*Let's be clear: Tim Tebow's Jets press conference yesterday was entirely unremarkable -- which apparently is remarkable to New York media. Had they never seen him do interviews before? He is more expert at it than any athlete in sports. The vaunted NYC media was overmatched.
*Baylor superstar Brittney Griner simply can't jump off the bench and onto the court to get involved in a teammate's on-court yapping match, even to support the team.
*Thoughts are with Pat Summitt as she moves on to the next stage of her life -- hopefully, the memories she gave to the rest of us serve as a sort of distributed storage network of her "best of all time" career.
*The Parcells-to-Saints rumor is fun, but absurd. (But wow would that be fun. And even though Parcells won't do it, you have to imagine that he at least considered it.)
*US Soccer: You can argue that the Olympics are fairly low on the list of great world soccer events, but this team needs all the seasoning it can get -- missing the Olympics (and on a dumb stoppage-time goal, no less) is a problem for this program.
*College football/BCS: It seems pretty clear we are in "when" not "if" for a season-ending college football playoff. I'm guessing that we end up with the top 4 teams playing it out, with the semifinals held on college campuses (although the smarter play would be to put the games up for bid from any city willing to pay for it).
I like a college football playoff, but the unintended consequence is the inevitable dispute over inclusion -- most years, it's fairly easy to pick two teams to play for the title, with perhaps a single third team having a gripe. There will be a half-dozen teams (if not more) that will have a legitimate claim to the 3rd and 4th playoff spots. If you don't think this will be just as much of an issue as excluding teams from the 1-2 match-up, you're kidding yourself.
Pop by Quickish today to catch up on all the best takes on the biggest storylines.
-- D.S.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
03/26 (Big Monday) Quickie
*If you weren't around this weekend, don't miss my piece in yesterday's New York Times about Tebow fandom and Jets fandom (and rooting for the name on the back of the jersey, not the front).
*How's your bracket? Anyone have Kentucky-Louisville-Ohio State-Kansas as their Final Four? A few thoughts:
- Wow, is Kentucky a buzzsaw. Haven't seen "Win or Fail" expectations like this since 2007 Florida. And they justify it.
- Louisville will have no fear of Kentucky, and that is probably the No. 1 factor in any chance the Cards have to pull a monumental upset.
- Kansas made everyone forget about their lackluster tournament through the Elite Eight by pulling off the best win of the tournament so far. Triangle and two? Love it.
- Ohio State feels very overlooked -- I actually like them to upend KU in the Final Four.
*Tiger wins (finally): It's been a long, long time, and suddenly the Masters is a lot more than "Will Tiger finally win one?" It's "Wow, can Tiger win the Masters again?" which would be one of the great comeback stories in sports of the past generation.
*If it's Heat-Thunder in the NBA Finals, I think everyone could get behind that. I still think the Bulls can/will beat the Heat in the East Finals.
*Tim Tebow introductory NY Jets press conference at noon. That won't be a big deal or anything.
*The sports world has been so insane the past week, it's crazy to think that the baseball season starts this week.
-- D.S.
*How's your bracket? Anyone have Kentucky-Louisville-Ohio State-Kansas as their Final Four? A few thoughts:
- Wow, is Kentucky a buzzsaw. Haven't seen "Win or Fail" expectations like this since 2007 Florida. And they justify it.
- Louisville will have no fear of Kentucky, and that is probably the No. 1 factor in any chance the Cards have to pull a monumental upset.
- Kansas made everyone forget about their lackluster tournament through the Elite Eight by pulling off the best win of the tournament so far. Triangle and two? Love it.
- Ohio State feels very overlooked -- I actually like them to upend KU in the Final Four.
*Tiger wins (finally): It's been a long, long time, and suddenly the Masters is a lot more than "Will Tiger finally win one?" It's "Wow, can Tiger win the Masters again?" which would be one of the great comeback stories in sports of the past generation.
*If it's Heat-Thunder in the NBA Finals, I think everyone could get behind that. I still think the Bulls can/will beat the Heat in the East Finals.
*Tim Tebow introductory NY Jets press conference at noon. That won't be a big deal or anything.
*The sports world has been so insane the past week, it's crazy to think that the baseball season starts this week.
-- D.S.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
03/25 (Tebow In New York) Quickie
Hell of a rally by Louisville. Gritty win by Ohio State. Worth Final Four teams, both.
Meanwhile, I have an essay in today's New York Times about Tebow fans who suddenly find themselves Jets fans -- but it's about a lot more than that. Give it a read here (and feel free to share it with your friends via Facebook, Twitter, email, whatever -- the more the better.)
-- D.S.
Meanwhile, I have an essay in today's New York Times about Tebow fans who suddenly find themselves Jets fans -- but it's about a lot more than that. Give it a read here (and feel free to share it with your friends via Facebook, Twitter, email, whatever -- the more the better.)
-- D.S.
Friday, March 23, 2012
03/23 (Elite Eight) Quickie
You'll have to excuse me -- I'm busy reveling in Florida's largely unexpected run to the Elite Eight.
I knew the Gators had the potential to do it. Marquette seemed like the kind of team that would give Florida fits -- and, despite being forced into quite a few misses, Florida handled them easily.
Now regional 1-seed Michigan State has been dispatched and it's Billy Donovan vs. his mentor Rick Pitino for a spot in the Final Four -- 25 years after they paired up for Providence's Final Four run that put both of them on the map nationally. Should be a fun one.
(A quick aside about fabulous Florida freshman Bradley Beal: I have been watching Florida closely as a die-hard fan for more than 10 years -- and was certainly very familiar with the program before that -- and it is pretty clear that Beal is the best player to ever suit up for the program. Now that his 3s are dropping reliably, he is the most complete player in college hoops -- he can shoot, his defense is tremendous, he rebounds better than any guard in the country, he is supremely athletic and, best of all, he has as high of a basketball IQ as anyone I've seen. And he is not even 19 yet. Don't be surprised when Beal emerges as the clear No. 2 talent of the 2012 NBA Draft behind Anthony Davis. Questions about Beal's size -- he is probably somewhere between 6-3 and 6-4, on the small side for an NBA 2-guard -- should be mitigated by how big he plays. If you watch him on the court, you would swear he is 6-6 or 6-7.)
Meanwhile, kudos to Louisville for KO'ing a Michigan State team everyone assumed would be advancing. Louisville's defense was phenomenal.
On the other side of the bracket, it's chalky in the East: Syracuse vs. Ohio State, a match-up of two very good defenses and two OK offenses. It is a testament to how good Syracuse is that even without Fab Melo, they should be considered the favorites to beat the Buckeyes tomorrow night. (Although they will never miss him as much as they will when trying to stop Jared Sullinger inside.)
Tonight in the Sweet 16: Kentucky has four games left to claim what should be theirs, and the easiest step of all of them will be wreaking vengeance on an Indiana team that gave Kentucky its only loss of the regular season... In the other South regional semi, if Baylor can shoot like it did last weekend, Xavier won't have a chance to pull another upset. Kentucky-Baylor on Sunday would be a fun one, with a half-dozen (or more) NBA first-round picks on the floor.
In the Midwest: No Kendall Marshall for UNC, which would be a problem against any other team in the Sweet 16 except Ohio.... Based on the close call against Purdue, Kansas could absolutely lose to NC State (particularly if they are looking ahead to playing UNC without or with a very limited Marshall); KU muscles through, setting up the regional final we all wanted to see (and predicted we'd see).
How's your bracket? I'm still hovering around the 50th percentile. The bracket I filled out for my 3-week-old daughter is in the 97th percentile. The bracket my five-year-old filled out himself is in the 87th percentile. He gets to write the Wall Street Journal column next year.
More:
*Tim Tebow takes New York, cont'd: The trade was delayed (again), but this is still happening. The major media meme is that this is going to be bad for the Jets. I'll just go back to the idea that every time the media has proclaimed something limiting about Tebow or the Tebow phenomenon, it has been wrong, often diametrically. So I'll say it's going to be great for the Jets. Whatever the most absurd scenario is (short of winning the Super Bowl), I'll take that.
*Pat Robertson thinks God will strike down Peyton Manning because the Broncos screwed around with Tebow: Are we really paying attention to this? Ironically, if Robertson had simply said "Why is everyone making an assumption that Manning's neck will hold up to being battered by defensive ends intent on hurting him?" he would have been fine.
*Andrew Luck's Pro Day: Throwing to his receivers on his home field in a choreographed pattern he had been practicing for weeks, he looked... amazing! Well, naturally. The fact is Luck remains the No. 1 talent of the draft and the most can't-miss QB prospect in a generation (as is Robert Griffin III, which is its own fascinating sub-plot). Colts fans will be thrilled.
*Chipper Jones will retire at the end of the season: He's a Hall of Famer, sure, but it strikes me as a bit disingenuous that HOF voters would come out so strongly for Jones but keep Jeff Bagwell at arm's length. They have the same level of confirmed PED usage -- which is to say: Zilch.
Great weekend of hoops ahead. Hope your brackets stay solid.
-- D.S.
I knew the Gators had the potential to do it. Marquette seemed like the kind of team that would give Florida fits -- and, despite being forced into quite a few misses, Florida handled them easily.
Now regional 1-seed Michigan State has been dispatched and it's Billy Donovan vs. his mentor Rick Pitino for a spot in the Final Four -- 25 years after they paired up for Providence's Final Four run that put both of them on the map nationally. Should be a fun one.
(A quick aside about fabulous Florida freshman Bradley Beal: I have been watching Florida closely as a die-hard fan for more than 10 years -- and was certainly very familiar with the program before that -- and it is pretty clear that Beal is the best player to ever suit up for the program. Now that his 3s are dropping reliably, he is the most complete player in college hoops -- he can shoot, his defense is tremendous, he rebounds better than any guard in the country, he is supremely athletic and, best of all, he has as high of a basketball IQ as anyone I've seen. And he is not even 19 yet. Don't be surprised when Beal emerges as the clear No. 2 talent of the 2012 NBA Draft behind Anthony Davis. Questions about Beal's size -- he is probably somewhere between 6-3 and 6-4, on the small side for an NBA 2-guard -- should be mitigated by how big he plays. If you watch him on the court, you would swear he is 6-6 or 6-7.)
