So on an impulse after the Buckeyes' basketball Championship loss, I said I wouldn't cut my hair until a Cleveland / Ohio State team (this means: the Cavs, Indians, Browns, Buckeyes basketball and football) wins their respective championship. This was inspired by Michael Vick’s proclamation a few years ago that he wouldn’t cut his hair until the Falcons won a Super Bowl. This move is probably ill-advised, but I'll stick to my word. I'll get it trimmed every now and then (because my afro still has to look nice and shaped!) but don't worry, it'll grow.
The Sports Gods tell me that I won’t have to wait for too long, looking at the recent prowess of the Cavs, Indians, and Browns (kidding). Here are some dates when it could go down:
June 2007 - Led by LeBron Raymone James, the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Detroit Pistons in a 6-game series to advance to the NBA Finals. The series begins with a little drama, as suspended referee Joey Crawford sneaks into the game and attempts to fight Rasheed Wallace. Overcome with anger and rage, Wallace’s head explodes, leaving the Pistons left to rely on former University of Michigan standout and timeout extraordinaire, Chris Webber. Drew Gooden’s soul patch on the back of his head proves to be too complicated for this U of M standout to comprehend (some education) and Gooden has a monster series. The Cavs then proceed to defeat the Phoenix Suns in a 7-game thriller. Despite James' numbers of 44.6 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 8.8 assists per game, writers unanimously vote Steve Nash for Finals MVP.
October 2007 - After a relatively disappointing start to the season, Travis Hafner finishes runner-up in the MVP voting. Hafner’s performance is only topped by teammate Grady Sizemore, who, despite being bombarded by his fan club “Grady's Ladies” in a game against the Chicago White Sox (which causes him to miss 2 weeks of the season due to an elbow injury and/or sheer embarrassment from being tackled by a bunch of horny 15-year old girls), hits .328 with 37 home runs, 106 RBI and 25 stolen bases. Behind Hafner, Sizemore, and Cy Young Award runner-up C.C. Sabathia, the Tribe marches its way past the Detroit Tigers and the Evil Empire to face the Atlanta Braves in a rematch of the 1995 World Series. A major factor is the Braves’ inability to hit Indians pitching. Much of this can be attributed to Jeff Francoeur, who refuses to ever take a pitch and goes hitless for the Series. The Braves don’t have David Justice at their disposal this time, which allows the Indians to take the series in 5.
January 2008 – The Buckeyes overcome the overwhelming odds of returning to the BCS national championship game after Troy Smith and company leave for the NFL. Led by the popular dual quarterback system with Todd Boeckman and Antonio Hinton at the helm, this OSU team looks reminiscent of the dual QB-led Florida team of last year. The glaring difference is that Ohio State relies on the size of junior All-American receiver Brian Robiskie and star running back Chris “Beanie” Wells as opposed to speed, which they lack. Ohio State plays a talented Southern California squad, which boasts All-Americans at 11 of the 22 starting spots. Similar to the 2007 Championship game, the favorite (USC) grossly underestimates the underdog (OSU), and doesn’t adequately prepare for the tricks up Jim Tressel’s sleeve. Ohio State wins and might I add, USC loses. Pete Carroll swears for the umpteenth time that he’s not interested in an NFL job, and then heads for Detroit to coach the 1-15 Lions. He likes a wide receiver – maybe Robiskie – in the upcoming draft. O.J. Mayo forces himself on the field in the 4th quarter and is met with a barrage of boos, which are only subdued by the sweet, melodic, lyrical dexterity of USC basketball’s own, Lil’ Romeo (I’m not making this up, he’s playing basketball for USC next year).
February 2008 – In Belichick-esque fashion, Romeo Crennel wins coach of the year as he leads Brady Quinn, a rejuvenated Jamal Lewis, and a young, but talented 3-4 Defense all the way to the Super Bowl. No one could have predicted it, but I, who said it all along. The season changing moment is during the Browns first game against the Steelers, in which Cleveland is in the process of getting demolished by its arch-rival (once again). Quinn isn’t throwing the ball to Braylon Edwards enough, which causes the spoiled #1 receiver to throw a massive fit of bitching and complaining on the sidelines, befitting behavior of one who once frequented the halls of the University of Michigan. As Edwards goes on his tirade, Kellen Winslow II comes to the rescue. As we later discover, Winslow, really is a bona fide U.S. Marine soldier. He goes after Edwards’ legs. Edwards comes right back at him in a war for the ages. The important thing to take from this fight is that Winslow instills much needed toughness into Braylon, who as a result finishes with a Pro Bowl season. In the Super Bowl against the New Orleans Saints, Brady Quinn gets hurt in the first quarter, giving the opportunity for Charlie “Chaz” Frye to shine. Despite Reggie Bush’s 400 all-purpose yards (150 rushing, 100 receiving, 150 returning), both has-been Jamal Lewis and never-was Chaz Frye end up hoisting the Super Bowl trophy.
