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Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
A Spartan state of mind.
I want to start off by telling you that I’m a University of Michigan fan. I grew up in Michigan, a place where you are either Maize and Blue or Green and White. A Spartan or a Wolverine. East Lansing or Ann Arbor. We even have a store in Michigan called The Great Divide, where the store is split down the middle, U of M merchandise on one side, MSU gear on the other. I always, always root for U of M... until Sunday.
When Michigan State beat Louisville on Sunday, I couldn’t have been more proud. You can call me a Bandwagon fan or not a true devoted Wolverine. That’s fine. But I’ll let you know my reasons run a little deeper than school allegiances.
I’m not going to fill you in on any new info by telling you the state of Michigan has fallen on hard times. The automotive industry has run dry and the trickle down effect has been devastating to all other forms of business that are intrinsically linked to the Big 3. Unemployment is rampant. A once great city of Detroit, now is marred by mayoral scandal and mismanagement. Detroit public schools have around 25% graduation rate of High School Seniors. Recently, Detroit was voted as the most dangerous city in the US. The Pistons are playing under .500 ball for the first time since 2001. The Red Wings are playing well, but the NHL is the red headed stepchild of major league sports. And don’t even get me started on the Lions. Things have been rough for Michigan, to put it plainly.
So, today, when Gang Green took on the Louisville Cardinals, I couldn’t help but root for them. But I wasn’t just rooting for Michigan State, I was also rooting for the State of Michigan. A trip to the Final Four for MSU, which is held in Detroit this year, could be just what the doctor ordered. It’ll give all fans in Michigan something positive to talk about, cheer for and something to take their mind off an otherwise bleak situation.
As I watched the game, my Dad (who still lives in Michigan) and I kept texting back and forth. We wrote about how impressively MSU was playing. How we didn’t realize MSU could play with (and beat) some of the top programs in the country. My Dad mentioned that this MSU team is just so mentally tough. The more I watched (and texted) the more I fell in love with this Spartan team.
This team is an embodiment of the state of Michigan. A blue collar, hard working against-all-odds team. They weren’t flashy or “sexy”, they didn’t play in dominant conference and they certainly weren’t favored. But they showed up and competed. Win or lose, they were going to fight to the very end. I can’t think of a better way to describe the citizens of Michigan.
Now Michigan State is in the Final Four and all the stories written will be about the their homecoming. The positive attention will be great for the Michigander psyche. We can puff out our chests and be proud to say we’re from Michigan even if it’s only for one shining moment. And for that I’ll cheer. So, with apologies to Lloyd, Jim Brandstater and Bo... Let’s Go State! But, I think they (silently) might be doing the same.
When Michigan State beat Louisville on Sunday, I couldn’t have been more proud. You can call me a Bandwagon fan or not a true devoted Wolverine. That’s fine. But I’ll let you know my reasons run a little deeper than school allegiances.
I’m not going to fill you in on any new info by telling you the state of Michigan has fallen on hard times. The automotive industry has run dry and the trickle down effect has been devastating to all other forms of business that are intrinsically linked to the Big 3. Unemployment is rampant. A once great city of Detroit, now is marred by mayoral scandal and mismanagement. Detroit public schools have around 25% graduation rate of High School Seniors. Recently, Detroit was voted as the most dangerous city in the US. The Pistons are playing under .500 ball for the first time since 2001. The Red Wings are playing well, but the NHL is the red headed stepchild of major league sports. And don’t even get me started on the Lions. Things have been rough for Michigan, to put it plainly.
So, today, when Gang Green took on the Louisville Cardinals, I couldn’t help but root for them. But I wasn’t just rooting for Michigan State, I was also rooting for the State of Michigan. A trip to the Final Four for MSU, which is held in Detroit this year, could be just what the doctor ordered. It’ll give all fans in Michigan something positive to talk about, cheer for and something to take their mind off an otherwise bleak situation.
As I watched the game, my Dad (who still lives in Michigan) and I kept texting back and forth. We wrote about how impressively MSU was playing. How we didn’t realize MSU could play with (and beat) some of the top programs in the country. My Dad mentioned that this MSU team is just so mentally tough. The more I watched (and texted) the more I fell in love with this Spartan team.
