Mason Mania Ends! With the NCAA Tournament within their grasp, Championship Week sensation (and reigning Cinderella) George Mason uncharacteristically choked it away – or, more accurately, VCU stole it away.
Two backcourt picks erased a 5-point lead late and earned VCU the Colonial's auto-bid, leaving George Mason to be a headline team in the NIT. VCU's Eric Maynor was the hero, making the steals and scoring 9 points in the final 2 minutes. Absolutely clutch.
But it was a hell of a rousing way to spend the Monday night of Championship Week, that nebulous moment between the end of the big-conference regular season and the big-conference tournaments.
It is the end of the epilogue for George Mason, whose Cinderella story that began a year ago on Selection Sunday turned them into a college hoops icon – a team you can't help but tune in (and root) for.
More Madness: Gonzaga tops
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NCAA Uniforms Madness: No, seriously: Madness. What the hell is this? I'm all for radical experiments, but – really – on the eve of the NCAA Tournament? Is this a joke?
(OK, who remembers -- god, this must have been 15 years ago or more -- when NC State used similarly tight, form-fitting uniforms? It looked like they were in the Tour de France. The look lasted one game, I believe.)
Thanks to UniWatch's Paul Lukas for sending me this link to NC State's old "unitard" unis. Or is that "uni-'tard"... here's the link. Shorts went over the one-piece uniform.
Artest Arrest: He's off the Kings indefinitely, but it looks like his troubles are a lot worse than that after his arrest yesterday. This might be The Big One for Ron-Ron. (But, to look at the bright side, he's a shoo-in for a starting spot for the Cellblock D All-Stars.)
Dwyane Wade wants to come back, rather than have season-ending surgery. He obviously feels like the risk of aggravating his injury into something much worse is less than the potential reward of returning and leading the Heat to a conference title in the mediocre East. His call, but it's not what I would do. (I also just released him from my fantasy roster, where he was my anchor star, picking up Willie Green from the waiver wire. But, no, I'm not bitter or anything.)
NFL Free Agency: RB Travis Henry's fantasy stock just shot up, after he signed with the Broncos as a free agent. In their system, he should be good for consistent 100-yard games and an improvement in TDs. (It's so awesome that the biggest subplot of this signing that everyone seems to want to talk about is its fantasy implications.)
NFL Trade: Jets get RB Thomas Jones and a 2nd-rounder from the Bears for a higher 2nd-round draft pick. Jones gives the Jets an instant starter at RB, which they presumably think is better than the RB they would get in the early second-round of the draft (or via free agency). For the Bears, this means the running game is entirely in the hands of Ced Benson.
UNC-Duke Fall-Out, Cont'd. Let's rank the reputations that were tarnished, in order of how badly: (1) Billy Packer (2) Coach K (3) Gerald Henderson.
MLB: Prior sucks in return. 3 ER in less than 2 IP means that the Cubs are either glad they picked up Lilly as insurance or sad their rotation isn't what they thought it would be.
On the other end of the spectrum, there is Boston's Jon Lester, who returned to the mound after battling cancer that was caught late last season. He had chemo as recently as a few months ago. Comeback to track.
More NBA: Someday, LeBron vs. Yao might be a perennial Finals matchup (don't bet on it). Last night, it was an intriguing matchup. LeBron went over 30 for the 4th straight game and
NHL: "
Beckham Update: Out for only a month. MLS breathes a sigh of relief, then continues printing up Galaxy jerseys with his name on it.
Ron Borges, Suspended Two Months for Plagiarism. When the story makes the AP wire, you're done. Borges was banned from writing for two months (without pay... and without being able to go on TV); it makes you wonder how he himself would cover an athlete given a similar type of suspension for a similar type of "cheating" infraction.
(At the very least, Borges should be kicked off the Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee immediately, an idea inspired by an insider's tip to ProFootballTalk. In PFHOF terms, Borges has become the Alex Karras of journalism.)
Meanwhile, kudos to the AP for citing them, but even bigger kudos to the stout-hearted geniuses at ColdHardFootballFacts.com for helping to bust this story wide open. Here's a phenomenal "24"-style recap.
