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.

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!)

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.

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.

03/03 (LeBron, Bounties, Peyton, CBB) Quickie

Process > Result.

As 2,200 folks gather at MIT yesterday and today for the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, I think most would agree with that. I think most fans -- regardless of analytical orientation -- would agree with that, for the most part: That the result matters -- OF COURSE -- but how you got there matters more. A fluky result doesn't mean as much as a solid process most likely to yield the result you want over and over and over.

When LeBron -- brilliant throughout the 4th quarter last night -- passes up the final would-be game-winning shot to get a teammate a better shot and that teammate misses the shot, it was the right thing to do, if the wrong result.

Would LeBron have made the shot? Maybe, in a one-time situation. But maybe not. But, inarguably, not at the same rate an open teammate would. His process was absolutely right; the result means that he will take more criticism for shying from the game-ending moment (even if his 4th quarter heroics the previous 11 minutes and 50 seconds had put the Heat in a position to win the game at all).

Should LeBron have taken the shot? Would critics rather have LeBron take the shot and miss -- to show he has the fortitude to take the shot at all, even if isn't as good of a shot? -- than pass to a teammate for a higher percentage chance of making the shot and winning the game?

I suspect that what minimal credit LeBron would get for taking the shot would be drowned out if he missed -- "LeBron can't finish!" "Michael Jordan made the smarter play!" "CHOKER!"

LeBron did the right thing. (PS: I'd differentiate last night's decision from the one he made in the All-Star Game last Sunday night, where there were no stakes and he probably should have just thrown up the shot, even if his basketball IQ insists the smarter play is to find the open teammate).

And as his brilliant season continues -- it is the best season if his career, and if you're not watching him, you're missing an all-time great player at the height of his abilities -- I find myself beginning to root for him to succeed, if only to reward process over result. The result will come eventually. LeBron is just too damn good for it not to.

More:

*Saints/Bounty scandal: As the anecdotes pile up, I can absolutely see Roger Goodell banning Gregg Williams from the league. Not a one-year suspension -- an outright ban.

A few reasons:

(1) This is a particularly nasty scandal, because it is so easy for casual or non-fans to grasp and be horrified about it (particularly as stories come out involving intentions to hurt some of the league's biggest stars, like Kurt Warner, Brett Favre and Peyton Manning). Banning someone for life would send the most powerful signal possible.

(2) It is in the league's best interests to pin this on an individual bad actor, rather than a franchise or organization (although make no mistake: the league is going to crush the Saints for this -- the fines are incidental; the lost draft picks could be severe. And if the Saints want to get in front of this, they should fire GM Mickey Loomis, who directly defied an order from owner Tom Benson and allowed the bounties to continue. I don't want to be so proscriptive -- let me be predictive: I think they WILL fire Loomis). It is also easier than trying to punish individual players.

I suspect that the Rams will fire Williams before the league can punish him, and that even if he gets "only" a one-year ban, he will never work in the NFL again. Based on his statement last night, I don't think he understands his new reality. If he wanted to get in front of it, he would quit the Rams and voluntarily ban himself from the league for a year, dedicating his time and energy to traveling around the country talking to youth teams about what a mistake he made. I suspect he won't go this route and the league will hammer him.

*Peyton Manning caught on video at a passing workout at Duke: If Manning's team leaked this, it is a brilliant move, because the grainy YouTube footage sure makes it look like he can still wing the ball -- and that's with a full six months until the season starts. I still wouldn't sign him if I was a team -- there is a big difference between light throwing workouts and getting drilled by Ray Lewis.

*MLB Playoffs format changes: As a big fan of MLB's Wild Card system, I think this new system will work out fine. This initial season will be a clusterf--- because of the compressed schedule to wedge everything in, including the initial one-game Wild Card Wild Card game rolling into the LDS round, which lets the team with the worse record host the first two games of the best-of-5 series. But setting that aside, I think the new one-game playoff round will be enormously popular, and the accompanying chase for those new playoff spots will increase fan interest in September. Will we eventually see a third-place division-finisher win the World Series? Absolutely -- no one but stodgy baseball purists will care. (For reference, see how no one questioned the legitimacy of the Giants winning the Super Bowl, despite having the worst regular-season of any champ in NFL history.) Will we see some 89-win team knock off a 96-win team in a one-game playoff? Absolutely -- again, the response is... "So?" People like playoffs. People like do-or-die playoff games. This is going to be a huge success.

*College Hoops Saturday: Duke-UNC gets all the attention, but I've always thought that while it is a great rivalry, the games themselves are meaningless in the bigger picture. So UNC lost to Duke a few weeks ago -- what were the consequences? That UNC dropped from the 1-seed line to the 2-seed line? Meh. ACC regular-season title implications? Meh. If your aspiration ends at some regional honorarium, that's fine. Last time I checked, UNC and Duke fans enjoyed beating each other a lot, but not as much as they enjoyed winning a national championship (or even just making a Final Four -- a reminder that college hoops is the only sport where being a semifinalist is given as much distinction as winning a championship.) And so it continues tonight: If Duke wins... OK, they lock up a 1-seed. So? If UNC wins, they avenge the loss to Duke, sure, but... anything else? They're still no worse than a 2-seed, win or lose.

Want real stakes today? Northwestern is playing at Iowa with its first-ever NCAA Tournament bid hanging in the balance. If NU loses, they are finished -- bubble burst. If they win, they might very well have played themselves into their first-ever NCAA Tourney. (Other folks think that NU also has to win a first-round Big Ten Tournament game next week, but winning today is an absolute prerequisite.) Meanwhile, Championship Week heats up with small-conference championship games with automatic NCAA invites on the line -- one of the great moments of the sports year.

-- D.S.

Welcome Lucy Shanoff!

Announcing the birth of the delightful Lucy Tabitha Shanoff on March 1 at 4:08 p.m., weighing in at 7 lbs 11 oz and 20 inches.

She rounds out the Shanoff starting five just in time for March Madness. Mrs. Quickie is doing great -- she was a champ throughout the day.

For those of you who had "L" in the name pool (for "Linsanity") or "T" in the name pool (for "Tebow"), it appears you may claim partial credit.

Lucy shares a birthday, among others, with Justin Bieber, Chris Webber and Harry Caray. And D'backs pitcher Trevor Cahill, who might have to be a late-round fantasy pick-up for me, just because of that.

Today's recommendation: If you like the analytical side of sports, follow the hashtag #ssac to keep up with what's going on at the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, which is massive this year -- 2200 attendees (up from 1500 in '11 and 1000 in '10). Sorry to miss it, but it's a great event.

-- D.S.

02/29 (Leap Day) Quickie

Mrs. Quickie and I have had a running joke that we were sure Baby Girl Quickie would be born on Leap Day, not March 1, as planned.

If Leap Day should be considered a bonus day to do something special or different or nothing (relax), it feels appropriate it is an extra day before my family foursome becomes a quintet to appreciate where we've been before surge into where we're going -- life with a newborn is a little easier when you've had kids, just because you've seen it before; then again, it's harder because you're splitting your energy multiple ways. Either way, I think you can be as ready as you can try to be and yet you're still never really ready. You just have to -- forgive the groaner -- leap.

Being a dad is not new. Being a dad to a girl is very new -- after nearly six years with boys, I'm curious to see how this works out. I always had an appreciation for strong, self-sufficient, brilliant women (I married one), and I can't wait to try to raise one. I love that there are so many great role models out there in sports and media -- not enough, of course, but so many to point to.

A quick FAQ: Yes, we have a name picked out. No, it's not "Tebow" or "Linsanity" or "Shurna" (although "Shurna Shanoff" has an interesting ring to it and "TBA Girl's Name Tebow Shanoff" is tremendous). Yes, there are already at least a half-dozen Florida Gators onesies in the drawer, some new some hand-me-downs from her older brothers. And, yes, it is beyond exciting, now that we're inside of 24 hours until go time. I had forgotten how awesome (yet nerve-wracking) this feeling was.

If there is no update Thursday morning, it's because we're in the labor and delivery room hanging out, waiting for go time. When it happens, I'll try to post a pic here (or certainly via @danshanoff on Twitter).

Meanwhile, Quickish has been a little glitchy overnight -- we're working on it. Maybe it's the Leap Day version of Y2K.

-- D.S.

02/28 (Daytona) Quickish

Ironically, NASCAR had a best-case scenario last night: Die-hard racing fans were watching the Daytona 500 anyway.

