Shocker

Well, well, well...look who decided to actually post something on his blog. The Pensington Bone, the Winchester Rifle, the Phi Alpha Gamma co-founder has returned. Let me tell you, the working world really does not allow for much time with such nonsense as regularly updating a blog, even one with as devoted a readership as The Blue Team. Devoted to what, I don't know, but you readers as surely all devoted to something. Combine a busy schedule with no internet at my living quarters and you get no posting for three months. After enduring many complaints and much frustration, I decided to post something.

So quickly, let's hit ten topics that I have something to say about.

1. The BCS. Sucks. After defending it for a few years, I've nearly given up. College football's method of deciding a national champion has long been a joke. AP voters, coaches poll voters, the Bowl Alliance, the BCS...it's all the same. None crown a champion without controversy. The BCS is indeed the most effective of the aforementioned systems, but that does not mean it gets the job done. I'm not sure a "Plus One" system is perfect, but at least it's better than this. Try it and in five years (after it's failed at least three times), then move to a playoff. It's just ridiculous when every other sport of relevance has a post-season tournament.

2. AI. Allen Iverson has a new home. My affection for Denver's players just grew even more. I've been riding the Nuggets bandwagon since they drafted Carmelo (and debuted those still-snazzy unis. I'm a sucker for various shades of powder blue). Now they're adding one of my favorite guys to watch in Iverson. I'm concerned long-term about the Nuggs ability to defend on the perimeter (Iverson, JR Smith, and Anthony...not an All-NBA defensive squad) and lack of quality post players, but they are an improved team nonetheless. There comes a point when a team maximizes it's ceiling for contention and Denver had reached that. They were headed to the playoffs again and would, at best, lose in the Western Conference Semi-Finals. When you get to the point that your team can get no better with the players it has, combined with contracts locking you into your foundation players, then it's time to make some changes and take some risks. If you improve, great. If you get worse, it's really not that big of a deal because you weren't going to win the whole thing anyway. Memphis Grizzlies, take notes. LA Clippers, you too.

3. My Carolina Panthers are abysmal. Yes, I picked them to play in the Super Bowl. For the first time in forever, I drank the hype machine kool-aid on a team I pull for. Normally, I downplay the ability to contend for any team I am a true fan of (see Tar Heels, North Carolina, 2004-2005). However, the Panthers looked to be the best NFC team on paper. When healthy, they're still pretty close to that. But sometimes, one bad loss or general bad karma mess up a season. The NFL is the sport most affected by momentum, motivation, and psyche to me because there are only sixteen games in the regular season. The playoffs are a bit of a different story, but in the regular season, a team can just catch a good vibe early on and ride it out. The opposite happened the Carolina. From the season-opening loss to Atlanta, something just felt bad. Certainly the loss at Minnesota is week two furthered that thought. Yes, there is an ebb and flow to every team's season. However, sometimes it's just not your year. New Orleans caught the fever early and has prolonged it to clinching a playoff berth. To me, this is a major reason for the parity in the NFL.

4. Big picture NFL. Everyone has question marks. I can't remember a recent season that there was not a prohibitive favorite entering the playoffs in either league. The Chargers are solid, but they still have a first-year starter at QB. Baltimore has no consistent offense. Chicago is banged up on defense and shaky on offense. Dallas' pass defense is weak. New Orleans is inexperienced. New England is great at times and horrible at times, as is Indianapolis. Everyone else is just inconsistent and flawed in multiple facets. A total crapshoot as far as I am concerned.

5. NCAA Hoops. Finally in full swing, with the conference season right around the corner. UCLA is still unbeaten and has impressed me thus far. Certainly a Final Four contender, even a favorite, at this point. Florida is just hanging out, waiting to turn it on and trying to get healthy. Ohio State is improving by every second closer to "fully healthy" that Greg Oden gets. Wichita State, Butler, and Gonzaga lead the "mid-major" league teams, all with many quality non-conference wins early on.

6. Duke. Overrated. Enough said. Well, maybe not. Currently ranked sixth in the nation, the Blue Devils are vastly overrated. Like hugely. As in, gigantically overrated. This is maybe a top-20 team right now. However, they keep winning. Coach K is just unbelievable. It's like he listened all year last year to how good a job Roy Williams was doing down the road and decided to one-up him this year. Speaking of Roy...

