bob's Steak and Chop House in Dallas in exchange for Kidd and two others. Kidd returns to Dallas, where he began his career 15 years ago. In his first go-round, he was known as one of the "Three J's", along with Jim Jackson and Jamal Mashburn. Kidd is the only one of the Three J's still in the league.

What is Cuban doing here? Kidd is still an All-Star point guard, at least in the Eastern Conference, but is on the back side of his career at age 35. Cuban is trying to keep up with Western Conference teams that have made recent big deals such as Phoenix (Shaq) and the Lakers (Pao Gasol). The Mavs find themselves struggling to keep up with the Spurs and the George Shinn Hornets, not to mention the Suns and the Lakers. Let's don't forget: the Mavs lost in the first round of last year's playoffs to Nellie and the Warriors.

Mark Cuban will never live down his decision to not sign Steve Nash to a long-term contract, allowing Nash to go to Phoenix to win multiple MVP awards. At the same time, the Mavs had a short window of opportunity to win a championship that is quickly going away. Their golden opportunity came two years ago. It may never return.

At least Jason Kidd comes to a better team than he played on in his first tour in Dallas. How much better remains to be seen.

NCAA Tournament Projections, 2/19/2008

It's 26 days until Selection Sunday, and teams around the country continue to play themselves into and out of the NCAA tournament. As always, projections are a work in progress. Teams can continue to play themselves in.

There are two ongoing twists to projecting the tournament. One is projecting the field of 65. The other is projecting a Final Four and a national champion. The latter is relatively anticlimactic compared to the former.

Teams barely missing the field, with 26 days to play themselves into the tournament: Miami, UMass, George Mason, Illinois State, New Mexico, Arizona State, Ole Miss

Teams barely making it into the field: Dayton, Baylor, Oklahoma, Arizona, USC, South Alabama

Click on the above graphic to view the projected bracket.

It's A Bird, It's A Plane...

...it's Dwight Howard! The star big man of the Orlando Magic stole the show Saturday night at the NBA All-Star Slam Dunk competition.

Batman could never dunk a basketball.

Random Thoughts

Random thoughts on a Thursday night in the HGH capital of the world, Houston, Texas…

I am so tired already of the Roger Clemens imbroglio. He used performance-enhancing drugs, then lied about it. He made a fool of himself in front of a congressional committee. But, that’s the least of my problems with the whole situation. Why is Congress getting involved with this in the first place? This whole investigation is a huge waste of time by Congress. I don’t know who the bigger fool is: Roger Clemens, or Henry Waxman?

While on the subject of politicians investigating athletics, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) is chasing down NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and New England Patriots personnel in an investigation of the Patriots’ videotaping practices. Specter is ultimately trying to prove that the Patriots somehow cheated to beat the Eagles in a Super Bowl. Doesn’t a United States senator in the minority party have better things to do than to investigate an NFL team? I’m no fan of the Patriots, but Specter is wasting his time.

From the More Bars In More Places Dept.: Kelvin Sampson left OU in a quandary after being caught making 500 phone calls to recruits, against NCAA regulations. Now, he has Indiana in trouble with the NCAA for more illegal phone calls. Fresh off serving a one-year suspension from off-campus recruiting, Sampson is being charged with making an excess amount of phone calls to recruits. He’s at freaking Indiana! That’s like being the football coach at OU. He shouldn’t have to cheat to win there. To put a cherry on top of the sundae, he is also charged with lying to NCAA investigators. There’s a very good chance that Sampson will be fired after this season, and will be banished from the world of big-time college basketball. I hope he’s invested well, because he and his wife will need to live on it. For what it’s worth, I’m glad he’s no longer in Norman.

Enough for now. Remember: HGH really stands for Houston Growth Hormone…

Think Pink

The author of this blog is not one to embrace symbolism in favor of causes. I've never worn a ribbon of any color for any cause. However, an innovative promotion has caught fire this week in the world of college basketball, one that I think is cool.