April 2008 – Scenario A: Greg Oden and Mike Conley Jr. return for their sophomore seasons. Oden, who seems to have mysteriously aged 10 more years since the past season, averages 30 points, 20 rebounds, and 7 blocks per game. Ohio State never loses a contest as they breeze past each opponent as Mr. Oden delivers O.J. Mayo a much-needed and much-overdue reality check in the Championship Game.
Scenario B: Oden, Conley, and Daequan Cook leave for the NBA. David Lighty scores 20 points per game for the season and Kosta Koufos establishes himself as a force to be reckoned with at center. After an easy road to the Championship Game, beating #13 Cleveland State University, #12 Charlotte, #9 Xavier, #10 Florida, and #5 Duke in the tourney, they knock off the UCLA Bruins, who become cursed with making it to the Final Four every year and losing.
**So by a year from now, every major Cleveland/Ohio State team will have probably won their respective championship. My question for you is this: is this just a sheer delusional Cleveland fan talking? Well, yes. But do these teams actually have a shot? I think so, and you should too. I don’t want my hair to get TOO long…
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Tribe Update
I really liked the way we had been playing before the whole snowout debacle of last weekend. I went to the game in Chicago last Thursday, and even though we lost I was impressed with the way we worked pitchers, controlled the running game, and did a lot of the things we failed to do last season.
(Lets just say I was not impressed with US Cellular. Terrible sightlines with pillars blocking the view to the field, belligerent, AJ Pierzynski-loving South Siders, and an organ player infatuated with Gwen Stefani and Fall Out Boy made it a experience to forget.)
Anyway, the next day I got on a bus back home to Cleveland expecting to take in the game on Saturday at the Jake. When I heard about the opener being cancelled I was actually thrilled, because that meant I had an opportunity to witness live a rare Opening Day doubleheader. Of course that didn't happen on Saturday, Sunday or even Monday, but by that point I was back in Chicago anyway. I felt cheated. So when I heard that the Indians had made the genius move to shift the Angels series to Miller Park, I felt like I had a final chance at redemption. Mere hours later I was off to Milwaukee.
(Miller Park was a very impressive stadium, but its hard to talk about that game without mentioning the Brewers' single greatest mistake; they grossly miscalculated the amount of fans who would show up and consequently didn't staff enough concessions workers or order enough food. I don't think anyone waited in a concession line for less than 40 minutes. I waited 45 for three brats, and then had to walk halfway around the stadium just looking for some ketchup. 10 dollar tickets were great, but it still would have been nice to not miss 4 innings of the game in line.)
I came to the game expecting anything. The whole situation was so surreal, a mix of Indians, Brewers, Angels, Blue Jays, Cubs and White Sox fans had all driven up to take in the game. Our cabbie said that the traffic getting into the park was worse than the last two Brewers games; this was certainly not what David Dellucci imagined when he predicted there would be less fans here than at little league games. In this kind of atmosphere, after such a long layoff, it was tough to imagine how the Indians couldn't have lost their momentum, their edge, and their focus.
Not with this team.
The Indians came out of the gates strong, doing the same things they had done in the Chicago series: be patient on offense, play strong defense, and pay attention to runners. Josh Barfield in particular made a great play getting to a rocket ground ball and turning two at a point in the game where the Angels were really threatening. Kelly Shoppach gunned down a stealing Erick Aybar to end the game, and everyone went home happy. Momentum preserved.
Now we're 5-3 and coming up on the rubber match with the Sox at Jacobs Field. Pending the weather, CC is up again against Jose Contreras, who the Tribe lit up on opening day. A win to end the homestand would be huge as we begin an 8 game road trip starting in Yankee Stadium.
Lets Go Pronk.
(More on Westbrook's new contract and the implications of the Seattle snowout later)
(Lets just say I was not impressed with US Cellular. Terrible sightlines with pillars blocking the view to the field, belligerent, AJ Pierzynski-loving South Siders, and an organ player infatuated with Gwen Stefani and Fall Out Boy made it a experience to forget.)
Anyway, the next day I got on a bus back home to Cleveland expecting to take in the game on Saturday at the Jake. When I heard about the opener being cancelled I was actually thrilled, because that meant I had an opportunity to witness live a rare Opening Day doubleheader. Of course that didn't happen on Saturday, Sunday or even Monday, but by that point I was back in Chicago anyway. I felt cheated. So when I heard that the Indians had made the genius move to shift the Angels series to Miller Park, I felt like I had a final chance at redemption. Mere hours later I was off to Milwaukee.