And -- because of the totally insane fire-on-the-track thing -- plenty of casual (or non-) fans were watching, too. Or following the instant social-media star Brad Keselowski on Twitter, where he posted a photo from his car on the fiery track. Or, this morning, entirely curious about this MASSIVE FIRE ON THE TRACK FEATURING JET FUEL AND TIDE DETERGENT that everyone is talking about this morning.

"Just when you think you've seen it all..." moments are the best in sports. Frankly, THAT is why we watch.

Is it too bad that it took an extreme novelty for the Daytona 500 to gain mainstream traction? For as much as NASCAR wants Daytona to be something everyone watches as a matter of course, not really. It's better than the alternative where folks didn't care.

More:

*NFL Draft: The Rams are ready to deal that No. 2 pick, now that Robert Griffin III has turned into the most sought-after No. 2 pick in recent memory, coveted by enough teams that the Rams should bring in a franchise-changing haul (while giving the team trading for RG3 a shot at a player who could become one of the NFL's Top 5 talents inside of a season or two... and if that sounds like hyperbole, two words: Cam Newton, who is already one of the NFL's Top 5 talents.)

*MLB: Jason Varitek to retire today, which might distract fans from Boston's ludicrous ban on beer in the clubhouse. What a dumb idea. The team didn't choke away the 2011 season because of beer in the clubhouse, and if you can't trust a bunch of professionals not to abuse beer in their clubhouse, you have bigger problems.

*College hoops last night: Good win for Georgetown against Notre Dame. After the flame-outs of the past few seasons, the Hoyas scare the hell out of me with bracket-picking. Are they a totally new team from the chokers of recent Marches? Or are they the same-old same-old? (I'll split the difference: Better than the first-round flame-out but I probably don't have the wherewithal to take them to the Sweet 16.) Meanwhile, Kansas rolls on.

*NBA: Kings staying in Sacramento. What a win for Kings fans, who deserve it. Sorry, Sonics fans: I never thought it was fair that you'd get a new team by stealing one from another city of die-hards, and I can't believe you'd want one that way. Now, the Kings are years away -- if ever -- from being a playoff team, but it beats not having a team at all.

*Pop Culture: Normally, on Dancing With the Stars, my default is that NFL players are the prohibitive favorite to win. But in the case of the new season and Donald Driver, I just don't think he has the overall popularity of a Jerry Rice or Emmitt Smith to get him to the finals. The other big athlete name is Martina Navratilova, and I could see her going far. (Honestly, I don't pay much attention to DWTS, aside from curiosity over the athletes named to each new season and if any of them make it to the finals.)

-- D.S.

02/27 (Oscars Hangover) Quickie

ESPN.com's Chris Sprow put the right sports-themed coda on last night's Oscars: "Moneyball is the Moneyball of films."

"Moneyball" didn't win any Oscars -- that was predictable enough -- but in this case, it truly was a feat just to be nominated at such a high level across the board (Best Pic, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay), and it goes down as one of the most acclaimed sports movies (and arguably the most Oscar-acclaimed baseball movie) of all time. Not a bad legacy.

Meanwhile, down in Orlando, the NBA All-Stars were turning a rout into a close finish -- fascinating if only for the way LeBron (who had shot the East back into the game from a gazillion down) deferred on the final possessions, with no less than Kobe taunting him to take the final shot.

It's not a bad proxy for LeBron's career: Brilliant numbers and stretches of sheer domination, but ultimately falling short after some form of shying from the very biggest moment. I have always bought the notion that for all his personal bluster, LeBron was a "beta," not an "alpha" -- the greatest second-fiddle in NBA history: Scottie Pippen 2.0, rather than Michael Jordan 2.0.

Or maybe he is an alpha, still figuring out how to be an alpha. You get the sense that he made a mental calculation that it would have been worse for him had he taken the final shot and missed (particularly if he was hounded into a miss by Kobe, the ultimate competitor) rather than deferred on the final shot entirely. And, as usual, his personal intuition was wrong.

It seems odd to compare LeBron James to George Costanza, but you get the sense that LeBron would do well to pattern himself after "Opposite George," who flipped every instinct "Regular George" would have, to tremendous effect. If "Regular LeBron" is worried about public perception if he misses, "Opposite LeBron" says "Who cares what people think?"

There is a hesitation to read too much into last night's finish -- it was, after all, an exhibition game. But it is of a pattern, and I think it is symbolically consistent with LeBron's career. Aside from America's aversion to "beta" personalities, would it be so bad if he embraced being a running mate? (Dwyane Wade sure has no problem being the Alpha.)

More:

*NFL Draft: RG3 Mania! I'm not a Redskins fan, but I would mortgage this draft and the top of next year's draft to get Robert Griffin III, who seems every bit the superstar franchise pro QB he seemed to be in college. I find it baffling that the Browns might be waffling about trading up for him (given their pole position of assets to make a deal happen). Selfishly, living in DC, I'd like to see the Redskins get him not because I'm a Skins fan, but because as a fan of football and athletic brilliance, I'd love to watch him up close.

*Daytona postponed until today... or tomorrow? Probably for the best they didn't run Daytona opposite the Oscars and NBA All-Star Game. And who doesn't love a workday, midday huge sports event? Reminds me of the first Thursday of the NCAA Tournament.

*MLB: Nats lock up Ryan Zimmerman. He is the face of the franchise, Stephen Strasburg or Bryce Harper notwithstanding. The Nationals have thrown open their window of contention to begin this year, and it won't close until the end of the decade -- not coincidentally when the Zimmerman extension is set to close. He will be the rock of the roster -- the veteran who brings the young talent along and the future Hall of Famer who links the franchise's bright future to its mediocre start. (Again, I'm biased now living in DC, but it's a great time to be here and climbing fully on board the Nats bandwagon. I'll say it now: Anything less than a World Series title by 2020 will be a failure.)

*CBB: Wisconsin edges Ohio State, and it's possible the Buckeyes have fallen from a 1-seed lock through a 2-seed lock and into 3-seed territory. It will depend how they finish the Big Ten Tournament -- if they win the tourney, they're no worse than a 2 (maybe even climbing back to be the fourth 1-seed -- frankly, I'd rather be geographically closer to home playing as a 2-seed than shunted out West to play as a 1.) Wisconsin reminds you that you pick them to pull up short of the Sweet 16 (at least) in the NCAA Tournament at your peril.

Give Quickish a look to catch up on some of the best Oscar analysis by sports folks, the best reads from the weekend, your daily dose of Linsanity and everything else that emerges today.

-- D.S.

Sunday 02/26 (Last Four In) Quickie

That NBA All-Star Dunk Contest was the worst I've ever seen, saved only by the hilarious reactions on Twitter.

Luckily, I spent most of it with picture-in-picture activated to watch Northwestern in a must-win at Penn State -- Northwestern hasn't had this meaningful (meaning: NCAA Tournament-impacting) of a game in the 20+ years I've been a fan.

Thanks to an iffy call at the end (the kind of call other programs get but I can't remember NU ever getting), Northwestern eked out the win to maintain its place inside the Bubble -- almost universally regarded by bracket pundits as one of the "Last Four In."

I've been saying this for a year -- but even more over the last month: I think Northwestern is going to make the field. I think they are going to be placed in that "First Four" play-in bracket that happens in Dayton the Tuesday before the tournament "really" starts.

They are going to make the field because they have never been in the NCAA Tournament before, and I think the Selection Committee will give that some value. All things being relatively equal among the "Last Four In"/"First Four Out" group of around 12-16 teams, I think the Selection Committee wants to see Northwestern in the field.

(And, if I may extend the conspiracy theory, I think that there is no better story the Selection Committee could put into the First Four round -- a round that started last year and is still looking for traction, despite being where VCU started its Final Four run -- than slotting Northwestern there against either a traditional power or a gutsy at-large team. Frankly, my nightmare is that NU goes into the First Four against... VCU.)

And so I spent last night gaming out the scenarios for Northwestern's final two regular season games:

*If NU loses to Ohio State in Evanston, but wins at Iowa, they are in.

*If NU beats Ohio State, they are in, no matter what happens at Iowa.

*If NU loses to Ohio State and loses at Iowa, they MUST win their 1st-round Big Ten game -- and even then, it'll be a reach for the Selection Committee to put them in.

I found myself firing up Expedia after midnight, pricing flights from DC to Dayton. Mind you, Mrs. Quickie and I are having our third kid two weeks earlier. (I'll only be gone for 24 hours!)

I found myself going to Google Maps to figure out just how far the drive was (not quite 8 hours, roughly the same time door-to-door as if I flew with one layover stop).

