Monday, March 29, 2010

Ten Things JJ Thinks He Thinks

1. Georgia Thoughts

The Dawgs on Saturday had their first scrimmage of the fall and the 3 man QB race might have turned into a 2 man QB race with the performances of Aaron Murray and Zach Mettenberger. Mettenberger went 7-for-10, with 157 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. His touchdown came on a deep ball, thrown to Rantavious Wooten for a 65-yard score. Aaron Murray Murray ffinished 10-of-15, with a touchdown and an interception. He connected with A.J. Green on a post route for a 40-yard touchdown. Junior Logan Gray did not share the same success as he was sacked three times, throwing 6-for-14, with only 37 yards. Richt claims he has no favorite but I would be shocked if Gray is in the race much longer. Nothing against Logan but if he could not get substantial playing time with Joe Cox struggling last season, he is going to have problems winning the job against Murray or Mettenberger.

a. This week the NFL held its off-season meetings in Orlando and I seriously doubt many had time to visit Disney with all the news coming out of central Florida.
b. The headline was the change of the overtime format for playoff games. I love the new rule where the team that kicks off to start overtime is assured a possession if they hold their opponent to a field goal on the initial possession. If the receiving team scores a touchdown the game is over.
c. For those who do not think the one possession is important in overtime...check this stat. There have been 27 OT postseason games since 1958. In 22 cases, both teams had at least 1 possession.
d. The one thing that I do not like about the rule is how it was implemented. The discussion/vote on overtime was supposed to take place on Wednesday but instead the vote happened on Tuesday while the coaches were participating in a golf tournament.
e.Sean Payton was the most vocal critic of the rule but he is the Colts recovering an on-sides kick away from being laughed at any time he opens his mouth.
f. He now will be stationed behind the offensive backfield rather than in the linebackers area. How will this affect holding calls and teams who run no huddle offenses where the umpire often stands over the ball until it is ready for play? In my opinion it is easier to slide into the defensive side of the field where the linebackers line up compared to sneaking into the offensive backfield.
g. How long before colleges and high school adopt this rule?
h. A third rule that was passed among countless others that might have affect late game strategy is if the clock is stopped in the final minute of either half for a replay review, but would not have stopped without the review, officials will run off 10 seconds before resuming play. Either team could take a timeout to void the 10-second runoff.
i. Saving timeouts just became more important for the last two minutes of each half.
j. Who will be the first coach burned by this 10 second rule? What team will get burned by the overtime rule?
k. The only thing that I wished would have come from these meetings was a 2010 schedule but I guess I will have to wait until April. Why does it take the NFL so long to put together the next years schedule?


3. NCAA Hoop Thoughts

a. I hope everyone stayed up Thursday night for the K-State-Xavier game. How awesome was Gus Johnson who announced the game for CBS?
b. Huggins is now 8-1 versus Calipari all-time. Just as an fyi...they have had about even talent in their careers.
c. Kentucky freshmen John Wall was as fun of a player I have watched in a long time. I know he was only on on campus in Lexington for a year but it was a fun year.
d. Can someone answer this question...how was West Virginia winning at the half by two points against Kentucky despite not making a two point field goal?
e. Poor K-State had no chance against Butler once their game went into overtime against Xavier...Teams coming off an OT win in the tournament have now lost 10 straight games.
f. Why did St. John's offer Billy Donovan less money than he was making at Florida? Did they put together a plan after they fired Norm Roberts?
g. How does Duke get 23 offensive rebounds?
h. Why do I not but Michigan State every year in the auction? Tom Izzo is by far the best coach in college hoops. I love the stories of Izzo and Steve Mariucci growing up best friends in northern Michigan.
i. Izzo has been to 6 Final Fours and is 38-12 in the NCAA Tourney.
j. Butler's filing to the government said its '08-'09 men's basketball team made $2. That's right, $2.
k.Has Coach K ever agreed with a call against Duke? He drops tons F-Bombs & the media (ESPN) tends to overlooks how he bullies the officials. Somehow he gets put on a pedestal that he is holier and better than every other coach in NCAA Basketball. 
l. I have become more intrigued with Brad Stevens with every passing day. He was born in 1976, that is the same year Jim Boeheim started as head coach of the Syracuse Orangemen. Stevens did beat Boeheim on Thursday night.
m. Butler-Mich. State tips off Sat. at 6:07 PM, ET, followed by Duke-WVU 40 minutes after conclusion of the first game.Now we know how to plan our Saturday evening. 
n. Let's hope they put Duke on the cover of SI this week so the infamous jinx can be in full affect. Last week Northern Iowa was on the cover, the week before all 65 (only 4 of them left) but Kentucky seemed to be a little bit bigger than the others.
o. Last week I talked about missed free throws and apparently John Calipari does not read this blog as his Cats missed 13 free throws which allowed West Virginia to stretch the game into double digits.

4. Best 4 Not at the Final Four- I think these 4 are better than the 4 that made it to Indy.

1. Kansas
2. Kentucky
3. K-State
4. Syracuse


5. Baseball Thoughts

a. The Braves announced some exciting news on Friday morning when they announced Jason Heyward made the team out of spring training. Heyward will wear number #22 and must play 5 innings in an official game before anyone is allowed to sell or buy his jersey.
b. Braves beat writer David O'Brien does a great job on Saturday with this blog on Heyward and his family's reaction to Fridays big news. ESPN writer Buster Olney also came with some awesome Heyward stories on Saturday. (Must be an ESPN Insider to read Mr. Olney)
c. I was shocked when the Dodgers announced Vincent Padilla as the Opening Day starter, especially when they have two young guns in Billingsley and Kershaw.
d. Most of my Yankee fan friends are excited with Joba being the 8th inning man. With Chamberlain and Rivera to close things out the games just got shorter in the Bronx.
e. Yesterday the Boston Globe ranked all the 30 manager's and their list went like this...1. Bobby Cox 2. Tony LaRussa 3. Terry Francona 4. Mike Sciossa 5. Jim Leyland.
f. My top 5 include:
1. Bobby Cox
2. Mike Sciossa
3. Jim Leyland
4. Tony LaRussa
5. Ron Gardenhire
g. I will let you argue with me about Francona, Torre, or even Charlie Manuel for the 5th spot but I am a big Gardenhire fan as he always seems to get the most out of his teams. The 3-16 record in his last 19 playoff games is not good.
h. How about this minor league record for Yankee 5th starter Phil Hughes: In 65 minor league games, 62 as a starter, he was 31-8 with a 2.37 ERA.
i. Here are some great stats courtesy of Bill Chuck and his awesome website.
j. The heaviest player as officially posted in the bigs last year was the Dodgers’ Jonathan Broxton, tipping the scales at 295. The lightest was the Rockies’ Esmil Rogers, who made one appearance and then his 150-pound frame was caught in a gust of wind.
k. Mark Teixeira has never had a successful sacrifice bunt in his career.
l. Here is how Posada compares with other Yankee great catchers:
Hits
Yogi Berra — 2,148
Bill Dickey — 1,969
Thurman Munson — 1,558
Jorge Posada — 1,488

Home Runs
Yogi Berra — 358
Jorge Posada — 243
Bill Dickey — 202

Batting Average

Bill Dickey — .313
Thurman Munson — .292
Yogi Berra — .285
Jorge Posada — .277

World Series 
Yogi Berra — 10
Bill Dickey — 7
Jorge Posada — 4

m. A story that has not been discussed much is the spring of Ricky Nolasco. The Marlins pitcher has a 1.78 ERA and 23 strikeouts in five starts over 27 1-3 innings. By the way he walked his first batter of the spring yesterday afternoon.

n. Quietly the Rays could have an awesome rotation with James Shields, Matt Garza, David Price, Wade Davis and Jeff Niemann.
o. John Lackey will like throwing to Victor Martinez as a catcher much more than facing him as an opposing pitcher; Martinez is a lifetime .476 hitter against Lackey (10 for 21).
p. Playing time aside, in 2005, as a member of the Rangers, Gerald Laird hit .225. In 2007, still with Texas, he hit .224. And last year, 2009, with Detroit, he hit .225....very strange.
q. We are 6 days away from Yankees-Red Sox on ESPN2 and 7 days away from Braves-Cubs at Turner Field. Where did the offseason go? Who knows or cares but I am glad Opening Day is almost upon us.

Halftime I need to apologize for not having a halftime last week as I totally forgot about this new feature. This week's song that Smoak and myself use to listen while youngsters is Ghetto Cowboy. I bet all is forgiven with this selection. Here is this week's question...In 2000, Michigan State defeated Florida for their first title since 1979. North Carolina was a member of that Final Four. What was the other team? I was a senior in high school. How awesome was Mateen Cleaves?