I'm totally intrigued by the "notes exchange" that is apparently at the heart of the scandal. The exchange is where writers share tips and info and are allowed to pull liberally from it.
Is trolling a glorified message board what passes for the crackerjack "reporting" that mainstream sports media is always proclaiming it's so good at?
Seriously: A notes exchange might have been useful as recently as 10 years ago, but what self-respecting reporter or columnist can't use the... um... INTERNET to quite easily do his own research?
Have you signed up for the "Daily Quickie Readers" group of ESPN.com's Tournament Challenge? What are you waiting for? Last year's group was the largest single office pool in the country. Let's do it again!
Don't forget: Catch me and your other favorite NYC-based bloggers reading at the Varsity Letters
Do you have kids? Do you think you're going to have kids? Are you simply curious about the future generations of sports fandom? I'm quietly ramping up my new Varsity Dad blog, but readers on this blog get a sneak preview until I'm ready for a real launch.
-- D.S.
81 comments:
I'll call it right now - the Bears, relying on Ced Benson and whatever QB they pick from the scrap heap, will not advance past round one in next year's playoffs. If they even make it that far.
Borges' suspension / imminent firing is a shame, if only because the whole mess could have been avoided simply by adding a few small words within the piece: "The Tacoma Star-Tribune reports..." Waste.
The Jets and Bears swapped 2nd round picks.
Jets traded their 37th pick to the Bears for Thomas Jones AND the 63rd pick.
Seems like a better trade for the jets now, no?
For about a half-second during the CAA final last night, I found myself curious about what exactly George Mason could do in the tourney and thought it would be fun to watch.
Then I heard that horrible whistle/shriek - or whatever the hell it is - from that one GM fan that made my ears bleed last March, and I was thankful they got bounced. I couldn't take that again.
C'mon Dan, its too early to destroy the hope of Cubs fans. At least mention that Wood pitched a scoreless inning.
I watched the end of the George Mason game hoping they'd win and get in. Too bad. I was hoping they'd win because I believe VCU is already in and that would knock a "major conference" team out.
Prior hasn't pitched in a Cactus League game in over 2 years. Give the guy a break. Of course he's gonna suck. All he was throwing were four seamers, too. Once he adds his breaking and off speed stuff, he'll be just fine. Maybe not the way he was in '03, but he'll give the Cubs 10-12 wins.
Silly andy.
He'll give the Cubs 10-12 innings, then get injured.
Interesting story to track over the season: Josh Hamilton. Don't know if he'll make the Reds roster, but he's been hitting the ball well in pre-season. It'd be a feel-good story if he can make it to the bigs (and stay out of trouble).
Is Mark "the Messiah" Prior done in Chicago? Who knows but I'm sick of hearing about his potential. Time to put up or shut up.
Big D, I have to disagree. TJ was a middle of the pack RB who is slower than Benson and can't break tackles. If he can stay healthy Benson will be a monster. The Chicago D is still good and after his first full season in the league (in which he lead the Bears to the Superbowl) Grossman will get better. Plus the NFC is still pretty weak.
And it looks like the anti-Duke rally is going to rage on further.
Prior does need to put up or shut up. But I think he just wants to pitch and he'll be good enough to get 10-12 wins. He definately won't get the 18 he got in '03. But he'll be OK. Certainly a serviceable 5th starter.
TJ is wildly underrated. Big D is right. The Bears will not get very far next year. TJ was not only good, but he was the leader on that offense. He did a heck of a lot more than just run the ball. I think the Jets can easily go deep this year now that they have him. They just needed someone consistant last year. TJ will give them that. I see them going to the AFC Championship easily.
The NFC has to look out for the 49ers. Their downfall last year was the secondary, and they've signed Nate Clements and Michael Lewis to help there. They've added Aubrayo Franklin for help on the d-line, and they've added Ashley Lelie to help in the receiving core. They will be a playoff team next year because no one in their division has done anything to improve.
