UUOTD-Sunday

We're still going back in time, but only to the 1990's.

In 1996, the Kentucky Wildcats were kings of the hill, winning another national championship. Rick Pitino could have been elected governor, before taking off to coach the Knicks. This was a great team.

The Cats normally wear a classic royal blue. The blue is synonymous with a basketball tradition that takes a back seat to no one.

Someone was not thinking straight at Converse, when they designed this denim uniform. I love denim, but it does not go on a basketball uniform, especially one for a traditional powerhouse like Kentucky. Kentucky had a great blue road uniform. They did not need to throw it away for this.

Thankfully, this uni was thrown on the ash heap of history, and the royal blue uniform was brought back. The Cats will gladly keep that national championship, though.

Ugly Uniform Of The Day-Retro

We're still going retro, and we're still on the time machine. The time machine takes us to Atlanta, and 1971.

The Atlanta Hawks wore one of the ugliest uniforms in the history of the NBA. At the time, I'm sure it was considered groovy. However, it was tasteless. All that are missing from this uniform are the flowers and the flourescent Volkswagen bus.

The great Pete Maravich is shown in the home version. They wore lime green with blue, with stripes down the side of the uniform. On the back, the player's name was listed under the number. Maravich was simply "Pistol". Notice the knee-high socks, also. The Hawks really sullied his greatness with this uniform.

The Hawks changed their primary color to red when they moved to the Omni in 1972. They've had some bad looks in the last 30 years, but none as bad as this.

And, to think the team has chosen to wear this as a throwback this year. Ugh!

A Good Story

A good friend of mine has recently become a newspaper editor in western Nebraska. I was scoping out his paper's website yesterday, and came across a great achievement.

I do not keep up with high school girls basketball. I know of a handful of good teams in Texas, mostly at the class 5A level. I do remember, though, from my days in Oklahoma, that the best show is at small school tournaments, especially the state tournament. The small school tournaments there are the best attended, and the passion for hoops is greatest in tiny communities where there is nothing else.

Sioux County High School is located in Harrison, Nebraska (population 279), in the far northwest corner of the state, near the borders of Wyoming and South Dakota. It is 48 miles from the nearest Wal-Mart. According to the Nebraska School Activities Association, Sioux County is the second-smallest school in the state, with an average attendance of 24. The school's website shows 30 students. There are 16 girls in the school, and 12 play basketball.

Last night, the Sioux County Warriors qualified for their first ever girls state tournament, defeating Maywood by a score of 43-32. They now advance to next week's state tournament in Lincoln. I know nothing about Nebraska girls basketball, but I wish them well.

The Warriors now get to ride a big yellow school bus 503 miles to Lincoln (according to Mapquest). I don't think they'll mind. If they're lucky, maybe someone could spring for a charter, or at least a nice minibus. Either way, it's a really, really big deal.

UUOTD-Thursday

UUOTD remains on the time machine, and we go back to 1979.

We're not in Cleveland, but we go down the Ohio Turnpike/Pennsylvania Turnpike down to Pittsburgh, where the Pirates won a World Series.

These were the "We Are Family" Pirates, who adopted the popular disco song by Sister Sledge. They were a good team, led by guys like Willie Stargell, Dave Parker, and Bill Madlock (pictured). I was for Baltimore in the '79 Series, and was mad when the Pirates won it.

The Pirates also wore uniforms worthy of the disco era. They had some of the ugliest uniform combinations, and never wore the same thing two days in a row. They had both black and gold caps, in the 1890's style, with the flat top and horizontal stripes. The caps also had stars, given to players as a reward by the captain, Willie Stargell.


They also had gold, black, and white jerseys and pants. The white jerseys had gold pinstripes, with a small black trim on the pinstripes. The pants matched the jerseys, but the pants were not always worn with its matching jersey. So, there were all kinds of combinations of uniforms for these Pirates.

It was quite the clash during that World Series, when the Orioles chose to wear their orange jerseys with the white and black hats. The disco era was quite colorful, pun intended.

My high school had the same colors as the Pirates, and the baseball team wore imitations of the Pirates' uniforms in 1980-81-82, with gold jerseys and black pants with gold pinstripes on the pants, and the black flat-top cap with stars.

At least the Bucs didn't wear powder blue on the road, like a lot of the other teams of that era did.

Oh, what a difference 28 years makes.

A Train Wreck?

NBA All-Star Weekend has turned into more of a party than a game. The game is usually pretty bad, and comes at the end of a long weekend of partying.

A lot of the time, I find Jason Whitlock to be a big blowhard. Other times, I agree with him. He opines here that bringing the All-Star Game to New Orleans next year is a bad idea. I'll let him say these things, because: 1) he's a better writer than me, and 2) because he's black, and there are things he says that I wouldn't be able to write.

Mayhem Main Event at NBA All-Star Weekend

Now, we have another reason why Mark Cuban doesn't want to bring the All-Star Game to Dallas.

Ugly Uniform of the Day

For today's UUOTD, we remain in the Great Lakes. That area has been a center for bad taste in uniforms.

The NBA, the 90's, and the city of Cleveland have provided plenty of fodder for this blog in recent days. Now, they all converge for one UUOTD.

The Cleveland Cavaliers changed color and uniform schemes with their move into Gund Arena (now Quicken Loans Arena) in 1994. They changed to this black, orange, and baby blue uniform. There is a splotch of baby blue across both the jersey and the shorts. It looks like a kid spilled blue paint on a black uniform. The orange trim does not help at all. This was bad, bad, bad. The Cavs wore these for four years, before keeping the colors and removing the splotch on a revised uniform, which they wore for five years before moving to their present uniforms.

Once again, the NBA tried to get too cute. Somewhere out there, there is a uniform designer who is the object of much ridicule. The league may not design all uniforms, but they do approve all uniform changes. The uniform czar at the NBA was asleep on the job in the mid-90's.

Don't worry, though. These will come back as throwback jerseys in another 10 years or so.

For what it's worth, the Cavs are wearing their late 80's-early 90's orange jerseys Thursday night, in a throwback promotion. They are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the beginning of their run of quality teams, which played third banana to the Pistons and Bulls of that era.

Ya gotta look out for CLE.

It's Big Business

The 2000's are becoming known for the ballooning budgets of collegiate athletic programs.

Kyle Whelliston, at his blog, The Mid-Majority, has lists of every Division I athletic program, in order of student enrollment (total, undergraduate & graduate), athletic budget, and a lot of other information on all 338 Division I schools. It is quite interesting.

Some interesting facts, from the 2005-2006 school year:

Largest school: The Ohio State University, with 50,995 students. Minnesota and Texas were close behind, with both having an enrollment over 50,000.
Smallest school: Centenary, 1,040 students.

