I really am baffled when I see backlash to coverage of UConn's winning streak -- 89, as of last night. The comparisons to UCLA in the early 1970s get people particularly riled up.
Nevermind that I see UConn's streak as more impressive -- that's just my opinion, and I'm not insisting it be yours -- but why can't we just appreciate what UConn is doing for its own sake?
The irony is that I have a complicated relationship with sports-team dominance. By default, I'm not a fan of dynasties (despite the data that shows it increases interest in a sport).
And, yet, almost to a compulsive extent, I usually pick previous champs to repeat. I was was one of the first -- and remain one of the only -- to say that two titles in a row qualifies as a dynasty.
Despite my inclination to dislike dynasties, I love this UConn team, because it's not just your typical winning -- yes, it's The Streak. But it's also HOW they are winning: By destroying almost everyone.
I was glued to the game last night not just for the history, but because I couldn't believe what UConn was doing to a very good Florida State team. They made them look like JV.
I admire UConn women's hoops for their sustained success, yes, but just as much -- maybe more -- because they are merciless in their swath of destruction.
The entire program is built around optimizing the sport for winning -- and winning big.
Now, I'm sure that part of the reason I like/admire this is because it is women's hoops, a sport I follow only for its superlative moments, like UConn's streak or the Final Four.
If there was a team in the NBA or NFL or MLB or either major men's college sport like this -- and there never has been -- I'm sure I would loathe them.
But there is something about one team out there maintaining a standard of excellence that is so high that it can turn even dynasty-haters into fawning admirers.
*****
So: Rex Ryan and his wife and the feet thing. I say: Live and let live. It is a detail that makes Ryan all the more complex and fascinating.
CFB Bowling Tonight: Utah vs. Boise State in the MAACO Bowl in Las Vegas. Ouch. Consider where we were two months ago with these two teams. Now look back at me. Now look at the tumble for Boise from BCS bowl to MAACO. Now back to me. This might be the best bowl match-up of the year, and we're getting it on Dec. 22. Um, enjoy?
No, Tiger Woods isn't injured.
Congrats to Charlie Strong and Louisville on their bowl win in the much-maligned Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl.
No. 11 Kansas State losing to UNLV could be spotted a mile away -- or, however far away it is where KSU's starting backcourt got those improper benefits. (And, ouch: Tennesee.)
More later.
-- D.S.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
12/21 Quickie: Favre,
Today's Names to Know: UConn, Brett Favre, Joe Webb, Lovie Smith, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Charlie Strong, Beef O'Brady, Ralph Friedgen, Tim Tebow, Coach K, John Shurna and More.
Note: Thanks for the response to the Quickish intern post from yesterday. I think we'll be good, but if you missed it and feel strongly about it, shoot me an email via the post.
UConn women go for 89th win in a row: And they'll get it. Hard to envision when this team will lose again. And, yes, it IS a big deal. (Count me among the folks who think that winning 89 in a row today is a lot more impressive than winning 88 in the early 70's. Apples-to-oranges, yadda yadda yadda... I'm blown away by this UConn dominance.)
Favre: The end? There are two lasting myth-buttressing images from what might be Brett Favre's final game in the NFL:
First, him trotting out to start the game, in the snow, defying the "out" designation that has only been reversed by game-time less than two dozen times in the past decade.
Second, Favre face-down on the turf after Corey Wooton's hit, knocked out of the game. From Favre's perspective, I presume that in the hierarchy of career conclusions, being KO'ed is not as good as going out on a game-winning TD pass -- but better than standing limply on the sidelines.
Then again, he might play next week, rendering all of this moot and recycling the encomiums. That would be most Favrian of all.
Bears clinch NFC North: Does this get Lovie Smith off the hot seat? At the very least, it means playoff football at Soldier Field in January. If last night's snowy conditions were any indication, they might even win one. (Then again, they will be going against a playoff team, not the Vikings.)
Joe Webb Fan Club: Why was it such a presumption that Joe Webb would be a WR, not a QB? Shows a lack of insight from the traditional NFL draftnik-scouting complex, because Webb looked pretty good last night, particularly for a rookie who hadn't played QB all year. I know the Vikings will likely draft a QB in the 1st round next spring, but why not give Webb a chance?
Mavs stop Heat streak: As Miami has rolled along, it feels like they have feasted on many of the NBA's lesser teams; we're back to the old meme: They can't beat the elite -- at least not consistently, on the road. Leaves things pretty opaque about their playoff chances.
Magic's new additions don't help much: Hedo Turkoglu and Jason Richarsdson started, and Gilbert Arenas came off the bench -- no matter, the Hawks won. (It was to be expected that the new group wouldn't gel instantly. I'm still bullish for the long term on them.)
CFB Bowling: Beef O'Brady's Bowl in St. Pete! Southern Miss vs. Louisville, which just signed its biggest recruit ever: Miami-area star QB Teddy Bridgewater. Oh, and I saw a stat yesterday that L'ville lost its 6 games never by more than a TD. Charlie Strong has the program on the rise.
Maryland buys out/fires Ralph Friedgen: Setting the table for Mike Leach. Unclear why they are having a "search committee"; this should be done quickly and simply, bringing in Leach. Every day the new coach isn't installed is a day when they lose ground in recruiting. Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank needs to shoot Maryland's president a note about that.
NFL Draft: Is Nick Saban using the uncertainty over the NFL's labor situation to scare his juniors into not going into the Draft? Savvy by Saban, but ultimately, if the players are Draft-worthy (particularly 1st-round picks), they should get into the league as fast as they can.
Tim Tebow will start next week: Of course he will. (a) He played well enough to merit it, and (b) what would be the point, in a lost season, of leaving the young QB on the bench in favor of the vet, in an otherwise meaningless game?
CBB: Coach K is now No. 2 in all-time wins among college hoops coaches.
Florida shocked by Jacksonville: After the K-State upset, what did I tell you about Florida's inconsistency? Maddening.
Northwestern rolled at the Garden last night, thank you very much. I was the only one in the arena in the hard-to-find John Shurna jersey-style T-shirt, which will look even better in March.
-- D.S.
Note: Thanks for the response to the Quickish intern post from yesterday. I think we'll be good, but if you missed it and feel strongly about it, shoot me an email via the post.
UConn women go for 89th win in a row: And they'll get it. Hard to envision when this team will lose again. And, yes, it IS a big deal. (Count me among the folks who think that winning 89 in a row today is a lot more impressive than winning 88 in the early 70's. Apples-to-oranges, yadda yadda yadda... I'm blown away by this UConn dominance.)
Favre: The end? There are two lasting myth-buttressing images from what might be Brett Favre's final game in the NFL:
First, him trotting out to start the game, in the snow, defying the "out" designation that has only been reversed by game-time less than two dozen times in the past decade.
Second, Favre face-down on the turf after Corey Wooton's hit, knocked out of the game. From Favre's perspective, I presume that in the hierarchy of career conclusions, being KO'ed is not as good as going out on a game-winning TD pass -- but better than standing limply on the sidelines.
Then again, he might play next week, rendering all of this moot and recycling the encomiums. That would be most Favrian of all.
Bears clinch NFC North: Does this get Lovie Smith off the hot seat? At the very least, it means playoff football at Soldier Field in January. If last night's snowy conditions were any indication, they might even win one. (Then again, they will be going against a playoff team, not the Vikings.)
Joe Webb Fan Club: Why was it such a presumption that Joe Webb would be a WR, not a QB? Shows a lack of insight from the traditional NFL draftnik-scouting complex, because Webb looked pretty good last night, particularly for a rookie who hadn't played QB all year. I know the Vikings will likely draft a QB in the 1st round next spring, but why not give Webb a chance?
Mavs stop Heat streak: As Miami has rolled along, it feels like they have feasted on many of the NBA's lesser teams; we're back to the old meme: They can't beat the elite -- at least not consistently, on the road. Leaves things pretty opaque about their playoff chances.
Magic's new additions don't help much: Hedo Turkoglu and Jason Richarsdson started, and Gilbert Arenas came off the bench -- no matter, the Hawks won. (It was to be expected that the new group wouldn't gel instantly. I'm still bullish for the long term on them.)
CFB Bowling: Beef O'Brady's Bowl in St. Pete! Southern Miss vs. Louisville, which just signed its biggest recruit ever: Miami-area star QB Teddy Bridgewater. Oh, and I saw a stat yesterday that L'ville lost its 6 games never by more than a TD. Charlie Strong has the program on the rise.
Maryland buys out/fires Ralph Friedgen: Setting the table for Mike Leach. Unclear why they are having a "search committee"; this should be done quickly and simply, bringing in Leach. Every day the new coach isn't installed is a day when they lose ground in recruiting. Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank needs to shoot Maryland's president a note about that.
NFL Draft: Is Nick Saban using the uncertainty over the NFL's labor situation to scare his juniors into not going into the Draft? Savvy by Saban, but ultimately, if the players are Draft-worthy (particularly 1st-round picks), they should get into the league as fast as they can.
Tim Tebow will start next week: Of course he will. (a) He played well enough to merit it, and (b) what would be the point, in a lost season, of leaving the young QB on the bench in favor of the vet, in an otherwise meaningless game?