It is too bad Borges can not go on TV or Radio. It would of been interesting tomorrow afternoon when he made his regular appreance on the Felger Show to see if he answered the charges. I must say though Borges will not be missed.
Jets made a good deal but they did well without a running back last year the key to there offense is keeping Pennington healthy which having a better running game should help
@ Andy Jets easily to the AFC Championship ahead of 2 of the Colts, Chargers and Patriots.
They may make the playoffs but that's it.
Prior will hopefully win 12 games!!
So would the Red Wings get moved to the East?
Why wouldn't the Pens move to Canada, where they can continue to get sellouts, and local revenue up the wazu?
At this point, Cubs fans should just be happy with anything you can get from Prior/Wood. Really, anything you get is a bonus.
But also don't weigh everything off of an early Spring Training outing.
Good call Rafael on Josh Hamilton, it'd be awesome if he could stick (even as a bench player) with the Reds. Definitely a better place for him than with the other troubled youth in Tampa.
KC is not only getting a new area, which is nearly complete, but is also offering it to the Pens rent-free.
The Kansas City Blades maybe!! Yes the Sprint Center owned by AEG!!
"As always AEG is saying nothing for public consumption, but remains involved and confident. The MAIN positive is that Ron Burkle, the Penguins majority owner, is AEG's minority partner in the KC Sprint Center, and put up the $54 million cash AEG was obligated to provide, while KC taxpayers provided $222.6 million. So, if the Sprint Center remains empty, Burkle loses money on his $54 million investment. Pretty strong reason for him to move HIS team to HIS arena, wouldn't you think?
More interestingly, Tim Leiweke is AEG's President, as well as Chairman of the NHL Expansion & Relocation Committee, which is required to approve any franchise moves. How likely is Tim to approve a Penguins move to anywhere BUT KC?
Lastly, Tim's brother Tod Leiweke, was JUST appointed CEO of the Portland Trailblazers NBA team. Given their Arena issues in Portland, Tim thinks there is a "good" chance he can get a little "family help" and move the Trailblazers to KC as well. With both an NHL and NBA team, the Arena will be a HUGE success. Supposedly, the Blazers have an "out" in their lease, after the 2007-2008 season, so good timing."
@patriots64
The Chargers won't be that good next year. Remember who their coach is. Norv Turner will run that team into the ground. He's a great offensive coordinator and a terrible head coach. The Patriots really haven't addressed the biggest problem they have. They need better wide receivers. Also, Corey Dillon may be getting old, but he helped that team a lot and losing him will hurt. The Colts will probably be pretty good next year, but they've got that defending championship thing over their heads. Remember how that worked for the Steelers?
As much as the Pens leaving Pittsburgh would be upsetting, it would be relief as a Magic fan. While the city/county/Magic/hotel owners argue over the tourist tax and spending it on the new arena (Make the tourists pay!), KC could swoop right in and grab the Magic for the right offer.
Joe (Dayton)
Butler @ Wright State tonight for the Horizon League finals...teams like Clemson, Oklahoma State, and Georgia Tech better be rooting hard for Butler.
I like VCU's chain gimmick, like Hercules from back in the day in the WWF, only without anyone swinging it around dangerously in the air.
It would be a shame to see the Penguins leave Pittsburgh, but if Kansas City is offering a new arena rent-free, that seems like a tough offer to pass up.
@ dan mega: I have to agree with Andy that TJ was underrated as a runner. He was in a bad situation in Arizona, as are all offensive players. Tampa Bay was semi-rebuilding after winning the Super Bowl for his one year there, so he never got a shot to blossom until he got to Chicago. H's been pretty solid since.
However, Rex Grossman was wildly overrated in college, and although I will give you the injury factor, at some point a player is no longer "unlucky", he is "fragile". Rex finally had one injury-free season, and he nearly got benched by year's end (and probably should have in the Super Bowl).
@ brian in oxford: Serisouly - don't try to apply logic to the NHL. Why would they move a franchise to a city that actually appreciates hockey and lives and dies by the sport? Why not move it to middle America and keep the stellar track record of expansion/relocation/shafting the country that invented the sport?