7. Carolina Basketball. This could be a column unto itself and probably will be at some point. First, the bad. Extremely young still. The intangible of playing with desperation is so important in the NCAA Tournament. Last year's team had five new players who didn't understand the finality of losing in the NCAA Tournament until it happened. It so upset Tyler Hansbrough that he sat motionless, jersey on, for five minutes following the upset loss to George Mason. Ok, so Psycho T gets it now. But Ty, Brandan, Wayne, etc haven't been there yet. Communicating to these young players that the effort and "I must win this game or else I don't get to play again" mentaility must be there in March. And yes, I'm worried about March already. Because honestly, the regular season just isn't going to matter that much with this team. The Heels plays at Duke, BC, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Virginia Tech, and Clemson, all teams capable of making the NCAA Tournament. Also, a road game with NC State. And of course, the trip to Arizona at the end of January. All that being said, the team should finish the regular season with no more than six total losses, and probably more like four. Winning at Arizona will be tough, and the three road games at the end of February will produce much worriation. However, this team's goal is to win its last game in April.

8. Carolina Basketball. The Good. Wayne Ellington is way, way, way better than I envisioned. Carolina hasn't had a shooter like this since Joe Forte (shudder). Rashad McCants was a terrific shooter, but was much more of a scorer, posting up, finishing strong on the break, and driving to the basket. I got frustrated with Rashad when he just stood outside the arc and shot three balls all day. But Ellington's shot is great, especially mid-range. He also has the ability to get to the basket and finish, which hopefully can be applied when he has a poor shooting game in the NCAA Tournament (because it will happen, it always does). Ty Lawson has improved greatly from the first game. I'm interested to see how Bobby Frasor fits into this system when he gets healthy. Marcus Ginyard's defense is unbelievable, something that can be relied on every night. However, he and Danny Green do so many other little things to help this team out. Putbacks, running the break, rotating on defense, etc. Brandan Wright is channeling Sam Perkins (yes, I took the easy way out by comparing the two smooth, long lefties like everyone and their brother does) which is a very good thing. He needs to body up better on rebounds, but his loooooong arms help compensate. He will get pushed around in the ACC though by guys like Ogsy, Costner, and the three non-offensive, bulky, near-henchmen at UVA. Tyler Hansbrough...I'm not even going to bother.

9. Carolina Basketball. The Eh. Wes Miller has not contributed much of anything offensively. This is only a problem because I like him a lot and there will be a game that we need him to hit shots. He will. Ultimately, as long as Frasor recovers quickly from his injuries, Miller will not play a lot of crucial minutes. Quentin Thomas is still out and will not factor into the rotation this season. Unfortunate, but not tough to see coming. Reyshawn Terry...sometimes I want to kill him, sometimes I want to hug him. He's playing better recently, but it's only because of open looks. Please drive to the basket. Please. And play defense. Please. Thanks.

10. Carolina Basketball. Two years from now. In two years, Hansbrough & Wright will be gone. Heck, they could be gone in four months. Let's just hope with a national title. Anyway, while I don't want Deon Thompson and Alex Stepheson as the starting lineup next year, I'm not opposed to it in two years. Stepheson is basically what I thought he'd be: solid frame, good rebounder, limited offensively, plays hard. Not a superstar, but he'll be fine and there aren't many times that I feel uncomfortable with him in the lineup. Now for Deon Thompson. There will come a point in two years or so that Carolina will be on ESPN against a ranked opponent. Let's say Duke, who should be good in two years. Ok, they'll be nasty in two years. Anyway, for a stretch of the game, the Carolina point guard (Lawson, Frasor, Larry Drew Jr maybe? Let's hope the first one) will throw Deon the ball in the post and he will score. Then he'll score on a putback. Then he'll hit a baby hook. Then he'll steal the ball, run the floor trailing our super-fast point guard, get the ball dumped off to him in the lane, and slam home a furious two-handed dunk. And the following will take place:

"Oooohhh America, are you serious?!? Neon Deon is amazing!!! He was a diaper dandy, but now he's the Big Man on Campus!!! Ohhhh!!! The aircraft carrier!!! Oooohh!! America!!!! North Carolina!!!!"

