The story of the year in college basketball isn't the turmoil at the top of the rankings. It's not Gonzaga's rise to No. 1. It's not the revival of Indiana or the sublime individual skill of Georgetown's Otto Porter (or the freakishness of IU's Victor Oladipo).
The story of the year in college basketball is Kentucky -- the sport's defending champion -- going from the top of the sport to its dregs in less than a year.
John Calipari was supposed to have cracked the code -- a "Moneyball"-style arbitrage of the NBA's mandatory college year for top prep players, importing a new crop of future Lottery picks on an annually renewable basis, harnessing their talent as a sort of NBA finishing school.
Cal's pitch was brilliant in its simplicity: You've got to spend a year waiting for the NBA Draft -- if you spend it with me, you will play, you will get developed for the NBA and you will compete for a national championship.
But the arbitrage falls apart if Kentucky misses the NCAA Tournament entirely, which they are now on the verge of after choking at mediocre Georgia last night.
With a regular-season finale versus SEC regular-season champ Florida tomorrow at Rupp, UK -- in Calipari's own framing -- is in a win-or-bust situation.
(Needless to say, if there were any concerns about Florida being motivated, the opportunity to effectively end rival Kentucky's season an invalidate the Calipari Model should be enough.)
Granted, Kentucky has been missing Nerlens Noel for weeks -- he was only the No. 1 NBA talent in college hoops -- but they were struggling while he was out there, too.
And, granted, next season Kentucky has the best recruiting class since the Fab Five coming to Lexington. (This season's freshmen were highly touted, too, but not like the '13 prep class.)
The reality is that if Kentucky isn't going to compete for national championships, all Cal offers is playing time (he better hope this season's freshmen don't stick around trying to make good on this season's dud, clogging the pipeline for next season's imports) and a track record of sending players to the NBA. There are plenty of coaches who can deliver that.
The model should work, but like arbitrage on Wall Street, sometimes the model doesn't stand up to the reality of the market.
More:
*Mariano Rivera to retire after '13 season: Only the greatest relief pitcher ever and, arguably, the greatest pitcher ever. Even Yankee-haters respect Rivera. More on this on Monday.
*Thunder hold off the Melo-less Knicks in NYC: Closest thing to a moral victory that the Knicks will get this season. (Meanwhile, is there a more confounding player in the NBA than JR Smith?)
*Tiger shoots co-leading 66 at Doral: All it does is set up "win or fail" expectations for the rest of the weekend. (Beats the alternative, I guess.)
*Blackhawks Watch: At Colorado tonight (loss alert?!), hosting Edmonton on Sunday.
*Jadeveon Clowney takes out $5M insurance policy: Only $95M less than his ultimate market value in the event he blows out his knee next season like teammate Marcus Lattimore.
(Know what the best insurance policy is? Not playing college football and waiting for the 2014 NFL Draft -- like he wouldn't still be the No. 1 overall pick?)
*NFL: Dolphins lock up WR Brian Hartline -- he was Ryan Tannehill's binky, so it makes sense to keep him around. He's no game-breaker, but steady (and very productive last year). But they still need a game-breaker.
*Deals: Rockets lock up GM Daryl Morey through 2018. He is Houston's MVP and the best GM in the NBA.
*The non-Catholic Big East is the new "America 12": Reminds me of "Conference USA," one of the worst names in sports-branding history.
*Civics: Doesn't it feel like Atlanta just built the Georgia Dome?
*Weekend Viewing Guide: Syracuse at Georgetown (noon Saturday), the finale of one of college hoops' best rivalries. Still don't understand why they can't set up an annual non-conference match-up.
(This season, at least, Cuse-G'town is a bigger/better game than Duke at UNC, tomorrow night at 9. Yes, it's a great rivalry, but it lacks real stakes. So UNC loses? Still in the Tournament. So Duke loses? Maybe it makes UNC's season, but Duke still is positioned for a 1-seed if they win the ACC Tournament. It is the fundamental issue with college hoops rivalries in the regular season: There are no real consequences.)
But, occasionally, you get exceptions, like Florida at Kentucky tomorrow at noon -- bringing it back to what we were talking about at the top, the consequences of losing to a rival in the regular season couldn't be bigger for Calipari and the 'Cats.
-- D.S.
Friday, March 08, 2013
Thursday, March 07, 2013
3/07 (Thursday) Quickie
Last night's big winner: Jamal Crawford, who pulled off a between-the-legs alley-oop pass to Blake Griffin that was a good reminder that even in a season that feels like a Heat d'accompli as it relates to the playoffs, the sport is built on the night-in-night-out aesthetic brilliance.
Was last night the Heat's best win of the 16 straight? It was arguably the grittiest, the kind of grinder that you typically need en route to 16 wins in the playoffs -- which, at this point, is the only "16" that really matters for Miami.
Speaking of streaks, the Blackhawks -- sports' best ongoing drama right now -- won again, on a last-minute tie-breaking goal in front of an absolutely frenzied home crowd. That's 30 straight games with a point, 11 straight wins and a 2013 season still without a loss. Amazing.
College hoops: It is an early-March truism -- desperate Bubble teams will necessarily play with more urgency (especially at home) than teams that are locked into the Tournament.
That was the story of Villanova over Georgetown, of Iowa State over Oklahoma State, of Xavier over St. Louis and of Georgia Tech over Miami.
Of those four winners, it's probably too-little-too-late for two of them, but for the other two, it is a resume-bolstering moment.
MLB Spring Training: Yankees-Red Sox has lost so much of its luster over the past year or two that it feels like MLB is ripe for a new leading rivalry, and I would nominate the Phillies and Nationals, who really do seem to dislike each other. The Phillies are on the decline, but clearly have enough money invested to want to scratch and claw back into relevancy; the Nationals are on the ascent, and clearly see beating down the former class of the NL East as a stepping stone to their own validity. When Roy Halladay is buzzing Nats in a spring training game, you know you're on to something good and ugly.
Today's viewing guide: Thunder-Knicks and Clippers-Nuggets NBA doubleheader on TNT... in college hoops, it's ostensibly Wisconsin at Michigan State at 9 on ESPN, but why not the opening round of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament on ESPN3? All four Mo Valley teams angling to make the quarterfinals have a theoretical chance of playing their way into the NCAA Tournament. All they have to do is win four straight games, and they're in. Easier said than done, but still: Doable!
Today's loser: David Akers, finally released by the 49ers.
-- D.S.
Was last night the Heat's best win of the 16 straight? It was arguably the grittiest, the kind of grinder that you typically need en route to 16 wins in the playoffs -- which, at this point, is the only "16" that really matters for Miami.
Speaking of streaks, the Blackhawks -- sports' best ongoing drama right now -- won again, on a last-minute tie-breaking goal in front of an absolutely frenzied home crowd. That's 30 straight games with a point, 11 straight wins and a 2013 season still without a loss. Amazing.
College hoops: It is an early-March truism -- desperate Bubble teams will necessarily play with more urgency (especially at home) than teams that are locked into the Tournament.
That was the story of Villanova over Georgetown, of Iowa State over Oklahoma State, of Xavier over St. Louis and of Georgia Tech over Miami.
Of those four winners, it's probably too-little-too-late for two of them, but for the other two, it is a resume-bolstering moment.
MLB Spring Training: Yankees-Red Sox has lost so much of its luster over the past year or two that it feels like MLB is ripe for a new leading rivalry, and I would nominate the Phillies and Nationals, who really do seem to dislike each other. The Phillies are on the decline, but clearly have enough money invested to want to scratch and claw back into relevancy; the Nationals are on the ascent, and clearly see beating down the former class of the NL East as a stepping stone to their own validity. When Roy Halladay is buzzing Nats in a spring training game, you know you're on to something good and ugly.
Today's viewing guide: Thunder-Knicks and Clippers-Nuggets NBA doubleheader on TNT... in college hoops, it's ostensibly Wisconsin at Michigan State at 9 on ESPN, but why not the opening round of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament on ESPN3? All four Mo Valley teams angling to make the quarterfinals have a theoretical chance of playing their way into the NCAA Tournament. All they have to do is win four straight games, and they're in. Easier said than done, but still: Doable!
Today's loser: David Akers, finally released by the 49ers.
-- D.S.
Wednesday, March 06, 2013
3/06 (Wednesday) Quickie
Today's biggest winners: (1) Ohio State, (2) Blackhawks, (3) Russell Westbrook, (4) Terrell Sinkfield, (5) Von Miller, (6) Regis.
*Ohio State beats Indiana in Bloomington: ESPN.com's Eamonn Brennan nailed this -- a road win over an elite team was the remaining hole on Ohio State's resume. Time to add the Buckeyes to the short list of teams with the potential to win four straight in late March and make the Final Four.
(As for Indiana, they are still on the list, but -- yep -- those are doubts creeping in. Losing at home on Senior Night is what the old, pre-revived Hoosiers would do.)
*Blackhawks extend point streak: That's 20-0-3 on the season, 29 straight games with a point (extending back to last season) and 10 straight wins. The most must-follow team in sports keeps it going -- at this point it is folly to try to predict when this ride will end.
*Thunder thump the Lakers: Russell Westbrook (37 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists) with a reminder of why he is among the Top 5 most must-see players in the NBA and the X-factor in OKC's run for a second straight West title. Even Kobe tweeted out compliments after the game.
*Name to Know: Terrell Sinkfield, the Northern Iowa wide receiver who dropped by the pre-draft "Pro Day" at the University of Minnesota and ran a reportedly blistering 4.19 (and if that seems too good to be true, he also reported ran a 4.27, which is hardly slouching). Speed alone isn't enough to make it in the NFL -- but it sure helps.
*Von Miller says the Broncos are going to win the Super Bowl: Whatever his motivation, isn't that exactly what you want any player on a contender to say? Like he's supposed to say "We'll try our best!" or "Next year: Making the AFC title game or bust!" The fact that he was inspired by his 6-year-old cousin emerging from a coma makes it all the more inspired. If any player is allowed to make that kind of boast, it should be someone in the argument for best defensive player in the AFC.
*Regis Philbin was the headliner of the official promotion for Fox Sports' new ESPN competitor, Fox Sports 1. Regis will host a daily talk show head-to-head with ESPN's flagship daily shows PTI and Around the Horn -- that won't end well for Regis. It is unclear that Regis resonates with a younger audience, but it is easy to understand the interest in bringing in a "brand name."
The key will be the co-host that they pair with Regis -- the sports version of Kelly Ripa. (It's not without precedent: Michelle Beadle was largely unknown before being paired with Colin Cowherd on ESPN's SportsNation show, where she quickly established herself as the real star of the show.)
In the end, sports talk shows are fun, but sports networks make their money (cable fees and advertising) on showing live events. Fox has the existing assets -- and certainly the deep pockets -- to be competitive when it comes to securing live sports rights (like, say, Big East basketball).
More:
*Tweet of the Day: "Kid Blake: Who are you? Future Blake: you from the future... Don't listen to anything else I've told you just start wearing a cup." (from Blake Griffin, in response to Serge Ibaka merely earning a $25K fine for his groin shot on Griffin from Sunday).
*ICYMI: Don Van Natta's #longread on NFL commissioner Roger Goodell -- the newsy bit was that Goodell's biggest fear is a player dying on the field, but that feels like Goodell's shiny object meant to distract you from the actual issue -- the thousands of hits to the head that, over time, trigger CTE and other brain injuries that inevitably overtake players long after they have put themselves at immediate risk on the field.
*Johnny Football Watch: If Johnny Manziel's family wants an insurance policy for the remaining year he plays college football before going pro, he should just drop out now and work with George Whitfield or another NFL-prep QB coach for the year...
*College football hot stove: Michigan's chances of being nationally relevant in 2014 got a big boost with incumbent starting QB Devin Gardner getting an extra year of eligibility. Michigan's offense got better when he took over for Denard Robinson, and two years from now, he should be an elite QB nationally.
*Conference realignment: For selling their league name and giving up their marquee basketball teams, the Football League Soon To Be Formerly Known As The Big East is going to make a cool $100M. And that's on top of the cash from their TV deal. Not bad...
And the farthest thing from a winner: Man U. fans, watching their side bounced from Champions League by Real Madrid after an entirely iffy red card.
-- D.S.
*Ohio State beats Indiana in Bloomington: ESPN.com's Eamonn Brennan nailed this -- a road win over an elite team was the remaining hole on Ohio State's resume. Time to add the Buckeyes to the short list of teams with the potential to win four straight in late March and make the Final Four.
(As for Indiana, they are still on the list, but -- yep -- those are doubts creeping in. Losing at home on Senior Night is what the old, pre-revived Hoosiers would do.)
*Blackhawks extend point streak: That's 20-0-3 on the season, 29 straight games with a point (extending back to last season) and 10 straight wins. The most must-follow team in sports keeps it going -- at this point it is folly to try to predict when this ride will end.
*Thunder thump the Lakers: Russell Westbrook (37 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists) with a reminder of why he is among the Top 5 most must-see players in the NBA and the X-factor in OKC's run for a second straight West title. Even Kobe tweeted out compliments after the game.
*Name to Know: Terrell Sinkfield, the Northern Iowa wide receiver who dropped by the pre-draft "Pro Day" at the University of Minnesota and ran a reportedly blistering 4.19 (and if that seems too good to be true, he also reported ran a 4.27, which is hardly slouching). Speed alone isn't enough to make it in the NFL -- but it sure helps.
*Von Miller says the Broncos are going to win the Super Bowl: Whatever his motivation, isn't that exactly what you want any player on a contender to say? Like he's supposed to say "We'll try our best!" or "Next year: Making the AFC title game or bust!" The fact that he was inspired by his 6-year-old cousin emerging from a coma makes it all the more inspired. If any player is allowed to make that kind of boast, it should be someone in the argument for best defensive player in the AFC.
*Regis Philbin was the headliner of the official promotion for Fox Sports' new ESPN competitor, Fox Sports 1. Regis will host a daily talk show head-to-head with ESPN's flagship daily shows PTI and Around the Horn -- that won't end well for Regis. It is unclear that Regis resonates with a younger audience, but it is easy to understand the interest in bringing in a "brand name."
The key will be the co-host that they pair with Regis -- the sports version of Kelly Ripa. (It's not without precedent: Michelle Beadle was largely unknown before being paired with Colin Cowherd on ESPN's SportsNation show, where she quickly established herself as the real star of the show.)
In the end, sports talk shows are fun, but sports networks make their money (cable fees and advertising) on showing live events. Fox has the existing assets -- and certainly the deep pockets -- to be competitive when it comes to securing live sports rights (like, say, Big East basketball).
More:
*Tweet of the Day: "Kid Blake: Who are you? Future Blake: you from the future... Don't listen to anything else I've told you just start wearing a cup." (from Blake Griffin, in response to Serge Ibaka merely earning a $25K fine for his groin shot on Griffin from Sunday).
*ICYMI: Don Van Natta's #longread on NFL commissioner Roger Goodell -- the newsy bit was that Goodell's biggest fear is a player dying on the field, but that feels like Goodell's shiny object meant to distract you from the actual issue -- the thousands of hits to the head that, over time, trigger CTE and other brain injuries that inevitably overtake players long after they have put themselves at immediate risk on the field.
*Johnny Football Watch: If Johnny Manziel's family wants an insurance policy for the remaining year he plays college football before going pro, he should just drop out now and work with George Whitfield or another NFL-prep QB coach for the year...
*College football hot stove: Michigan's chances of being nationally relevant in 2014 got a big boost with incumbent starting QB Devin Gardner getting an extra year of eligibility. Michigan's offense got better when he took over for Denard Robinson, and two years from now, he should be an elite QB nationally.
*Conference realignment: For selling their league name and giving up their marquee basketball teams, the Football League Soon To Be Formerly Known As The Big East is going to make a cool $100M. And that's on top of the cash from their TV deal. Not bad...
And the farthest thing from a winner: Man U. fans, watching their side bounced from Champions League by Real Madrid after an entirely iffy red card.
-- D.S.
Tuesday, March 05, 2013
3/05 (Tuesday) Quickie
Today's big winners: Brittney Griner, Notre Dame women's hoops, the Heat (again x 15), Joe Flacco, Kobe, Dwayne Bowe (and Alex Smith), Jack Nicklaus.
First off: In the ongoing discussion about where LeBron James ranks among all-time NBA players (short answer: there is an apples/oranges problem, but he is probably already Top 10 and will finish his career no less than Top 3 but possibly No. 1), we clearly are overlooking one thing:
LeBron isn't even the most dominant basketball player in 2013 -- that would be Baylor's Brittney Griner, who capped Senior Night with 50 points. Greatest women's college hoops player ever? She's in the conversation, that's for sure. Unclear there is an analogue in the NBA for Griner's potential impact on the WNBA -- maybe Patrick Ewing when he came out of Georgetown?
It was a big night for women's college hoops: ND beat UConn for the Big East title in 3 OT, in the women's college hoops game of the year.
Meanwhile, on the LeBron beat: The Heat won their 15th straight. I might as well keep repeating what I said yesterday -- the season is over. Everyone else is playing for second place. And that's OK -- there is nothing wrong with watching basketball played at a near-ideal level by the runaway champs.
Tracking: Carmelo Anthony's knee.
Eating: Joe Flacco, flush with Ravens cash, going to a McDonald's drive-thru.
Talking: Kobe, who says that if Serge Ibaka gave him a groin-shot like Ibaka did to Blake Griffin on Sunday, Kobe "would have smacked" him. Kobe-in-twilight continues to be the best Kobe.
NFL: The Chiefs reached a deal with Dwayne Bowe, who will have as much to say about Alex Smith's impact in KC as anyone except Jamaal Charles.
Golf: Look at Jack Nicklaus with the Tiger-trolling! Jack said Tiger "better get going" if he is going to topple Nicklaus' record for major wins. Five years ago, we all would have said "That's just going to motivate Tiger even more!" Today, of course, it's unclear that the challenge won't unnerve Tiger. There is no "turning it on" for Tiger anymore.
Let's be real: Nicklaus is right.
-- D.S.
First off: In the ongoing discussion about where LeBron James ranks among all-time NBA players (short answer: there is an apples/oranges problem, but he is probably already Top 10 and will finish his career no less than Top 3 but possibly No. 1), we clearly are overlooking one thing:
LeBron isn't even the most dominant basketball player in 2013 -- that would be Baylor's Brittney Griner, who capped Senior Night with 50 points. Greatest women's college hoops player ever? She's in the conversation, that's for sure. Unclear there is an analogue in the NBA for Griner's potential impact on the WNBA -- maybe Patrick Ewing when he came out of Georgetown?