Right....it's hard to remember that the "National" in National Hockey League actually refers to the nation of Canada, not the USA.
Funny how the most famous player I can think of from VCU happens to be Gerald Henderson....
Andy did you forget the Patriots still have Maroney who will be there number one back and then Faulk and the recently signed Morris. As well as Welker helps them on Special Teams and will fill the Troy Brown slot receiver role when he retires. And the possiblity that the patriots will trade for Randy Moss, or Sign Stallworth who is visiting today and the will probably draft a receiver. And if the Patriots have proven anything it is that Brady does not need great receiver he just need one that are good enough to work in there system and get open.
Plus the Patriots had the #2 defense in points scored last year and they just made there defense better by getting Thomas
By the way... no mention of Cincy linebacker Brian Simmons signing with the Saints... then promptly going out and getting himself arrested for looting in New Orleans?
What, too soon to make that joke?
Sorry. I got bored for a couple minutes.
Dan, shame on you for talking about your fantasy team! If we can't, then you can't either!
Actually Shame on Dan for talking about his Fantasy Team and not joining the Fantasy Baseball league with his loyal reader and commenters.
Living out here in KC, I'd much rather have an NHL team than an NBA team. Now for full disclosure I'm originally from outside of Boston. KC is a football town. To many, the Royals don't exist after April 15th (by that time they're already mathematically eliminated from the playoffs). The NBA failed here before, I believe it was the Kings(??). There was a minor league hockey team here that did really well until the owner saw the league was about to collapse and so he folded the team before the league folder.
The whole reason for wanting a team is because they are building the brand new Sprint center in downtown KC (about 3 blocks from where I work) and have nothing to put there except an Arena team.
When do you think Simmons will weigh in on the Borges thing?
To finish the thought above before I got sidetracked. I prefer hockey over the NBA. Part of that is KC is 30 minutes from Lawrence and KU. So college basketball is king around here. I think people will be turned off by the different play style of the NBA vs college. Only thing that might attract good crowds after the intial rush of having a new team would be if there were some former Jayhawks or Mizzou Tigers on the team.
sexy rexy and the chicago D equals Dilfer and the Ravens minsus the super bowl title. Rex did just enough not to lose but rarely lead them to victories.
Nobody cares how you play in the semis if you suck in the Finals. And let's face it, Rex was awful in the Super Bowl. It was laughable.
Personally i do not think Rex will be a top level QB. He will be in that Dilfer - Brad Johnson level. A solid pro but not a top pro
Varsity Dad
Having two boys, the Varsity Dad piece was interesting regarding you reading the sports section to your kids. Nobody in my family followed sports except for me growing up. My father actually became a big baseball fan but that is another story. I love watching sports but my kids could really care less.
My little guy who will be 12 in a couple of weeks plays in the local CYO league. He got named to the all star team and scored 10 of his team's points in a 30-16 win last game. However I really can't get him to watch more than 10 minutes of any basketball game unless he is at the game and basketball is his favorite sport.
My big guy who will be 16 in June runs on the X-country and track teams at his high school. He will ask some questions during a game I am watching just to have some ideas what other kids are talking about and then leave.
Kids have their own personalities. They are not little clones of their parents. You can expose them to things you are interested in but it is up to them what they want to do. I am more concerned that they keep themselves in shape and play sports than just watch them.
One of my bicycling buddies has two daughters and his older one is fairly overweight. He says he never says anything to her and my wife thinks that is the right thing. I think for health reasons if nothing else he should suggest that she exercise more reguarly. Again, my buddy is in great shape but that didn't seem to rub off on his child. We can only influence them so much.
Has anyone mentioned that Joey Porter just signed a contract with the Dolphins for 20 million in guarenteed money
The Dolphins eh? And he becomes their youngest defender probably. lol
Just glad Porter didn't go to someone else in the AFC North..or the Pats.