I found myself for the first time in the final days of February allowing for the idea that Northwestern might (just might) be going Dancing.

I know that the more likely scenario is "Whatever Is Most Heartbreaking" -- in this case, losing to Ohio State, losing at Iowa, then losing in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.

But for today, "Last Four In" is the most magical phrase I can think of.

-- D.S.

02/25 (Very) Quickie

*OK, NBA All-Star Weekend is off to a slow start: That Rookie-Soph game was boring. (Although the Celeb Game got its highest audience ever, which must have been the Arne Duncan Factor.)

*The question of the week in MLB: Where do you stand with Ryan Braun? (I still think most people are happy a guy as talented as Braun will play a full season.)

*Best Thing You'll Read Today: NYT's Howard Beck on "The Evolution of Jeremy Lin." This is no overnight success.

*CBB: I really want to believe Marquette is an Elite Eight team... Today's Must-See: Mizzou at Kansas at 4 on CBS... Northwestern Bubble Watch: At Penn State tonight in a must-win.

*Today is my 5-year-old's season finale in his kindergarten hoops league that I've been coaching. We can quibble over the "Everyone Gets a Trophy" attitude, but not for 5-year-olds.

-- D.S.

02/24 (Braun) Quickie

The dominant theme about Ryan Braun and last night's news is that his story is a conundrum.

Technically (or is that "technicality"), his name has been cleared. But his winning defense wasn't "I didn't take the stuff" -- it was "The lab tech left my pee in his fridge and didn't FedEx it quickly enough."

And so few people are satisfied. Folks inclined to bury Braun will still think he cheated. Folks inclined to support Braun have awkward evidence. The MLB testing regimen has been turned into a punchline (which might be why the league took the extraordinary step of saying it "vehemently" disagreed with the arbitration panel's decision). And regular fans are left to get just a bit more cynical about all of this. (In fact, the only folks who would be decisively thrilled are those who think MLB's PED issue is either overblown or irrelevant -- the reigning NL MVP will get to play a full season.)

In the end, this will blow over, just like almost everything does. Partly, that's because of the murky ending to the story and partly that's because we like watching awesome baseball players on the field more than we care about watching them sit out 50 games, for whatever reason.

Perhaps the biggest implication of the decision? Braun goes right to the top of fantasy baseball draft lists.

Check out Quickish's coverage of the Braun news.

More:

*Linsanity stifled by the Heat: There is no shame for Jeremy Lin in getting smothered by the Heat -- the best team in the league and, when they set their mind to it, the best defensive team in the league. And, oh, did they set their mind to humiliating Lin. That makes last night one of the more fascinating twists of the Lin Era. I tweeted this last night: No one ever claimed that Jeremy Lin's emergence made the Knicks elite; he just made them interesting. That is no less the case today than it was before last night's game. Check out Quickish's comprehensive Lin coverage.

*NFL Combine: Robert Griffin III measures taller than 6-foot-2. There were questions about his height -- which seems like a ridiculous thing to worry about, given the way that 6-foot-nuthin' Drew Brees has carved up the league. But between his size and his talent, he will be the No. 2 pick of the draft and a great NFL QB -- the only question is which team ponies up the bounty necessary to get the Rams to trade out for him. Cleveland's extra 1st-round pick -- acquired when they gave up their spot to Atlanta last year for Julio Jones -- should be the difference, unless Washington is ready to mortgage their future for a potentially franchise QB.

More coming this weekend. Please check out Quickish!

-- D.S.

02/23 (Lin vs. LeBron) Quickie

For all the Linsanity of the past three weeks (less than three weeks, really), nothing -- not the debut, not the nationally televised Lakers win, not the game-winner over the Raptors, not the nationally televised Mavs win -- compares to what is coming tonight:

Jeremy Lin and the Knicks in South Beach to play LeBron, D-Wade and the Heat, on TNT in primetime.

It's not just that it collides this year's biggest story with last year's biggest story. It's that the game is on national TV -- accessible to everyone -- and it comes in the finale before the league takes a break for All-Star Weekend.

It's not even close: This is the biggest game yet of the NBA season (displacing the previous "Biggest Game Yet," Lin vs. Lakers) and arguably the most must-see NBA regular-season game since Michael Jordan returned the first time, against the Knicks in the Garden.

Does the result matter? No. To the extent that the Knicks are on the East playoff periphery, they could use the win, but it's hardly like there was an expectation -- before or after the start of the Lin Era -- they would win in Miami tonight. The Heat are locked into a Top 2 seed in the East.

No, this is entirely about the biggest storyline in sports going up against the storyline we all used to care about quite a bit -- but, compared to Linsanity, not so much anymore.

One other thing: Everyone loves Lin and the Lin story. I'm still trying to find a backlash (beyond the boring and meta "backlash to the media coverage"). Meanwhile, the Heat are still defined by their place as the team so many NBA fans love to hate.

In the complementary way most fans are thrilled to see Lin keep winning, they maintain last year's position that after wanting to see their own team win, they are rooting for the Heat to fail. If that puts tonight's game in apocalyptic "Good vs. Evil" proportions, just wait until they meet in the playoffs.

As for a prediction: Big game for Lin, big win for the Heat -- and the biggest TV ratings for an NBA regular-season game in the history of cable TV.

-- D.S.

02/21 (Still Linsane) Quickie

So the Knicks got torched by Deron Williams -- obviously smarting from being the spark of the nation's Linsanity. It's still the best story in sports right now, with a pretty good sports week in the making.

*Tonight: Northwestern hosts Michigan, and it's pretty close to must-win for NU if they want to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes going. (They finish with Ohio State in Evanston -- a near-certain loss -- plus road games at Penn State and at Iowa, neither of which are gimmes, unless the rest of us can convince them to roll over for NU to help the Cats make the Dance for the first time in school history.)

*Daytona: Danica-mania.

*NBA All-Star Weekend: We'll all watch, but kinda not feeling it this year. The Rookie-Soph showcase is stand-out for having Lin run alongside all those draftees picked ahead/instead of him, but otherwise? Meh.

*More college hoops: Mizzou at Kansas. It's hard to say that a win or loss here by either team is particularly determinative -- are you really going to discount Mizzou's shot at a Final Four run if they lose in Lawrence? Both teams are locks for high seeds, so this one is for pride.

*MLB: Manny Ramirez signs with the A's. I'm with everyone else who says "Why not?" Zero risk for the A's, and even at age 40, Manny could still be an entirely productive hitter.

*Are the Lakers going to trade Pau Gasol? If they want any shot to win a title this year -- no matter how slim that shot might be -- they shouldn't. They should keep the window wedged open as long as they can. If they trade Gasol, they might as well be saying, "We're done." Unless, of course, they can convince the Magic to take Andrew Bynum for Dwight Howard.

*Best Thing You'll Read Today: The story behind The Simpsons' classic "Homer at the Bat," by Erik Malinowski over at Deadspin.

*Otherwise, pop by Quickish today to catch up on the best takes on the biggest topics.

-- D.S.

2/17 (Gary Carter) Quickie

Having one great memory about any individual sports star isn't a bad way to feel a connection. For millions of Mets fans, their connection to Gary Carter was -- at the very least -- through Game 6. For Expos fans, the team's first Hall of Famer.

For me -- who is a fan of neither team -- my connection to Gary Carter was that he was the starting catcher on a Strat-O-Matic team I played with consistently from 6th through 9th grade. I only had the 1985 edition (1984 season) set, and so that was the version of Carter I had in my lineup: .294/.366/.487, with 27 HR and 106 RBI. He was, as in real life, solid.

When you read through the thoughtful reflections on Carter's life and his contribution to baseball, the stand-out characteristic is his boyish enthusiasm for a game. If that rubbed off on you in your fandom or your life, that's a pretty good legacy.

More:

*Linsanity resumes tonight: No Carmelo Anthony, but maybe a JR Smith sighting? It's the Hornets, so Jeremy Lin could play 20 minutes at half-speed and the Knicks will still win by double-digits.

*Lin added to the NBA All-Star Rookie-Soph game: I believe I predicted this on February 7, three days into Linsanity.

*Tim Wakefield retires from baseball: If my kids want to play baseball, I'm having them become knuckleball specialists, because there will always be a place for them on the youth-league teams.

*CBB: You could do a lot worse than picking Michigan State to make the Final Four. Performances like wins over Wisconsin help.

*What to watch this weekend: Don't miss "The Street Stops Here" on Sunday night at 9 p.m. ET on ESPNU.

-- D.S.