Meanwhile, kudos to Louisville for KO'ing a Michigan State team everyone assumed would be advancing. Louisville's defense was phenomenal.
On the other side of the bracket, it's chalky in the East: Syracuse vs. Ohio State, a match-up of two very good defenses and two OK offenses. It is a testament to how good Syracuse is that even without Fab Melo, they should be considered the favorites to beat the Buckeyes tomorrow night. (Although they will never miss him as much as they will when trying to stop Jared Sullinger inside.)
Tonight in the Sweet 16: Kentucky has four games left to claim what should be theirs, and the easiest step of all of them will be wreaking vengeance on an Indiana team that gave Kentucky its only loss of the regular season... In the other South regional semi, if Baylor can shoot like it did last weekend, Xavier won't have a chance to pull another upset. Kentucky-Baylor on Sunday would be a fun one, with a half-dozen (or more) NBA first-round picks on the floor.
In the Midwest: No Kendall Marshall for UNC, which would be a problem against any other team in the Sweet 16 except Ohio.... Based on the close call against Purdue, Kansas could absolutely lose to NC State (particularly if they are looking ahead to playing UNC without or with a very limited Marshall); KU muscles through, setting up the regional final we all wanted to see (and predicted we'd see).
How's your bracket? I'm still hovering around the 50th percentile. The bracket I filled out for my 3-week-old daughter is in the 97th percentile. The bracket my five-year-old filled out himself is in the 87th percentile. He gets to write the Wall Street Journal column next year.
More:
*Tim Tebow takes New York, cont'd: The trade was delayed (again), but this is still happening. The major media meme is that this is going to be bad for the Jets. I'll just go back to the idea that every time the media has proclaimed something limiting about Tebow or the Tebow phenomenon, it has been wrong, often diametrically. So I'll say it's going to be great for the Jets. Whatever the most absurd scenario is (short of winning the Super Bowl), I'll take that.
*Pat Robertson thinks God will strike down Peyton Manning because the Broncos screwed around with Tebow: Are we really paying attention to this? Ironically, if Robertson had simply said "Why is everyone making an assumption that Manning's neck will hold up to being battered by defensive ends intent on hurting him?" he would have been fine.
*Andrew Luck's Pro Day: Throwing to his receivers on his home field in a choreographed pattern he had been practicing for weeks, he looked... amazing! Well, naturally. The fact is Luck remains the No. 1 talent of the draft and the most can't-miss QB prospect in a generation (as is Robert Griffin III, which is its own fascinating sub-plot). Colts fans will be thrilled.
*Chipper Jones will retire at the end of the season: He's a Hall of Famer, sure, but it strikes me as a bit disingenuous that HOF voters would come out so strongly for Jones but keep Jeff Bagwell at arm's length. They have the same level of confirmed PED usage -- which is to say: Zilch.
Great weekend of hoops ahead. Hope your brackets stay solid.
-- D.S.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
03/22 (Tebow and Jets) Quickie
Tim Tebow on the Jets is going to be insane. Tim Tebow anywhere is already insane. Now add New York.
I think Jets fans (and New York media) have no idea what's coming. They think they do, but they don't. It's so much bigger than they think. Tebow is better than they think. The impact he has on the game and his teammates is bigger than they think. After three-plus years of covering Tebow for TimTeblog.com, I can assure you: It's ALWAYS bigger than you think.
Just wait for that first touchdown in Week 1 -- the Jets fans will come around quickly. This is what happens. I think he'll be starting by midseason, either because Sanchez implodes or gets injured.
Tebow's success is self-created, up to a point. But I go back to a familiar refrain: He needs a coach brilliant enough and ballsy enough to create innovative schemes around him -- schemes that the league hasn't seen before and very well might change the game.
The Denver Post's Mike Klis had a tweet last night that the Jets should go for two after EVERY touchdown, letting Tebow manage the conversion. Even if they only make it 3 out of 4 times, that is 6 points versus 4 points -- for a team and in a league where every point counts.
Would that be innovative enough for Rex Ryan? Exploiting an arbitrage between tightly held NFL conventional wisdom about kicking extra points and the expected value of going for two every time when you have the ultimate "going for two" player? Changing how the game is played? Winning games based on an undervalued edge? This is the essence of Moneyball.
And so, yes, the Page 6 stuff is going to be bananas. The Post and the Daily News and SNY and WFAN and ESPNNY.com and everyone else are going to see audience surges like they have never seen before. The team is going to be the NFL's biggest story, and nothing else even comes close.
But it's not simply that the Jets have acquired Tim Tebow. It's HOW they'll use him. That is the really interesting part.
BTW: Like other Tebow fans, as of yesterday, I am no longer a Broncos fan and am now a Jets fan. I'm sure the die-hard Jets fan nation are thrilled to hear it.
More:
*NFL crushes the Saints: Star coach Sean Payton is suspended for the year. GM Mickey Loomis is suspended for nearly half the season (but none of the offseason, which sort of defeats the purpose). In any other industry, that kind of punishment would be accompanied by their termination by a self-respecting owner. But Tom Benson will ride it out; 2012 will be a lost season.
(Gregg Williams won't be so lucky. He is suspended "indefinitely," which means that his NFL career is all but over; the Rams might want to keep him around -- but, really, though: why? -- but I suspect the suspension comes with a back-channel warning from the NFL that the guy isn't to be employed by a team ever again.) Player suspensions pending.
*Oh, and today is the first half of the Sweet 16 regional semifinals in the NCAA Tournament. It's kind of a shame those have been drowned out by the Peyton-Tebow-Saints news this week. I'm picking Wisconsin over Syracuse and Ohio State over Cincinnati in the East. In the West, I'm taking Michigan State over Louisville -- Tom Izzo is just too good in games like this -- and Florida over Marquette, which is, by far, the best game of the night and by no means one I feel comfortable picking the Gators in. Let's revise that: I think Marquette has a really really good chance of winning, but I'm obviously rooting for UF. (The story of the night, obviously, would be if either of the 1-seeds lost.)
-- D.S.
I think Jets fans (and New York media) have no idea what's coming. They think they do, but they don't. It's so much bigger than they think. Tebow is better than they think. The impact he has on the game and his teammates is bigger than they think. After three-plus years of covering Tebow for TimTeblog.com, I can assure you: It's ALWAYS bigger than you think.
Just wait for that first touchdown in Week 1 -- the Jets fans will come around quickly. This is what happens. I think he'll be starting by midseason, either because Sanchez implodes or gets injured.
Tebow's success is self-created, up to a point. But I go back to a familiar refrain: He needs a coach brilliant enough and ballsy enough to create innovative schemes around him -- schemes that the league hasn't seen before and very well might change the game.
The Denver Post's Mike Klis had a tweet last night that the Jets should go for two after EVERY touchdown, letting Tebow manage the conversion. Even if they only make it 3 out of 4 times, that is 6 points versus 4 points -- for a team and in a league where every point counts.
Would that be innovative enough for Rex Ryan? Exploiting an arbitrage between tightly held NFL conventional wisdom about kicking extra points and the expected value of going for two every time when you have the ultimate "going for two" player? Changing how the game is played? Winning games based on an undervalued edge? This is the essence of Moneyball.
And so, yes, the Page 6 stuff is going to be bananas. The Post and the Daily News and SNY and WFAN and ESPNNY.com and everyone else are going to see audience surges like they have never seen before. The team is going to be the NFL's biggest story, and nothing else even comes close.
But it's not simply that the Jets have acquired Tim Tebow. It's HOW they'll use him. That is the really interesting part.
BTW: Like other Tebow fans, as of yesterday, I am no longer a Broncos fan and am now a Jets fan. I'm sure the die-hard Jets fan nation are thrilled to hear it.
More:
*NFL crushes the Saints: Star coach Sean Payton is suspended for the year. GM Mickey Loomis is suspended for nearly half the season (but none of the offseason, which sort of defeats the purpose). In any other industry, that kind of punishment would be accompanied by their termination by a self-respecting owner. But Tom Benson will ride it out; 2012 will be a lost season.
(Gregg Williams won't be so lucky. He is suspended "indefinitely," which means that his NFL career is all but over; the Rams might want to keep him around -- but, really, though: why? -- but I suspect the suspension comes with a back-channel warning from the NFL that the guy isn't to be employed by a team ever again.) Player suspensions pending.
*Oh, and today is the first half of the Sweet 16 regional semifinals in the NCAA Tournament. It's kind of a shame those have been drowned out by the Peyton-Tebow-Saints news this week. I'm picking Wisconsin over Syracuse and Ohio State over Cincinnati in the East. In the West, I'm taking Michigan State over Louisville -- Tom Izzo is just too good in games like this -- and Florida over Marquette, which is, by far, the best game of the night and by no means one I feel comfortable picking the Gators in. Let's revise that: I think Marquette has a really really good chance of winning, but I'm obviously rooting for UF. (The story of the night, obviously, would be if either of the 1-seeds lost.)
-- D.S.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
03/21 (Where's Tebow?) Quickie
And so we have moved from "Peyton Manning to the Broncos!" and "The Broncos are going to trade Tim Tebow!" to... "Where is Tim Tebow going?"
There's a case for the Jaguars, obviously.
There's a case for the Patriots.
The Packers were rumored to be involved.
In a late-breaking development Tuesday, the Jets are reportedly interested.
I wrote a five-point analysis for the Washington Post of why the Redskins should trade for him.
Deadspin did the heavy lifting and found an appeal for Tebow from every team in the league.
Tebow is already an object of omni-media fascination -- this is another level, like the week leading up to the 2010 NFL Draft x 100.
I think the Jaguars owner will ultimately step in and -- ahem -- insist to his GM that the team import the local star.