@cmfost
Wes Welker is not that good. To think he will excel is to think I would. Come on. The Raiders are not going to give up Randy Moss. With him, they have a legitimate deep threat. The problem is they haven't had a QB to get him the ball. The Raiders love JaMarcus Russell and will draft him to pair him with Moss. Moss just isn't going anywhere. Stallworth would help but he wants more money than the Patriots are willing to pay. Also, at some point, the nobodies that play WR for the Patriots will realize that they are nobodies and will play like it. If I were Brady, I'd be pissed that my team isn't doing anything to get me help.
Rex really didn't play that well in the NFC championship either. Let's be honest, he had that one TD to Berrian that was under thrown and Berrian made a great adjustment. Rex Grossman sucks! If Griese isn't the starter next year, I'll be surprised...
Andy, I am not saying that Wes Welker is a #1 receiver but he will fit perfectly for the role the PAts will want to him to play and that return kicks and punts and play the slot in three receiver sets. They are not bringing him in to be a #1 nor are they paying him like one.
Artest got arrested?! Wow, I never thought such a stand-up citizen who doesn't have a violent bone in his body would ever be arrested for domestic violence! I'm shocked nobody has mentioned this more here!
Anyway, unless the Pens move to Boston, I will still have to watch them from afar.
@Andy
Prior was throwing nothing, but off-speed pitches. I heard that he couldn't get above 82 on the radar.
@cmfost
Simmons is currently too busy working on his next Boston Celtics column to be interested in Borges.
Artest needs some serious psychological help. Clearly there just is something wrong with the dude upstairs (I know, not saying anything new or anything). But seriously, it's kind of sad to see it when people that talented just can't function in society, you know? Prison, if he gets it, definitely won't help him.
Ok about the pens the fact that they're this close to moving is horrible. The state of Pennsylvania's 6 other professional teams (Pirates, Steelers, Sixers, Eagles, Flyers, Phillies) all got new places to play in the past 10 years. They play in the oldest arena in the league and they fill it to 96% capacity. The tv rating are in the top three in the league (percent wise not shear volume of viewers). This is not a case of lack of support and never has been. The people in the city and area loves this team and Pittsburgh is a Hockey town. The politicians in the city, county, and state need to get the deal done. Mario has been trying for years to get a new place to play and if it wasn't for him the team would have moved out of bankruptcy. The bottom line is that this team belongs in Pittsburgh
Actually, the most scary thing about Prior pitching yesterday is that he *ONLY threw fastballs, and still didn't top 82 on the gun. The speculation is that he wasn't using a good leg drive and follow-through to "finish" his pitches, which caused the decreased velocity and no movement. He should be able to throw harder in his next appearance, as he is hitting the high 80s on the gun in bullpen sessions. It might have something to do with facing live hitting for the first time in so long. But if his arm is strong enough to throw his curveball and change-up, he can still win 15 games throwing 83-85 because his offspeed stuff is so good.
The Bears seriously downgraded at RB, which will only put more pressure on Grossman, who will fail miserably. Didn't the Bears learn anything from the 2-back system that seems to be so in vogue in the NFL right now? Other than killing all of our fantasy teams, the 2-back system appears to work for almost everyone. And Benson isn't good enough to carry the load by himself, no matter what he and his agent think.
for anyone who is a political junkie, Scooter Libby was found cuilty this afternoon
here is a surprise
Dudley named ACC Player of the Year.
How is Dudley winning ACC Player of the Year a surprise? He was the favorite for most of the year. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love Thornton, but BC had the better year, and Dudley had better stats than Hansbrough.
It is surprise just based on BC late season collaspe. And that it would hurt Dudley that his team started to lose.
150 members of the Japanese Media are watching Daisuke Matsusaka face major league hitters for the first time today.
As if the Clubhouses at Fenway weren't already cramped enough. I honestly cannot imagine what it's going to be like when Ichiro or Matsui are in town.
BC still overachieved a lot in the course of the year. And no player carried his team like Jared did for awhile. Plus he was 2nd in scoring (only because Thornton dropped 45 in the final game against Miami), 1st in rebounding, and 1st in minutes played.
Considering the main two candidates were Jared and Thornton, BC finished the year better overall, and that's why he won.