(Miller Park was a very impressive stadium, but its hard to talk about that game without mentioning the Brewers' single greatest mistake; they grossly miscalculated the amount of fans who would show up and consequently didn't staff enough concessions workers or order enough food. I don't think anyone waited in a concession line for less than 40 minutes. I waited 45 for three brats, and then had to walk halfway around the stadium just looking for some ketchup. 10 dollar tickets were great, but it still would have been nice to not miss 4 innings of the game in line.)
I came to the game expecting anything. The whole situation was so surreal, a mix of Indians, Brewers, Angels, Blue Jays, Cubs and White Sox fans had all driven up to take in the game. Our cabbie said that the traffic getting into the park was worse than the last two Brewers games; this was certainly not what David Dellucci imagined when he predicted there would be less fans here than at little league games. In this kind of atmosphere, after such a long layoff, it was tough to imagine how the Indians couldn't have lost their momentum, their edge, and their focus.
Not with this team.
The Indians came out of the gates strong, doing the same things they had done in the Chicago series: be patient on offense, play strong defense, and pay attention to runners. Josh Barfield in particular made a great play getting to a rocket ground ball and turning two at a point in the game where the Angels were really threatening. Kelly Shoppach gunned down a stealing Erick Aybar to end the game, and everyone went home happy. Momentum preserved.
Now we're 5-3 and coming up on the rubber match with the Sox at Jacobs Field. Pending the weather, CC is up again against Jose Contreras, who the Tribe lit up on opening day. A win to end the homestand would be huge as we begin an 8 game road trip starting in Yankee Stadium.
Lets Go Pronk.
(More on Westbrook's new contract and the implications of the Seattle snowout later)
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Results of David's Thoughts & Predictions
I made a few notes a couple months ago on the college basketball season. Now that the season national champion has been crowned, it’s time to evaluate how I did. Some of these predictions make this proud member of the Sporting Itis look like an absolute mastermind – a Nostradamus of sorts – while others show my apparent intelligence similar to the likes of Billy Packer (This is Not a Compliment). That’s for you, the reader, to decide:
1) “This group of freshmen is possibly the best class ever… If most of them stay in school for more than just a year or two, they will finally replenish the well of talent that had been relatively dry for the past few years in college basketball.”
-The freshmen as a whole performed admirably over the stretch of the regular
season, but as we take a look at their impact during tournament play, look at the remaining teams in the Final Four. Only one team, Ohio State, played several freshmen and senior veteran Ron Lewis had to bail out this squad out along the way. It will be intriguing to see who stays. While Javaris Crittenden and Thaddeus Young should stay and develop their game, they’ll probably go. While Mike Conley Jr. says he is returning to school, he should probably go to maximize his draft position. Mixed feelings from potential top draft picks, Greg Oden and Kevin Durant, tells me that one of them could potentially stick around for another year (Oden is less likely now after his monstrous championship game performance).
2) “The Pac 10 is on the rise… Barring unforeseen injuries, UCLA, Oregon, and Arizona will go far in the NCAA Tournament with their experienced stars.”
- Oregon made it to the Elite 8, losing to Florida. UCLA made it to the Final 4, again losing to Florida. Even with its influx of talent, Arizona never played as a cohesive unit and lost to Purdue in the 1st round. In fact, their only experienced star was Mustafa Shakur, and over his career he had been known as being wildly inconsistent.
3) “When this game [between OSU and Wisconsin] is played in Columbus, the Buckeyes will come on top as a result of the others finally gelling with Mr. Oden. However, the Badgers will get the last laugh in the Big Ten Championship game in Chicago, a place where a little big game experience can go a long way. It will also be a place where Alando Tucker makes his push for National Player of the Year. ”
- Ohio State won 50-49 in its rematch with Wisconsin. They did indeed meet again in the Big Ten Championship game, but Ohio State won again, 66-49, as Alando Tucker struggled mightily.
4) “[Duke’s] upcoming stretch against Boston College, Virginia, Florida State, UNC, and Maryland will define their season. Over this stretch, Duke will go 2-3 and prove that they may not be able to contend with the top of the crop just yet.”
- Duke actually did worse than this prediction. They went 1-4 over this 5-game stretch. This team proved that it wasn’t a top contender when it lost in the 1st round of the ACC tournament to NC State and in the 1st round of the Big Dance to VCU.
5) “Aaron Brooks, Drew Neitzel, Randolph Morris, and Mario Boggan are four of the most improved players in the country… [Brooks] will be a 1st team All-American, along with Boggan”
-Brooks played admirably in Oregon’s Elite 8 defeat, but only garnered 3rd team All-American honors. Boggan never gained national spotlight as Oklahoma State tanked in the last month of the regular season, missing out on the NCAA tournament. Although competing for a higher distinction earlier in the season, Boggan received All-America honorable
mention.