This team is an embodiment of the state of Michigan. A blue collar, hard working against-all-odds team. They weren’t flashy or “sexy”, they didn’t play in dominant conference and they certainly weren’t favored. But they showed up and competed. Win or lose, they were going to fight to the very end. I can’t think of a better way to describe the citizens of Michigan.
Now Michigan State is in the Final Four and all the stories written will be about the their homecoming. The positive attention will be great for the Michigander psyche. We can puff out our chests and be proud to say we’re from Michigan even if it’s only for one shining moment. And for that I’ll cheer. So, with apologies to Lloyd, Jim Brandstater and Bo... Let’s Go State! But, I think they (silently) might be doing the same.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Look out below...
6'2", Jeremy Pargo of Gonzaga, with easily the highlight play of Thursday's NCAA tourney games. In the immortal words of Brian Collins... Boom goes the dynamite.
By the way, for those who are interested, The Sports Pad is 15 out of 16 with his day one pick. Missing on the Illini - Western Kentucky matchup. Western Kentucky became the first team to win as a 12 seed in consecutive years. Thanks to their Clifton Collins Jr. doppleganger Orlando Mendez-Valdez.
By the way, for those who are interested, The Sports Pad is 15 out of 16 with his day one pick. Missing on the Illini - Western Kentucky matchup. Western Kentucky became the first team to win as a 12 seed in consecutive years. Thanks to their Clifton Collins Jr. doppleganger Orlando Mendez-Valdez.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Smooth/Parker
Walter Cronkite. Edward R. Murrow. Peter Jennings. Boobie Smooth. That's right the next great broadcast journalist is upon us.
Boobie Smooth interviewed Smush Parker, in a segment called "Boobie's Bench" and Smush didn't have anything flattering to say about the Lakers or Kobe Bryant.
Prepare yourself for the Frost/Nixon of New York City bus stop bench interviews.
Now I know Parker is entitled to his opinon, but come on, Smush. No dude, who's out of the league, trying to get back into the league, should be taking shots at one of the league's best players and one of its biggest franchises. The Sports PAD thinks the "things in the works" for Smush are either the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the Brooklyn Kings or the EBC.
As for Boobie Smooth? Peabody Award?
Boobie Smooth interviewed Smush Parker, in a segment called "Boobie's Bench" and Smush didn't have anything flattering to say about the Lakers or Kobe Bryant.
Prepare yourself for the Frost/Nixon of New York City bus stop bench interviews.
Now I know Parker is entitled to his opinon, but come on, Smush. No dude, who's out of the league, trying to get back into the league, should be taking shots at one of the league's best players and one of its biggest franchises. The Sports PAD thinks the "things in the works" for Smush are either the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the Brooklyn Kings or the EBC.
As for Boobie Smooth? Peabody Award?
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Bracket Tips
Playing it Perfect
Thinking that you are finally going to lay down the perfect bracket... Think again. There are over 9.2 quintillion brackets possible. That's QUINTILLION with a Q. To put it in perspective, If all the people on earth filled out one bracket per second, it would take over 43 years to fill out every possible bracket.
The Underdogs?
Never pick a #16 seed they are 0-fer in tourney play. #15 seeds have won only 4 out of 96 times. And #13 and #14 seeds, combined, have won only 18% of the time.
However, the #12 through #9 seeds have the most promise for upsets. Especially the #9 seed which win their games over half the time (54%).
Lower than 12 not Sweet Sixteen
Only 6 teams, lower than seed 12, have ever advanced past Round 2.
Below 8 never make it to Final Four
Only twice has a seed lower than #8 ever made it to the Final Four. LSU in 1986 and George Mason twenty years later.
Champions
For the last 20 years a #4 seed or higher has won it all.
Rock Chalk Picks
When you find yourself in small sized pools, the odds are in your best favor to pick the Chalk picks, or the favorites. You don’t get hurt if you miss on any upset specials but the other people will. It might not be the most fun, but you’ll get paid.
Thinking that you are finally going to lay down the perfect bracket... Think again. There are over 9.2 quintillion brackets possible. That's QUINTILLION with a Q. To put it in perspective, If all the people on earth filled out one bracket per second, it would take over 43 years to fill out every possible bracket.