CBB: Coach K is now No. 2 in all-time wins among college hoops coaches.
Florida shocked by Jacksonville: After the K-State upset, what did I tell you about Florida's inconsistency? Maddening.
Northwestern rolled at the Garden last night, thank you very much. I was the only one in the arena in the hard-to-find John Shurna jersey-style T-shirt, which will look even better in March.
-- D.S.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Serendipity in Fan Allegiance
My alma mater Northwestern is heading to my 'hood to play at Madison Square Garden tonight (and tomorrow). I will be there. I even bought a John Shurna jersey-style T-shirt to wear.
In a bit of irony, they will be playing St. Francis of New York -- D-1's smallest program, which happens to be located down the street from my apartment. (Site of my kid's 1st-ever game.)
The occasion of NU being here inspired me to combine it with this month's 20th anniversary of my acceptance to NU to point out that college fandom is largely based in serendipity.
Check out my essay over at The Awl. The premise is simple: How different would your life as a fan be if you didn't end up at the college you went to?
You certainly wouldn't, say, be going to Madison Square Garden to watch Northwestern play St. Francis in the 1st half of a doubleheader.
In a bit of irony, they will be playing St. Francis of New York -- D-1's smallest program, which happens to be located down the street from my apartment. (Site of my kid's 1st-ever game.)
The occasion of NU being here inspired me to combine it with this month's 20th anniversary of my acceptance to NU to point out that college fandom is largely based in serendipity.
Check out my essay over at The Awl. The premise is simple: How different would your life as a fan be if you didn't end up at the college you went to?
You certainly wouldn't, say, be going to Madison Square Garden to watch Northwestern play St. Francis in the 1st half of a doubleheader.
Want to Be The Quickish Intern?
So what are you doing over your winter break?
Quickish needs an intern. With the launch coming up soon, there is a ton of stuff to get done. I could use someone reliable, creative and detail-oriented (with some writing skill) to help me with a bunch of the different things that are getting pulled together. The job is mostly editorial(-ish) work, but I can’t claim it’s glamorous.
Enticing, I know. But you get to join in on what will hopefully be one of the most exciting media start-ups of 2011. And hopefully get some interesting experience.
I’m looking for someone who has a passion for the intersection of sports and media (but NOT “sports media.”) Ideally, you’re on break from college from now through mid-January, with little to do but help me out. (This is NOT meant to dominate your time; call it 15-20 hours a week, but it’s flexible.) FWIW: This is different than the "legwork" project from the fall -- that was just a few days of work and nominally paid. But if you were interested then and emailed about it, just shoot me a quick note.
You don’t have to be in New York (where I am), but if you are, that’s a bonus. You’ll be working from home/dorm/Starbucks/Gchat/Skype anyway.
If you’re interested, shoot me a note at help@quickish.com.
-- D.S.
Quickish needs an intern. With the launch coming up soon, there is a ton of stuff to get done. I could use someone reliable, creative and detail-oriented (with some writing skill) to help me with a bunch of the different things that are getting pulled together. The job is mostly editorial(-ish) work, but I can’t claim it’s glamorous.
Enticing, I know. But you get to join in on what will hopefully be one of the most exciting media start-ups of 2011. And hopefully get some interesting experience.
I’m looking for someone who has a passion for the intersection of sports and media (but NOT “sports media.”) Ideally, you’re on break from college from now through mid-January, with little to do but help me out. (This is NOT meant to dominate your time; call it 15-20 hours a week, but it’s flexible.) FWIW: This is different than the "legwork" project from the fall -- that was just a few days of work and nominally paid. But if you were interested then and emailed about it, just shoot me a quick note.
You don’t have to be in New York (where I am), but if you are, that’s a bonus. You’ll be working from home/dorm/Starbucks/Gchat/Skype anyway.
If you’re interested, shoot me a note at help@quickish.com.
-- D.S.
12/20 Quickie: Eagles, Pats, UConn
Today's Names to Know: DeSean Jackson, Mike Vick, Matt Dodge, Matt Flynn, Dan Connolly, Ti Tebow, NFC West, Rex Grossman, UConn women's hoops, Zack Greinke, Grant Hill and More.
So: That DeSean Jackson walk-off punt-return-for-a-TD. Good gosh -- and made all the more dramatic coming at the end of a massive 4th-quarter rally for the Eagles. On the road, in New York, their biggest division playoff rival this season.
I don't blame Jackson for hot-dogging at the goal-line (although I really do think that it was a combo of wanting to be flashy and legitimately wanting to ensure the clock had run out). He is one of the glitziest players in the league, in an unprecedentedly glitzy situation. What did you THINK he was going to do?
(Meanwhile: Poor Matt Dodge, goat emeritus for Giants fans. The Giants punter screwed up. Undoubtedly, he knew he screwed up. Given that Tom Coughlin is going to cut him today, assuredly, when he was being reamed on national TV by his coach, Dodge should have shouted back: "Do you NOT think I get it?")
MVP Watch: With two weeks to go -- and after yesterday's comeback -- I have absolutely no problems putting Mike Vick at the top of the list. (And I say that having had Vick likely cost me a title in the P&G fantasy league -- which would have netted me $10K for charity and a trip to the Super Bowl. Oh, well. Speaking of fantasy, HEY RAY RICE: WHERE WAS THAT BEFORE?)
Meanwhile, kudos to Dan Connolly, the Pats offensive lineman who became an instant star after his 73-yard kickoff return/rumble just before halftime. Frankly, given how close this game was -- and did ANYONE see that coming? -- it was the pivotal play of the game.
More:
*Jets off the schneid: At Pittsburgh, no less. Wow, did they need that. (Anyone else think that the Steelers were definitely going to score at the end?) So if they can win at Pittsburgh in December, not much excuse for not being able to win a couple of playoff games on the road, is there?
*Tim Tebow's debut as a starter: You could probably hear my whooping up and down the block when he took off for that 40-yard TD run on the game's 2nd series. (And almost as loud when he threw that bomb TD on the very next series.) TDs included, it was a good -- not great -- start. He will get better. The Broncos' problem isn't Tebow; it's the defense.
*The NFC West is insane: With just 2 weeks to go, the 5-9 49ers nearly control their own destiny. If they win out -- no guarantee, obviously -- they only need one small break to find themselves in the playoffs (and hosting a game!) at 7-9. Nothing will hasten playoff-seeding reform like that kind of result.
*Rex Grossman: Admit it -- not nearly as bad as you thought he'd be. (Again, as with Tebow and the Broncos, the Redskins' problem wasn't Grossman; it was letting the Cowboys score 30+ points.)
*Congrats to the Lions for finally winning on the road. (Signature victory of Detroit's Calvin Johnson Era?)
Non-NFL News:
*UConn women's hoops win 88th straight: You might have missed the game yesterday because you were watching football. No excuses not to watch the record-breaker on Tuesday. It is going to be something you want to be able to say you saw first-hand.
*Brewers get Zack Greinke: The Royals had to move him for the right package; unfortunately for KC fans, it'll take years to know whether it pans out. Gratification is more immediate for Brewers fans: Greinke joins a stacked rotation that should have Milwaukee the favorite in the NL Central.
*NBA Last Night: Vintage Grant Hill. As the league still settles down from the huge pair of Orlando trades, the new-look Suns were supremely old school last night -- Grant Hill had 30 and 10 in a Suns win over Oklahoma City (and that was without the new players from Orlando). Has to rank among the best single-game performances from an NBA player age 38 or older. (Given his age and the circumstances, possibly the most impressive performance of his career.)
More later, including a Quickish update.
-- D.S.
So: That DeSean Jackson walk-off punt-return-for-a-TD. Good gosh -- and made all the more dramatic coming at the end of a massive 4th-quarter rally for the Eagles. On the road, in New York, their biggest division playoff rival this season.
I don't blame Jackson for hot-dogging at the goal-line (although I really do think that it was a combo of wanting to be flashy and legitimately wanting to ensure the clock had run out). He is one of the glitziest players in the league, in an unprecedentedly glitzy situation. What did you THINK he was going to do?
(Meanwhile: Poor Matt Dodge, goat emeritus for Giants fans. The Giants punter screwed up. Undoubtedly, he knew he screwed up. Given that Tom Coughlin is going to cut him today, assuredly, when he was being reamed on national TV by his coach, Dodge should have shouted back: "Do you NOT think I get it?")
MVP Watch: With two weeks to go -- and after yesterday's comeback -- I have absolutely no problems putting Mike Vick at the top of the list. (And I say that having had Vick likely cost me a title in the P&G fantasy league -- which would have netted me $10K for charity and a trip to the Super Bowl. Oh, well. Speaking of fantasy, HEY RAY RICE: WHERE WAS THAT BEFORE?)
Meanwhile, kudos to Dan Connolly, the Pats offensive lineman who became an instant star after his 73-yard kickoff return/rumble just before halftime. Frankly, given how close this game was -- and did ANYONE see that coming? -- it was the pivotal play of the game.
