The season looks bleak for SU basketball right now. NIT is the three letters no one wants to hear, but Saturday's loss to Nova and tonight's loss to Georgetown really put that abbreviation into perspective. Three things were particularly effective in bringing me to this:
1.) Johnny Flynn getting into it with Jeremiah Rivers
So, you were beating them up, and you had a lead, but you need to finish the game, Johnny, and not worry about one-on-one games. It's 5 on 5, and as Johnny became score-first for 2 or 3 possessions, Georgetown slowly pushed their way back into the game. And he kept the hogging going in overtime. Terrible choices that will hopefully be out of his system after practice tomorrow.
2.) Scoop Jardine
Not an offensive threat in any way. Bricked the first shot of overtime. Played real sloppy, as did Paul Harris
3.) Donte Greene
This one goes out to nbadraft.net, who currently have Donte predicted to go 5th to the Knicks: HE IS NOT THAT GOOD! If he knows best, he'll stay at Syracuse for at least another year and get to work. Here's a checklist to start on:
-Inconsistency: TERRIBLE against Nova, 1-11 in the first half against Georgetown. As I have pointed out before on numerous occasions when comparing him to Carmelo Anthony: If Melo fucked up one game, he took it out on the opponent the next, something Donte has yet to discover. It is also known as "killer instinct," and if you don't have it, you should not be considering going pro at all. Not even in the back of you mind.
-Robotic offensive game: Really, you need to not shoot two threes and then drive, shoot two threes, then drive, etc. Donte needs to get the basket and try to get to the line against smaller guys, like every person that guarded him tonight besides Hibbert.
-DEFENSE: I talked to a few people about this tonight, and we all agree: Donte just doesn't play defense at all. He is the least active person I have ever seen in the zone. Ever. Think of other people who have played 2-3 zone at Syracuse: Billy Celuck, Craig Forth, Elvir Ovcina, all big, goofy, white guys, all better defenders than Donte Greene. Donte likes to block one shot and then relax for the rest of the night. That is definitely not helping the zone.
Conclusion: Donte should go undrafted if he declares this year. He has a ways to go.
In other news, Arinze put up a great fight on Hibbert, putting in 12 and grabbing 13 boards. his free throw shooting along with Donte's in OT really ended the game. But Arinze also set a career-high with 5 assists. And we're talking about passing out of a double down for an open 3 as well as finding cutters down the lane. Really impressive stuff.
And congratulations to Johnny Flynn on his first dunk of the year! Took him a while to learn how hard it is to do in traffic, as he scored lots of 2s tonight on a floater instead of attacking the rim (ridiculous bounce on one over Hibbert).
And the officiating? Well, according to a source of mine, Jim Burr and John Cahill are golf buddies with Boeheim, and that's why they give him such terrible calls all the time. I really don't know about that, but they really let it be a physical game. Especially under the basket, where Georgetown could be watching out for some lawsuits involving priests. A lot of stuff should have been called, but it's in the books, and no one can change that. Except the Miami Heat.
Also, congratulations to the Memphis Tigers for finally getting that #1 ranking. Barring an uprising from the "untouchables" who make up the rest of C-USA, the caste system should remain and Memphis should roll to the overall #1. Well, watch out for Bruce Pearl sweating.
Till next time...
Jan 21, 2008
Jan 17, 2008
Pats-Jags final analysis
The Patriots may never lose again in their history after Brett Favre storybook ends his career in XLII. But the game with the Jags game was the closest any team will get to New England. They just put too much on the table for Jacksonville to deal with. Watch Randy Moss with double coverage, but leave open Stallworth and Welker for short passes that have lots of YAC. Garrard attacked the Pats defense well except for his fumble and the pick. Otherwise, he was the model of how to play the Pats...in the 1st half. Belicheck obviously was prepared to make a half-time adjustment that made Garrard ineffective in the 2nd half. And the running game never got going, leading the Jags to rely heavily on Garrard's arm.
The Jaguars should be looking forward to next year. Their D is good enough to definitely increase their wins next year, but for now, it's the Patriots' time. And Tom Brady is still a choke in my heart.