The Underdogs?
Never pick a #16 seed they are 0-fer in tourney play. #15 seeds have won only 4 out of 96 times. And #13 and #14 seeds, combined, have won only 18% of the time.
However, the #12 through #9 seeds have the most promise for upsets. Especially the #9 seed which win their games over half the time (54%).
Lower than 12 not Sweet Sixteen
Only 6 teams, lower than seed 12, have ever advanced past Round 2.
Below 8 never make it to Final Four
Only twice has a seed lower than #8 ever made it to the Final Four. LSU in 1986 and George Mason twenty years later.
Champions
For the last 20 years a #4 seed or higher has won it all.
Rock Chalk Picks
When you find yourself in small sized pools, the odds are in your best favor to pick the Chalk picks, or the favorites. You don’t get hurt if you miss on any upset specials but the other people will. It might not be the most fun, but you’ll get paid.
Championship Tapas
Championship Week on ESPN, what a wonderful way to kick off March Madness. We get to see who’s in and who’s out. Who are the Cinderella teams, the sleepers and who has the best shot at winning it all. If the NCAA Tournament is the main course than Championship Week must be the Hors d'oeuvres.
Here’s the scenario that this can best be explained. You’re at a friends wedding, the happy couple has just been married and you and the rest of the non-wedding party are left to kill some time and enjoy some appetizers and spirits. Now this cocktail party will tell you everything you need to know about your upcoming dinner. If you stick to what is good, then you’re automatically excited for the Prime Rib you ordered. If you grab something bad, then you might feel like your Chicken Cordon Bleu could be doo-doo. The wedding dining tone can be set based on which starters you choose.
That got me to thinking which of the Hors d'oeuvre’s of Championship Week are the best. Which are the go-to and which are the no-goes.
Shrimp Cocktail - This is the staple of all cocktail parties. Everybody enjoys them, you feel like “Hey these guys went all out.” Plus, if you hear that another serving station there are some jumbo shrimp, tell me you aren’t heading within 3 minutes. You can’t keep away, can you?
On an entire sidebar, when I was in Vegas, a few years back. My friends, then girlfriend, now fiancee and I headed to a buffet on the strip. Now while I don’t remember which one we went to, (because we kept searching for the cheapest one possible - I know there is a $9.99 one around here somewhere!?! ), when we finally got there I was hungry and ready to put on a show. And I did!
I dominated the carving station. I put the pasta area in a world of hurt. Salad bar, shredded. You get the point. However, somehow I totally missed the shrimp. Feeling like my carnivore carnival wouldn’t be complete unless dug in on some shrimp I piled on a healthy dose of crustaceans and went to work. My friends didn’t think I could finish off this dinner plate full of shrimp, but, like UNC heading into Cameron Indoor Stadium I used it. Much to the amazement of my friends and mild disgust of my future fiancee, but, hey, she still said yes.
Big East - Simply the best. The Big East is perennially one of the best conferences. The games are tough, competitive and full of drama. Plus, playing in Madison Square Garden just makes it seem more important.
Highlight Moments: ’09 Connecticut - Syracuse 6 OT game, an instant classic. Gerry “Overrated” McNamara carrying the ’06 Syracuse team to a tourney title. ’96 Georgetown - Connecticut game; Ray Allen, Allen Iverson battle it out in this buzzer beater game.
ACC - Always a good showing, you can never go wrong. You know ESPN is going to be all over the coverage this so you’ll get great announcers. The conference is strong at the top and the fans travel to these games. The slight knock on this tourney is they keep playing the games in Atlanta and moving them around to other neighboring ACC school areas. They’d be better served it played in Charlotte or Greensboro. North Carolina is ACC country, not Georgia or any other place.
Highlight Moments: ’04 #6 seed Maryland beats Duke in OT 95-87 to win title. In, ‘95 Randolph Childress had one of the best three game runs - 107 points, 21 assists, 23-44 from 3-point land and made nine 3’s in the Championship, overtime, game.