As I have since around 2007, I think that the Patriots are the best fit for him -- you have to lose your presumption that the only role Tebow can or would play is full-time starting QB. (Of course, I don't see John Elway trading Tebow to a bonafide rival for the AFC title. Elway may not think much of Tebow as his starting QB, but he surely can visualize Bill Belichick unleashing Tebow in a playoff game against the Broncos in a way that punishes Elway severely.)
And yet I heard about that Jets rumor tonight and realized that -- yes -- it would be just perfect that mere months after I leave New York City, Tebow would come to town. The dumb part is that we can all see it coming that Tebow would displace Mark Sanchez, even with all that money that the Jets stupidly just gave him.
I'd say we're anywhere from a few hours to 72 hours from a conclusion here. And part of the excitement is that no one can really say where he's going to end up. Think what you want about Tebow as a starting QB -- you can't deny the popular appeal of the story.
-- D.S.
There's a case for the Jaguars, obviously.
There's a case for the Patriots.
The Packers were rumored to be involved.
In a late-breaking development Tuesday, the Jets are reportedly interested.
I wrote a five-point analysis for the Washington Post of why the Redskins should trade for him.
Deadspin did the heavy lifting and found an appeal for Tebow from every team in the league.
Tebow is already an object of omni-media fascination -- this is another level, like the week leading up to the 2010 NFL Draft x 100.
I think the Jaguars owner will ultimately step in and -- ahem -- insist to his GM that the team import the local star.
As I have since around 2007, I think that the Patriots are the best fit for him -- you have to lose your presumption that the only role Tebow can or would play is full-time starting QB. (Of course, I don't see John Elway trading Tebow to a bonafide rival for the AFC title. Elway may not think much of Tebow as his starting QB, but he surely can visualize Bill Belichick unleashing Tebow in a playoff game against the Broncos in a way that punishes Elway severely.)
And yet I heard about that Jets rumor tonight and realized that -- yes -- it would be just perfect that mere months after I leave New York City, Tebow would come to town. The dumb part is that we can all see it coming that Tebow would displace Mark Sanchez, even with all that money that the Jets stupidly just gave him.
I'd say we're anywhere from a few hours to 72 hours from a conclusion here. And part of the excitement is that no one can really say where he's going to end up. Think what you want about Tebow as a starting QB -- you can't deny the popular appeal of the story.
-- D.S.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Peyton Picks Broncos; Whither Tebow?
I don't have much to say about Peyton Manning picking the Broncos except for:
(1) "If Peyton can stay healthy..." is the biggest "if" in sports history.
(2) John Elway (and John Fox) never wanted Tebow. They are doubly thrilled, not just to get Manning but to get rid of Tebow.
(3) I enjoyed my two years of being a Broncos fan. Feel fine about moving on.
Now, I do have a fair bit to say about "What next for Tebow?", given that the Broncos are going to (try to) trade him. I noted these on Twitter:
(1) Best fit for Tebow: Team with a coach clever/confident enough to use him in innovative ways (maybe as QB, but not necessarily/exclusively).
(2) That's not necessarily the best fit for the Broncos. No way Elway trades Tebow to Belichick so TT can play uberback & score 12 TDs a year.
(3) Last thing: Unclear why everyone assumes Tebow would demand to play QB. He lined up as a WR in Week 3. He'll do whatever his team needs.
More later.
-- D.S.
(1) "If Peyton can stay healthy..." is the biggest "if" in sports history.
(2) John Elway (and John Fox) never wanted Tebow. They are doubly thrilled, not just to get Manning but to get rid of Tebow.
(3) I enjoyed my two years of being a Broncos fan. Feel fine about moving on.
Now, I do have a fair bit to say about "What next for Tebow?", given that the Broncos are going to (try to) trade him. I noted these on Twitter:
(1) Best fit for Tebow: Team with a coach clever/confident enough to use him in innovative ways (maybe as QB, but not necessarily/exclusively).
(2) That's not necessarily the best fit for the Broncos. No way Elway trades Tebow to Belichick so TT can play uberback & score 12 TDs a year.
(3) Last thing: Unclear why everyone assumes Tebow would demand to play QB. He lined up as a WR in Week 3. He'll do whatever his team needs.
More later.
-- D.S.
03/19 (Sweet 16) Quickie
"How's your bracket?" It's the question of the day. As the NCAA Tournament hits the end of its first of three acts, I'm barely (but still barely!) over the 50th percentile.
By comparison, President Obama's bracket is in the 99th percentile (although he has already lost one of his Final Four teams, Mizzou). My 2-week-old daughter's bracket is in the 98th percentile.
It is a testament to the lack of drama in the tournament's first weekend that the biggest story as we hit the Sweet 16 is Kendall Marshall's injured wrist, which probably has derailed UNC's shot at a national championship -- and probably even a Final Four. The injury is that questionable and Marshall's value to the Tar Heels is that integral.
It probably doesn't matter -- it is hard to see any team stopping Kentucky, and if the Wildcats do fulfill every expectation and win the championship, that's what we'll remember, along with Friday night's epic pair of "15 over 2" wins.
I don't feel badly for Lehigh and Norfolk State getting bounced out of the tournament yesterday; their place in college hoops history is secure and forever -- we will remember those two wins more than whoever ends up runners-up in the Final Four.
Otherwise, the Sweet 16 is dominated by Marshall's injury, Kentucky's dominance, the unprecedented presence of four teams from the same state (Ohio, Ohio State, Xavier and Cincinnati) and the idea that -- excluding Kentucky, which is going to throttle Indiana -- at least one 1-seed won't make it through the weekend (maybe UNC, but almost certainly Syracuse).
I'm not going to lament the absence of buzzer-beaters, which is a big reason we all plug in for twelve hours at a stretch. Just remember that feeling as Lehigh was knocking off Duke on Friday night -- that should be more than enough to sustain you through the end of the week.
More:
*What will Peyton Manning decide? Titans if he wants to feel close to home... Broncos if he wants to make the playoffs from the AFC... 49ers if he wants the best shot to win a Super Bowl.
*Seahawks sign Matt Flynn: Yes, it's a risk, but a calculated one -- Seattle wasn't getting a better QB through the draft and needed a solid prospect to build on. (The Dolphins though? Yeesh.)
*What about Alex Smith? He's the odd-QB-out if Peyton ends up in SF, but if Manning spurns the 49ers, they could absolutely bring back Smith -- it's the best situation for him, pride aside.
*Derek Fisher jumping to the Thunder? Yes, please. Especially if it includes a playoff match-up with the Lakers.
*Madoff trustee settles with Mets' Wilpons for $162M: The Wilpons had to do it -- it's probably low enough they don't have to sell the Mets, but it sure doesn't help. (Except that it puts this lawsuit behind them.)
*Women's tournament: You've GOT to try to catch Delaware's Elena Delle Donne, who is arguably -- pound for pound -- the most talented basketball player on the planet right now.
Lots going on at Quickish -- pop by and scroll down to catch up on some of the best of the weekend. It'll only take you about 60 seconds, and it's got some great nuggets in there.
-- D.S.
By comparison, President Obama's bracket is in the 99th percentile (although he has already lost one of his Final Four teams, Mizzou). My 2-week-old daughter's bracket is in the 98th percentile.
It is a testament to the lack of drama in the tournament's first weekend that the biggest story as we hit the Sweet 16 is Kendall Marshall's injured wrist, which probably has derailed UNC's shot at a national championship -- and probably even a Final Four. The injury is that questionable and Marshall's value to the Tar Heels is that integral.
It probably doesn't matter -- it is hard to see any team stopping Kentucky, and if the Wildcats do fulfill every expectation and win the championship, that's what we'll remember, along with Friday night's epic pair of "15 over 2" wins.
I don't feel badly for Lehigh and Norfolk State getting bounced out of the tournament yesterday; their place in college hoops history is secure and forever -- we will remember those two wins more than whoever ends up runners-up in the Final Four.
Otherwise, the Sweet 16 is dominated by Marshall's injury, Kentucky's dominance, the unprecedented presence of four teams from the same state (Ohio, Ohio State, Xavier and Cincinnati) and the idea that -- excluding Kentucky, which is going to throttle Indiana -- at least one 1-seed won't make it through the weekend (maybe UNC, but almost certainly Syracuse).
I'm not going to lament the absence of buzzer-beaters, which is a big reason we all plug in for twelve hours at a stretch. Just remember that feeling as Lehigh was knocking off Duke on Friday night -- that should be more than enough to sustain you through the end of the week.
More:
*What will Peyton Manning decide? Titans if he wants to feel close to home... Broncos if he wants to make the playoffs from the AFC... 49ers if he wants the best shot to win a Super Bowl.
*Seahawks sign Matt Flynn: Yes, it's a risk, but a calculated one -- Seattle wasn't getting a better QB through the draft and needed a solid prospect to build on. (The Dolphins though? Yeesh.)
*What about Alex Smith? He's the odd-QB-out if Peyton ends up in SF, but if Manning spurns the 49ers, they could absolutely bring back Smith -- it's the best situation for him, pride aside.
*Derek Fisher jumping to the Thunder? Yes, please. Especially if it includes a playoff match-up with the Lakers.
*Madoff trustee settles with Mets' Wilpons for $162M: The Wilpons had to do it -- it's probably low enough they don't have to sell the Mets, but it sure doesn't help. (Except that it puts this lawsuit behind them.)
*Women's tournament: You've GOT to try to catch Delaware's Elena Delle Donne, who is arguably -- pound for pound -- the most talented basketball player on the planet right now.
Lots going on at Quickish -- pop by and scroll down to catch up on some of the best of the weekend. It'll only take you about 60 seconds, and it's got some great nuggets in there.
-- D.S.
Friday, March 16, 2012
03/17 (Lehigh Wins! Duke Loses!) Quickie
Wow. Wow. Wowowowowowow.
Aside from your own team's greatest moment, the greatest moment of any/every college basketball season is the moment Duke is ousted from the NCAA Tournament. It is the best feeling in the world. They could be good. They could be bad. Overrated, underrated. It doesn't matter.