More:
*Jets off the schneid: At Pittsburgh, no less. Wow, did they need that. (Anyone else think that the Steelers were definitely going to score at the end?) So if they can win at Pittsburgh in December, not much excuse for not being able to win a couple of playoff games on the road, is there?
*Tim Tebow's debut as a starter: You could probably hear my whooping up and down the block when he took off for that 40-yard TD run on the game's 2nd series. (And almost as loud when he threw that bomb TD on the very next series.) TDs included, it was a good -- not great -- start. He will get better. The Broncos' problem isn't Tebow; it's the defense.
*The NFC West is insane: With just 2 weeks to go, the 5-9 49ers nearly control their own destiny. If they win out -- no guarantee, obviously -- they only need one small break to find themselves in the playoffs (and hosting a game!) at 7-9. Nothing will hasten playoff-seeding reform like that kind of result.
*Rex Grossman: Admit it -- not nearly as bad as you thought he'd be. (Again, as with Tebow and the Broncos, the Redskins' problem wasn't Grossman; it was letting the Cowboys score 30+ points.)
*Congrats to the Lions for finally winning on the road. (Signature victory of Detroit's Calvin Johnson Era?)
Non-NFL News:
*UConn women's hoops win 88th straight: You might have missed the game yesterday because you were watching football. No excuses not to watch the record-breaker on Tuesday. It is going to be something you want to be able to say you saw first-hand.
*Brewers get Zack Greinke: The Royals had to move him for the right package; unfortunately for KC fans, it'll take years to know whether it pans out. Gratification is more immediate for Brewers fans: Greinke joins a stacked rotation that should have Milwaukee the favorite in the NL Central.
*NBA Last Night: Vintage Grant Hill. As the league still settles down from the huge pair of Orlando trades, the new-look Suns were supremely old school last night -- Grant Hill had 30 and 10 in a Suns win over Oklahoma City (and that was without the new players from Orlando). Has to rank among the best single-game performances from an NBA player age 38 or older. (Given his age and the circumstances, possibly the most impressive performance of his career.)
More later, including a Quickish update.
-- D.S.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Sunday (Very) Quickie
Let's start with the notion that Tim Tebow might/could/will start today in Oakland for the Denver Broncos. Now that's out of the way...
UConn women go for consecutive win No. 88 -- tying UCLA's legendary streak -- today vs. No. 10 Ohio State at Madison Square Garden, the biggest stage possible for one of the biggest wins in women's college hoops history. (Now that I'm back in NYC, I'm a bit bummed I'm not going to this game. I would love to have taken my kids, so they could see the history.)
Magic center of NBA mega-trade(s): This was a fun one. The Magic improved their offense considerably, dumping Vince Carter for Jason Richardson and old fan favorite Hedo Turkoglu (while giving up underrated Dwight Howard backup Marcin Gortat), then swapping overpriced tall 3-point shooter Rashard Lewis straight up for Gilbert Arenas, who is a better shooter than Lewis (and desperate for a career reboot).
*The upshot: The Magic need to try to win now. Dwight Howard is a free agent after the 2012 season, and they have to try to show him they are committed to chasing a title; the old roster wasn't cutting it. J-Rich is an upgrade over VC. Arenas is high-risk/high-reward. They might miss Gortat. (They won't miss Rashard Lewis.)
*The Suns are dismantling themselves -- Carter's massive salary comes off the books after this season. Pity Steve Nash, the franchise star who will never be traded, but has to suffer through the descent to rock bottom. Gortat will actually help a lot, I'll bet.
*The Wizards get rid of the face of the franchise, replacing him with a shooter who they can't wait to dump off the books in a year or two. Like almost every other Wizards fan, I adored Gilbert -- at least, I was obsessed with him during that glorious run when he was not only playing like a 1st-team all-NBA player, but being eccentric and wacky and blogging and doing freakish things that showed a joy for the game and a joy for life. That changed with the injuries and the "guns incident," but I will never stop appreciating how good Arenas made it to be a Wizards fan. No matter what team he plays for, I'll always be a fan of Agent Zero.
Wizards nearly beat Heat: And, in typical fashion, the Wizards -- playing without Arenas, without Wall, without Rashard Lewis and without much talent to speak of -- took the Heat to the final seconds (up 4 with 13 seconds to play!)... but ultimately choked in only the way the Wizards can (and, predictably, do).
It's possible to claim moral victory that the Wizards didn't lose by 40 -- as I honestly thought they would -- but it was deflating that they came so close to their biggest (and most unlikely) regular-season win in franchise history, only to bumble it away at the end.
CFB Bowl season starts: With blowouts! Frosh QB Jake Heaps led BYU to its final win as a member of the Mountain West... Northern Illinois and its hilariously candid interim head coach throttled Fresno State... Troy walloped Ohio in New Orleans (behind a huge performance from another frosh QB, Corey Robinson). By the way, Troy's punter has the greatest beard ever.
1-AA Playoffs: It'll be Delaware vs. Eastern Washington for the national title.
CFB Coaching Carousel: Mike Leach to Maryland? (Or is that "Marrrrryland?" I have to get on trademarking that pirate-speak version of the school's name.) Leach's issues at Texas Tech aside, this would be the ideal hire for Maryland. Leach is brilliant. His style of play is incredibly entertaining (meaning that even if Maryland doesn't win the conference, they will be fun to watch). And he is buddies with Maryland uber-booster Kevin Plank, CEO of Under Armour.
CBB Upset Du Jour: Illinois lost to Illinois-Chicago, in the kind of regional-guppy-beats-regional-powerhouse win that MAKES a program for a mid-major conference.
Plus: Gonzaga over Baylor. Gonzaga had seemed "down" this season, but this was a big win over a very good Baylor team -- probably enough to right the Zags and keep them on track for an NCAA bid.
(Meanwhile, I am baffled at how Florida locked down Kansas State. Florida has not been impressive at all this season. K-State is precisely the kind of "tough" team that typically gives Florida fits. Instead, Florida held KSU under 50. Many fans will file this one away when they look at Florida on their bracket next March; I see it as a near-annual "great" win for Florida that shows how much potential they have... but ultimately sets you up for a let-down loss when it matters most. Wow: We've come a long way since 2007, where my expectation was "National championship or bust.")
Josh Selby's Kansas debut: Showcasing a sweet shot, he is as good as his prep reputation that preceded him. He is likely one-and-done, but he will make KU much more of a threat to go into the 2nd weekend (maybe the final weekend) of the NCAA Tournament.
Congrats, Penn State women's volleyball: 4th straight national title.
NFL Week 15: Rex Grossman is starting in the NFL. That is all. (Actually, there's a lot more. More later.)
-- D.S.
UConn women go for consecutive win No. 88 -- tying UCLA's legendary streak -- today vs. No. 10 Ohio State at Madison Square Garden, the biggest stage possible for one of the biggest wins in women's college hoops history. (Now that I'm back in NYC, I'm a bit bummed I'm not going to this game. I would love to have taken my kids, so they could see the history.)
Magic center of NBA mega-trade(s): This was a fun one. The Magic improved their offense considerably, dumping Vince Carter for Jason Richardson and old fan favorite Hedo Turkoglu (while giving up underrated Dwight Howard backup Marcin Gortat), then swapping overpriced tall 3-point shooter Rashard Lewis straight up for Gilbert Arenas, who is a better shooter than Lewis (and desperate for a career reboot).
*The upshot: The Magic need to try to win now. Dwight Howard is a free agent after the 2012 season, and they have to try to show him they are committed to chasing a title; the old roster wasn't cutting it. J-Rich is an upgrade over VC. Arenas is high-risk/high-reward. They might miss Gortat. (They won't miss Rashard Lewis.)
*The Suns are dismantling themselves -- Carter's massive salary comes off the books after this season. Pity Steve Nash, the franchise star who will never be traded, but has to suffer through the descent to rock bottom. Gortat will actually help a lot, I'll bet.
*The Wizards get rid of the face of the franchise, replacing him with a shooter who they can't wait to dump off the books in a year or two. Like almost every other Wizards fan, I adored Gilbert -- at least, I was obsessed with him during that glorious run when he was not only playing like a 1st-team all-NBA player, but being eccentric and wacky and blogging and doing freakish things that showed a joy for the game and a joy for life. That changed with the injuries and the "guns incident," but I will never stop appreciating how good Arenas made it to be a Wizards fan. No matter what team he plays for, I'll always be a fan of Agent Zero.
Wizards nearly beat Heat: And, in typical fashion, the Wizards -- playing without Arenas, without Wall, without Rashard Lewis and without much talent to speak of -- took the Heat to the final seconds (up 4 with 13 seconds to play!)... but ultimately choked in only the way the Wizards can (and, predictably, do).
It's possible to claim moral victory that the Wizards didn't lose by 40 -- as I honestly thought they would -- but it was deflating that they came so close to their biggest (and most unlikely) regular-season win in franchise history, only to bumble it away at the end.
CFB Bowl season starts: With blowouts! Frosh QB Jake Heaps led BYU to its final win as a member of the Mountain West... Northern Illinois and its hilariously candid interim head coach throttled Fresno State... Troy walloped Ohio in New Orleans (behind a huge performance from another frosh QB, Corey Robinson). By the way, Troy's punter has the greatest beard ever.