The Cheese Platter - The Cheese Platter is about substance over style. It might not be the pinnacle of your appetizer experience, but you know you’ll never be led astray. You always know that Cheddar, Swiss and Provolone will be there, but sometimes you get pleasantly surprised with Brie or Gruyère or maybe, just maybe, some Havarti.
SEC - This conference has a long history of basketball dominance, but, of late, has been regarded for its football play than its basketball. As league once dominated by Kentucky, now is showing signs of other powerhouses. Since ’91 the SEC has consistently put four teams into the NCAA tournament. Pretty good for a football conference.
Highlight Moment: ’08 Georgia team had to play four games in three days, because of a tornado. They had to play the 2nd round game (which went into OT) and semifinal game on the same day, going on to win the SEC against Arkansas. Oh, and did I mention they were 4-12 in conference play with a sub-.500 record to start the tourney. Amazing.
Big 12 - Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma are the big 3 in the Big 12. Sprinkle in the up and coming Missouri, Baylor and Texas A&M and you’ve got yourself a solid basketball conference. Plus, this conference has some of the best young coaches in Scot Drew, Jeff Capel, Travis Ford and Bill Self.
Highlight Moment: ’08 Kansas beats Texas, 88-84, in OT. Kevin Durant named M.O.P in a losing effort, first time in Big 12 history, with 37 points, 10 rebounds and 5 steals.
Cocktail Franks - Here’s the thing about Cocktail Franks, they get a bad rap because everyone thinks their white trash and they lack a certain panache to be served at a cocktail party. Well those people would be wrong, Cocktail Franks are delicious. Also, party goers are nervous to be deemed “White Trash” if they are seen eating pigs-in-a-blanket and the whole tray gets hit with the They-must-not-be-good stigma for the rest of the party. So let your inner JimBob fly and enjoy these dirty little secret tourneys.
A-10 - One of the best little conferences, no one seems to talk about. It’s blue collar, tough basketball with a lot of kids who were never recruited by any high-major schools, but develop at this mid-major level into solid talent. Factor in the rivalries of Dayton and Xavier; Saint Joseph’s and Temple, who are both part of the Philadelphia Big 5, which adds extra heat to the conference.
Highlight Moments: ’99 Lamar Odom cans a buzzer beater 3 to lead Rhode Island to a title win over Temple. ’04 Xavier upsets undefeated #1 ranked Saint Joseph’s (which had NBAers Jameer Nelson and Delonte West).
Horizon League - This Rust Belt conference has been a pleasant surprise and consistently sending bracket busting teams to the NCAA tournament. Butler and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee have combined for three visits to the Sweet 16 in the last six years. This league is filled with scrappy players who you can’t help but root for, like Mike Green, DaShaun Wood, Ed McCants and Sports PAD favorite AJ Graves.
Highlight Moments: ’07 Wright St. beats Butler 60-55. AJ Graves’ unibrow, otherwise known as the Butler Bulldogs 6th Man.
Bruschetta with Tomatoes - This is your classic Trap App, you’ve had it before, on a small scale, either at a friend’s house or dinner at a restaurant, but when you get to a wedding reception or a cocktail party, it’s bad news. The tomatoes lack flavor, the bread has become soggy because of too much olive oil or sometimes they just use a thick cracker which always crumbles after the first bite. And there is always some guy who has to over pronunciate bruschetta just so you that he knows how to pronounce it. Have you had the brusˈketta? Brusˈketta! I love brusˈketta. I’ve had brusˈketta in Ihtahlee.
Big Ten - The Big Ten really has some boring basketball, unless you have a vested interest in it, like the Sports PAD does (I’m a huge University of Michigan Fan) there is nothing that draws you in. It’s physical, half-court, low scoring affairs that often leave a bad taste in your mouth.
Highlight Moment: ’00 Michigan State’s Flintstones; Charlie Bell, Antonio Smith, Morris Peterson and Mateen Cleaves.
Pac-10 - This conference always gets more credit than it deserves, partly because of the dominance of UCLA and Arizona. Plus this conference tourney is not as historic as you may think? The Pac-10 had a tourney from ‘87-’90 and then took a twelve year hiatus, picking back up in 2002. Not what you would have thought. Up until the last two years the games have been relatively lackluster.
Highlight Moment: Darren Collison’s 28 points leading #3 UCLA beat #11 Stanford.