At that point, Dickie V might actually levitate. The point is, Thompson will never be spectacular. But, he will be a force inside on the offensive end. Think Elton Brand more than Sean May. Either way, the result will be the same. I'm big on this guy. Turnin' up the Deon Thompson Kool-Aid and chugging it.

Ok, so I cheated. I really only talked about a few topics. Oh well, at least I posted something. Niiice.

Merry Christmas to everyone. All I want for Christmas is you.

Welcome back New Orleans

A lot of thoughts on this past weekend of football, but I'm going to start with the present instead. Sitting here watching the pre-game for the first NFL football game in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina, I have a number of thoughts. There will be contrasts here, so bear with me, as I see many sides to this; after all, I am a moderate.

First, let me say that the emotion of the night for most everyone involved is quite genuine. I have no idea how they really feel except based on what I can see; what I see is people who are thankful to be alive and who seem to be looking to the future. I hope and pray that the future is brighter than the last year has been in many ways. However, the strength of many individuals in the area and the unity that has formed amongst the people is to be commended. Truly, at least that one positive has come about from all of the adversity. To me, that can be seen as part of God's will for those individuals and that region.

However, I have a hard time fully supporting the positive spin of this night. The region is still decimated, as has been covered. I do agree that the football game can be seen as a symbol of a return to normalcy, a beacon of hope, and a rallying point. I also commend ESPN for emphasizing, at least thus far, the need for further assistance in the area during its pregame coverage. What I do not support is this supposed "love for the Saints." Prior to Katrina, the Saints were in the news only as 1) a bad football team, 2) the team whose fans wore bags on their heads during games, & 3) the most likely franchise to be relocated. Support for professional sports in New Orleans is...um...poor. Which is obviously an understatement.

The Saints just blocked a punt for a touchdown. Wow. Amazing. That is really awesome, the Superdome is going nuts.

Anyway, when the Charlotte Hornets moved to New Orleans, my Dad and I laughed about how they had gone out of the frying pan into the fire. Why anyone would move an NBA team to a city that does not have solid support for its NFL team is beyond me. My point is that the Saints franchise may be seashells and balloons right now, but it certainly has not typically been the case. Maybe part of the hurricane's point was to help keep this team in New Orleans. Whatever the divine purpose, the positive spin of the franchise is almost comical. It really took a hurricane to save this team, at least for now.

For more, go to www.chrischase.com. This guy, a Wake Forest grad, has a widely-read blog that is witty and opinionated. He beat me to some of my thoughts, and is a good writer, so check it out. In fact, check out his blog often, it's typically good stuff.

A few more thoughts on this game. The pregame show featuring Green Day and U2 was well done. A New Orleans flavor and helping promote a good cause created by the two bands. Definitely two of my favorite rock bands, Green Day for its fast songs, creativity, and drumming, and U2 for just being awesome.

Good to see Robin Roberts given the task of emceeing the pregame event. It's good to see a woman given the opportunity and no woman is more deserving than Roberts. She has long been the best female in the sportscasting profession in my opinion, as she is thorough, knowledgeable, and smooth on the air.

Kinda ironic that President George Bush Sr. was brought in to do the coin toss, seeing as Ray Nagin, the mayor of New Orleans, has been so critical of his son's policy as President.

I found ESPN's "black church" intro between the concert and the MNF crew taking over to be a little tasteless. Seemed to patronize black churches, football, and the events of the past year. I'm sure it was not intended that way, and was creative...but it was still the wrong creative decision in my opinion.

How do you give a pregame pep talk if you're the coach of the Falcons? "All right , who cares about the stupid hurricane, this is football, let's go kick their &*#$@^! !@$" or "Katrina wiped them out last year, now it's our turn to wipe them out this season"?? I mean, really, what do you say? You know the Saints will be more fired up than usual, and the crowd will be stoked as well. So how do you hype your own team up?

I think we should have seen this early season success coming for the Saints. Between the schedule and the fact that this season has to be easier on them than last year, it was too obvious. Yet, no one noticed it prior to now. So much for the experts and idiots like myself.


Moving on to the NFL weekend. Big, big, big win for Denver at New England. I picked Denver, probably because I was being stubborn since I picked the Broncos to win the Super Bowl. The Broncs really are a good football team and should be around most of the season. Their upcoming games with the Chargers should be fun.