In this case, that Duke was a 2-seed makes it special -- the best seed Duke has ever had when they have lost in the Round of 64 of the tournament. That they lost to Lehigh is great, but any 15-seed would have been an absurd-sounding team.
Norfolk State beating Missouri was -- at least according to Vegas bookies -- an even bigger upset, but it was entirely reasonable to see Mizzou flaming out early in this tournament (if not THIS early). It was glorious, like the handful of other "15 over 2" games, a defining moment in tournament history... right up until the Duke-Lehigh supernova eclipsed everything.
It's a "national" moment we're having right now, when we can all come together in schadenfreude and celebrate the annual renewal of the best moment of the college basketball season. Your status in the pool seems secondary. The reveal in two weeks of the tournament's champion seems secondary, too.
Let's sit back and enjoy this unprecedented bit of madness.
-- D.S.
Aside from your own team's greatest moment, the greatest moment of any/every college basketball season is the moment Duke is ousted from the NCAA Tournament. It is the best feeling in the world. They could be good. They could be bad. Overrated, underrated. It doesn't matter.
In this case, that Duke was a 2-seed makes it special -- the best seed Duke has ever had when they have lost in the Round of 64 of the tournament. That they lost to Lehigh is great, but any 15-seed would have been an absurd-sounding team.
Norfolk State beating Missouri was -- at least according to Vegas bookies -- an even bigger upset, but it was entirely reasonable to see Mizzou flaming out early in this tournament (if not THIS early). It was glorious, like the handful of other "15 over 2" games, a defining moment in tournament history... right up until the Duke-Lehigh supernova eclipsed everything.
It's a "national" moment we're having right now, when we can all come together in schadenfreude and celebrate the annual renewal of the best moment of the college basketball season. Your status in the pool seems secondary. The reveal in two weeks of the tournament's champion seems secondary, too.
Let's sit back and enjoy this unprecedented bit of madness.
-- D.S.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
03/15 (First Thursday) Quickie
Last chance to join the Quickish readers group of the Tournament Challenge. Do it now!
I've said this for going on 10 years now: The first Thursday (and Friday) of the Tournament are the most sanctified sports days of the year. I call today "First Thursday," and I think everyone should know what I'm talking about: The first Thursday of the Tournament, when 16 games - running from noon until after midnight - keeps you entertained and enthralled. Let's get to it:
Picks in bold.
12:15: (6) Murray State vs. (11) Colorado State (CBS)
12:40: (8) Kansas State vs. (9) Southern Miss (TRU)
1:40: (4) Louisville vs. (13) Davidson (TBS)
2:10: (4) Wisconsin vs. (13) Montana (TNT)
Tastes a bit chalky. Hopefully, that means we'll get upsets.
2:45: (3) Marquette vs. (14) BYU (TBS)
3:10: (1) Syracuse vs. (16) UNC-Asheville (TRU)
4:10: (5) New Mexico vs. (12) Long Beach St (TBS)
4:40: (5) Vanderbilt vs. (12) Harvard (TNT)
The afternoon finishes a bit more interesting: With a game already under its belt, BYU might be confident enough to spring a surprise on Marquette. Meanwhile, let's see how Syracuse responds to not having Fab Melo. And with two 5-12 games, you know something interesting is going to happen.
6:50: (1) Kentucky vs. (16) Western Kentucky (TBS)
7:15: (5) Wichita State vs. (12) VCU (TBS)
7:20 (7) Gonzaga vs. (10) West Virginia (TNT)
7:27 (3) Baylor vs. (14) South Dakota State (TRU)
Wichita State vs. VCU is the best game of the first round. Don't call WVU over Gonzaga an upset; the game is in the Eers' backyard, Pittsburgh. Anyone NOT want to see SoDak State beat Baylor?
9:20 (8) Iowa State vs. (9) UConn (TBS)
9:45 (4) Indiana vs. (13) New Mexico State (CBS)
9:50 (2) Ohio State vs. (15) Loyola (TNT)
9:57 (6) UNLV vs. (11) Colorado (TRU)
Indiana returns to the Tournament in what feels like forever. The defending champs could very well go down. UNLV looks to put the final nail in the worst season ever by a major college conference.
So, if you discount West Virginia as an upset and recognize that picking a 9 over an 8 is not an upset, then I have zero upsets today. It's possible that's how it will play out, but you have to hope for at least a few -- and, in the absence of that, close games with buzzer-beating finishes. Wow: That Wichita-VCU game is just amazing -- it's perhaps the best first-round match-up I can remember. Here's hoping it lives up to the potential.
Oh, and it's the NBA Trading Deadline: Dwight Howard said he was staying, then going, then staying. Let's assume he stays -- if I'm the Nets, I'm trying to trade Deron Williams for whatever I can get, because that guy is as good as gone in July.
Oh, and Peyton Manning is still out there, and apparently the Titans owner not only offered him the starting QB job basically sight unseen, but he gave him a lifetime-contract offer, with a lucrative job in the front office (and maybe a piece of the team?) after his career ends.
Yet another reason I love my wife: On her resume, under "Interests," right at the top... "March Madness."
She finished her bracket last night, as usual relying on "Four Factors" advanced metrics like offensive rebounding percentage. My kids filled out their brackets. I filled out a bracket for our two-week-old baby. I have my bracket ready to go. Add your bracket to the Quickish group.
It feels like a holiday. Maybe that's because it IS a holiday.
-- D.S.
I've said this for going on 10 years now: The first Thursday (and Friday) of the Tournament are the most sanctified sports days of the year. I call today "First Thursday," and I think everyone should know what I'm talking about: The first Thursday of the Tournament, when 16 games - running from noon until after midnight - keeps you entertained and enthralled. Let's get to it:
Picks in bold.
12:15: (6) Murray State vs. (11) Colorado State (CBS)
12:40: (8) Kansas State vs. (9) Southern Miss (TRU)
1:40: (4) Louisville vs. (13) Davidson (TBS)
2:10: (4) Wisconsin vs. (13) Montana (TNT)
Tastes a bit chalky. Hopefully, that means we'll get upsets.
2:45: (3) Marquette vs. (14) BYU (TBS)
3:10: (1) Syracuse vs. (16) UNC-Asheville (TRU)
4:10: (5) New Mexico vs. (12) Long Beach St (TBS)
4:40: (5) Vanderbilt vs. (12) Harvard (TNT)
The afternoon finishes a bit more interesting: With a game already under its belt, BYU might be confident enough to spring a surprise on Marquette. Meanwhile, let's see how Syracuse responds to not having Fab Melo. And with two 5-12 games, you know something interesting is going to happen.
6:50: (1) Kentucky vs. (16) Western Kentucky (TBS)
7:15: (5) Wichita State vs. (12) VCU (TBS)
7:20 (7) Gonzaga vs. (10) West Virginia (TNT)
7:27 (3) Baylor vs. (14) South Dakota State (TRU)
Wichita State vs. VCU is the best game of the first round. Don't call WVU over Gonzaga an upset; the game is in the Eers' backyard, Pittsburgh. Anyone NOT want to see SoDak State beat Baylor?
9:20 (8) Iowa State vs. (9) UConn (TBS)
9:45 (4) Indiana vs. (13) New Mexico State (CBS)
9:50 (2) Ohio State vs. (15) Loyola (TNT)
9:57 (6) UNLV vs. (11) Colorado (TRU)
Indiana returns to the Tournament in what feels like forever. The defending champs could very well go down. UNLV looks to put the final nail in the worst season ever by a major college conference.
So, if you discount West Virginia as an upset and recognize that picking a 9 over an 8 is not an upset, then I have zero upsets today. It's possible that's how it will play out, but you have to hope for at least a few -- and, in the absence of that, close games with buzzer-beating finishes. Wow: That Wichita-VCU game is just amazing -- it's perhaps the best first-round match-up I can remember. Here's hoping it lives up to the potential.
Oh, and it's the NBA Trading Deadline: Dwight Howard said he was staying, then going, then staying. Let's assume he stays -- if I'm the Nets, I'm trying to trade Deron Williams for whatever I can get, because that guy is as good as gone in July.
Oh, and Peyton Manning is still out there, and apparently the Titans owner not only offered him the starting QB job basically sight unseen, but he gave him a lifetime-contract offer, with a lucrative job in the front office (and maybe a piece of the team?) after his career ends.
Yet another reason I love my wife: On her resume, under "Interests," right at the top... "March Madness."
She finished her bracket last night, as usual relying on "Four Factors" advanced metrics like offensive rebounding percentage. My kids filled out their brackets. I filled out a bracket for our two-week-old baby. I have my bracket ready to go. Add your bracket to the Quickish group.
It feels like a holiday. Maybe that's because it IS a holiday.
-- D.S.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
3/14 (Pre-Madness) Quickie
As an unabashed fan of the NCAA Tournament play-in round in Dayton, I was gleeful that last night's "First Four" was an absurd motherlode of unlikely comebacks -- in the first game, Western Kentucky coming back from a gazillion down with 5 minutes to play, in the second game, BYU coming back from 20-something down in a half. If that can't get you in the mood...
Frankly, if that can't get you in the mood, try...
*My annual bracket picks made in the Wall Street Journal.
*My annual analysis of President Obama's bracket picks at The Awl.
*Check out Quickish's incredible stream of NCAA Tournament recommendations.
*Join the Quickish readers group of the ESPN.com Tournament Challenge!
Meanwhile, two nights ago my older kids made their picks. 5-year-old Gabe filled out his own bracket, by hand -- he went entirely with chalk, which means he will absolutely out-perform me. 3-year-old Jonah did his picks based on me telling him each match-up. He ended up with Kentucky winning it all (on his own, I promise), but also with Kansas State and Temple in his Final Four, which -- if true -- means I need to ship him off to Vegas in April. I have to tell you that doing the picks with them this year was, quite possibly, my favorite moment yet as a parent.
More:
*Trade Dwight Howard today, Orlando.
*Trade Carmelo Anthony tomorrow, New York.