It was a big night for women's college hoops: ND beat UConn for the Big East title in 3 OT, in the women's college hoops game of the year.
Meanwhile, on the LeBron beat: The Heat won their 15th straight. I might as well keep repeating what I said yesterday -- the season is over. Everyone else is playing for second place. And that's OK -- there is nothing wrong with watching basketball played at a near-ideal level by the runaway champs.
Tracking: Carmelo Anthony's knee.
Eating: Joe Flacco, flush with Ravens cash, going to a McDonald's drive-thru.
Talking: Kobe, who says that if Serge Ibaka gave him a groin-shot like Ibaka did to Blake Griffin on Sunday, Kobe "would have smacked" him. Kobe-in-twilight continues to be the best Kobe.
NFL: The Chiefs reached a deal with Dwayne Bowe, who will have as much to say about Alex Smith's impact in KC as anyone except Jamaal Charles.
Golf: Look at Jack Nicklaus with the Tiger-trolling! Jack said Tiger "better get going" if he is going to topple Nicklaus' record for major wins. Five years ago, we all would have said "That's just going to motivate Tiger even more!" Today, of course, it's unclear that the challenge won't unnerve Tiger. There is no "turning it on" for Tiger anymore.
Let's be real: Nicklaus is right.
-- D.S.
Monday, March 04, 2013
3/4 (Monday) Quickie
First of all: Oh my god, that buzzer-beater by the New Rochelle (NY) high school player to win the playoff game. To all the folks saying "Never seen a more incredible shot," I think I agree with you.
I consider the NBA season over. The Heat are going to storm their way to the NBA title, and LeBron is going to carry them there with the greatest individual season since the peak of Michael Jordan. Sunday's win in New York wasn't flashy -- just devastatingly effective. Watching the league's best player at the peak of his effectiveness? There are a lot worse playoff plot lines.
Blackhawks keep winning/not losing: My kids love hockey, so we ended up watching most of the Blackhawks-Red Wings game yesterday, and oh wow, was it entertaining. Much of that had to do with the stakes (Chicago's season-opening point streak), but layer in the rivalry, how hard the Red Wings were playing and how rabid the Detroit fans were about watching the Wings snap Chicago's streak. Then the Hawks ripped their heart out. I have to imagine it is simultaneously thrilling and excruciating for Chicago fans that the incredible start has raised expectations to "Stanley Cup champion or Fail."
Kobe's dunk on Josh Smith (and leading the Lakers back to .500): LeBron may be jaw-dropping in his sheer dominance, but if I had to pick a single player to watch right now, it would be Kobe -- in his career twilight but so maniacally desperate to get the Lakers back into the playoffs that he seems to be playing as hard as he ever has.
CBB: Gonzaga will be No. 1? Covered this yesterday -- I can respect Gonzaga as an excellent team (I have no problem already penciling them into the Final Four, wherever they end up in the bracket) but reject them as having earned the (entirely vestigial) No. 1 spot in the latest regular-season poll. Their strength of schedule is just too spotty.
Michigan holds off Michigan State: Big win for Big Blue, but still don't see Michigan with the defense to win four straight in late March to get to the Final Four.
Meanwhile: No change to yesterday's opinion that Ryan Kelly had the single-best performance by a college basketball player this season on Saturday night in Duke's win over Miami.
MLB: Mike Trout's agent does him no favors griping about his salary. Of course he is wildly underpaid, but it is unclear complaining about it now fixes anything. On the one hand: Yes, some young stars are going to be underpaid relative to market value, often extremely. On the other hand, non-rich teams being able to control their young talent on reasonable contracts is at the heart of what little competitive balance actually exists in baseball. Isn't he satisfied that in 5 or 6 years, Trout is going to command $300 million?
NFL: Peter King has a great detail leading MMQB this week that Bob Kraft didn't want Tom Brady to leave the Pats like Joe Montana left the 49ers. I appreciate that, but if the Patriots had a successor to Brady who was as good as Steve Young was at the tail end of Joe Montana's career, wouldn't a clear-eyed organization like the Patriots do exactly what the 49ers did? Why get sentimental about it now, when sentimentality is precisely what the Pats have NOT stood for during its Belichick/Brady Dynasty?
Dennis Rodman's trip to North Korea: On the "Te'o Scale" of jaw-dropping absurdity, it's at least a 7, possibly an 8.
Get well soon, Bradley Beal.
-- D.S.
I consider the NBA season over. The Heat are going to storm their way to the NBA title, and LeBron is going to carry them there with the greatest individual season since the peak of Michael Jordan. Sunday's win in New York wasn't flashy -- just devastatingly effective. Watching the league's best player at the peak of his effectiveness? There are a lot worse playoff plot lines.
Blackhawks keep winning/not losing: My kids love hockey, so we ended up watching most of the Blackhawks-Red Wings game yesterday, and oh wow, was it entertaining. Much of that had to do with the stakes (Chicago's season-opening point streak), but layer in the rivalry, how hard the Red Wings were playing and how rabid the Detroit fans were about watching the Wings snap Chicago's streak. Then the Hawks ripped their heart out. I have to imagine it is simultaneously thrilling and excruciating for Chicago fans that the incredible start has raised expectations to "Stanley Cup champion or Fail."
Kobe's dunk on Josh Smith (and leading the Lakers back to .500): LeBron may be jaw-dropping in his sheer dominance, but if I had to pick a single player to watch right now, it would be Kobe -- in his career twilight but so maniacally desperate to get the Lakers back into the playoffs that he seems to be playing as hard as he ever has.
CBB: Gonzaga will be No. 1? Covered this yesterday -- I can respect Gonzaga as an excellent team (I have no problem already penciling them into the Final Four, wherever they end up in the bracket) but reject them as having earned the (entirely vestigial) No. 1 spot in the latest regular-season poll. Their strength of schedule is just too spotty.
Michigan holds off Michigan State: Big win for Big Blue, but still don't see Michigan with the defense to win four straight in late March to get to the Final Four.
Meanwhile: No change to yesterday's opinion that Ryan Kelly had the single-best performance by a college basketball player this season on Saturday night in Duke's win over Miami.
MLB: Mike Trout's agent does him no favors griping about his salary. Of course he is wildly underpaid, but it is unclear complaining about it now fixes anything. On the one hand: Yes, some young stars are going to be underpaid relative to market value, often extremely. On the other hand, non-rich teams being able to control their young talent on reasonable contracts is at the heart of what little competitive balance actually exists in baseball. Isn't he satisfied that in 5 or 6 years, Trout is going to command $300 million?
NFL: Peter King has a great detail leading MMQB this week that Bob Kraft didn't want Tom Brady to leave the Pats like Joe Montana left the 49ers. I appreciate that, but if the Patriots had a successor to Brady who was as good as Steve Young was at the tail end of Joe Montana's career, wouldn't a clear-eyed organization like the Patriots do exactly what the 49ers did? Why get sentimental about it now, when sentimentality is precisely what the Pats have NOT stood for during its Belichick/Brady Dynasty?
Dennis Rodman's trip to North Korea: On the "Te'o Scale" of jaw-dropping absurdity, it's at least a 7, possibly an 8.
Get well soon, Bradley Beal.
-- D.S.
Sunday, March 03, 2013
3/3 (Ryan Kelly) Quickie
I'm not a Duke fan (to say the least), but Ryan Kelly wins the weekend.
Coming off a 7-week layoff, his 36-point outburst in front of a frenzied home crowd (and floor-slapping teammates) against a Top 5 team that had previously thrashed the Blue Devils in a win that pole-positions (or "poll-positions") Duke for a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament was THE signature individual performance of the year in college basketball.
The five other college hoops stories I'm paying attention to:
*VCU. Holy moley. What the Rams did to Butler was something I never thought any team would be able to do to Butler. If you weren't at least noodling on the idea of VCU being talented enough to make a Final Four run, this is your moment to start.
*Louisville tops Syracuse at the Dome: The Orange aren't necessarily a team you consider an offensive juggernaut, but they are Top 20 in offensive efficiency. However, Louisville is No. 1 in the country in defensive efficiency, and it showed. The Cardinals have got to be on anyone's short list of bonafide Final Four contenders -- their defense is just too good, and combined with a more than "good enough" offense.
*Shabazz Muhammad didn't exactly dominate college basketball in his one-and-done year (as you might expect a No. 1 national recruit would), but 18 points in a home finale upset of a ranked conference foe isn't a bad finish.
*Otto Porter Watch: 28 and 8 in a G'town win over Rutgers for the should-be/could-be/would-be national player of the year.
*Gonzaga will probably be No. 1, but Saturday's 29-point thrashing of lowly Portland is a good reminder that the Zags play a creampuff schedule. Don't get me wrong: Gonzaga is a very very good team -- I will have no problem penciling them through to the Final Four. But there are a dozen teams that could go 16-0 in the WCC in any given year and many multiples that could put up gaudy win totals playing in that conference.
Watching today: Michigan St-Michigan at 4 on CBS, plus ducking in on the NBA afternoon double-header (Heat-Knicks, Thunder-Clippers) on ABC.
-- D.S.
Coming off a 7-week layoff, his 36-point outburst in front of a frenzied home crowd (and floor-slapping teammates) against a Top 5 team that had previously thrashed the Blue Devils in a win that pole-positions (or "poll-positions") Duke for a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament was THE signature individual performance of the year in college basketball.
The five other college hoops stories I'm paying attention to:
*VCU. Holy moley. What the Rams did to Butler was something I never thought any team would be able to do to Butler. If you weren't at least noodling on the idea of VCU being talented enough to make a Final Four run, this is your moment to start.
*Louisville tops Syracuse at the Dome: The Orange aren't necessarily a team you consider an offensive juggernaut, but they are Top 20 in offensive efficiency. However, Louisville is No. 1 in the country in defensive efficiency, and it showed. The Cardinals have got to be on anyone's short list of bonafide Final Four contenders -- their defense is just too good, and combined with a more than "good enough" offense.
*Shabazz Muhammad didn't exactly dominate college basketball in his one-and-done year (as you might expect a No. 1 national recruit would), but 18 points in a home finale upset of a ranked conference foe isn't a bad finish.
*Otto Porter Watch: 28 and 8 in a G'town win over Rutgers for the should-be/could-be/would-be national player of the year.
*Gonzaga will probably be No. 1, but Saturday's 29-point thrashing of lowly Portland is a good reminder that the Zags play a creampuff schedule. Don't get me wrong: Gonzaga is a very very good team -- I will have no problem penciling them through to the Final Four. But there are a dozen teams that could go 16-0 in the WCC in any given year and many multiples that could put up gaudy win totals playing in that conference.
Watching today: Michigan St-Michigan at 4 on CBS, plus ducking in on the NBA afternoon double-header (Heat-Knicks, Thunder-Clippers) on ABC.
-- D.S.
Saturday, March 02, 2013
03/02 (Very) Quickie
So I guess the real question is which team is going to lose first -- the Heat or the Blackhawks? (The difference is that where the Heat seem to be in a position to steamroll to a championship, it is entirely unclear whether the Blackhawks' season-opening run will carry through to its closing.)
College Hoops Saturday: Is Miami-Duke a play-in game for a 1-seed? Not quite -- ultimately, any meeting in the ACC Tournament would probably be decisive, but today instantly becomes the top line on the resume for the winner.
Other games I'm tracking:
Noon: Alabama at Florida (ESPN), Butler at VCU (ESPN2).
Honestly: Butler-VCU is the day's most must-see game.
2 pm: Wichita State at Creighton (ESPN2)
Another great mid-major battle.
4 pm: Kentucky at Arkansas (CBS)
Back on the wrong side of bubble for UK when they lose.
6 pm: Miami at Duke
Ultimate test for The U. Envision Duke rout here.
9 pm: Arizona at UCLA
Not a big believer in 'Zona. Win here helps.
Joe Flacco's big deal: Is he worthy of being the highest-paid QB in NFL history? That's not really a fair question -- it's just a function of market rates, combined with Flacco pulling off a spectacular playoff run that earned him and his team a championship. So the short answer is: Yes, worthy.
Wow, what happened to Rory McIlroy? At this point, you just hope that he figures out whatever has him psychologically occupied.
Enjoy your Saturday.
-- D.S.
College Hoops Saturday: Is Miami-Duke a play-in game for a 1-seed? Not quite -- ultimately, any meeting in the ACC Tournament would probably be decisive, but today instantly becomes the top line on the resume for the winner.
Other games I'm tracking:
Noon: Alabama at Florida (ESPN), Butler at VCU (ESPN2).
Honestly: Butler-VCU is the day's most must-see game.
2 pm: Wichita State at Creighton (ESPN2)
Another great mid-major battle.
4 pm: Kentucky at Arkansas (CBS)
Back on the wrong side of bubble for UK when they lose.
6 pm: Miami at Duke
Ultimate test for The U. Envision Duke rout here.
9 pm: Arizona at UCLA
Not a big believer in 'Zona. Win here helps.
Joe Flacco's big deal: Is he worthy of being the highest-paid QB in NFL history? That's not really a fair question -- it's just a function of market rates, combined with Flacco pulling off a spectacular playoff run that earned him and his team a championship. So the short answer is: Yes, worthy.
Wow, what happened to Rory McIlroy? At this point, you just hope that he figures out whatever has him psychologically occupied.
Enjoy your Saturday.
-- D.S.
Friday, March 01, 2013
03/01 (March) Quickie
March is here. It is also my daughter's 1st birthday, which is a happy confluence.
*Virginia stuns Duke: As someone who believes that the college hoops regular season's main function is to get everyone ready for the NCAA Tournament, I couldn't care less about the way teams in the Top 5 seem to lose every week as it relates to the utterly useless regular-season "Who's No. 1?" debate (or even the largely useless regular-season "Who are the four 1-seeds?" debate).
The 'Hoos' win over Duke is valuable in one big way: It is an affirmation that it is going to be really hard this year to pick the team that is going to win six straight to win the national title (or even the three other teams that will win four straight and make the Final Four). Every would-be contender has displayed at least a few moments where you can doubt yourself when penciling in their name across a bracket.
Your best bet remains finding those teams with high defensive-efficiency ratings that can also score if they need to (represented by high offensive-efficiency ratings). That puts some of the usual suspects in the mix -- Indiana, Florida, Gonzaga, Louisville, Duke, Kansas, maybe even a wild card like VCU.
But it also should make you skeptical of, say, Georgetown (a team that plays fantastic defense but relies too heavily on one scorer to create any offense) or Michigan (a team that can score but doesn't come close to playing defense at an elite level). Miami and Wisconsin -- and, of course, Final Four stand-by Michigan State -- are intriguing possibilities.
Wrapping it back to last night's "upset," it shouldn't have come as too big of a shock: Virginia's defensive efficiency is in the Top 20 and its offense is underrated (coming in at a respectable No. 31 in KenPom's offensive efficiency ranking). For all of Duke's offensive brilliance, it had trouble stopping UVA's offense -- unsurprisingly, Duke's defense is ranked behind UVA's, along with 20 other teams.
*"Catholic 7" to expand, claim new old name: I sort of loved the "Catholic 7" shorthand for the spin-off basketball-first teams leaving the Big East. But now they are going to buy the name "Big East" from the old league (for whom it barely applied before and certainly doesn't now) for their start-up league, along with adding a few new members: Butler and Xavier, both of whom are big wins for the league -- perennial Top 25 teams (and, perhaps more important, perennial Tournament studs). St. Louis is also going to be added (another Top 25 team) and, reportedly, Creighton is in the mix. That's a bit of a reach, geographically. I would favor VCU.
*Those Adidas uniforms: I typically applaud the apparel companies for trying new things. The "short-sleeve" look doesn't bother me -- if you watched what happened in the NBA with Golden State, this is clearly going to be a bigger thing in basketball -- but the Zubaz-style shorts are awful. I love wearing basketball shorts around (the house, not in public), and I wouldn't wear those if I was given a pair for free, let alone buy them. Maybe I'm not the target market, but this isn't fashion via Oregon football or Maryland basketball -- it is a look that wasn't good back when we first saw it 20 years ago and hasn't gotten any better with age.
*Blackhawks' streak reaches 20: I'm not following their games live, but when I know they are playing the night before, it has become the first score I look for in the morning.
*Kings vs. Sacramento: I used to live in Seattle and have many friends from there who truly lament losing the Sonics and wish daily for an NBA team, but I hope that the Kings stay in Sacramento.
*LeBron wins everything, cont'd: I am not a big fan of the Harlem Shake craze, but the Heat did an incredible version. Consider how well LeBron is playing right now... and how willing he is to have fun with this video. It's really endearing -- the guy has a fantastic sense of humor about himself.
Have a great weekend -- light updates all weekend long, as usual.
-- D.S.
*Virginia stuns Duke: As someone who believes that the college hoops regular season's main function is to get everyone ready for the NCAA Tournament, I couldn't care less about the way teams in the Top 5 seem to lose every week as it relates to the utterly useless regular-season "Who's No. 1?" debate (or even the largely useless regular-season "Who are the four 1-seeds?" debate).
The 'Hoos' win over Duke is valuable in one big way: It is an affirmation that it is going to be really hard this year to pick the team that is going to win six straight to win the national title (or even the three other teams that will win four straight and make the Final Four). Every would-be contender has displayed at least a few moments where you can doubt yourself when penciling in their name across a bracket.
Your best bet remains finding those teams with high defensive-efficiency ratings that can also score if they need to (represented by high offensive-efficiency ratings). That puts some of the usual suspects in the mix -- Indiana, Florida, Gonzaga, Louisville, Duke, Kansas, maybe even a wild card like VCU.
But it also should make you skeptical of, say, Georgetown (a team that plays fantastic defense but relies too heavily on one scorer to create any offense) or Michigan (a team that can score but doesn't come close to playing defense at an elite level). Miami and Wisconsin -- and, of course, Final Four stand-by Michigan State -- are intriguing possibilities.
Wrapping it back to last night's "upset," it shouldn't have come as too big of a shock: Virginia's defensive efficiency is in the Top 20 and its offense is underrated (coming in at a respectable No. 31 in KenPom's offensive efficiency ranking). For all of Duke's offensive brilliance, it had trouble stopping UVA's offense -- unsurprisingly, Duke's defense is ranked behind UVA's, along with 20 other teams.