Largest school with no football program: Long Beach State, 33,479
Largest school in Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA): UC-Davis, 29,210
Largest school not in BCS conference: Central Florida, 42,465

Smallest school in BCS conference: Wake Forest, 6,504
Smallest school with football program-Bowl Subdivision: Tulsa, 4,174
Smallest school with football program-Championship Subdivision: Wofford, 1,177

Largest athletic expense: Ohio State, $101,804,848
Largest athletic expense, non-BCS conference: TCU, $37,111,424
Largest athletic expense, Championship Subdivision: James Madison, $23,024,778
Largest athletic expense, non-football school: St. John's, $24,363,808

Smallest athletic expense: Wofford, $2,240,193
Smallest athletic expense, Bowl Subdivision: Louisiana-Monroe, $7,191,179
Smallest athletic expense, BCS conference: South Florida, $24,340,060
Smallest athletic expense, non-football school: St. Francis, N.Y., $3,054,035

This begs this question, among others: What is Wofford doing in Division I?

UUOTD-Tuesday

We remain in the Great Lakes, but cross the border into the Great White North of Canada for today's UUOTD.

The Toronto Raptors came into the league in 1995, while the movie Jurassic Park was popular. I thought that was a questionable and goofy team name at the time. The uniform was even worse, as modeled by Vince Carter (above).

The NBA trend for some teams at that time was to have a big mascot on the front of the jersey, with a logo and a small number. For the Raptors, this meant having something akin to Dino on the front, complete with pinstripes and purple. They also had a little "TR" logo at the bottom of the stripe on the side of the shorts.

Gross. At least they didn't use Barney as a mascot.

The Raptors have done better to adopt the Canadian colors of red and white. The dinosaur uniform days are over.

The question in the future will be: What's a Raptor? I don't look for them to change their name to the Mounties any time soon, though.

Finger Lickin' Good

This is from a game earlier this year between Alabama and LSU.

Alabama assistant coach Tom Asbury is caught picking his nose, then eating the booger. This is classic video, made even better by the greatness of the DVR, and the commentary on the slow-motion replay.

Enjoy...

UUOTD-Monday

Imagine this: A UUOTD not involving Cleveland or San Diego!

The 1990's were a decade where the NBA's marketing and design people were under the influence of drugs. That can be the only explanation for some of the bad uniforms and designs that the league is only now being purged of. Designs that were supposed to be cute and cool did not withstand any test, much less the test of time. There were some bad, bad looks as the league said goodbye to the great Michael Jordan.

A classic example is what happened to the Detroit Pistons' uniforms, from 1997-2001. The Pistons had a great look, with their blue and white uniforms, with red trim. Somebody in the front office, or in the NBA marketing office, got the bright idea to change the color scheme. So, the Pistons switched to teal, and this goofy horsepower logo. Grant Hill is pictured here with this uniform. A tough team from a tough city like Detroit did not need to be wearing teal.

Also, one of the worst logo designs were the alternate designs with the team initials, such as the "DP" on the shorts. That was so ghey. The Pistons were not the only guilty party on that-see the Utah Jazz and their "UJ" from the 90's.

Not coincidentally, the Pistons were struggling on the court. The team got smart in this decade, and switched back to blue and red. A championship soon followed.

Teal was a bad, bad look for the Pistons.

If At First You Don't Succeed...

Sometimes, it is for the best when things do not work out.

Two weeks ago, Norv Turner was passed over for the head coaching job with the Dallas Cowboys. Jerry Jones decided to go with a defensive-oriented coach, and chose Wade Phillips. Turner went back to San Francisco, and signed a one-year extension to remain the offensive coordinator with the 49ers.

But, the earth shook last week in San Diego, and Marty Schottenheimer was fired after a 14-2 season. The Chargers, loaded for a Super Bowl run, hired Turner as their head coach today.

Today, Norv Turner is glad that Jerry Jones passed him over. He now has a legitimate chance to make it to a Super Bowl. He's already worked with owners Dan Snyder and Al Davis, so whatever he runs into in San Diego will be a piece of cake. He also won't have Jerry Jones making football decisions for him.

Norv Turner gets to live in sunny San Diego, and gets to coach a good team. Good for him.

2007 NCAA Tournament Projections

Updated NCAA Tournament projections:

St. Louis Regional East Rutherford Regional

(1st-2nd round, Lexington) (1st-2nd round, Chicago)
1) Ohio State 1) Wisconsin
16) East Tennessee State 16) Central Conn. St.-Jackson State

8) Tennessee 8) Arizona
9) Oklahoma State 9) Virginia Tech

(1st-2nd round, Chicago) (1st-2nd round, Columbus)
5) Duke 5) Vanderbilt
12) Michigan State 12) Xavier

4) Marquette 4) Butler
13) Winthrop 13) Holy Cross

(1st-2nd round, Sacramento) (1st-2nd round, Buffalo)
6) Alabama 6) Oregon
11) Clemson 11) Texas Tech

3) Washington State 3) Pittsburgh
14) Long Beach State 14) Vermont

(1st-2nd round, New Orleans) (1st-2nd round, New Orleans)
7) Louisville 7) UNLV
10) Creighton 10) Villanova

2) Texas A&M 2) Memphis
15) Austin Peay 15) South Alabama

San Jose Regional San Antonio Regional

(1st-2nd round, Sacramento) (1st-2nd round, Winston-Salem)
1) UCLA 1) Florida
16) Weber State 16) Delaware State

8) Indiana 8) Maryland
9) Boston College 9) Purdue

(1st-2nd round, Lexington) (1st-2nd round, Spokane)
5) Texas 5) West Virginia
12) VCU 12) Appalachian State

4) Southern Illinois 4) Air Force
13) Akron 13) Santa Clara

(1st-2nd round, Buffalo) (1st-2nd round, Spokane)
6) BYU 6) Virginia
11) Kansas State 11) Old Dominion

3) Georgetown 3) Nevada
14) Penn 14) Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

(1st-2nd round, Winston-Salem) (1st-2nd round, Columbus)
7) Kentucky 7) Notre Dame
10) Illinois 10) Bradley

2) North Carolina 2) Kansas
15) Oral Roberts 15) Marist

UUOTD-Turn Back The Clock Edition, Again

We remain on the time machine, back to the 1970's, and we stay on the shuttle between San Diego and Cleveland.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have not had many good uniforms in their history. It can be argued that their current unis are the best they have ever worn.

In 1974, the Cavs left the old Cleveland Arena for the Coliseum in Richfield, halfway to Akron. When they moved, they also got new uniforms. They kept the colors of wine and gold, and began wearing these monstrosities. The colors are bad. The trim is hideous.

Cavalier legend Austin Carr is shown wearing the road version of these rags.

These are some of the worst uniforms in the history of the NBA. The NBA has had plenty of bad uniforms, but these are up there with the worst.

Eye-gouge rating: 2

Ugly Uniform of the Day

We return to San Diego for today's Ugly Uniform Of The Day.

The Padres have a laundry list (no pun intended) of ugly uniforms throughout the years. Today's UUOTD was full of good intentions, but is just really, really bad.

San Diego is a Navy town. With that in mind, the Padres wanted to honor our military on some promotional days during the 2003 and 2004 seasons. They unveiled these really awful camouflage uniforms. Never mind that camouflage is worn more by the Army, and that San Diego is full of Navy men and women. These guys look like action figures. Only thing is, G.I. Joe is a soldier, not a baseball player.

I do not want to throw the military under the bus. I respect and support our military and their mission. But even the brave men and women of our armed forces would agree: These Padres uniforms are ugly.