02/16 (Pushing 40) Quickie

Today is my birthday. Two years ago today, I was flying to Seattle to see a billionaire about a company I wanted to found. A year ago today, I was up to my ears trying to get that company off the ground (no billionaires included). This year, I’m still hammering away.

One year from today, I will turn 40. That means today is less about me turning 39 than me launching a year-long countdown to exiting my 30s. The 30s have been good to me. I married my wife, became a parent to two kids (three, as of two weeks from today), bought a house and had a satisfying (if jagged) career path.

But I feel like I need to look ahead. If anything has marked the past year, it has been that the “founder” lifestyle has led to physical atrophy -- I’m in the worst shape of my life, both weight and fitness. My goal for the next year, then, is pretty simple: On my 40th birthday, I want to fit into the suit I got married in.

It’s not just that I have to lose 30 pounds -- I also have to get back into some semblance of physical shape, particularly when you account for a metabolism that has come to a screeching halt over the past few years.

The “fit into the wedding suit” thing is a gimmick. The real reason wakes me up every day and brings me such an overwhelming amount of joy I can barely articulate it: My two little boys, plus -- any day now -- their little sister.

I want the energy to keep up with them. And to be the best possible partner for my astonishingly patient wife. And to feel as good about myself as I did back then when I was a year from turning 30. And -- in something you think about a lot as a parent -- I don’t want to keel over any more prematurely than I have to.

There are a lot of ways to get there. I am a pretty big fan of Weight Watchers For Guys (high five up top, Charles Barkley!) and had a successful run with it last summer, until the move from NYC to DC just obliterated my diet and fitness habits. I have taken up playing basketball one night a week with some other old guys, but I mainly lumber up the court and sit around the outside winging up bad shots. Maybe I need to try yoga or swimming or something more ass-kicking, like P90X. Maybe that new Nike wristband exercise-counter (or some other kind of technology) will help. Maybe it takes leaving New York City for me to finally run the New York Marathon -- which would be the ultimate gift to myself heading into 40. Maybe I can just stop eating Cheez-Its by the box and ice cream by the pint; hey, there’s a start.

I’m not going to bore you with updates by blog or through my @danshanoff Twitter feed. I have set up a special Twitter handle (@danshanoff40) to keep track of how it’s going (with a bit of inspiration from the New York Times’ Brian Stelter, who created a similar campaign as he was heading into age 25.) Maybe I’ll do some writing about it elsewhere; maybe I’ll earn a sponsorship from Weight Watchers (or Chipotle! No, wait....)

Ironically, I have found that birthdays lose a lot of meaning as you hit your 30s -- certainly as you have kids. It’s usually a good excuse to get your friends together at a bar -- that’s more than enough reason to celebrate. But maybe this year I can channel it into something a little more productive (if still appropriately narcissistic).

Tonight my birthday dinner is a kid-friendly trip to the local Five Guys with my family, followed by inhaling at least a quarter (OK: half) of a Carvel ice cream cake. I’ll make it a celebration send-off into an effort to really change how I look and feel, so that I can enter my 40s with all of the verve I had when I entered my 30s.

Back then, it was about finishing my MBA and newly dating this amazing woman and figuring out how I was going to turn this idea I had into an awesome daily national column for ESPN.com. Now, it’s suburbs and soccer practice and having a third kid and making the next 10 years of my career the best yet.

I’ll need all the verve I can get.

-- D.S.

02/15 (Linsanity, Cont'd) Quickie

"Its crazy! I'm watching Linsanity hoping every shot goes in. Hope I never grow up."

That is Steve Nash last night, tweeting out a sentiment that I think we can all relate to.

Yes, Linsanity is about Jeremy Lin, obviously -- his backstory, his success.

But Linsanity is also about us -- about fans. It's about those rare moments when a story is so special -- "magic," the great Bruce Arthur called it after last night's finish (the wildest one yet) -- that it goes to the very core of why we love sports and why sports can be so amazing.

Linsanity is Jeremy Lin taking the league by storm.
Linsanity is the mania gripping fans right now.

I spent a lot of time yesterday thinking about the veritable perfect storm of circumstances that makes this what it is -- the "Asian-American Harvard grad" part is big, obviously. That he was undrafted (and cut multiple times) is huge. That he is personally humble, at least in the media (yet wildly demonstrative on the court). That he plays in New York. That he got to take over a star-less team (at first). That the Knicks had a manageable schedule (leading up to the Lakers and national TV). That it is a system (and coach) that is perfectly suited for him.

I wondered if there was a way to find the "next Jeremy Lin" -- it doesn't have to be a national sensation, but merely a massively undervalued player who becomes a key contributor -- but the fact is that when you stack up the factors, you realize just how unique this moment is. It makes for an even greater appreciation.

There's one other tweet that stood out for me last night, from PTI's Erik Rydholm:

"Jeremy Lin is adorable. But on the final shot, he called for an iso, his team backed off, and he delivered. That's cold-bleepin'-blooded."

That is the last element of this that makes me marvel -- Lin isn't just a role player making the most of an opportunity; Lin is the center of the team (a team with two mega-stars). Lin is the star -- not "star" like "celebrity," but "star" like "most valuable player." And he plays like it.

Last night's buzzer-beating game-winner was added to the most reserved space in the Lin canon not just because he made the shot... but because he took the shot. He wanted to take the shot. He demanded to take the shot. As fans, we are attracted to that kind of alpha attitude. That he is so endearingly other-focused off the court (or in post-game interviews) makes it all the more awesome. But make no mistake: Lin knows who he is and what he can do.

It is impossible -- no matter which team you root for or even if you don't follow basketball -- not to keep cheering for him to keep it going, for the mania to continue.

Hope we never grow up.

-- D.S.

02/14 (Valentine's Day) Quickie

Lot of love going around today. I will say this: One of the most remarkable things since last year's Valentine's Day is watching my kids' die-hard love for sports emerge.

My 5-year-old is an NFL nut (thank you, NFL Red Zone Channel). My 3-year-old is obsessed with hockey. They both sit there watching highlights in the morning and are happy to watch basketball, hockey or whatever on weekends.

Do they get Linsanity? Not really. Do they appreciate it more when I explain it to them -- about underdogs and trying your hardest and being a team player? Definitely more. Both kids have become Wizards fans (I know), but they were born in New York City -- an affinity for New York teams is natural.

I love that they love sports. I don't love it because I love sports -- I love it because I love seeing their reaction to sports, something unadulterated and just about as pure as you'll find. They don't necessarily "get" it yet, but they get it enough to love it. What could be better than that?

Linsanity continues tonight in Toronto -- Amare joins Lin for the first time -- and Lin is featured on the cover of SI's non-swimsuit issue this week. But the real gem in the mag this week -- probably the best piece of sportswriting I've read this year -- is this story by Thomas Lake about Wes Leonard, the Michigan high school basketball player who tragically died on the court a year ago. Take the time to read it at some point this week. It's remarkable.

Happy Valentine's Day. Take a minute to think about what (and who) you love.

-- D.S.

02/13 (Now With Even More Linsanity) Quickie

Really: If you like the Jeremy Lin phenomenon, please check out Quickish's Jeremy Lin stream, which I think has the best collection of Lin-related commentary and analysis out there. Not too much, just enough.

Otherwise:

*NBA: You mean there's more than Lin? Kobe's still got it. And, if you caught that Celtics-Bulls game yesterday, Rondo never didn't have it.

*Oh, OK, more Lin: I had wondered about his free agency situation. Not only do the Knicks have the right to match any offer, but the vagaries of the CBA mean that Lin can't accept an offer higher than $5 million a year -- league average for a PG -- even if, say, the Brooklyn Nets wanted to break the bank for him after they lose Deron Williams. So looks like he'll be a Knick for a while. Next challenge: How do things go when Amare and Carmelo return?

*MLB: The A's won the bidding for Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, who is the biggest mystery talent in the league. It's interesting At 4 years, their risk is capped; at $36 million, their financial risk is capped, too. If he turns out to be spectacular (or even just pretty good), the A's can flip him for a lot more value than they're going to pay for him -- the essence of Moneyball.

*NFL: Is Randy Moss coming back to the NFL? If his head is screwed on right and he's with the right team (cough - Pats - cough), is there any doubt he has the talent to contribute? I'd go right back to the Pats, and if I was the Pats, I'd bring him back. The Pats were devastating enough when it was Welker-Moss. Imagine Welker-Gronk-Hernandez-Moss?