*Calvin Johnson is worth every penny.
*I'm all for the Redskins loading up on meh receivers.
*The best thing I read today was SI's Tim Layden on March 14, 1981.
-- D.S.
Frankly, if that can't get you in the mood, try...
*My annual bracket picks made in the Wall Street Journal.
*My annual analysis of President Obama's bracket picks at The Awl.
*Check out Quickish's incredible stream of NCAA Tournament recommendations.
*Join the Quickish readers group of the ESPN.com Tournament Challenge!
Meanwhile, two nights ago my older kids made their picks. 5-year-old Gabe filled out his own bracket, by hand -- he went entirely with chalk, which means he will absolutely out-perform me. 3-year-old Jonah did his picks based on me telling him each match-up. He ended up with Kentucky winning it all (on his own, I promise), but also with Kansas State and Temple in his Final Four, which -- if true -- means I need to ship him off to Vegas in April. I have to tell you that doing the picks with them this year was, quite possibly, my favorite moment yet as a parent.
More:
*Trade Dwight Howard today, Orlando.
*Trade Carmelo Anthony tomorrow, New York.
*Calvin Johnson is worth every penny.
*I'm all for the Redskins loading up on meh receivers.
*The best thing I read today was SI's Tim Layden on March 14, 1981.
-- D.S.
Monday, March 12, 2012
03/12 (NCAA Picks) Quickie
My annual Wall Street Journal column is live at WSJ.com. Give it a read. Now, let's discuss:
Final Four: Kentucky, Michigan State, Florida State, UNC.
Champ: Kentucky (over UNC).
South: I nearly picked Duke to lose to Xavier in the Round of 32; it doesn't matter -- I picked Duke to lose to UNLV in the Sweet 16.
West: I really respect Mizzou and fully intended to take them far -- maybe even the Final Four. Then they were slated to match up with Florida, a team that has enough guards to match up with the Tigers' four-guard offense. (Bradley Beal at power forward? Yes, please.) Taking Florida to beat Mizzou is bold; picking the Gators to then get past Marquette is dumb. I did both. It is unclear I would be picking either if I wasn't a Gators fan. That's a terrible situation.
East: I'm sick of picking Syracuse to go deep then having them choke. I'm a sucker for Wisconsin in the tournament (even though they might not get past Vandy in the Round of 32). My favorite pick -- which barely rises beyond conventional wisdom, I'm seeing -- is Florida State over Ohio State, a team that can barely function offensively, let alone matched up against college hoops' toughest D.
Midwest: UNC over KU in the regional final is my only chalky 1-2 pairing of the Elite Eight. But the Midwest region also includes my only double-digit seed to make the Sweet 16: 14-seed Belmont, which will finally be the team we all thought they would be a year ago.
In the end, my bracket is boring and safe (although it's not like I went against my judgment simply to be safe -- for example, I was prepared to take Wichita State to the Final Four, as long as they didn't play in Kentucky's region. Whoops.) I have just a handful of upsets, and an entirely conventional Final Four, right down to Kentucky over UNC, which most of the country will be predicting. That means we're either all going to be right -- so the early rounds matter a lot more -- or we're all going to be wrong, and that dude in your pool who picked Anyone But Kentucky is going to clean up.
What did you pick? Any crazy upsets? (If so, why?)
Don't forget to sign up for the Quickish group of ESPN.com's Tournament Challenge.
-- D.S.
Final Four: Kentucky, Michigan State, Florida State, UNC.
Champ: Kentucky (over UNC).
South: I nearly picked Duke to lose to Xavier in the Round of 32; it doesn't matter -- I picked Duke to lose to UNLV in the Sweet 16.
West: I really respect Mizzou and fully intended to take them far -- maybe even the Final Four. Then they were slated to match up with Florida, a team that has enough guards to match up with the Tigers' four-guard offense. (Bradley Beal at power forward? Yes, please.) Taking Florida to beat Mizzou is bold; picking the Gators to then get past Marquette is dumb. I did both. It is unclear I would be picking either if I wasn't a Gators fan. That's a terrible situation.
East: I'm sick of picking Syracuse to go deep then having them choke. I'm a sucker for Wisconsin in the tournament (even though they might not get past Vandy in the Round of 32). My favorite pick -- which barely rises beyond conventional wisdom, I'm seeing -- is Florida State over Ohio State, a team that can barely function offensively, let alone matched up against college hoops' toughest D.
Midwest: UNC over KU in the regional final is my only chalky 1-2 pairing of the Elite Eight. But the Midwest region also includes my only double-digit seed to make the Sweet 16: 14-seed Belmont, which will finally be the team we all thought they would be a year ago.
In the end, my bracket is boring and safe (although it's not like I went against my judgment simply to be safe -- for example, I was prepared to take Wichita State to the Final Four, as long as they didn't play in Kentucky's region. Whoops.) I have just a handful of upsets, and an entirely conventional Final Four, right down to Kentucky over UNC, which most of the country will be predicting. That means we're either all going to be right -- so the early rounds matter a lot more -- or we're all going to be wrong, and that dude in your pool who picked Anyone But Kentucky is going to clean up.
What did you pick? Any crazy upsets? (If so, why?)
Don't forget to sign up for the Quickish group of ESPN.com's Tournament Challenge.
-- D.S.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
03/12 (Bracket Madness) Quickie
Join the Quickish Readers group of the NCAA Tournament Challenge. It's super-easy, and you can join other groups, too. Join up now!
Meanwhile, I have filed my picks for my annual bracket-picking column in the Wall Street Journal. I'll post it here when it is live over there, but let's just say I'm fairly conventional. (Is there anyone who ISN'T picking Kentucky to win it all?)
Let me just say that I am very disappointed that the Selection Committee put Wichita State against VCU on the first Thursday -- and in Kentucky's eighth of the bracket, no less.
Put Wichita in any of the other regional 5-seed slots, and I could see them going to the Final Four (or at least the Elite Eight); put VCU in any of the other regional 12-seed slots, and I could see them in the Sweet 16, at least.
Nevertheless, you deal with the bracket you have, not the bracket you want. And so the fact that I only have three seed upsets out of 32 first-round games? The fact that I have only three teams seeded higher than 5 in the Sweet 16? The fact that if you add up the seeds in my Final Four you get a number barely higher than the bare minimum four?
I'm rolling with it, and while I have at least a few picks that make me queasy and others I am surely going to wish I had the guts to pick when they end up happening, I feel better about this bracket than I have in years.
Obviously, I'm doomed. So, on that note, join me in the Quickish Readers group for three weeks of fun!
Meanwhile, I have filed my picks for my annual bracket-picking column in the Wall Street Journal. I'll post it here when it is live over there, but let's just say I'm fairly conventional. (Is there anyone who ISN'T picking Kentucky to win it all?)
Let me just say that I am very disappointed that the Selection Committee put Wichita State against VCU on the first Thursday -- and in Kentucky's eighth of the bracket, no less.
Put Wichita in any of the other regional 5-seed slots, and I could see them going to the Final Four (or at least the Elite Eight); put VCU in any of the other regional 12-seed slots, and I could see them in the Sweet 16, at least.
Nevertheless, you deal with the bracket you have, not the bracket you want. And so the fact that I only have three seed upsets out of 32 first-round games? The fact that I have only three teams seeded higher than 5 in the Sweet 16? The fact that if you add up the seeds in my Final Four you get a number barely higher than the bare minimum four?
I'm rolling with it, and while I have at least a few picks that make me queasy and others I am surely going to wish I had the guts to pick when they end up happening, I feel better about this bracket than I have in years.
Obviously, I'm doomed. So, on that note, join me in the Quickish Readers group for three weeks of fun!
03/11 (Selection Sunday) Quickie
It's Selection Sunday! Join in the "Quickish Readers" group of the NCAA Tournament Challenge!
I love Selection Sunday. I love the bracket reveal -- despite the ubiquity of online brackets within 30 seconds of the reveal, I still hand-write my own bracket as Greg Gumbel says the names. And I love the initial "gut-instinct" rush to think through the brackets, before that first (and second and third...) doubt creeps in: "Are you really taking Wichita State to the Final Four?" "Are you really picking against Kentucky?" "Wait, what does KenPom.com say?"
There's sugar-coating it: My brackets have been awful the past few years. I went bold two years ago and finished in the bottom 15 percent. I went safe last year and finished in the bottom 40 percent.
This year will be a mix of the two -- I will almost certainly pick Kentucky to win it all, despite the nagging feeling that in a Final Four slugfest against an athletic and rugged opponent who can shoot, the Wildcats would fold. I don't want to be the 10% of the country picking against the 'Cats. For the sixth year, I will be making my picks for the Wall Street Journal. (See '11 here.)
There are definitely teams I am eyeing for a Sweet 16 run and beyond (with the standard caveat: Depending on the match-ups.) Wichita State, Xavier, VCU, Florida State, Creighton. (Of course, most bracket projections have Wichita and FSU in the 4/5 seed range, which means picking them for the Sweet 16 is hardly a reach.)
But there is something about that empty bracket at 6:30 on Sunday night -- infinite possibilities, and the tantalizing prospect of the weeks ahead.
-- D.S.
PS: I know I missed the Redskins/RG3 frenzy yesterday. Bottom line: Love the bold move for the Redskins -- a lot of that is a function of how much I like Griffin -- and, obviously, it's tremendous for the Rams. My move to DC was fortuitous -- I'm not a Redskins fan, but I can't wait to watch RG3 up close.
I love Selection Sunday. I love the bracket reveal -- despite the ubiquity of online brackets within 30 seconds of the reveal, I still hand-write my own bracket as Greg Gumbel says the names. And I love the initial "gut-instinct" rush to think through the brackets, before that first (and second and third...) doubt creeps in: "Are you really taking Wichita State to the Final Four?" "Are you really picking against Kentucky?" "Wait, what does KenPom.com say?"
There's sugar-coating it: My brackets have been awful the past few years. I went bold two years ago and finished in the bottom 15 percent. I went safe last year and finished in the bottom 40 percent.