6. Best Corner Outfielders

1. Carl Crawford - I would love somehow for him to stay with the Rays after this season but the Yankees are said to fantasize about Crawford in pinstripes. Hitting in front of Longoria he will steal a lot of bases and score a ton of runs. Longoria will also be thankful for more fastballs with Crawford on base. He is due to hit 20 plus homers one of these days.
2. Ryan Braun - If the defense was a tad better he would have been number one on this and I could easily be talked into moving him up a notch. Last season only 37.9% of his hits were for extra bases after 46.6% in 2008 so look for the homers to increase. By the way he stole 20 bases last season.
3. Ichiro Suzuki - Is this 36 year old player going to slow down. In 2009 he hit .352 which I will take every year. His SB's and triples were both career lows last season. However, he still makes play like this which was made this week in spring training. Here are some highlights from his Japanese days that we all need to take the four minutes and watch. Also, how good of a job do the Japanese catchers do in blocking home plate?
4. Matt Holiday - He struggled while in Oakland but his trade to Cardinals in July helped them win the division. Last season he hit .377 in Busch Stadium. These numbers could be scary over a full season. He would have been higher put had a couple of awful ab's in the NLDS and who can forget him dropping the fly ball that would have been out number 3 in Game 2.
5. Andre Ethier - Why did Billy Beane trade him to LA for Milton Bradley? In 2008 he hit .305 with 20 home runs and 77 RBI's. In 2009 he hit .272 with 31 bombs and 106 RBI. If he can combine those numbers I think the term is MVP.

7. Best Center Fielders

1. Jacoby Ellsbury - In the last decade only 3 players have stole 70 bases in a season; Ellsbury last year along with Scott Podsednik in 2004 and Jose Reyes in 2007. Ellsbury who is only 26 should hit .300 steal around 70 bases a score a ton of runs setting the table for Red Sox.
2. Shane Victorino - I absolutely love everything this guy does...why does he have to play for one the Braves biggest rivals? While his numbers are not eye popping he plays one of the better center-fields in the National League. He has to led the league in going from first to third.
3. Matt Kemp - Hard to believe Kemp is only 25 as he has played 3 full seasons. Is there a better outfield in baseball than the Dodgers with Kemp, Manny, and Ethier? A lot of production from those three.
4. Justin Upton - He has yet to have his breakout year but it is coming this season. So far he has been a real streaky player as last May he hit .373 followed by a .240 average in July. It might just be me but the hot streaks are getting longer and more frequent.
5. Denard Span - A lot of you might say who? But Span, who was just awarded a 5 year - $16 million deal by the Twins is a future all-star. He will score a ton of runs getting on base at .400 clip and hitting in front of Mauer and Morneau.


Note: Carlos Beltran would have easily been #1 but in my opinion he has way to many injury questions surrounding him.

8. Best Starting Pitchers


1. Roy Halladay - What is there not to like about the Bad Doc? He has thrown 220 plus innings for the last four years while averaging an ERA of 3.08 and a WHIP of 1.14. His numbers might not be as good pitching in Philly but still the best starter in Baseball.
2. CC Sabathia - All this guy does is pitch deep into games and lead his team to the playoffs. All he did was tie for the league lead in wins and ranked in the top 10 in IP, K's, ERA, and WHIP.
3. Tim Lincecum - The most dominant pitcher the last two seasons. Buster Olney has brought up concern among stats on how his average fastball has dropped 2-3 mph at the end of last season, plus he has yet to throw well in spring training this season. It is amazing how small and skinny this guy is when you stand by him.
4. Dan Haren - His WHIP (Walk, Hits per Inning Pitched) was 1.00...that is Greg Maddux esque. Along with leading the NL in WHIP he led in K/BB while ranking second in innings. If the D'backs could have scored more runs he might have won more than14 games.
5. Josh Johnson - I am talking about the Marlins pitcher not my brother who happens to have the same name...what are the odds? In his first season from Tommy John surgery his average fastball velocity was 95. Note that is average. There is something about pitchers that are his size...6'7'' and 250 pounds that fires me up. I think the term is donkey.

9. What I Read This Week

The first read comes from Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated. Verducci the senior writer for SI spent a week with the Toronto Blue Jays at the start of spring training in 2005 and here is his story. This story is five years old and still an amazing read.


The second read also comes from Verducci and this time he is an umpire for a spring training game between the Orioles and Red Sox. I might rip umpires but how about this stat from the 2006 MLB season, there were 167,341 at bats last season over 2,429 games and the men in blue made only 100 incorrect calls, excluding balls and strikes (and in that discipline they were judged to be 94.9% accurate). 


The third read from Verducci comes from an article he wrote in 1995 on Darryl Strawberry and Doc Gooden. While we all might be familiar with the story of Gooden and Strawberry Verducci takes an in depth look at the lives off the field and how they kept falling into a pattern of self destruction. In reading the story one can not help but wonder if Strawberry or Gooden would have been on any team but the Mets in the 80's would they have fallen into such trouble. Also, how many World Series could the Mets have won if it were not for their hard living life style.


Just as a note all of these reads are long and deserve a printout and read while on the treadmill or exercise bike.


10. Non Football or Baseball Thoughts

a. Wow! The Office was very good on Thursday and dare I say best episode of the season?
b. How funny and awesome was Kevin?
c. Slowly Andy Bernard has become more of a main character on the Office and I absolutely love his character. Just as an FYI Andy Bernard is played by Ed Helms (Hangover among others) is born and raised in the ATL and graduated from The Westminster School. Furthermore, Brian Baumgartner who plays Kevin also attended Westminster graduating one year earlier. Here are my favorite Nard Dawg moments.
5. The Nard Dawg Reminisces about Cornell
4. Andy First Tells Us About His Days In Ithica
3. Break Me Off A Piece
2. Oommpa Loommpa
1. Take A Chance On Me

d. I watched Undercover Boss for the first time last night and I absolutely thought it was awesome. I will have to add this to the rotation for my Sunday night viewing pleasure.
e. It is great to see a person that runs a company as big as Herschend Family Entertainment understand the most important part of any company is the people and he puts his people first.
f. How am I just watching this show for the first time?
g. I watched The Amazing Race last night and because the roomdawg did not see it I will not comment to much except to say what high drama.
h. Last week I gave a list of people who I think would have been good partners for Amazing Race and I totally forgot about my buddy Todd who would provide the most laughs of any contestant in the history of the show. The only problem is all the delayed flight waiting for a seat belt extender for Bobbagaloosh. (His response to me calling him out is going to be classic)
i. In looking at the brackets for Captain and Coach right now Mrs. Lauren Ross has a twenty point lead but unfortunately for her she does not have any more teams participating in the contest.Melissa is in second and can win the whole thing if her Devils can bring home the title.
j. The King of NY is sitting in 12th place right now. With a West Virginia win Saturday night he will finish second and Stretch it out Coach will tie Melissa for third place. By the way Stretch It Out Coach is in last place right now.
k. Basically The Better Half wins if West Virginia wins Saturday night. She was also the only person in the group to get two of the four final four teams. I am proud of you Lauren Ross.
l. Am I the last person on earth without one of the three following items...1. A Facebook Page 2. A digital camera 3. An Ipod or similar device? Some may not have all but I would think 98.6% of the country has one of these items.
m.What is even more depressing is I think my mom has all three.
n. This is the last season of 24 and that is sad news for any Bauer fan and that includes me.
o. Speaking of Bauer I was turned on to 24 at the start of season 5 when I was living in The Big Apple and we had a great crew that would meet at my buddy Dan's apt every Monday night around 9:00. The show is a lot better when you have a solid crew to watch it with. "Who Wants Pizza?"
p. The softball league has returned and if you find yourself in the Peachtree Hills, Lindbergh area on a Wednesday night stop by to see first base played at a level we have not seen since Donnie Baseball. Just saying.
q. Just as a heads up for everyone we are 12 days away from the annual G-Day game and I think it is a great excuse to spend a weekend in beautiful Athens, Ga. In the words of Jeff Dantzler...spring time in Athens, Ga is undefeated.
r. I plan on going up on Friday as the Kinchafoonee Cowboys play Friday night. We need to put together a tailgate (failgate) for Saturday. Who is in?


Quote of The week

First quote comes from ESPN screamer Dick Vitale who said this Saturday night in previewing Baylor and Duke

"Baylor does not realize how hard Duke is going to play on Sunday with a birth to the final four on the line."


That type of insight is why Mr. Vitale was 34-60 as coach of the Detroit Pistons.

Quote of The Week II

Again from ESPN this time Linda Cohn.Cohn was giving highlights of the Kentucky-West Virginia game and at the end of the highlight she said this....

"Kentucky's big three freshmen in John Wall, Patrick Patterson and DeMarcus Cousins must now decide if they will turn pro after just one season on the bluegrass."

Patrick Patterson is a Junior as an fyi.

Text of The Week

I did not receive an awesome text this week so we will go with couple random quote from Texts From Last Night. I am disappointed in everyone and you all are better than that.


At one point we asked the guy to play "the lion sleeps tonight" with his bagpipes. Best version ever.

(610):  

Just saw an old man buy two cases of keystone light, a case of milwaukee's best and a case of icehouse. Degenerate alcoholic of senior citizen of the year?

(1-610):

I'm so glad i pay social security

Tweet of The Week

Comes from @drewmagary who writes for Deadspin and Kissing Suzy Kolberg. He also has written a book called Men With Balls. No I have not read Men With Balls but I will soon. Here are a couple of tweets from Drew.

#twitterpublichumiliationdiet weigh-in: 212.6 lbs. Oops. Must've been the pizza. And the ice cream. And the bagel. And the bacon.


If you've ever wondered what writing a book feels like, find a bucket of water, stick your head in it, and leave it there for a fucking year

I'm oddly disturbed that the cable news nets are now spending all their time talking about actual lawmaking. Can't a white chick go missing?


Photo of The Week

This would be Andre Johnson and Santanna Moss riding the bus because...well because I have no idea. On a side note I am always amazed how professional athletes can make a white v neck so fashionable...how come I can not pull this off?