1-AA Playoffs: It'll be Delaware vs. Eastern Washington for the national title.
CFB Coaching Carousel: Mike Leach to Maryland? (Or is that "Marrrrryland?" I have to get on trademarking that pirate-speak version of the school's name.) Leach's issues at Texas Tech aside, this would be the ideal hire for Maryland. Leach is brilliant. His style of play is incredibly entertaining (meaning that even if Maryland doesn't win the conference, they will be fun to watch). And he is buddies with Maryland uber-booster Kevin Plank, CEO of Under Armour.
CBB Upset Du Jour: Illinois lost to Illinois-Chicago, in the kind of regional-guppy-beats-regional-powerhouse win that MAKES a program for a mid-major conference.
Plus: Gonzaga over Baylor. Gonzaga had seemed "down" this season, but this was a big win over a very good Baylor team -- probably enough to right the Zags and keep them on track for an NCAA bid.
(Meanwhile, I am baffled at how Florida locked down Kansas State. Florida has not been impressive at all this season. K-State is precisely the kind of "tough" team that typically gives Florida fits. Instead, Florida held KSU under 50. Many fans will file this one away when they look at Florida on their bracket next March; I see it as a near-annual "great" win for Florida that shows how much potential they have... but ultimately sets you up for a let-down loss when it matters most. Wow: We've come a long way since 2007, where my expectation was "National championship or bust.")
Josh Selby's Kansas debut: Showcasing a sweet shot, he is as good as his prep reputation that preceded him. He is likely one-and-done, but he will make KU much more of a threat to go into the 2nd weekend (maybe the final weekend) of the NCAA Tournament.
Congrats, Penn State women's volleyball: 4th straight national title.
NFL Week 15: Rex Grossman is starting in the NFL. That is all. (Actually, there's a lot more. More later.)
-- D.S.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Saturday (Very O-Town) Quickie
Greetings from Orlando, where the warm weather is a happy trade-off for not having been in NYC yesterday for the Heat-Knicks vibe, which turned out to be the "Oh-Things-Have-Been-Great-And-All-But-This-Is-What-It-Would-Have-Been-Like-With-LeBron" game. Yup. (Wow, the Heat are cruising. The Knicks had a ton of momentum, and Miami just stifled 'em.)
Redskins bench McNabb: You knew things weren't great, but I don't think anyone knew they would implode as spectacularly as they did yesterday. This was the player who just got a nice new deal a few weeks ago; this was the guy who commanded so much optimism at the start of the season. This is now the No. 3 QB for the Redskins, his career in D.C. essentially over after less than a full season. But he sure will look good in Arizona next season (even if he's no Warner 2.0).
Meanwhile: Rex Grossman. Is starting in the NFL.
NBA: Gilbert Arenas to the Magic? That was the hot rumor last night, and as a Wiz fan I'm torn. On the one hand, Gil doesn't fit on the team, and I'd like to see what they can get from Orlando. On the other, Arenas is one of my favorite players, and I will miss seeing him go -- but I want the best for him for his career. Ironically, me physically being in Orlando right now offers me absolutely no reportorial or analytical advantages in working through this.
NFL: Aaron Rodgers doubtful for tomorrow vs. Pats -- but he still might play? Yikes, it's like he wants his brain over-easy rather than flat-out scrambled. I appreciate why he wants to play, but this season, of all of them, shouldn't the team be saying, "Let's just be safe here."
College football bowl season is here! (How awesome was that red turf in the Villanova-Eastern Washington 1-AA playoff game last night? Whether you liked it or hated it, so visually stunning.)
-- D.S.
Redskins bench McNabb: You knew things weren't great, but I don't think anyone knew they would implode as spectacularly as they did yesterday. This was the player who just got a nice new deal a few weeks ago; this was the guy who commanded so much optimism at the start of the season. This is now the No. 3 QB for the Redskins, his career in D.C. essentially over after less than a full season. But he sure will look good in Arizona next season (even if he's no Warner 2.0).
Meanwhile: Rex Grossman. Is starting in the NFL.
NBA: Gilbert Arenas to the Magic? That was the hot rumor last night, and as a Wiz fan I'm torn. On the one hand, Gil doesn't fit on the team, and I'd like to see what they can get from Orlando. On the other, Arenas is one of my favorite players, and I will miss seeing him go -- but I want the best for him for his career. Ironically, me physically being in Orlando right now offers me absolutely no reportorial or analytical advantages in working through this.
NFL: Aaron Rodgers doubtful for tomorrow vs. Pats -- but he still might play? Yikes, it's like he wants his brain over-easy rather than flat-out scrambled. I appreciate why he wants to play, but this season, of all of them, shouldn't the team be saying, "Let's just be safe here."
College football bowl season is here! (How awesome was that red turf in the Villanova-Eastern Washington 1-AA playoff game last night? Whether you liked it or hated it, so visually stunning.)
-- D.S.
Friday, December 17, 2010
12/17 Quickie: NFL Week 15, Bowls
En route to Orlando today to celebrate my brother getting his PhD this weekend. Much Chik-Fil-A to be eaten.
NFL Last Night: The Chargers win (as expected), but the real revelation was Vincent Jackson, who had 3 TDs and probably single-handedly will win playoff weeks for folks who started him.
NFL Week 15 Storylines:
*Fantasy football playoffs
*Forget Favre: No beer in Minny on Monday night?
*Tim Tebow better freaking finally play.
*Jets at Steelers: Jets need this one badly.
*GOTW (NFC): Giants-Eagles
*GOTW (AFC): Jags-Colts
NBA Tonight: Heat at Knicks, in the Knicks' 2nd "Wow, you've kinda got to watch" game of the week -- which is two more than they have had since they played in the Eastern Conference Finals in 1999.
Yao done for the year: And you have to wonder if he's done for good. By the way, if he IS done for good, I would vote for him to make the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Rajon Rondo out for "weeks": As long as he's healthy by April (and stays healthy through May), the Celtics will be fine.
MLB Hot Stove: Bobby Jenks for $6M a year for 2 years feels like a pretty good deal for the Red Sox. (Does that mean Papelbon is on the block? Or at least expendable?)
CFB Bowls start: New Mexico Bowl (BYU-UTEP: I'll take UTEP.)... uDrove Humanitarian Bowl (Northern Illinois vs. Fresno St: I'll go Fresno)... R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl (Ohio vs. Troy: I'll say Troy, but not for any good reason.)
Be sure to enter the Daily Quickie Readers College Bowl Pick 'Em!
CBB This Weekend: Kansas State-Florida is the headliner, but honestly, K-State is going to throttle the Gators. Texas-UNC is also interesting.
-- D.S.
NFL Last Night: The Chargers win (as expected), but the real revelation was Vincent Jackson, who had 3 TDs and probably single-handedly will win playoff weeks for folks who started him.
NFL Week 15 Storylines:
*Fantasy football playoffs
*Forget Favre: No beer in Minny on Monday night?
*Tim Tebow better freaking finally play.
*Jets at Steelers: Jets need this one badly.
*GOTW (NFC): Giants-Eagles
*GOTW (AFC): Jags-Colts
NBA Tonight: Heat at Knicks, in the Knicks' 2nd "Wow, you've kinda got to watch" game of the week -- which is two more than they have had since they played in the Eastern Conference Finals in 1999.
Yao done for the year: And you have to wonder if he's done for good. By the way, if he IS done for good, I would vote for him to make the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Rajon Rondo out for "weeks": As long as he's healthy by April (and stays healthy through May), the Celtics will be fine.
MLB Hot Stove: Bobby Jenks for $6M a year for 2 years feels like a pretty good deal for the Red Sox. (Does that mean Papelbon is on the block? Or at least expendable?)
CFB Bowls start: New Mexico Bowl (BYU-UTEP: I'll take UTEP.)... uDrove Humanitarian Bowl (Northern Illinois vs. Fresno St: I'll go Fresno)... R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl (Ohio vs. Troy: I'll say Troy, but not for any good reason.)
Be sure to enter the Daily Quickie Readers College Bowl Pick 'Em!
CBB This Weekend: Kansas State-Florida is the headliner, but honestly, K-State is going to throttle the Gators. Texas-UNC is also interesting.
-- D.S.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
College Bowl Pick 'Em Contest!
CRAP. Knew I had lost track of something. Rather than it turning out to be, say, my mortgage payment, instead it was the Daily Quickie Readers college football Bowl Pick 'Em league. It's set up now, so please join! My title in this league in '08 remains my, um, only DQR win ever.
Remember my personal strategy: I pick the games, assigning confidence points not by actual confidence level, but by calendar, meaning the first bowl game gets 1 point if I get it right, but the last bowl gets the most confidence points if I get it right (and I'll get that one right, for sure). That's how I won the league in '08, and I'm sticking to it, even after last year's debacle.
Bowls start Saturday -- join now!