This is "Think Pink" week. Basketball teams throughout the country are promoting breast cancer awareness in various ways. A lot of women's teams are wearing pink uniforms for this event, as Georgia did on Sunday against LSU. Home teams are sponsoring "pink-outs", encouraging fans to wear pink to games. Even the men are getting in on the act, with some teams wearing pink shoestrings and some coaches wearing pink ties.

I don't think these uniforms are ugly. While they wouldn't look good on me, I think they look pretty good.

This is a great idea. In the women's game, it helps bring attention to the cause of breast cancer awareness, and also helps promote women's basketball. Teams wearing pink jerseys won't directly cure breast cancer. However, this serves the purpose of promoting the prevention of breast cancer and research for a cure. It is a noble and worthy promotion.

NFL Picks: Pro Bowl

Last Week (Super Bowl): 0-1
Playoffs: 5-6
Overall: 175-84

Sunday is the last day of football season. It will be a very depressing time in many places across this great country of ours. The football landscape will be turned over to a burgeoning industry of year-round NFL coverage on outlets such as ESPN and the NFL Network. Don't worry, though, because the scouting combine and the draft are just around the corner.

I am going to pick the Pro Bowl. I know nothing about who is going to play in this game. To be honest, the players out in Hawaii probably don't know who is going to play, either. This game has all the seriousness of a comedy club. However, the NFC team has 12 Dallas Cowboys on their roster. This includes Tony Romo, who is in Hawaii with celebrity girlfriend Jessica Simpson. I did well picking the Cowboys this year. So, I'll stay with that trend.

Pick: NFC

The Ultimate Recruiting Scam

Wednesday was the fiasco otherwise known as National Signing Day. It was the first day that hundreds of high school football players were able to sign a letter of intent to accept scholarships from NCAA schools. It is one of the most overhyped days of the year.

I have bemoaned the mushrooming of the recruiting process. I love college football. I like high school football. I hate recruiting. Talent scouts and recruiting analysts make a nice living off of selling their services and newsletter to any coach or fan that is willing to pay for it. Is this a great country, or what? There are lots of guys out there willing to pay $29.95 per month for premium recruiting information and player evaluations on prospects for their favorite school. There is something way out of whack about 50 year-old men getting worked up about the decision of an 18 year-old, especially when said 18 year-old has absolutely nothing in common with the adult male fan.

This week in a town in northern Nevada, the ultimate recruiting scam occurred. Kevin Hart, a 6-5, 290 lb. offensive lineman from Fernley High School was the honoree at a school-wide assembly, where he announced his decision to attend the University of California. He claimed to be choosing to accept a scholarship offer from the Bears over one from the Oregon Ducks. The only catch was that the Bears never offered him a scholarship.

It turns out that a middleman was posing as a talent broker, supposedly putting his name in front of college coaches. While Hart's film may have been getting into the hands of coaches, he was not offered a Division I scholarship.

This incident is now being investigated by law enforcement. In the meantime, a young man's future is up in the air.

How would you like to be a student or teacher that showed up at the school assembly to watch Hart choose the Cal hat over the Oregon hat? If nothing else, it was a good charade, but a really bad joke.

2008 NCAA Tournament Projections, Volume 1

(click bracket graphic for closer view)

Just another post while pondering the departure of Bob Knight from Texas Tech. The great Pat Forde opines here that this is a good thing for college basketball. I agree with Pat.

Here is the first of a weekly set of projections for this year's NCAA tournament. There are not a lot of upsets. At this point, the four #1 seeds are predicted to make the Final Four: Memphis, Duke, North Carolina, and Kansas. This blog projects North Carolina to beat Memphis in the final. Memphis would cruise into the final with an undefeated record.

The biggest question marks in this bracket come from the Atlantic 10. Dayton and Massachusetts make this field in spite of losing conference records to this point, thanks to high RPI ratings. Houston and Mississippi State are the last teams left out. They can and probably will play themselves into the tournament.

These projections are always in a state of flux. Some teams will get hot, other teams will get cold. February will be fun.

Wow

I, along with Las Vegas and most of America, eat my words. The Giants pulled off the upset, knocking off the formerly invincible Patriots, 17-14.

Eli Manning was the man, throwing for 255 yards and two touchdowns, including a late one in the last minute to Plaxico Burress.