UUOTD-Turn Back The Clock Edition

Staying in the 1970's...

The city of Cleveland has been known to some as the "Mistake By The Lake". The 70's weren't good to Cleveland, and nowhere is that more evident than in uniforms worn by two of their teams: the Indians and the Cavaliers.

The Cavaliers have one of the worst uniform histories of any franchise in the NBA. But, that is another story for another day.

The Indians wore these all-red uniforms on occasion from 1973 to 1976. They wore a blue hat, with a funky-shaped "C", and these pajama-looking red uniforms. These are some of the worst uniforms in the history of baseball. They look like tomatoes. Maybe these tomatoes went on the Padres' cheeseburgers. Nah, because there was no interleague play in those days, and both teams were horrible. The only way they saw the World Series was on TV.

Eye gouge rating: 2


I could not find a picture of Oscar Gamble in the red uniform. That's too bad. It would have been classic.

Rumbling In The Hills

From the hills of Arkansas...

It is being reported that Arkansas athletic director Frank Broyles, aka "Frank of the Ozarks", is set to announce his retirement.

As they say on the East Coast: Film at 11. Or, in the blog world, more later..

Report from Channel 40/29 in Arkansas

New Blog

I have tried to keep this blog fun and informative. There are some subjects which I feel are better addressed elsewhere. I tend to be opinionated on some subjects. Therefore, I have created another blog at http://hotopinions.blogspot.com.

In the meantime, enjoy this blog!

Intramurals?

This is old news, as it happened earlier this week.

Colorado football coach Dan Hawkins was asked about an anonymous complaint from a parent about the relative lack of time off during the Buffs' offseason program. Hawkins left Boise State for the bright lights of the Big XII, and promptly went 2-10 in a train wreck of a season. He is not used to losing, and losing is not wearing well on him.

The audio of his response is here. This is classic audio. Does he mean business, or is he a lunatic?

Good stuff...

UUOTD-Turn Back The Clock Edition

We turn back the clock to 1972 for today's Ugly Uniform of the Day.

The San Diego Padres, for the first ten years of their existence, were a bad baseball team. They also had bad uniforms to match.

This 1973 Topps baseball card shows an action shot of the '72 Padres at an empty San Diego (later Jack Murphy and Qualcomm) Stadium. The Padres have a legacy of bad uniforms, but these are the worst. They look like cheeseburger wrappers. Which makes sense, since McDonald's founder Ray Kroc bought the team in 1974. The hats are ugly, the jerseys are ugly, and the pants are ugly. These are better to be forgotten, except for comic relief.

This is not the first time for the Padres to have the UUOTD, nor will it be the last.

Eye-gouge rating: Two

Sleepless In San Diego

Oh, what a brain fart in the playoffs will do...

The San Diego Chargers yesterday fired coach Marty Schottenheimer, after a 14-2 season. The Chargers inexplicably blew a lead and lost their first playoff game to the Patriots, and it went downhill from there. The Bolts lost both their coordinators to head coaching jobs (OC Cam Cameron to Miami, DC Wade Phillips to Dallas), and Schottenheimer was being vetoed on his choice of defensive coordinator. It was a power struggle between Marty and general manager A.J. Smith, and management won.

If the Chargers had continued through the playoffs as they did in the regular season, they would have won a Super Bowl, and Marty could have retired on top.

Schottenheimer continues with a reputation as a great regular season coach, with little success in the playoffs. The Chargers look silly for firing a coach after going 14-2, after announcing a month earlier that said coach would be returning.

The Chargers are full of talent, but now must replace the head coach and both coordinators. Rumored candidates include Bill Parcells (we saw how that worked out in Dallas), and Pete Carroll (trying to get out of USC one step ahead of the NCAA).

2007 NCAA Tournament Projections

We are a month away from the NCAA tournament, and a lot of things can still happen, and probably will. These pairings are always in flux, and seeds will fluctuate drastically for some teams. At this point, I have nine teams from the Big East, and seven teams from the ACC projected to be in the field of 65. I don't expect that form to hold.

Here is this week's installment of NCAA Tournament projections:

East Rutherford Regional San Antonio Regional

(1st-2nd round, New Orleans) (1st-2nd round, Lexington)
1) Florida 1) Ohio State
16) Weber State-Miss. Valley State 16) East Tennessee State

8) Clemson 8) BYU
9) Creighton 9) Virginia

(1st-2nd round, Spokane) (1st-2nd round, Columbus)
5) Air Force 5) Arizona
12) Texas 12) Winthrop

4) Oregon 4) Georgetown
13) Providence 13) Davidson

(1st-2nd round, Spokane) (1st-2nd round, Sacramento)
6) USC 6) Boston College
11) VCU 11) Gonzaga

3) Kansas 3) Nevada
14) Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 14) Long Beach State

(1st-2nd round, Lexington) (1st-2nd round, New Orleans)
7) West Virginia 7) Alabama
10) Maryland 10) Illinois

2) Memphis 2) Texas A&M
15) Austin Peay 15) South Alabama

San Jose Regional St. Louis Regional

(1st-2nd round, Winston-Salem) (1st-2nd round, Chicago)
1) North Carolina 1) Wisconsin
16) Marist 16) Delaware State

8) Tennessee 8) Villanova
9) Old Dominion 9) Florida State

(1st-2nd round, Winston-Salem) (1st-2nd round, Buffalo)
5) Oklahoma State 5) Kentucky
12) Stanford 12) Appalachian State

4) Butler 4) Southern Illinois
13) Syracuse 13) Holy Cross

(1st-2nd round, Chicago) (1st-2nd round, Columbus)
6) Indiana 6) Virginia Tech
11) Louisville 11) Kansas State

3) Marquette 3) Washington State
14) Vermont 14) Oral Roberts

(1st-2nd round, Sacramento) (1st-2nd round, Buffalo)
7) Duke 7) UNLV
10) Missouri State 10) Xavier

2) UCLA 2) Pittsburgh
15) Penn 15) Akron

UUOTD-Saturday

Today, sadly, marked the end of football season, with today's Pro Bowl in Hawaii. I didn't watch it. Nonetheless, we now have an off-season full of mini-camps, free agency, and the draft. It won't be long until training camps open in August.

Today's last game also continued a trend: ugly uniforms at the Pro Bowl. These may not have been the worst ones the NFL has slapped on these guys. However, these are pretty bad. The watermarks under the front of the jerseys have got to go. They look like most countries' paper money. I don't want to see stars or some tropical design under the front of the jersey. Just give me a number and maybe a team name, and I'm fine with it.

Also, the patches make the uniform look a little busy. We don't need the team name on the front and the logo on the side. We already know what team he plays for. The Pro Bowl logo looks a little like the Survivor logo, but they didn't use brown as the color. The patches on the jersey make it look too busy, and make it look too much like NFL Europe. Which German beer is going to sponsor the teams next year?

Tiki Barber is pictured here in his last game. These jerseys were a cruel joke to play on him.

Not A Bum

Poor Wade Phillips. He has always had to follow in the footsteps of his colorful and famous father, former Houston Oilers coach Bum Phillips. Wade has actually coached longer in the NFL than his father. He also has an above average record as a head coach in Denver and Buffalo.