Breadsticks - Now, I’m not talking about the pillowy bread breadsticks, that with a side of marinara could be a meal all on its own. I’m talking about the thin, cracker breadstick that’s only good for two things: making “Walrus face” and nibbling on them while you get stood up for a date. (Not that that has ever happened to the Sports PAD)
West Coast Conference - They gave us Gonzaga and the foundation of the Cinderella story, but Gonzaga’s won 10 (of 15) WCC tourney’s since ’95. No other teams have challenged, you can pretty much pencil in Gonzaga as the winner. Plus, 4 out of the last 9 WCC finals are held at the Jenny Craig Pavilion, you can’t have the Valerie Bertinelli MOP award.
Highlight Moment: Adam Morrison’s Mustache?
Conference USA - They’ve lost all of their top teams to the Big East (Marquette, Louisville, DePaul and Cincinnati) and left Memphis to be perennially favorites. Memphis faces no real competition and hasn’t lost a conference game since 2006. To make matters worse they play the tournament championship game in the FedExForum, which is located in Memphis, Tennessee.
Highlight Moment: Nothing.
Here’s the scenario that this can best be explained. You’re at a friends wedding, the happy couple has just been married and you and the rest of the non-wedding party are left to kill some time and enjoy some appetizers and spirits. Now this cocktail party will tell you everything you need to know about your upcoming dinner. If you stick to what is good, then you’re automatically excited for the Prime Rib you ordered. If you grab something bad, then you might feel like your Chicken Cordon Bleu could be doo-doo. The wedding dining tone can be set based on which starters you choose.
That got me to thinking which of the Hors d'oeuvre’s of Championship Week are the best. Which are the go-to and which are the no-goes.
Shrimp Cocktail - This is the staple of all cocktail parties. Everybody enjoys them, you feel like “Hey these guys went all out.” Plus, if you hear that another serving station there are some jumbo shrimp, tell me you aren’t heading within 3 minutes. You can’t keep away, can you?
On an entire sidebar, when I was in Vegas, a few years back. My friends, then girlfriend, now fiancee and I headed to a buffet on the strip. Now while I don’t remember which one we went to, (because we kept searching for the cheapest one possible - I know there is a $9.99 one around here somewhere!?! ), when we finally got there I was hungry and ready to put on a show. And I did!
I dominated the carving station. I put the pasta area in a world of hurt. Salad bar, shredded. You get the point. However, somehow I totally missed the shrimp. Feeling like my carnivore carnival wouldn’t be complete unless dug in on some shrimp I piled on a healthy dose of crustaceans and went to work. My friends didn’t think I could finish off this dinner plate full of shrimp, but, like UNC heading into Cameron Indoor Stadium I used it. Much to the amazement of my friends and mild disgust of my future fiancee, but, hey, she still said yes.
Big East - Simply the best. The Big East is perennially one of the best conferences. The games are tough, competitive and full of drama. Plus, playing in Madison Square Garden just makes it seem more important.
Highlight Moments: ’09 Connecticut - Syracuse 6 OT game, an instant classic. Gerry “Overrated” McNamara carrying the ’06 Syracuse team to a tourney title. ’96 Georgetown - Connecticut game; Ray Allen, Allen Iverson battle it out in this buzzer beater game.
ACC - Always a good showing, you can never go wrong. You know ESPN is going to be all over the coverage this so you’ll get great announcers. The conference is strong at the top and the fans travel to these games. The slight knock on this tourney is they keep playing the games in Atlanta and moving them around to other neighboring ACC school areas. They’d be better served it played in Charlotte or Greensboro. North Carolina is ACC country, not Georgia or any other place.
Highlight Moments: ’04 #6 seed Maryland beats Duke in OT 95-87 to win title. In, ‘95 Randolph Childress had one of the best three game runs - 107 points, 21 assists, 23-44 from 3-point land and made nine 3’s in the Championship, overtime, game.
The Cheese Platter - The Cheese Platter is about substance over style. It might not be the pinnacle of your appetizer experience, but you know you’ll never be led astray. You always know that Cheddar, Swiss and Provolone will be there, but sometimes you get pleasantly surprised with Brie or Gruyère or maybe, just maybe, some Havarti.