*College Hoops: My new obsession for the bracket is Wichita State. Short of the Shockers playing Kentucky in the first weekend, I think it's clear I'm taking them to the Sweet 16 -- maybe even further. This isn't exactly bold thinking -- as the best "mid-major," they will be a very hot pick to be a Cinderella into the Sweet 16 and beyond.

*CFB: They're all still abandoning the Maryland program. But, hey, at least they got super-recruit Stefon Diggs.

Go do that last-minute Valentine's Day shopping -- fwiw, the card selection sucks today.

-- D.S.

02/11 (Linsanity!) Quickie

Whether or not you watched Jeremy Lin torch Kobe Bryant's Lakers last night in an electrified Madison Square Garden (and I hope you did; if not, here are the highlights), this is clear:

Over the past week (has it only been a week?), the Lin story is the single-best NBA story I can remember.

Between Lin's multi-layered backstory (to review: Asian-American, Harvard, undrafted, cast-off) and his brilliant (and endearingly jubilant) on-court performances and the fact he's doing it in New York (for a team playing without its "stars") -- all magnified because he is doing it during that first slow sports week after the Super Bowl -- this has it all, culminating last night as Lin beat back the NBA's standard-bearer for individual excellence, Kobe Bryant, on national TV.

The euphoria has lasted longer than Michael Jordan's "double-nickel" comeback game. It has been more delightfully improbable than an 8-seed toppling a 1-seed in the playoffs (or even a hard-fought Lakers-Celtics playoff series). It has been more universally accessible than a scintillating stretch by a superstar (playoffs or regular season, it doesn't matter). And it has all happened in the span of 7 days -- from afterthought to the biggest sensation in the NBA, in just a week.

This is it, folks: This is as good as the NBA gets -- as good as sports gets, frankly.

Who knows how long this ride will last -- the expectations for Lin should be that he will torch the Timberwolves tonight, then excel once Amare Stoudemire returns to the team next week. The real challenge -- the one that everyone is looking to (if not looking forward to) -- is when Carmelo returns and tries to fit in with this new Lin-centric team. (If that is indeed a question, then it begs the question how Carmelo would have fit with Chris Paul joining the Knicks.)

Yahoo's Eric Freeman -- who has been watching Lin for a while -- made an interesting observation last night on Twitter: "The weird thing about Lin is I think he's more effective as a star than as a role player. It's been that way most of his basketball life."

The "Linsanity" phenomenon has been amazing this week. Lin is, most definitely, a star -- I think it's a given he should be added to the Rookie-Soph game at All-Star Weekend in two weeks. The question is whether the current stars of the team are ready to let him remain the Knicks' biggest sensation.

Be sure to pop by Quickish's Jeremy Lin stream to catch up on all the best commentary about Linsanity.

-- D.S.

02/09 (Duke!) Quickie

A couple weeks ago, I was playing in my weekly pick-up hoops game and -- for once -- was just shooting the lights out. It all culminated in a long jumpshot I made at game point (which even included me muttering "that's good" as the ball left my hand). I walked off the court feeling like a million bucks.

I can't believe how Austin Rivers must be feeling, after lighting up UNC for 29, the final 3 coming at the buzzer after a crazy Duke comeback on the Heels' home court. It was the Play of the Year in college basketball and the official arrival of Rivers -- a heralded freshman -- as a college hoops mega-star.

You don't want to put too much weight on any win or loss during a college basketball regular season -- at least as it relates to the NCAA Tournament, which is (sorry, UNC and Duke fans) all that matters when you get to the elite level. Duke is still too inconsistent; UNC has no heart.

But sometimes -- for the biggest rivalries or the great comebacks or the buzzer-beating moments or a star player coming into his own -- you can set that aside and simply revel in an amazing sports moment.

Meanwhile, Linsanity continues. The sports story of the week -- and NBA story of the year -- continued last night as Jeremy Lin came to D.C. and led the Knicks to another win, with yet another stellar performance. The combination of his play, his exuberance and the team obviously rallying around him -- not to mention the backstory that has everyone rooting for him -- is incredible.

It is a very open question what happens when Carmelo comes back. He is the alpha friend who isn't around when your group of pals goes on an amazing road trip or has a phenomenal night out, then comes back and says "Hey, I'm back!" and everyone else sort of looks up and says, "Well, honestly, we just had the best time ever, but you sort of had to be there." Things are never the same.

Are the Knicks better without Carmelo? We'll see -- it's unlikely, but chemistry is a fickle thing. Here's the reality: This team wasn't going to win a championship with Carmelo anyway. If the standard is Are the Knicks a solid playoff team? then I'm not sure they're better off with him if it means disrupting the flow of the rest of the team.

We've seen this movie before: The Knicks had a great collection of solid if not spectacular players who knew how to play well together; they traded most of that group for Carmelo, and now they are winning big together in Denver while Carmelo has led the depleted, Melo-focused Knicks all the way to the top of the list of East teams not in the playoffs right now.

If Carmelo can adapt his game to fit Lin's game -- yes, you read that right -- then the Knicks could surge into something special this spring. If Carmelo demands that the rest of the team -- including Lin -- change their new chemistry in order to accommodate Carmelo's ball-dominance, then they may find themselves looking back at this week of Linsanity as the best things got.

-- D.S.

02/08 (Linsanity) Quickie

I'll admit it: I'm a little obsessed with the Jeremy Lin phenomenon. It's only been two games -- his brilliant off-the-bench debut on Saturday, then his even-more-brilliant turn as a starter on Monday.

How big is Lin? He is featured on the front page of the New York Times today.

How amazing is Linsanity? The Knicks are playing the hapless 5-win Wizards tonight and even with Melo out with an injury and Amare out grieving for his brother, Knicks-Wizards is the most must-see NBA game of the day. Knicks-Wizards!

People have tried to capture his appeal, and it's because his combination of different backstories makes him universally accessible:

*He is Asian-American, an even bigger rarity in the NBA than a Jewish player.
*He is from Harvard, arguably an even bigger NBA rarity than being Asian-American!
*He went undrafted -- no team wanted him.
*He is an evangelical Christian -- although he doesn't flaunt it.
*He plays with emotion -- swagger: Fist-pumps, shouts, sly smiles after big plays.
*He plays in the media capital of the universe.

Any of those individual components would make him interesting. The combination makes him a phenomenon, peaking at precisely the right moment: The devoid days after the end of the football season, as the rest of the NBA struggles to catch its breath after the sprint-start to the season -- and heading into All-Star Weekend, where it is obvious that Lin will have to be a part of the Rookie-Sophomore game (this year, with mixed teams being picked by Shaq and Charles Barkley; I don't think it's unreasonable to suggest that one of them will pick Lin first.)

Lin has instantly become the best story in the NBA this season -- eclipsing even Ricky Rubio -- and he has already secured a place as one of the most fascinating athletes of 2012.

More:

*Kentucky crushes Florida: I think I said yesterday that UK would win by 20. They won by 20. I've been conditioned not to pick Kentucky to win the national title -- no matter how good they look in the regular season -- but this year may change that.

*Tonight: UNC-Duke. UNC is very good. Duke is just OK -- certainly overrated, and not close to the level of the top tier of teams this season. Coming off that home loss to Miami, they should get their doors blown off by a UNC team that poses match-up problems all over the place.

*NBA Last Night: Monta Ellis scores 48 in a close loss to the Thunder. Ellis is overpaid and a bit erratic, but he is on the short list of players who can go off for huge nights like last night.

*Paul Pierce passes Larry Bird on the Celtics' all-time scoring list: That's a big milestone -- The Truth has already established himself as one of the greatest Celtics of all time; that his No. 34 will hang in the rafters is obvious. The real question is: Does he finish his career in green?

*CFB: Memphis joining Big East. Much more interesting for basketball than football. If they're joining by 2013, I can't imagine Memphis coach Josh Pastner will still be there by the time they make the transition -- he's too hot of a coaching commodity to not head elsewhere.

Lots of good stuff at Quickish today. Give it a look!

-- D.S.

02/07 (SB Hangover) Quickie

It's always a bit startling how quickly the Super Bowl -- the preeminent sports event of the year -- sucks all the oxygen out of the room and then, faster than gameday itself, recedes.

This year, we're left with "legacy" talk -- which is a little ridiculous, particularly as it relates to Tom Brady. Did this Super Bowl loss taint Brady's legacy? Good grief: Of course not.

If Brady (and Belichick) had never won a Super Bowl? Perhaps. But that's not the case: At this point, another championship is gravy -- Brady and Belichick are in the unique position where merely making the Super Bowl adds (and can never detract) from their "legacy."