Bigger win for the now 1-2 Panthers. John Kasay with an NFL record in winning the game for Carolina: first kicker in NFL history to make four field goals from 45+ yards in a game. Unfortunately, as most of you have heard by now, Bucs' quarterback Chris Simms had his spleen removed following the game. He got hurt, was bleeding internally, and did not know it, choosing to return to the game and try to help his team win. Never been the biggest Chris Simms fan, but that is gutsy. Literally.

Big news today is that Shaun Alexander, the reigning NFL MVP, has a broken bone in his foot and will miss 4-6 weeks. Maybe that Madden cover jinx is for real. I guess we will see how important Alexander really is to the success of the Seahawks' offense now.

On to college football and the teams I follow. Carolina apparently did not realize they had a game this weekend, so I will not comment other than to say this: John Bunting will not be fired this season. It costs the university too much money, and the recruiting class for next year is strong enough that the administration will not risk losing signees because of a coaching change. Also, keep in mind the schedule softens considerably as the year progresses for Carolina. Unless the team ends up 2-10 or so, Bunting is not really in trouble. Everyone should also note that Marvin Sanders, the Defensive Coordinator, a young, up-and-coming coach, and Frank Cignetti, the new Offensive Coordinator, each have committed to being at Carolina over other schools and should be kept around to be given time to recruit and implement their systems. Finally, keep in mind the goal of football at Carolina right now: make a bowl, stay out of trouble, graduate players, make money. That's it. Anything else is gravy. Bunting and his staff are capable of that.

The gf and I went to Big Al's, a local Blacksburg hot spot, Saturday night to enjoy some refreshments and watch football. Throughout the night, I was ripped for wearing a Notre Dame hat, as the Irish were getting drilled at Michigan St on national television. Needless to say, the Irish comeback was that much sweeter when you get to yell over a loud crowd when no one but you wants to see a team win. Almost as much fun as Carolina winning at Cameron Indoor...

Finally, Georgia had a nice comeback win at home over Colorado, a game that never should have been a tight game given the ineptitude of Colorado thus far. But, give the Buffs credit for coming to play between the hedges. Georgia is a team I generally pull for and prefer in the SEC, but more so recently given the plethora of Independence High School alumni who have gone on to play for the Dawgs. Robert Brannon, Mario Raley (Sr. WR), Mohamed Massaquoi (So. WR), and Joe Cox (RsFr QB). Joe Cox was the QB who came on in the fourth quarter Saturday in relief of "golden child" Matthew Stafford and did nothing other than go 10-13 for 153 yards and two TDs. Joe Cox is a winner, having not lost a game in which he appeared in since sometime prior to high school. My very biased note to UGA: start Joe Cox, he's better than you think. And, we have the same dentist.

Quick overall NCAA thoughts: I like this Florida team, they are legitimately good. Southern Cal is much more balanced than recent years, as the defense is quite good (as evidenced by them holding Arizona to 3 points this past weekend). I'm interested to see what Iowa can do with Ohio St in Iowa City this weekend. The atmosphere will be great. Hopefully the Hawkeyes can at least make it a competitive game. I still like Auburn as the best team, fyi. I'll go as far as to say the winner of Florida/Auburn will play for the national title.

I heard 311 on the radio today as background music on the local Blacksburg rock station. They did not play the song, just the instrumental intro while some stupid deejay talked. I have not heard 311 on the radio since moving here; hearing them used in this way just furthered my dislike of 105.3FM The Bear.

Enjoy the week. Big home game for VT this weekend, hosting Georgia Tech. Hokie Hokie High.

Loos-en up-my but-tons babe...

Football galore

It sure is nice to have cable again, as it has given me the opportunity to watch many a football game. College football is in full swing and the NFL is underway as well. First, looking at the college ranks.

"Separation Saturday" as so eloquently dubbed by ESPN and it's genius marketers (sarcasm) actually lived up to the hype. Thank you Auburn/LSU, Oregon/OU/officials, Tenn/Fla, FSU/Clemson and Carolina/Furman for helping make my Saturday worth watching.