SEC - This conference has a long history of basketball dominance, but, of late, has been regarded for its football play than its basketball. As league once dominated by Kentucky, now is showing signs of other powerhouses. Since ’91 the SEC has consistently put four teams into the NCAA tournament. Pretty good for a football conference.
Highlight Moment: ’08 Georgia team had to play four games in three days, because of a tornado. They had to play the 2nd round game (which went into OT) and semifinal game on the same day, going on to win the SEC against Arkansas. Oh, and did I mention they were 4-12 in conference play with a sub-.500 record to start the tourney. Amazing.
Big 12 - Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma are the big 3 in the Big 12. Sprinkle in the up and coming Missouri, Baylor and Texas A&M and you’ve got yourself a solid basketball conference. Plus, this conference has some of the best young coaches in Scot Drew, Jeff Capel, Travis Ford and Bill Self.
Highlight Moment: ’08 Kansas beats Texas, 88-84, in OT. Kevin Durant named M.O.P in a losing effort, first time in Big 12 history, with 37 points, 10 rebounds and 5 steals.
Cocktail Franks - Here’s the thing about Cocktail Franks, they get a bad rap because everyone thinks their white trash and they lack a certain panache to be served at a cocktail party. Well those people would be wrong, Cocktail Franks are delicious. Also, party goers are nervous to be deemed “White Trash” if they are seen eating pigs-in-a-blanket and the whole tray gets hit with the They-must-not-be-good stigma for the rest of the party. So let your inner JimBob fly and enjoy these dirty little secret tourneys.
A-10 - One of the best little conferences, no one seems to talk about. It’s blue collar, tough basketball with a lot of kids who were never recruited by any high-major schools, but develop at this mid-major level into solid talent. Factor in the rivalries of Dayton and Xavier; Saint Joseph’s and Temple, who are both part of the Philadelphia Big 5, which adds extra heat to the conference.
Highlight Moments: ’99 Lamar Odom cans a buzzer beater 3 to lead Rhode Island to a title win over Temple. ’04 Xavier upsets undefeated #1 ranked Saint Joseph’s (which had NBAers Jameer Nelson and Delonte West).
Horizon League - This Rust Belt conference has been a pleasant surprise and consistently sending bracket busting teams to the NCAA tournament. Butler and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee have combined for three visits to the Sweet 16 in the last six years. This league is filled with scrappy players who you can’t help but root for, like Mike Green, DaShaun Wood, Ed McCants and Sports PAD favorite AJ Graves.
Highlight Moments: ’07 Wright St. beats Butler 60-55. AJ Graves’ unibrow, otherwise known as the Butler Bulldogs 6th Man.
Bruschetta with Tomatoes - This is your classic Trap App, you’ve had it before, on a small scale, either at a friend’s house or dinner at a restaurant, but when you get to a wedding reception or a cocktail party, it’s bad news. The tomatoes lack flavor, the bread has become soggy because of too much olive oil or sometimes they just use a thick cracker which always crumbles after the first bite. And there is always some guy who has to over pronunciate bruschetta just so you that he knows how to pronounce it. Have you had the brusˈketta? Brusˈketta! I love brusˈketta. I’ve had brusˈketta in Ihtahlee.
Big Ten - The Big Ten really has some boring basketball, unless you have a vested interest in it, like the Sports PAD does (I’m a huge University of Michigan Fan) there is nothing that draws you in. It’s physical, half-court, low scoring affairs that often leave a bad taste in your mouth.
Highlight Moment: ’00 Michigan State’s Flintstones; Charlie Bell, Antonio Smith, Morris Peterson and Mateen Cleaves.
Pac-10 - This conference always gets more credit than it deserves, partly because of the dominance of UCLA and Arizona. Plus this conference tourney is not as historic as you may think? The Pac-10 had a tourney from ‘87-’90 and then took a twelve year hiatus, picking back up in 2002. Not what you would have thought. Up until the last two years the games have been relatively lackluster.
Highlight Moment: Darren Collison’s 28 points leading #3 UCLA beat #11 Stanford.