*"Catholic 7" to expand, claim new old name: I sort of loved the "Catholic 7" shorthand for the spin-off basketball-first teams leaving the Big East. But now they are going to buy the name "Big East" from the old league (for whom it barely applied before and certainly doesn't now) for their start-up league, along with adding a few new members: Butler and Xavier, both of whom are big wins for the league -- perennial Top 25 teams (and, perhaps more important, perennial Tournament studs). St. Louis is also going to be added (another Top 25 team) and, reportedly, Creighton is in the mix. That's a bit of a reach, geographically. I would favor VCU.
*Those Adidas uniforms: I typically applaud the apparel companies for trying new things. The "short-sleeve" look doesn't bother me -- if you watched what happened in the NBA with Golden State, this is clearly going to be a bigger thing in basketball -- but the Zubaz-style shorts are awful. I love wearing basketball shorts around (the house, not in public), and I wouldn't wear those if I was given a pair for free, let alone buy them. Maybe I'm not the target market, but this isn't fashion via Oregon football or Maryland basketball -- it is a look that wasn't good back when we first saw it 20 years ago and hasn't gotten any better with age.
*Blackhawks' streak reaches 20: I'm not following their games live, but when I know they are playing the night before, it has become the first score I look for in the morning.
*Kings vs. Sacramento: I used to live in Seattle and have many friends from there who truly lament losing the Sonics and wish daily for an NBA team, but I hope that the Kings stay in Sacramento.
*LeBron wins everything, cont'd: I am not a big fan of the Harlem Shake craze, but the Heat did an incredible version. Consider how well LeBron is playing right now... and how willing he is to have fun with this video. It's really endearing -- the guy has a fantastic sense of humor about himself.
Have a great weekend -- light updates all weekend long, as usual.
-- D.S.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
2/28 (Curry) Quickie
*Well, that Stephen Curry 54-point binge at MSG was just about the most fun thing you'll see in the NBA this season. That Curry's Warriors lost? OK, it happens. The real result is that Curry elevates himself into one of the Top 5 must-see players in the league (behind LeBron, Durant and Kobe but I would argue ahead of Kyrie Irving and Russell Westbrook).
*Michigan's loss to lowly Penn State is the kind of result that sticks with you on Selection Sunday. I don't care how good their offense is -- Michigan's defense isn't nearly good enough to win four straight in late March to get to a Final Four. That this team was on a short list for 1-seeds is kind of a joke.
*Georgetown's Otto Porter: The answer to the question "Who is college basketball's national player of the year?" One of the handful of most intriguing storylines heading into the NCAA Tournament is how far Porter plus a Top 5 defense can carry Georgetown.
(If you're picking four players to join Porter on an all-America team, go with Indiana's Victor Oladipo, Gonzaga's Kelly Olynyk, Creighton's Doug McDermott and Michigan's Trey Burke. Sorry, Cody Zeller. He can anchor the 2nd team, including Duke's Plumlee, Kansas' McLemore, Florida's Murphy and OK St's Smart.)
*Chiefs trade for Alex Smith: Best they could do with a bad hand. Maybe if they weren't picking first overall, they would take Geno Smith. Maybe Andy Reid didn't want to trade for Nick Foles. Maybe they didn't want to risk Matt Barkley not being there at the top of the 2nd round. (Hell, maybe if they saw this coming, they would have traded this year's 1st to the Rams last year for the chance to draft RGIII.) KC's QB situation has been a mess since Joe Montana -- this is as close to stability as they have seen in decades. What could go wrong?
*49ers get 1st pick of 2nd round: So they either get arguably the most valuable player of the 2013 draft or leverage that pick into a trade for, say, Darrelle Revis. Best franchise in football gets better.
-- D.S.
*Michigan's loss to lowly Penn State is the kind of result that sticks with you on Selection Sunday. I don't care how good their offense is -- Michigan's defense isn't nearly good enough to win four straight in late March to get to a Final Four. That this team was on a short list for 1-seeds is kind of a joke.
*Georgetown's Otto Porter: The answer to the question "Who is college basketball's national player of the year?" One of the handful of most intriguing storylines heading into the NCAA Tournament is how far Porter plus a Top 5 defense can carry Georgetown.
(If you're picking four players to join Porter on an all-America team, go with Indiana's Victor Oladipo, Gonzaga's Kelly Olynyk, Creighton's Doug McDermott and Michigan's Trey Burke. Sorry, Cody Zeller. He can anchor the 2nd team, including Duke's Plumlee, Kansas' McLemore, Florida's Murphy and OK St's Smart.)
*Chiefs trade for Alex Smith: Best they could do with a bad hand. Maybe if they weren't picking first overall, they would take Geno Smith. Maybe Andy Reid didn't want to trade for Nick Foles. Maybe they didn't want to risk Matt Barkley not being there at the top of the 2nd round. (Hell, maybe if they saw this coming, they would have traded this year's 1st to the Rams last year for the chance to draft RGIII.) KC's QB situation has been a mess since Joe Montana -- this is as close to stability as they have seen in decades. What could go wrong?
*49ers get 1st pick of 2nd round: So they either get arguably the most valuable player of the 2013 draft or leverage that pick into a trade for, say, Darrelle Revis. Best franchise in football gets better.
-- D.S.
2/27 (Is It March Yet?) Quickie
Hard not to feel good for Minnesota fans after last night's win over No. 1 Indiana -- the signature win of Tubby Smith's era and arguably Minnesota's best win since the '97 team zipped to the Final Four.
It is also a reminder that Indiana -- like every other would-be contender -- is fallible, but it is hardly damning to lose on the road to an ultra-motivated opponent (see Florida losing at Tennessee).
No reason not to maintain IU as a Final Four team -- four straight on a neutral court isn't the same as a one-off in a rocking Minneapolis arena in February.
As for Florida? Still a bonafide Final Four contender -- if you're just casually following the Gators, it seems like an ugly road loss. But Florida was playing with 6 guys -- they were missing X-factor Will Yeguete and frosh super-shooter Michael Frazier, both of whom will be back for the Tournament. At full strength, Florida is as good as anyone -- as long as they aren't shipped out West, I'll take a 2- or 3-seed for this team -- all the more likely folks in my bracket pool won't pick them.
(The opposite? Memphis, who hasn't beaten anyone and whose "win streak" was snapped by Xavier. I can't dump Memphis out of my bracket fast enough; meanwhile, Xavier remains one of Those Teams where you will kick yourself for not anticipating the perennial Sweet 16 run. That is: If the Musketeers can even get into the Tournament; they are on the wrong side of the bubble -- last night was a must-win, but they have more work to do. KenPom has them ranked in the 80s, but they finish the regular season with games against Tourney locks St. Louis and Butler. Both are must-win, but if the X-men pull it off, they will be on the right side of the bubble.)
Gonzaga will be No. 1? Apparently, strength of schedule doesn't matter. Look: Gonzaga is a really good team -- over the weekend, I put them in my "if the season ended now" Final Four -- but they benefit tremendously from playing a soft conference schedule.
LeBron scores 40 in 2OT win over Sacramento: Was that the game of the year in the NBA? Regardless, one more superlative for LeBron's season -- highest scoring output for him this year. It is hard to think of a player who had a better month in the last 25 years than LeBron's February.
(Meanwhile, I really hope that LeBron keeps up with his pregame dunking shows -- who in the world thinks those are a bad thing?)
Pacers-Warriors scuffle: Roy Hibbert can look forward to a week or two off. The big winner? Stephen Curry, who took on Indiana's 7-footer.
NFL Draft: Alabama's Dee Milliner runs a 4.37 -- he was already the best DB in the draft. Feels like a can't-miss prospect in a league that is dominated by passing.
Mike Holmgren to the Raiders? He's a retread, but Oakland needs all the help it can get.
Milestones: Vivian Stringer hits 900 wins. After yesterday's talk of 500 wins for Bill Self, 900 is truly rare air.
-- D.S.
It is also a reminder that Indiana -- like every other would-be contender -- is fallible, but it is hardly damning to lose on the road to an ultra-motivated opponent (see Florida losing at Tennessee).
No reason not to maintain IU as a Final Four team -- four straight on a neutral court isn't the same as a one-off in a rocking Minneapolis arena in February.
As for Florida? Still a bonafide Final Four contender -- if you're just casually following the Gators, it seems like an ugly road loss. But Florida was playing with 6 guys -- they were missing X-factor Will Yeguete and frosh super-shooter Michael Frazier, both of whom will be back for the Tournament. At full strength, Florida is as good as anyone -- as long as they aren't shipped out West, I'll take a 2- or 3-seed for this team -- all the more likely folks in my bracket pool won't pick them.
(The opposite? Memphis, who hasn't beaten anyone and whose "win streak" was snapped by Xavier. I can't dump Memphis out of my bracket fast enough; meanwhile, Xavier remains one of Those Teams where you will kick yourself for not anticipating the perennial Sweet 16 run. That is: If the Musketeers can even get into the Tournament; they are on the wrong side of the bubble -- last night was a must-win, but they have more work to do. KenPom has them ranked in the 80s, but they finish the regular season with games against Tourney locks St. Louis and Butler. Both are must-win, but if the X-men pull it off, they will be on the right side of the bubble.)
Gonzaga will be No. 1? Apparently, strength of schedule doesn't matter. Look: Gonzaga is a really good team -- over the weekend, I put them in my "if the season ended now" Final Four -- but they benefit tremendously from playing a soft conference schedule.
LeBron scores 40 in 2OT win over Sacramento: Was that the game of the year in the NBA? Regardless, one more superlative for LeBron's season -- highest scoring output for him this year. It is hard to think of a player who had a better month in the last 25 years than LeBron's February.
(Meanwhile, I really hope that LeBron keeps up with his pregame dunking shows -- who in the world thinks those are a bad thing?)
Pacers-Warriors scuffle: Roy Hibbert can look forward to a week or two off. The big winner? Stephen Curry, who took on Indiana's 7-footer.
NFL Draft: Alabama's Dee Milliner runs a 4.37 -- he was already the best DB in the draft. Feels like a can't-miss prospect in a league that is dominated by passing.
Mike Holmgren to the Raiders? He's a retread, but Oakland needs all the help it can get.
Milestones: Vivian Stringer hits 900 wins. After yesterday's talk of 500 wins for Bill Self, 900 is truly rare air.
-- D.S.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
2/26 (Very) Quickie
*Of course Tom Brady took less than market value, ensuring that the Patriots can continue to make moves around him to keep the team competitive. Cripes, it's hard to begrudge that guy.
*But what does it mean for Joe Flacco? Nothing. Flacco is going to get paid, and the only reaction will be to reductively compare Flacco's money-grubbing to Brady's selflessness. In reply, Flacco can just hold up the Super Bowl trophy.
*Manti Te'o runs slow at the combine: The gif of Jim Harbaugh shaking his head is hilarious. Te'o is also smaller than everyone thought. You want to default to "But the heart!" but the reality is that Te'o ain't Ray Lewis. Some contender will reach for him at the end of the 1st round, and he will play well surrounded by lots of other talent (rather than anchoring a defense himself). But a superstar? Nope.
*Lakers lose to Nuggets: Not quite the way to reach the playoffs.
*Kansas survives at Iowa State: Tough place to play, still not sold on KU as a Final Four team. (Meanwhile, I would not have guessed that Bill Self is a 500-win coach. He is No. 54 all-time and only four typically successful seasons away from the Top 30 and the 600-win threshold. The names that might surprise you on the all-time list? Bob Huggins and Mike Montgomery both in the Top 25, with more than 650 wins each. Up next in the 500 club? Jim Larranaga and Dana Altman should both crack the plateau next season. Billy Donovan is two seasons away; Tom Izzo is three seasons away, as is Larry Eustachy.)
*Marquette beats Syracuse: Feels like Sweet 16 is the ceiling for both. (But I caught some of the game last night, and that Marquette student section is awesome.)
*Blackhawks keep winning: Even if you're not a hockey fan, this streak to open the season should have you checking the schedule to see when Chicago is playing and how they're doing.
*Alabama offers scholly to 8th grader: Attention all college basketball coaches: Gabe Shanoff displayed a sweet shot in the 1st-grade basketball league this month. Please feel free to make scholarship offers. (Reminds me of this funny Varsity Dad parody post I did five years ago.)
*Gareth Bale: Whew. Hell of a goal.
-- D.S.
*But what does it mean for Joe Flacco? Nothing. Flacco is going to get paid, and the only reaction will be to reductively compare Flacco's money-grubbing to Brady's selflessness. In reply, Flacco can just hold up the Super Bowl trophy.
*Manti Te'o runs slow at the combine: The gif of Jim Harbaugh shaking his head is hilarious. Te'o is also smaller than everyone thought. You want to default to "But the heart!" but the reality is that Te'o ain't Ray Lewis. Some contender will reach for him at the end of the 1st round, and he will play well surrounded by lots of other talent (rather than anchoring a defense himself). But a superstar? Nope.
*Lakers lose to Nuggets: Not quite the way to reach the playoffs.
*Kansas survives at Iowa State: Tough place to play, still not sold on KU as a Final Four team. (Meanwhile, I would not have guessed that Bill Self is a 500-win coach. He is No. 54 all-time and only four typically successful seasons away from the Top 30 and the 600-win threshold. The names that might surprise you on the all-time list? Bob Huggins and Mike Montgomery both in the Top 25, with more than 650 wins each. Up next in the 500 club? Jim Larranaga and Dana Altman should both crack the plateau next season. Billy Donovan is two seasons away; Tom Izzo is three seasons away, as is Larry Eustachy.)
*Marquette beats Syracuse: Feels like Sweet 16 is the ceiling for both. (But I caught some of the game last night, and that Marquette student section is awesome.)
*Blackhawks keep winning: Even if you're not a hockey fan, this streak to open the season should have you checking the schedule to see when Chicago is playing and how they're doing.
*Alabama offers scholly to 8th grader: Attention all college basketball coaches: Gabe Shanoff displayed a sweet shot in the 1st-grade basketball league this month. Please feel free to make scholarship offers. (Reminds me of this funny Varsity Dad parody post I did five years ago.)
*Gareth Bale: Whew. Hell of a goal.
-- D.S.
Monday, February 25, 2013
2/25 (Monday) Quickie
I don't think it was reasonable to EXPECT Danica to win the Daytona 500, but a Top 10 finish certainly affirms her pole-position start. (That said, that Danica was nudged from what seemed like a sure-fire Top 5 -- Top 3? -- finish to the back of the Top 10 was disappointing.)
All in all, Daytona got what it wanted/needed -- Danica near the front and a largely dramatic finish featuring Jimmie Johnson offering up the racing equivalent of "You all forgot about me, didn't you?"
NFL Offseason: Alex Smith about to be traded to KC? Well, about to be traded somewhere, with the Chiefs the presumptive destination. Smith is right to want to get out of SF, but I think he will find that Andy Reid is a steep drop-off from Jim Harbaugh as a coach that can get the most out of him. Still: It's a chance to start. (Anyone else just as intrigued as to who Harbaugh might bring in as Colin Kaepernick's new back-up? I'm obviously biased, but if any coach can confidently figure out how to deploy Tim Tebow innovatively, it is Harbaugh. What a fit that could be.)
Kobe is the best: "Amnesty THAT" as a tweet after the Lakers beat the Mavs, whose owner Mark Cuban suggested the Lakers should amnesty Kobe after the season.
Heat win 11th straight, beating the Cavs, but of course all anyone wants to talk about is the years-away speculation that LeBron would eventually return to Cleveland, pair with Kyrie Irving and lead the Cavs to a title. As someone who wrote about LeBron being a lock to leave Cleveland years before The Decision, I'm all for this kind of insane speculation -- as soon as LeBron wins a bunch of rings in Miami (and there is no reason to think it won't be three, including last year, '13 and '14), I could absolutely see him returning to Cleveland to try to win a title there. (Honestly? My biggest question is how he would/could co-exist with Irving, who needs the ball in his hands to be most effective.)
Ohio State d. Michigan State: Just when I thought that I had a handle on the Spartans as a potential Final Four team, they lose in Columbus (no shame in that, btw.) Almost assuredly, I will take Michigan State one round too far, Ohio State one round too short and I have given up on trying to make sense of Michigan at all. If I had to pick four Final Four teams today, I'd go with Indiana, Florida, Gonzaga and -- puts finger in the air -- VCU.
NFL Combine: The two biggest things you need to know from yesterday are that West Virginia WR Tavon Austin is going to be a massive NFL star as quickly as next season and that Utah OT Star Lotulelei's heart condition is going to completely vex GMs in the Top 10.
Spring Training: Curtis Granderson out until May with a broken arm. He was already displaced from centerfield and clearly on the back-side of his career, so it is unclear that the Yankees will drop off THAT much without him. Still: Ominous foreshadowing for New York already.
Fashion: Nope, not the Oscars -- yes, I think the Warriors' sleeves are kind of cool. The team clearly responded to them. It's such a change from the norm, I'm not sure I see the league converting to sleeves full-time for every team, but I could definitely see every team having a sleeved version of their uniforms (although I can't see fans buying them in the same way they would buy a standard tank-top, which already looks ludicrous enough as it is on anyone but a kid).
-- D.S.
All in all, Daytona got what it wanted/needed -- Danica near the front and a largely dramatic finish featuring Jimmie Johnson offering up the racing equivalent of "You all forgot about me, didn't you?"
NFL Offseason: Alex Smith about to be traded to KC? Well, about to be traded somewhere, with the Chiefs the presumptive destination. Smith is right to want to get out of SF, but I think he will find that Andy Reid is a steep drop-off from Jim Harbaugh as a coach that can get the most out of him. Still: It's a chance to start. (Anyone else just as intrigued as to who Harbaugh might bring in as Colin Kaepernick's new back-up? I'm obviously biased, but if any coach can confidently figure out how to deploy Tim Tebow innovatively, it is Harbaugh. What a fit that could be.)
Kobe is the best: "Amnesty THAT" as a tweet after the Lakers beat the Mavs, whose owner Mark Cuban suggested the Lakers should amnesty Kobe after the season.