The Patriots didn't totally stink in this game. The Giants' defense played awesome, for the most part. That won the game for the team from Gotham.

They are dancing in the streets in New York. The '72 Dolphins are also happy tonight. The perfect season stops here.

Wow!

Super Bowl Pick

Championship Sunday: 1-1
Playoffs: 5-5
Overall: 175-83 (.755 average)

The success of picks on this blog has come way down to earth during the playoffs. In spite of the parity in the National Football League, or thanks to some dominant teams, this blog has correctly picked three-fourths of the games in the National Football League this season. Granted, this is straight up. I won't even pretend to pick against the spread. Nonetheless, it's been a good year for picks.

Sunday is the Really Big Game. If you're a company out there, and you're not an official sponsor, you can't even use the word Super Bowl in your advertising. You simply have to say you're giving away a trip to the Big Game in Glendale, Arizona in February. The Super Bowl is the mother of all American cultural events. It is where sports meets pop culture which meets American capitalism which meets overexposure which meets..well, you get the picture.

This year, the New England Patriots enter Super Bowl XLII with a perfect record. The Pats have won 18 games in a row, and are attempting to become the first perfect team in the era of the 16 game season. They are the most respected, but also the most hated team in America, due to their alleged cheating and the way they have pounded opponents this season. However, not even the FBI can stop the Patriots this season.

The New York Giants are the NFC representative in this year's game. The Giants built on a near-upset of the Patriots in Week 17 to go on a three-game tear through the NFC playoffs, winning at Tampa Bay, Dallas, and Green Bay. The Giants have made a run for the ages.

The Patriots have struggled in the last part of the season, relatively speaking. They aren't drilling teams any longer. Teams are at least staying on the field with them. However, the Pats can smell something special. The bye week will hurt the Giants by killing their momentum. The bye week will, conversely, help the Patriots, as will the controlled environment of University of Phoenix Stadium, where the game will be played indoors.

I'm hoping for a good game. I don't expect one. Patriots win by a score of 38-16.

The Other Half Of Division I

Where have I been? I’ve been off on a project for my company, and have been blogging more sparingly of late.

I have been working on the campus of my company’s client, Stony Brook University. Stony Brook is located on the north shore of Long Island, about 50 miles east of midtown Manhattan. It is one of the flagship campuses of the State University of New York. Stony Brook boasts 22,000 students, a medical school, and a dental school. It is a major research institution. The school has come a long way in its relatively short 50 year history.

Wednesday evening, thanks to the complimentary tickets from my hotel, I took some time and went to the Stony Brook Arena to watch the Seawolves take on the University of New Hampshire in men’s basketball. A tough season continued for the Seawolves, as they lost, 68-60, and saw their record fall to 4-16. They find themselves at #335 in one version of the Ratings Percentage Index, out of 341 teams.

What I saw was a team and an athletic program trying to keep up with the growth of its university. The team was spunky and competitive, in spite of its record. The arena was small and clean. It is currently a physical education facility with a running track at the top and a running track at the bottom, with bleachers pulled out on four sides of the court, and a few chairback seats on one side of the floor. The arena holds around 4,000 people, and was about ¼ full. My cell phone camera isn’t very good, so I couldn’t get a good picture. At Stony Brook, if you’re a booster, you get the opportunity to sit at a courtside table, and are served catered dinner in a tent in a corner of an arena beside the bleachers. They are working hard to grow their athletic program, and will begin renovation of their arena at the close of the season. The Seawolves have only been part of Division I since 1999.

It was good to go to a game. They didn’t pretend to be the Big East or the Big 12, but it was Division I basketball. I wish the Seawolves well.

The World Was A Better Place Then...Maybe

CSTV shows some really good classic games in the afternoons on their Retrovision series. Today, they showed an old game from 1990 between Loyola Marymount and LSU. There was greatness all over the court that day. Bo Kimble and the late Hank Gathers suited up for LMU, while Chris Jackson (now Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf), Stanley Roberts, and a young Shaquille O’Neal played for LSU. LSU won the game, 148-141 in overtime.