6) “[Roy Hibbert] will challenge Aaron Gray, Russell Carter, and Demetris Nichols for Big East Player of the Year.”
-Hibbert was in the running, and it is hard to say that he is not the most valuable player in the conference, but teammate Jeff Green won Big East Player of the Year. Both Hibbert and Green will most likely be lottery picks if they leave early for the NBA Draft.
7) “[UConn] will squeak into the tourney this year but next year the Huskies will be back in full force competing for a championship.”
-The second statement is yet to be determined, but the first prediction was egregiously wrong; UConn finished with a 17-14 (6-10 Big East) record. They lost their last 6 out of 8 games. At least Jim Calhoun had 4 former assistants in the Tourney.
8) “The recent loss to Vanderbilt hurts, but LSU will be fine. Expect them to make noise again in the tournament.”
-Aside from the Tigers’ unexpected blowout of Florida late in the season, LSU crawled to a 17-15 (5-11 in SEC, 3-11 away from home) record and missed the NCAA Tournament.
9) “Regular season games against these perennial powers (Arizona, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Gonzaga) will help [Memphis] as it advances in the postseason.”
-Although Memphis was regarded as one of the weaker #2 seeds (most predicted Memphis losing either in the 2nd round or to Texas A&M in the Sweet 16), the Tigers made it as far as the Elite 8, where they lost in a tough match against the Second Best Team in the Country, Ohio State.
10) “Nevada, Butler, Southern Illinois, George Washington, and Akron have excelled as mid-majors this year. Unfortunately for this batch, there will be no George Mason this year. There is too much talent at the top.”
-Virginia Commonwealth and Winthrop were the only mid-major underdogs to win a game and they both lost in the 2nd round. Two mid-majors (Southern Illinois and Butler) made it to the Sweet 16, but they were higher seeds, so it was not shocking that they made it that far. Akron didn’t make it to the tournament after a heart-breaking loss to Miami in the MAC Championship. Somewhere Billy Packer is smiling. Check that, Packer knows not how to smile. Packer has ice in his veins. Packer has no soul.
11) “Juan Palacios (Louisville), Greg Paulus (Duke), and Jeff Green (G’Town) have been three of the biggest disappointments of the season. Their draft stocks will drop due to poor play.”’
-As soon as I wrote this, Green decided to step up his game to become the Big East Player of the Year and potential lottery pick. Palacios is no longer on the draft radar due to his poor play and Paulus continues to receive comparisons to the enigmatic Rex Grossman.
12) “Kansas features arguably the best starting lineup in the NCAA, with guards, Mario Chalmers and Brandon Rush and forwards, Darrell Arthur and Julian Wright all scoring in double figures. With six teams all within one game of the best record, the next month, the Big 12 will feature by far the most exciting regular season race.”
-While Oklahoma State was in the process of a near-historic tank (After winning 18 out of their first 21 games, State proceeded to
win 4 out of their last 12. This feat is not as bad as Clemson, who missed the tournament after winning their first 17 games. The Clemson Tigers’ consolation prize was advancing to the NIT finals in Madison Square Garden where they lost to West Virginia; this runner up prize gives them the distinct honor of being crowned the 67th best team in the country, an tribute to above average skill!), Texas played in big game after big game, beating A&M in a thriller and losing two high-scoring close games to Kansas, 90-86 and 88-84, as the Jayhawks locked up the regular season and tournament championships. The clutch play of Boggan, Durant, and especially Acie Law IV made the games in the conference this season by far the most exciting.
13) “Kevin Durant currently is, and will be the National Freshman of the Year. Greg Oden will make a surge toward the end of the year, as his injured wrist will be healed and he can decide whether he wants to shoot free throws right-handed or left-handed.”
-Durant was National Freshman of the Year. Anyone could’ve predicted this one.
14) “Alando Tucker is the midseason MVP, but Kevin Durant will also be the National Player of the Year, beating out Tucker, Boggan, and Tyler Hansbrough”
-Durant was named the National Player of the Year. No other player was close.
15) “Florida, Wisconsin, UCLA, and UNC are the top four teams in the AP poll today. Looking at the proven leaders on these squads, all four teams will advance to the Elite Eight in March.”
- Florida, UCLA, and UNC all advanced to the Elite Eight without much trouble. Wisconsin was the victim of a 2nd round upset at the hands of UNLV. Late in the year, they lost a few games, showing a great deal of struggle to put points on the board. The loss of forward, Brian Butch and the struggles of Alando Tucker made the Badgers an easy target in the tourney.
“Oh, and UNC is winning the National Championship”
-The Tar Heels suffered from the Georgetown “blitz” in the last 15 minutes of their Elite Eight contest. UNC was outscored 31-11 during this period and failed to make it to the Final Four. Needless to say, they did not win, and I’ll leave it at that.