I applaud Jerry Jones for hiring a coach based on his coaching ability, and not his ability to sell tickets or draw TV cameras. This is not a sexy hire, but this team does not need a sexy name for this hire. This is a coach hungry to prove that he should not have been fired from two NFL jobs, and one that has been successful everywhere he has been. The Cowboys are a team that should be better than 9-7.

I hope this works out. I don't expect a train wreck, but I'm not sure if greatness is in the future.

Ugly Uniform of the Day

Indianapolis is blessed with a Super Bowl champion with cool uniforms. That city is also cursed with a basketball team with ugly uniforms.

The Pacers' duds are simply that: dud. The mustard yellow and pinstripes are putrid. They're even worse on the road, when they have pinstripes on top of navy blue. They tried to go old-school when they moved into their new retro arena. It hasn't worked. The arena is great, but the uniforms are not.

Eye-gouge rating: one

Blech!

The Yanks Are Coming

This week, NHL owners Tom Hicks of the Dallas Stars, and George Gillett of the Montreal Canadiens, announced their intention to buy the Liverpool club of the English Premier League. For those of us on this side of the pond, that is a soccer team. In England, they play football, and are five-time European champions.

This is a big deal. Slowly but surely, American owners are taking over franchises in the EPL. Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner Malcolm Glazer owns Manchester United, the most popular team in the world, and Cleveland Browns owner Randy Lerner has purchased Aston Villa.

This is a good marriage. American money invested in English clubs can't help but improve the quality of the best league in the world.

It's not fair to compare English soccer with pro sports in the US. However, it's a cool thing. I don't know enough about it to have a favorite team. If one of those clubs wants me as a fan, I'm available, for a price.

What's Taking Jerry So Long?

It's slowed down a lot here at the old blog, but Jerry Jones is still looking for a coach.

Today, Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera visited Valley Ranch. Tomorrow, Colts quarterbacks coach/assistant head coach Jim Caldwell is scheduled to interview with Jerry.

I think Norv Turner becomes the new coach, with Jason Garrett as offensive coordinator, and Todd Bowles gets promoted to defensive coordinator.

Go ahead and pull the trigger, if that's what you're going to do, Jerry.

Above Zero

Belated congratulations to the Iona Gaels, on their first victory of the season. Last Saturday, Iona defeated Easy Rider, 69-57. There are no more winless teams in Division I college basketball.

Actually, the school is called Rider. Maybe I should call them Red Rider.

Iona is now 1-22.

NCAA Tournament Projections

Latest edition of NCAA tournament projections, based on AP and Coaches polls, and the latest RPI..

San Antonio Regional
(1st-2nd rounds-New Orleans)
1) Florida
16)Central Conn St/Marist

8) Clemson
9) Texas Tech

(1st-2nd rounds-Spokane)
5) Southern Illinois
12)Davidson

4) Oregon
13)Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

(1st-2nd rounds-Columbus)
6) Indiana
11)Arkansas

3) Kansas
14)Vermont

(1st-2nd rounds-Lexington)
6) Notre Dame
11)Maryland

2) Memphis
15)Long Beach State


East Rutherford Regional

(1st-2nd rounds-Lexington)
1) Ohio State
16)East Tennessee State

8) Gonzaga
9) West Virginia

(1st-2nd rounds-Sacramento)
5) USC
12)Xavier

4) Nevada
13)Holy Cross

(1st-2nd rounds-Chicago)
6) Texas
11)Tennessee

3) Marquette
14)South Alabama

(1st-2nd rounds-Winston-Salem)
7) Stanford
10)BYU

2) North Carolina
15)Delaware State


San Jose Regional

(1st-2nd rounds-Sacramento)
1) UCLA
16)Weber State

8) UNLV
9) Creighton

(1st-2nd rounds-Winston-Salem)
5) Alabama
12)Virginia

4) Duke
13)UMass

(1st-2nd rounds-Buffalo)
6) Georgetown
11)Michigan State

3) Butler
14)Akron

(1st-2nd rounds-New Orleans)
7) Vanderbilt
10)Boston College

2) Texas A&M
15)Penn


St. Louis Regional

(1st-2nd rounds-Chicago)
1) Wisconsin
16)Jackson State

8) Villanova
9) Virginia Tech

(1st-2nd rounds-Lexington)
5) Washington State
12)Illinois

4) Oklahoma State
13)Winthrop

(1st-2nd rounds-Spokane)
6) Kentucky
11)Purdue

3) Air Force
14)Oral Roberts

(1st-2nd rounds-Buffalo)
7) Florida State
10)Kansas State

2) Pittsburgh
15)Austin Peay

Super Bowl Musings

Super Bowl XLI is in the books. The Colts held off the Bears, 29-17. This was neither the best nor the worst Super Bowl ever played. This is the first Super Bowl win for the Colts since moving to Indianapolis in 1984.

If not for the opening kickoff return for a touchdown by Devin Hester, the Bears would have gotten their butts kicked. The Colts were a much better team.

The rain absolutely ruined the game. The players were fumbling all over the field, and the spectators didn't pay Super Bowl prices to sit in the slop. Plus, the NFL's corporate backers couldn't have been real happy to entertain clients in that mess. I wouldn't be surprised to see the NFL only award the Super Bowl to domes from now on.

There were a lot of nervous people in Las Vegas. The over/under line on the game was 47. The Colts led 29-17, and had a chance to add a meaningless score during the last two minutes. Coach Tony Dungy isn't going to run up the score on anyone, much less his friend Lovie Smith. So, he went for it on 4th down, the Colts missed, and didn't score. The game ended with the 29-17 score. Those who bet the under won. Those who bet the over lost. It's a good thing I don't bet on football, because I would have taken the over.

Adam Vinatieri now has four Super Bowl rings. He needs one more to tie Charles Haley for the record for most Super Bowl rings by one player.

That's it for now. Congratulations to the Colts. They earned it!

The Ming Ming Dynasty

Sun Ming Ming is the tallest player in professional basketball. He is 7'9", and makes his debut tonight for the Maryland Nighthawks of the American Basketball Association. Ming Ming is best known for his fight with a brain tumor attached to his pituitary gland, which caused his massive growth, but robbed him of speed and stamina, and caused a loss of testosterone. He had surgery to remove the tumor last year, and is now working toward his goal of an NBA career.

Ming-Ming Duckling is one of the Wonder Pets, the new hit show on Nick Jr. Ming-Ming and her friends Linny the guinea pig and Tuck the turtle are classroom pets that rescue baby animals outside school hours, and sing their lines opera-style. Ming-Ming, like Elmer Fudd before her, cannot pronounce her "R's" or "L's". Her signature line is: "This is sewious". From everything I've seen and heard, adults find the show funny, while small children find it entertaining.

This is the making of another Ming dynasty.

Overhyped, But Not Overrated, Part 2

As promised, more hot sports opinions on recruiting...

As I was coming home from the airport the other night, there was a recruiting show on the radio. It reminded me of how much demand there is for recruiting information. All over America, grown men are losing sleep and having conniption fits over the impending decisions of some 18-year olds. Fans take pride in ratings of recruiting classes, and stress out if their class is not in the top 10.