The Jaguars should be looking forward to next year. Their D is good enough to definitely increase their wins next year, but for now, it's the Patriots' time. And Tom Brady is still a choke in my heart.
Jan 16, 2008
All Praises to the PlayStation!
Back at school after a nice visit to Los Angeles. Favorite part to share with my nearly-nonexistent loyal readers: watching the writers strike. My brother put it best when he said, "they don't really have that hard-hat, lunch-pail image that gets to the public." Boy do they not. First, there is a gigantic lunch buffet next to the picket line outside CBS's Los Angeles studios, which takes away the necessity of the lunch-pail. Second, they don't put much time into it. Most started showing up at around noon (when traffic is definitely not as high), and they also only picket for about 4 hours tops per person. Of course, they probably have some witty remark to shoot back at me, but we all know they work for 10 hours a day, of which 7 hours is somehow taking a break.
I really don't think I could live in LA with the way ESPN fits into daily life. Basketball games at 4PM? I need to get home from work, silly Digger! And PTI at 2:30? No wonder kids from LA here at Penn have some unfamiliarity with what I consider ESPN's #2 program, even in front of MNF, NFL Countdown, and College Gameday.
Anyways, all hope is lost for Syracuse basketball. WVU fucked them up on Sunday, and never has any team been slowed by the mixture of slime from Bob Huggins' hair and sweat from his suit (http://thesportshernia.typepad.com/blog/2008/01/bob-huggins-lau.html). So where to go from here? Hell, I'm still going to watch every game and be just as much of a fan, but I think tournament is going to be a hard path to get on for this team. Donte was like Bob Dylan on Sunday: not there. 3-12 from the field and only 10 points? I don't think he is going to be thinking about going pro if he has another performance like that. Carmelo could afford it because he was always able to bounce back, never putting up less than 20 points in consecutive games (besides the beginning of the tournament). And Scoop, isn't it really easy to score 18 when no one is guarding you? Well, now people are guarding you, so you better get that jumper going. Rutgers comes to the Dome tonight, and god damn am I worried.
Playoffs! I was 1-4 on Conference Championship participants. My bad. I thought Indy learned their lesson last year on how to win in the playoffs, but I was wrong. They learned how to win as an underdog, not as an overrated team. And Phillip Rivers? DBOTY mean douche bag of the year, and I think you'll win it for 2008.
Oh, man! TO! I almost forgot, but you really can't. He actually supported his quarterback after a terrible performance! I thought the apocalypse was coming. TO? Supportive of a teammate? Only talking to a Mexican reporter about his injury who probably can't understand him (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nN8MtNEpy9U)? Wow. But seriously. After bashing Jeff Garcia and Donovan McNabb, TO puts his support behind Romo, who definitely made a terrible decision in going to Cabo with Jessica Simpson and the rest of her family of idiots. And Jason Witten. Romo cried like a baby to the refs, yelled at his offensive line, and was basically ineffective in the second half. Eli outperformed him...yes, Eli Manning, and it was definitely the 40 second touchdown drive that tied the game with 7 seconds left in the first half that turned the tide.
But back to TO. He always gets the embarrassing defeat from Garcia and McNabb. TO's criticism of McNabb was completely hypocritical in blaming Don for the Super Bowl loss. How about thanking him for getting you to the Super Bowl? You certainly didn't help in the NFC playoffs, even if you did have a towel and stood on top of a bench waving it. You didn't play football. TO can't take over a playoff game, and unless he has a good quarterback (Tony Romo is NOT that guy), maybe he could win some games. Imagine if he did play the whole playoffs for the Eagles that year. They could have been even better together in the Super Bowl with some familiarity, and we'd be talking about an Eagles title. And the past two years, McNabb and Garcia, as Eagles quarterbacks, have terrorized Owens in games at Dallas. McNabb helped start the slide that led to Dallas' playoff exit this year with the 10-6 win in Week 15. And Garcia quarterbacked the blowout that made Tony Romo look like he needed more Pepsi Max last year. In conclusion, TO is not going to win a Super Bowl in Dallas unless Tony Romo is told to sit on a bonfire.