Remember my personal strategy: I pick the games, assigning confidence points not by actual confidence level, but by calendar, meaning the first bowl game gets 1 point if I get it right, but the last bowl gets the most confidence points if I get it right (and I'll get that one right, for sure). That's how I won the league in '08, and I'm sticking to it, even after last year's debacle.
Bowls start Saturday -- join now!
Sponsored Post: Playoff-Bound
Your weekly update on my travails in the Blogger Football League, sponsored by Procter & Gamble. For background, see this intro post.
After a fast start, a brutal middle and a strong ending, I made the 4-team playoff field as the No. 2 seed. I play Team Gunaxin, starting tonight.
I will not have Antonio Gates -- or, at least, I won't be starting him, given his injury situation. Instead, I'll be going with Rob Gronkowski and doubling down on team MVP Tom Brady's ability to win me this league title.
Backfield is the same it's been for weeks: Chris Johnson and LeGarrette Blount. I need a game from CJ like he had a week ago.
Receivers are Miles Austin, Malcom Floyd (questionable!) and Pierre Garcon (who I can only hope didn't use up all his fantasy mojo in last week's huge performance). Let's go get it.
Here is this week's league recap post, from JoeSportsfan's Matt Sebek.
Check out P&G's Take It To The House page on Facebook. Be sure to look for the new contest where you predict the players who will have the top 5 rushing or receiving plays from scrimmage, and if you get them all, you win some insanely good prizes.
The P&G Blogger Fantasy League (BFL) is a group of 12 online sports folks competing on the NFL.com fantasy platform for the chance to win a donation for a local charity, furnished by P&G. The NFL Entities have not offered or sponsored the sweepstakes in anyway.
After a fast start, a brutal middle and a strong ending, I made the 4-team playoff field as the No. 2 seed. I play Team Gunaxin, starting tonight.
I will not have Antonio Gates -- or, at least, I won't be starting him, given his injury situation. Instead, I'll be going with Rob Gronkowski and doubling down on team MVP Tom Brady's ability to win me this league title.
Backfield is the same it's been for weeks: Chris Johnson and LeGarrette Blount. I need a game from CJ like he had a week ago.
Receivers are Miles Austin, Malcom Floyd (questionable!) and Pierre Garcon (who I can only hope didn't use up all his fantasy mojo in last week's huge performance). Let's go get it.
Here is this week's league recap post, from JoeSportsfan's Matt Sebek.
Check out P&G's Take It To The House page on Facebook. Be sure to look for the new contest where you predict the players who will have the top 5 rushing or receiving plays from scrimmage, and if you get them all, you win some insanely good prizes.
The P&G Blogger Fantasy League (BFL) is a group of 12 online sports folks competing on the NFL.com fantasy platform for the chance to win a donation for a local charity, furnished by P&G. The NFL Entities have not offered or sponsored the sweepstakes in anyway.
Memo to Mark Cuban re: BCS
I love that Mark Cuban wants to create a competitor to the BCS. He's no dummy: It's good business.
The plan is a lot less complicated than he might think. All he has to do is nudge the SEC -- which doesn't and shouldn't give a shit about the rest of the BCS cabal -- to create a playoff.
Right off the bat, with only the SEC involved, an 8-team, 7-game, 3-week playoff would command a billion-dollar TV rights fee, and that doesn't even count sponsorship and any offers cities make to host playoff games. Hell, they could do it in single-year auctions and likely make even more than a multi-year commitment.
So the SEC isn't part of the BCS system anymore: OK... and?
The league and its partner, Cuban, will be printing money, satisfying existing SEC triumphalism and, frankly, crowning a champ with more legitimacy than any unbeaten team that comes out of the old BCS system.
Then watch what happens next: When the other leagues see what is happening in that first year of an SEC playoff, they will be clamoring to join.
The Big 12 will be on speed-dial within 5 minutes. The Pac-10 will be on call-waiting. The Big East and ACC will be begging. (Notre Dame? Sure: They can pay to join.)
Equal splits? No chance. Leagues can bid on participating -- everything from revenue share to how many teams they get included. (They can all feel free to set up their own conference playoff system, beyond the current 2-team format that most leagues use.)
Notice that I haven't included the Big Ten. Here is the reality: The Big Ten can try to ignore what everyone else is doing, but good luck when they run out of dance partners. Eventually, if only to remain relevant, the Big Ten will join. (And if they don't: More power to them, and more power to the playoff group.)
The simplicity of the idea is that it all hinges on the SEC, a league with a commissioner and school presidents already inclined to support a playoff.
(This is why I keep arguing that the fastest route to a playoff is the SEC getting screwed by the BCS system -- like a one-loss SEC champ getting vaulted by an unbeaten champ from a lesser league. The SEC would walk away in 10 seconds, and everyone kind of knows it.)
So when Mark Cuban says he has talked with folks in college football who like the idea, I cannot believe that the SEC wasn't a part of that.
It's so easy: Mark Cuban and the SEC walk away from the BCS. It fits Cuban's maverick style; it fits the SEC triumphalism. It makes a ton of money for everyone. And, for fans, a real playoff.
-- D.S.
The plan is a lot less complicated than he might think. All he has to do is nudge the SEC -- which doesn't and shouldn't give a shit about the rest of the BCS cabal -- to create a playoff.
Right off the bat, with only the SEC involved, an 8-team, 7-game, 3-week playoff would command a billion-dollar TV rights fee, and that doesn't even count sponsorship and any offers cities make to host playoff games. Hell, they could do it in single-year auctions and likely make even more than a multi-year commitment.
So the SEC isn't part of the BCS system anymore: OK... and?
The league and its partner, Cuban, will be printing money, satisfying existing SEC triumphalism and, frankly, crowning a champ with more legitimacy than any unbeaten team that comes out of the old BCS system.
Then watch what happens next: When the other leagues see what is happening in that first year of an SEC playoff, they will be clamoring to join.
The Big 12 will be on speed-dial within 5 minutes. The Pac-10 will be on call-waiting. The Big East and ACC will be begging. (Notre Dame? Sure: They can pay to join.)
Equal splits? No chance. Leagues can bid on participating -- everything from revenue share to how many teams they get included. (They can all feel free to set up their own conference playoff system, beyond the current 2-team format that most leagues use.)
Notice that I haven't included the Big Ten. Here is the reality: The Big Ten can try to ignore what everyone else is doing, but good luck when they run out of dance partners. Eventually, if only to remain relevant, the Big Ten will join. (And if they don't: More power to them, and more power to the playoff group.)
The simplicity of the idea is that it all hinges on the SEC, a league with a commissioner and school presidents already inclined to support a playoff.
(This is why I keep arguing that the fastest route to a playoff is the SEC getting screwed by the BCS system -- like a one-loss SEC champ getting vaulted by an unbeaten champ from a lesser league. The SEC would walk away in 10 seconds, and everyone kind of knows it.)
So when Mark Cuban says he has talked with folks in college football who like the idea, I cannot believe that the SEC wasn't a part of that.
It's so easy: Mark Cuban and the SEC walk away from the BCS. It fits Cuban's maverick style; it fits the SEC triumphalism. It makes a ton of money for everyone. And, for fans, a real playoff.
-- D.S.
12/16 Quickie: Feller, Knicks, More
RIP Bob Feller, one of the great pitchers of all time. If you are only nominally familiar with him, the extensive retrospectives on his career will give you a greater appreciation.
(If you read one thing on Feller today, make it Joe Posnanski.)
Knicks win! (Even if they lost!) I don't watch much regular-season NBA, but I did watch Knicks-Celtics, and it was an Event.
The Knicks are relevant again -- you get the sense that the fans were going bananas simply because they finally matter. I found it much more visceral than the late-90s, where success was expected; there is a genuine appreciation, given how bad the team has sucked.
That they lost almost gives them more cachet -- to come so close to knocking off the standard-bearer in the East, to show that the early success wasn't flimsy, to show the potential.
Heat win 10th straight: With a trip to New York up next that should prove to be even more insane than the Celtics game. I think NYC fans could be more brutal than Cleveland fans.
Mark Cuban wants to implode the BCS... with cash: He's not wrong; money drives the system, and a better economic proposition will have some influence. But we've been down this road before with other people. That said: Cuban has the cash and marketing savvy to make hay.
NFL Midweek: Matt Cassel was practicing, but I really can't see him playing on Sunday -- taking hits? Doesn't that put the REST of his season in jeopardy?
CFB Coaching Carousel: Miami (Ohio) Mike Haywood to Pitt. Miami continues to be the cradle of coaches. It's hard not to be more inspiring than Dave Wannstedt.
CBB: Week of upsets continue. First Tennessee and Louisville lose, now UNLV, which lost to UC-Santa Barbara. (Meanwhile, the countdown is on for Northwestern's appearance at Madison Square Garden next Monday and Tuesday nights.)
Women's CBB: I agree with Christine Brennan's point here, but count me among those who are very excited to see history made by the UConn women.
NHL/TV: Caps lose 7th straight. On the plus side, the new HBO show "24/7: Caps-Penguins" is AMAZING, in part because the Caps' troubles are so in-your-face. (So many F-bombs...)