Friday, March 26, 2010

What Did We Learn This Week?

For the first time in a long time we will are giving an update on what we have learned over the past week. Since we got the idea from Dan Patrick and his awesome radio show we use some Arcade Fire as inspiration......ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo




What Did The Coach Learn?



I have learned that March Madness is more than some basketball tournament where America turns its attention for a couple of weeks, it is the last couple of weeks before the baseball season where things have been flying by and I absolutely have no idea where the last week and half have gone. I also have learned that I have not been to Carver's in about 6-8 weeks and that will change this morning. Allie is rolling at 1105...who is coming with? I also have learned that I will be attending the practice round of the Master's on Tuesday April 6th and I am looking forward to walking the course and taking some awesome pics for the award winning website www.captainandcoach.blogspot.com. I really need to invest in a digital camera. Am I the last person on earth without all three of these items...1. A Facebook Page 2. A digital camera 3. An Ipod or similar device? Some may not have all but I would think 98.6% of the country has one of these items. I also relearned how much I miss DP as I have been to busy to listen at work or check out a pod cast or listen at home. I really enjoyed his interview with Bill Rafferty on Thursday and the Smoltz interview was decent. (Credit to Evan for the Smoltz find on DP). I also learned that the softball season has started up again and I have done an awful job of staying in shape this offseason. I guess I will have to work my way into playing shape as the season continues. I also think I need to spend more time in the cage. What else have you learned?


What Did The Roomdog Learn?


I learned that NCAA squares are pretty awesome.... 63 chances to win some money.  I learned that if there is going to be an exciting basketball game, it needs to be broadcasted by either Gus Johnson or Bill Rafftery.  Side note about Gus Johnson.... He was as excited during an IU/Minnesota game this year as we was during last nights Xavier/KSU thriller.  I learned the Bucks are pretty bad ass since the John Salmons trade a couple weeks ago and are looking good for a 5 seed and possible 1st round matchup with the Hawks.  I learned I was going to be on live tv for one of the studio shows on NBATV last Friday about 30 minutes before it happened.  I learned how excited I am for baseball after having my first 2 fantasy baseball drafts last week.  I learned I have a chance to win the Braves bracket pool if Kentucky beats Ohio State in the championship game (I may need St Marys to beat Baylor along the way for this to happen, but at least a 2nd place finish and money would be in my future if that title game matchup happens).


What Did Evan Learn?


I learned that pulling tarp is absolutely miserable...nothing like going to New Orleans for the 1st and 2nd rounds of the NCAA Tournament, and having to be back in Pearl to pull the tarp of the field at 9 AM Sunday Morning. I learned that I love the media picking against the Cats. As one person close to the team said last night before UK beat Cornell, "this is the most focused I've ever seen these guys. Kind of scary". I learned that Demarcus Cousins is pure genius when it comes to the media. Sure he may be a little hard to understand at times, but he's always prepared with something witty. March madness is about basketball, not about who can read a book the fastest or solve a rubick's cube in less than 3 minutes! I hope to learn why SAT scores were compared when talking about the Kentucky/Cornell matchup.....must not have a class in Cornell's campus about how to stop the dribble penetration.  I learned that Kentucky is a very generous bunch of players. Since apparently this guy thinks the job market will be tough for Cornell (Give me a break, you graduated from an Ivy League school, you'll be fine), we wanted to give them a head start on the job search. I learned that I can't wait for the A-Braves to get started and damn do I miss Carver's: someone please add a side for me....


What Did Coach Mitchell Learn?


I learned Thursday and Friday of the NCAA Tournament are the two best days of the year, and I don't really like college basketball that much anymore.  I learned eating full lobsters in Sea World that has been rented out just for our company is pretty impressive.  It must be nice to be able to live that kind of life everyday. I would like to thank Seth Davis when he was on DP a few weeks ago for the tip to buy Cornell.  I also learned ticket exchanges suck. 

What Did Coach Eanes Learn?

What have I learned....I learned that our Wednesday Night softball league is shaping up to be pretty competitive. I also learned that I am not ready for the chaos that is about ready to come, but I am very ready to be working well into October! I learned that I am fully on the Heyward band wagon and am pretty jacked up to see him in right field on opening day (hopefully he gets a better jersey #). I also learned that in order to sell 3000 fund-raising tickets for a high school baseball team each player will have to sell more than 20 tickets, right JJ! I learned that getting a passport is a expensive process and they actually make you raise your right hand and take an oath. I mean really I am at the post office and some part time postal worker making 25k a year gives me a sworn oath and then allows me to sign the paper. Speechless! I learned I am exhausted and have nothing else left to right!


Till we learn again........

Monday, March 22, 2010

Ten Things JJThinks He Thinks

Here are the Ten Things for another week. We are now two weeks from first pitch and a NCAA basketball champion. When is Spring going to be here for good?

1. Georgia Thoughts

Not much good to report from the Classic City as the baseball team went 0-4 last week losing at Georgia Tech when they walked in the winning run in the bottom of the 8th inning and getting swept at home by the War Turkeys to open SEC play. The scores from the weekend were 20-3, 4-3, and 19-3. Not good, not good at all.

Spring practice has started and there are two quotes I want to share with you and they should only excite you for the 2010 season. The first one comes fro new defensive coordinator Todd Grantham; “We work on tackling even without pads on.It’s all about getting in the hitting position. You’ve got to come to balance, understand it, where’s my help, inside-outside leverage, on the sidelines, closing down an angle, taking away a guy – you can work on all that stuff without pads on.”

The second quote comes from corner back Jordan Love on new DB coach Scott Lakatos. “When the ball’s in the air, he teaches to get your head around and look for the ball. Last year we were playing hands to the receiver, and that’s an adjustment we’ve had to make.”

 I can not tell you how excited I am that our db's will now play the ball in the air.  You think this will help the turnover ratio?



2. NCAA Thoughts

a. This stat is current as of Sunday night, 9:00: in NCAA men's and women's tournaments, SEC is 10-2 ... 6-0 in women's and 4-2 in men's.
b. Next Thursday will begin the sweet 16, of the 16 teams still dancing 11 different conferences are represented. Can we say parity?
c. It is amazing how many of these games come down to free-throws and the ability of certain teams and players to be fearless at the line. I am also disappointed in some teams ineptitude at the line. On Sunday Mizzo lost by 9, shot 60% at the line while West Virginia shot 76% at the time. Not good Mizzo.
d. Example #2 is the game between Purdue and Texas A & M. The Boilers made 83% of their freebies while the Aggies only made 59%.
e. Are we in agreement that the NCAA committee did a bad job seeding Cornell, Villanova, and Northern Iowa?
f. For those that are compulsive gamblers did you get any action on Northern Iowa at 140-1 to win the tournament before Thursday?
g. How crazy was the Robert Morris money line bet against Nova on Thursday? At the Wynn, it was $50 to win $1500. It turned out that the $50 was a bad bet.
h. I think I was more impressed by Syracuse and Kentucky than any other team this weekend. Syracuse advanced to back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances for the first time since 2003-04 behind 31 points by Wesley Johnson. The total was a career high for Johnson and the first time an Orange player put up 30-plus points in an NCAA tournament game since Gerry McNamara scored 43 against BYU in 2004.
i. Gonzaga by the way has failed to make it to the Sweet 16 in seven of its last nine nine NCAA tournament appearances.I thought they had been more successful than that the past decade but I think wrong.
j. Just as an FYI...The only other Big East team to eliminate Gonzaga in the NCAA tournament was Connecticut back in 1999. The Huskies were also a No. 1 seed in the West Region that season and went on to win the national championship.
k. Does anyone realize West Virginia has reached the Sweet 16 for the second time in three years and fourth time in six years?
l.How good were the Mountaineers on Sunday? Missouri's trademark pressure defense was not a problem as West Virginia had only 10 turnovers, the fewest against the Tigers this season.
m. Is Tom Izzo the best tournament in college basketball right now? His teams always succeed in the tourney.
n. Some match ups that intrigue me Thursday and Friday of this weekend include Northern Iowa vs Michigan St, Kentucky versus Cornell, Syracuse vs Butler and Duke vs Purdue.
o. Some coaching rumors I hear but do not believe include either Billy Donovan or Paul Hewitt to St. John's and Tubby Smith to Auburn.
p. Sunday was a bad day for Ga Tech which meant it was an AWESOME day for America. Both Tech's men and women's basketball teams lost.