Wow talk about a let down for the 49ers. They want Thomas probably even tried to get Porter but will have to settle for the guy Thomas is replacing in NE.
The San Francisco 49ers and free-agent outside linebacker Tully Banta-Cain have agreed to a contract today, officially ending Banta-Cain's Patriots career.
As far as the ACC goes...
There are many great players, the problem is that many teams have many great players.
Jared Dudley is the only one I think about when I go to play BC, unlike Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, and maybe Duke. This is probobly why he should win MVP.
What's confusing is the title; "ACC PLAYER OF THE YEAR"
They need to make it either the MVP (NBA) or the MOP (Final Four). If it's MVP... Jared Dudley. If it's MOP... we've got a problem.
Here is the list of players in the ACC that would be candidates for MOP:
Tyler Hansbourgh (UNC)
Ty Lawson (UNC)
Brandan Wright (UNC)
Sean Singletary (VA)
JR Reynolds (VA)
DJ Strawberry (MD)
Ekene Ibekwe (MD)
Zabian Dowdell (VT)
Jared Dudley (BC)
Tyrese Rice (BC)
DeMarcus Nelson (DUKE)
Josh McRoberts (DUKE)
Javaris Crittenton (GT)
Thaddeus Young (GT)
Al Thornton (FSU)
Kyle Visser (WF)
From the look of this list though, now that I think about it a little more, Al Thorton should win.
There are only a couple guys who are the lone guy on their team (Thornton, Visser, Dowdell). Dowdell's team is the best, but Thornton is the best individual. If we aren't taking into account the team, I say Thornton.
I think it's fair to say Thornton is a better player (at least talentwise) than Jared, but really Thornton's stats aren't as good as Jared's, right?
Dudley: 19.3 ppg (#2), 8.5 reb (#1), 57.9 fg%, 47.4 3pt%, 3 ast, #1 in minutes played.
Thornton: 20.1 ppg (#1), 7.2 reb (#6), 52.9 fg%, 44.8 3pt%, 0.8 ast, 1.2 blocks
Judging from the stats, I'd give the edge to Dudley.
Most nights I lie in my bed and wonder why I’m such a failure in life. Granted, having a carney for a Dad and a failed hooker for a Mom isn’t a good start, but I can’t blame why I suck on that. Maybe it’s the fact that I pick my nose and eat it, or maybe because I’ve tasted my own #3 just to see what its like - and is it wrong that I enjoyed it? I don’t think so.
My life up to this point has been a total malfunction, I’m not worthy of Earth. I’m too scared to try and kill myself because I’m afraid I’ll screw that up too. If I didn’t have this blog I couldn’t get out of bed in the morning. Daniel gives me a reason to live, he makes me feel warm inside, and the tingling I get in my loins after reading the.best.blog.ever. is beyond words. I pray that one day I will become a Varsity Dad like Daniel, but my chances aren’t looking good. Hopefully the laws will change soon and my “union” will become a legal marriage. I don’t even want to think about the adoption process right with my partner.
I know some of you regulars out there are in the same boat as me. I offer my ass up to anyone who wants it, I keep it clean and it smells like oranges.
Brian in Oxford – The woman in your pic is very shrew like, maybe it’s not a bad thing, but I’m sure you have some pent up sexual energy, please feel free to use my ass.
CMFost, aka cumfast, I know you have a problem blowing your load too quickly, but don’t worry, you can pound me multiple times, So stick it in there, blow your wad, and come back when you are ready again. I'll be here.
Big D - I've never had someone as ugly as you. I'd love to have your ugliness in my ass.
And that one chick who's face looks like a rotting pumpkin, I'm sure you're packing heat so pound away.
Finally, Daniel, I know that some other guy plows your wife non stop, but you can take your frustrations out on my ass.
Daniel, thank you for all your hard work. You are a paragon of virtue in the crazy world that I call my life. Pray for me, I still hear the lambs.
P.S. Do you like to shove hot rocks up your ass too Daniel?