A man who did predict the correct winner was 1st place in our 1st annual Sporting Itis Pick ‘Em. This man is none other than Vance Lovett Frey (pronounced "fry,” not "fray") from Chardon, Ohio. He describes himself as "pretty chill," and is currently a freshman at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida. USF's motto is “Truth and Wisdom,” a slogan befitting someone who can predict tournaments as well as this fine student.
1) “This group of freshmen is possibly the best class ever… If most of them stay in school for more than just a year or two, they will finally replenish the well of talent that had been relatively dry for the past few years in college basketball.”
-The freshmen as a whole performed admirably over the stretch of the regular
season, but as we take a look at their impact during tournament play, look at the remaining teams in the Final Four. Only one team, Ohio State, played several freshmen and senior veteran Ron Lewis had to bail out this squad out along the way. It will be intriguing to see who stays. While Javaris Crittenden and Thaddeus Young should stay and develop their game, they’ll probably go. While Mike Conley Jr. says he is returning to school, he should probably go to maximize his draft position. Mixed feelings from potential top draft picks, Greg Oden and Kevin Durant, tells me that one of them could potentially stick around for another year (Oden is less likely now after his monstrous championship game performance).2) “The Pac 10 is on the rise… Barring unforeseen injuries, UCLA, Oregon, and Arizona will go far in the NCAA Tournament with their experienced stars.”
- Oregon made it to the Elite 8, losing to Florida. UCLA made it to the Final 4, again losing to Florida. Even with its influx of talent, Arizona never played as a cohesive unit and lost to Purdue in the 1st round. In fact, their only experienced star was Mustafa Shakur, and over his career he had been known as being wildly inconsistent.
3) “When this game [between OSU and Wisconsin] is played in Columbus, the Buckeyes will come on top as a result of the others finally gelling with Mr. Oden. However, the Badgers will get the last laugh in the Big Ten Championship game in Chicago, a place where a little big game experience can go a long way. It will also be a place where Alando Tucker makes his push for National Player of the Year. ”
- Ohio State won 50-49 in its rematch with Wisconsin. They did indeed meet again in the Big Ten Championship game, but Ohio State won again, 66-49, as Alando Tucker struggled mightily.
4) “[Duke’s] upcoming stretch against Boston College, Virginia, Florida State, UNC, and Maryland will define their season. Over this stretch, Duke will go 2-3 and prove that they may not be able to contend with the top of the crop just yet.”
- Duke actually did worse than this prediction. They went 1-4 over this 5-game stretch. This team proved that it wasn’t a top contender when it lost in the 1st round of the ACC tournament to NC State and in the 1st round of the Big Dance to VCU.
5) “Aaron Brooks, Drew Neitzel, Randolph Morris, and Mario Boggan are four of the most improved players in the country… [Brooks] will be a 1st team All-American, along with Boggan”
-Brooks played admirably in Oregon’s Elite 8 defeat, but only garnered 3rd team All-American honors. Boggan never gained national spotlight as Oklahoma State tanked in the last month of the regular season, missing out on the NCAA tournament. Although competing for a higher distinction earlier in the season, Boggan received All-America honorable
mention.6) “[Roy Hibbert] will challenge Aaron Gray, Russell Carter, and Demetris Nichols for Big East Player of the Year.”
-Hibbert was in the running, and it is hard to say that he is not the most valuable player in the conference, but teammate Jeff Green won Big East Player of the Year. Both Hibbert and Green will most likely be lottery picks if they leave early for the NBA Draft.
7) “[UConn] will squeak into the tourney this year but next year the Huskies will be back in full force competing for a championship.”
-The second statement is yet to be determined, but the first prediction was egregiously wrong; UConn finished with a 17-14 (6-10 Big East) record. They lost their last 6 out of 8 games. At least Jim Calhoun had 4 former assistants in the Tourney.
8) “The recent loss to Vanderbilt hurts, but LSU will be fine. Expect them to make noise again in the tournament.”
-Aside from the Tigers’ unexpected blowout of Florida late in the season, LSU crawled to a 17-15 (5-11 in SEC, 3-11 away from home) record and missed the NCAA Tournament.
9) “Regular season games against these perennial powers (Arizona, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Gonzaga) will help [Memphis] as it advances in the postseason.”
-Although Memphis was regarded as one of the weaker #2 seeds (most predicted Memphis losing either in the 2nd round or to Texas A&M in the Sweet 16), the Tigers made it as far as the Elite 8, where they lost in a tough match against the Second Best Team in the Country, Ohio State.
10) “Nevada, Butler, Southern Illinois, George Washington, and Akron have excelled as mid-majors this year. Unfortunately for this batch, there will be no George Mason this year. There is too much talent at the top.”