3. NCAA Business Thoughts
I know I am a loser but I love looking at the tournament from 4 angles: 1. Fan 2. Hardcore Gambler 3. NCAA Corporate Sponsor 4. AD of a team in the tourney

Here are some thoughts on 3 and 4
a. Cinderellas make good stories but if they get too far they are a TV ratings disaster. Nothing against Northern Iowa I would rather watch Kansas in the Final Four than the Panthers of Northern Iowa.
b. CBSSports.com "Boss Button" was clicked 1.7 MILLION times on Thursday vs. 2.7 MILLION times for entire '09 tourney. Now if they can somehow get the boss button sponsored, someone is going to make a lot of money.
c. How crazy is this number? 16.8% (524/3,117) of the Robert Morris student body are NCAA athletes.
d. Murray State coach Billy Kennedy might have the smallest buyout of any NCAA Tournament Basketball Coach. If Kennedy leaves for another school his buyout is only $25,000. For comparable purposes, Memphis got paid $200,000 by Kentucky for John Calipari and West Virginia doled out $100,000 to steal Bob Huggins away from Kansas State.
e. For those of you that are wondering; if Mark Richt were to leave UGA to go to another school he would have to pay Georgia $2 million.
f. Not only did the failure of the Big East this week cast some doubt on the conferences place as the most dominant but it cost the league some serious cash. Each game is worth $222,206 a year, which is paid out in each of the next six years. That makes each game worth $1,333,236.So the failure of the Irish, the Golden Eagles and the Hoyas on Thursday to get to another game cost the Big East a total of $3,999,708 in potential future earnings.
g. Just as an fyi...The Big East has earned $23,109,436 for the 104 games it appeared in from 2004-2009.
The ACC came in second over that time period with its appearance in 82 games worth $18,220,902.
h. Nike has 49 teams in tourney +3 Jordan teams. The 52 represents an all-time tourney high for the brand.
i. Ohio is the only team in the tourney that wears Russell, but they purchase Nike shows since Russell doesn't make them.
j. Adidas schools in tourney: Kansas, New Mexico, Wisconsin, Wofford, Louisville, ND, Texas A&M, St. Mary's, Temple, Tennessee and Baylor.
k. File this under a story I do not believe but Duke says its Men's Basketball program lost $2 million last season. Darren Rovell and myself have trouble believing these figures.
l. Duke says it spent $394,068 per basketball player for the 2008-09 season. Last season Kansas spent $97,449 per player, while Murray State spent $14,963 per player. Vanderbilt spends $61,330 per player. Northern Iowa spent $19,099 per player.Why does Duke almost spend 20X as much as Northern Iowa?
m. This stat will only cause more angst among Jayhawk fans; Kansas' Bill Self ($3M) makes MORE THAN 10 TIMES the salary of UNI's Ben Jacobson ($289,900).


4. Coach's Top 5 Teams Heading Into the Second Weekend
1. Kentucky - Averaged win was 29.5 points in the first two rounds.
2. Syracuse - The back to back losses to end their season look like a thing of the past. Butler and either Xavier or K-State stand in their way of Final Four trip
3. Duke - Were not challenged this weekend and CBS in ATL decided not to show their games on TV here in ATL...that is fine with the me.
4. West Virginia - With Mr. Butler it is tough to count this team out.
5. Ohio State - If you would have told me they had a chance of going to Final Four without beating Kansas or Georgetown I would have asked what you were drinking.

5. Baseball Thoughts

a. A wild Sunday for the Twins, first they lose Joe Nathan for the season and then they sign probably the greatest catcher of all time for another 8 years and $184 million.
b. Great move for the Twins and in my opinion great for baseball. Not every great player has to end up in New York or Boston.
c. Did you know Mauer's deal was the 4th largest ever? I did not. AROD's $275 million with Yankees and $250 with Rangers are higher, along with Jeter's current $189 million deal.
d.Safe to say Twins are using the additional revenues from the new ballpark on player payroll; they have locked up Mauer, Span and Blackburn for big bucks.
e. The following are some stats courtesy of Bill Chuck
f. The Braves were the only team last year to attempt fewer than 90 steals successfully stealing 58 bases and being caught 26 times. Outfielder Matt Diaz was 12 of 17 in stolen bases to lead the team followed by Nate McLouth who stole 12 while being caught six times after he was acquired from the Pirates where he had been perfect in seven attempts.
g. Last season in 520 plate appearances, Bengie Molina drew 13 walks. The Padres’ Drew Macias did that in 90 plate appearances.
h. Todd Helton’s power numbers continue to decline. In 2001-2002, Helton had 79 homers. From 2005-2009, he’s hit 74.
i. In Nick Markakis’ first three seasons he played 465 games and hit 9 sac flies. Last year, in 161 games, he led the AL with 10.
j. Over last two seasons combined, no pitcher with at least 30 starts can top Florida’s Josh Johnson’s .786 winning percentage (22-6).
k. In case no one is familiar with Bill Chuck his website is a must read, a lot of good baseball numbers.
l. What are the Cubs going to do with outfield prospect Tyler Colvin (a former Clemson Tiger) when they have the following players signed for multiple years Soriano (five more years), Fukudome (two more years), and Marlin Byrd (three more years). This does not include Xavier Nady. That is a lot of corner outfielders.
m.Interesting idea but I have no idea why they would do it on Opening Day: "Hideki Matsui Blankie Day.’’ The Angels will attempt to break the Guinness world record for “largest gathering of people wearing fleece blankets.’’ The blankets, 40,000 of them, are red, with Matsui’s name and number. The crowd will be asked to wear them for five consecutive minutes. The current record of 17,758 blanket-wearers was set by the Cleveland Cavaliers March 5.
n. According to the Boston Herald tickets are moving slow for the Red Sox and opening night against the Yankees. I think the game is sold out via the Red Sox but those on the secondary market say tickets are going for 30% less than last season.
o. Saw this quote in the Boston Herald, Expect the Braves to be the Mariners of the National League when it comes to dark horses for a big 2010 season. . . .
p. It is hard to believe 14 days and the Cubs will be in town for Opening Day, things get started in 13 days with the aforementioned Yankees-Red Sox game at Fenway Park.
q. How does Jermaine Dye not have a job for 2010?



6. Best SS

1.Hanley Ramirez - What does he not do? Led the league in hitting at .342 last season (That was Babe Ruth's career average fyi) while hitting 24 home runs, 42 doubles and 106 RBI. He also stole 27 bases as a three hole hitter. In his first two full seasons when he was batting lead off he stole 51 each year...I had no idea.
2.Troy Tulowitzki - Tulo and Jered Weaver were on the same Long Beach State University team in 2004 that did not go to Omaha losing to Arizona in the Super Regionals. Who did Arizona lose to twice in Omaha? The University of Georgia.
3.Derek Jeter - Last year at age 35 probably had his best year offensively and defensively. He will be the first Yankee to 3,000 hits.
4.Jimmy Rollins - Two years ago he would have been #1 on this list. Has suffered the past couple of seasons especially in 2009 when he hit .250 with OB% of .296. He did win his third straight gold glove and stole over 30 bases for the sixth straight year.
5.***Jose Reyes (If healthy) Another player that has slipped the past couple of seasons. When I was living in the big apple he was probably the most exciting professional baseball player of the two New York teams. In 2006 he hit .300 with 30 doubles, 17 triples, and 19 home runs. He also stole 64 bases that season.
5. ***Yunel Escobar (If Reyes not healthy) Starting maturing around the all-star break last season and it was no coincidence the Braves made a big run at the same time. He it .299 while walking 57 times with only 62 strikeouts. He only stole 5 bases a number that needs to improve.

7. Best 3B

1. Alex Rodriguez - Probably among the top 15 players of all time and he now has the so called World Series monkey off his back. Unless he gets a serious injury will break Barry Bonds home run record in either 2015 or 2016.
2. Evan Longoria -Another member of the Long Beach State that did not get to Omaha in 2004. He has been an All-Star in his first two seasons in the big leagues and won a gold glove last season. I will sign for 33 home runs and 133 rbi's out of my third basemen every year.
3. David Wright - His power numbers were way down playing at Citi Field. He still hit over .300 and stole 27 bases. His defense might be a little overrated. On a business side if I was looking for someone to market my companies goods he would be the first baseball player I would call. How awesome must it be to play baseball in that town as a single man in his twenties.
4. Pablo Sandoval - All the big panda does is hit. Has played in less than 200 big league games and his career average of .333. He played games last season at catcher, first base and third base.
5. Chipper Jones - The future hall of famer had a down 09 after a huge 2008. Something says he will bounce back in 2010. He has walked 1343 times in his career while striking out only 1231 times. I need to do more research and find out who else in baseball has numbers like this.

8.Best Closers

1. Mariano Rivera - Is there anyone else who you would rather have the ball in the 9th inning? Best of all time I still can believe he choked the 2001 World Series away. I will never forget him blowing Game 4 against the Red Sox in 04. Despite those bad moments he is the reason the Yankees won 4 World Series in 90's and 2000 and the Braves only paraded down Peachtree St once. Behind Derek Jeter is he is my second favorite baseball player that is not an Atlanta Brave.
2. Joakim Soria - Yes he is the best closer you have not heard of. Has a career WHIP (Walk, Hits per inning pitched) of .967. The great Mariano-1.013.
3. Jonathan Broxton - The humongous righty from south Georgia had dominating numbers in his first season as the Dodgers closer. A killer strikeout rate (13.28) and a very nice ground-ball percentage (54 percent) combine to make him the top closer in baseballs senior circuit.
4. Jonathan Papelbon - Is this Pabs last season in Bean Town with a young Daniel Bard on the way? Despite a shrinking Stikeout per 9 innings ratio Pabs is still one of the better closers in baseball.
5. Billy Wagner - I probably could have gone with an underrated Brian Wilson here but there is something about my new favorite Atlanta Brave. Have a hard time believing he actually hit 101 on the radar gun this week but I do not think he was far from it.