Final line for Dice-K today against the Marlins:
3.0 IP, 0ER, 2 hits, 1 BB, 3 Ks, 47 pitches, 31 strikes
Dave you make a valid point. Look at all the years Washington spent and ton and where did that get them.
As for the POY in the ACC I see the point on Dudley being the one player that if BC lost they would be screwed with thus making him the POY.
Todd looks like Dice-K was solid against the Marlins.
This is totally off topic but I have a new petition on my blog in regards to getting the DNC to not have a debate hosted by FOX news.
check it out if you are interested
Apparently Dice-K pitched well out of a jam after giving up a ground rule double in the 2nd inning. But that being said, he got out of the jam by getting outs from the 8th and 9th hitters from the Marlins spring training team, so take it for what it's worth.
But he did get Hanley out twice, which is pretty solid.
It sounds like his control is already pretty good. It'll be amazing to see if he really has command and control of 5+ pitches. Can't think of another pitcher who I've seen with that. A younger Mussina seems like the closest comparison.
Wait! Why would the Foxnews show anything involving the DNC? Isn't that like the NFL channel showing hockey games?
Verbal shockingly enough they are going to host a Democratic Presidential Debate. I was pretty surprised when i first heard of it but the more I think about it the worse the idea is.
For those of you who heard the rumors about Barry Zito and Hilary Duff, you'll be interested to know that Zito was just on Dan Patrick and Dan asked him about it.
Zito basically said that they "ran in to eachother" and have "hung out a couple times" but then when Dan asked exactly what he meant Zito dodged the question like the skinny kid playing dodgeball in gym class all the way in the back.
Dan then proceeded to in the next segment, when Zito was no longer on, to make a joke about how Zito "pitched around" his question, or at the very least "unintentionally intentionally walked" his question like many pitchers do to Zito's new teammate Barry Bonds.
Damn that probably would of been pretty funny to here, especially if KO was on with Dan and Barry.
I'd be pissed if I were a Giants fan. You sign a guy for that contract, and he hangs out with Hillary Duff? Wow... I wonder if when they hang out they talk about kittens and having no personality.
Heck, If anything, the Dems should be happy to have a primetime showing on Fox. Everyone knows CNN is the Clinton News Network, and MSNBC is pretty far left, so if the Dems can get even a few Republicans to change their minds after seeing them on Fox, then they have accomplished something.
For a sports fan perspective -- Say all Yankees fans hate the Red Sox. But one day, Yanks fans show up at the Stadium, and the Red Sox are playing a home game. After watching the game, seeing Dice-K strike out 15 and Manny hit 3 home runs, a couple Yankees fans start liking the Red Sox, or at least 1 Sox player (probably Dice-K). If the Red Sox can convince at least 20% of the Yankees fans in the Stadium to like 1 Red Sox player, that will make a huge difference come the "World Series".
I dunno, CNN got pretty sensationalistic/reactive in the post 9/11 era, especially when Fox started getting better ratings. Also I don't see MSNBC being liberal at all. The problem people have with Fox is that they tried to claim they were "Fair and Balanced". If they'd have admitted from the start they were a conservative news channel, I don't think people would get as upset about it.
Did anyone see Ben & Jerry on Colbert the other night? That was awesome.
MSNBC is more balanced then you think. The only person you can consider on there line up that is far left is KO. And his show is followed by Joe Scarborough who used to be a republican Congressman. Of all the channels I would say MSNBC is the most balanced.
I remember watching the Daily Show after Cheney shot the guy in the face and they put together a montage of Fox News reports on it that were the most one sided things ever.
I was laughing so hard I also fell off my couch.
Ooh, not sure if you guys saw it, but there's a great anti-Duke article on Page 2...
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=neumann/070306&sportCat=ncb
I don't know, I think Redick wins out, followed by Hurley and Laettner, and then Wojo and Paulus. Who do you think is your most hated Dukie?
As a terp and not having read the article I say Reddick. Hands down.
I've been at games against Reddick and Duke and I was at the game where ESPN said that they couldn't come back to College Park for games because of the chants that were all anti-Reddick that caused them to be fined millions by the FCC.