NFL Tonight: 49ers at Chargers. Implications for fantasy playoff teams. A must-win for the Chargers. But otherwise, kind of a snoozer.
-- D.S.
(If you read one thing on Feller today, make it Joe Posnanski.)
Knicks win! (Even if they lost!) I don't watch much regular-season NBA, but I did watch Knicks-Celtics, and it was an Event.
The Knicks are relevant again -- you get the sense that the fans were going bananas simply because they finally matter. I found it much more visceral than the late-90s, where success was expected; there is a genuine appreciation, given how bad the team has sucked.
That they lost almost gives them more cachet -- to come so close to knocking off the standard-bearer in the East, to show that the early success wasn't flimsy, to show the potential.
Heat win 10th straight: With a trip to New York up next that should prove to be even more insane than the Celtics game. I think NYC fans could be more brutal than Cleveland fans.
Mark Cuban wants to implode the BCS... with cash: He's not wrong; money drives the system, and a better economic proposition will have some influence. But we've been down this road before with other people. That said: Cuban has the cash and marketing savvy to make hay.
NFL Midweek: Matt Cassel was practicing, but I really can't see him playing on Sunday -- taking hits? Doesn't that put the REST of his season in jeopardy?
CFB Coaching Carousel: Miami (Ohio) Mike Haywood to Pitt. Miami continues to be the cradle of coaches. It's hard not to be more inspiring than Dave Wannstedt.
CBB: Week of upsets continue. First Tennessee and Louisville lose, now UNLV, which lost to UC-Santa Barbara. (Meanwhile, the countdown is on for Northwestern's appearance at Madison Square Garden next Monday and Tuesday nights.)
Women's CBB: I agree with Christine Brennan's point here, but count me among those who are very excited to see history made by the UConn women.
NHL/TV: Caps lose 7th straight. On the plus side, the new HBO show "24/7: Caps-Penguins" is AMAZING, in part because the Caps' troubles are so in-your-face. (So many F-bombs...)
NFL Tonight: 49ers at Chargers. Implications for fantasy playoff teams. A must-win for the Chargers. But otherwise, kind of a snoozer.
-- D.S.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Must-See TV: Rovell on Franchises
Just a heads-up to watch (or set your DVR for) Darren Rovell's newest documentary on CNBC, "Behind the Counter: The Untold Story of Franchising." It's on at 9 p.m. ET.
Rovell is the best sports-business reporter in the country, but he is even better as a documentarian (see his awesome earlier CNBC doc on infomercials). This one looks to be a great one.
Rovell is the best sports-business reporter in the country, but he is even better as a documentarian (see his awesome earlier CNBC doc on infomercials). This one looks to be a great one.
12/15 Quickie: Favre, Melo, CFB
Well, try as we all might, we just can't shake Brett Favre. First, it's "Streak over!" Now, it's "Will he play this week?"
Like everything else Favre-related, I see it in fairly simple terms: If he is pushing to play out of ego-gratification, it's a mistake. If he is actually healthy enough to play -- and not just play, but play better than the next-best alternative, Tavaris Jackson -- then he should play.
Carmelo trade talk: There was this hilariously odd-sourced rumor last night that the Nuggets had reached a deal to trade Carmelo to the Nets. It was debunked. Here is the reality: The Nuggets would LOVE to do this deal -- multiple high draft picks AND a young talent like Derrick Favors? -- but they are hamstrung by Melo's unwillingness to sign a long-term deal with the Nets. I can understand why he would rather play with the Knicks, but are the Nets that bad of an option? (The answer, aside from the upcoming Brooklyn location, is yes, probably.)
Cliff Lee Post-script: And the Yankees counter with... Mark Prior! Ah, if only this was 2001. (Look: It's more interesting than the Yankees signing Carl Pavano. Not that they were going to.)
CFB: Will Muschamp intro'ed as Florida head coach. He is dynamic. He is no-nonsense. And he is going to run a pro-style offense, rather than the spread. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I appreciate that Alabama's pro-style -- which Muschamp is obviously modeling -- was fairly effective, particularly against Florida. But I still think that the evolution of strategy favors the spread as a clearly optimized offense (see Oregon, Auburn).
Oregon uniforms for the BCS title game: The Ducks get a lot of grief for having more costume changes than Lady Gaga -- and garish combos to match. But I kind of love that they do it; it is unique in college football, and in a way, the equivalent of Facebook to, say, Penn State's Saturday Evening Post. I am a sucker for highlighter green, btw.
CBB: How does Tennessee beat two of the best teams in the Big East, then lose to Oakland? (Come to think of it: How does Louisville lose to Drexel? File both losses away under "Why I won't pick either to go past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament.")
More later.
-- D.S.
Like everything else Favre-related, I see it in fairly simple terms: If he is pushing to play out of ego-gratification, it's a mistake. If he is actually healthy enough to play -- and not just play, but play better than the next-best alternative, Tavaris Jackson -- then he should play.
Carmelo trade talk: There was this hilariously odd-sourced rumor last night that the Nuggets had reached a deal to trade Carmelo to the Nets. It was debunked. Here is the reality: The Nuggets would LOVE to do this deal -- multiple high draft picks AND a young talent like Derrick Favors? -- but they are hamstrung by Melo's unwillingness to sign a long-term deal with the Nets. I can understand why he would rather play with the Knicks, but are the Nets that bad of an option? (The answer, aside from the upcoming Brooklyn location, is yes, probably.)
Cliff Lee Post-script: And the Yankees counter with... Mark Prior! Ah, if only this was 2001. (Look: It's more interesting than the Yankees signing Carl Pavano. Not that they were going to.)
CFB: Will Muschamp intro'ed as Florida head coach. He is dynamic. He is no-nonsense. And he is going to run a pro-style offense, rather than the spread. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I appreciate that Alabama's pro-style -- which Muschamp is obviously modeling -- was fairly effective, particularly against Florida. But I still think that the evolution of strategy favors the spread as a clearly optimized offense (see Oregon, Auburn).
Oregon uniforms for the BCS title game: The Ducks get a lot of grief for having more costume changes than Lady Gaga -- and garish combos to match. But I kind of love that they do it; it is unique in college football, and in a way, the equivalent of Facebook to, say, Penn State's Saturday Evening Post. I am a sucker for highlighter green, btw.
CBB: How does Tennessee beat two of the best teams in the Big East, then lose to Oakland? (Come to think of it: How does Louisville lose to Drexel? File both losses away under "Why I won't pick either to go past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament.")
More later.
-- D.S.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
When the Audience is No One (Yet)
The tough news about having a new product that is still in stealthy "test" mode is that I can't show everyone the awesome stuff being produced -- particularly during what has been a GREAT sports week, capped by the double-whammy last night of Brett Favre sitting and Cliff Lee taking the deal from the Phillies, not the Yankees or Rangers. I'm producing great product! Going to waste because no one can see it!
The good news is that, having a bit of experience when it comes to day-in-day-out news coverage (particularly sports) is that as exciting as it might be at any given moment -- "most. whatever. ever." -- the system continuously replenishes itself with more. When I was writing the Quickie, I would always wonder "Wow, how could it get better than THIS?" And, yet, the news never failed to deliver.
Just from last night...
*Just when you think there's nothing left to say about Brett Favre: He sits.
*A few hours later, just when you think the Texans are finished: A wild comeback (THEN they are finished, in even wilder fashion).
*A few hours after that, just when you think the Yankees' cash rules (or you can get a good night's sleep): Cliff Lee takes less to go to Philly and create the best pitching rotation... well, we're all still figuring that out. (Braves '97? Ever?)
Anyway, let me get back to the point at the top: Very soon, I'm going to want you to check out (and test out) this product I've been working on, give feedback and generally help me make it better before it gets released publicly early next month.
I will be giving out a limited number of Quickish beta invites soon. (Limited because I want to be able to talk fairly intensively with folks testing it out. I will continuously release more invites over the rest of the month.)
If you want to hear about that first, I will be posting a message through the Quickish Facebook page and Twitter feed first, so be sure to like the FB page and/or follow the Twitter feed.
Meanwhile, back to Quickish development for me -- even if no one can see it (yet). Can't wait for you to try it out.
-- D.S.
12/14 Quickie: Lee Eclipses Favre
The biggest winner from Cliff Lee's decision to pick the Phillies over the Yankees and Rangers? People sick of Brett Favre.
As of last night, we were looking at a news cycle of continuous coverage of Brett Favre's STREAK ENDING. It was eye-roll-worthy within 5 minutes of it being announced.
Then, overnight, a truly shocking bit of news: Lee to the Phillies. Celebration in Philly. Dejection in Texas. Despondence in New York. (Yankee schadenfreude for the rest of us.)
Start with this: Lee took less to play in Philly, the team that traded him away last season to make room for Roy Halladay. How refreshing: The most money doesn't always win.
Now, the superlatives: Can you think of the most recent pitching foursome as spectacular as Halladay-Lee-Oswalt-Hamels?
The closest I have seen is folks bringing up the Braves in '97: Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz -- three future Hall of Famers -- along with Denny Neagle. And Philly has four, which I immediately dubbed the "Phab Four." (With "Phab Phour" thrown out for inelegance.)