Auburn vs LSU was my favorite game of the day. These two teams simply play another game than most other college teams, as the speed and hitting are unreal. Unlike FSU and Miami, I would wager that both teams are actually pretty good, offenses included. I would still contend that Auburn is the biggest challenger to Ohio St this season, although Auburn's schedule will make it much tougher for the Tigers to go undefeated. Somehow, a 7-3 ballgame held my attention, almost the same way a scoreless hockey game would. This is the time of the year I love the BCS. Yes, I said I love the BCS. Without the system, this game would matter only to see who gets the higher seed in the "playoffs" of college football; instead, with the BCS, the LSU/Auburn game most likely eliminated one team from the national title race. As many a coach would say, you can't win the national title in September, but you sure can lose it.

Moving to other games, the OU/Oregon ending has been criticized thoroughly by the mainstream media, so I will spare us the repetition. Obviously the officials made a questionable series of calls at best, but Oregon still made two or three huge plays to win the game, so props to the Ducks. Don't blame Oregon for taking advantage of the circumstances presented to them.

I was very glad to see Florida win. In my ideal world, now that Carolina and Notre Dame will probably not win the national title, I am hoping the Gators run the table. I have never been a Florida fan, but after Chris Leak graduated from the alma mater, Independence High School, and chose UF, I have to pull for him. Therefore, I want Chris to shut up the ridiculous Florida fans and win the Heisman Trophy and the national title. So it's not as much go Florida as it is go Chris Leak. Independence, by the way, continued its nation-leading high school football win streak of ninety five (?) straight games with a 21-20 victory over Vance High School in Charlotte after stopping a two-point conversion attempt on the game's final play. I think tarheelpwin almost had a heart attack. Go Big I.

On to Notre Dame, as the Irish came back down to earth this weekend, getting spanked by Michigan at home. Clearly overconfident and less athletic, Notre Dame made too many mistakes against a quality opponent and paid the price for it. Disappointing, yes, but not really that surprising. They will most likely lose again before the season is out, as I stand by the claim that ND is top ten good, but no where near numero uno.

Finally, Carolina won its first game of the season in convincing fashion...scrapping by I-AA Furman. Furman is a good I-AA team, yes; but any decent D-I team should defeat them rather easily, especially at home. Clearly, the Tar Heels are not a decent I-A team, period. Analysis from the game is not necessary; the offense played pretty well, the defense was horrid. Looking forward, I would not be at all shocked to see Carolina give Clemson or Miami a good game the next two weeks on the road. Clemson will be a little overconfident having won at Tallahassee and should have a natural letdown. Miami does not look capable of blowing anyone out right now, so hopefully the Heels can at least hang in there at the Orange Bowl.

Quick hits: West VA looked awesome for the first quarter against Maryland last Thursday, just amazing how fast that team is; Georgia and Virginia Tech are playing the same game right now. Both struggle at QB a little bit, but have amazing defenses. Neither will win the national title, but each is in good position to contend for league titles in the SEC & ACC respectively; Speaking of the ACC, way to drop the ball NC State and UVA, and so much for my "Florida St could be really good this year" prediction; Southern Cal is scary right now because they are so young, but so good. So much fun to watch; Louisville is really banged up with Brian Brohm going down in the huge win over Miami, but they are still mauling teams. Imagine if they were healthy. Trust me, their fans are imagining the same thing; TCU defeated Texas Tech Saturday, 12-3, in a game that was overshadowed by the other great games of the day. However, the game has BCS implications, as TCU is now clear to run the table and earn the non-BCS conference berth in the BCS. If that makes sense.

Moving on to the NFL...first, the bad news. The Panthers are 0-2 and have some crucial injury issues. Steve Smith, Ken Lucas, Shawn Williams, Dan Morgan, Travelle Wharton, etc. Weak offensive line play and bonehead decision-making/play-calling unraveled a sure victory this past Sunday at Minnesota. It's not panic time yet, but Carolina must regain it focus and confidence quickly or watch its pre-season hype crash and burn.