Heat win 11th straight, beating the Cavs, but of course all anyone wants to talk about is the years-away speculation that LeBron would eventually return to Cleveland, pair with Kyrie Irving and lead the Cavs to a title. As someone who wrote about LeBron being a lock to leave Cleveland years before The Decision, I'm all for this kind of insane speculation -- as soon as LeBron wins a bunch of rings in Miami (and there is no reason to think it won't be three, including last year, '13 and '14), I could absolutely see him returning to Cleveland to try to win a title there. (Honestly? My biggest question is how he would/could co-exist with Irving, who needs the ball in his hands to be most effective.)
Ohio State d. Michigan State: Just when I thought that I had a handle on the Spartans as a potential Final Four team, they lose in Columbus (no shame in that, btw.) Almost assuredly, I will take Michigan State one round too far, Ohio State one round too short and I have given up on trying to make sense of Michigan at all. If I had to pick four Final Four teams today, I'd go with Indiana, Florida, Gonzaga and -- puts finger in the air -- VCU.
NFL Combine: The two biggest things you need to know from yesterday are that West Virginia WR Tavon Austin is going to be a massive NFL star as quickly as next season and that Utah OT Star Lotulelei's heart condition is going to completely vex GMs in the Top 10.
Spring Training: Curtis Granderson out until May with a broken arm. He was already displaced from centerfield and clearly on the back-side of his career, so it is unclear that the Yankees will drop off THAT much without him. Still: Ominous foreshadowing for New York already.
Fashion: Nope, not the Oscars -- yes, I think the Warriors' sleeves are kind of cool. The team clearly responded to them. It's such a change from the norm, I'm not sure I see the league converting to sleeves full-time for every team, but I could definitely see every team having a sleeved version of their uniforms (although I can't see fans buying them in the same way they would buy a standard tank-top, which already looks ludicrous enough as it is on anyone but a kid).
-- D.S.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
2/24 (Very Sunday) Quickie
*Unless you already favor a particular driver, how can you not be rooting for Danica today?
*What a terrible day at the track yesterday. NASCAR as an organization -- command and control -- is not good in moments like that.
*Yesterday was about as good as it gets for DC sports fans: Georgetown wins at Syracuse (including Otto Porter with a national-player-of-the-year performance), the Wizards beat the Rockets (including Bradley Beal showcasing why he is a future All-Star) and the Caps obliterate the Devils (including an Ovechkin hat-trick). Take that for what you will that that is "as good as it gets."
*Kentucky was in a must-win yesterday and got it. UK's resume is lackluster, but I think that the Selection Committee will almost assuredly give the defending champs the benefit of a doubt that other bubble teams won't get. (Granted, if UK craps out its remaining regular-season schedule, there isn't much anyone can do for them.)
*Miami was overrated? You don't say!
*I wanted to see something decisive out of Colorado State -- instead, they lost at home to New Mexico. The Mountain West is going to mess up some brackets next month, that's for sure.
*Is Florida good enough to be a 1-seed? Absolutely. But losing solid freshman SG Michael Frazier to an apparent concussion -- on top of a previous injury to Will Yeguete that has him out for at least a few more weeks -- really tests Florida's depth. They were only going to go 7 deep in the Tournament anyway, but now they're down to 6 for the stretch run, which is enough to wear out any team.
*LeBron: Ho-hum, just a triple-double. This is basketball being played at a level unseen since Michael Jordan's BEST days.
*Good start for women fighters in UFC.
*I think yesterday was the day Manti Te'o and the whole ludicrous story became a non-issue with the NFL Draft. Te'o has a bigger issue: He's just OK and certainly not spectacular.
-- D.S.
*What a terrible day at the track yesterday. NASCAR as an organization -- command and control -- is not good in moments like that.
*Yesterday was about as good as it gets for DC sports fans: Georgetown wins at Syracuse (including Otto Porter with a national-player-of-the-year performance), the Wizards beat the Rockets (including Bradley Beal showcasing why he is a future All-Star) and the Caps obliterate the Devils (including an Ovechkin hat-trick). Take that for what you will that that is "as good as it gets."
*Kentucky was in a must-win yesterday and got it. UK's resume is lackluster, but I think that the Selection Committee will almost assuredly give the defending champs the benefit of a doubt that other bubble teams won't get. (Granted, if UK craps out its remaining regular-season schedule, there isn't much anyone can do for them.)
*Miami was overrated? You don't say!
*I wanted to see something decisive out of Colorado State -- instead, they lost at home to New Mexico. The Mountain West is going to mess up some brackets next month, that's for sure.
*Is Florida good enough to be a 1-seed? Absolutely. But losing solid freshman SG Michael Frazier to an apparent concussion -- on top of a previous injury to Will Yeguete that has him out for at least a few more weeks -- really tests Florida's depth. They were only going to go 7 deep in the Tournament anyway, but now they're down to 6 for the stretch run, which is enough to wear out any team.
*LeBron: Ho-hum, just a triple-double. This is basketball being played at a level unseen since Michael Jordan's BEST days.
*Good start for women fighters in UFC.
*I think yesterday was the day Manti Te'o and the whole ludicrous story became a non-issue with the NFL Draft. Te'o has a bigger issue: He's just OK and certainly not spectacular.
-- D.S.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
2/23 (Weekend) Quickie
Ahh, there's nothing like a Friday night spent watching the Wizards. (Wait, yes there is... but good times in our house!)
Speaking of "there's nothing like...," just in time for the 1st-grade basketball league season finale today, things could be a lot worse than Gabe wanting to model his game off Russell Westbrook.
Great day of college hoops: It'll be Syracuse-Georgetown on in our house at 4 -- it's among the most nostalgic match-ups in college hoops.
But I'll be flipping back and forth with Colorado State-New Mexico at the same time. I'm intrigued by Colorado State and its emphasis on offensive rebounding. That team is going to vex me when the bracket comes out. FWIW, at No. 15, CSU is KenPom's highest-ranked mid-major besides Gonzaga. New Mexico is a solid No. 34, but ranked No. 7 in adjusted defensive efficiency, a fascinating match-up with CSU's Top 10 offense.
(Meanwhile, a couple of great "Bracketbuster" match-ups today, led by Detroit-Wichita State, another good one at 4 pm, and Creighton-St. Mary's at 6.)
My evening is set: Florida hosting Arkansas at 7, ready to get a little payback for the ass-kicking the Gators took in Fayetteville a couple weeks ago.)
Hilarious -- and typical -- that the Lakers would get huffy about Mark Cuban's suggestion that the Lakers should amnesty Kobe during the offseason. (Typical Cuban: It's a savvy idea.)
So the Blackhawks have sort of blown out expectations-setting for the season, haven't they? It's already Stanley Cup title or bust.
Was there ever any doubt that RGIII would be back on schedule?
Enjoy your weekend. Great day of hoops ahead.
-- D.S.
Speaking of "there's nothing like...," just in time for the 1st-grade basketball league season finale today, things could be a lot worse than Gabe wanting to model his game off Russell Westbrook.
Great day of college hoops: It'll be Syracuse-Georgetown on in our house at 4 -- it's among the most nostalgic match-ups in college hoops.
But I'll be flipping back and forth with Colorado State-New Mexico at the same time. I'm intrigued by Colorado State and its emphasis on offensive rebounding. That team is going to vex me when the bracket comes out. FWIW, at No. 15, CSU is KenPom's highest-ranked mid-major besides Gonzaga. New Mexico is a solid No. 34, but ranked No. 7 in adjusted defensive efficiency, a fascinating match-up with CSU's Top 10 offense.
(Meanwhile, a couple of great "Bracketbuster" match-ups today, led by Detroit-Wichita State, another good one at 4 pm, and Creighton-St. Mary's at 6.)
My evening is set: Florida hosting Arkansas at 7, ready to get a little payback for the ass-kicking the Gators took in Fayetteville a couple weeks ago.)
Hilarious -- and typical -- that the Lakers would get huffy about Mark Cuban's suggestion that the Lakers should amnesty Kobe during the offseason. (Typical Cuban: It's a savvy idea.)
So the Blackhawks have sort of blown out expectations-setting for the season, haven't they? It's already Stanley Cup title or bust.
Was there ever any doubt that RGIII would be back on schedule?
Enjoy your weekend. Great day of hoops ahead.
-- D.S.
Friday, February 22, 2013
2/22 (Danica) Quickie
It is hard to write about gender in sports without being patronizing. The story of the weekend is Danica starting in pole position at the Daytona 500, with as good of a chance of winning as anyone -- it is hard to overstate that it would be one of the most exciting results in sports history.
As nothing more than a casual NASCAR observer -- I usually catch one race a year, and it's Daytona (there is something about a sport starting its season with its biggest event that I like) -- I am absolutely rooting for Danica to win... rooting for history. I'd like to think that's not patronizing, but it's hard to say.
Meanwhile, the second biggest sports story of the weekend is Ronda Rousey breaking the gender barrier in UFC -- this is a long time coming, and a huge potential market for the sport and for women athletes. She has the charisma to carry this side of the sport -- Dana White's backing doesn't hurt -- and I hope that her debut on Saturday night is a smashing success.
In the end, Danica and Ronda draw attention as something between a novelty in sports dominated by men (for better or worse, that is where UFC is right now) and very real pivot points in sports history -- for Danica, especially.
Patrick established her bonafides years ago -- this weekend represents her best shot at winning on something close to the most level playing field out there.
You don't have to be committed to gender equality in society or the parent of a daughter or anything else to appreciate the history we have the chance to watch this weekend.
More:
*NBA Trade Deadline: I have spent enough of this past season griping about Jordan Crawford that I was happy to see him shipped off to Boston, even if the Wizards gave him away -- that's how much I didn't like his game and his fit within the team. In fact, my griping about Crawford was something I came to resent even more because I would be openly disdainful of his play in front of my kids, who would ask why I was so annoyed -- it was a teaching lesson for them about not being a no-defense shot-jacker, but I didn't enjoy expressing that kind of frustration about a player in a way my kids might notice. So good riddance, Steez.
*Hawks don't trade Josh Smith: So he leaves this summer for nothing, although then the Hawks will have more than enough cap space to make a run at Dwight Howard or CP3.
*Kobe guarantees playoffs: What else did you expect him to say? Of course he guarantees playoffs.
*Spurs rout Clippers: Wasn't it cute the way everyone thought LA was an actual contender? There are two in the West: OKC and San Antonio. Everyone else is playing to make things interesting.
*Heat win 9th straight: The East is even more of a snoozer. Can we just fast-forward to June?
*NFL Combine: It has gotten bigger, yet seemingly even more antiseptic. We are reduced to reading coded messages from coaches who pop by for impromptu press conferences. The only thing that happened yesterday that I found intriguing was that I remain obsessed with Chip Kelly as an NFL coach, even if I couldn't care less about the Eagles.
-- D.S.
As nothing more than a casual NASCAR observer -- I usually catch one race a year, and it's Daytona (there is something about a sport starting its season with its biggest event that I like) -- I am absolutely rooting for Danica to win... rooting for history. I'd like to think that's not patronizing, but it's hard to say.
Meanwhile, the second biggest sports story of the weekend is Ronda Rousey breaking the gender barrier in UFC -- this is a long time coming, and a huge potential market for the sport and for women athletes. She has the charisma to carry this side of the sport -- Dana White's backing doesn't hurt -- and I hope that her debut on Saturday night is a smashing success.
In the end, Danica and Ronda draw attention as something between a novelty in sports dominated by men (for better or worse, that is where UFC is right now) and very real pivot points in sports history -- for Danica, especially.
Patrick established her bonafides years ago -- this weekend represents her best shot at winning on something close to the most level playing field out there.
You don't have to be committed to gender equality in society or the parent of a daughter or anything else to appreciate the history we have the chance to watch this weekend.
More:
*NBA Trade Deadline: I have spent enough of this past season griping about Jordan Crawford that I was happy to see him shipped off to Boston, even if the Wizards gave him away -- that's how much I didn't like his game and his fit within the team. In fact, my griping about Crawford was something I came to resent even more because I would be openly disdainful of his play in front of my kids, who would ask why I was so annoyed -- it was a teaching lesson for them about not being a no-defense shot-jacker, but I didn't enjoy expressing that kind of frustration about a player in a way my kids might notice. So good riddance, Steez.
*Hawks don't trade Josh Smith: So he leaves this summer for nothing, although then the Hawks will have more than enough cap space to make a run at Dwight Howard or CP3.
*Kobe guarantees playoffs: What else did you expect him to say? Of course he guarantees playoffs.
*Spurs rout Clippers: Wasn't it cute the way everyone thought LA was an actual contender? There are two in the West: OKC and San Antonio. Everyone else is playing to make things interesting.
*Heat win 9th straight: The East is even more of a snoozer. Can we just fast-forward to June?
*NFL Combine: It has gotten bigger, yet seemingly even more antiseptic. We are reduced to reading coded messages from coaches who pop by for impromptu press conferences. The only thing that happened yesterday that I found intriguing was that I remain obsessed with Chip Kelly as an NFL coach, even if I couldn't care less about the Eagles.
-- D.S.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
2/21 (NBA Trade Dudline?) Quickie
I used to love the NBA Trade Deadline, but then it fizzled and became a shell of its former self.
I just can't get worked up over where Josh Smith ends up, although more power to Houston if it can go from bupkis a year ago to Harden-Lin-Asik-Smith -- I am in the tank for Daryl Morey and support him 100% however he wants to go. (Was last night's Rockets win over the Thunder as good as it gets for Houston fans? Possibly/probably.)
More:
*It was nice to be on the front end of the Victor Oladipo bandwagon yesterday.
*NFL Combine: It's basically Manti Te'o and then everything else, right?
*Lakers-Celtics last night felt sad -- maybe the franchises make themselves championship relevant again soon (I'd never put it past the Lakers), but it sure seems like puttering to the end.
*I'm not going to have a problem not picking Kansas to the Final Four.
*Revis vs. Sherman on Twitter is like the February sports swoon at its least interesting.
*Tebow Watch: Cancels speech at the controversial Dallas church -- could have told you this was coming.
*Last night's best thing in sports: Penguins-Flyers. All I caught were the highlights and it was still more thrilling than everything else wrapped together.
- D.S.
I just can't get worked up over where Josh Smith ends up, although more power to Houston if it can go from bupkis a year ago to Harden-Lin-Asik-Smith -- I am in the tank for Daryl Morey and support him 100% however he wants to go. (Was last night's Rockets win over the Thunder as good as it gets for Houston fans? Possibly/probably.)
More:
*It was nice to be on the front end of the Victor Oladipo bandwagon yesterday.
*NFL Combine: It's basically Manti Te'o and then everything else, right?
*Lakers-Celtics last night felt sad -- maybe the franchises make themselves championship relevant again soon (I'd never put it past the Lakers), but it sure seems like puttering to the end.
*I'm not going to have a problem not picking Kansas to the Final Four.
*Revis vs. Sherman on Twitter is like the February sports swoon at its least interesting.
*Tebow Watch: Cancels speech at the controversial Dallas church -- could have told you this was coming.
*Last night's best thing in sports: Penguins-Flyers. All I caught were the highlights and it was still more thrilling than everything else wrapped together.
- D.S.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
2/20 (Is It March Yet?) Quickie
I'm a college basketball realist -- games in mid-February, even seemingly huge ones like last night's Indiana win at Michigan State, are ultimately inconsequential in the larger scheme of the sport's ultimate playoff in late March.
But that's not to say that there aren't thrilling moments worth savoring -- exactly like last night, when a Hoosiers team I had been thinking is slightly on the wrong side of title-ready put on display the make-up of the kind of team that wins six straight in late March.
Mostly, that was a function of IU's marvelous junior guard, Victor Oladipo, all angles -- and all-American-ness -- showcasing the most fascinating skill set I have seen in a college hoops player since... well, I'm having trouble finding a comp.
A few weeks ago, I said that there were probably a half-dozen teams with a legit shot at winning six straight in late March -- Indiana is on the short list.
****
*Florida is on the short list, too, even though the Gators lost at Mizzou last night. There's no shame in losing at Columbia -- Mizzou hasn't lost there this season, and Florida still held the high-flying Tigers to 63 points. In late March, when you suddenly lose the ability to make shots, you have got to be able to get stops, and no team has proven better at that through this entire season than Florida.
*So, about that VCU bandwagon...
*Miami being charged with a lack of institutional control - accurate or not -- seems absurd coming from the NCAA right now...
*Gio Gonzalez not tied to PEDs: Unfortunately for him, there is still a taint, but it's rare to get the "No, no, really: He's been cleared" message. As a Nats fan, I was already Team Gio anyway.
*A day late, but RIP to Lakers owner Jerry Buss. Was he the best owner in sports? I'm inclined to agree with that argument. Hard to argue with the combination of sizzle and steak.
Been under the weather for a little while, but hoping to get back into the routine here...
-- D.S.
But that's not to say that there aren't thrilling moments worth savoring -- exactly like last night, when a Hoosiers team I had been thinking is slightly on the wrong side of title-ready put on display the make-up of the kind of team that wins six straight in late March.
Mostly, that was a function of IU's marvelous junior guard, Victor Oladipo, all angles -- and all-American-ness -- showcasing the most fascinating skill set I have seen in a college hoops player since... well, I'm having trouble finding a comp.
A few weeks ago, I said that there were probably a half-dozen teams with a legit shot at winning six straight in late March -- Indiana is on the short list.
****
*Florida is on the short list, too, even though the Gators lost at Mizzou last night. There's no shame in losing at Columbia -- Mizzou hasn't lost there this season, and Florida still held the high-flying Tigers to 63 points. In late March, when you suddenly lose the ability to make shots, you have got to be able to get stops, and no team has proven better at that through this entire season than Florida.
*So, about that VCU bandwagon...
*Miami being charged with a lack of institutional control - accurate or not -- seems absurd coming from the NCAA right now...
*Gio Gonzalez not tied to PEDs: Unfortunately for him, there is still a taint, but it's rare to get the "No, no, really: He's been cleared" message. As a Nats fan, I was already Team Gio anyway.
*A day late, but RIP to Lakers owner Jerry Buss. Was he the best owner in sports? I'm inclined to agree with that argument. Hard to argue with the combination of sizzle and steak.
Been under the weather for a little while, but hoping to get back into the routine here...
-- D.S.
Friday, February 15, 2013
On Turning 40
I turn 40 tomorrow today, so I’ve been spending a lot of time reflecting on the past decade.