9. What I Read This Week

This week I will give a read about Bill Simmons and few reads by The Sports Gu. For those that do not know about Bill Simmons he writes a column on ESPN and his known for writing the column from the viewpoint of a passionate sports fan. He often uses extended analogies and references to pop culture, on which he is an expert as well, in his columns. He moved to Los Angeles on November 16, 2002 to work as a writer for the Jimmy Kimmel Show. He left the show to work full-time for ESPN.Basically he gets paid to write sports from the same view point as me. I am t jealous at all. I do have to say I just started reading a lot of his work and do not follow him religiously as others.

The first read come from The Atlantic and takes a look at Simmons and his place in the sports media/pop culture. The next two reads were sent to my by The Admiral (who celebrated a birthday in grand style this weekend). Both reads are written by Simmons and follow a weekend last August with Simmons and his childhood friends as they hold their fantasy football draft in Las Vegas of all places. Here is part one of the adventure. Here is part two of the adventure.

Here is a paragraph excerpted from part one; Grady's birthday trip came together in less than two weeks, and only because the preferred plan (a college football weekend in October) couldn't work because of scheduling issues. But the crappy last weekend of August before Labor Day when it's a kajillion degrees outside? Absolutely, that one worked!!! As amazing as this sounds, we hadn't done a draft with everyone in the same room since 2000. That's what happens when you get old. People move, people have kids, and it's not uncommon to go 18 months without seeing one of your best friends. If somebody told you this would happen when you were 25 or younger, you would punch them in the face. You would refuse to believe it. But it happens to everyone. It just does. I hope this doesn't happen to me and the boys.

10. Non Football or Baseball Thoughts
a. 24 is starting to pick up steam and last week we had our best episode of the season. It is amazing that no one else at CTU can see what is happening the way Jack does. Do they not go through any sort or training?
b.Speaking of 24 their are a lot of rumors that the season will not be renewed for a 9th season; however there are also rumors that NBC could be interested in a 9th season if Fox passes.
c. Can anyone explain to me why How I Met Your Mother, Big Bang Theory, and CSI NY were repeats last week?
d. The Roomdog, the Farrell's and myself attended Repo Man on Tuesday of last week. Lots of blood and guts which I was not a big fan. Slow moving movie that had a twist at the end which I enjoyed but it did not make the movie that much better.
e. For those that did not attend the cookout or barbeque on the rooftop this past Saturday, they missed a great time.
f. I have to give credit to A-Train for the idea and getting it organized. I also need to credit to Brice for doing an amazing job with the ribs, potatoes, and macaroni. The brats and burgers were also amazing. Well done Mr. Scott, well done.
g. I was awesome on Saturday...the first time in a long time I can say that.
h. Saturday was also the nicest day in probably 5 months, I can not wait to get more days like these in the near future. Sunday was an awful day in ATL. If I had to choose I would go with nice Saturday over nice Sunday any day of the week.
i. The Amazing Race continues to be one of my more enjoyable shows to watch on television. My favorite team the cowboys put a scare in me when they just drove to the wrong city without asking for directions but they were able to rally the troops and finish 4th.
j. I keep wondering how I would do on the show as a contestant and who would make a good teammate. I think my brother would be decent as he has no fear and would just dominate some of the tasks that include heights and other things. The roomdog would be decent as well and would keep his poise better than a team made of me and my brother. I think Brice and myself would be decent teammates as well as we would bring two opposite skill sets to the competition.
k. In my opinion the Cowboys, the cops and the brothers have three best chances of winning the $1 million.
l. How are the feeble-minded models still on this show?
m. Rumor is Tiger's people offered an interview to CBS but they turned it down after they were only given 5 minutes. Why? As soon as I type that I find this article to the back story on why CBS said thanks, but no thanks.
n. By the way despite what they tell ESPN did not have an exclusive interview with Mr. Woods on Sunday. The golf channel also was given 5 minutes. Funny they do not mention that.
o. The Captain and Coach march madness bracket has 15 participants and right now The Better Half is winning with 49 points. Second place has 41 points and that would be Mr. Costantino from New York. By the way The Better Half is run by Lauren Ross and her husband is also in the bracket. He is in 10th place with 36 points.
p. I am not picking as I only have 38 points and an eliminated National Champion.
q. By the way The Better Half has a final four of Kansas, Butler, Kentucky and Duke so things can easily change.

Quote Of The Week

I can not think of one but their had to be one from the bbq and all I can think at this moment is Teddy Graham and myself hollering: "New Song"  I will have to update later in the week so check back with us.

Text Of The Week
From good friend Pablo who is a big women's basketball fan.

Hot coaches match up in womens basketball. UCLA and nc state coach. Seen Kellie Jolly Harper in person. Legit. Nikki Caldwell is other. Worth a google.

I agree.

Tweet Of The Week
From @BaseballGuys

Coming home from 1st Vegas weekend for #NFBC. Fight delayed 40 mins. Someone ran naked on tarmac. j/k, but it sounded good anyway.

Photo of The Week

From the Cornell-Wisconsin game...thanks to deadspin for the photo. Safe to say The Big Red of Ithaca, NY is making the Nard Dog proud.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

March Madness Couch Potato: Planning out your Thursday


FINALLY, the most glorious postseason play in all of sports is upon us.  Personally it's not even close how great the NCAA Basketball postseason is compared to any other postseason, and I'm not totally convinced even a NCAA Football Tournament would surpass it.  The simple reason is because even with an NCAA Football tourney you'll never have George Mason advance to the Final Four (Like they did in 2006) because a small school like that would never even be allowed into the top 25, never mind into any kind of "plus 1" tourney that football would set up.  Such is the animal that is college basketball, and is also what makes it great: it only takes one player to be a tourney team in basketball and that creates the drama that is March Madness.

With all of the matchups, seeds, and tip-times fully announced it’s time to get your viewing schedule all setup.  If you don’t have DVR (and really if you don’t what the hell are you waiting on?) or HD then I have no words for you.  These two elements are essential for watching sports, and they will heavily influence my viewing schedule and method (TV or CPU). 

The final element and quite possibly most important one to determine my viewership will be announcing schedules.  It goes without saying that certain pairs of announcers or just colormen will make a game more entertaining (such as Coach’s favorite Bill Raftery and my favorite, Gus Johnson) than other games, because of this I will also give you the announcing schedules of these games so you know when to tune into where and at what time.

Make sure there are fresh batteries in the remote and that your CPU is plugged in and fully accessible because you’re going to be busy flipping back and forth taking in all the action. Remember, you might want to carbo-load on some pasta at Noon to help sustain you through the day and don’t be too proud to piss in a bottle if you don’t want to miss any of the action, lord knows Lloyd Christmas isn’t above it.


First off here are the hosting cities for Thursday and Friday:

The host cities for the Thursday games are: Providence, New Orleans, Oklahoma City and San Jose

The host cities for the Friday games are: Jacksonville, Buffalo, Milwaukee and Spokane.

As you can see the hosts are spread out from east to west and north to south so there will be basketball to take in at all times and in all kinds of venues. 

Now, the Announcers are all going to be covering different cities, here are those duo’s with the games they’ll be covering:

THURSDAY – MARCH 18th, 2009

Providence: Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery
12:30 pm: #2 Villanova vs. #15 Robert Morris
2:50 pm: #7 Richmond vs. #10 St. Mary’s
7:25 pm: #3 Georgetown vs. #14 Ohio
9:45 pm: #6 Tennessee vs. #11 San Diego State

New Orleans: Dick Enberg and Jay Bilas
12:25 pm: #6 Notre Dame vs. #11 Old Dominion
2:45 pm: #3 Baylor vs. #14 Sam Houston State
7:15 pm: #1 Kentucky vs. #16 ETSU
9:35 pm: #8 Texas vs. #9 Wake Forest

Oklahoma City: Kevin Harlan and Dan Bonner
12:20 pm: #7 BYU vs. #10 Florida
2:40 pm: #2 Kansas State vs. #15 North Texas
7:10 pm: #8 Northern Iowa vs. #9 UNLV
9:30 pm: #1 Kansas vs. #16 Lehigh

San Jose: Spero Dedes and Bob Wenzel
2:30 pm: #4 Vanderbilt vs. #13 Murray State
4:45 pm: #5 Butler vs. #12 UTEP
7:20 pm: #6 Marquette vs. #11 Washington
9:40 pm: #3 New Mexico vs. #14 Montana
I would rank these announcing combos as such:

1 – Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery

No one fosters college atmosphere like Bill Raftery.  From random shouts of “Onions!” or phrases such as “lingerie on the deck” Raftery always has a colorful and entertaining yet an oddly accurate descriptive way to do the color on these games.  Combine him with one of the best table-setters in all the business in Lundquist and this combo is like fine wine as they get better with age.

2 – Kevin Harlan and Dan Bonner
           
A bit of an upset with this pairing getting the 2nd ranking over Enberg and Bilas but it all boils down to Kevin Harlan and the energy he brings at the most appropriate times.  I’ve heard Harlan do NBA games for years now and a well timed, guttural “DAGGER RIGHT BETWEEN THE EYES!!!” after a big shot always puts a little extra hop in my step.

3 – Dick Enberg and Jay Bilas

For smart and informative analytical basketball knowledge dropped during games Bilas’s only real challenger is Doug Gottlieb, who doesn’t do a ton of games. 