There is a booming industry of recruiting services that feed upon this frenzy. Some of these guys started as scouts providing information to coaches. This is still the case. However, they also sell their information to the general public. Recruiting experts such as Tom Lemming and Max Emfinger paved the way for others such as Jamie Newberg, Bobby Burton, Jeremy Crabtree, and others. These guys spend their time attending practices and summer camps, reviewing film, and on the phone with coaches, obtaining information and rating recruits. Often, recruiting analysts will rate players based on the schools recruiting them, and will sometimes increase or decrease ratings based on their choice of schools. Lemming is infamous for inflating the ratings of players headed for Notre Dame. I believe these guys work hard for their money. They are talent scouts for the college football industry.

Here is my pet peeve about recruiting: Too many fans take it way too seriously. Recruiting matters, and talent matters. However, many take it every bit as seriously as the games on Saturdays. I'll never forget a few years ago, when Tommie Harris committed to OU. Someone that I worked with was a UT fan, and was crushed. He was crushed, then offered me congratulations, and told me how awesome he was going to be. It turned out that Tommie Harris was a great player for OU, and now is a great player for the Bears. However, for every recruit like that, there is one that totally bombs out.

The whims of 18 year-olds are not worth the stress of grown men, whose livelihood do not depend on it. A lot of fans will spend $29.95 per month, or whatever the various fees are, to subscribe to a recruiting service. I can see the need for coaches to subscribe to scouting services. However, for those of us in the great unwashed, who do not depend on football for a living, this is a waste of money. As I said earlier, the recruiting analysts work hard for their money. And, if they can get a bunch of subscribers to pay for their service, more power to them. I wish the analysts well.

I believe it is so silly to get so worked up over recruiting. Recruiting matters, but it is not everything. And, it is information that is not worth the subscription. Recruiting analysts are laughing all the way to the bank.

Wednesday will be a great day for a lot of young men signing football scholarships. I wish them well.

There's A Game On Sunday

Last week: 1-1 Playoff picks: 7-3

Sunday is the big event of the year, Super Bowl XLI, between the Decatur Staleys and the Dallas Texans. Oops, I mean the Chicago Bears and the Indianapolis Colts. The Bears began in Decatur, Illinois, before moving to Chicago, as described here. The Colts began in Dallas, before the original Dallas Texans franchise was relocated to Baltimore in 1952. This is a different Texans franchise from the one which became the Kansas City Chiefs. A detailed history of the pre-Indy Colts can be found at Descendants of the Mayflower.

The Secretary of State/Commissioner wannabe has weighed in, with her pick of the Colts.

The Bears have rolled through a mediocre NFC, with a pedestrian offense and a great defense. The Bears' defense has had a couple of key injuries, and they have allowed more points since DT Tommie Harris was lost for the season.

The Colts have won three games in the AFC playoffs, and are in their first Super Bowl since moving to Naptown. Peyton Manning answered all the critics by leading the Colts to a comeback win over New England in the AFC championship game, after being down 21-3. The Colts have a great offense and a serviceable defense. The Colts' defense won two playoff games for them, after being asleep for most of the season.

I think the Colts are a better team. It's hard for me to figure if they win in a blowout, or if they win in a close game. Pick: Colts 34, Bears 20

UUOTD-Friday

If there were a traveling trophy for UUOTD, the University of Oregon would get it. The same folks that gave us the putrid football uniforms are now giving us bad basketball uniforms. The Wife suggested I post this bad look.

The Oregon Ducks are having a good year in hoops, in spite of their loss last night to UCLA in Pauley Pavilion. I caught part of this game last night, and saw the ugly two-tone road uniforms. Gross! Once again, teams that do not have black as a primary color should not wear black. Plus, the Ducks had this ugly gray trim down the side of the uniform. Those colors do not look good, especially with the yellow trim.

The Ducks and Nike are joined at the hip. It may be hard to tell where Nike stops and the Oregon athletic department starts, and vice versa. Nike is playing a bad joke on Oregon by sticking them with these uniforms.

An idea came from an anonymous poster using the name Bob Huggins. After looking at the Kings' gold uniform, he said he was going to gouge both eyes out. He made the comment that some uniforms are uglier than others.

With that in mind, each ugly uniform from here on out will have an eye-gouge rating. This one is worthy of one eye gouge.

Ugh!

Overhyped, But Not Overrated, Part 1

This is the craziest and silliest time of the year in college football. This Wednesday, February 7, is National Signing Day. This is the first day that high school football players can sign a letter of intent to accept a football scholarship to the school of their choice. The recruiting process is full of broken and kept promises, unwavering attention, and salesmanship that would make the guy at the used car lot drool in envy.

Players often milk the process for what it is worth. Imagine being 18 years old and being told you are the best thing since the invention of the wheel. Some handle it better than others. Some make a spectacle of it, others are more low-key. I’ll never forget 1989, when Dallas Carter star LB Jessie Armstead had his press conference in a hot tub, while he signed to play at The U. He panned out, as he helped Miami win a couple of national championships, and played several years in the NFL with the Giants. A lot of these guys go on to be successful. A lot of them turn out to be busts. Recruiting can be more of a crap shoot than a table at Caesars Palace.

Recruiting is the lifeblood of a program. Good recruiting can often disguise coaching deficiencies (ask the Texas Longhorns of 2005-the best decision Mack ever made was to “let Vince be Vince”). The great Barry Switzer once said: “It’s not about the X’s and O’s but the Jimmys and Joes”. Talent, more often than not in the college game, trumps coaching (Boise State 2006 is an exception, but that’s a whole other story).

Stay tuned for more hot sports opinions on recruiting..

0-22

The struggling Iona Gaels continue to have hard luck. The Gaels lost to Burnt Siena last night, as Kenny Hasbrouck hit a shot at the buzzer to give Siena a 61-60 win.

Iona has lost five of their last seven games by one point or in overtime.

That's rotten luck. That's just plain snakebitten.

By the way, I always wanted to call that school Burnt Siena, though their colors are green.

More on the Email Heard 'Round Arkansas

The email from the Little Rock physical therapist to quarterback Mitch Mustain continues to make waves. Columnist Wally Hall addresses it in today's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

I'm afraid this is a mess that is not going away any time soon.

Meanwhile, Mitch is going to school at the U of A this semester, while looking for a place to transfer.

For those who haven't seen the email, it is here.

This is sad. Arkansas deserves better.

He Wants To Go Home

Word comes from Ohio that Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Troy Smith wants desperately to be drafted by the Cleveland Browns. In the article, high school and college teammate Ted Ginn, Jr. also states his desire to return home to play for the Browns. Both players grew up in the former Mistake By The Lake, and want to go home.

Not many guys are signing up to go to Cleveland, unless there is a truck full of money involved, so these guys definitely want to go home. However, the NFL does not grant territorial rights, and does not have a territorial rights draft. If you're a player, you go where you're drafted, or you go to Canada to play with Ricky Williams for less than $50,000 per year.

The old USFL, in an effort to drum up local interest for its teams, granted territorial rights to its teams. Each team got to claim up to five local colleges, from which it got to draft players, in addition to the regular player draft. For example, the Oklahoma Outlaws claimed Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Tulsa, Arkansas, and Langston (Langston? Go figure..). A team would have right of first refusal for the rights to local players.