A couple of weeks ago, I went through an exercise where I tried to list out the most life-defining things that happened -- for better and worse. I’m not saying that is the best way to think about it -- it puts too much weight on the singular happenings and not enough on mundane day-to-day enjoyment of life. Still, it makes the past 10 years more tangible.
Obviously, there are big “life” things like getting married, having kids, my siblings having kids, buying/selling a house, major surgeries, etc.
Then there are the professional things: I was already a month into the Quickie when I turned 30, so I didn’t count that. But I did count the run itself and all the fun things that I got access to because of it -- going on TV, spinning off this blog, getting to write elsewhere (remember when I spent that season as Deadspin’s college football columnist?) Joining a high-flying start-up. Starting my own company, obviously, then seeing it through its acquisition.
(Did meeting Tim Tebow make the list? What do you think?)
The one thing I found hardest to qualify was the dramatic shift in who I was friends with from 30 til 40. 2003 was pre-blog (let alone pre-social media) and almost all of my friends came from a pool of college, business school and work colleagues. Ten years later, I interact way more often with a far broader set of people, almost entirely virtually -- that’s not for everyone, but I have found it richly rewarding, especially given that a family puts strains on your time.
The other piece of this list was an exercise related to “What I Wish I Had Gotten Accomplished But Didn’t.” I will guarantee you that things like “Write a book” or “Run NYC marathon” were on my list heading into my 30s and, despite that, remain there today. (Although it was interesting to see what kind of proxies I came up with over my 30s -- for example, I actually wrote three separate formal book proposals over the decade and I jumped into the Chicago Marathon to run alongside my sister for 10 miles.)
The two affirming things about the “Didn’t get done” list are that (1) it's a pretty short list, which I think is a good sign, and (2) it’s not like it ruined my past decade to not get it done. Meanwhile, virtually everything on the list (from the practical to the largely fantastical) is still doable. And if everything in life demands some trade-offs, I’ll take where I am right now over any other options I could have had.
I still remember entering my 30s and how excited I was for it, because it meant that instead of being past my prime for my 20s, I was a fresh thirtysomething, with a whole decade ahead of me to accomplish things that might matter to me. (Clearly, on the day before my 30th birthday, I had zero conception of the joy of having one kid, let alone three.)
Now that I am about to enter my 40s -- and what I honestly think will be my best decade yet -- it is with a way different frame of reference than 10 years ago: Wildly different priorities (family/kids first, obviously) and a greater appreciation for the process over the outcome, but with no less of a zest to be in the middle of things that are interesting to me than any 30-something or 20-something version of me.
The last decade has been wonderful and I have been extraordinarily lucky, on almost every front. It’s not the worst thing in the world to hope the next 10 years bring just as much happiness with my life as the last 10 years just did.
-- D.S.
A couple of weeks ago, I went through an exercise where I tried to list out the most life-defining things that happened -- for better and worse. I’m not saying that is the best way to think about it -- it puts too much weight on the singular happenings and not enough on mundane day-to-day enjoyment of life. Still, it makes the past 10 years more tangible.
Obviously, there are big “life” things like getting married, having kids, my siblings having kids, buying/selling a house, major surgeries, etc.
Then there are the professional things: I was already a month into the Quickie when I turned 30, so I didn’t count that. But I did count the run itself and all the fun things that I got access to because of it -- going on TV, spinning off this blog, getting to write elsewhere (remember when I spent that season as Deadspin’s college football columnist?) Joining a high-flying start-up. Starting my own company, obviously, then seeing it through its acquisition.
(Did meeting Tim Tebow make the list? What do you think?)
The one thing I found hardest to qualify was the dramatic shift in who I was friends with from 30 til 40. 2003 was pre-blog (let alone pre-social media) and almost all of my friends came from a pool of college, business school and work colleagues. Ten years later, I interact way more often with a far broader set of people, almost entirely virtually -- that’s not for everyone, but I have found it richly rewarding, especially given that a family puts strains on your time.
The other piece of this list was an exercise related to “What I Wish I Had Gotten Accomplished But Didn’t.” I will guarantee you that things like “Write a book” or “Run NYC marathon” were on my list heading into my 30s and, despite that, remain there today. (Although it was interesting to see what kind of proxies I came up with over my 30s -- for example, I actually wrote three separate formal book proposals over the decade and I jumped into the Chicago Marathon to run alongside my sister for 10 miles.)
The two affirming things about the “Didn’t get done” list are that (1) it's a pretty short list, which I think is a good sign, and (2) it’s not like it ruined my past decade to not get it done. Meanwhile, virtually everything on the list (from the practical to the largely fantastical) is still doable. And if everything in life demands some trade-offs, I’ll take where I am right now over any other options I could have had.
I still remember entering my 30s and how excited I was for it, because it meant that instead of being past my prime for my 20s, I was a fresh thirtysomething, with a whole decade ahead of me to accomplish things that might matter to me. (Clearly, on the day before my 30th birthday, I had zero conception of the joy of having one kid, let alone three.)
Now that I am about to enter my 40s -- and what I honestly think will be my best decade yet -- it is with a way different frame of reference than 10 years ago: Wildly different priorities (family/kids first, obviously) and a greater appreciation for the process over the outcome, but with no less of a zest to be in the middle of things that are interesting to me than any 30-something or 20-something version of me.
The last decade has been wonderful and I have been extraordinarily lucky, on almost every front. It’s not the worst thing in the world to hope the next 10 years bring just as much happiness with my life as the last 10 years just did.
-- D.S.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
2/14 (Pistorius WTF?!) Quickie
If the Manti Te'o story -- fake girlfriend, fake death, Te'o as victim -- hasn't reached its end-point yet (and I'd argue it did at least two weeks ago), it's over now.
Because this Oscar Pistorius story -- real girlfriend, real death, Pistorius himself the shooter -- should have everyone snapped back to attention.
That Pistorius shot and killed his girlfriend doesn't seem to be in any dispute. The only question is whether it was an accident or murder (as South African police seem to want to argue).
There is no good outcome here -- it's not like proving it was an accident makes it any less of a tragedy. Even then, there will always be people who think he did it intentionally.
And so Valentine's Day -- typically a day we celebrate around here with tributes to our current favorite athletes we "love" -- becomes, this year at least, a sad, utterly shocking day in sports.
More, with the typical awkward segue from "serious" story to the less-so:
*Nerlens Noel tears ACL: As discussed earlier this week, he instantly becomes the poster player for why the NBA's age-limit is atrocious.
*Duke beats UNC: Duke is as good a choice as any to be No. 1, although it's not like beating UNC is a big deal this season (blah blah "rivalry" blah blah.) The trend to watch here is Duke going small, which is all well and good, but you wonder how that works against longer teams like Florida or Michigan or Miami.
*Every time Butler loses, I cringe, because I'm inclined to take them to go pretty far on my bracket, but losses like that erode my confidence (I should have more faith in Brad Stevens to turn losses into highly valuable "teachable moments.")
*Happy Valentine's Day, to those of you who "celebrate" it. For the rest of us? Eh.
-- D.S.
Because this Oscar Pistorius story -- real girlfriend, real death, Pistorius himself the shooter -- should have everyone snapped back to attention.
That Pistorius shot and killed his girlfriend doesn't seem to be in any dispute. The only question is whether it was an accident or murder (as South African police seem to want to argue).
There is no good outcome here -- it's not like proving it was an accident makes it any less of a tragedy. Even then, there will always be people who think he did it intentionally.
And so Valentine's Day -- typically a day we celebrate around here with tributes to our current favorite athletes we "love" -- becomes, this year at least, a sad, utterly shocking day in sports.
More, with the typical awkward segue from "serious" story to the less-so:
*Nerlens Noel tears ACL: As discussed earlier this week, he instantly becomes the poster player for why the NBA's age-limit is atrocious.
*Duke beats UNC: Duke is as good a choice as any to be No. 1, although it's not like beating UNC is a big deal this season (blah blah "rivalry" blah blah.) The trend to watch here is Duke going small, which is all well and good, but you wonder how that works against longer teams like Florida or Michigan or Miami.
*Every time Butler loses, I cringe, because I'm inclined to take them to go pretty far on my bracket, but losses like that erode my confidence (I should have more faith in Brad Stevens to turn losses into highly valuable "teachable moments.")
*Happy Valentine's Day, to those of you who "celebrate" it. For the rest of us? Eh.
-- D.S.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
02/13 (Where Were We?) Quickie
The injury to Kentucky freshman center Nerlens Noel -- at worst, a Top 3 pick in next year's NBA draft (at least before last night) -- affirms a tenet around here:
It was cruelly unnecessary and didn't have to happen. Noel would have been a Top 5 pick in last year's draft, but the NBA age limit forced him to college for a year.
The NBA's age limit is, among other things: Arbitrary, anti-competitive, irrational, not in the best interests of the game and certainly not in the best interests of the kid.
As it looks like the NBA has no interest in changing the rule, if I was a one-and-done college player with huge NBA potential, I would skip college anyway and spend the year before the draft working out with the NBA trainers that these kids end up hiring the day after the college season ends anyway.
The real opportunity here is to create a non-profit company, bundle the Top 10 NBA prospects from each high school graduating class, and give them each $500K and a year-long training program featuring the best NBA development coaching staff in the world. I guarantee you that these kids would be more NBA-prepped than any college player -- the college hoops system still revolves around coaches with an overriding incentive to win games, not maximize the professional preparation of each player on their roster.
The only obligation to my non-profit is that over the five-year life of their first NBA deal, they have to "pay forward" $250K -- $50K a year, which is very little, relatively -- into the program to help the next class moving up, plus 1% of the value of their first NBA free-agent deal, also going directly into the program for funding. Between that and corporate sponsorship, the program is self-sustaining.
Now, we see the worst example yet of how awful this rule is: The presumptive No. 1 pick of the draft -- and a clear-cut Top 5 pick a year ago, had he been "eligible" -- hurt in every possible way by a system that forces him to play college basketball for a year before he can enter the NBA.
If I was a one-and-done college player -- or a high school player looking ahead -- I would be very very troubled by what happened to Noel last night. Here is to his full recovery and a long, productive NBA career.
-- D.S.
It was cruelly unnecessary and didn't have to happen. Noel would have been a Top 5 pick in last year's draft, but the NBA age limit forced him to college for a year.
The NBA's age limit is, among other things: Arbitrary, anti-competitive, irrational, not in the best interests of the game and certainly not in the best interests of the kid.
As it looks like the NBA has no interest in changing the rule, if I was a one-and-done college player with huge NBA potential, I would skip college anyway and spend the year before the draft working out with the NBA trainers that these kids end up hiring the day after the college season ends anyway.
The real opportunity here is to create a non-profit company, bundle the Top 10 NBA prospects from each high school graduating class, and give them each $500K and a year-long training program featuring the best NBA development coaching staff in the world. I guarantee you that these kids would be more NBA-prepped than any college player -- the college hoops system still revolves around coaches with an overriding incentive to win games, not maximize the professional preparation of each player on their roster.
The only obligation to my non-profit is that over the five-year life of their first NBA deal, they have to "pay forward" $250K -- $50K a year, which is very little, relatively -- into the program to help the next class moving up, plus 1% of the value of their first NBA free-agent deal, also going directly into the program for funding. Between that and corporate sponsorship, the program is self-sustaining.
Now, we see the worst example yet of how awful this rule is: The presumptive No. 1 pick of the draft -- and a clear-cut Top 5 pick a year ago, had he been "eligible" -- hurt in every possible way by a system that forces him to play college basketball for a year before he can enter the NBA.
If I was a one-and-done college player -- or a high school player looking ahead -- I would be very very troubled by what happened to Noel last night. Here is to his full recovery and a long, productive NBA career.
-- D.S.
Thursday, February 07, 2013
02/07 (Signing Day Hangover) Quickie
College football's "National Signing Day" always reminds me of the last day of Rush Week during my freshman year of college, when I was torn between joining two fraternities.
The rush process was awesome; the decision was gut-wrenching for a while. In the end, I felt totally secure about going one way over the other, although telling the "other" guys was hard.
But, with yesterday's NSD in mind, at least my mom didn't swoop in and hijack my commitment at the last second. (Although that would have been funny if she did.)
The recruitment battle for Alex Collins -- him versus his mother, over his interest in Arkansas versus hers in Miami -- was, by far, the wildest story of NSD.
The biggest, of course, was the way that Ole Miss put together a recruiting class unprecedented in the school's history. I had been hoping a reporter was behind the scenes for a tick-tock, and Andy Staples has it for SI.com.
Count me among those who thinks that the conversion of college football recruiting into its own sport is a fine development.
It is easy to get caught up in the rankings and the commitments. Ultimately, you judge a recruiting class on its wins, and that especially goes for Ole Miss.
But National Signing Day itself is about hope. Hope your team got better. Hope the kid made a good choice for himself. There is something entirely energizing about a day based on sheer potential.
-- D.S.
The rush process was awesome; the decision was gut-wrenching for a while. In the end, I felt totally secure about going one way over the other, although telling the "other" guys was hard.
But, with yesterday's NSD in mind, at least my mom didn't swoop in and hijack my commitment at the last second. (Although that would have been funny if she did.)
The recruitment battle for Alex Collins -- him versus his mother, over his interest in Arkansas versus hers in Miami -- was, by far, the wildest story of NSD.
The biggest, of course, was the way that Ole Miss put together a recruiting class unprecedented in the school's history. I had been hoping a reporter was behind the scenes for a tick-tock, and Andy Staples has it for SI.com.
Count me among those who thinks that the conversion of college football recruiting into its own sport is a fine development.
It is easy to get caught up in the rankings and the commitments. Ultimately, you judge a recruiting class on its wins, and that especially goes for Ole Miss.
But National Signing Day itself is about hope. Hope your team got better. Hope the kid made a good choice for himself. There is something entirely energizing about a day based on sheer potential.
-- D.S.
Tuesday, February 05, 2013
2/05 (Very) Quickie
I turn 40 in a few weeks, so I'm sort of obsessed with Grant Hill, who turned 40 in October but is still chugging along in the NBA. He had a DC homecoming last night when the Clippers were in town to play the Wizards, and I lament not heading down to the arena to watch him in person.
For my money (and clearly for wildly personal reasons), the rarity of watching a 40-year-old pro athlete is way more interesting than watching the young phenom -- or even the superstar in his prime. There is no level at which I can relate to LeBron -- that is part of his appeal: That he feels superhuman to me.
But Grant Hill? Hell, we might as well have been in the same high school class. However, while he is still contributing meaningfully at an NBA level, I'm struggling to keep pace with a slowing metabolism -- the best I can do is hope to make a few shots in my weekly "Old Man Hoops" run.
Grant, you're welcome anytime, but I am more than happy to keep watching you, Kurt Thomas (ironically, born just one day before Hill), Jason Kidd (40 in March) or Steve Nash (turning 39 on Thursday) in the NBA. It keeps me feeling younger, because there is an underrated "life stage" point -- "when there are no longer any NBA/MLB/NFL/NHL players as old as you."
More:
*Did people know in advance that the Superdome might suffer a blackout? You sorta knew that kind of day-after-day-after leak was coming.
*Do you buy the Knicks as contenders? Because I don't. Oh, sure, they're good. But good enough to beat the Heat? Come on.
*Indiana is college hoops' latest new No. 1, and as a Florida fan, I would love to get a shot at them in the Final Four, because IU doesn't seem so dominant.
*CFB: This is an absurd lament, but I wish they had Signing Day for high school seniors who are specialists in engineering or journalism or pre-med. (Oh, yes, my Northwestern journalism "recruiting class" would have been top-ranked, for sure.) Still surprised an enterprising marketing department at a university wouldn't try to create an admissions campaign around that.
*ICYMI: The entire "scorecard" of how every Super Bowl ad rated on USA TODAY's Ad Meter.
-- D.S.
For my money (and clearly for wildly personal reasons), the rarity of watching a 40-year-old pro athlete is way more interesting than watching the young phenom -- or even the superstar in his prime. There is no level at which I can relate to LeBron -- that is part of his appeal: That he feels superhuman to me.
But Grant Hill? Hell, we might as well have been in the same high school class. However, while he is still contributing meaningfully at an NBA level, I'm struggling to keep pace with a slowing metabolism -- the best I can do is hope to make a few shots in my weekly "Old Man Hoops" run.
Grant, you're welcome anytime, but I am more than happy to keep watching you, Kurt Thomas (ironically, born just one day before Hill), Jason Kidd (40 in March) or Steve Nash (turning 39 on Thursday) in the NBA. It keeps me feeling younger, because there is an underrated "life stage" point -- "when there are no longer any NBA/MLB/NFL/NHL players as old as you."
More:
*Did people know in advance that the Superdome might suffer a blackout? You sorta knew that kind of day-after-day-after leak was coming.
*Do you buy the Knicks as contenders? Because I don't. Oh, sure, they're good. But good enough to beat the Heat? Come on.
*Indiana is college hoops' latest new No. 1, and as a Florida fan, I would love to get a shot at them in the Final Four, because IU doesn't seem so dominant.
*CFB: This is an absurd lament, but I wish they had Signing Day for high school seniors who are specialists in engineering or journalism or pre-med. (Oh, yes, my Northwestern journalism "recruiting class" would have been top-ranked, for sure.) Still surprised an enterprising marketing department at a university wouldn't try to create an admissions campaign around that.
*ICYMI: The entire "scorecard" of how every Super Bowl ad rated on USA TODAY's Ad Meter.
-- D.S.
Monday, February 04, 2013
02/04 (And We're Back) Quickie
As I've been immersed in the Super Bowl ad game for the past two months, let's start there:
Anheuser-Busch's "Brotherhood" spot -- friendship between man and horse -- won USA TODAY's Ad Meter (which had more than 7,000 panelists participate). From the minute it was pre-released, it was a clear favorite to win. A few notes:
*In an intriguing twist, a 4th-quarter ad -- Tide and the "Miracle Stain" -- surged to a runner-up finish. In the history of Ad Meter, 4th-quarter ads rarely finish that high.
*In the past three years, Doritos' "fan-generated" ads have done remarkably well. This year, both Doritos entrants finished in the Top 10, but the higher-ranked one ("Fashionista Dad") finished out of the Top 3.
*Massive success for Chrysler, whose RAM ad (featuring the stirring oration by the legendary Paul Harvey, combined with fabulously evocative photos) finished 3rd and whose JEEP ad finished 5th.