Loyola Marymount played a breakneck style of ball, scoring over 100 points in 27 games that year. They ran up and down the floor, jacking up three-point shots almost at will. The team was best known for their run they made in the NCAA tournament. Star forward Hank Gathers collapsed and died during the middle of their semifinal game in the West Coast Conference post-season tournament. The team was given an undeserved 11 seed in the West regional, but went on an improbable run led by Gathers’ boyhood friend Kimble. Kimble is best remembered for shooting the first free throw of every game in that tournament left-handed, in honor of Gathers. The Lions ran over New Mexico State, Michigan, and Alabama before losing in the West regional final to eventual national champion UNLV (another great team).

Which brings me to an even bigger point: 1) The author of this blog is getting old man’s disease, and 2) college basketball was a better game back then. Quality players were playing at least a couple of years in college, if not three or four. Teams played a more entertaining style of ball, symbolized by teams such as UNLV, Loyola Marymount, and Oklahoma, who specialized in trying to score triple digits and trying to run other teams out of the gym. Getting to the NBA was very important, but so was winning at the college level. Winning at the college level is still important to today’s players, but getting to the Association is the primary goal. Winning at the college level is as important to coaches as ever, probably even more so as salaries have escalated. However, the college game just doesn’t look as fun as it once did.

I don’t know if the world was a better place back then, but the game was better then. The Loyola Marymount teams of the late 80’s were greatness.

College Hoops-Better Late than Never

Well, not really late, because they've been playing for two and a half months. Late as in my interest in the sport.

I used to love college hoops. I still love the NCAA tournament. The first two days of the tournament are my favorite two days of the year. I've just had the hardest time getting into college basketball this year. I watch games and barely know what is going on.

I know Memphis and Kansas are both undefeated. I know the Pac 10 has a lot of good teams. I know the Atlantic 10 is vastly improved this year. And, I know Drake, of all teams, has only lost one game all year going into today.

I can't explain my lack of interest in hoops. Maybe it's my age. Maybe it's because there are games every night. Maybe I like the once-a-week high that football gives me. I don't know.

But, better late than never. I'll have some hoops stuff later on. Coming later will be tournament field projections.

Oh, yeah, in the Alphabet Soup Game of the Week, IUPUI beat IPFW today, 77-59. There is not a school called EIEIO, and they do not have a basketball team. These weren't labor unions, either. Seriously, it was the battle of Indiana-Purdue joint campuses, and Indianapolis got the best of Fort Wayne. At least IPFW doesn't call itself IUPUFW.

In the meantime, there are just two football games left: the Super Bowl and the Pro Bowl. How sad.

Ugly Uniform Of The Day

UUOTD returns!

Last Thursday night, the Marquette Golden Eagles (they're no longer the Warriors) broke out these baby blue uniforms in a nationally televised loss to Louisville. They are similar to what Marquette wore in the 1970's when Al McGuire had them on top of the college basketball world. This design is making a comeback.

Needless to say, they're ugly as sin. They look like pajamas my kids would wear to bed.

Disgusting. Blech.

NFL Highway: Championship Sunday

Who would have thought on December 29, in Giants Stadium, that there was a preview of the Super Bowl. In hindsight, that's what happened.

The New England Patriots sputtered a bit, but handled the San Diego Chargers, 21-12. Tom Brady threw an uncharacteristic three interceptions, and Randy Moss only had one reception. However, the Pats, as always, found a way to win. They are 18-0 and headed to Glendale for Super Bowl XLII.

The classic was played in the frozen cold of Green Bay. The New York Football Giants won their league record tenth road game in a 23-20 overtime thriller over the Green Bay Packers. Lawrence Tynes missed two crucial field goals in regulation, but more than redeemed himself with a 47 yard game winner in overtime.

There is a lot to be said for how the Giants approached the season-ending game with the Patriots. The Giants had absolutely nothing to play for, as their playoff position was already determined. The Patriots were playing for a perfect season. The Giants went out and played hard, even whipping the Patriots for three quarters. They lost the game, but finished the season in a good groove, unlike their first two playoff opponents, who stumbled toward the end of the season. There is something to be said for trying to play hard and finish well, even when there is nothing to gain.