On the flip side, a number of teams are 2-0 that are not as talented as Carolina. What happens every year in the NFL is a few teams get off to a good start, wins a game or two they shouldn't, get a good vibe and chemistry going, and find themselves 6-2 or 5-3 at the halfway point, often taking advantage of weaker schedules. Then, one or two fall apart, while another team or two keeps the momentum and ends up in the playoffs. The year Baltimore won the Super Bowl, the Ravens did this. Atlanta when they eventually lost to Denver in the Super Bowl did this. Chicago has done it twice in the last six years or so. This year, Minnesota, New Orleans, Baltimore, San Diego, and Atlanta are five teams who missed the playoffs last year and are currently 2-0. Minnesota has already beaten two teams with more talent and seem to be gaining confidence and buying into new Head Coach Brad Childress' system. New Orleans has defeated two poor teams (Cleveland and Green Bay; so much for my "Cleveland is a sleeper" theory) but is generating excitement nonetheless. Baltimore looks to be legit, dominating Tampa Bay (whose offense has looked inept) on the road, then rolling over the hapless Raiders in the home opener. San Diego and Atlanta both narrowly missed the playoffs last season and were expected by many to bounce back. They are two of the most complete-looking teams at this early juncture of the season. The point of this discussion is to keep an eye on these teams over the next few weeks to see if one or two can develop into quality playoff teams as the season progresses.

I've had enough. I'm typing as I watch Monday Night Football (did you know it moved to ESPN? I had no clue. Why didn't ESPN publicize this? Brilliant marketing again, sarcasm again). As I pointed out to Gramps in our usual Monday night IM chat, it seems like Auburn and LSU changed jerseys and decided to dress up as Jacksonville and Pittsburgh and stage a rematch of their low-scoring, hard-hitting affair from Saturday afternoon. This game is intense right now, a big-time game for this early in the season.

Do ya chain hang low?

(I'm afraid the white people radio stations are quickly ruining this song, as I have heard it far too often and once witnessed a sorority girl singing it...sort of). Therefore, this week's lyric...taking it back a lil bit...

Motown Philly back again...doin' a little east coast swaaang.

Keep it real ya'll.

NFL Preview

I heard a rumor that the NFL is starting tonight, Thursday night, September 7th. The reason it is a rumor is I have no television still in Blacksburg and have seen the internet for about ten minutes since last week, sans my college football posting on Monday night. By the way, I’m glad Florida St rallied; my ACC pick is still alive. Anyway, my point in telling you this is that Pittsburgh and Miami are kicking off the NFL season as I type this and I have no clue what is going on. This blog entry will be completed on the ole Carolina IBM ThinkPad from 2001 that cost around $3,000. Yes, that’s $3,000 American dollars. It will then be transferred via a USB Memory Key to my work computer at some point on Friday and posted. Basically, I’m grouchy as I preview the NFL, because I should be watching it. Therefore, expect some horrible predictions. Daggum.

Also, most years, I preview the NFL by examining schedules, timing of games, transactions, etc. This year? I’m just putting down what I think about each team and that’s it. No rocket science going on over here.

Now, are you ready for some football? Here’s the preview:

Who’s Good: Denver, Indy, Pittsburgh, New England, probably Cincinnati, Carolina, the NFC East sans Philly, Tampa Bay maybe, and I guess Seattle.

Who’s Bad: Houston, NY Jets, Buffalo, Tennessee, Oakland, San Fran, the NFC North, the NFC West

Who has Potential: Baltimore (I say that every year. Sigh), Atlanta, Miami, Cleveland.

Last year, I was pushing Chicago before the season started. I told my buddy Gramps that Da Bears could be 9-7 good. They weren’t; they were better (I also had Baltimore in the AFC Championship. Nice). I don’t have a feeling on anyone this season like that. Cleveland strikes me as the type of team that could evolve into a “Run, run, run, punt, play defense, improve field position, kick field goal, win by 3 points” team. The whole “Charlie Frye is our QB” thing bothers me, but he can’t be worse than what they’ve had before. Plus, I have Reuben Droughns in the Phi Alpha Gamma Fantasy Football League, so he’s due for a breakout season. Or a broken-in-half season.