Bilas’s strengths are never more evident than on ESPN’s College Basketball highlight games on Big Monday.  During this coverage Bilas gets put with Raftery and Lundquist (which is a classic case of the “more is better” theory which is ruining announcing these days.  Please ESPN, leave Raft and Lundy all by themselves, they’re just fine with no help) to cover most of those games and it’s a tad embarrassing as Bilas runs circles around the two old guys with his basketball knowledge.  However all that knowledge doesn’t mean he’s all that entertaining to listen to.

Enberg is definitely a pro but his style is much more suited to announce the Olympics and Golf and Water Polo, not really something as exciting as March Madness.  So while this crew brings the good in terms of knowledge and professionalism they just don’t foster the excitement like the first two duos on this list.

4 – Spero Dedes and Bob Wenzel

For anyone addicted to NBA Hardwood Classics and SportsCentury on ESPN Classic like me then you’re familiar with Spero Dedes.  Wenzel, conversely, must live on the left coast because he’s always stuck doing MWC games on a Tuesday at 10PM on ESPNU.  I’m just not that familiar with this duos ability to do games and bring that palpable excitement to the games or to give you those inside tidbits that really help you see the game in a different way.  So what does CBS do? They go and give this combo the most consistently intriguing matchups throughout the entire day on Thursday.

Now that we’ve covered the TV schedule on Thursday as well as the announcing duos let’s plan out your day to get you the most entertaining day possible of College Basketball.

Game #1: 

12:20 pm: #7 BYU vs. #10 Florida – I expect BYU to win by double digits as Jimmer Ferdette shows the young Gator guards what a top notch shooter looks like.  I like Kentucky and Tennessee as much as the next guy but they just don’t shoot it like all those white guys at BYU.  You’re only going to be on this game for about 10 minutes to appreciate Jimmer Fredette and then you’re turning to

Game #2:

12:25 pm: #6 Notre Dame vs. #11 Old Dominion – This will be your primary game for the early afternoon as it will be the most competitive and intriguing game coupled with the 2nd best announcing duo on the docket.  I like ODU to take down the Irish in Round 1.  As much has been made about ND changing their style to accommodate their personnel once Harangody went down, ODU can match them style for style.  ODU looks like a Big East team with all those athletes, it seems every player on the team is 6’7” and every one of them can rebound the ball.  No need to check on Verne and Bill as Nova should handle Morgan St. easily.  However once these games are over you should sit back and relax as Verne and bill paint you a picture in:

Game #3

2:50 pm: #7 Richmond vs. #10 St. Mary’s – I’m not a conspiracy theorist but I hate that the committee matched these two teams up in the first round.  Along with Butler, UTEP, Cornell, Temple and Baylor these were 2 of the less-heralded teams I would have picked to make some upsets prior to the brackets being released.  At least we get the #1 announcing duo for an EXTREMELY entertaining game (PS – Richmond is going to make some serious NOISE in this tournament).  During the commercials of this game you flip back-and-forth to

Game #4

2:30 pm: #4 Vanderbilt vs. #13 Murray State - the announcing crew of Dedes and Wenzel indicates that CBS knows this game won’t get a ton of viewership.  However with Vandy only have one PG in Jermaine “Dolla” Beal and Murray St. being one of the teams in the nation that forces a ton of turnovers it’s at least worth checking in on.  And the reason you check in on it is because you are going to DVR

Game #5

2:45 pm: #3 Baylor vs. #14 Sam Houston State – I fully expect Baylor to win this game, however Tweety Carter and LaceDarius Dunn are known to keep both teams in the game with their shot selection.  If Baylor doesn’t take the BearKats seriously enough SHS will shoot the Bears outta that 2-3 zone they like to run and right outta the tournament because SHS can REALLY fill it up.  The reason you DVR this game is because there is a tournament lull from about 5PM to 7PM when the 2:30 games are ending and the 7:00 games are starting.  It will be fun to listen to Bilas educate us on one of the popular sleepers in this tourney in Baylor. The only other game you’ll watch at this time is

Game #6

4:45 pm: #5 Butler vs. #12 UTEP – A popular upset pick here and I do.  Butler isn’t as strong as they’ve been in the past when they’ve played the roll of Bracket Buster.  UTEP’s Randy Culpepper is a dynamic guard and Derreck Caracter, a Louisville transfer for UTEP, can get all of Butler’s shallow front line in foul trouble.  After you got used to Dedes and Wenzel in game #4 this will be a good game to keep you tied over until

Game #7

7:20 pm: #6 Marquette vs. #11 Washington – That’s right, another Dedes and Wenzel game.  I told you this duo had the most consistently entertaining games all day.  I LOVE Marquette’s style of play and Lazar Hayward, their 6’5” 3PT-shooting big man is so much fun to watch.  However I’ve heard just enough smart and educated people talking about Washington that this will be a good one to monitor.  During this game feel free to swap back and forth with

Game #8

7:15 pm: #1 Kentucky vs. #16 ETSU – One of the most exciting players and teams in the bracket, John Wall and Kentucky will be on display.  You won’t be here long as this should turn into a route.  It will be fun to listen to Bilas break down all of Kentucky’s potential draft picks as he does a lot of work on the NBA Draft coverage on TNT.  Stretch your legs, get something to eat and drink and use the bathroom during this relative lull because the 9PM time slot is going to be huge and it all kicks off with

Game #9

9:45 pm: #6 Tennessee vs. #11 San Diego State – Now this is March Madness at it’s finest.  One of the most popular upset pick games gets paired with Raft and Lundy.  They will really help set the atmosphere for an upset pick that I really like.  Tennessee is a team I never felt bullish on, even after they beat Kentucky/Kansas during the season.  I just really don’t like their guard play and they don’t have enough skilled size inside to offset it.  Enjoy Wayne Chism because I don’t see him getting a 2nd game in his senior year tourney.  What Chism and Tennessee lack in wingmen, however, New Mexico more than makes up for them, and they’ll be on display in

Game #10

9:40 pm: #3 New Mexico vs. #14 Montana – Darrington Hobson is a SPECIAL player and this is a great opportunity to showcase his wares.  The Montana Grizzlies have a Shooting Guard in Anthony Johnson that just put up 42 to help Montana win their conference tourney a week ago.  Dedes and Wenzel get the 2nd best game at the 9PM slot which finishes off their immensely entertaining day.  Watching Tennessee get upset and these two teams go shot-for-shot will leave you

Game #11

            9:35 pm: #8 Texas vs. #9 Wake Forest – Another great game for Bilas and Enberg to get as Texas has some of the more sought after NBA talents in the nation.  Avery Bradley, Damion James, Dexter Pittman and others will be great to have Bilas break down their games and NBA prospects.  Finally, you’ll just want to check the score on

Game #12

            9:30 pm: #1 Kansas vs. #16 Lehigh - Please move on, nothing to see here.


And that’s it.  You’ve been watching March Madness for about 12 hours and caught some great games and great announcing duos to help guide you through the gauntlet.  Make sure you get some sleep and get ready for tomorrow.  I'll be back this evening or tomorrow morning with your Friday schedule.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Ten Things JJ Thinks He Thinks

Here are the Ten Things for the week, I know I said I would do 15 Things this week but that ended up being a lie as I was way to busy to write 15 things. We will try for 15 Things this week but no telling what we end up with. Check back during the week for some NCAA previews from the Captain.


1. Georgia Thoughts

The Dawgs went 1-1 this week in the SEC tourney beating Arkansas and losing to Vandy. We finished the season 14-17 and while that is nothing to write home about it showed enough progress and enough signs of hope for one to get excited about the future.

If star sophomores Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie return to school for their junior season their stock will do nothing but rise. These two have been projected as lottery picks in the 2011 season so hopefully they return because if they improve the same amount from 2010 to 2011 as they did from 2009 to 2010 Coach Fox could blow the lid off the program.


Another key jump involves developing consistent guard play to accompany Thompkins and Leslie in the scoring department. Toward the end of the season, many teams, like Vanderbilt did Friday, were able to employ zone defenses to slow Georgia’s scoring duo. With McPhee, Georgia’s lone 3-point threat, graduating, Georgia must find someone who can stretch the floor and alleviate pressure on Thompkins and Leslie. Sources inside the program say Tennessee State transfer Gerald Robinson Jr., who sat out this season per NCAA rules, could be that guy.

In December I wrote This is a team that you have to watch while remembering this is a process. It's a team you grade on issues bigger than wins and losses. Do they look like they are improving over the course of the season? I think it is safe to say we are a better team in March that the one in November. In fact it is remarkable how far this team has come.