The Patriots will have a world of pressure on them as they try to become the first team to ever go 19-0. Also, the Pats will be going for their fourth Super Bowl win in seven years. The Pats have been installed as early 14 point favorites.

Get ready for the hype!

NFL Picks: Championship Sunday

Sunday is really the best day of the playoffs. Championship Sunday does not have all the hype, glitz, and glamour of the Super Bowl. It features four desperate teams attempting to get to the NFL’s biggest stage.

After the events of last week, I have a hard time getting excited about Sunday. Nonetheless, there are picks to be made.

Last Week: 1-3
Playoffs: 4-4
Season: 174-82

AFC Championship
San Diego at New England: The Chargers pulled an upset last week in Indianapolis, sending the Colts to an early vacation. They are now poised to finish better than last year’s early playoff disappointment. However, they are banged-up. QB Philip Rivers won’t play, RB LaDainian Tomlinson is injured but will play, and TE Antonio Gates will most likely sit this game out. The Chargers have a good running game. That won’t be enough. The Patriots are in the midst of a once-in-a-lifetime season. Tom Brady will strike early and often. This game will be ugly. Book the Patriots for an upscale resort in the Phoenix area next week. Pick: New England

NFC Championship
New York Giants at Green Bay: Excuse me while I throw up. Unfortunately, both of these teams deserve to be here, while the Dallas Cowboys do not. This game will be played in a deep freeze, with the temperature scheduled to be 5 degrees at kickoff (5:30 pm local time) and only getting colder. The Giants are hot, and have only lost one road game all year. They haven’t played in Green Bay in January, though. Get ready to hear a ton more about the great Brett Favre during Super Bowl week, because he’ll be there. Pick: Green Bay

A Random Question

Question while sitting in Hooters (the unofficial restaurant of this blog) in Islandia, New York: Why would anyone in New York be a fan of the Jets and/or Mets, when they could be fans of the Giants and Yankees? Inquiring minds want to know.

There are Jets and Mets signs in here, but none for the Giants or Yankees. I know the Jets train on Long Island for now, and used to play in Queens, while the Mets still play in Queens. But, why choose them over the Giants or Yankees? I have no clue.

Just a rambling thought on a Thursday night in New York....

NFL Highway: Divisional Round (or, Dead End in Dallas)

The NFL playoffs delivered some unexpected events over the weekend. Gone are the defending Super Bowl champions and the favorite to win the NFC.

The author of this blog entered the belly of the beast on Sunday, flying to LaGuardia Airport in New York on a work-related trip. As I was picking up my rental car, I heard some shouting and clapping in the back room. That meant one thing: Tony Romo threw an interception in the end zone at the end of the game, sealing the victory for the New York Football Giants. Terrell Owens was obviously not happy, as the video shows. But, instead of throwing his quarterback under the bus (like Jeff Garcia and Donovan McNabb), he cried for his man Tony Romo. I really blame the loss on my wife. Instead of wearing her lucky pink Romo jersey, she wore my white Romo jersey. Bad, bad, bad. The G-men move one game closer to an unexpected Super Bowl. The Cowboys have not won a playoff game in 12 years. Barry Switzer was the last Cowboys coach to win a playoff game. Ouch.

Another place where they are crying in their Cheerios is Indianapolis. The Colts lost to the Chargers, 28-24. It was a bizarre convergence of events for San Diego, as star RB LaDainian Tomlinson left the game in the first half with a bruised knee, and QB Philip Rivers left in the third quarter with a damaged right knee. Enter QB Billy Volek and RBs Michael Turner and Darren Sproles. They picked up the slack and brought the Chargers back in the 4th quarter for the win. Turner helped improve his free agent status in the upcoming offseason, while coach Norv Turner got the biggest win of his career. Norv might just be a head coach, after all. The Colts are left at home wondering what happened.

The Chargers next get to face the juggernaut that is New England. The Patriots got a challenge on Saturday night from Jacksonville, but pulled away for a 31-20 victory. The Jags really only made two mistakes all night, but a team can't make any mistakes at all and expect to beat the Patriots. Good luck to the Chargers. They'll need it.