As for winning the Super Bowl, most “experts” have favored Indianapolis, Carolina, Seattle, Pittsburgh, and a few New England. I picked the Pats three straight years, keeping with Ric Flair’s “To be the man, whooo, ya gotta beat the man” motto. New England was beaten by Denver last season, opening up the door for the Steelers. Now, picking a winner is tougher for me. There is no favorite in my eyes, so I’m going to do something stupid. I’m picking…the Denver Broncos. Reasons:
Jake Plummer strikes me as the type of QB who chokes year after year, is constantly criticized by the media and fans, underachieves, and then, all of a sudden, wins a Super Bowl. I’ve never thought that until now. Jim Plunkett, the old Oakland Raiders QB, was similar. He was a talented college quarterback, bounced around a bit in the NFL, then had one great season leading the Raiders to a Super Bowl victory over crying Dick Vermeil and the Philadelphia Eagles. Like a complete crackhead, I’m going against everything I know about Plummer already, and saying he does a 180. This is your year Jake Plummer.
The Broncs defense is very, very good. Their linebackers may be the fastest unit in the NFL, led by DJ Williams. If the defensive line continues to be solid (after all coming over from Cleveland), I could see a top-5 D in Denver.
Javon Walker is poised to either have a great comeback season or be a bust. Denver winning the Super Bowl indicates the former.
There are, of course, plenty of reasons why Denver will not win the Super Bowl. Jake Plummer, the lack of a star running back, and Mike Shannahan’s habit of over-complicating things are three. However, I’ve decided to go kind of nuts here and throw out the Broncos as my pick. Yes, they did make the AFC Championship last season, but no one really thought they were that good. Also, keep in mind that both Jake Plummer and Javon Walker ended up on the Hokie Thugs Fantasy Football team. Instant doom. Denver will probably end up 5-11 now. My picks, completely making up projected records for each team:

AFC

East
New England 10-6
Miami 9-7
Buffalo 5-11
NY Jets 3-13

North
Pittsburgh 11-5
Cleveland 9-7
Cincinnati 9-7
Baltimore 7-9

South
Indianapolis 12-4
Jacksonville 9-7
Tennessee 4-12
Houston 4-12

West
Denver 11-5
San Diego 10-6
Kansas City 7-9
Oakland 6-10


NFC

East
Washington 10-6
Dallas 9-7
NY Giants 9-7
Philadelphia 7-9

North
Chicago 10-6
Green Bay 7-9
Minnesota 7-9
Detroit 6-10

South
Carolina 12-4
Tampa Bay 10-6
Atlanta 8-8
New Orleans 5-11

West
Seattle 10-6
Arizona 8-8
St Louis 8-8
San Francisco 4-12

Playoffs

Wild Card Weekend
Pittsburgh over Cleveland
New England over San Diego
Dallas over Chicago
Seattle over Tampa Bay

Divisional Playoffs
Denver over Pittsburgh
Indianapolis over New England
Carolina over Dallas
Washington over Seattle

Championship Games
Denver over Indianapolis
Carolina over Washington

Super Bowl XXXXI
Denver 31 Carolina 21

I know I’m going to catch some serious heat for putting the home team in the Super Bowl, then having them lose. And, of course, I generally (always) refuse to pick “my team” to win anything, being so pessimistic. That being said…

I’m concerned with a few areas for the Panthers this year. Linebacker is a major concern because when Dan Morgan gets his yearly concussion and is out for three games, we will have three new starters at LB. Major problem. The depth is good on the defensive front four, but I am still concerned about our free safety position. The Panthers’ pass coverage is typically as good as its rush; translation being if they are not pressuring the QB, the secondary becomes increasingly vulnerable.

Offensively, Steve Smith’s current hamstring problem is ominous for his year. Let’s face it: he’s just not going to have another 1,400 yd season. But, if he has a 1,100-1,200 yard season and Keyshawn/Colbert/Carter have another 1,200-1,400 yards between them, then we’re doing just fine. I’ve gone on record twice as being skeptical of drafting DeAngelo Williams, but it would be nice for his “home run” potential to pay off this season. It’s funny: three years ago, DeShaun Foster was our “home run” back while Stephen Davis logged all the tough yards. That makes me a little uncomfortable with Foster being the sole feature back.

Finally, the Panthers will need some good old fashioned luck. Injuries are a problem for all teams, but the Panthers had them occur at the worst possible time last season (i.e. during the playoffs). Staying healthy throughout would sure be nice for once. Let’s knock on wood the Jake Delhomme does not suffer a major injury of any sort, as Chris Weinke looks much better in a ballcap that covers his bald noggin on the sideline than he does quarterbacking the Panthers. Most Carolina fans would agree that this team has the most talent and potential of any team in the franchise’s existence, so let’s hope it culminates in a Super Bowl Championship.

But if the Broncos beat the Panthers in the Super Bowl, I’ll either become the next Miss Cleo or run for my life.