*Coming in at the very bottom? Go Daddy's spot from early in the 1st quarter, in which supermodel Bar Rafaeli makes out with the nerdy looking guy. Here's the thing: It was the ad everyone was talking about during the game and this morning. In that respect, Go Daddy is a huge winner.
Now, on to the game:
*Joe Flacco: He wants to be considered "elite?" OK: He can be considered "elite."
*Ray Lewis retires a champion: Doesn't happen often, and it is so cool to experience as a fan, even if you don't like Lewis or don't like the Ravens.
*Jacoby Jones: Breakthrough superstar.
*Was it a hold at the end during the 49ers' final shot in the end zone that should have been called? Yes, but I can understand why the refs were nervous and erred on the side of the no-call -- it would have decided the championship and bookended with the Seahawks-Packers replacement-ref debacle from the start of the season as the defining moment of an otherwise kind-of-awesome NFL season.
*Will Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers be back? Yes -- I'll say as soon as next season.
*The Super Bowl's biggest winners: Jack and Jim Harbaugh's parents -- they are adorable.
*In the most randomly fun thing from my weekend, Vernon Davis followed me on Twitter on Saturday. Now, nevermind that it's the day before the Super Bowl and Davis was just sitting around looking for folks to follow on Twitter. Clearly, he earned my rooting interest (I was already picking and partial to the 49ers, despite a loyalty to my home state of Maryland and a fondness for fans in/around Baltimore), but I feel bad that he didn't understand the power of the Quickie jinx. However, I will remain a huge Vernon Davis fan.
OK:
It's the NFL offseason...
College football signing day is this week...
The NBA is snoozing into midseason...
Time to lock in on college hoops...
My children can't get enough of the NHL...
It was a hell of a Super Bowl.
Back to it.
-- D.S.
Anheuser-Busch's "Brotherhood" spot -- friendship between man and horse -- won USA TODAY's Ad Meter (which had more than 7,000 panelists participate). From the minute it was pre-released, it was a clear favorite to win. A few notes:
*In an intriguing twist, a 4th-quarter ad -- Tide and the "Miracle Stain" -- surged to a runner-up finish. In the history of Ad Meter, 4th-quarter ads rarely finish that high.
*In the past three years, Doritos' "fan-generated" ads have done remarkably well. This year, both Doritos entrants finished in the Top 10, but the higher-ranked one ("Fashionista Dad") finished out of the Top 3.
*Massive success for Chrysler, whose RAM ad (featuring the stirring oration by the legendary Paul Harvey, combined with fabulously evocative photos) finished 3rd and whose JEEP ad finished 5th.
*Coming in at the very bottom? Go Daddy's spot from early in the 1st quarter, in which supermodel Bar Rafaeli makes out with the nerdy looking guy. Here's the thing: It was the ad everyone was talking about during the game and this morning. In that respect, Go Daddy is a huge winner.
Now, on to the game:
*Joe Flacco: He wants to be considered "elite?" OK: He can be considered "elite."
*Ray Lewis retires a champion: Doesn't happen often, and it is so cool to experience as a fan, even if you don't like Lewis or don't like the Ravens.
*Jacoby Jones: Breakthrough superstar.
*Was it a hold at the end during the 49ers' final shot in the end zone that should have been called? Yes, but I can understand why the refs were nervous and erred on the side of the no-call -- it would have decided the championship and bookended with the Seahawks-Packers replacement-ref debacle from the start of the season as the defining moment of an otherwise kind-of-awesome NFL season.
*Will Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers be back? Yes -- I'll say as soon as next season.
*The Super Bowl's biggest winners: Jack and Jim Harbaugh's parents -- they are adorable.
*In the most randomly fun thing from my weekend, Vernon Davis followed me on Twitter on Saturday. Now, nevermind that it's the day before the Super Bowl and Davis was just sitting around looking for folks to follow on Twitter. Clearly, he earned my rooting interest (I was already picking and partial to the 49ers, despite a loyalty to my home state of Maryland and a fondness for fans in/around Baltimore), but I feel bad that he didn't understand the power of the Quickie jinx. However, I will remain a huge Vernon Davis fan.
OK:
It's the NFL offseason...
College football signing day is this week...
The NBA is snoozing into midseason...
Time to lock in on college hoops...
My children can't get enough of the NHL...
It was a hell of a Super Bowl.
Back to it.
-- D.S.
Sunday, February 03, 2013
02/03 (Very Super Bowl) Quickie
Prediction for game: 49ers win. (MVP: Vernon Davis.)
Prediction for Ad Meter-winning ad: Doritos. (Surprise of Top 5: Audi.)
Back to it here on Monday morning, after too many days of neglect.
-- D.S.
Prediction for Ad Meter-winning ad: Doritos. (Surprise of Top 5: Audi.)
Back to it here on Monday morning, after too many days of neglect.
-- D.S.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
1/30 (Very) Quickie
My gram passed away last spring, and today is her birthday. She actually has two birthdays, today and tomorrow, because there was an ongoing question about which one it really was, and she never really seemed too concerned with figuring it out, which is kind of awesome. So I'm thinking about her today.
Thinking about her reminds me that 17 years ago -- cripes, 17? -- I was living with her and my grandfather in Midwood, Brooklyn and working for the NFL. The week before the Super Bowl, I was out in San Diego to work on Superbowl.com for the league. It was a pretty good deal -- they gave me two tickets to the game (which I gave to my dad and brother), along with access to all the parties. We had a good time. They had a good time, I should say. I was in the press box for the game working on NFL.com's live in-game "chat" on AOL, featuring Jim Fassel, our celebrity analyst. I remember being blown away at the observations he was making that didn't necessarily make it into the chat. I also remember passing on the chance to go down to the Broncos' locker room after the game, instead letting a colleague of mine go in my place. She said it was pretty awesome to stand next to John Elway in his greatest moment of triumph. I'm sure.
So anyway, taking my brother to the Super Bowl is a long walk back to the dominant theme of this year's Super Bowl -- the Harbaugh brothers playing against each other. But I feel less of a kinship with older brother John Harbaugh as much as Jack, their dad. As the dad of two brothers (age 6 and 4) who are best friends, I can relate to Jack's situation: How on earth do you watch your two kids battle for the greatest professional accomplishment of both their lives?
You can hope for a great game where both sons do well, but ultimately, there is only one winner. The family seems grounded enough that they will take it in stride, sort of like how my gram approached things. That's sort of all you can hope for as a parent, right? That your kids will be grounded and achieve great things and ultimately recognize that life should probably be a combination of trying your best and hopefully being part of a nice family.
Back to work...
-- D.S.
Thinking about her reminds me that 17 years ago -- cripes, 17? -- I was living with her and my grandfather in Midwood, Brooklyn and working for the NFL. The week before the Super Bowl, I was out in San Diego to work on Superbowl.com for the league. It was a pretty good deal -- they gave me two tickets to the game (which I gave to my dad and brother), along with access to all the parties. We had a good time. They had a good time, I should say. I was in the press box for the game working on NFL.com's live in-game "chat" on AOL, featuring Jim Fassel, our celebrity analyst. I remember being blown away at the observations he was making that didn't necessarily make it into the chat. I also remember passing on the chance to go down to the Broncos' locker room after the game, instead letting a colleague of mine go in my place. She said it was pretty awesome to stand next to John Elway in his greatest moment of triumph. I'm sure.
So anyway, taking my brother to the Super Bowl is a long walk back to the dominant theme of this year's Super Bowl -- the Harbaugh brothers playing against each other. But I feel less of a kinship with older brother John Harbaugh as much as Jack, their dad. As the dad of two brothers (age 6 and 4) who are best friends, I can relate to Jack's situation: How on earth do you watch your two kids battle for the greatest professional accomplishment of both their lives?
You can hope for a great game where both sons do well, but ultimately, there is only one winner. The family seems grounded enough that they will take it in stride, sort of like how my gram approached things. That's sort of all you can hope for as a parent, right? That your kids will be grounded and achieve great things and ultimately recognize that life should probably be a combination of trying your best and hopefully being part of a nice family.
Back to work...
-- D.S.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
1/27 (Very) Quickie
Here's my thought for this morning:
When people -- NFL alums like Kurt Warner, Tom Brady's dad, President Obama -- say they're "unsure" they would let their kid play football, it means they wouldn't.
It's not that the end of tackle football is inevitable; it's that the acceleration toward that point is so dramatic.
*One week from the Super Bowl: Harbaugh Brothers. Ray Lewis. Colin Kaepernick. 49ers 5-0 in Super Bowl history. (There: Can we fast-forward through the pre-game lead-up now?)
*College hoops hangover: It's going to be easy for me to advance Florida to the Final Four on my bracket this year... it's going to be hard for me NOT to advance Butler to the Final Four on my bracket this year... it just got a little easier for me not to want to advance VCU to the Final Four (in fact, if there's a new non-Butler mid-major that I'm starting to get irrationally supportive of, it's Wichita State)... it's going to be hard to resist the temptation to knock out both Kentucky and UNC before the tournament's first weekend is over... it's going to be really hard to figure out how far to advance NC State. (Reminder: The entire college hoops regular season is an exercise in figuring out how to fill out your bracket.)
*NBA: Three months ago, a Sunday double-header of Heat-Celtics and Thunder-Lakers seemed so terrific. Today? Meh. There are two teams total in the NBA -- Miami and OKC -- with a legitimate chance of winning the championship. (Maybe, as always, San Antonio.) Everyone else is playing to make things interesting. (Like my Wiz! How 'bout that! There is nothing more awkward than Wizards fan triumphalism.)
-- D.S.
When people -- NFL alums like Kurt Warner, Tom Brady's dad, President Obama -- say they're "unsure" they would let their kid play football, it means they wouldn't.
It's not that the end of tackle football is inevitable; it's that the acceleration toward that point is so dramatic.
*One week from the Super Bowl: Harbaugh Brothers. Ray Lewis. Colin Kaepernick. 49ers 5-0 in Super Bowl history. (There: Can we fast-forward through the pre-game lead-up now?)
*College hoops hangover: It's going to be easy for me to advance Florida to the Final Four on my bracket this year... it's going to be hard for me NOT to advance Butler to the Final Four on my bracket this year... it just got a little easier for me not to want to advance VCU to the Final Four (in fact, if there's a new non-Butler mid-major that I'm starting to get irrationally supportive of, it's Wichita State)... it's going to be hard to resist the temptation to knock out both Kentucky and UNC before the tournament's first weekend is over... it's going to be really hard to figure out how far to advance NC State. (Reminder: The entire college hoops regular season is an exercise in figuring out how to fill out your bracket.)
*NBA: Three months ago, a Sunday double-header of Heat-Celtics and Thunder-Lakers seemed so terrific. Today? Meh. There are two teams total in the NBA -- Miami and OKC -- with a legitimate chance of winning the championship. (Maybe, as always, San Antonio.) Everyone else is playing to make things interesting. (Like my Wiz! How 'bout that! There is nothing more awkward than Wizards fan triumphalism.)
-- D.S.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
1/26 (Catch-Up) Quickie
Unclear that I've ever gone this many days without writing here -- it's been one of those weeks -- but I guess the week before the week before the Super Bowl is a pretty light week anyway. So: What'd I miss?
*Best thing last night: A Heat fan hitting a half-court hook shot to win $75,000 -- and LeBron mobbing the guy with as much sincere joy as you would ever see from a superstar athlete.
*No charges for Crabtree: Suspect it might come up at Super Bowl Media Day, though.
*Azarenka wins Aussie Open: Back-to-back. Still wish it was Serena.
*So Te'o talks with Katie Couric and Tuiasosopo talks with... Dr. Phil?
*Hey, the Lakers didn't lose. That's a start.
*NBA All-Star Reserves: Excited for Joakim Noah, a first-time All-Star. The most notable snubs were Brook Lopez and Steph Curry. Kyrie Irving being picked for the first time feels like the start of a decade-long run as an All-Star (even if he won't ever win the fan vote over Derrick Rose).
*So this whole "Andy Murray is for real" is... for real?
*Nothing symbolizes some sports media's "mall cop" relationship to the NCAA like this Shabazz Muhammad "Gucci backpack" situation. His family gave it to him, says the school.
*Will A-Rod miss the entire MLB season? I don't think the Yankees will miss him -- at least in whatever limited capacity he would be in, even if he could play. Cutting that paycheck will sting a bit.
*Would you give Darrelle Revis a monster contract? I wouldn't.
*Tiger is in the lead. I'll always contend it is more interesting when he struggles, but it is clearly more popular when he is not.
*Most intriguing college hoops game of the day/weekend: Louisville at Georgetown (Noon, ESPN)
*Do you enjoy watching the ads during the Super Bowl? Of course you do. USA TODAY has opened up its famous "Ad Meter" panel to anyone who wants to join, so if you're interested, sign up here, then get ready to rate the ads on Super Bowl Sunday (including picking the winner).
-- D.S.
*Best thing last night: A Heat fan hitting a half-court hook shot to win $75,000 -- and LeBron mobbing the guy with as much sincere joy as you would ever see from a superstar athlete.
*No charges for Crabtree: Suspect it might come up at Super Bowl Media Day, though.
*Azarenka wins Aussie Open: Back-to-back. Still wish it was Serena.
*So Te'o talks with Katie Couric and Tuiasosopo talks with... Dr. Phil?
*Hey, the Lakers didn't lose. That's a start.
*NBA All-Star Reserves: Excited for Joakim Noah, a first-time All-Star. The most notable snubs were Brook Lopez and Steph Curry. Kyrie Irving being picked for the first time feels like the start of a decade-long run as an All-Star (even if he won't ever win the fan vote over Derrick Rose).
*So this whole "Andy Murray is for real" is... for real?
*Nothing symbolizes some sports media's "mall cop" relationship to the NCAA like this Shabazz Muhammad "Gucci backpack" situation. His family gave it to him, says the school.
*Will A-Rod miss the entire MLB season? I don't think the Yankees will miss him -- at least in whatever limited capacity he would be in, even if he could play. Cutting that paycheck will sting a bit.
*Would you give Darrelle Revis a monster contract? I wouldn't.
*Tiger is in the lead. I'll always contend it is more interesting when he struggles, but it is clearly more popular when he is not.
*Most intriguing college hoops game of the day/weekend: Louisville at Georgetown (Noon, ESPN)
*Do you enjoy watching the ads during the Super Bowl? Of course you do. USA TODAY has opened up its famous "Ad Meter" panel to anyone who wants to join, so if you're interested, sign up here, then get ready to rate the ads on Super Bowl Sunday (including picking the winner).
-- D.S.
Monday, January 21, 2013
1/21 (Harbaugh Bowl) Quickie
The Harbaugh Bowl. "Super Bro I." The beat-you-over-the-head storyline for the Super Bowl is clear -- the match-up of brothers John and Jim Harbaugh.
It seems innocuous enough now, but just wait until next week, when it will be over-the-top.
That said: It is an INCREDIBLE storyline, arguably the greatest individual storyline in Super Bowl history. (What: You thought I'd say Jerome Bettis' Detroit homecoming?)
As someone who grew up with a younger brother and as a father to brothers who couldn't be more tight-knit, I welcome the crushing overexposure of the Harbaugh Bowl.
More:
*Patriots schadenfreude: The reality is that there isn't an individual team whose non-championship conclusion to the season brings out the schadenfreude like the Patriots. In part, that's a testament to them -- we just presume that they will win the Super Bowl, to avoid the disappointment if they do... and to maximize the glee when they don't. As someone without a die-hard NFL team allegiance, "when the Pats get knocked out of the playoffs" is annually my NFL season highlight.
*What next for the Falcons: Let's be clear -- it was "Super Bowl or bust" for Atlanta, so consider their season a bust, compounded by giving up a 17-0 lead at home (a week after giving up a 20-0 lead at home and only getting through because Pete Carroll got cutesy with the ice-the-kicker thing). Unsure what happens for them next, aside from another season of regular-season superiority, followed by the inevitable playoff knockout.
*Super Bowl pick: 49ers over Ravens, although at this point it's pick-against-Baltimore at your peril.
*Manti Te'o Watch: I would like there to be more sensational details, but in the end, it sure seems like the story comes down to Te'o getting hoaxed, then being so traumatized by it that he couldn't figure out how to surface the story publicly. With the Couric interview, you can already tell that the Te'o family is planning to make a very big deal out of becoming the poster family for online awareness of scams and hoaxes (and it's a very smart strategy, one that you hope is moderately sincere.)
*Sacramento Kings are headed to Seattle to become the Sonics: On the one hand, I am thrilled for my friends in Seattle who were hurt so badly when the Sonics left for OKC. On the other hand, they are doing to Sacramento exactly what was done to them, and simply acknowledging that irony probably isn't enough. Sacto IS the Kings -- Seattle has plenty of other sports teams. I just hope that the city can one day bring back an NBA franchise. Otherwise, today is a day for lamenting a devoted fan base losing their team, not celebrating the return of the NBA to Seattle (a city that deserves an NBA team, btw.)
*Enjoy your Inauguration Day/MLK Day. Both are always a special day in America.
-- D.S.
It seems innocuous enough now, but just wait until next week, when it will be over-the-top.
That said: It is an INCREDIBLE storyline, arguably the greatest individual storyline in Super Bowl history. (What: You thought I'd say Jerome Bettis' Detroit homecoming?)
As someone who grew up with a younger brother and as a father to brothers who couldn't be more tight-knit, I welcome the crushing overexposure of the Harbaugh Bowl.
More:
*Patriots schadenfreude: The reality is that there isn't an individual team whose non-championship conclusion to the season brings out the schadenfreude like the Patriots. In part, that's a testament to them -- we just presume that they will win the Super Bowl, to avoid the disappointment if they do... and to maximize the glee when they don't. As someone without a die-hard NFL team allegiance, "when the Pats get knocked out of the playoffs" is annually my NFL season highlight.
*What next for the Falcons: Let's be clear -- it was "Super Bowl or bust" for Atlanta, so consider their season a bust, compounded by giving up a 17-0 lead at home (a week after giving up a 20-0 lead at home and only getting through because Pete Carroll got cutesy with the ice-the-kicker thing). Unsure what happens for them next, aside from another season of regular-season superiority, followed by the inevitable playoff knockout.
*Super Bowl pick: 49ers over Ravens, although at this point it's pick-against-Baltimore at your peril.