-Virginia Commonwealth and Winthrop were the only mid-major underdogs to win a game and they both lost in the 2nd round. Two mid-majors (Southern Illinois and Butler) made it to the Sweet 16, but they were higher seeds, so it was not shocking that they made it that far. Akron didn’t make it to the tournament after a heart-breaking loss to Miami in the MAC Championship. Somewhere Billy Packer is smiling. Check that, Packer knows not how to smile. Packer has ice in his veins. Packer has no soul.
11) “Juan Palacios (Louisville), Greg Paulus (Duke), and Jeff Green (G’Town) have been three of the biggest disappointments of the season. Their draft stocks will drop due to poor play.”’
-As soon as I wrote this, Green decided to step up his game to become the Big East Player of the Year and potential lottery pick. Palacios is no longer on the draft radar due to his poor play and Paulus continues to receive comparisons to the enigmatic Rex Grossman.
12) “Kansas features arguably the best starting lineup in the NCAA, with guards, Mario Chalmers and Brandon Rush and forwards, Darrell Arthur and Julian Wright all scoring in double figures. With six teams all within one game of the best record, the next month, the Big 12 will feature by far the most exciting regular season race.”
-While Oklahoma State was in the process of a near-historic tank (After winning 18 out of their first 21 games, State proceeded to
win 4 out of their last 12. This feat is not as bad as Clemson, who missed the tournament after winning their first 17 games. The Clemson Tigers’ consolation prize was advancing to the NIT finals in Madison Square Garden where they lost to West Virginia; this runner up prize gives them the distinct honor of being crowned the 67th best team in the country, an tribute to above average skill!), Texas played in big game after big game, beating A&M in a thriller and losing two high-scoring close games to Kansas, 90-86 and 88-84, as the Jayhawks locked up the regular season and tournament championships. The clutch play of Boggan, Durant, and especially Acie Law IV made the games in the conference this season by far the most exciting.13) “Kevin Durant currently is, and will be the National Freshman of the Year. Greg Oden will make a surge toward the end of the year, as his injured wrist will be healed and he can decide whether he wants to shoot free throws right-handed or left-handed.”
-Durant was National Freshman of the Year. Anyone could’ve predicted this one.
14) “Alando Tucker is the midseason MVP, but Kevin Durant will also be the National Player of the Year, beating out Tucker, Boggan, and Tyler Hansbrough”
-Durant was named the National Player of the Year. No other player was close.
15) “Florida, Wisconsin, UCLA, and UNC are the top four teams in the AP poll today. Looking at the proven leaders on these squads, all four teams will advance to the Elite Eight in March.”
- Florida, UCLA, and UNC all advanced to the Elite Eight without much trouble. Wisconsin was the victim of a 2nd round upset at the hands of UNLV. Late in the year, they lost a few games, showing a great deal of struggle to put points on the board. The loss of forward, Brian Butch and the struggles of Alando Tucker made the Badgers an easy target in the tourney.
“Oh, and UNC is winning the National Championship”
-The Tar Heels suffered from the Georgetown “blitz” in the last 15 minutes of their Elite Eight contest. UNC was outscored 31-11 during this period and failed to make it to the Final Four. Needless to say, they did not win, and I’ll leave it at that.
A man who did predict the correct winner was 1st place in our 1st annual Sporting Itis Pick ‘Em. This man is none other than Vance Lovett Frey (pronounced "fry,” not "fray") from Chardon, Ohio. He describes himself as "pretty chill," and is currently a freshman at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida. USF's motto is “Truth and Wisdom,” a slogan befitting someone who can predict tournaments as well as this fine student.
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Tribe Starts Strong
Wow.
Thats the way you want to start a season.
Grady Sizemore shrugged off his tough Spring Training and blasted a bomb right out of the gate as the Tribe pounded the Sox 12-5 on Opening Day. Talk about a tone-setter.
A few notes after Game 1:
-CC didn't appear to show any ill effects from his Spring Training near-injury. He didn't have his good control all day, but he was still throwing hitting mid-90s regularly and his "slurve" seemed to have its typical break. In the first inning he hung a couple of bad breaking balls to Erstad and he hammered the last one, while the blast to Konerko was just a fastball right down the middle. But its tough to come in the game somewhat cold after your team just batted around, and he still turned in a quality start under difficult circumstances.
- Just as a gut reaction the infield defense looked a lot better than last year, but we won't get a good read until we see them with many more opportunities. With ground-ball pitchers Westbrook, Byrd, and Sowers coming up they will definitely get that chance. But its worth noting that the Joe Crede ground ball up the middle in the 6th inning that Josh Barfield kept in the infield would have definitely gotten into center last year with Ronnie Belliard, and even though it went as an infield hit Barfield probably saved a run.