This year will be a mix of the two -- I will almost certainly pick Kentucky to win it all, despite the nagging feeling that in a Final Four slugfest against an athletic and rugged opponent who can shoot, the Wildcats would fold. I don't want to be the 10% of the country picking against the 'Cats. For the sixth year, I will be making my picks for the Wall Street Journal. (See '11 here.)
There are definitely teams I am eyeing for a Sweet 16 run and beyond (with the standard caveat: Depending on the match-ups.) Wichita State, Xavier, VCU, Florida State, Creighton. (Of course, most bracket projections have Wichita and FSU in the 4/5 seed range, which means picking them for the Sweet 16 is hardly a reach.)
But there is something about that empty bracket at 6:30 on Sunday night -- infinite possibilities, and the tantalizing prospect of the weeks ahead.
-- D.S.
PS: I know I missed the Redskins/RG3 frenzy yesterday. Bottom line: Love the bold move for the Redskins -- a lot of that is a function of how much I like Griffin -- and, obviously, it's tremendous for the Rams. My move to DC was fortuitous -- I'm not a Redskins fan, but I can't wait to watch RG3 up close.
Friday, March 09, 2012
03/09 (Northwestern) Quickie
Well, there will be no Northwestern in the NCAA Tournament bracket to trip up your picks. Even so, join the Quickish Readers group of the NCAA Tournament Challenge. Do it now!
So: About Northwestern. I'm trying to decide if I would have rather have had Northwestern not nearly be close to making the Tournament, rather than falling short in the way they did -- basically, by a single game. It didn't have to be yesterday's loss to Minnesota -- there were plenty of close losses against good teams throughout the course of the season. But it was right there: Just beat Minnesota, and NU was as good as in. (I read several bracket experts who said NU also needed to beat Michigan today, but that is a total mis-read of how it would have gone.)
It is epically disappointing. NU has never been this close. In the end, they had their chances. They controlled their own destiny. It was a game they should have won. They -- yes -- choked down the stretch. In the end, I'd rather be achingly close than not close, as painful as this is.
I think the way forward is pretty clear: It's time for Northwestern to fire Bill Carmody -- he has had 12 years to get the program into the NCAA Tournament (let alone turn them into a consistent Tournament team), and he has failed. It's that simple. Going over .500 for four straight years -- going to the NIT consistently -- it's just not enough. This year's team underachieved, and that is on the coach.
My dream would be for the smarties in Evanston to recognize that college basketball coaching salaries are dramatically undervalued -- that the $4 million Tom Izzo makes is a bargain relative to the value he creates.
I would love to see NU offer Butler's Brad Stevens or VCU's Shaka Smart $3 million a year over 10 years -- putting them in the Top 10 coaching salaries in the country, along with guaranteeing stability -- to turn Northwestern into the Duke of the Midwest.
Alas, I don't see NU being willing to pay up to get either of the two best young coaches in college hoops. Beyond that, I don't see Stevens leaving Butler for NU -- at any price, actually -- and I don't see Illinois being out-bid for Smart (even if I could make the case NU is a better job, long-term).
The alternative plan seems pretty obvious: Make an offer to longtime Duke assistant Chris Collins, who is more than ready to take over his own team.
Collins is from the Chicago suburbs, he is young and energetic (particularly in recruiting, where Carmody has been woeful) and he wouldn't cost a fortune. I could also see him being entirely comfortable with NU as a long-term home.
Let me continue fantasizing: He could make an instant splash by selling No. 1 high school prospect Jabari Parker on the idea of spending his one-and-done year in his hometown Chicago as the anchor for Northwestern's breakthrough team.
(Ironically, nearly 20 years ago, Northwestern nearly recruited lead Coach K assistant Tommy Amaker to take the NU job, only to see Amaker walk away when NU refused to allow him to recruit the same risky academic cases he was able to bring into Duke.)
If this season's epic let-down results in a regime change from the underwhelming Carmody era to a fresh start with Collins (or Smart or someone else), maybe some good can come of the bad.
More:
*The Pac-12 deserves a single bid -- to its conference tournament champ. Its "bubble" teams (barely) -- Washington and Oregon -- both lost in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament yesterday, an utter (if predictable) humiliation.
*Big East: The conference-realignment stuff never really bothered me, but as a longtime watcher of the Big East Tournament, I will miss Syracuse's presence.
*Peyton will make up his mind next week: Entirely speculating, I'm going to say it's down to the Dolphins (who will offer the most money) and the Broncos (who would then ship out Tim Tebow to, say, the Jaguars). The Cardinals remain a dark horse.
Selection Sunday is so close. Join in the Tournament Challenge group and pop by Quickish for complete coverage of the bracket reveal and subsequent frenzy.
-- D.S.
So: About Northwestern. I'm trying to decide if I would have rather have had Northwestern not nearly be close to making the Tournament, rather than falling short in the way they did -- basically, by a single game. It didn't have to be yesterday's loss to Minnesota -- there were plenty of close losses against good teams throughout the course of the season. But it was right there: Just beat Minnesota, and NU was as good as in. (I read several bracket experts who said NU also needed to beat Michigan today, but that is a total mis-read of how it would have gone.)
It is epically disappointing. NU has never been this close. In the end, they had their chances. They controlled their own destiny. It was a game they should have won. They -- yes -- choked down the stretch. In the end, I'd rather be achingly close than not close, as painful as this is.
I think the way forward is pretty clear: It's time for Northwestern to fire Bill Carmody -- he has had 12 years to get the program into the NCAA Tournament (let alone turn them into a consistent Tournament team), and he has failed. It's that simple. Going over .500 for four straight years -- going to the NIT consistently -- it's just not enough. This year's team underachieved, and that is on the coach.
My dream would be for the smarties in Evanston to recognize that college basketball coaching salaries are dramatically undervalued -- that the $4 million Tom Izzo makes is a bargain relative to the value he creates.
I would love to see NU offer Butler's Brad Stevens or VCU's Shaka Smart $3 million a year over 10 years -- putting them in the Top 10 coaching salaries in the country, along with guaranteeing stability -- to turn Northwestern into the Duke of the Midwest.
Alas, I don't see NU being willing to pay up to get either of the two best young coaches in college hoops. Beyond that, I don't see Stevens leaving Butler for NU -- at any price, actually -- and I don't see Illinois being out-bid for Smart (even if I could make the case NU is a better job, long-term).
The alternative plan seems pretty obvious: Make an offer to longtime Duke assistant Chris Collins, who is more than ready to take over his own team.
Collins is from the Chicago suburbs, he is young and energetic (particularly in recruiting, where Carmody has been woeful) and he wouldn't cost a fortune. I could also see him being entirely comfortable with NU as a long-term home.
Let me continue fantasizing: He could make an instant splash by selling No. 1 high school prospect Jabari Parker on the idea of spending his one-and-done year in his hometown Chicago as the anchor for Northwestern's breakthrough team.
(Ironically, nearly 20 years ago, Northwestern nearly recruited lead Coach K assistant Tommy Amaker to take the NU job, only to see Amaker walk away when NU refused to allow him to recruit the same risky academic cases he was able to bring into Duke.)
If this season's epic let-down results in a regime change from the underwhelming Carmody era to a fresh start with Collins (or Smart or someone else), maybe some good can come of the bad.
More:
*The Pac-12 deserves a single bid -- to its conference tournament champ. Its "bubble" teams (barely) -- Washington and Oregon -- both lost in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament yesterday, an utter (if predictable) humiliation.
*Big East: The conference-realignment stuff never really bothered me, but as a longtime watcher of the Big East Tournament, I will miss Syracuse's presence.
*Peyton will make up his mind next week: Entirely speculating, I'm going to say it's down to the Dolphins (who will offer the most money) and the Broncos (who would then ship out Tim Tebow to, say, the Jaguars). The Cardinals remain a dark horse.
Selection Sunday is so close. Join in the Tournament Challenge group and pop by Quickish for complete coverage of the bracket reveal and subsequent frenzy.
-- D.S.
Thursday, March 08, 2012
03/08 (Peyton and More) Quickie
Join in the annual Quickish Readers group of the NCAA Tournament Challenge bracket-picking game. Click here to join.
(1) Biggest day in the history of Northwestern basketball: A win later today vs. Minnesota in the 1st round of the Big Ten Tournament all but assures NU of its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. A loss? All but assures NU will miss the Dance. As big of a game as there is in college hoops today.
(2) Peyton-Colts Break-Up: Points for emotion, points for sincerity, points for handling it with maturity. You can respect Peyton's career and still recognize two important things:
*The Colts HAD to do this. Not only did it save them a ton of money on a questionable player but Manning -- for all his greatness -- was made obsolete by the chance to draft Andrew Luck to replace Manning immediately.
*I am baffled by the attention Manning is getting from other teams. I wouldn't touch him. He's expensive. He's a stop-gap -- at best. And, most of all, there is absolutely no guarantee that he will be "All-Pro Peyton." Hell, there's no guarantee he would be "Just OK Peyton." And there is no guarantee that even if he regains most/all of his arm strength, he'll even be able to play a full season, once defenses start hitting him.
The only team in a position to benefit from Peyton's upside while mitigating his downside is the Jets, who seem pretty ready to jettison Mark Sanchez after the 2012 season anyway, when Sanchise inevitably fails them. (Why wouldn't the Jets go big for Peyton, then try to trade Sanchez to a QB-starved team like the Redskins?)
(3) Congrats to LIU, Montana and Lehigh.
(4) Wizards inexplicably beat the Lakers: I was at the Wizards' win over the Thunder, and last night's Wiz win over the Lakers was arguably even more improbable (and just as satisfying), given the Wiz were down 20 in the 2nd half. Say this for the Wiz strategy: Good teams tend to get lulled into complacency while playing them.
(5) Two words: Lionel. Messi.
-- D.S.
(1) Biggest day in the history of Northwestern basketball: A win later today vs. Minnesota in the 1st round of the Big Ten Tournament all but assures NU of its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. A loss? All but assures NU will miss the Dance. As big of a game as there is in college hoops today.