It was a winter wonderland in Green Bay on Saturday. It's supposed to snow in Green Bay in January. The Packers used the elements and a hot hand from Brett Favre to pound the Seattle Seahawks, 41-20. Seattle used two early fumble recoveries to set up two touchdowns for a 14-0 lead. The Packers steamrolled after that. The Pack now get an unexpected home game Sunday night against the Giants.

NFL Picks: Divisional Round

Apologies for the lack of postings. My brain has been in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. This isn’t a political blog, so I’ll quit there.

We have a set of four good games this weekend. Anything can happen, and probably will.

Last Week: 3-1
Season: 173-79

AFC
Jacksonville at New England: Patriots return after a bye week as 13 ½ point favorites over a good Jacksonville team. The scary thought: Vegas is probably right. The Jaguars are solid, but they can’t stop the Pats on a cold January night in Foxboro. Pick: Patriots

San Diego at Indianapolis: The Chargers have had a nice run, including a crazy win over the Colts earlier in the season in San Diego. However, the jig ends here. The Colts are rested and relatively healthy, while the Chargers are missing their leading receiver, TE Antonio Gates. Colts win. Pick: Indianapolis

NFC
Seattle at Green Bay: The Packers have been the surprise of the year. Brett Favre has had a season for the ages. The Seahawks have kept a low profile in the Northwest, but pounded the Redskins last week. The visiting team usually wins one of these games. This is the best chance for that. Pick: Seattle

New York Giants at Dallas: The Cowboys have swept both games this year. Dallas now comes off of a virtual two-week layoff, having rested several starters in the season-ending game against Washington. The Giants have shown strength in the last two weeks, playing the Patriots tough two weeks ago, and getting a road win in Tampa last week. They have a good chance to win this week. But, did Tony Romo have too much fun in Cabo last week? I don’t think so. Pick: Dallas

Coaching Carousel, Part 3

It’s been a few weeks since this blog covered the coaching merry-go-round, but the hires are almost complete. What are some of these schools doing? Actually, some of them improved their programs in the process. Here are a few schools with new football coaches:

UCLA: The Bruins fired Karl Dorrell and brought Rick Neuheisel back to Westwood, where he won a Rose Bowl as quarterback. Neuheisel drug Colorado (probation) and Washington (small-time NCAA tournament pool) into the mud, but went into the NFL as an assistant coach before getting the UCLA gig. Neuheisel will recruit well and coach well. UCLA is neither a small-time, nor big-time football program. Think USC basketball. SC is getting better in hoops in the shadow of UCLA. UCLA will improve in football in spite of crosstown rival USC.

West Virginia: The Mountaineers went through a soap opera after the departure of Rich Rodriguez. WVU was rumored to be chasing Terry Bowden, Florida State assistant Jimbo Fisher, and Florida assistant Doc Holliday. All of them had West Virginia connections, but none were able to win the favor of all of the different factions of boosters. The governor even got into the search process. Meanwhile, the team went to the Fiesta Bowl and thumped Oklahoma. The following morning, interim head coach Bill Stewart became the permanent head coach. While one night in Arizona made the school’s search easier, will this help the ‘Eers long term? The jury is still out on that one. The coaching graveyard is littered with the carcasses of “players’ coaches” who rode the players’ sentiments to a permanent gig, only to be fired a few years later. Still, West Virginia should be one of the top two schools in the Big East every year.

SMU: This is the home run. The Mustangs waited almost two months after firing Phil Bennett, but were able to hire June Jones away from Hawaii. Jones performed a miracle in the islands, taking Hawaii from 0-12 to a BCS bowl in nine years. This was done with inferior facilities and a very low recruiting budget. The recruiting budget at Hawaii was so low, their coaches could not personally visit recruits on the mainland. Jones tried for years to get raises for his assistants and to improve their facilities. When the administration attempted to put the BCS bowl money into the general fund, Jones balked. Enter SMU, with $2 million per year of old Dallas money. Jones now gets to perform the impossible: turning SMU into a winner. If the administration on the Hilltop cooperates with him, he can do just that. This hire appears to be well worth the wait for the Mustangs.