Everyone wants to write a movie about Brett Favre's season this year, so look for a script from Tony Kornheiser, Joe Buck, Mark Schlereth, and Sean Salisbury. Let's have the guys who directed Remember the Titans, Glory Road, We Are Marshall, and Radio direct it. It will be the biggest blockbuster in the history of sports movies. It will make Rocky look like he raped babies AND aborted fetuses. Look out for 2010's first hit movie, The Untitled Brett Favre Project, which will win 30 Oscars and get Jake Gyllenhaal his first Oscar and probably make people not think so much about Brokeback Mountain, but probably still think about Brokeback Mountain. Because JP Losman once said of Brett Favre, ""He invited me into the house for a little bit. There he was with his tight little shorts, no shirt and his little red hat. He was doing some farming or something. He was covered in dirt. It was awesome."
On that note, 'till tomorrow...do something else? But come back tomorrow...PLEASE.
PS:
I really don't think I could live in LA with the way ESPN fits into daily life. Basketball games at 4PM? I need to get home from work, silly Digger! And PTI at 2:30? No wonder kids from LA here at Penn have some unfamiliarity with what I consider ESPN's #2 program, even in front of MNF, NFL Countdown, and College Gameday.
Anyways, all hope is lost for Syracuse basketball. WVU fucked them up on Sunday, and never has any team been slowed by the mixture of slime from Bob Huggins' hair and sweat from his suit (http://thesportshernia.typepad.com/blog/2008/01/bob-huggins-lau.html). So where to go from here? Hell, I'm still going to watch every game and be just as much of a fan, but I think tournament is going to be a hard path to get on for this team. Donte was like Bob Dylan on Sunday: not there. 3-12 from the field and only 10 points? I don't think he is going to be thinking about going pro if he has another performance like that. Carmelo could afford it because he was always able to bounce back, never putting up less than 20 points in consecutive games (besides the beginning of the tournament). And Scoop, isn't it really easy to score 18 when no one is guarding you? Well, now people are guarding you, so you better get that jumper going. Rutgers comes to the Dome tonight, and god damn am I worried.
Playoffs! I was 1-4 on Conference Championship participants. My bad. I thought Indy learned their lesson last year on how to win in the playoffs, but I was wrong. They learned how to win as an underdog, not as an overrated team. And Phillip Rivers? DBOTY mean douche bag of the year, and I think you'll win it for 2008.
Oh, man! TO! I almost forgot, but you really can't. He actually supported his quarterback after a terrible performance! I thought the apocalypse was coming. TO? Supportive of a teammate? Only talking to a Mexican reporter about his injury who probably can't understand him (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nN8MtNEpy9U)? Wow. But seriously. After bashing Jeff Garcia and Donovan McNabb, TO puts his support behind Romo, who definitely made a terrible decision in going to Cabo with Jessica Simpson and the rest of her family of idiots. And Jason Witten. Romo cried like a baby to the refs, yelled at his offensive line, and was basically ineffective in the second half. Eli outperformed him...yes, Eli Manning, and it was definitely the 40 second touchdown drive that tied the game with 7 seconds left in the first half that turned the tide.
But back to TO. He always gets the embarrassing defeat from Garcia and McNabb. TO's criticism of McNabb was completely hypocritical in blaming Don for the Super Bowl loss. How about thanking him for getting you to the Super Bowl? You certainly didn't help in the NFC playoffs, even if you did have a towel and stood on top of a bench waving it. You didn't play football. TO can't take over a playoff game, and unless he has a good quarterback (Tony Romo is NOT that guy), maybe he could win some games. Imagine if he did play the whole playoffs for the Eagles that year. They could have been even better together in the Super Bowl with some familiarity, and we'd be talking about an Eagles title. And the past two years, McNabb and Garcia, as Eagles quarterbacks, have terrorized Owens in games at Dallas. McNabb helped start the slide that led to Dallas' playoff exit this year with the 10-6 win in Week 15. And Garcia quarterbacked the blowout that made Tony Romo look like he needed more Pepsi Max last year. In conclusion, TO is not going to win a Super Bowl in Dallas unless Tony Romo is told to sit on a bonfire.