*Manti Te'o Watch: I would like there to be more sensational details, but in the end, it sure seems like the story comes down to Te'o getting hoaxed, then being so traumatized by it that he couldn't figure out how to surface the story publicly. With the Couric interview, you can already tell that the Te'o family is planning to make a very big deal out of becoming the poster family for online awareness of scams and hoaxes (and it's a very smart strategy, one that you hope is moderately sincere.)
*Sacramento Kings are headed to Seattle to become the Sonics: On the one hand, I am thrilled for my friends in Seattle who were hurt so badly when the Sonics left for OKC. On the other hand, they are doing to Sacramento exactly what was done to them, and simply acknowledging that irony probably isn't enough. Sacto IS the Kings -- Seattle has plenty of other sports teams. I just hope that the city can one day bring back an NBA franchise. Otherwise, today is a day for lamenting a devoted fan base losing their team, not celebrating the return of the NBA to Seattle (a city that deserves an NBA team, btw.)
*Enjoy your Inauguration Day/MLK Day. Both are always a special day in America.
-- D.S.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
1/17 (Te'o, Cont'd) Quickie
Let's review: This is the strangest sports story I can remember -- it makes the first day of Tiger's scandal look buttoned-up.
Here's where I net out, at least for the moment:
*I do believe that Te'o GOT hoaxed, mostly because it is unfathomable to me that Notre Dame -- an institution that knows a thing or two about paving over scandals -- would get behind this in the way that they did if they thought they could get hung out to dry.
*I think that there was still some deception involved on Te'o's part, and we'll get more details about that as this unravels. After he found out he was hoaxed, I don't blame him for wanting to cover it up, rather than make an announcement about it, but he clearly was ready to let the world continue believing the myth-defining g/f story in the absence of the news coming out.
*There are some incredible peculiarities that might make a conspiracy theorist think that it wasn't quite the "he's 100% the victim here" situation -- namely, that he would have a multi-year (seemingly romantic) relationship with someone and not just never see them in person, but never even get on Skype? How about the origin story reported in the South Bend Tribune?
There is NO way that it is as neat-and-tidy as Notre Dame has presented it.
It is the understatement of the sports year to say "Tracking..."
-- D.S.
Here's where I net out, at least for the moment:
*I do believe that Te'o GOT hoaxed, mostly because it is unfathomable to me that Notre Dame -- an institution that knows a thing or two about paving over scandals -- would get behind this in the way that they did if they thought they could get hung out to dry.
*I think that there was still some deception involved on Te'o's part, and we'll get more details about that as this unravels. After he found out he was hoaxed, I don't blame him for wanting to cover it up, rather than make an announcement about it, but he clearly was ready to let the world continue believing the myth-defining g/f story in the absence of the news coming out.
*There are some incredible peculiarities that might make a conspiracy theorist think that it wasn't quite the "he's 100% the victim here" situation -- namely, that he would have a multi-year (seemingly romantic) relationship with someone and not just never see them in person, but never even get on Skype? How about the origin story reported in the South Bend Tribune?
There is NO way that it is as neat-and-tidy as Notre Dame has presented it.
It is the understatement of the sports year to say "Tracking..."
-- D.S.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
1/16 (Te'o) Quickie
OK, this Manti Te'o story broken by Deadspin is the craziest sports story I've read in years. If you haven't, read it now. If you have, you're probably like me: Gobsmacked.
(Chip Kelly to the Eagles? OK. Great move. I'm a huge Kelly fan and will bet on him adapting his Oregon system to the NFL -- as if Bill Belichick already hadn't?)
-- D.S.
(Chip Kelly to the Eagles? OK. Great move. I'm a huge Kelly fan and will bet on him adapting his Oregon system to the NFL -- as if Bill Belichick already hadn't?)
-- D.S.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
01/15 (Lance) Quickie
I have pretty low expectations for what Lance told Oprah, except to the extent that he has outed himself as a liar, which bothers me a lot more than the cheating, which was endemic to the sport.
He built his entire brand on lies -- look, if anyone battling cancer took strength from Lance or the LiveStrong movement, I absolutely hope that happened. Thankfully, LiveStrong became way bigger than Lance Armstrong.
But Lance's lies hurt people -- how about the folks who tried to blow the whistle on him who he sought to destroy? How about the money he took from sponsors (and taxpayers)? How about the money he won in a libel case against a newspaper?
I buy into the theory that, more than anything, Lance is sorry he got caught. He is sorry his empire crashed around him. He is sorry that he lost his standing.
I will have to watch the Oprah interview -- again: low expectations -- but I doubt he is sorry that he engaged in a decade of lying about everything.
It is as close to a Quickie truism as we have: It is always the cover-up and rarely the crime.
More:
*USA TODAY Sports is doing a 30th anniversary of the All-USA high school football team, and what stands out more than anything is that the first-team QBs through the years... have been uniformly mediocre. When wrapping together HS, college and pro careers, the all-time All-USA QB was... Jeff George.
Seriously: I went over to our archives of the All-USA teams and looked for myself -- and it really was the best pick. (Frankly, Joe Mauer probably should have gotten it, given his "pro" success... albeit not in football.)
It is a testament to just how iffy high school recruiting is -- how dependent the player is on where they end up, who their coaches are, even what kind of system they played in high school. For what it's worth, the All-USA hoops picks were largely excellent, relative to how the players turned out in college and/or the NBA.
*With the exception of Colin Kaepernick, there is no more must-see athlete whose team is active in sports today than Kevin Durant.
*As discussed yesterday, I couldn't care less who is ranked No. 1 in college basketball -- all that matters is how you do in the NCAA Tournament. To that point, the newest No. 1, Louisville, sure looks like one of a handful of teams with a legit shot at winning it all. (My short list: L'ville, Duke, Florida, Kansas, Indiana and, possibly, VCU. Common factor? All are Top 10 in KenPom's Adjusted Defensive Efficiency rating.)
*Chargers hire Broncos O.C. Mike McCoy: Yeah, he did some interesting things with Tim Tebow last year, but the success of the Broncos' offense this year was Manning, not McCoy. But anything is better than Norv Turner at this point.
*How 'bout my Wizards?!
-- D.S.
He built his entire brand on lies -- look, if anyone battling cancer took strength from Lance or the LiveStrong movement, I absolutely hope that happened. Thankfully, LiveStrong became way bigger than Lance Armstrong.
But Lance's lies hurt people -- how about the folks who tried to blow the whistle on him who he sought to destroy? How about the money he took from sponsors (and taxpayers)? How about the money he won in a libel case against a newspaper?
I buy into the theory that, more than anything, Lance is sorry he got caught. He is sorry his empire crashed around him. He is sorry that he lost his standing.
I will have to watch the Oprah interview -- again: low expectations -- but I doubt he is sorry that he engaged in a decade of lying about everything.
It is as close to a Quickie truism as we have: It is always the cover-up and rarely the crime.
More:
*USA TODAY Sports is doing a 30th anniversary of the All-USA high school football team, and what stands out more than anything is that the first-team QBs through the years... have been uniformly mediocre. When wrapping together HS, college and pro careers, the all-time All-USA QB was... Jeff George.
Seriously: I went over to our archives of the All-USA teams and looked for myself -- and it really was the best pick. (Frankly, Joe Mauer probably should have gotten it, given his "pro" success... albeit not in football.)
It is a testament to just how iffy high school recruiting is -- how dependent the player is on where they end up, who their coaches are, even what kind of system they played in high school. For what it's worth, the All-USA hoops picks were largely excellent, relative to how the players turned out in college and/or the NBA.
*With the exception of Colin Kaepernick, there is no more must-see athlete whose team is active in sports today than Kevin Durant.
*As discussed yesterday, I couldn't care less who is ranked No. 1 in college basketball -- all that matters is how you do in the NCAA Tournament. To that point, the newest No. 1, Louisville, sure looks like one of a handful of teams with a legit shot at winning it all. (My short list: L'ville, Duke, Florida, Kansas, Indiana and, possibly, VCU. Common factor? All are Top 10 in KenPom's Adjusted Defensive Efficiency rating.)
*Chargers hire Broncos O.C. Mike McCoy: Yeah, he did some interesting things with Tim Tebow last year, but the success of the Broncos' offense this year was Manning, not McCoy. But anything is better than Norv Turner at this point.
*How 'bout my Wizards?!
-- D.S.
Monday, January 14, 2013
01/14 (Last Four) Quickie
Remember back in the day when "instant history" was sort of mocked? Now, we get claims like you're seeing all over today: That was the best NFL Divisional Playoffs round ever.
(And it was.)
Five thoughts, coming off the weekend:
*The weekend's biggest winner was Tim Tebow.
*Pete Carroll's bone-headed ice-the-kicker move was the single-dumbest coaching decision of the season.
*Yes, seeing Ray Lewis and Tony Gonzalez extend their first-ballot Hall of Fame careers one more game is kind of awesome.
*It's impossible not to love watching Colin Kaepernick.
*"Oh, well: We'll be back!" is idiotic rationalization. (Looking at you, Seattle pundits.)
Looking ahead: The 49ers are going to thump the just-happy-to-be-here Falcons, and the Patriots are going to thump the Ravens, because that's Baltimore's m.o.: An improbable early-round win followed by a loss in the conference title game. 49ers-Pats will be one of the most-watched Super Bowls ever.
More:
*Who is No. 1 in college basketball? Who cares? No poll means less than college basketball's. What Duke's loss signified is that, as usual, the Blue Devils can fold when facing a team that wants it more.
(UPDATE: A rebuttal from reader T.M., who appropriately calls me out for lazy punditry due to my anti-Duke bias: "Duke was without Ryan Kelly, a critical piece to their success this year...he's got the same foot injury that kept him out of the ACC and NCAA tournaments last year and resulted in Duke's first round loss to Lehigh. Without Kelly, the game was still up for grabs until the final minute. And it was at NC State, who if you recall was the preseason pick to win the ACC. I don't think the game was any kind of referendum on 'who wanted it more', and to say it was is basically saying that Duke didn't care enough, and moreover ("as usual"), doesn't care enough on a regular basis. You know better than that Dan...I know you respect Coach K, and to imply that the reason Duke didn't win Saturday was because his team didn't want to win that game as much as NCSU is pretty offensive." Fair point, T.M.!)
*The Lakers are off the schneid: Not as good as they should be, not as bad as everyone thinks they are.
*Lance talks to Oprah today: If you think he'll be offering a full confessional, you don't know Lance. I'm fully expecting McGwire-style "I'm not here to talk about the past" evasion of actual details or taking full responsiblity, mostly because Lance is on the hook, both with lawsuits and with the Feds. You can only hope that Oprah digs in a little bit.
*Super Bowl ads: Have you registered to be a USA TODAY Ad Meter panelist yet? Do it now. (Just click here, then look for the "Be a Panelist" link.
-- D.S.
(And it was.)
Five thoughts, coming off the weekend:
*The weekend's biggest winner was Tim Tebow.
*Pete Carroll's bone-headed ice-the-kicker move was the single-dumbest coaching decision of the season.
*Yes, seeing Ray Lewis and Tony Gonzalez extend their first-ballot Hall of Fame careers one more game is kind of awesome.
*It's impossible not to love watching Colin Kaepernick.
*"Oh, well: We'll be back!" is idiotic rationalization. (Looking at you, Seattle pundits.)
Looking ahead: The 49ers are going to thump the just-happy-to-be-here Falcons, and the Patriots are going to thump the Ravens, because that's Baltimore's m.o.: An improbable early-round win followed by a loss in the conference title game. 49ers-Pats will be one of the most-watched Super Bowls ever.
More:
*Who is No. 1 in college basketball? Who cares? No poll means less than college basketball's. What Duke's loss signified is that, as usual, the Blue Devils can fold when facing a team that wants it more.
(UPDATE: A rebuttal from reader T.M., who appropriately calls me out for lazy punditry due to my anti-Duke bias: "Duke was without Ryan Kelly, a critical piece to their success this year...he's got the same foot injury that kept him out of the ACC and NCAA tournaments last year and resulted in Duke's first round loss to Lehigh. Without Kelly, the game was still up for grabs until the final minute. And it was at NC State, who if you recall was the preseason pick to win the ACC. I don't think the game was any kind of referendum on 'who wanted it more', and to say it was is basically saying that Duke didn't care enough, and moreover ("as usual"), doesn't care enough on a regular basis. You know better than that Dan...I know you respect Coach K, and to imply that the reason Duke didn't win Saturday was because his team didn't want to win that game as much as NCSU is pretty offensive." Fair point, T.M.!)
*The Lakers are off the schneid: Not as good as they should be, not as bad as everyone thinks they are.
*Lance talks to Oprah today: If you think he'll be offering a full confessional, you don't know Lance. I'm fully expecting McGwire-style "I'm not here to talk about the past" evasion of actual details or taking full responsiblity, mostly because Lance is on the hook, both with lawsuits and with the Feds. You can only hope that Oprah digs in a little bit.
*Super Bowl ads: Have you registered to be a USA TODAY Ad Meter panelist yet? Do it now. (Just click here, then look for the "Be a Panelist" link.
-- D.S.
Friday, January 11, 2013
1/11 (NFL Divisional) Quickie
The most compelling storyline of the NFL Divisional round this weekend is Peyton Manning's return to the playoffs. I think it's pretty simple:
If Manning doesn't win, he fails to advance the Broncos any further than Tim Tebow did last year. And that would be just about as big of a failure as his regular season was a success.
Don't get me wrong: He SHOULD win. But if he DOESN'T? The season is a waste. For all the "MVP"-ness of Manning, they might as well have stuck with Tebow, if results are all that matter.
Picks:
Broncos over Ravens
Pats over Texans
Seahawks over Falcons
49ers over Packers.
One quick plug: Do you like Super Bowl ads? We have opened up USA TODAY's "Ad Meter" panel to anyone who wants to participate (it has historically been limited to a few hundred people). Click here and then click on "Be a Panelist" to register.
-- D.S.
If Manning doesn't win, he fails to advance the Broncos any further than Tim Tebow did last year. And that would be just about as big of a failure as his regular season was a success.
Don't get me wrong: He SHOULD win. But if he DOESN'T? The season is a waste. For all the "MVP"-ness of Manning, they might as well have stuck with Tebow, if results are all that matter.
Picks:
Broncos over Ravens
Pats over Texans
Seahawks over Falcons
49ers over Packers.
One quick plug: Do you like Super Bowl ads? We have opened up USA TODAY's "Ad Meter" panel to anyone who wants to participate (it has historically been limited to a few hundred people). Click here and then click on "Be a Panelist" to register.
-- D.S.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
1/10 (Hall of What?) Quickie
Another day, another big milestone anniversary: Two years ago today, we launched Quickish.
I remember that day clearly -- it was one of the most thrilling of my life. In the year since we celebrated the one-year anniversary, obviously the big news is that the company was sold to Gannett and both Quickish and I joined USA TODAY Sports Media Group. With a huge brand and network behind it, expect big things from Quickish in its third year.
Let's get to it:
*Baseball Hall of Fame elects no one: The NYT had it right with its bold blank sports front page. The Baseball Hall of Fame is a joke. The stranglehold that the BBWAA has over the process is a joke. Given the sorry state of the Hall's finances and the insane grasp the BBWAA has, it took me five minutes and a blank napkin to sketch out a viable competitor for the Hall. Want to see changes? Lay out a vision where the Hall has to compete for fans and dollars.
*Brian Kelly interviews with the Eagles: Kelly coaching in the NFL is a "when, not if" proposition. The questions are: Is this the right NFL opportunity? If not, which one is? And will he be as sought-after if ND drops off even slightly? It is NOT about whether Notre Dame is a better gig. It is apples and oranges. Wetzel noted this today: Kelly's entire career has been about climbing a ladder, and even if Notre Dame is the pinnacle of that ladder at the college level, there is no indication that he wants to stop at the college level -- all that's left after that is the NFL. (And if he fails in the NFL -- like Chip Kelly, like Steve Spurrier -- he will have his pick of college jobs.)
*CBB Name to Know: Ben McLemore. The first-year Kansas guard might be the best player in college basketball. He is a sure-fire Top 5 pick in the NBA Draft -- given Bradley Beal's success, I could see him going as high as No. 2 or 3. If you can watch a Kansas game, do it -- he is that good.
*More CBB: With a win at Illinois, Minnesota is most definitely for real. The great thing about being a Gophers fan has to be that you are not beholden to "Final Four or Bust" thinking. If this team gets to the Sweet 16, that's a nice little season for a fan base that settles for much less, perennially.
*Tebow Watch: Jaguars fire Mularkey, and the only question is whether it is a prerequisite for his replacement that he be comfortable finding an innovative role for Tim Tebow. (I am guessing that it is.)
*The NFL's brain-injury problem: Junior Seau had CTE. Spoiler alert: They ALL have CTE. The day that there is a test for CTE that is as easy as a test for DNA -- or perhaps some kind of C-T scan (although that's a lot more costly and invasive) -- is the day that tackle football as we know it is over. Because we'll find out that not only does every NFL player have signs of CTE, but every college player will, too. And enough high school players will that the entire system will collapse.
-- D.S.
I remember that day clearly -- it was one of the most thrilling of my life. In the year since we celebrated the one-year anniversary, obviously the big news is that the company was sold to Gannett and both Quickish and I joined USA TODAY Sports Media Group. With a huge brand and network behind it, expect big things from Quickish in its third year.
Let's get to it:
*Baseball Hall of Fame elects no one: The NYT had it right with its bold blank sports front page. The Baseball Hall of Fame is a joke. The stranglehold that the BBWAA has over the process is a joke. Given the sorry state of the Hall's finances and the insane grasp the BBWAA has, it took me five minutes and a blank napkin to sketch out a viable competitor for the Hall. Want to see changes? Lay out a vision where the Hall has to compete for fans and dollars.
*Brian Kelly interviews with the Eagles: Kelly coaching in the NFL is a "when, not if" proposition. The questions are: Is this the right NFL opportunity? If not, which one is? And will he be as sought-after if ND drops off even slightly? It is NOT about whether Notre Dame is a better gig. It is apples and oranges. Wetzel noted this today: Kelly's entire career has been about climbing a ladder, and even if Notre Dame is the pinnacle of that ladder at the college level, there is no indication that he wants to stop at the college level -- all that's left after that is the NFL. (And if he fails in the NFL -- like Chip Kelly, like Steve Spurrier -- he will have his pick of college jobs.)