As for Eli (and Tom Coughlin), of course a Super Bowl ring -- sorry: another Super Bowl ring -- enhances their status in the sport. But "Super Bowl champ" doesn't properly account for what makes the Manning-Coughlin Super Bowl wins stand out: How they won.

I'm left less interested in figuring out where Manning or Brady fit in history -- let alone how they rank order within that history -- than appreciating one of the most dramatic Super Bowls ever.

Superlative: Want a legacy for Super Bowl XLVI? It was the most-watched Super Bowl ever. Its halftime show was the most watched ever. Ha: Remember when NFL pundits were worried about the impact of a protracted lockout? The NFL has never been stronger.

Gisele-gate: First, I don't blame her. Second, you can't expect this story NOT to get blown so out of proportion as to redefine "out of proportion." She's a supermodel. He's the NFL's biggest star. He lost devastatingly in the most-watched sports event of all time. The winning team's media outlets specialize in sensationalism (and hating Boston). Again: I don't blame her.

Kobe: Cracks the Top 5 all-time NBA scoring list. I love his reaction: "I'm not asking for too much, man. Just give me a sixth ring, damn it." (But you just know climbing that list matters to him, particularly passing Shaq.) Watching archival Kobe footage with my kids this morning, it dawned on me that my entire post-college adult life has tracked with Kobe's NBA career. And damn if he isn't still bringing it nightly.

Jeremy Lin Mania (aka "Linsanity"): Lin putting up 25 as the Knicks' surprise super-sub this past weekend was fun. Lin putting up 28 as the Knicks' starting point guard last night officially vaults him into position as the most interesting, exciting and must-see story in the NBA this season. I have to believe the NBA will put him in the "Rookie-Soph" Game during All-Star Weekend, and the NBA's version of the Singularity will occur when Lin matches up with Ricky Rubio, another spectacular storyline this season. But Linsanity, wow. (Trivia: I once owned the domain name "Vinsanity.com." That was a long time ago.)

NFL: Steelers hire Todd Haley as O.C. He's one of those NFL coaches who is way better as an assistant than a head coach. Still: The Steelers do things a very specific way -- Haley never struck me as a "do it their way" kind of guy. Then again, the Steelers jettisoned their old O.C. regime because it was no longer working, so maybe this fresh infusion of ideas will help. The Steelers aren't so far away from winning an AFC title that massive changes are necessary; then again, they did get bounced from the playoffs as humiliatingly as possible. (But that was the defense's fault, not the offense's fault.)

College Hoops: I'm back on the Mizzou bandwagon. Tonight: Kentucky gets its toughest test of the season when Florida comes to Rupp. This is exactly the kind of game that Florida typically loses by 20. But they present a few interesting match-up problems: First, they rely heavily on three-point shooting, which mitigates Anthony Davis' shot-blocking near the rim. Second, Florida's big man Murphy shoots 3s, which will draw Davis out away from the basket. Third, Patric Young is by far the strongest player Davis has seen this season. However! Florida's three-point shooting, however excellent, can be streaky, particularly on the road. Oh, and Florida is a terrible free-throw shooting team. Not that free throws matter when you're down 20 in front of 20,000 rabid Kentucky fans. More than you wanted to know.

Give Quickish a look today -- tons to see from yesterday's Super Bowl post-mortem and a lot to see today.

-- D.S.

02/06 (Champion Giants) Quickie

When your rooting interest is "Anyone but the Pats" (and for many, I'm sure, "Anyone but New York") what you really want in a Super Bowl is a good game, a thrilling finish, a bit of historical significance (ideally superlative) and a signature moment.

That's what we got; the game was entirely satisfying, right down to the Hail Mary that undoubtedly had most of the country on their feet thinking "Yes, I totally can see this touchdown happening."

Before that, the strangest touchdown in Super Bowl history -- Bill Belichick making the entirely correct call to let the Giants score so the Pats would get the ball back with enough time to mount a last-minute charge, then the Giants (or Ahmad Bradshaw) seemingly not realizing this, heading toward the goal line, then freezing himself, just before toppling over, his teammates stunned and a hundred million fans saying "There is TOTALLY enough time for the Pats to win."

And before that, one of the greatest individual plays in the history of the Super Bowl -- "Manning to Manningham," the improbable bomb that took the Giants from 88 yards away to the inevitability of a score to take the lead with almost no time remaining, all based on a tap dance by an afterthought wide receiver making not just the catch of his life, but -- if not for Tyree's Greatest Catch Ever -- the greatest catch in the history of the Giants franchise (and one of the tops in NFL history).

And Tom Brady falling short -- not just on that last-minute drive, but specifically on that overthrow of Wes Welker... a pass Welker should have caught, yes, but a pass that Brady should have made easier for Welker to catch. The missed connection will haunt them both. Brady is arguably the greatest competitor of his generation; to miss out on a second Super Bowl title by one or two plays (to the same team, no less) might eat at him more than the three rings satisfy him.

And Eli Manning playing fantastic -- again. Granted, the Pats defense was not nearly as challenging as the Giants' defense was for Brady, but let's not take away from Eli, who now has two rings in just about the most dramatic way he could earn them -- not to mention earning a permanent place within the game's "elite," the tag that dogged him all season (and maybe his entire career).

It isn't just the rings -- as impressive as they might be. It is the WAY he earned them, with steady play and two career-defining throws -- Tyree's catch might have been more miraculous than Manningham's (although that is up for debate), but Manning's throw to Tyree -- a Hail Mary, really -- is a distant second to Manningham in terms of technical difficulty. Eli's place in history is secure; in the ridiculous "Peyton or Eli" debate, give me Eli. Both will end up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

And perhaps the most intriguing bit of history: The Giants became the first team to finish 9-7 in the regular season to win the Super Bowl. This was a championship team, no question; their path in the playoffs was as difficult as any champion of the modern era. But they were a stumble away from missing the playoffs entirely. That said, they were built for a championship run, as long as they cleared that hurdle. The overriding lesson? Every team has a reasonable chance to make the playoffs; 9-7 isn't an impossible standard. And, if they do and they have the specific right pieces, every team has a reasonable chance to go on that 4-game run to win a title. It is the climactic moment of parity.

In the end, I think we will look back and savor this one -- it set a new standard for satisfying Super Bowls.

And, finally, a quick bit about the ads:

*I'm partial to Volkswagen after their amazing ad last year was followed up this year -- this year's VW ad was just the typical "aww, cute" until the kicker when they went to the Star Wars cantina and they had the villainy watching the ad, with one guy muttering "the dog was better than the Vader kid," a great reference to last year.

*The Doritos ad with the dog that used Doritos to bribe his owner not to say he killed the cat was No. 1 on the USA Today "Ad Meter," and it was a great choice -- it was funny and it had the requisite animal theme. Best of all, it was made by an "amateur," beating out all those pricey spots made by the advertising "professionals."

*In the end, both the Seinfeld/Acura and Ferris Bueller/Honda ads lost a bit of punch for having been released earlier in the week. That said, there were 100 million people who had never seen them before, and I'm sure they kept people's attention (if more for the entertainment value than the brands themselves).

*If you're of a certain age, it was hard not to love the Met Life ad that featured the shots of all the cartoon characters. Brilliantly, they are releasing "outtakes," like this one involving Voltron doing some breakdancing during a pause in filmmaking.

*Teleflora and GoDaddy and Fiat (and, yes, H&M) were pandering and dumb.

*I thought the Clint Eastwood ad sounded like an ad for President Obama's re-election campaign.

So many amazing tips at Quickish: Great post-game columns from Bruce Arthur, Dan Wetzel, Will Leitch and more (with more coming); the best Tweets from the game; front pages from triumphalist New York; the night-winning ads and more. Please give it a look (and pass it around).

Congrats to Giants fans. Condolences to Pats fans. For the rest of us, it was just about as good as we could hope for.

-- D.S.

02/05 (Super Bowl Sunday) Quickie

Rooting for the Giants (uh, technically I'm rooting for the Anyone-But-The-Pats), but...picking the Pats (Pats 30, Giants 27).

Pop by Quickish during the game for the very best of the real-time commentary about the game, the ads, the scene and more.

-- D.S.

02/03 (Super Bowl) Quickie

And away we go...

Rooting for the Giants, if only because I'm rooting against the Patriots. But, alas, I think the Patriots are going to win, even without a full-strength Rob Gronkowski.

(It's not quite a "Rematch" in the sense that we'd all like it to be -- or that Alabama-LSU was -- but enough of the principals are still there that I still like the "revenge > repeat" mentality.)

Super Bowl MVP: Tom Brady.