Everyone wants to write a movie about Brett Favre's season this year, so look for a script from Tony Kornheiser, Joe Buck, Mark Schlereth, and Sean Salisbury. Let's have the guys who directed Remember the Titans, Glory Road, We Are Marshall, and Radio direct it. It will be the biggest blockbuster in the history of sports movies. It will make Rocky look like he raped babies AND aborted fetuses. Look out for 2010's first hit movie, The Untitled Brett Favre Project, which will win 30 Oscars and get Jake Gyllenhaal his first Oscar and probably make people not think so much about Brokeback Mountain, but probably still think about Brokeback Mountain. Because JP Losman once said of Brett Favre, ""He invited me into the house for a little bit. There he was with his tight little shorts, no shirt and his little red hat. He was doing some farming or something. He was covered in dirt. It was awesome."
On that note, 'till tomorrow...do something else? But come back tomorrow...PLEASE.
PS:
Jan 7, 2008
in Good Hands™
It's the night before the Allstate BCS Championship Game, and you know something? Despite all the doomsday predictions, and despite the fact that the Buckeyes are going up against a loaded LSU team with scary parallels to last year's Gators (playing basically a home game), I still feel confident as an OSU fan. To answer the question frequently posed by Allstate: yes. Ohio State is in good hands with Jim Tressel.
Don't get me wrong, I watched the same game you did last year. I watched the Dream die, swimming in jungle juice, as Ohio State get curb-stomped by a faster, meaner, hungrier Florida team. It still hurts to think about: the pre-game buildup during that now-infamous 51-day layoff between V-UM Day and D-Day, the preemptive congratulatory phone calls after Ted Ginn's opening kickoff return, the first round of drinks to celebrate our good fortune. We were on top, we were golden, and Florida could start the buses. We chanted it to them, just to let them know.
And then, the undertow: Teddy goes down with the foot injury. Florida scores. Florida scores again. Nobody can tackle Megatron, Tim Tebow; meanwhile, Ohio State's front five look like matadors against Jarvis Moss and Florida's front four. Troy gets sacked, Troy fumbles, Troy gets picked. The all-too poignant halftime show, with the Ohio State marching band recreating the sinking of the Titanic- that invincible, perfect, glittering vessel that folded impossibly in the night.
In the high times leading up to that Monday night, there wasn't a soul on campus who would have even imagined the kind of spanking Florida would give us. Judging by the team's performance that night in Glendale, we fans weren't the only ones that bought into the relentless media hype. A paunchy Troy Smith clearly bought it, as did a lethargic Buckeye secondary (seriously, how do you get picked apart by Chris "Allen Strange" Leak?) It seemed, to our horror, that even the infallible Jim Tressel had bought into the hype, and as they say: Buy the ticket, take the ride.
http://vmedia.rivals.com/uploads/1004/36787.JPG
http://www.donandmurph.com/thejourneyofalenstrange.JPEG
My point is this: this year, Jim Tressel isn't buying it. This year, the media is selling the Buckeyes as no-names, as underdogs, as just happy to be there. It's true that this year's team lacks the star power of last year's. The important thing to realize is that after last year's shellacking, that's a good thing. This is a team built in Tressel's own image, a team that exudes quiet confidence in the face of a challenge, plays conservative, fundamental football, demands accountability for blown assignments, and stays humble. Last year's team relied on big names to make big plays in big situations. No one player has been asked to shoulder the load this year, and as a result, Tressel has been able to forge a squad that plays the truest form of team ball. In Jim Tressel's world, Faceless is good. Depth is good. Interchangeable is good. Flexibile is good. Etcetera. Ohio State lost 9 of its 11 defensive starters from last season, including the NFL-bound Quinn Pitcock. The result? A No. 1 ranked defense that has improved by nearly 50 yards per game while allowing only two rush TDs all season.
