Sunday, February 18, 2007

Sunday AM Super-Quickie

A few thoughts from the road, where a wedding among my extended in-laws means a Saturday afternoon spent watching the Gators with super-fans... And you can imagine how that went:

*Gators lose at Vandy: All credit to Vandy for playing out of their minds and all but locking up a Big Dance ticket. I'm no fan of "good" losses, but with 12 games between now and the national title game, I'd certainly rather lose now than later.

* So Ill beats Butler: Salukis are the new "hot" midmajor.

* So who's No. 1 now? I'd give it to Wisconsin, but the game at OH St next weekend looms huge.

* NBA All-Star: Dunk? More like thunk. Who knew Kapono had it in him? (Or, more intriguingly, who knew Barkley had it in him?) And David Lee means the weekend wasn't an entire loss for the Gators.

* D-500: I'm in Atlanta right now... Wow, is NASCAR big down here. Pick: Tony Stewart.

*Michael Irvin done at ESPN: The tell-tale sign will be the reaction from fans, ranging from ambivalence to schadenfreude. But no lamentation, to be sure. He could reinvent himself as a podcaster, but I don't think he's savvy enough to see that. Good riddance.

*I know I'm missing a bunch. Feel free to weigh in on these and more. It's peak season for college hoops over the next six weeks. Love it!

- D.S.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

38 comments:

Trey (formerly TF) said...

I didn't see much of the all star Saturday night, it was a good friend's last Saturday in town, so we wwere out. The bar I was at did have it on. The Barkley race was great, him winning desoite being that overweight and out of shape shows how great of an athlete the round mound of rebound was.

Dwight was robbed! These days the dunk contest is based on originality, I wish the judges could have seen the actual sticker he had put up there because it was clever (and finny looking). I'm 10 times more impressed by a 7 footer windmill jamming it then Nate's reverse slam off the hand.

Finally, the Gators. Oh well, it bummed me out and not has me worrying about the one seed. I'm sure we'll recover well. Did mention the Stallings situation though. I know I'm a biased UF alum, but no coach should put their hands on a player.

Joe (Dayton)

jhawkjjm said...

Unless there's something I didn't see, Stallings didn't put his hands on Noah. Stallings caught the ball and was going to give it to the ref when Noah tried taking out of his hands. He may have slapped Noah's hands away, I didn't pay much attention to that as I couldn't believe how Noah was acting like a 2 yr old. But this is twice in two weeks that Noah seems to have lost his cool. Noah was at fault in this case in my opinion.

BC-UNC...ugh. As a KU ulum and fan I understand all too well about missing freethrows. (like giving Syracuse the national championship and helping solidify the Carmelo legend by shooting 15-30 or whatever from the freethrow line in a game you lose by 3)

Trey (formerly TF) said...

Stallings slapped away Noah's hands when he intially reached for the ball.

Link here 12 seconds in http://www.sportsline.com/video/player

I know most are going to say Noah instigated this but there is no way in hell he did. Even the talking faces at ESPN took his side.

Joe (Dayton)

Anonymous said...

Boston College.

Wow. Come on guys. Are you kidding?

I have no idea what to say other than "This is the ACC".

You know the conference that used to be 9 teams and 7 were a threat to make the Big Dance every year. You can't pull this crap here. You just can't.

As a Terp fan, I am aware that eventhough ACC homecourt advantage is the best in the nation (hell even Florida State beats Duke at home) you can't do these three things and win a game in the ACC even if you are at home.
1. Miss Free Throws
2. Not Play Defense
3. Not Give 100%

BC folded in the 2 games against UNC and Duke and they did it on National TV.

They better get snowed into their capmus so they can hide there and not show their faces for a while.

They should be embarrassed.

Tortfeasor said...

Treo kicks Blackberry's ass. That is all.

Lou Pickney said...

If you missed it, Memphis bricked many free throws down the stretch vs. Gonzaga, who nailed theirs, but the Tigers were bailed out by a couple of crazy three pointers. But, despite the win, Memphis won't be able to get away with that bad free throw shooting when the tourney gets here...

DP said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
DP said...

Howard praises Jesus on his sticker which was fucking awesome.

Oh and for some self-promotion, if anyone wants to read a baseball story I wrote, here is the link,

bluebirdissues.blogspot.com

If you read it, please leave comments.