-David Delluci had a tough one yesterday going 0-4 with 2 strikeouts, and generally looking flat-footed in the field. One interesting note though, in yesterdays "Daily Diamond" on ESPN former Rangers pitching coach (and Cleveland Indian) Orel Hershiser called David Delluci one of the top 10 teammates he had ever been associated with in all his years in baseball, in terms of leadership and intangibles and the like. Considering the years he's been in the game thats a pretty nice compliment.
Off day today, and back to it tomorrow with Westbrook facing off against Jon Garland.
Thats the way you want to start a season.
Grady Sizemore shrugged off his tough Spring Training and blasted a bomb right out of the gate as the Tribe pounded the Sox 12-5 on Opening Day. Talk about a tone-setter.
A few notes after Game 1:
-CC didn't appear to show any ill effects from his Spring Training near-injury. He didn't have his good control all day, but he was still throwing hitting mid-90s regularly and his "slurve" seemed to have its typical break. In the first inning he hung a couple of bad breaking balls to Erstad and he hammered the last one, while the blast to Konerko was just a fastball right down the middle. But its tough to come in the game somewhat cold after your team just batted around, and he still turned in a quality start under difficult circumstances.
- Just as a gut reaction the infield defense looked a lot better than last year, but we won't get a good read until we see them with many more opportunities. With ground-ball pitchers Westbrook, Byrd, and Sowers coming up they will definitely get that chance. But its worth noting that the Joe Crede ground ball up the middle in the 6th inning that Josh Barfield kept in the infield would have definitely gotten into center last year with Ronnie Belliard, and even though it went as an infield hit Barfield probably saved a run.
-David Delluci had a tough one yesterday going 0-4 with 2 strikeouts, and generally looking flat-footed in the field. One interesting note though, in yesterdays "Daily Diamond" on ESPN former Rangers pitching coach (and Cleveland Indian) Orel Hershiser called David Delluci one of the top 10 teammates he had ever been associated with in all his years in baseball, in terms of leadership and intangibles and the like. Considering the years he's been in the game thats a pretty nice compliment.
Off day today, and back to it tomorrow with Westbrook facing off against Jon Garland.
Monday, April 2, 2007
National Championship Preview
Look, at this point you know all there is to know about Florida and Ohio State. There’s nothing I can tell you that you haven’t heard Woody Paige screaming at Jay Mariotti on Around the Horn. On paper, Florida is the better team. But as Kenny Mayne says, games aren’t played on paper; they’re played inside television sets.
Florida has the pony-tailed lightning rod for hate, five starters averaging 10+ and a coach who absolutely did not inspire me when I saw him speak at Five Star basketball camp. Ohio State has The Big Stoic, the son of a triple jumper and a coach who lives and dies by the five second rule.
No doubt your local newspaper has run a story about how Florida’s football team demolished the Buckeyes in the BCS title game, as though it has a bearing on tonight’s contest. I suspect that Ohio State is eager to avenge their gridiron defeat, and that the Gators think a victory would indicate a wholesale owning of the city of Columbus.
(Side note: shouldn’t the athletic directors at the likes of Duke, Georgetown, Kansas and other schools with traditionally great basketball programs and horrid football programs be furious that these two football factories are in the title game? Traditional “football schools” often field below-average to average basketball teams, but what about the recent ascensions by the likes of Texas, Tennessee, and USC in addition to the teams playing tonight? Shouldn’t the “basketball schools” be concerned? Most basketball schools either have awful football teams, Division I-AA football teams or no football teams. Wouldn’t people be making more noise if it were the other way around? What if Indiana became a Big Ten football power or North Carolina routinely knocked off Miami and Florida State (you know, back when Miami and Florida State were good and it was surprising if they lost)? Wouldn’t Kornheiser and Wilbon spend five good minutes discussing it with Dickie V? I know I’ve gone way off track, but am I off base? I say no.)
Anywho, here’s a quick run-through of how these teams match up.
Florida has two legit post guys in Al Horford and Chris Richard, so they should always have at least one capable defender on Greg Oden, as well as someone to draw fouls from him. Joakim Noah isn’t strong enough to guard Oden, but he’s a good weakside shot-blocker and is quick enough to defend on the perimeter. Corey Brewer is sort of like Tayshaun Prince defensively: long arms, quick feet, weighs 106 pounds. Lee Humphrey is like JJ Redick after six drinks. Taurean Green is a steady point man, good at everything, great at nothing.
Ohio State lives and dies with Oden. If he gets in early foul trouble again, this game won’t be any closer than when these teams played in December. Othello Hunter and Matt Terwilliger are decent big guys, and have fun-to-say names, but they're not on the same level as Horford, Noah and company. Mike Conley could be the best point guard in the country, and has gotten better with every game. Either Ron Lewis, Ivan Harris or Jamar Butler always seems to come up big, and tonight they need to.