2. College Basketball Thoughts-Couple things to keep in mind when filling out your bracket

a. UK's 6-1 in games decided by 6 points or less.
b. Vandy and Murray St are separated by 125 miles. However, they both have to fly out to California to play each other in the first round.
c. If BYU (7) can beat Florida (10) and K-State (2) in Oklahoma City then the Cougs would be a "HOME" team as a 7 in Salt Lake in 16.
d. Villanova and ND could meet in Sweet 16; conference matchups normally avoided til regional final. Same with Marquette and WVU.
e. Some coaches in Kansas' quadrant: Izzo (five final 4s),Kruger (1 final 4, two 8s), Gary Williams (two final fours), and don't sleep on Tom Penders
f. Houston Cougar coach Tom Penders has won 10 NCAA games as a double-digit seed.
g. The Demon Deacons of Wake Forest have ended the season disastrously, losing five of their last six, and bottoming out with a 21-point loss in the ACC tourney to last-place Miami. Coach Dino Gaudio is 0-4 in postseason games as Wake head coach. In each of those four games, Gaudio's team had the higher seed -- and in each of those four games they lost by double digits.
h.The Maryland Terrapins haven't lost consecutive games since November in Maui and should be able to bounce back after being bounced by Georgia Tech in the ACC quarterfinals. Also, it's been a while since Gary Williams was sent home after the first round; last nine times he's had the Terps have been in the field, they've won at least one game.
i. Michigan State has not done anything impressive in weeks, struggling in at 5-5 over their last 10 games. However, are you man enough to bet against Tom Izzo having his team playing its best ball in this tournament?
j. Jim Boeheim has a tourney record of 42-26. None of his final four teams have been #1 seeds.
k.Rick Pitino and Louisville could be scary for Duke in round 2. He has taken teams seeded sixth (Providence 1987) and fourth (Louisville '05) to the Final Four. What will his 9th seeded team do this year?
l. I found this awesome story on Bill Raftery and along with Verne Lundquist, the pair will make CBS 's best announcing team despite Jim Nantz and Clarke Kellogg announcing the final four.
m. How great would it be to follow him on the road for a college basketball season? One would find some of the best stories that should never be told. It would make an awesome book and or Documentary.
n. Send it in.
o. He Said What? TAKE IT TO THE TIN...WITH ALACRITY!!!
p. Like A Belgium Waffle
q. Illinois is playing at Stony Brook in the NIT, the reason why? Assembly Hall is booked with Cirque du Soleil.
r. How good has UK been all-time Kentucky is the first team with 50 tournament appearances. Next is North Carolina and UCLA with 41 (neither in this year’s field). Those three are the only teams with 40, Kansas now has 39.
s. I know it is a 1 vs 16 game but the Syracuse-Vermont matchup has to make the Orange faithful a little uneasy. Vermont's only NCAA tournament victory came against the Orange back in 2005. Just as an FYI the coach of Vermont at the time was Tom Brennan. What do Coach Brennan and The Coach have in common? We are both graduates of UGA. It also HAS to be mentioned that Brennan once was an assistant under Bill Raftery at Seton Hall. Brennan now works as an analyst for ESPN.
t. How is Kansas the #1 overall seed and get the hardest bracket to the final four?
u. Why am I picking Louisville to beat Duke?
v. Onuaku is unlikely to play this weekend for the Cuse but it should not matter and we should see them in the Sweet 16.

3. My Elite Eight

South
Notre Dame
Louisville
 
Midwest
Kansas
OhioState


East 
Kentucky
West Virginia

West
Syracuse
Kansas State


 4. What I read last week

This week I read an article by Vanity Fair writer Mark Seal. Seal takes a look at David Letterman and the 48 Hours producer that Letterman accuses of extortion. This wild article takes a look at Letterman, Joe Halderman the 48 Hours Producer, and Late Show staffer Stephanie Birkit. Long read but very well done and one of the only pieces ever written that takes a look at the private Letterman.

The second article comes from 1980 and takes a look at the Sports Illustrated Sportsmen of the Year which was USA's hockey team. For those without a sense of history the 1980 Olympic Team preformed the "Miracle on Ice" in upsetting the heavily favored Russia team in semifinals before coming from behind to beat Sweeden in the Gold Medal game. I can not get enough of this story.

5 Baseball Thoughts
a. Here is a stat that will make you say WHAT? Only three hurlers have more victories than Joe Saunders’ 33 the past 2 yrs: Roy Halladay (37), CC Sabathia (36) Cliff Lee (36).
b.When Jered Weaver is good, he’s really good: In his 16 wins last season, he had an ERA of 1.84 and a 0.905 WHIP. But in his eight losses, he had a 6.99 ERA and a 1.835 WHIP 
c. The heaviest player as officially posted in the bigs last year was the Dodgers’ Jonathan Broxton, tipping the scales at 295. The lightest was the Rockies’ Esmil Rogers, who weighed in at 150.
d. For those that participate in fantasy keeper drafts they might want to look at Brewer LHP Zach Braddock. Last season, he struck out 62 and walked seven in 40 1/3 innings between Single A and Double A.
e. How did Jair Jurrjens only have a record of 14-10 last season despite an ERA of 2.65?
f. How much pressure is on David Wright early in 2010? From everything I read Reyes and Beltran will open the season on the DL.
g. Last year Rafael Furcal failed to reach 25 SB for 1st time in full season. 47 RBI tied his worst mark in a year of at least 500 ABs.
h. The SF Giants have real concern w/ phenom Madison Bumgarner. Fastball never hit 90 mph on Thurs., threw a couple at 85 mph
i. From 2006-08, Chipper produced an average line of .342-26-88-92. Last year he went .264-18-71-80.
j. I have been quick to rip the Mets signing of Jason Bay but in 4 of the last 5 seasons Jason Bay has hit 30 homers with 100 RBI, 100 runs and 10 SBs. Only he and Alex Rodriguez have done this.
k. Of the 30 teams in MLB only 11 have all-time records greater than .500. The 11 are the Yankees, Cardinals, Dodgers, Red Sox, Cubs, White Sox, Reds, Indians, Giants, Pirates and Tigers.
l. Yes the Pittsburgh Pirates are 9,753 - 9,579 all time.
m.The Atlanta Braves are 29 games under .500 at 9854-9883 all time. A 2010 record of 96-66 would put the Braves at 1 game above .500 all-time. It should also be noted the Bravos should hit 10,000 wins all time in 2011.
n.Currently only 4 franchises have 10,000 all-time wins and they would be the Dodgers, Cubs, Giants, and Cardinals
o. Nick Blackburn of the Twins, as a rookie in 2008, started 33 games and went 11-11 with a 4.05 ERA. He gave up 102 runs, 23 homers, walked 39, struck out 96, and had a WHIP of 1.360 in 193 1/3 innings. Last year, as a sophomore, he started 33 games and went 11-11 with a 4.03 ERA. He gave up 103 runs, 25 homers, walked 41, struck out 98, and had a WHIP of 1.366 in 205 2/3 innings.
p.Nomar Garciaparra finished his career out-homering Derek Jeter, 229-224, but trailed in lifetime average, .317 to .313.
q. Not to often I feel sorry for the Red Sox but the story of Ryan Westmoreland is something I do not wish on anyone. The Boston Herald has more details.
r. MLB Network's 30 in 30 focused a lot on Mark McGwire during the Cardinal episode and I was thoroughly impressed with him as a hitting coach. I even picked up on a couple of things hitting wise that I did not know before.
s. Speaking of MLB Network, I am absolutely loving the daily spring training games even if it is not the Braves.
t. I found an unique stat this weekend and it is Bases Taken (it includes bases advanced on fly balls, passed balls, wild pitches, balks and defensive indifference). The top 4:
1. David Wright - 31
2. Denard Span - 29
3. Troy Tulowitzki - 27
4. Dexter Fowler - 27
u. Speaking of Span he had a .667 batting average on bunts (10 hits, 15 at-bats) last season, which was nearly double the major league average of .376.
v. Am I the only one who thinks this is awesome? The Braves lost one split squad game on Sunday 8-5 to the Astros. The beat the Blue Jays in a split squad game 8-5 on Sunday.
w. Homerun leaders by posion last year
C  Joe Mauer - 28 homers overall (23 as a Catcher)
1b Prince Fielder 46 (Pujols had 47 overall but 44 as a 1b)
2b Aaron Hill 36
SS Troy Tulowitzki 32
3b Mark Reynolds 37 (43 overall)
RF Jayson Werth 34 in right 36 overall
CF Curtis Granderson 30
LF Jason Bay 36
x. Last season before the All-Star break Troy Tulowitzki hit 16 homers with a .254 batting average. After the break he also hit 16 homers but his average was .342. (.342 was also Babe Ruth's career batting average)
y. Last season, the Angels led the majors with 91 games in which they had 10 or more hits. They had a 68-23 record in those games. The Reds had the fewest with 50, going 37-13.
z. The two players who had the most games with four or more hits last season were Miguel Tejada and Denard Span who had six such games each.


Halftime
This week's song that Smoak and I used to listen as we drove around in circles is Wallflowers-One Headlight. Congrats goes to the greatest kicker in Screven County History who knew that Paris finished second to London to host the 2012 Olympics. He wins two tickets to a Braves game during the 2010 season. This week's question is, tell me the four guys who have won a Heisman and a Super Bowl MVP.