Then again, that Braves rotation killed it in the regular season... then couldn't get past the Florida Marlins in the '97 NLCS.
And, not unlike the Heat's Superfriends, that's the burden of the Phab Four: It's World Series championship or bust.
(It is no coincidence that the best #realtalk coming from Twitter in the wake of the Lee news was from Giants fans, who saw their team beat back the Phillies AND Cliff Lee -- twice.)
But between the Yankees getting snubbed -- and now facing the same questions about their rotation that they had last season (not to mention a rejuvinated Red Sox rival) -- and the Phillies' new bounty, Cliff Lee has already done the improbable:
He stole the spotlight from the Yankees... AND Brett Favre.
*****
Brett Favre sits: I think celebrating a streak for streak's sake is kind of lame. (This coming from someone who continually brings up writing his daily column 420 weekdays in a row.)
However, that's not to say that it wasn't the most impressive thing about Brett Favre's career. (It's not like I'd say it was the "gunslingerness" -- his feast-or-famine TD-INT ratio.)
In a sport as brutal as pro football, to string together that many weeks in a row IS worth a respectful hat-tip. The bigger question: Is his career over, period?
*****
MNF: As it turns out, the Vikings-Giants game was horrible -- the game was listless, not insubstantially because the fans in Detroit, there for the free football, just weren't that into it. As it turns out, it helps to have fans who care about one team or the other, not just the cheerleaders and the notion of a free ticket to any old NFL game.
MNF, the OTHER game: Meanwhile, the Texans-Ravens game was kind of awesome. The Ravens were in complete control, let Houston rally back into it in the 4th quarter (including that 2-point conversion to tie), then won the game on a pick-6 of goat-to-hero-to-goat Matt Schaub (whose 4th quarter cost me a spot in one of my fantasy leagues -- anyone else?)
*****
CFB: Turns out Gus Malzahn won't be going to Vanderbilt after all. He will stay at Auburn as offensive coordinator (sure to get a head-coaching job next December). It's a shame he didn't want to take on the Vandy challenge -- if any school could have tested out his theories, it was Vandy. Instead, Auburn -- even without Cam Newton -- should remain tough in 2011.
Trouble at Iowa: Something very very wrong is happening at Iowa. This has become a hallmark of Kirk Ferentz's time there, but the school's administration seems intent on backing him no matter what. Tracking....
The Big Ten's new logo and division names: The logo didn't get a great reception, but that was nothing compared to the howls of ridicule for the league's new divisions -- "Legends" and "Leaders." I'm inclined to appreciate a little innovation in brand marketing, but this idea is terrible. These names are awful. The connection to the teams they cover is arbitrary, at best. They are meaningless. Ultimately, who really cares -- but what a misstep by the conference.
*****
MLB Hot Stove: So will Zack Greinke end up with the Yankees? It's not that they can't use him -- it is whether they are willing to give up their top prospects to get him (they should).
*****
NBA: Heat win 9th straight. The early-season troubles are long-forgotten. This is the team we expected from the start. Still: We can appreciate what they are doing now, yet still remain skeptical until they can win 4 of 7 from the Celtics in the playoffs.
*****
Finally: Sal Alosi, the Jets strength coach who tripped a Dolphins player running down the field on Sunday, was suspended by the team for the rest of the season (and fined $25K). It feels a bit ridiculous that they feel compelled to ban him for the rest of the year, but think it would be OK if he showed back up for work next spring -- let alone was on the sidelines next fall. Despite the superlatives, I consider myself a relativist, and even I think this was an obviously fireable offense.
*****
What to expect the rest of the day around the Web: Lots of Cliff Lee "What Does It All Mean?" talk, less Favre post-mortems than we would have had if Lee had not signed and a bonus post from me a bit later this morning about the state of my new company.
-- D.S.
Monday, December 13, 2010
12/13 Quickie: Dome, Pats, Jets
Vick, Troy P, CFB Coaches, Melo
Today's Names to Know: Metrodome, Ford Field, Tom Brady, Sal Alosi, Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson, Tashard Choice, Troy Polamalu, Aaron Rodgers, Will Muschamp, Al Golden, Gus Malzahn, Dana Holgorsen, Carmelo Anthony, Cliff Lee and More.
That was an odd day in the NFL, wasn't it? Let's just dig in...
*Metrodome deflates: The video was the must-see of the weekend. And, now, it's a public event in Detroit -- free for all... if you want to watch the Vikings and Giants, that is. Novelty!
*Pats destroy Bears in snow: It was like Tom Brady was playing in a balmy dome; if it wasn't obvious he is on another plane right now against the Jets, it is now.
*Jets coach trips Dolphins player: Sal Alosi, the Jets strength coach, should be in a ton of trouble. Frankly, he should be fired. At the very least: What a putz.
(And that was a highlight of the day for the Jets, who seem to be unspooling. The team is a high-tension product that does great when functioning, but will fall apart when not.)
*Vick, Jackson put Eagles over Cowboys: What was more wild -- DeSean Jackson's pre-TD celebration at the 1-yard-line...
*...Or Tashard Choice getting Mike Vick's autograph on his gloves (for his 3-year-old nephew) after the game?
*Troy Polamalu turned Carson Palmer into the worst QB of the day -- on a day when plenty of QBs stunk it up. Polamalu for NFL Defensive Player of the Year?
*Injury Watch: Aaron Rodgers' concussion throws the Packers' entire season into question. He will likely miss next week, and it's unclear how he will come back after that.
*Tonight: TWO Monday Night Football games -- you get to watch both if you live in the NYC area, Minnesota or have DirecTV -- plus plenty of fantasy playoff spots on the line.
*Will Brett Favre play tonight? If he doesn't, it ends his record consecutive-start streak; if he does, it adds another layer to his eye-rolling mythology. So, naturally, everyone is watching.
*****
CFB: Coaching carousel spins on high. Texas DC (and "head-coach-in-waiting") Will Muschamp to Florida. Temple coach Al Golden to Miami. Auburn OC Gus Malzahn apparently to Vandy. Okla St OC Dana Holgorsen possibly to Pitt.
All these moves... well, they actually all seem pretty good:
*Muschamp has no HC experience, but he is the best assistant in the country (and if he was good enough to be the next coach at Texas, he's certainly good enough for Florida). As a Florida fan, I have become very excited about this hire.
*Golden -- who I thought was a natural candidate to eventually replace Joe Paterno at Penn State -- will bring Northeast hard-assness to Coral Gables.
*Vandy made a brilliant hire, frankly. Malzahn can turn a sandlot team into a 40 ppg offensive monster (Tulsa); Vandy might not win the SEC East, but remember the Quickie mantra: If you're not going to win a title, you might as well be entertaining. Vandy will be. (I will offer one other note: Northwestern -- once considered the Big Ten's Vandy -- rode a Malzahn-like no-huddle spread to a Big Ten title in 2000 and inspired coaches everywhere.)
*Holgorsen could have a good year or two at Pitt... until TCU gets into the Big East and wins every league title from now through the end of the century. But that year or two could be enough to vault Holgorsen to an even better job.
Meanwhile, did Urban Meyer quit because of health concerns? If so, why keep it so secret (especially if he had to have known that would come out)? And why position it as all about his family? Is it because if it IS health concerns, those can be worked out -- see last January/February -- and he can return to coaching? It's all very murky.
*****
NBA: Carmelo says, basically, "Knicks or nothing." So the Nuggets are kind of screwed. Why should the Knicks trade ANYTHING to Denver for Carmelo, when they can simply wait until the summer and sign him as a free agent (they have plenty of cap room). Especially given the way the Knicks are playing right now (I was a doubter, but I'm starting to come around... not a ton... I'm not saying they are East elite. But they ARE a playoff team.)
Meanwhile, the Nuggets should try to trade Carmelo to ANY contender that will take him -- Orlando? -- and give them back even pennies on the dollar. Beats losing him for nothing.
*****
MLB Hot Stove: Hey, maybe we'll get a decision from Cliff Lee this week.
*****
Some news on the Quickish front coming this week. For the most direct pipeline to all things Quickish, like the Quickish Facebook page and/or follow Quickish on Twitter.
(I will say this: After getting the back-end development where I needed it to be, I've been testing the initial product for the past week, and I am more excited than ever.)
-- D.S.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Sunday (Very Late!) Quickie
Late filing today, with a few quick hits:
*Metrodome collapses -- on top of a snowstorm that was already going to move the Vikings-Giants game to Monday night. So now the game is in Detroit. Novelty rules!
*Florida hires Will Muschamp: OK, I'm totally in. You can hire someone with head-coaching experience (like Urban at Florida in 2005), or you can hire the best available assistant without it (like Bob Stoops at Oklahoma in '99). Stoops, Chris Petersen, Jim Harbaugh, Dan Mullen -- all were good, but not necessarily the best fit. Muschamp is a great fit, and I'll take his energy and experience. He needs a great offensive coordinator.