*CBB Name to Know: Ben McLemore. The first-year Kansas guard might be the best player in college basketball. He is a sure-fire Top 5 pick in the NBA Draft -- given Bradley Beal's success, I could see him going as high as No. 2 or 3. If you can watch a Kansas game, do it -- he is that good.
*More CBB: With a win at Illinois, Minnesota is most definitely for real. The great thing about being a Gophers fan has to be that you are not beholden to "Final Four or Bust" thinking. If this team gets to the Sweet 16, that's a nice little season for a fan base that settles for much less, perennially.
*Tebow Watch: Jaguars fire Mularkey, and the only question is whether it is a prerequisite for his replacement that he be comfortable finding an innovative role for Tim Tebow. (I am guessing that it is.)
*The NFL's brain-injury problem: Junior Seau had CTE. Spoiler alert: They ALL have CTE. The day that there is a test for CTE that is as easy as a test for DNA -- or perhaps some kind of C-T scan (although that's a lot more costly and invasive) -- is the day that tackle football as we know it is over. Because we'll find out that not only does every NFL player have signs of CTE, but every college player will, too. And enough high school players will that the entire system will collapse.
-- D.S.
Tuesday, January 08, 2013
01/08 (Roll Tide) Quickie
Taking Gabe to the Wizards-Thunder game last night was such an incredible experience that I can't do it justice here and need to find some time to properly write it up. In the meatime...
Roll Tide. (Again.) We are in the Saban Dynasty for as long as he wants to continue coaching at Alabama. What last night did was re-affirm a couple of things:
*The best team in the SEC should never be locked out of playing for the national title. It is absurd to think that if Oregon hadn't stumbled, Alabama would have been shut out of the national title game.
*If it feels a bit unfair that non-SEC national contenders don't have to go through a season-long schedule nearly as rigorous as the would-be SEC champ, it is unfair that the SEC champ gets a month to prepare for whichever non-SEC team they might face for the national title.
*Once again in this dynastic SEC streak, the runner-up -- which looked so good heading into the game -- was exposed. It started in '06 with Ohio State and it continued through Notre Dame last night. ND might very well have been the second-best team in the country (I suspect ND isn't as good as a half-dozen SEC teams, but I'll let that go and avoid the word "overrated"), but the gap between "second-best" and "best" is vast.
*The game was such a blowout that the biggest story coming out of the game was Brent Musberger's on-air fascination with AJ McCarron's beauty-queen girlfriend.
*There is no reason not to slot Alabama right back at No. 1 next season, and people can say all they want about Ohio State or Texas A&M or even Notre Dame, but Bama will roll over any of them.
*It's always a sad moment when the college football season comes to a close.
But, suffice to say, "Roll Damn Tide," indeed.
-- D.S.
Roll Tide. (Again.) We are in the Saban Dynasty for as long as he wants to continue coaching at Alabama. What last night did was re-affirm a couple of things:
*The best team in the SEC should never be locked out of playing for the national title. It is absurd to think that if Oregon hadn't stumbled, Alabama would have been shut out of the national title game.
*If it feels a bit unfair that non-SEC national contenders don't have to go through a season-long schedule nearly as rigorous as the would-be SEC champ, it is unfair that the SEC champ gets a month to prepare for whichever non-SEC team they might face for the national title.
*Once again in this dynastic SEC streak, the runner-up -- which looked so good heading into the game -- was exposed. It started in '06 with Ohio State and it continued through Notre Dame last night. ND might very well have been the second-best team in the country (I suspect ND isn't as good as a half-dozen SEC teams, but I'll let that go and avoid the word "overrated"), but the gap between "second-best" and "best" is vast.
*The game was such a blowout that the biggest story coming out of the game was Brent Musberger's on-air fascination with AJ McCarron's beauty-queen girlfriend.
*There is no reason not to slot Alabama right back at No. 1 next season, and people can say all they want about Ohio State or Texas A&M or even Notre Dame, but Bama will roll over any of them.
*It's always a sad moment when the college football season comes to a close.
But, suffice to say, "Roll Damn Tide," indeed.
-- D.S.
Monday, January 07, 2013
01/07 (Next 10 Years) Quickie
If yesterday was about an appropriately quick note of the 10-year anniversary of the launch of the Daily Quickie -- the moment I met at least some of you -- then today is leaping headlong into the next day, so let's get right to it:
*NFL Playoffs: Absolutely, yes, Mike Shanahan screwed up. His attempts to talk his way out of responsibility were about as damning as anything we actually saw on the field. The reality is that even if RGIII was effective early, as his effectiveness became obviously diminished, Shanahan blew it by not removing him for Kirk Cousins. Shanahan's blunder cost the Redskins the game. Let's just hope it didn't cost Griffin even more.
*More NFL: Don't worry about the Colts -- they'll be fine. Meanwhile, if Ray Lewis' career didn't end last Sunday, it'll surely end next weekend. We have to get Manning-Brady for the AFC title. Over in the NFC, I'll take the 49ers punishing the Packers and the Seahawks rolling along by upending the Falcons in Atlanta. (If Atlanta's season is "Super Bowl or Bust," we know how it's ending.)
*CFB: BCS title game, and I'm picking Alabama to roll. I have come to appreciate Notre Dame, but even with the SEC's lackluster performance in bowl season, Alabama is like nothing ND has seen this year. The only reason it won't be a three-TD rout is because there will be enough clock-sucking running plays to keep the scores relatively low. But it will be decisive. Then, let the "Nick Saban to Cleveland" rumors begin!
*Jobs: So who's excited about Doug Marrone!
*NBA: Kobe and Dwight don't like each other? Go figure. Wonder if the Lakers can still trade Howard for Brook Lopez...
*Sports x Parenting: Thanks to my immeasurably generous friend Jack Kogod, I'm taking Gabe to the Wizards-Thunder game tonight. The Thunder are Gabe's favorite team; Russell Westbrook is his favorite player. This has all the makings of being the most formative moment of his sports fandom, which is an incredible thing to be aware of when it is happening.
*Hey, hockey starts Jan. 19!
-- D.S.
*NFL Playoffs: Absolutely, yes, Mike Shanahan screwed up. His attempts to talk his way out of responsibility were about as damning as anything we actually saw on the field. The reality is that even if RGIII was effective early, as his effectiveness became obviously diminished, Shanahan blew it by not removing him for Kirk Cousins. Shanahan's blunder cost the Redskins the game. Let's just hope it didn't cost Griffin even more.
*More NFL: Don't worry about the Colts -- they'll be fine. Meanwhile, if Ray Lewis' career didn't end last Sunday, it'll surely end next weekend. We have to get Manning-Brady for the AFC title. Over in the NFC, I'll take the 49ers punishing the Packers and the Seahawks rolling along by upending the Falcons in Atlanta. (If Atlanta's season is "Super Bowl or Bust," we know how it's ending.)
*CFB: BCS title game, and I'm picking Alabama to roll. I have come to appreciate Notre Dame, but even with the SEC's lackluster performance in bowl season, Alabama is like nothing ND has seen this year. The only reason it won't be a three-TD rout is because there will be enough clock-sucking running plays to keep the scores relatively low. But it will be decisive. Then, let the "Nick Saban to Cleveland" rumors begin!
*Jobs: So who's excited about Doug Marrone!
*NBA: Kobe and Dwight don't like each other? Go figure. Wonder if the Lakers can still trade Howard for Brook Lopez...
*Sports x Parenting: Thanks to my immeasurably generous friend Jack Kogod, I'm taking Gabe to the Wizards-Thunder game tonight. The Thunder are Gabe's favorite team; Russell Westbrook is his favorite player. This has all the makings of being the most formative moment of his sports fandom, which is an incredible thing to be aware of when it is happening.
*Hey, hockey starts Jan. 19!
-- D.S.
Sunday, January 06, 2013
01/06 (Quickie) Quickie
Ten years ago today, I published the very first edition of something called "The Daily Quickie" on ESPN.com. Here it is. What an amazing journey ever since. Thank you so much for joining me on it.
Friday, January 04, 2013
01/04 (Wild) Quickie
*I will miss Chip Kelly as a college coach, but I am really excited to see what he can do in the NFL.
*Oregon finishes the season as the most telegenic team (Manziel and Co. can make their closing argument tonight), but I can't help thinking that I was more impressed when watching Stanford and Alabama and (yes) Notre Dame and (yes, still) Florida and (yes, despite) Kansas State, at least when K-State was dictating the terms of the Fiesta Bowl during the middle portion of the first half.
*Bill O'Brien might be coming back to Penn State, but his dalliance with the NFL simply means that the proposition is "when" not "if." Penn State might have been able to guilt him into staying with "It's only been a year!" but O'Brien clearly wants in to the NFL -- and inevitably wants out of the continuing Penn State mess. Next year, "It's only been a year!" won't matter, and O'Brien will be no more committed to the program than he was this week as he peeked around for something better.
*NFL Wild Card picks: Green Bay, Seattle, Baltimore, Houston. (If that's chalk, all we can hope is that the games themselves are competitive and compelling.)
*CFB pick: Texas A&M over Oklahoma, teeing up the Aggies as a preseason Top 3 pick for next season. (Early prediction: (1) Alabama, (2) Notre Dame, (3) Texas A&M, (4) Florida, (5) Ohio State.)
*NBA: Hardly a shocker that the Spurs weren't able to get past a motivated Knicks team for SA's 8th straight win -- the thing to admire about San Antonio is that their entire system is built around competing for championships in the spring. Random games during the regular season? Meh.
*CBB: Yup, Colorado got the short end vs. Arizona, in what should have been a season-making upset win for the Buffs.
*Jobs: Anyone really think Andy Reid is going to be successful in Kansas City?
*Nuptials: Congrats to Phil Jackson and Jeannie Buss on their engagement.
*Want to be a part of USA TODAY's historic and influential Super Bowl "Ad Meter" panel that ranks the Super Bowl ads and picks the "winner?" Registration is open. Click "Be a Panelist" here.
-- D.S.
*Oregon finishes the season as the most telegenic team (Manziel and Co. can make their closing argument tonight), but I can't help thinking that I was more impressed when watching Stanford and Alabama and (yes) Notre Dame and (yes, still) Florida and (yes, despite) Kansas State, at least when K-State was dictating the terms of the Fiesta Bowl during the middle portion of the first half.
*Bill O'Brien might be coming back to Penn State, but his dalliance with the NFL simply means that the proposition is "when" not "if." Penn State might have been able to guilt him into staying with "It's only been a year!" but O'Brien clearly wants in to the NFL -- and inevitably wants out of the continuing Penn State mess. Next year, "It's only been a year!" won't matter, and O'Brien will be no more committed to the program than he was this week as he peeked around for something better.
*NFL Wild Card picks: Green Bay, Seattle, Baltimore, Houston. (If that's chalk, all we can hope is that the games themselves are competitive and compelling.)
*CFB pick: Texas A&M over Oklahoma, teeing up the Aggies as a preseason Top 3 pick for next season. (Early prediction: (1) Alabama, (2) Notre Dame, (3) Texas A&M, (4) Florida, (5) Ohio State.)
*NBA: Hardly a shocker that the Spurs weren't able to get past a motivated Knicks team for SA's 8th straight win -- the thing to admire about San Antonio is that their entire system is built around competing for championships in the spring. Random games during the regular season? Meh.
*CBB: Yup, Colorado got the short end vs. Arizona, in what should have been a season-making upset win for the Buffs.
*Jobs: Anyone really think Andy Reid is going to be successful in Kansas City?
*Nuptials: Congrats to Phil Jackson and Jeannie Buss on their engagement.
*Want to be a part of USA TODAY's historic and influential Super Bowl "Ad Meter" panel that ranks the Super Bowl ads and picks the "winner?" Registration is open. Click "Be a Panelist" here.
-- D.S.
Thursday, January 03, 2013
1/3 (Welp) Quickie
What was I saying yesterday? About what an awesome ending to the college football season it would be when Florida demolished Louisville?
Welp.
It's not like it was close -- it was Louisville domination, from start to finish. The Cards' game-plan was superior. Teddy Bridgewater was sensational. They just look like they wanted it more.
So I start the new year with a prolific Quickie Jinx -- good to see some things don't change.
-- D.S.
Welp.
It's not like it was close -- it was Louisville domination, from start to finish. The Cards' game-plan was superior. Teddy Bridgewater was sensational. They just look like they wanted it more.
So I start the new year with a prolific Quickie Jinx -- good to see some things don't change.
-- D.S.
Wednesday, January 02, 2013
01/02 (New Year) Quickie
Like everyone else, I am still astounded by Jadeveon Clowney's hit yesterday. The best reaction was from SBNation's Spencer Hall -- read it here.
Meanwhile, I have a pretty short list of "best endings to a college football season of teams I root for." 2006 and 2008 for Florida's national titles, 1995 for Northwestern's trip to the Rose Bowl (even if it ended in a loss). Maybe even 2009 - Tebow's last year - for the emotional roller-coaster of the SEC title game followed by the Sugar Bowl obliteration of Cincinnati.
Barring something insane tonight, 2012 will make the list. If/when Florida demolishes Louisville, they will likely finish the season ranked No. 2 in the country, behind only the Alabama-Notre Dame champ. Given last season, this is just about as much as any fan could hope for (short of a national title itself, obviously).
Meanwhile, Northwestern won its first bowl game in 63 years -- of my (and many others') lifetime, not to mention an enormous boost for the program. Pretty good finish - with both teams lining up for even better results in 2013 (and, yes, I know what I'm saying about Florida with that statement).
Other than that, yesterday's bowl feast was defined by Stanford out-slugging Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl -- Stanford's success (and I entirely buy David Shaw's notion that they are still ascending) is a testament to solid recruiting, extraordinary coaching and phenomenal execution, which is really just a function of the first two. If/when Chip Kelly leaves Oregon, there is no reason to believe that Stanford won't fill the breach as the best team West of Alabama.
(The finish to South Carolina-Michigan was pretty incredible, too.)
*NFL Jobs: Andy Reid to Arizona? Zzz. I am far more intrigued which team will get Chip Kelly. And, perhaps even more intriguing than that, which team will get Penn State's Bill O'Brien -- the fact that he is even entertaining the idea of interviewing for NFL jobs undermines whatever allegiance he professed to Penn State. I don't blame him for leaving, but if he leaves after just a year? I don't care how PSU might have hood-winked him with promises of no NCAA sanctions, it's a tough move for him and a rough situation for Penn State. Meanwhile, pretty amazing that the hottest college coaching commodity for the NFL (outside of Chip Kelly and, perhaps, inclusive of Chip Kelly) is Syracuse's Doug Marrone.
*NBA: Denver's yellow-with-horizontal-stripe alt-uniforms are amazing -- not quite as amazing as knocking off the Clippers and snapping LA's insane win streak, but close.
*Would be really nice to start this new year with a labor deal for the NHL.
-- D.S.
Meanwhile, I have a pretty short list of "best endings to a college football season of teams I root for." 2006 and 2008 for Florida's national titles, 1995 for Northwestern's trip to the Rose Bowl (even if it ended in a loss). Maybe even 2009 - Tebow's last year - for the emotional roller-coaster of the SEC title game followed by the Sugar Bowl obliteration of Cincinnati.
Barring something insane tonight, 2012 will make the list. If/when Florida demolishes Louisville, they will likely finish the season ranked No. 2 in the country, behind only the Alabama-Notre Dame champ. Given last season, this is just about as much as any fan could hope for (short of a national title itself, obviously).
Meanwhile, Northwestern won its first bowl game in 63 years -- of my (and many others') lifetime, not to mention an enormous boost for the program. Pretty good finish - with both teams lining up for even better results in 2013 (and, yes, I know what I'm saying about Florida with that statement).
Other than that, yesterday's bowl feast was defined by Stanford out-slugging Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl -- Stanford's success (and I entirely buy David Shaw's notion that they are still ascending) is a testament to solid recruiting, extraordinary coaching and phenomenal execution, which is really just a function of the first two. If/when Chip Kelly leaves Oregon, there is no reason to believe that Stanford won't fill the breach as the best team West of Alabama.
(The finish to South Carolina-Michigan was pretty incredible, too.)
*NFL Jobs: Andy Reid to Arizona? Zzz. I am far more intrigued which team will get Chip Kelly. And, perhaps even more intriguing than that, which team will get Penn State's Bill O'Brien -- the fact that he is even entertaining the idea of interviewing for NFL jobs undermines whatever allegiance he professed to Penn State. I don't blame him for leaving, but if he leaves after just a year? I don't care how PSU might have hood-winked him with promises of no NCAA sanctions, it's a tough move for him and a rough situation for Penn State. Meanwhile, pretty amazing that the hottest college coaching commodity for the NFL (outside of Chip Kelly and, perhaps, inclusive of Chip Kelly) is Syracuse's Doug Marrone.
*NBA: Denver's yellow-with-horizontal-stripe alt-uniforms are amazing -- not quite as amazing as knocking off the Clippers and snapping LA's insane win streak, but close.
*Would be really nice to start this new year with a labor deal for the NHL.
-- D.S.
Tuesday, January 01, 2013
1/1 (Happy New Year) Quickie
My favorite storyline of 2012 -- a lot of people's favorite storyline of 2012 -- was the stretch of "Linsanity" in late January and early February that captivated everyone.
Among other reasons I loved it was that it was as entirely unexpected as it was thrilling. If you think back to Jan. 1, 2012, you would have had no idea something so marvelous was coming.
In the end, that's why I watch -- why I love -- sports: The thrillingly unexpected (or, I guess, the unexpectedly thrilling).
Aside from rooting for your own teams -- to wit: let's go Northwestern -- that's all you can really root for. The good news is that we know something amazing is waiting for us in 2013.
Best wishes for a happy and healthy new year to you and your families.
-- D.S.
Among other reasons I loved it was that it was as entirely unexpected as it was thrilling. If you think back to Jan. 1, 2012, you would have had no idea something so marvelous was coming.
In the end, that's why I watch -- why I love -- sports: The thrillingly unexpected (or, I guess, the unexpectedly thrilling).
Aside from rooting for your own teams -- to wit: let's go Northwestern -- that's all you can really root for. The good news is that we know something amazing is waiting for us in 2013.
Best wishes for a happy and healthy new year to you and your families.
-- D.S.
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