Breadsticks - Now, I’m not talking about the pillowy bread breadsticks, that with a side of marinara could be a meal all on its own. I’m talking about the thin, cracker breadstick that’s only good for two things: making “Walrus face” and nibbling on them while you get stood up for a date. (Not that that has ever happened to the Sports PAD)
West Coast Conference - They gave us Gonzaga and the foundation of the Cinderella story, but Gonzaga’s won 10 (of 15) WCC tourney’s since ’95. No other teams have challenged, you can pretty much pencil in Gonzaga as the winner. Plus, 4 out of the last 9 WCC finals are held at the Jenny Craig Pavilion, you can’t have the Valerie Bertinelli MOP award.
Highlight Moment: Adam Morrison’s Mustache?
Conference USA - They’ve lost all of their top teams to the Big East (Marquette, Louisville, DePaul and Cincinnati) and left Memphis to be perennially favorites. Memphis faces no real competition and hasn’t lost a conference game since 2006. To make matters worse they play the tournament championship game in the FedExForum, which is located in Memphis, Tennessee.
Highlight Moment: Nothing.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Consider yourself Herrmannized!!!
The Sports PAD would like to introduce you to Walter Herrmann. The man who brought you graceful moments like this:
Herrmann has now raised the bar.
After watching this video, flowers will smell sweeter, food will taste richer. You'll notice a bounce in your step and it'll be due to the fact that you've been Herrmannized. Enjoy the poetry in golden mane motion.
Herrmann has now raised the bar.
After watching this video, flowers will smell sweeter, food will taste richer. You'll notice a bounce in your step and it'll be due to the fact that you've been Herrmannized. Enjoy the poetry in golden mane motion.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Where T.O. will roam.
Looks like the next T.O. tee will be iBeastMode.
T.O. signed a one-year deal worth $6.5 million (4 million guaranteed) with the Buffalo Bills. The only thing I can think is “Sorry, Trent Edwards, you’re world is about to be blown up.”
From the “on paper” perspective this deal makes sense for the Bills. T.O. can work the intermediate and over-the-middle routes and take the pressure off Lee Evans, one of the league’s best deep threats. It’ll also give the Bills a redzone threat, Buffalo has had only 26 TD receptions in two years; T.O. has had 25. Plus, this signing will only open things up for the Bills running game and Marshawn Lynch will get even Beast Mode-ier. Could it be possible?
However, the in-the-locker-room perspective could be a much different story. The team really doesn’t have a locker room vet who can help control T.O., especially on offense. Trent Edwards is a young, inconsistent QB who is going to have to battle the pressure of elevating this fringe playoff team to the next level AND manage T.O.s constant demands. We, here at The Sports PAD, are setting the over/under for T.O. sideline rants for the season at 8.5.
The only thing that is going to control T.O. is the fact that his contract is essentially a one-year audition. If he can keep it together and be a model citizen, well as model citizen as T.O. can be, he’ll get a long term deal with Buffalo or any fringe contender looking to make the jump. But if he can’t? Oh boy, will it be entertaining.
T.O. signed a one-year deal worth $6.5 million (4 million guaranteed) with the Buffalo Bills. The only thing I can think is “Sorry, Trent Edwards, you’re world is about to be blown up.”
From the “on paper” perspective this deal makes sense for the Bills. T.O. can work the intermediate and over-the-middle routes and take the pressure off Lee Evans, one of the league’s best deep threats. It’ll also give the Bills a redzone threat, Buffalo has had only 26 TD receptions in two years; T.O. has had 25. Plus, this signing will only open things up for the Bills running game and Marshawn Lynch will get even Beast Mode-ier. Could it be possible?
However, the in-the-locker-room perspective could be a much different story. The team really doesn’t have a locker room vet who can help control T.O., especially on offense. Trent Edwards is a young, inconsistent QB who is going to have to battle the pressure of elevating this fringe playoff team to the next level AND manage T.O.s constant demands. We, here at The Sports PAD, are setting the over/under for T.O. sideline rants for the season at 8.5.