While this year's Tigers bear a striking resemblance to last year's Gators [a throwing quarterback (Flynn/Leak) and a running quarterback (Perilloux/Tebow) platooning in the backfield, a speedy wideout corps, a dynamic, often overlooked speed back (Holliday/Harvin), and a monster defensive lineman (Dorsey/Moss)], the overlooked truth is that this year's Buckeyes, although lacking the big-name offensive fireworks of last year's team (Smith/Ginn/Gonzalez/Pittman), is not only a more tightly-knit unit, but a better team altogether. (Insert "Creampuff Schedule" dissension here.)(Insert "seven, count 'em, seven, 20+ point blowouts, with the only loss to Rose Bowl-bound Illinois team" counterpoint here.)
There's no getting past the importance of team chemistry, which appears to be the reason that the '07 Bucks have excelled in the absence of NFL-caliber talent. (Ivan "I-Formation" Maisel wrote an article on this for the Worldwide Leader: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/bowls07/columns/story?columnist=maisel_ivan&id=3183084&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab2pos2). Last season, Tressel had to balance his responsibilities to the team's success (maintaining an undefeated season) with his responsibilities to the athletes he promised to take to the next level (making sure Smith, Ginn, etc. got enough attention/touches/pro-style game situations). This season, he has a locker room full of emerging leaders- maturing, team-first guys (Laurinitis, Beanie, Boeckman, Boone, Barton, and possibly Craig Biggio) who haven't hesitated to rise to the occasion, Boeckman's last two weeks notwithstanding.
We're one year removed from "41-14." It's easy to predict another speed-over-power SEC romp, especially in front of a Louisiana crowd. It takes no stretch of the imagination to picture a stoic Jim Tressel shaking hands with a fiery Les Miles after another Ohio State heartbreak. Which is exactly why I don't think anyone in the OSU locker room, least of all Jim Tressel, will let it happen.
Don't get me wrong, I watched the same game you did last year. I watched the Dream die, swimming in jungle juice, as Ohio State get curb-stomped by a faster, meaner, hungrier Florida team. It still hurts to think about: the pre-game buildup during that now-infamous 51-day layoff between V-UM Day and D-Day, the preemptive congratulatory phone calls after Ted Ginn's opening kickoff return, the first round of drinks to celebrate our good fortune. We were on top, we were golden, and Florida could start the buses. We chanted it to them, just to let them know.
And then, the undertow: Teddy goes down with the foot injury. Florida scores. Florida scores again. Nobody can tackle Megatron, Tim Tebow; meanwhile, Ohio State's front five look like matadors against Jarvis Moss and Florida's front four. Troy gets sacked, Troy fumbles, Troy gets picked. The all-too poignant halftime show, with the Ohio State marching band recreating the sinking of the Titanic- that invincible, perfect, glittering vessel that folded impossibly in the night.
In the high times leading up to that Monday night, there wasn't a soul on campus who would have even imagined the kind of spanking Florida would give us. Judging by the team's performance that night in Glendale, we fans weren't the only ones that bought into the relentless media hype. A paunchy Troy Smith clearly bought it, as did a lethargic Buckeye secondary (seriously, how do you get picked apart by Chris "Allen Strange" Leak?) It seemed, to our horror, that even the infallible Jim Tressel had bought into the hype, and as they say: Buy the ticket, take the ride.
http://vmedia.rivals.com/uploads/1004/36787.JPG
http://www.donandmurph.com/thejourneyofalenstrange.JPEG
My point is this: this year, Jim Tressel isn't buying it. This year, the media is selling the Buckeyes as no-names, as underdogs, as just happy to be there. It's true that this year's team lacks the star power of last year's. The important thing to realize is that after last year's shellacking, that's a good thing. This is a team built in Tressel's own image, a team that exudes quiet confidence in the face of a challenge, plays conservative, fundamental football, demands accountability for blown assignments, and stays humble. Last year's team relied on big names to make big plays in big situations. No one player has been asked to shoulder the load this year, and as a result, Tressel has been able to forge a squad that plays the truest form of team ball. In Jim Tressel's world, Faceless is good. Depth is good. Interchangeable is good. Flexibile is good. Etcetera. Ohio State lost 9 of its 11 defensive starters from last season, including the NFL-bound Quinn Pitcock. The result? A No. 1 ranked defense that has improved by nearly 50 yards per game while allowing only two rush TDs all season.