The ad everyone will be talking about will be... Volkswagen. They had the best ad last year and released a "teaser" for this year's ad that is better than 99% of the ads we'll see.

However! My favorite ad is one you won't even see...unless you live in Canada, where Budweiser has produced a hockey-flavored spot that would win the Ad Bowl if it played in the U.S., even if most American fans couldn't care less about hockey. Check it out. Amazing.

Super Bowl Halftime: Everyone will be totally satisfied with Madonna, who was perfectly adept during her press conference yesterday (it was the media that was the joke, with the exception of the reporter who asked Madonna about A-Rod's portrait of himself as a centaur).

Peyton Manning cleared to play: Or so he says. Jim Irsay tweeted out in the middle of the night that the Colts haven't cleared anything. Let's hope the Colts cut Manning as soon as they can -- like ripping off a Band-Aid -- rather than trying to massage what will be an awkward split.

Josh Hamilton reportedly has a relapse, with reports that he was in a bar drinking on Monday night: Sad story -- this happens. Let's not judge him; alcoholism is a disease that he continues to battle every day. It still has such a strong hold on him that he'd even walk into a local bar -- knowing he'd be spotted -- and proceed to fall off the wagon. Let's hope he continues to seek help.

MLB Hot Stove: Nats sign Edwin Jackson. I trust Joe Sheehan (you absolutely should subscribe to Sheehan's baseball newsletter, which just started its new season earlier this week and will give you 200+ emails over the next 52 weeks that will make you a smarter, better fan -- cannot recommend it more), and Sheehan has been making a great argument all Hot Stove season that Jackson was the best value on the board of any free agent. The Nats picked up a solid innings-eater -- as good of a No. 4 starter as any team in baseball has, including the Phillies -- at very low risk... just a single year at $10 million, with Jackson having every incentive (free agency again next season) to pitch at his best.

CFB: Jim Tressel gets a job at Akron -- "Vice President of Strategic Engagement," which is the best fake-sounding title in the history of college football (and perhaps anywhere). If you think Tressel doesn't end up back on his feet with a program, you don't understand college football.

NBA All-Star Starters: Hard to quibble with the East (Rose, Wade, LeBron, Carmelo, Howard), although I might not argue Carmelo has had an "All-Star starter" first half, given the injuries and his team's lousy performance. In the West, an LA-heavy squad (CP3, Kobe, Durant, Griffin, Bynum), with my only quibble that Kevin Love deserves a start, which I'd give him ahead of Bynum (and just have Griffin start out the game guarding D12).

CBB: Murray State remains unbeaten. I love this story, even if I'm confounded how far they will go in the NCAA Tournament. The Racers are 53rd(!) in KenPom's rankings (which are math-driven and, for my money, the gold standard), which means they are a double-digit seed that will -- if they stay unbeaten -- earn a Top 4 seeding (and a match-up against a fiesty 13-seed, followed by either a 5-seed or, if form holds, a talented 12-seed). They are a great story; I won't be picking them to get out of the first weekend -- and maybe not even the first day.

Reminder: While you are watching the Super Bowl on TV -- and maybe even checking Twitter and/or Facebook -- don't forget to pop by Quickish during the game for "just-enough" updates of the very best of the in-game chatter, mostly weeding out the dumb stuff from Twitter or live-blogs and only giving you the gems. And please tell friends!

Meanwhile, tons of great Super Bowl recommendations all day (and all weekend) long -- please check it out! Enjoy the game.

-- D.S.

02/01 (Signing Day) Quickie

Count me among the folks who enjoy National Signing Day, that college football recruiting bonanza when high school stars affirm their commitment to schools -- and a handful of uncommitted players make their announcements on national TV.

It's not that it isn't a little creepy. But the professionalization of college football recruiting -- at least a decade in -- has happened, and there's no going back to whatever it was before superstar 18-year-olds took a podium surrounded by family and picked from a couple of hats. The only question now is which players take the ceremony to a new level -- not unlike the way Isaiah Crowell pulled out an actual bulldog puppy when he announced for Georgia last year. That was, inarguably, the greatest moment in National Signing Day history.

Here's what I'd like to see: National Signing Day ceremonies for top-ranked high school engineering students or pre-med or journalism get the same hat ceremony. Why? Because it's fun, and it's a thrill for the kids.

More:

Super Bowl Media Day: The big story was Rob Gronkowski's ankle, which appears better than it was a week ago but still unknown whether it will be good to go on Sunday. The Patriots sure won't be giving anything away. I think there's no question he plays -- the only question is how effective he is. Without a full-strength Gronk, the Pats' offense isn't nearly as devastating.

(Otherwise, Media Day was kind of a dud.)

Peyton Manning Watch: Manning claims he feels good and thinks he'll play again. My default is to assume he might remain in the league but will never reach his All-Pro status again. Frankly, I think that even if he is cleared to play and is a high-profile signing for some QB-strapped team, he is going to get injured quickly and mercilessly and either be entirely ineffective or KO'ed altogether. That's certainly a shame -- for him, for the team that signs him, for his many fans. It's just the reality: What Peyton said yesterday is, at worst, wishful thinking and, at best, spin.

-- D.S.

01/31 (Media Day) Quickie

A bit about Super Bowl Media Day, but first...

Holy smokes, did you see Blake Griffin's dunk over Kendrick Perkins from last night? Gah!

With that as a wake-up call, we can dig in to Media Day, which has become a tradition all to itself of Super Bowl week (almost as much of a tradition as complaining about Media Day).

Here is the reality: Reporters still get a week's worth of stories out of the group availability (Pats from 10-11, Giants from 12-1).

But in a real-time world, what is said during Media Day is instantly news (and, yes, the dumb stunts also get some attention -- for a company that cares deeply about how its product is produced and promoted, it seems counterproductive for the NFL to encourage the sideshow freaks of Media Day.) This was clear when I covered it for Quickish last January.

In the end, Media Day isn't a necessary evil, because it is neither necessary nor evil. It is, however, the most appropriate testament to the excess of the week.

More:

*Once again: Blake Griffin's dunk.

*CFB: Tomorrow is National Signing Day, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I get into it over the final 48 hours or so.

*NBA: This is a day late, but one quick observation about the Heat-Bulls game from Sunday -- normally, I think that regular-season match-ups are entirely overrated. But that one felt like foreshadowing for late March.

*Pop Culture: How do you feel about Honda's Super Bowl ad featuring Matthew Broderick and a remake/rip-off of "Ferris Bueller?" I appreciate those who find it blasphemous, but note that Honda is going to own this week of Super Bowl ad hype because of it.

*Recommended: No, highly recommended -- Joe Sheehan's baseball newsletter is entering its new season, and I think it was the best $30 I spent last year. If you're a big baseball fan, it's a no-brainer. And if you're a casual baseball fan, it will increase your appreciation and enjoyment of the game exponentially. (And if you know a baseball fan, it's a fantastic gift.) Subscribe here.

*In case you missed it: There were several outstanding pieces written off the epic Djokovic-Nadal Aussie Open men's final. Check them out here.

But, really, Blake Griffin. Yikes.

-- D.S.

01/27 (Friday) Quickie

Peyton Manning vs. Jim Irsay: The cynic in me thinks that this is orchestrated to minimize the damage stemming from the inevitability of Peyton leaving/the Colts booting him.

But I suspect I overestimate the machinations of even the canny Manning and the loony Irsay.

What should be obvious to everyone -- and welcome to Colts fans -- is that the Colts should dump Manning, replacing his injured neck* and his massive salary for a spry, ready-to-takeover Andrew Luck and his reasonable rookie deal.

* - I'm baffled that reporters and fans think that a free-agent Manning is something to seek out. There is no evidence that he will be ready to return to NFL form (let alone Manning form!) next season. In fact, until proven otherwise, he is less useful than a backup QB, who at least could take a hit without worrying you'll break his neck. I wouldn't sign Manning, even if I was the most QB-depleted team in the league. And that's not even considering what he'll demand in costs.

I appreciate that Colts fans are attached to Manning. I also hope THEY appreciate that few teams ever get such an obvious, easy and affordable succession plan -- there will be no awkward situation where the expensive vet continues to start while the future sits and waits (and perhaps pouts). If the Colts didn't have Luck lined up, perhaps it would be a different conversation. But they do, and that means they have the ideal replacement -- immediately -- for Manning. I suspect most Colts fans are nostalgic about Manning leaving but absolutely thrilled about Luck.