My random predictions for the night: the referees will be wary of getting killed in the media and won’t whistle Oden for two quick fouls. Lee Humphrey will struggle from 3-point land early on and become tentative later in the game. The Horford-Oden matchup will be better than the Hibbert-Oden matchup was. Joakim Noah will pound his chest and scream before the first TV timeout. The teams will combine for over 10 blocked shots. Mike Conley will be the best player on the floor, outplaying Taurean Green. But Ron Lewis will be the high scorer.
Hardly anyone outside the Buckeye State is picking Ohio State, and with reason. Florida simply looks like the better team. They’re certainly good, but they don’t give off a vibe of greatness (ESPN.com’s Bomani Jones had a good column on this today). There’s no pressure on the Buckeyes; by making it this far, they’ve done more than enough to have a successful season. Florida, on the other hand, has had this expectation all year. If they lose, they’re a failure. Between Joakim Noah’s girly screaming and that god-awful chomp, they’ve got karma going against them. I’m going against them too. Call me a homer, because to paraphrase the great Ray Zalinsky, that’s what I am, and that's who I care about.
Ohio State wins, 76-71
Its a Celebration
Less than 24 hours.
Tribe '07. Year 6 of the Grand Shapiro Plan. Potentially the team to finally end Cleveland's championship drought? (43 years and counting...)
We shall see. Baseball's so-called experts have anointed our Tribe as "this year's Tigers," and one of the team's to watch in the American League's loaded central division. Last year proved that lofty preseason projections mean absolutely nothing, but its clear that the core is there for this team to have a chance at contention.
The facts: The starting rotation is talented and deep. The lineup could be even more powerful than last year. The bullpen on paper is improved but still pretty awful.
Roberto Hernandez, Aaron Fultz, and Joe Borowski are our major improvements in the 'pen. Fultz has had one good year in his career (2005) and is perpetually mediocre at best, and as ludicrous as it sounds Joe Borowski could be described as a poor man's Bob Wickman for the daily tightrope he walks every ninth. That leaves the ageless Hernandez as the stabilizer for our bullpen. Ouch.
Still, hope abounds for this year's Tribe. With the most rotation depth we've had in recent memory coupled with a dangerous offense, we have as good a shot as any to make the playoffs and make history.
ONE MAN'S PREDICTIONS:
Division Winners:
AL: Yankees, Twins, A's
NL: Mets, Astros, D'Backs
AL Wild Card: Indians
NL Wild Card: Cardinals
AL MVP: Alex Rodriguez
NL MVP: Albert Pujols
AL Cy Young: Johan Santana
NL Cy Young: Brandon Webb
ALDS: Indians over Yankees, Twins over A's
NLDS: Mets over Cardinals, D'Backs over Astros
ALCS: Indians over Twins
NLCS: Mets over D'Backs
WORLD SERIES: CLEVELAND INDIANS over New York Mets
Why not us?
Tribe '07. Year 6 of the Grand Shapiro Plan. Potentially the team to finally end Cleveland's championship drought? (43 years and counting...)
We shall see. Baseball's so-called experts have anointed our Tribe as "this year's Tigers," and one of the team's to watch in the American League's loaded central division. Last year proved that lofty preseason projections mean absolutely nothing, but its clear that the core is there for this team to have a chance at contention.
The facts: The starting rotation is talented and deep. The lineup could be even more powerful than last year. The bullpen on paper is improved but still pretty awful.
Roberto Hernandez, Aaron Fultz, and Joe Borowski are our major improvements in the 'pen. Fultz has had one good year in his career (2005) and is perpetually mediocre at best, and as ludicrous as it sounds Joe Borowski could be described as a poor man's Bob Wickman for the daily tightrope he walks every ninth. That leaves the ageless Hernandez as the stabilizer for our bullpen. Ouch.
Still, hope abounds for this year's Tribe. With the most rotation depth we've had in recent memory coupled with a dangerous offense, we have as good a shot as any to make the playoffs and make history.
ONE MAN'S PREDICTIONS:
Division Winners:
AL: Yankees, Twins, A's
NL: Mets, Astros, D'Backs
AL Wild Card: Indians
NL Wild Card: Cardinals
AL MVP: Alex Rodriguez
NL MVP: Albert Pujols
AL Cy Young: Johan Santana
NL Cy Young: Brandon Webb
ALDS: Indians over Yankees, Twins over A's
NLDS: Mets over Cardinals, D'Backs over Astros
ALCS: Indians over Twins
NLCS: Mets over D'Backs
WORLD SERIES: CLEVELAND INDIANS over New York Mets
Why not us?
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