Jac said...

Well, not entirely sports related but interesting nonetheless is that Tom Brady apparently is going to be a father... of Bridget Moynahans baby. I wonder how Giselle is going to take that and also how it'll impact his Good Guy image across the NFL. Thoughts?

Andy said...

All I want to say about the Daytona 500 is WOW! That was one crazy finish!

Unknown said...

When you were at "the network" did you ever see/spend time with Irvin? If so, what kind of person was he?

TJ said...

Figured I should weigh in on the UF-Vandy game.

I've heard some people acting like it's a big deal that Vandy is going to get fined for rushing the court. It's not. That's the rule in the SEC. UF doesn't like paying fines, so we don't get to rush the court. Tennessee didn't mind paying the fine, so they got to rush the court when they beat us last year. That's how it goes.

As for the Stallings thing, it was just ugly on all sides. Joakim obviously wanted the ball to keep play moving, and Stallings obviously objected to having it snatched from him like that. Had Joakim let it go after his first attempt and just counted on the ref to take care of it, that would have been fine. His second swipe though looked kind of childish. I was hoping someone on our coaching staff had talked to him after the Kentucky game. But no I really hope someone lets him know that he needs to calm down before he fucks up closer to tourney time and does something suspension-worthy.

As for the actual game, I'm kind of glad UF didn't come back and win it. They've been playing just that shitty--albeit in spurts--for the past few games. As long as they kept winning anyway, I was worried about them getting used to not really having to try and get it together.

Now, however, was the perfect time to get some sense slapped into them. Donovan should whip them into shape this week, and they have bottom feeder South Carolina at home this week to right the ship and prepare for teh brutal last three games (at LSU, at Tenn, Kentucky).

DP said...

@andy

No crap! I saw the end because I was doing some work and it happened to be on. It was just mind-boggling how many wrecks and near misses took place. I was happy to see Gordon punk out, but I would have liked to see Marin win, even though I barely follow Nascar. But Harvick is a good guy so it was cool seeing him win it as well

I am enjoying the all-star game, but damn Toni Braxton sucks and Cirque de Soleil is proof that gay culture has run rampant (jk). Hopefully Christina Aguilera's top comes off or she does a porn show or something. Damn, that is one fine girl.

DP said...

okay, I officially want to do Xtina. DAMN, she is fine as hell

Anonymous said...

Funny..the only NASCAR driver I uused to follow (relative term..as I don't follow nascar) is Jeff Gordon. Mainly because he wasn't from the South.
I may have to follow Montoya. I am, after all, in that demographic that NASCAR wants to attract.

Maybe its the hair, or the whiny look on his face, but Noah just looked like..well..kinda like a bitch. Refs handle the ball. Players get ball from ref. That's all there is to it.

I'd actually keep UF at #1. They spanked Ohio State already and Wisconsin hasn't done much to take it either.

Andy said...

What? No Quickie because of the holiday? This isn't even a major holiday!

Patriots64 said...

I see Dan quickie jinxed Tony Stewart!
Fairly exciting race to watch and a great finish. Interesting that Dale Earnhardt's old car won the Daytona 500 on the 6th anniversary of his death.

RexyBack said...

Did anyone happen to notice that the University of Illinois has officially banned the use of Chief Illiniwek from halftime shows?

It is truly a proud day for those of us against racist cultural assimilations!

EPorvaznik said...

>>It is truly a proud day for those of us against racist cultural assimilations!>>

Well, yay and congratulations, ye of the overly-sensitive variety! I highly recommend the racist (though in ways you might approve) mockumentary Confederate States of America to you.

Speaking of racists, what exactly did Irvin do this time?

Andrew (JUhS) said...

Ugghhh... there's no holiday in Europe. It's going to be a much longer day at work without the quickie...

Dan, you've forsaken your global audience!

CMFost said...

This stinks stuck at work and no new quickie. Come on Dan!!!

OnlyInboards.com said...

i need a quickie!

Mega said...

Quickie 3::16
"And then the readers looked to the sky and cried 'Shanoff, Shanoff, why have you forsaken us?!'"

Here is my quickie:

Dwight Howard- robbed!
SIU- best mid major in the U.S.!
NASCAR- some may care, but I don't! (no offense NASCAR fans)
Irvin- He Gone!
Britney Spears (Shears)- institutionalize her!
A-Rod & Jeter aren't friends- SO FREAKING WHAT?!

kway34 said...