(2) Peyton-Colts Break-Up: Points for emotion, points for sincerity, points for handling it with maturity. You can respect Peyton's career and still recognize two important things:
*The Colts HAD to do this. Not only did it save them a ton of money on a questionable player but Manning -- for all his greatness -- was made obsolete by the chance to draft Andrew Luck to replace Manning immediately.
*I am baffled by the attention Manning is getting from other teams. I wouldn't touch him. He's expensive. He's a stop-gap -- at best. And, most of all, there is absolutely no guarantee that he will be "All-Pro Peyton." Hell, there's no guarantee he would be "Just OK Peyton." And there is no guarantee that even if he regains most/all of his arm strength, he'll even be able to play a full season, once defenses start hitting him.
The only team in a position to benefit from Peyton's upside while mitigating his downside is the Jets, who seem pretty ready to jettison Mark Sanchez after the 2012 season anyway, when Sanchise inevitably fails them. (Why wouldn't the Jets go big for Peyton, then try to trade Sanchez to a QB-starved team like the Redskins?)
(3) Congrats to LIU, Montana and Lehigh.
(4) Wizards inexplicably beat the Lakers: I was at the Wizards' win over the Thunder, and last night's Wiz win over the Lakers was arguably even more improbable (and just as satisfying), given the Wiz were down 20 in the 2nd half. Say this for the Wiz strategy: Good teams tend to get lulled into complacency while playing them.
(5) Two words: Lionel. Messi.
-- D.S.
Wednesday, March 07, 2012
03/07 (Peyton/Indy Split) Quickie
Peyton a little further below. First this...
(1) Join in the Quickish Readers Tournament Challenge group. Do it now!
(2) This "Cubs win World Series!" ad is the best video you'll watch all spring.
(3) Congrats to Harvard on making the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 60+ years. As a b-school alum, I get no claim, but my wife went there for undergrad (and is a huge NCAA Tournament fan anyway), so she is excited.
(4) I love March stories like Western Kentucky. Once 5-14 -- only the 7-seed in their own league tournament -- they stormed their way to the NCAA Tournament with a 15-18 record. It is the absurdity of the conference-tournament system that you can undo a season's worth of work by simply winning a few games in a row at the end, but I love it.
(5) The "apology" by Saints GM Mickey Loomis and coach Sean Payton felt more like "We're sorry we got caught" or "We're sorry you have a problem" than "We're sorry we did this."
(6) File it away: Randy Moss is going to have a great year when he returns to the NFL next fall.
OK, so Peyton splitting from the Colts:
*First, it's not like it's a surprise; we have seen this coming for months -- did Colts fans really think the team would keep Peyton, with all those risks and at that insanely high price and with the best QB prospect in the past 20 years available in the draft?
*Second, it's still entirely unclear Peyton will be able to handle the first time a linebacker rips him down by his neck, let alone the 20th or 30th time that happens.
*Third, teams still seem to be salivating at the prospect of having him, deluding themselves into thinking they'll get MVP-level Peyton, not out-of-football-for-a-year Peyton. Enjoy it, Dolphins/Redskins/Jets/Texans/whoever.
Today's divorce news conference is fascinating because of what Peyton has meant to the Colts franchise -- did the 49ers hold a joint owner-player press conference wishing Joe Montana the best before they jettisoned him for Steve Young? But it's about nostalgia, not what's next.
-- D.S.
(1) Join in the Quickish Readers Tournament Challenge group. Do it now!
(2) This "Cubs win World Series!" ad is the best video you'll watch all spring.
(3) Congrats to Harvard on making the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 60+ years. As a b-school alum, I get no claim, but my wife went there for undergrad (and is a huge NCAA Tournament fan anyway), so she is excited.
(4) I love March stories like Western Kentucky. Once 5-14 -- only the 7-seed in their own league tournament -- they stormed their way to the NCAA Tournament with a 15-18 record. It is the absurdity of the conference-tournament system that you can undo a season's worth of work by simply winning a few games in a row at the end, but I love it.
(5) The "apology" by Saints GM Mickey Loomis and coach Sean Payton felt more like "We're sorry we got caught" or "We're sorry you have a problem" than "We're sorry we did this."
(6) File it away: Randy Moss is going to have a great year when he returns to the NFL next fall.
OK, so Peyton splitting from the Colts:
*First, it's not like it's a surprise; we have seen this coming for months -- did Colts fans really think the team would keep Peyton, with all those risks and at that insanely high price and with the best QB prospect in the past 20 years available in the draft?
*Second, it's still entirely unclear Peyton will be able to handle the first time a linebacker rips him down by his neck, let alone the 20th or 30th time that happens.
*Third, teams still seem to be salivating at the prospect of having him, deluding themselves into thinking they'll get MVP-level Peyton, not out-of-football-for-a-year Peyton. Enjoy it, Dolphins/Redskins/Jets/Texans/whoever.
Today's divorce news conference is fascinating because of what Peyton has meant to the Colts franchise -- did the 49ers hold a joint owner-player press conference wishing Joe Montana the best before they jettisoned him for Steve Young? But it's about nostalgia, not what's next.
-- D.S.
Tuesday, March 06, 2012
The Tradition Continues: Quickie Readers Tournament Challenge Group is Now Open
Click here to join in the Daily Quickie Readers Tournament Challenge group over at ESPN.com.
It's been renamed "Quickish Readers," but remains one of the longest-standing ESPN.com Tourney groups out there. It's always a lot of fun. I'd love to have you join in.
(And, as always, you can join any other groups you want -- just make the Quickish group one of them!)
It's been renamed "Quickish Readers," but remains one of the longest-standing ESPN.com Tourney groups out there. It's always a lot of fun. I'd love to have you join in.
(And, as always, you can join any other groups you want -- just make the Quickish group one of them!)
03/06 (Bounty & Basketball) Quickie
This on-air name-check from "Around the Horn" yesterday nicely sums up my take on the Saints/Bounty scandal:
I'd point you to the Quickish "Saints Bounty" stream for a great collection of takes, but the conventional wisdom is that the Saints are going to get crushed -- and Gregg Williams is going to get REALLY crushed -- even if GM Mickey Loomis astonishingly keeps his job (it is assumed Sean Payton will not be fired, even if he gets suspended for, say, half a season).
The CW is also that the league would prefer to contain and isolate the situation -- the worst thing that can happen is a string of "But it happens everywhere!" comments (and, from players, "We're fine with it!") This is partly why I think they'll obliterate Williams. Again: It's not that I think they'll give him a lifetime ban, explicitly -- I think they will, in addition to levying a suspension, make him unemployable.
The other big point is that this story isn't going away -- we've got weeks until the suspensions are laid down, then months of "how will that impact the team." And that's not even counting any new revelations that pop up, now that reporters know that fans can't get enough of hearing if their team participated in bounties. (Let's remember: What appears to set this Saints/Williams one apart was how institutionalized it was. This isn't a loosey-goosey, everyone-throw-$100-in-a-hat thing; this was part of a coach's strategic plan.)
More:
*VCU is back! No Bubble drama for Shaka Smart and the Rams this year -- they will return to the NCAA Tournament to follow up last year's Final Four run by winning their conference tournament. It is Drexel's turn to sweat it out; I think Drexel is in.
*Loyola (Maryland) is in the Tournament! It's been a long time for the school, which has gone from bottom-feeding to brackets under longtime Maryland assistant Jimmy Patsos, who is as big of a character as you'll find in college basketball.
*Syracuse is in trouble! (Kind of! But not really!) "College athletes smoke pot" has to be one of the flimsiest bits of sensationalism you'll find this year in sportswriting. Pay close attention to Dan Wetzel's column that frames the story by putting the emphasis where it belongs: On the NCAA's broken system.
*Drew Brees is pissed! As if the Saints didn't have enough to think about (although I'm sure they love that there is a football story to talk about, rather than a national scandal). Can't imagine the team doesn't eventually give him a long-term deal.
*Matt Flynn is on the market! The Packers didn't tag him, so any team can sign him without worrying they would need to give Green Bay a high draft pick. The Dolphins are presumptive front-runners for him (although they really want a splashy import like Peyton Manning or RG3). Surprisingly, the Browns were reportedly in the mix to try to make a deal with the Packers for him. If the Browns drop out of the RG3 race -- and with their current mix of picks, they could give Flynn hot new rookie receivers like Justin Blackmon and Alshon Jeffery from Day 1 -- then the Redskins become the clear leader to trade for the rights to draft Griffin.
*The Big East Tournament starts today! The grandaddy of 'em all, so big that the top 4 teams in the league get to sit out TWO rounds before playing, leaving the rest of them in a scrum that starts today. The team to watch, of course, is UConn -- sitting on the right side of the Bubble, but if they lose today, could be out. If they win, their inclusion in the field is mostly presumed, even if they can't get past West Virginia in the league's "pre-quarterfinals" tomorrow. (Yes, it's that big.)
Give Quickish a look today. Great stuff being tipped all day long.
-- D.S.
I'd point you to the Quickish "Saints Bounty" stream for a great collection of takes, but the conventional wisdom is that the Saints are going to get crushed -- and Gregg Williams is going to get REALLY crushed -- even if GM Mickey Loomis astonishingly keeps his job (it is assumed Sean Payton will not be fired, even if he gets suspended for, say, half a season).
The CW is also that the league would prefer to contain and isolate the situation -- the worst thing that can happen is a string of "But it happens everywhere!" comments (and, from players, "We're fine with it!") This is partly why I think they'll obliterate Williams. Again: It's not that I think they'll give him a lifetime ban, explicitly -- I think they will, in addition to levying a suspension, make him unemployable.
The other big point is that this story isn't going away -- we've got weeks until the suspensions are laid down, then months of "how will that impact the team." And that's not even counting any new revelations that pop up, now that reporters know that fans can't get enough of hearing if their team participated in bounties. (Let's remember: What appears to set this Saints/Williams one apart was how institutionalized it was. This isn't a loosey-goosey, everyone-throw-$100-in-a-hat thing; this was part of a coach's strategic plan.)