This is impossible in the NFL. The NFL doesn't need it, and there is a dearth of major college programs in the Northeast, compared to the South and Southwest. It would also be impossible to fairly distribute college programs around the country. Finally, the colleges would definitely turn into de facto farm clubs for pro teams. Imagine Mack Brown telling recruits that they could play for the Dallas Cowboys after they're finished at Texas.

But, let's daydream a bit. Here is an example of NFL territorial rights, with each franchise owning the rights to players from three universities. Most teams get the rights to players from two or three local schools, but some only get one, with some outlying schools serving as filler. Only Division I-A schools are used, and all BCS conference schools have a pro team claiming the rights to their players. An example is below:

Non-local teams to the franchise are in italics:
NY Giants: UConn, Alabama, Utah
NY Jets: Rutgers, Oklahoma, BYU
New England: Boston College, Texas Tech, Boise State
Buffalo: Buffalo, Syracuse, Oklahoma State
Philadelphia: Penn State, Temple, N.C. State
Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Baylor
Baltimore: Maryland, Wake Forest, East Carolina
Washington: Virginia, Virginia Tech, Memphis
Carolina: Clemson, North Carolina, Duke
Atlanta: Georgia, Georgia Tech, Auburn
Cleveland: Ohio State, Akron, Kent State
Cincinnati: Kentucky, Miami (Ohio), Cincinnati
Detroit: Michigan, Michigan State, Eastern Michigan
Indianapolis: Indiana, Purdue, Notre Dame
Tampa Bay: South Florida, Florida State, UCF
Miami: Miami, Florida International, Florida Atlantic
Jacksonville: Florida, Mississippi State, Louisville
Chicago: Illinois, Northwestern, Northern Illinois
Green Bay: Wisconsin, South Carolina, Oregon State
Minnesota: Minnesota, Iowa, Iowa State
St. Louis: Missouri, Arkansas, Tulsa
Kansas City: Kansas, Kansas State, Nebraska
Tennessee: Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Middle Tennessee State
New Orleans: LSU, Tulane, Southern Miss
Houston: Texas A&M, Rice, Houston
Dallas: Texas, TCU, SMU
Denver: Colorado, Colorado State, Wyoming
Arizona: Arizona, Arizona State, New Mexico State
San Diego: San Diego State, USC, UCLA
San Francisco: Stanford, San Jose State, Hawaii
Oakland: California, Fresno State, Nevada
Seattle: Washington, Washington State, Oregon

Once again, there is no need for such a plan, nor is it workable in the NFL. However, it is a way to get Troy Smith and Ted Ginn, Jr. to the Browns, so they can go home to Cleveland, like they wish.

2007 NCAA Tournament Projections

Here is the first installment of my NCAA men's basketball tournament projections for the year. This and $4.50 will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks.

I didn't use a set formula, as I have done in the past, but used a combination of the AP and Coaches polls and a replication of the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) to qualify and seed teams. Seeds can and will change as the season plays out. Teams will drop in and drop out. Plus, there are some things that cannot be explained, just as some seedings cannot be explained by the selection committee when those brackets come out in March.

Enjoy...

San Antonio Regional
(1st-2nd round: New Orleans)
(1) Florida
(16) Loyola MD
or Delaware State

(8) USC
(9) Texas Tech
(1st-2nd round: Columbus)
(5) Butler
(12) New Mexico State

(4) Virginia Tech
(13) VCU
(1st-2nd round: Spokane)
(3) Texas A&M
(14) Cal State-Fullerton

(6) Arizona
(11) Creighton
(1st-2nd round: Winston-Salem)
(7) Indiana
(10) BYU

(2) Duke
(15) Holy Cross

San Jose Regional
(1st-2nd round: Lexington)
(1) Ohio State
(16) Jackson State

(8) Southern Illinois
(9) Florida State
(1st-2nd round: Buffalo)
(5) Alabama
(12) Oral Roberts

(4) Oklahoma State
(13) Davidson
(1st-2nd round: Chicago)
(3) Marquette
(14) Penn

(6) Clemson
(11) West Virginia
(1st-2nd round: Sacramento)
(7) UNLV
(10) Louisville

(2) UCLA
(15) E. Tennessee State

East Rutherford Regional
(1st-2nd round: Winston-Salem)
(1) North Carolina
(16) Weber State


(8) West Virginia
(9) Michigan State
(1st-2nd round: Columbus)
(5) Washington State
(12) Wichita State

(4) Nevada
(13) Akron
(1st-2nd round: Lexington)
(3) Memphis
(14) South Alabama

(6) Vanderbilt
(11) Michigan
(1st-2nd round: New Orleans)
(7) Georgetown
(10) Arkansas

(2) Kansas
(15) Vermont

St. Louis Regional
(1st-2nd round: Chicago)
(1) Wisconsin
(16) Central Conn. State

(8) Stanford
(9) Boston College
(1st-2nd round: Sacramento)
(5) Notre Dame
(12) Missouri State

(4) Air Force
(13) Winthrop
(1st-2nd round: Spokane)
(3) Oregon
(14) Austin Peay

(6) Texas
(11) George Washington
(1st-2nd round: Buffalo)
(7) Kentucky
(10) Gonzaga

(2) Pittsburgh
(15) Texas A&M-C.C.

Back to Norval...

..or is it?

Reports today indicated Norv Turner was the leading candidate for the vacant head coaching position with the Dallas Cowboys. There were no remaining scheduled interviews, and the rumor mill had the job coming down to Turner and San Diego defensive coordinator Wade Phillips.

Turner has milked three years as Troy Aikman's quarterback guru (including two Super Bowl rings) into a nine-year NFL head coaching career. Turner proves that an NFL coaching career involves luck and timing as much as it does players. If he had remained in Dallas an extra couple of months, he most likely would have succeeded Jimmy Johnson as coach of the Cowboys, at the peak of their dynasty. Instead, he took the Redskins job, where he eventually wound up working for another crazy owner, Little Danny Snyder. He lasted seven years in D.C., with one playoff appearance, before getting fired. He was a coordinator in San Diego and Miami, before ending up as head coach for the Oakland Raiders, and an even more insane owner: Al Davis. He lasted two years with that black hole of a franchise before being mercifully fired after last season. This season, he helped the San Francisco 49ers back to respectability as their offensive coordinator.

Could Jerry do better? Probably. Could he do worse? Definitely.



But, there is a new candidate in the mix. Tuesday, Hall of Fame linebacker Mike Singletary is scheduled to visit Valley Ranch for an interview with Jerry. He has spent the past two years as a defensive assistant with San Francisco. This could be an ace in the hole. He is a native Texan who was one of the best linebackers in the history of the game. He has since served as a businessman, motivational speaker, and coach. He is someone that is even more impressive off the field than he was on the field. This is someone that does not know the meaning of the word failure. This is someone that oozes greatness. I look for him to blow Jerry's socks off tomorrow. I don't know if he'll get hired this time around, but Jerry would do well to think long and hard about it.