You could try to look them up. There was one everytime he had the ball that was essentially 4 individual letters, the last 2 both being J, and the 6 word phrase used while he took foul shots that described his sexuality in good detail. (phrase rymes with "Tree rakes fit pin a glass")
Interesting afterthought:
Last year they took a poll at Duke and asked who they hated more: Carolina or Maryland.
The answer came back Maryland 54%, Carolina 37%, 9% unsure.
Apparently they said that when asked, the Dukies said that it was because Maryland hates them more than Carolina does.
Well Terps fans took it a little far with JJ... don't get me wrong, he's totally insufferable, but the F-U-J-J chants were both a bit excessive and lacking in cleverness.
I bet it changes from year to year, and that Duke fans this year would say they hate Carolina more.
That list is hilarious but here are a few they missed:
Cherokee Parks-How could they forget him
Greg Newton-Probably my least favorite Duke player of all time the guy had no heart.
Alaa Abdelnaby-Guy was just not very good and may have been the worst whiner in the history of Duke basketball (read that sentence again because it is true)
Billy King-Just for all the heartache he has caused Sixer fans. At Duke he is best remember for his dominating defensive performance against Mark Macon in the 1988 Regional Final. He made Mark Macon cry the way he is making Sixer fans cry.
No surprise that Bilas wasn't lumped in with Dawkins, Alarie, and Amaker?
Abdelnaby was okay, he helped beat UConn back in '90....then kinda sucked for the Celtics in the early-mid '90s.
Laettner-Parks-Meek-Newton was like a legacy.
Brian in 1990 Abdelnaby had a couple of chances to win the game before it went into overtime. Laettner hit the game winner against UConn. I just remember watching Duke games then and cringing everytime he got the ball.
I would say that Meeks-Park-Newton is more of a tradition. I would leave Laettner off the list because the guy was a winner the other 3 did nothing during there Duke careers.
I think Casey Sanders belongs somewhere in the Duke Pantheon of suckatude. Dude also looked like a Turtle. What that means, I'm still not sure.
That being said, I think John Oates is easily the worst starting player in a major conference in NCAA hoops. Man he sucks, and I'm a BC fan.
guyinthecorner - I saw the Daily show after Cheney shot his friend and it was one of the funniest things I have ever seen on TV.
Did anyone else see the article on SI.com which is implying other athletes in the most recent HGH scandal? Even Holyfield is on there.
Todd I agree that Casey never lived up to his high school hype but the list was of the most annoying players. Casey never did enough to be considered annoying.
I was surprised that Shane Battier was not on the list, a lot of UNC and MD fans think he was a flopper because of all the charges he would take.
Do not know if you ever saw this Al Gore skit on TV but this was one of the funniest I have seen.
check it out
It is funny that I first learned of the Borges story last night from my fiancee who teaches college lit courses. She was irate because plagiarism occurs at least one time in every class she has taught and that a writer for a major paper would do that. I have to agree with her that he deserves to be fired immediately and blackballed from the mainstream media. As a published writer I have no problem with someone quoting me but credit where credit is due.
D-rays had six errors yesterday it must have been the drugs talking when I said we would finish 3rd in the east yesterday.
I think you know my credentials at this point as a Duke hater, but Battier gets a pass in my book. Dude played hard, the right way, and seemed like an okay guy. Never really antogonized fans or rubbed me the wrong way. Sure he flopped sometimes, but he didn't cry about it the same way some other Dukies do when they don't get calls.
So Battier ranks #3 on my favorite Duke players, after Cherokee Parks and J-Will's motorcycle.
Todd the J-Will motorcycle crack is a little harsh. I know there is probably some hard feelings for his shove at the end of the BC game back in 2001. I loved the way Battier played I was just surprised he was not on the list because of the way he played and the way the announcers always gushed about him.
@fost
That Al Gore video is hilarious. I really do not like him but that was pretty funny (wonder if Al Franken wrote the bit) I still think that Jesse Jackson's reading of Green Eggs and Ham ranks as one of the greatest moments in SNL history.
So...is Jim Larranaga still the greatest coach of all time?
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