More:
*VCU is back! No Bubble drama for Shaka Smart and the Rams this year -- they will return to the NCAA Tournament to follow up last year's Final Four run by winning their conference tournament. It is Drexel's turn to sweat it out; I think Drexel is in.
*Loyola (Maryland) is in the Tournament! It's been a long time for the school, which has gone from bottom-feeding to brackets under longtime Maryland assistant Jimmy Patsos, who is as big of a character as you'll find in college basketball.
*Syracuse is in trouble! (Kind of! But not really!) "College athletes smoke pot" has to be one of the flimsiest bits of sensationalism you'll find this year in sportswriting. Pay close attention to Dan Wetzel's column that frames the story by putting the emphasis where it belongs: On the NCAA's broken system.
*Drew Brees is pissed! As if the Saints didn't have enough to think about (although I'm sure they love that there is a football story to talk about, rather than a national scandal). Can't imagine the team doesn't eventually give him a long-term deal.
*Matt Flynn is on the market! The Packers didn't tag him, so any team can sign him without worrying they would need to give Green Bay a high draft pick. The Dolphins are presumptive front-runners for him (although they really want a splashy import like Peyton Manning or RG3). Surprisingly, the Browns were reportedly in the mix to try to make a deal with the Packers for him. If the Browns drop out of the RG3 race -- and with their current mix of picks, they could give Flynn hot new rookie receivers like Justin Blackmon and Alshon Jeffery from Day 1 -- then the Redskins become the clear leader to trade for the rights to draft Griffin.
*The Big East Tournament starts today! The grandaddy of 'em all, so big that the top 4 teams in the league get to sit out TWO rounds before playing, leaving the rest of them in a scrum that starts today. The team to watch, of course, is UConn -- sitting on the right side of the Bubble, but if they lose today, could be out. If they win, their inclusion in the field is mostly presumed, even if they can't get past West Virginia in the league's "pre-quarterfinals" tomorrow. (Yes, it's that big.)
Give Quickish a look today. Great stuff being tipped all day long.
-- D.S.
Monday, March 05, 2012
03/05 (Bounty, Cont'd) Quickie
Let's re-affirm the core issue with the NFL's "bounty" scandal: It is not a sports story; it is a "Today Show" story.
Translated, that means this is one of those issues that goes beyond the interest of hard-core fans -- it is too easy to translate and understand (or, perhaps, misunderstand) to casual or non-fans. "Bounties" seem unfair and against the spirit of competition; that the players impacted by the bounties include the biggest stars in the league -- Brett Favre and Peyton Manning -- only makes them that much more accessible to average folks out there just trying to figure it out: "You mean the coach paid them to intentionally hurt Peyton Manning?"
That makes it even more of a p.r. problem for the NFL than it is a competition problem. Oh, make no mistake: The two are intertwined. Everyone is going to get punished.
But it means that it is in the NFL's best interests to frame the issue around a core bad actor (Gregg Williams), with levels of punishments dished out in concentric circles (suspensions for GM Loomis, coach Payton and players; lost draft picks at the organization level).
I have been saying that I think that Gregg Williams will get a lifetime ban from the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell (whom Williams meets with at NFL HQ today, in a conversation that will likely be frank and brutal -- and better include 100% transparency from Williams).
Let me revise that, slightly: I think Gregg Williams is finished in the NFL. Whether the NFL gives him a lifetime ban (which is as harsh of a punishment as they could deliver) or merely makes him unemployable (via onerous suspension or implied warning to teams that might hire him), his career is over -- it is a de facto lifetime ban.
The many layers of the story -- what will the punishments be? how will they impact the season? will other teams emerge in the story? does it reach to the college and h.s. levels? -- means that Friday was only the kickoff. Today it will get bigger, and when the punishments are levied, it gets even bigger than that. It is the biggest scandal the league has dealt with in a generation (maybe a few generations), and because of the NFL's place in sports, it means it is massive.
Keep up with the Bounty story through Quickish's stream.
More from an absolutely loaded sports weekend:
*NCAA Tournament:
-Northwestern might have moved off its hyper-tenuous spot as "Last Team In" to merely the top of "Last Four In," but their Tournament hopes still depend entirely on a (winnable) first-round Big Ten Tournament win over Minnesota...
-It doesn't seem fair that the loser of the Drexel-VCU CAA title game will get shut out of the NCAA Tournament; the loser deserves an at-large spot. (Should this year's runner-up get credit for last year's run by VCU? Hell yes.)
-Kentucky (which decisively beat Florida to finish 16-0 in the SEC this season) will be the overwhelming favorite to win the national title (as they should be) -- I could see upwards of 80% of people nationally picking UK to win it all. It's hard to look at the landscape and see another team that could knock them off; even if Kentucky's shots aren't falling, its defense is so good that it will stay close enough to muscle its way past anyone. But in dismantling Duke, UNC seemed to showcase the profile to get it done (even if they couldn't on the deck of the aircraft carrier in November).
*Rory is No. 1: You can guarantee that Rory took a special (and immense) amount of pleasure in beating Tiger Woods in as close of a head-to-head match-up at the top of the leaderboard as they have ever had, especially because it vaulted McIlroy to No. 1 in the world, a spot Tiger used to have a lock on.
*NBA: Take your pick of great stories -- Deron Williams scoring 57? Rajon Rondo pulling out one of the most dominant triple-doubles of the past few decades? Kobe leading the resurgent Lakers past the Heat? Sunday was an amazing day in the NBA.
*NFL Offseason: Texans lock up Arian Foster. He is the face of the franchise and one of the most valuable players in the NFL, but that sure defies the trend that overinvesting in a "franchise" running back is an outdated idea.
*MLB: Pirates lock up Andrew McCutcheon. Even the woeful franchises need a centerpiece star, and McCutcheon is one of the best young players in the league. Still buy into a notion popular on Twitter when the deal was announced that it's unlikely he makes it to the end of the deal in a Pirates uniform; he is too valuable and could bring way too much back in return.
Big weekend behind us. Big week ahead. Pop by Quickish to keep up with all of it.
-- D.S.
Translated, that means this is one of those issues that goes beyond the interest of hard-core fans -- it is too easy to translate and understand (or, perhaps, misunderstand) to casual or non-fans. "Bounties" seem unfair and against the spirit of competition; that the players impacted by the bounties include the biggest stars in the league -- Brett Favre and Peyton Manning -- only makes them that much more accessible to average folks out there just trying to figure it out: "You mean the coach paid them to intentionally hurt Peyton Manning?"
That makes it even more of a p.r. problem for the NFL than it is a competition problem. Oh, make no mistake: The two are intertwined. Everyone is going to get punished.
But it means that it is in the NFL's best interests to frame the issue around a core bad actor (Gregg Williams), with levels of punishments dished out in concentric circles (suspensions for GM Loomis, coach Payton and players; lost draft picks at the organization level).
I have been saying that I think that Gregg Williams will get a lifetime ban from the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell (whom Williams meets with at NFL HQ today, in a conversation that will likely be frank and brutal -- and better include 100% transparency from Williams).
Let me revise that, slightly: I think Gregg Williams is finished in the NFL. Whether the NFL gives him a lifetime ban (which is as harsh of a punishment as they could deliver) or merely makes him unemployable (via onerous suspension or implied warning to teams that might hire him), his career is over -- it is a de facto lifetime ban.
The many layers of the story -- what will the punishments be? how will they impact the season? will other teams emerge in the story? does it reach to the college and h.s. levels? -- means that Friday was only the kickoff. Today it will get bigger, and when the punishments are levied, it gets even bigger than that. It is the biggest scandal the league has dealt with in a generation (maybe a few generations), and because of the NFL's place in sports, it means it is massive.
Keep up with the Bounty story through Quickish's stream.
More from an absolutely loaded sports weekend:
*NCAA Tournament:
-Northwestern might have moved off its hyper-tenuous spot as "Last Team In" to merely the top of "Last Four In," but their Tournament hopes still depend entirely on a (winnable) first-round Big Ten Tournament win over Minnesota...
-It doesn't seem fair that the loser of the Drexel-VCU CAA title game will get shut out of the NCAA Tournament; the loser deserves an at-large spot. (Should this year's runner-up get credit for last year's run by VCU? Hell yes.)
-Kentucky (which decisively beat Florida to finish 16-0 in the SEC this season) will be the overwhelming favorite to win the national title (as they should be) -- I could see upwards of 80% of people nationally picking UK to win it all. It's hard to look at the landscape and see another team that could knock them off; even if Kentucky's shots aren't falling, its defense is so good that it will stay close enough to muscle its way past anyone. But in dismantling Duke, UNC seemed to showcase the profile to get it done (even if they couldn't on the deck of the aircraft carrier in November).
*Rory is No. 1: You can guarantee that Rory took a special (and immense) amount of pleasure in beating Tiger Woods in as close of a head-to-head match-up at the top of the leaderboard as they have ever had, especially because it vaulted McIlroy to No. 1 in the world, a spot Tiger used to have a lock on.
*NBA: Take your pick of great stories -- Deron Williams scoring 57? Rajon Rondo pulling out one of the most dominant triple-doubles of the past few decades? Kobe leading the resurgent Lakers past the Heat? Sunday was an amazing day in the NBA.
*NFL Offseason: Texans lock up Arian Foster. He is the face of the franchise and one of the most valuable players in the NFL, but that sure defies the trend that overinvesting in a "franchise" running back is an outdated idea.
*MLB: Pirates lock up Andrew McCutcheon. Even the woeful franchises need a centerpiece star, and McCutcheon is one of the best young players in the league. Still buy into a notion popular on Twitter when the deal was announced that it's unlikely he makes it to the end of the deal in a Pirates uniform; he is too valuable and could bring way too much back in return.
Big weekend behind us. Big week ahead. Pop by Quickish to keep up with all of it.
-- D.S.
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