6. Does Spring Training Success Matter?

Here are some statistical numbers to the age old question.
a. In 2007 the eight playoff teams went a collective 125-108 (.536 winning percentage) in Spring Training (ST). Seven of the eight playoff teams went .500 or more in ST with the Phillies as the only exception (11-18).
b. The ten worst teams of 2007 went 134-163 (.451 winning percentage) in ST.
c. In 2007, the eventual World Series Champions, the Boston Red Sox, went 15-12 in ST. The National League Champion Colorado Rockies went 13-12 in ST.
d. In 2008 the eight playoff teams went a collective 112-112 (.500 winning percentage) in ST. Only three of the eight playoff teams had a record over .500 in ST. The White Sox were one team that stunk in ST, but went on to make the playoffs. The Phillies (12-18) and Dodgers (11-18), who ultimately squared off in the 2008 NLCS, both had miserable records in ST, as well.
e. The ten worst teams of 2008 went 130-161 (.447 winning percentage) in ST. Of the poor teams, the Giants and Orioles were notably bad in ST at 9-23 and 10-17, respectively. The Giants were 72-90 in 2008, while the O's had a 68-93 record.
f. 2009’s worst eleven teams finished a collective 156-201 (.437) in ST. Eight of these eleven teams finished under .500 in ST. The three exceptions were the Mets, Royals, and Pirates.
g. The eight playoff teams finished with a collective ST record of 153-115 ( .571 winning percentage), but two teams, the Yankees and Angels inflated this winning percentage. The Yankees were 24-10, whereas the Angels were a supernatural 26-8. Still, six of the eight playoff teams were .500 or better in ST.
h. The two playoff teams that failed to reach .500 in ST were the Phillies and Dodgers. These teams went on to face off in the NLCS, so I guess their poor STs didn’t matter much.
i. In 2006 the Braves went 11-18 in Spring Training before going 79-83 in the regular season. In 2007 the Braves had a Grapefruit league record of 18-12 before going 84-78. In the injury plagued season of 2008 the Braves had an overall record of 70-92 while going 15-15 in spring training. Last season the Braves finished 21-12 in March before finishing with an 86-76 record.
j. Have these numbers proved anything? I do not think they mean much but if you are a Phillies fan you have to be worried that the Fightin's actually have an above .500 record two weeks into Grapefruit League play.
k.I think spring training records reflect more on bad teams than good teams meaning that bad teams will preform poorly in the spring while the spring does not effect good teams.
l. Just as an FYI, the Washington Nationals are 0-10 so far this spring. The Orioles are 3-8 and the Angels are 2-6. Do any of these records matter?


7. The Best Second Basemen in Baseball
1. Chase Utley - Not only the best 2B in baseball but an overall top 10 player. His strikeout numbers might be a tad high but every other number is first rate.
2. Ian Kinsler - Did anyone realize he was a 30/30 guy last year? His batting average in 09 was .253 after hitting .318 in 08. If he is healthy he might challenge Utley for the top spot.
3. Dustin Pedroia - Just a notch behind Kinsler and I do not think you can go wrong with either. With everything else being close to equal I will take Kinsler's 31 home runs over Pedroia's 15.
4. Brandon Phillips - A 20-20 guy the last four season while winning a gold glove in 2008. A class behind Utley among NL shortstops but no other NL 2B is close to Phillips.
5. Brian Roberts - Would have been number four on this list except for the constant questions about his health.

8. College Football Nuggets
a. How awesome is Alabama's Home Schedule in 2010? They have home games against Penn St, Florida, and in state rival Auburn. The other four home games are average with San Jose St, Ole Miss, Miss St and Georgia State.
b. Alabama's final six SEC opponents this fall (South Carolina, Ole Miss, Tennessee, LSU, Mississippi State and Auburn) are scheduled to have bye weeks before facing the Tide-why does the conference do this to anyone?
c. This is probably the best time in the history of collegiate athletics to be an assistant coach, especially a coordinator. Nearly a dozen schools in the NCAA’s 120-school Football Bowl Subdivision have made deals under which they will be spending at least 38% more on their offensive or defensive coordinator in 2010 than they did in 2009.
d. In 2009, two football assistants made more than $650,000: Kiffin ($1.2 million) and Muschamp ($900,000). This year, assuming Kiffin did not take a massive pay cut from USC, six will be making at least $700,000.
e. Does anyone realize UGA and Arkansas lead the SEC in returning starters at 18 a piece. Alabama returns the least amount of starters with only 10 returning to the Tide. However, 8 of the 10 are on offense.
f. Florida is  #3 overall in the SEC in draft picks the last 10 years with 50 (Georgia #1 with 55).How come we can not beat the Gators on the last Saturday in October in Jacksonville?
g. How talented have the Men of Troy been the past 10 years? USC has now had 60 players drafted over the last 10 years ranking them #1 in the Pac-10. The Trojans have had more 1st round draft choices than any other school (74) including 14 during the Pete Carroll era.
h. Tennessee is #2 in the SEC in overall draft picks the last 10 years with 54, but is only #5 in the SEC the last 5 years with 18 including just 1 last year (Robert Ayers , #18 Denver).
i. Factoid of the week #1:  “The 2009 AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl (Georgia 44, Texas A&M 20) gave ESPN2 its highest- rated and most-viewed bowl game ever, averaging 2,334,000 households; 3,276,000 viewers; and a 2.4 rating.”
j. Factoid of the week #2:  “Back in 1951, Frank Branch completed 60 percent of his passing attempts (24-of-40). No Mississippi State quarterback has been that accurate since.”
k. Speaking of Shreveport, The closest Atlantic Coast Conference school to Shreveport is Georgia Tech, some 597 miles away in Atlanta. Seven members of the Southeastern Conference are within that range.
l. Can anyone still explain to me how Auburn went to the Outback Bowl while UGA went to Shreveport?
m. I think it is pretty cool that Notre Dame is trying to play a game at Soldier Field while Illinois and Northwestern are trying to play at football game at Wrigley Field.
n. Something tells me we would never see UGA-GT at Turner Field or the Georgia Dome.


9. What I Read This Week

The first article comes from GQ and takes a look at Manny Pacquiao. Pacquiao is quite possibly the best pound for pound boxer that has ever walked the face of the earth. He also the first boxer ever to win seven world titles in as many weight divisions. A great look at a boxer that we know little about.


The Second read comes from a link from Darren Rovell and takes a look at Short's Travel Management. We might not have heard of this travel company but the 1,029 tickets he issues just last Sunday alone for NCAA coaches, athletes and other related personnel for travel to various championship events know this company  real well.Talk about thankless jobs, here is one.

The third read takes a look at the development of the batting helmet. When reading this I can not help but wonder how much safer kids playing baseball are now that ten years ago when I would get a couple of ab's.

10. Non Football, Baseball or Basketball Thoughts
a. The past couple of The Office episodes I think have been pretty good. A lot of people including Peter King did not like the childbirth episode but I thought it was funny and better than the wedding episode.
b. Is it any coincidence that we have started seeing more of Kevin in the past few episodes and we are laughing more?
c. Also the NardDog has done a good job going from an also ran to one of the main characters.
d. Amazing Race continues to entertain and one has to think the Cowboys and Steve and Allie are the two best competitors left.
e. If I were to ever win a MegaMillions or PowerBall lottery I would probably become the youngest snow bird in history of snow birds. Florida in the winter and early spring, ATL in the fall and April, the Cape and NYC in the late Spring, Summer and Fall.
f. The Roomdog and myself watched Law Abiding Citizen Saturday night and it was a great flick. Jamie Foxx ain't nothing but the man. Has he been in a bad movie? I am sure he has but I can not think of one.
g. Does the Donald have a thing for former UGA football players? Last year Herschel was on Celebrity Apprentice and now Bill Goldberg.
h. I did see former NY Met, Yankee and Dodger Darryl Strawberry as a contestant on the show. Since every contestant is playing for a charity I just can not help but wonder if Strawberry is playing for former teammate Lenny Dykstra?
i. I need to congratulate a former roomdog at the Polo Club and 10 Things reader A.D. for his engagement to long time girlfriend Jenny. I did not get the whole story but he proposed while on a trip to Germany. Well done sir, well done.
j. You know what this means? Of the 4 Horsemen only TMAC and myself haven't taken the plunge.The 4 Horsemen now-those were some times we will never have again.
k. Just a couple of reminders we are 21 days from Opening Day-who is excited?
l. The weekend of April 9-10-11 will be a pretty good one in the Classic City. Kinchafoonee Friday night. G-Day on Saturday with some Georgia Baseball. Can things get any better?
m.They could if I could get some passes to Augusta for Sunday but I will settle for practice round on Tuesday with the Good Doctor.
n. Do not forget to sign up for the 10 Things Bracket Challenge, free to enter, 1st, 2nd, and last place will get prizes of some sort. (I need to find the keys to the prize closet.)
o. To sign up for Bracket Challenge click here. Our Group Id# is 26940. Our group password is onions.
Thanks to The Captain and Baba Galoosh for signing up.


Quote of The Week

From former Cubs outfielder and current Mariner outfielder (and one helluva a board game creator) Milton Bradley.
"Two years ago I was good. I go to Chicago, not good.Been good my whole career.Obviously, it was Chicago, not me"

Quote of The Week II

From co-worker Anthony to co-worker Brewster

I am not going to lie, you are a great athlete but you do not have it all upstairs.

Quote of The Week III

By me to no one in particular as I walk up to the World Series trophy in Tampa and a guy in a Cubs jersey is having his picture taken with the World Series trophy. I did get some random laughs.

"That's the closest that jersey is getting to that trophy"

 
Tweet of The Week

Comes from Conan O'Brien who is planning a comedy tour across this great land of ours;


Tour preparations have begun. First step: Groupie auditions at Randy's Donuts off the 405 fwy. Knock twice on the white minivan.

Text of The Week 

A convo between Yankee season ticket holder Todd and myself while we were at George Steinbrenner Field or The House That Corporation Built as my buddy Todd called the ballpark in Tampa


Me
My buddy Mark is wearing a red sox hat...I hope he gets his @$$ beat


Todd
Yea at least he will get his @$$ kicked in decent weather

Photo of The Week
Rick Barnes and the Texas mascot enjoy some hoops-Hard to believe this team was once ranked #1