While this year's Tigers bear a striking resemblance to last year's Gators [a throwing quarterback (Flynn/Leak) and a running quarterback (Perilloux/Tebow) platooning in the backfield, a speedy wideout corps, a dynamic, often overlooked speed back (Holliday/Harvin), and a monster defensive lineman (Dorsey/Moss)], the overlooked truth is that this year's Buckeyes, although lacking the big-name offensive fireworks of last year's team (Smith/Ginn/Gonzalez/Pittman), is not only a more tightly-knit unit, but a better team altogether. (Insert "Creampuff Schedule" dissension here.)(Insert "seven, count 'em, seven, 20+ point blowouts, with the only loss to Rose Bowl-bound Illinois team" counterpoint here.)
There's no getting past the importance of team chemistry, which appears to be the reason that the '07 Bucks have excelled in the absence of NFL-caliber talent. (Ivan "I-Formation" Maisel wrote an article on this for the Worldwide Leader: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/bowls07/columns/story?columnist=maisel_ivan&id=3183084&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab2pos2). Last season, Tressel had to balance his responsibilities to the team's success (maintaining an undefeated season) with his responsibilities to the athletes he promised to take to the next level (making sure Smith, Ginn, etc. got enough attention/touches/pro-style game situations). This season, he has a locker room full of emerging leaders- maturing, team-first guys (Laurinitis, Beanie, Boeckman, Boone, Barton, and possibly Craig Biggio) who haven't hesitated to rise to the occasion, Boeckman's last two weeks notwithstanding.
We're one year removed from "41-14." It's easy to predict another speed-over-power SEC romp, especially in front of a Louisiana crowd. It takes no stretch of the imagination to picture a stoic Jim Tressel shaking hands with a fiery Les Miles after another Ohio State heartbreak. Which is exactly why I don't think anyone in the OSU locker room, least of all Jim Tressel, will let it happen.
Jan 3, 2008
Ever scalp a ticket from an old white woman? I didn't think so...
What a crappy Syracuse win. St. John's showed what you need to do to beat this team: foul trouble. With Donte out, 'Cuse couldn't ever get 3 points on a possession because Johnny Flynn, the only guy on the team who could make a 3 refused to shoot one after Donte got his 4th foul; and whenever Arinze got fouled making a shot, he immediately bricked the free throw. The reason Syracuse managed to win was that Arinze could score at will. 11-15 from the field is some terribly good numbers. When they have to rely on him in the Big East, they could run into trouble as he goes up against bigger centers like Hibbert and Caracter. In that case, Johnny is going to have to switch to being score-first. He is quick enough and can pull up on a dime, but he always passes unless the shot clock is running down. If he isn't aggressive the rest of the year, don't look for any Syracuse tourney talk.
And Anthony Mason, Jr. is just his dad's face with a completely different game. Really skilled and big enough at 6'7", but he has to put up bigger numbers if he is going to get to the NBA.
I also have to say I'm quite opposed to the ticket prices I encountered at the Dome. $28 for St. John's? We almost couldn't go, but luckily a woman (title character of this entry) approached us asking, "Looking for tickets?" Not how one imagines a scalper after having gone to many Philadelphia sporting events in the past two years, but she did actually show me the tickets, one thing scalpers don't usually do, and she even promised to sell them for face value, which was only $25. We ended up sitting in the corner near the Syracuse bench in the first row, right near where the players enter from the locker room. Probably the best job I've done scalping in my life.
On to the Quakers. FireGlenMiller.com will be up by the end of the month. I would have given him two extra weeks with a victory at Miami, with the Hurricanes out of the Top 25 and pissed after losing its first of the year to Winthrop (yeah, that Winthrop with Taj McCullough that won a tourney game last year). What better whooping post than Penn, who fell to 4-9 with the loss? None. FireGlenMiller.com countdown is now at 28 days.