Let's put it this way: If you asked most Colts fans what they would rather have -- Manning coming off a career-threatening neck injury that has yet to be proven he is healed from (at $26 million) or rookie Luck in full health and as ready to start immediately in the NFL as any college QB in the history of the sport (and at a bargain rate) -- they would take Luck.

Please give Quickish a look today, and thanks for your continued support. Have a great weekend.

-- D.S.

01/26 (Paterno) Quickie

The public memorial for Joe Paterno is today. Best thing I've read about Paterno in the last 24 hours is Wright Thompson's walk-around with Jay Paterno.

If you are following the Paterno story, I'd also recommend Jonathan Mahler's just-published Kindle Single "Death Comes to Happy Valley." Well worth the $1.99.

More:

*Greg Schiano leaves Rutgers for the Bucs: It's the Northwestern alum and Gary Barnett fan in me that thinks that it is infinitely harder to turn around a historically wretched college football program than it is to steer the ship at an existing or underperforming traditional winner. I appreciate that college coaches going to the NFL is, aside from Harbaugh, an iffy proposition. I think Schiano becomes one of the exceptions and does well.

*Colts hire Ravens DC Chuck Pagano: He gets the cushion of being the Colts' first coach in the post-Peyton era AND the benefit of starting that era with the most NFL-ready college QB of the last 30 years (which includes Peyton). Good hire by the Colts.

*Nadal beats Federer: A great match, one that started live at 3:30 a.m. ET, making it all the more fun to watch (if you were willing to get up and sneak peeks in between hitting the snooze button), particularly that it concluded during breakfast.

*The most interesting result in the NBA last night: The Cavs beating the Knicks by 10. The Knicks are terrible -- even worse given the expectations set up by importing Carmelo and Amare. Is it possible that Knicks fans feel even worse than Wizards fans? (Yes!)

*Hot Stove: Lidge to Nats. The Nationals might have missed out on Prince Fielder, but they shored up an already potent young bullpen by signing Brad Lidge, who will provide a steady veteran presence and put the bullpen in the Top 3 in the NL. With a solid top 3 in the rotation (Strasburg, Zimmermann, Gonzalez) and a 'pen that is lights out if the starters can take a lead through 6 innings, the Nats look like a darkhorse playoff team in '12.

*College hoops last night: So much for the Mizzou bandwagon. That lasted all of -- what? -- 5 days. Losing at Oklahoma State -- motivated beyond belief -- doesn't mean that Mizzou isn't fiesty enough to make the Final Four. But it IS one of those losses that makes you wonder when you're deciding if Mizzou makes it through the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight.

-- D.S.

01/25 (Garyland) Quickie

Another day in my new life in DC, another big sports event here I won't be attending in person. This time it is tonight's Gary Williams court dedication at Maryland.

Like all my rooting interests, I have a complicated relationship with Maryland. I grew up a huge Maryland basketball fan -- Len Bias was and will always be my favorite player ever. I was 13 when he died. The next few years were spent in the purgatory of Bob Wade, then the NCAA sanctions. Then Gary Williams arrived -- I was 16.

By the time I was mostly through college, Williams had resuscitated the program, mining Baltimore for top prospects willing to bring Maryland back to glory: Booth. Rhodes. Simpkins. The unexpectedly sublime game of Joe Smith. The foundation of what would come a half-dozen years later, when Maryland would push Duke to its limits in 2001, the Terps forging themselves into the team that would, in 2002, win the school's first and only national title. It was Gary Williams' finest achievement -- it was Maryland's finest sports moment.

From there, it was a slow descent over a decade to the sorry state of the program now -- certainly better than when Williams found it in the late-80s. But nowhere near where it was during the peak of his effort -- the mid-90s through that championship season.

Maryland basketball maintains a special place for me -- as does Gary Williams, for delivering that championship I don't think any fans ever thought would come. For a really good retrospective of Williams, check out this from just after he retired, by the Baltimore Sun's supremely talented columnist, Kevin Van Valkenburg.

-- D.S.

1/24 (Quicker) Quickie

*Super Bowl lead-up: Yes, yes, we get it -- Pats-Giants Rematch. Boston-New York. Anyone else already sick of that storyline? Get used to it.

*Pop Culture: Oscar nominations came out this morning and "Moneyball" earning Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor noms make it the most Oscar-acclaimed baseball movie ever (and one of the most Oscar-acclaimed sports movies ever).

*Peyton Manning: Says he has no idea what's next. Says he's going to talk about it with Jim Irsay. Says he would like to stay but realizes he probably won't get to. More indications he's gone.

*Tim Thomas: Thomas has the right to do what he wants (and say what he wants). I think it's less disrespectful to the President (or the office of the President or even the American people who the President represents) than it is disrespectful to his teammates -- first, for putting his own interests ahead of the team's and not joining them, despite his reservations, and second, for creating a situation where everyone is ignoring what should be a great day for his team and teammates to concentrate exclusively on his unnecessarily inflammatory gesture and rhetoric.

*Wozniacki out in Australia: We can finally stop talking about her being the least-qualified No. 1 player in women's tennis history. She'll lose the ranking next week. (If you haven't been watching the Aussie Open, the upcoming Nadal-Federer semifinal will be your must-see.)

*CFB: Navy joining the Big East (three years from now). Good fit all around.

*Best Thing I Read Yesterday: SBNation's Spencer Hall on Joe Paterno, the best of the (largely, very good) Paterno retrospectives of the past 48 hours.

*Also Very Good: Slate's Stefan Fatsis -- who literally wrote the book on kickers in the NFL -- had an excellent (and spontaneous) three-part series about ill-fated Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff that had a surprise ending.

-- D.S.

01/23 (Too Much) Quickie

RIP Joe Paterno: In the end, the child sexual-abuse scandal and dismissal made the first paragraph of Paterno's obituary, right alongside sweeping declarations about the scope and success of his legendary (if tarnished) career.

I'm left feeling bad for him that his final months were so painful -- while still reserving the right to begrudge him the way he handled the Sandusky situation. As fans, we can feel both things for him, and his legacy should consider both.

It remains a sad day for his family, for Penn State fans and for college football fans everywhere -- my condolences are with the Paternos and JoePa's vastly larger Penn State family.

*There is an incredible collection of Paterno obituaries, analysis and reflection at Quickish. Click here to check it out.

Super Bowl: Pats vs. Giants. Yes, the rematch. Yes, Tom Brady vs. Eli Manning. Yes, Bill Belichick against Tom Coughlin, who foiled the perfect season. And, yes, Boston versus New York, which should send the rest of the country scurrying for cover.

NFC: Giants escape San Francisco in OT. Others have said it, and it's worth repeating -- so the NFC title came down to the 49ers not having Ted Ginn available? This doesn't take away from Jim Harbaugh's first season as an NFL head coach -- the most brilliant NFL debut by a head coach in recent memory. The Giants put together the least impressive regular season of any team ever to get to the Super Bowl -- far less qualified than a 6-seed Wild Card like the Steelers a few years ago. Then again, the Giants have played brilliantly in the postseason and more than earned their way with wins over the Falcons, Packers and 49ers -- the final two on the road -- in consecutive weeks. They are worthy conference champs.

AFC: Ravens choke against the Pats. Let's stipulate that even if Billy Cundiff had made the field goal, there is no guarantee the Ravens win in OT. But let's say the win the toss, then kick a FG, then hold the Pats to a FG, then kick another FG. The point is that if you hate the Patriots, this was a tough loss. But if you like the idea that the league's best coach and the league's best QB earned their way back into the Super Bowl for the 5th time in the past decade with a win over a very good conference foe, you're happy enough. (But you're probably feeling a bit like you did a few years ago -- hoping they'll lose to the Giants in an upset.)

*Again, there is an incredible collection of NFL analysis this morning at Quickish. Click here to check it out.

CFB: Oregon's Chip Kelly reportedly leaving for NFL's Bucs, then flips around and stays at Oregon. As a Florida fan, this is reminiscent of when Billy Donovan left after the back-to-back championships for the Magic, only to come back to Florida the next day. Kelly didn't go quite that far -- his interest in the NFL is clear (I think he'd be an excellent NFL coach, way more Harbaugh than Spurrier), but he's got a good thing going in Eugene... arguably as good of a thing as any coach in the country, including Saban at Alabama (which feels like the gold standard). Too bad for the Bucs -- great news for college football in '12, where the budding Oregon-USC rivalry should be the marquee showdown of the season.

College hoops this weekend: I watched most of Mizzou's win over Baylor in Waco, and I'm ready to hop on the Tigers' bandwagon as a very legitimate Final Four team, size issues be damned.

-- D.S.