From The Penthouse To The Outhouse

The only remaining winless basketball team in Division I resides in New Rochelle, New York, as the Iona Gaels sit in the cellar of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, with an overall record of 0-20.

The Gaels, coached by former NBA player Jeff Ruland, were in last year's NCAA Tournament. They have lost all five starters from last year, and have now hit hard times. They have lost three of their last five games in overtime.

Luckily for the Gaels, four of their next five games are at home. This losing streak is bound to end.

The opportunity still exists for Iona to win four consecutive games at the end of the season in their conference tournament, and to go to the Big Dance. That is very doubtful, but still possible.

Ugly Uniform of the Day

Alternate uniforms provide so much fodder for UUOTD!

Last night, the Sacramento Kings wore these gold and purple threads in New Orleans for their game against the Hornets. These give the Wizards' gold alternate uniforms a run for their money. There are three major flaws in this jersey: the obnoxious and shiny gold, the thick vertical stripes, and the number above the team name in the upper right corner of the jersey. It was bad enough when the Kings ditched the blue, white, and red for purple, but that gold mixes with that purple like oil and water. The only redeeming feature is the script "Kings" across the front.

Since the Kings were the visiting team, and they lost, there were very few pictures in cyberspace from this game. I could not find a picture of Ron Artest's number 93. That would have added an unstable number to a putrid uniform.

Owners Joe and Gavin Maloof own The Palms casino in Las Vegas, one of the hippest and coolest places in Sin City. They should be ashamed of these things. There is nothing hip or cool about these uniforms. The Kings should go back to purple road jerseys, fast.

UUOTD-Huggy Bear Edition

Today's Ugly Uniform of the Day comes from the new home of coach Bob Huggins, the Little Apple, Manhattan, Kansas. The Kansas State Wildcats have unveiled a new set of uniforms, including a black alternate uniform. Two big no-nos stand out: the different color on the shoulder (a feature Nike likes to put on unis these days), and those wildcat stripes on the sides. Ugly!

The white and the purple uniforms look ok. They need to ship the black ones back to Beaverton, Oregon. Black is not their color. Purple and white are. That purple one actually looks good, except for those wildcat stripes. Once again, schools without black as a primary color do not need to be wearing black uniforms!

These are an improvement, though, over the uniforms I grew up watching them play in on the old Big 8 Game of the Week. You just have to love the two shades of purple and the short shorts. Not!

Lookalikes

Both of these gentlemen are indirectly, or directly associated with sports.

Mel Kiper, Jr. has spent his adult life as ESPN's draft guru. He has become a star as the NFL has become a year-round sport, and the draft has become a cottage industry. We are entering his busiest time of the year, as college all-star games are in full swing, including Saturday's Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. Mel is the best-known analyst in an industry full of draft "experts".




Dan Patrick is a newly elected member of the Texas State Senate. He is also owner of and drive-time host on KSEV AM 700 in Houston, and the new KVCE AM 1160 in Dallas. He came to Houston as a television sports anchor in 1979, and eventually became a restarateur before returning to broadcasting and becoming a conservative talk radio host. In case you are wondering, this is not the same Dan Patrick that is on ESPN radio and television.

Coincidentally, both men are originally from Baltimore, Maryland. Mel Kiper still lives in Balmer.

When I first saw a picture of the Houston Dan Patrick, I immediately thought he looked like Mel Kiper, Jr.

I wonder if either of these Baltimoreans will be for the Colts in Super Bowl XLI?

From The Archives, Part 2

In my infamous knee-jerk reaction to the Cowboys' meltdown against the Redskins in D.C. on November 5, I offered this potential head coach:

Heck, while talking about the Saints, let’s bring back Gary Gibbs. He can be the second ex-OU coach to be the head man in Dallas.

Well, it looks like Jerry Jones is going to interview Gary Gibbs, the current Saints defensive coordinator, and former OU head coach and Cowboys assistant.

Gary Gibbs is a darn good defensive coordinator. He has had good defenses everywhere he has been: OU, Georgia, LSU, the Saints (with considerably less talent than the Saints' offense). He also did a better than average job in a trying situation at OU, bringing the Sooners through probation. Though he didn't ring up Switzer-like numbers, he brought integrity to the program, and looked really good compared to his two successors: Howard Schnellenberger and John Blake. Gibbs' wheels fell off in the 1994 season, when his team quit on him in a 6-6 season.

For what Jerry is looking for, Gibbs would be as good as anyone. He is looking, for all intents and purposes, for a lead coordinator. Jason Garrett has been hired to run the offense, and Jerry is now looking for a defensive guy.

For better or for worse, Jerry is now the football czar once again. In my opinion, that is worse, as Jerry is making all personnel decisions, including players and assistant coaches. We saw where that led us before: 5-11 three years in a row. But, if Jerry is going to go back down that road, he could do a lot worse than Gary Gibbs and Jason Garrett.

The Email Read 'Round Arkansas

Due to ongoing popular demand, here is a link to the email received by Mitch Mustain, as published last week on this blog.

New Coaches?

The Dallas Cowboys yesterday interviewed former quarterback Jason Garrett for coaching positions. Not only did they discuss the position of offensive coordinator, but they also discussed the position of head coach. I wasn't surprised at all by the former, but I was shocked by the latter. I wouldn't be surprised if the Joneses actually offered him the gig. His current employer, the Miami Dolphins, have given him until today to accept a job, if offered.

Wade Phillips is the next candidate to be interviewed. In my opinion, the job is his to lose. He brings a combination of head coaching experience and expertise with the 3-4 defense. He would also allow Jerry Jones input into the selection of assistant coaches and player personnel.

I look for Wade Phillips to become the head coach, with Jason Garrett to become the offensive coordinator. Jerry is comfortable with both of them, and would once again function as football czar, as he did before the Parcells years.

From The Archives

I can't believe I said this. This turned out to be prophetic. This was part of a kneejerk reaction to the Cowboys' loss in Washington, November 5, 2006:

This is the beginning of the end of the Big Bill era. Parcells has brought the Cowboys from the level of sucking to the level of mediocrity. However, the team does not appear to be ready to move to the level of greatness which Jerry Jones and Cowboy fans expect.

Wow.

Jerry, go get us a coach!

Lovie Field

How about that for a stadium name? Jerry Jones is building a stadium in Arlington, and he has an opportunity for a name.

Lovie Smith is a native Texan. He is without a contract for 2007. His mother had a vision, over 20 years ago, that her son would one day be coach of the Dallas Cowboys. The job is open, and Lovie is in the Super Bowl with his Chicago Bears.

Smith played for one of the great dynasties in Texas high school football, starring on three consecutive Class B state championship teams at Big Sandy High School. I remember him as a player at the University of Tulsa in the late 70's.

He has more than proven himself as a coach, as last year's NFL Coach of the Year, and taking this year's Bears to the Super Bowl. He brings tons of credibility with him. I would love it if Lovie came back to Texas to fulfill his mother's vision, and to become coach of the Dallas Cowboys.

Is this a pipe dream? I'm afraid it is. The Bears will work out a deal to keep Lovie, and Jerry will look elsewhere for a coach.