Last night, after I got back from the game, my buddy Steve came over and we opened up what turned out to be a gem from days past: a little VHS called Boeheim on Basketball. We weren't sure of its power, but it sure was powerful: Boeheim hitting 30 straight free throws and trash talking Sherman Douglas and Herman Harried. The best quote: "When our big guys get fouled, I should come in and shoot for them." It also includes some stereotypes of instructional films from that era (think Baseball World's Defensive Drills by Tom Emanski), including: MC Hammer instrumentals, Harried sporting a blonde horn at the front of his head, ridiculous freeze frames, Boeheim fighting wind in the intro so as to have the Dome in the background, and some ridiculous film technique by the camera operator, who we guessed was Bernie Fine. During the aforementioned intro, Boeheim said the video would teach fundamentals, as Sherman Douglas through a full court pass as if he were a long-snapper and dished out behind-the-back passes. There was also a section dedicated to the alley-oop. Who else would narrate but Doug Logan.
West Virginia was downright nasty in the Fiesta Bowl. Oklahoma should never go back to Tempe if they can. They fell victim to a Cinderella story one year, and then they give a guy his job this year. Congrats to Bill Stewart for earning his job and making Rich Rodriguez look like a punk. I bet West Virginians are hoping that Stewart retains Rodriguez's staff that he hasn't hired yet at Michigan. The Mountaineers definitely look like title contenders next year, and I don't think their coach will throw the Backyard Brawl next year to get another job and betray his alma ma...oh, he went to Fairmont State. The Pat White endorsement after the game was also a good signal for the future. Stewart has worked with White the past four years, and I expect him to not make the jump (Slaton too) after the athletic department granted his request.
And Anthony Mason, Jr. is just his dad's face with a completely different game. Really skilled and big enough at 6'7", but he has to put up bigger numbers if he is going to get to the NBA.
I also have to say I'm quite opposed to the ticket prices I encountered at the Dome. $28 for St. John's? We almost couldn't go, but luckily a woman (title character of this entry) approached us asking, "Looking for tickets?" Not how one imagines a scalper after having gone to many Philadelphia sporting events in the past two years, but she did actually show me the tickets, one thing scalpers don't usually do, and she even promised to sell them for face value, which was only $25. We ended up sitting in the corner near the Syracuse bench in the first row, right near where the players enter from the locker room. Probably the best job I've done scalping in my life.
On to the Quakers. FireGlenMiller.com will be up by the end of the month. I would have given him two extra weeks with a victory at Miami, with the Hurricanes out of the Top 25 and pissed after losing its first of the year to Winthrop (yeah, that Winthrop with Taj McCullough that won a tourney game last year). What better whooping post than Penn, who fell to 4-9 with the loss? None. FireGlenMiller.com countdown is now at 28 days.
Last night, after I got back from the game, my buddy Steve came over and we opened up what turned out to be a gem from days past: a little VHS called Boeheim on Basketball. We weren't sure of its power, but it sure was powerful: Boeheim hitting 30 straight free throws and trash talking Sherman Douglas and Herman Harried. The best quote: "When our big guys get fouled, I should come in and shoot for them." It also includes some stereotypes of instructional films from that era (think Baseball World's Defensive Drills by Tom Emanski), including: MC Hammer instrumentals, Harried sporting a blonde horn at the front of his head, ridiculous freeze frames, Boeheim fighting wind in the intro so as to have the Dome in the background, and some ridiculous film technique by the camera operator, who we guessed was Bernie Fine. During the aforementioned intro, Boeheim said the video would teach fundamentals, as Sherman Douglas through a full court pass as if he were a long-snapper and dished out behind-the-back passes. There was also a section dedicated to the alley-oop. Who else would narrate but Doug Logan.
West Virginia was downright nasty in the Fiesta Bowl. Oklahoma should never go back to Tempe if they can. They fell victim to a Cinderella story one year, and then they give a guy his job this year. Congrats to Bill Stewart for earning his job and making Rich Rodriguez look like a punk. I bet West Virginians are hoping that Stewart retains Rodriguez's staff that he hasn't hired yet at Michigan. The Mountaineers definitely look like title contenders next year, and I don't think their coach will throw the Backyard Brawl next year to get another job and betray his alma ma...oh, he went to Fairmont State. The Pat White endorsement after the game was also a good signal for the future. Stewart has worked with White the past four years, and I expect him to not make the jump (Slaton too) after the athletic department granted his request.
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