The only thing that is going to control T.O. is the fact that his contract is essentially a one-year audition. If he can keep it together and be a model citizen, well as model citizen as T.O. can be, he’ll get a long term deal with Buffalo or any fringe contender looking to make the jump. But if he can’t? Oh boy, will it be entertaining.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
iBlock. iCompete. iScore. iReleased?
iReleased could be the latest in T.O. tees, but for now it’ll just have to be the latest in T.O. news. ESPN’s Michael Smith reported that Terrell Owens has been released by the Dallas Cowboys early Thursday morning, adding another twist to the mercurial wide receivers legacy.
From the Cowboys perspective this looks like the old “addition by subtraction” move. It also will literally be an addition by subtraction because the Cowboys will add a nine million dollar salary cap hit and lose one of its most talented players. By carving out the teams most disruptive, divisive players the Cowboys should have a more cohesive team, which will be worth it to Jerry Jones in the long run.
So what’s next for T.O.?
His playing options are limited. Minnesota was in the market for T.J. “Championship” Houshmanzadeh and missed out, could T.O. end up there? N.O. Head Coach Brad Childress was at the epicenter of the anti-T.O. movement in Philly as Childress was the offensive coordinator during T.O.’s time as an Eagle. So the Vikes are out and we could see a pattern of this, much like we saw the suitors fall out in the Manny Ramirez market. MLB teams didn’t want to pay big bucks for a malcontent who’s just “him being him” and teams in the NFL aren’t going to want to pay T.O. to be T.O.
Owens’ rep has finally caught up to him. His production no longer backs up his mood swings or his salary. He complained about not being thrown to enough, even though he was targeted 140 times last season, but only converted 69 receptions. He’s killed QBs at every team he has played (SF - Garcia, Philly - McNabb and Dallas - Romo) and eventually the teams themselves.
So why does this happen to T.O.? Its because of his ego and need for the limelight. We can pinpoint it to one moment. Travel back to 1998 during the NFC wild card game, the 49ers trailing the Packers 27-23 with only a few seconds left. Steve Young drops back, stumbles and lets loose a strike over the middle and Terrell Owens plucks it out of the air in between four defenders for the game winning touchdown. Terrell Owens is overwhelmed, helped off the field, crying, mobbed by teammates, hugged by Mariucci (also Mariucci gives the fatherly/coach “Good Job!”) and finally interviewed about the play. It’s one of the more memorably moments of the ’98 playoffs. And it’s the pilot light moment that turned Terrell Owens into T.O. He realized that if he works hard, makes plays, he’ll get attention which he craves.
Soon it became less about how good the play was and more about the attention he could derive from it. Then we had standing on the Dallas Star, pulling out sharpies, gettin’ our popcorn ready, doing sit-ups in the driveway, mixing up medications and that’s my quarterback. My parents always told me about the difference between good attention and bad attention. Good attention was when I would get praise because of something worthwhile I did; bad attention was me seeking out attention or praise no matter what I did or sometimes getting in trouble just to get noticed. They explained this to me when I was five, T.O. still hasn’t gotten it and he’s 35.
T.O. will play next season, because he’s still in the top 10-15 players at his position and the NFL loves a second, third, fourth chance. I could see him on either the Raiders or the Ravens. Now, I know Coach Harbaugh was in Philly during T.O.’s run, but considering the Ravens made a play for him in 2004 (but the deal was botched in a weird contract mishap) and the team still needs a WR, we could see T.O. in a Ravens uni.
Plus, I love the idea of putting T.O. on a team with Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. I think Lewis would love the challenge of shepherding this lost player and give the Ravens what they’ve always needed, a big play threat. And we would get hours of video of T.O., Lewis and Reed paling around. T.O. doing Lewis’ dance after a touchdown. Lewis’ odd motivational tactics, that for the record scare me purely on their intensity, with T.O. Good times. I want to see it; I think we need to see it. T.O. on the Ravens could put a button on strange trip that has been Owens’ career.
Think of the tees that would come out of that signing. iRaven. iRedeem. Maybe? iImplode.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
The Eww Wee! Moment of the Week
This week's Eww Wee! moment comes courtesy of UConn guard A.J. Price. Enjoy.
The University of Marquette is now accepting donations for the Jerel McNeal Ankle Recovery Fund.
The University of Marquette is now accepting donations for the Jerel McNeal Ankle Recovery Fund.
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