And I was looking forward to the Cowboys' move to Lovie Field at (sponsor's name) Stadium. Oh, well.

Arkansas Hot Links

Due to heavy demand, here are the entries for the past week on this blog, regarding the situation at the University of Arkansas:

General Hogspital - The Gus Bus to Tulsa

General Hogspital, continued - The email to Mitch Mustain

Where There's This Much Smoke, There's Got To Be Fire

Who's Going To Work For Jerry?

Who is going to become the next head coach of the Dallas Cowboys? Here are some candidates, and their odds of becoming the next coach:

Wade Phillips, defensive coordinator, San Diego, 3-1. The son of legendary Houston Oilers coach Bum Phillips brings a 45-35 overall record in five seasons as a head coach of the Broncos and Bills, including two playoff trips. More importantly for Jerry Jones, he is a guru of the 3-4 defense, which the players learned this season and for which team defensive personnel is tooled. He has a good reputation in coaching circles, and it doesn’t hurt that he is a native Texan.

Norv Turner, offensive coordinator, San Francisco, 5-1. Turner is no stranger to the Cowboys, having served as offensive coordinator in the glory years of the 90’s, and as Troy Aikman’s quarterback guru. He is also no stranger to difficult head coaching situations, having coached seven years in Washington (49-59-1, one playoff trip) and two years with the train wreck known as the Oakland Raiders (9-23 record). Turner is still well-respected and well-liked in these parts, and would be a trustworthy mentor for QB Tony Romo.

Bob Stoops, head coach, Oklahoma, 20-1. Stoops would be crazy to go after this job, as he is already making over $3 million per year, and could get elected governor of Oklahoma. Joe Castiglione is a better boss for him than Jerry Jones would be. But, there is a rumor that Stoops and Jones have spoken. If Stoops really wants to coach in the NFL, this would be the job for him. However, he has a good thing going at OU, and I look for him to stay in Norman.

Ron Rivera, defensive coordinator, Chicago, 20-1. The hottest assistant left out there, but is not available for an interview for another two weeks. Jerry may not want to wait that long. Plus, Jerry may want an established head coach as he moves the Cowboys into the new Arlington stadium in 2010. It wouldn’t be bad PR for the Cowboys to hire a Hispanic coach, especially in Texas.

Bill Cowher, retired, 35-1. Cowher would be an excellent choice, but is still under contract to the Steelers. Jerry would owe the Steelers at least one draft choice if he hired Cowher this year. Plus, Cowher wants to rest for at least this year. Excellent coach, bad timing.

Jeff Fisher, head coach, Tennessee, 50-1. Fisher just re-signed with the Titans, so compensation would be involved in his hiring, as well. He has been a solid coach throughout his tenure with the Oilers/Titans, and would do well in Dallas. Vince Young made him look like a genius this year. Once again, excellent coach, bad timing.

Pete Carroll, head coach, USC, 50-1. Having too much fun at the college level. Would love to have the right opportunity to repair his image in the NFL, but has too much of a good thing going at USC.

Goodbye, Big Bill

Today, Bill Parcells retired from coaching pro football for the third time. This time, it was from the Dallas Cowboys. As could be expected, it sent shockwaves through the world of the NFL.

Big Bill did not work the same magic in Dallas that he did in New York and New England. He had two playoff appearances in four years, both resulting in first-round losses. However, he took the team from sucky to mediocre. The last two seasons ended in late-season collapses, ending in 9-7 finishes. This year happened to be one in which the Cowboys backed into the playoffs. The team is in better shape than when Parcells found it, but Super Bowls are the standard in Dallas.

Jerry Jones finds himself in an improved position. He has a new stadium under construction in Arlington. The Cowboys are still a huge draw on TV. Only four Cowboy games this season were played in the early Sunday time slot at 12 PM. This means that networks wanted to show them in the late game or in prime time, when ratings are higher. Ratings went up when the Cowboys were on. Also, Jerry finds himself with a young quarterback with potential in Tony Romo. Finally, Jerry has shed some of the reputation as a meddling owner, thanks to relinquishing some control to Parcells. It remains to be seen if Jerry will allow another coach the same amount of freedom in personnel decisions. My guess is no.

Overall, the Big Bill era has been a disappointment. But, he returned expectations and a bit of excitement to Valley Ranch.

NCAA Tournament Projections

In the middle of all this football, there is a college basketball season going on. Here are this week's projected bids:

(by conference)
America East (1): Vermont
ACC (5): North Carolina, Duke, Clemson, Virginia Tech, Boston College, Maryland
Atlantic Sun (1): East Tennessee State
Atlantic 10 (1): UMass
Big East (8): Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Notre Dame, Providence, Louisville, West Virginia, Marquette, Louisville
Big Sky (1): Idaho State
Big South (1): Winthrop
Big 10 (5): Wisconsin, Ohio State, Indiana, Michigan State, Michigan
Big XII (5): Texas A&M, Texas, Kansas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State
Big West (1): Cal State-Fullerton
Colonial (1): VCU
Conference USA (1): Memphis
Horizon (1): Butler
Ivy (1): Penn
MAAC (1): Marist
MAC (1): Akron
Mid-Continent (1): Oral Roberts
Mid-Eastern (1): Delaware State
Missouri Valley (3): Northern Iowa, Missouri State, Southern Illinois
Mountain West (3): Air Force, Colorado State, UNLV
Northeast (1): Sacred Heart
Ohio Valley (1): Austin Peay
Pac 10 (5): USC, Arizona, Oregon, UCLA, Washington State
Patriot (1): Holy Cross
SEC (6): Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, LSU, Vanderbilt
Southern (1): Davidson
Southland (1): Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
SWAC (1): Texas Southern
Sun Belt (1): Western Kentucky
West Coast (2): Gonzaga, Santa Clara
WAC (2): Nevada, New Mexico State

Seeding projections will begin in February.

Ron Mexico Update

It appears that Michael Vick/Ron Mexico was not trying to get marijuana through security at the Miami airport last week.

Two questions are begging for answers:

1) Why pay $15.00 for a water bottle with compartments, if he didn't have anything to hide?
2) Why try to get a plastic bottle through security in an airport, when you should know that they no longer allow plastic bottles?

The law was apparently not broken here. However, common sense was broken in this instance.

And this guy is quarterback of an NFL team?

I want to...

...throw up.

Peyton Manning has just thrown a Pick Six to Asante Samuel of the Patriots, and the Pats are whipping the Colts, 21-3.

I sure hope the Colts have a comeback in them. It doesn't look good right now.

Ugly Uniform of the Day

Today's UUOTD comes from the National Hockey League.

The NHL, in search for marketing dollars, has worn out the idea of a third, or alternate, jersey. Just about every team has one. Some of them are better than others. One of the worst ones was worn last night in Nashville.

The Nashville Predators are wearing this ugly shade of gold with navy blue. Their blue uniform is a lot better. Looks like this are a reason why I'm not a fan of the alternate jersey. This looks like French's horseradish mustard.

I'm still not used to the change the NHL has made, where the home team wears dark instead of white. They changed their policies in order to allow teams to wear the third jersey at home. It's taken me a while to adjust to the road team wearing white.

The Predators need to stick to the blue jerseys.