*Cam Newton wins the Heisman: The 105 voters who left him off their ballots entirely -- Top 3 -- should have their voting privileges revoked for being so ludicrous. BTW: Please note how Andrew Luck surged to No. 2; if nothing else, he is the best NFL prospect in CFB.
More tomorrow a.m.
-- D.S.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Saturday (Very) Quickie
Heisman ceremony tonight: It will be Cam Newton in a rout -- it remains to be seen just how historic of a rout. It's a nice rebuke for the kneejerk Cam-haters out there.
The fact is that you can find his recruiting scandal unseemly, but you cannot deny that Newton has had one of the greatest -- if not THE greatest -- season ever by a single CFB player.
Army-Navy Game: There isn't a more universally beloved game in college football. (And that rare occasion where the records of the teams involved doesn't matter at all.)
Florida football coaching search: Attention seems to be zeroing in on either Bob Stoops or Chris Petersen. Stoops has the national title and has managed the bigger program, but I actually would like Petersen more.
TV: Big night for football documentaries. On HBO at 8, it's one about Lombardi. On ESPN at 9, it's one about SMU's "Pony Expre$$," in the finale of the amazing "30 for 30" series.
MLB Hot Stove: Cliff Lee -- no decision yet. I'll stick with my pick: The Yankees will offer slightly more money, but all things being equal, Lee would rather play in Texas. (That doesn't mean he won't pick the Yankees, if the Rangers balk at the money or contract length.)
NBA: Big win by the Rose-led Bulls over the Lakers, validating the Bulls as... well, what exactly? A Top 4 team in the East? Are they going to win the East ahead of Boston, Miami, Orlando? No. (But you know who might win the West ahead of the Lakers? The Spurs, who kept rolling along with a win over the Hawks.)
Amare goes 30+/10+... again: Quarter-season MVP.
Bill Simmons' NBA game-analyst debut: I give him a lot of respect merely for putting on the headset and doing it. He did a pretty good job, all things considered.
CBB Today: Tennesee-Pitt is the game worth tuning into. Good scouting for March, in a Sweet 16-quality match-up.
NFL Week 14: Skelton Mania. Raise your hand if you thought that Cardinals rookie QB John Skelton would get more snaps this season than Tim Tebow. Skelton will get more snaps in the 1st quarter tomorrow than Tim Tebow has had all season. Shaking my head.
Brandon Spikes suspended 4 games: Ugh (if you're a Florida fan). Ha! (if you're a Pats-hater). Normally, I'd greet protests from a suspended player that "it wasn't steroids! it was a... mix-up!" with cynicism, to say the least. Have to stick with that here. But I can say: Why Brandon?
John Elway wants into the Broncos front office? What's his front-office experience, besides managing an Arena league team and running a local steakhouse?
College Soccer: Louisville vs. Akron for the men's national title.
In case you missed it yesterday: The T0p 10 sports moments of the year -- with updates, based on your totally spot-on comments.
And, with the launch of Quickish in sight, I'll gently nudge you to like the Facebook page (232 people and growing) and/or follow the feed on Twitter (174 as of Saturday morning). Get on the bandwagon early!
Enjoy your Saturday.
-- D.S.
The fact is that you can find his recruiting scandal unseemly, but you cannot deny that Newton has had one of the greatest -- if not THE greatest -- season ever by a single CFB player.
Army-Navy Game: There isn't a more universally beloved game in college football. (And that rare occasion where the records of the teams involved doesn't matter at all.)
Florida football coaching search: Attention seems to be zeroing in on either Bob Stoops or Chris Petersen. Stoops has the national title and has managed the bigger program, but I actually would like Petersen more.
TV: Big night for football documentaries. On HBO at 8, it's one about Lombardi. On ESPN at 9, it's one about SMU's "Pony Expre$$," in the finale of the amazing "30 for 30" series.
MLB Hot Stove: Cliff Lee -- no decision yet. I'll stick with my pick: The Yankees will offer slightly more money, but all things being equal, Lee would rather play in Texas. (That doesn't mean he won't pick the Yankees, if the Rangers balk at the money or contract length.)
NBA: Big win by the Rose-led Bulls over the Lakers, validating the Bulls as... well, what exactly? A Top 4 team in the East? Are they going to win the East ahead of Boston, Miami, Orlando? No. (But you know who might win the West ahead of the Lakers? The Spurs, who kept rolling along with a win over the Hawks.)
Amare goes 30+/10+... again: Quarter-season MVP.
Bill Simmons' NBA game-analyst debut: I give him a lot of respect merely for putting on the headset and doing it. He did a pretty good job, all things considered.
CBB Today: Tennesee-Pitt is the game worth tuning into. Good scouting for March, in a Sweet 16-quality match-up.
NFL Week 14: Skelton Mania. Raise your hand if you thought that Cardinals rookie QB John Skelton would get more snaps this season than Tim Tebow. Skelton will get more snaps in the 1st quarter tomorrow than Tim Tebow has had all season. Shaking my head.
Brandon Spikes suspended 4 games: Ugh (if you're a Florida fan). Ha! (if you're a Pats-hater). Normally, I'd greet protests from a suspended player that "it wasn't steroids! it was a... mix-up!" with cynicism, to say the least. Have to stick with that here. But I can say: Why Brandon?
John Elway wants into the Broncos front office? What's his front-office experience, besides managing an Arena league team and running a local steakhouse?
College Soccer: Louisville vs. Akron for the men's national title.
In case you missed it yesterday: The T0p 10 sports moments of the year -- with updates, based on your totally spot-on comments.
And, with the launch of Quickish in sight, I'll gently nudge you to like the Facebook page (232 people and growing) and/or follow the feed on Twitter (174 as of Saturday morning). Get on the bandwagon early!
Enjoy your Saturday.
-- D.S.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Top Sports Moment of the Year?
Blame those sneaky Time editors: I can't resist a year-end "Top 10" list. Even if it is in the form of a slideshow that cynically forces you to click through 10 times to get through it. (Oh, wait: Here's a full list of all their lists.)
Anyway, they list their Top 10 sports moments:
Number 1 was the Armando Galarraga near-no-hitter.
No. 2 was LeBron's Decision.
At this point, I'm still looking for my absolutely, clear-cut No. 1 moment. While I think Galarraga's game and the Decision were both huge, there was something even bigger...
No. 3 was Gordon Hayward's near-make vs. Duke.
No. 4 was the NFL's concussion problem. ("Moment?")
No. 5 was Ghana blowing the World Cup.
No. 6 was Graeme McDowell at the Ryder Cup.
Still no sign of my No. 1.
No. 7 is the Saints winning the Super Bowl.
No. 7. Seriously? And while the Saints winning the Super Bowl as a "moment" certainly qualifies, my No. 1 sports moment of the year was the Saints' onside-kick, which gave them the momentum that led to them winning the Super Bowl.
For the record: No. 8 was Isner-Mahut, No. 9 was Joannie Rochette, and No. 10 was Sachin Tendulkar's double-hundred in cricket.
Honestly, I have absolutely no problems with the 10 they picked (although I might not rank Graeme McDowell ahead of the Saints winning the freaking Super Bowl).
But to me, the best sports moment of the year -- and, even more, the greatest moment in NFL history -- was the Saints' onside kick. Still brilliant.
UPDATE: From the Comments, I can't believe I didn't recognize Landon Donovan's goal for the US in the World Cup or Sidney Crosby's goal for Canada in the gold-medal game of the Vancouver Olympics. Both were Top 10 worthy: Bump McDowell and the NFL concussion problem, which wasn't a "moment" (but is obviously a big deal).
-- D.S.
Anyway, they list their Top 10 sports moments:
Number 1 was the Armando Galarraga near-no-hitter.
No. 2 was LeBron's Decision.
At this point, I'm still looking for my absolutely, clear-cut No. 1 moment. While I think Galarraga's game and the Decision were both huge, there was something even bigger...
No. 3 was Gordon Hayward's near-make vs. Duke.
No. 4 was the NFL's concussion problem. ("Moment?")
No. 5 was Ghana blowing the World Cup.
No. 6 was Graeme McDowell at the Ryder Cup.
Still no sign of my No. 1.
No. 7 is the Saints winning the Super Bowl.
No. 7. Seriously? And while the Saints winning the Super Bowl as a "moment" certainly qualifies, my No. 1 sports moment of the year was the Saints' onside-kick, which gave them the momentum that led to them winning the Super Bowl.
For the record: No. 8 was Isner-Mahut, No. 9 was Joannie Rochette, and No. 10 was Sachin Tendulkar's double-hundred in cricket.
Honestly, I have absolutely no problems with the 10 they picked (although I might not rank Graeme McDowell ahead of the Saints winning the freaking Super Bowl).
But to me, the best sports moment of the year -- and, even more, the greatest moment in NFL history -- was the Saints' onside kick. Still brilliant.
UPDATE: From the Comments, I can't believe I didn't recognize Landon Donovan's goal for the US in the World Cup or Sidney Crosby's goal for Canada in the gold-medal game of the Vancouver Olympics. Both were Top 10 worthy: Bump McDowell and the NFL concussion problem, which wasn't a "moment" (but is obviously a big deal).
-- D.S.
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