Norv Turner going to head up the Chargers...talk about a f-ing up the entire process...fire a coach who can't get you to the SB and hire a coach who can't make the playoffs.

futurelegendvinceyoung said...

Some radio guys this morning likened the likely Norv Turner hiring to giving the keys to a Ferrari to a teenager. I know he sucked at Washington and Oakland because of owners who made horrible, horrible personnel decisions but he is still one of the worst head coaches in the league. As a coordinator he is good because he can focus on one aspect but I would not want him running my team especially a team that has a window of 2-3 years to be a Super Bowl contender. I think the Chargers are going to close that window pretty quickly by hiring this guy.

Brian in Oxford said...

How about if someone else pinch-hits for the quickie? Dan Mega's on to something....interested in fleshing it out for one day?

Hey wait, doesn't CMFost have a blog?
ha! :)

CMFost said...

Your funny Brian!!!!

Mega said...

I agree with Matt. Norv to SD is a disaster just waiting to happen.

Oh and Witchita State and Creighton really blew it for the MVC this weekend. Not that anyone who follows the ACC/SEC/Big 10 really care.

CMFost said...



Check it out


my pathetic stab at doing the quickie

Brian in Oxford said...

Wow, Fost, that was an extra-quickie. Maybe like Tom impregnating Bridget!

Actually, what happens if we find out the baby's NOT his? Will there be DNA tests? Will Brady come forward and own up? Will the Pats go 6-10 next year? (yikes!)

Mega said...

What if it turns out to be Belicheck's baby?

TJ said...

What if it turns out to be Belicheck's baby?

Ha!

TJ said...

Has anyone seen the CBB polls yet today? OSU and Wisc 1/2 in both--only the polls disagree as to which is number 1. And they play each other this week! I think all college basketball fans need to write a letter of thanks to Vandy for setting up the super-rare, super-awesome #1 vs. #1 matchup on Sunday. I'm giddy already.

Norv Turner? Norv Turner?!? Was Art Shell busy? Did Ron Zook not want to leave Illinois? Seriously--what the hell. Poor Chargers fans.

Here's why Dwight Howard didn't win. No immediate payoff. It felt like a dunk that made everyone go: "huh?" And then after a few moments you started to realize what happened. I think it might actaully be the first dunk that is far more amazing when described in words than viewed in 5 second highlight.

Anonymous said...

You realize that kid is bound to be an incredibly ugly person.

Look at Joakim Noah.

mark said...

During the NBA All-Star game, I came up with the following awful idea for making the Pro Bowl relevant. It's awful, but I figured I'd share anyway.

During the weekend in between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl, the four worst-finishing teams in the league play each other, according to seed: 29 plays 32, and 30 plays 31. The coaches of the two winners then get to alternate picks, playground style, from the pro bowl rosters (without regard to conference) to fill out a squad. Just so it doesn't turn into a total sham, these two teams have to take, in addition to all these pro-bowlers, at least (say) ten actual members of their own team to Honolulu, and they have to start at least three of them each way (with some definition of "start" such that they don't come in for just one snap and then come out).

The winner gets the overall #1 draft pick. The loser has to draft fourth (with the two semifinalists drafting in between).

Well, you gotta say, it _would_ make the Pro Bowl relevant. It would also put some football on the air during that dead week. It would remove the incentive for bad teams to tank down the stretch to improve their draft position.

It would also give fans of those bad teams, finally, some good players to watch.

I'm well aware there are obvious problems with this scheme.

alhajir said...

mark, you know how embrassed those teams would be to play in those games? worst.idea.ever

alhajir said...

one comment about the norv turner debacle...

why must there be a head coach? why cant a team hire an OC and a DC and leat each take care of their own unit..

i mean what does a HC do that an OC/DC cant? i mean, look at the colts...no disrespect to dungy, but manning coaches the team. Any play Dungy called, 90% of the time Manning will call an audible. And how did they fare? They won the Super Bowl. The DC took care of his business (when it mattered most) and the OC took care of his. Dungy just stood (again no disprect to him)

mark said...

mark, you know how embrassed those teams would be to play in those games? worst.idea.ever

Hey, I said it was an awful idea.