Stand and cheer for the Panthers…

College Football Preview

I know, I know...way to make a college football preview after the first weekend of games. In truth, the only game I saw much of all weekend long was Notre Dame's slugfest victory at Georgia Tech. Because of work, I saw about six minutes of Virginia Tech's 38-0 shutout of I-AA Northeastern, but otherwise, saw no one else play. Therefore, I don't feel too bad about making these selections until now.

I will point out that Cal obviously will not be in my national title game after bombing on the road at Tennessee, nor will Louisville after Michael Bush's leg injury, ending his season. My former employer, Clemson University, also suffered a season-ending loss when star MLB Anthony Waters tore his ACL. Both Louisville and Clemson are league title contenders, but have now lost irreplaceable parts of their offense and defense respectively.

On a side note, I'm sitting here at the office watching FSU/Miami. These teams are going to absolutely kill one another. Someone will be broken in half, it's unreal. Even though both team have been down a little bit in recent years, the speed, tackling, and intensity of each is unmatched in Division I. It is certainly a rivalry that I must attend at some point in the future.

Now, on to my season predictions. In the ACC, I like Florida St. As I write that sentence, the Seminoles trail Miami 10-3 at halftime, but I'm sticking with my gut and with my opinion prior to this game. In fact, a rematch of these two teams in Jacksonville for the ACC title looks good to me right now. I'm not sold on my present employer, Virginia Tech, nor the consistency of Georgia Tech over the year. The Jackets lack intensity against lesser opponents and seem to always lose a game or two each year that they shouldn't. Boston College will be tough in the Atlantic division, but FSU comes out on top in the end.

The Big East is now West Virginia's to lose. If the Mountaineers do not go undefeated this season, it will be because of Louisville or Pittsburgh. Both games are on the road on Thursday nights. Prior to Bush's injury in the blowout against Kentucky, I really liked Louisville. All the pre-season attention was on West Virginia, and Louisville was quietly waiting to have their moment. Now, their Heisman candidate is done and so are their national title hopes. I will save myself the typing time and just pick West Virginia as the winner of the Big East, leaving the only question as whether or not the Mountaineers are playing on January 8th.

The Big Ten comes down to three teams in my mind. Ohio St, Michigan, and Iowa are all poised for good seasons. Penn St will also be a contender, but they seem to have a tougher schedule than the other three. Ultimately, Ohio St is the best team of the three. The Buckeyes will make a return to the Rose Bowl this season by winning the Big Ten.

The Big 12 has only four decent teams from what I can tell. Nebraska will have a solid record based solely on playing the North Division. The other five teams each have major flaws. Texas Tech is its usual self, another ho-hum 9-3 year on the horizon. Very good, but not big enough or physical enough to beat Texas or OU. Therefore, the division comes down to the Red River Shootout (excuse me, Red River Rivalry) between the Horns and Sooners. I'm going with Texas. Get'em Mack.

The Pac-10 is not worthy of a paragraph. I might have given Cal a few sentences prior to Saturday, but no more. UCLA, Oregon, and Arizona will be ok, as will the Golden Bears once they figure out what happened at Tennessee. USC is head, shoulders, knees, and toes better than the rest of the league...still.

The SEC will be sick. Just sick. Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Auburn, and LSU are all capable of making the SEC Championship in Atlanta. I'm going with Auburn in the West, as the Tigers' schedule is more manageable than 'Bama or LSU. In the East, South Carolina actually has a favorable schedule as well, with road games at Vandy, Mississsippi St (already won), and Kentucky, along with a homecoming for the Ole Ball Coach at the Swamp in Gainesville. However, the best teams win no matter where they are playing; I don't think the Gamecocks are the best team. Tennessee's season last year was an aberration, as 5-6 will not become the norm in Knoxville. However, I'm not convinced that the QB situation or depth is settled enough for the Vols to win the SEC East. Therefore, the matchup between Florida and Georgia, formerly known as "The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party," will once again decide the division. Though Florida has the more-seasoned QB in fellow Independence alum Chris Leak, I think the toughness, tailback depth, and defensive pressure of Georgia will be the difference. However, I'm taking Auburn over Georgia in the SEC Championship, as the Tigers defeat the Bulldogs for the second time in the season to advance to the BCS.

I have not yet mentioned Notre Dame in my preview, as the Irish are not affiliated with any of the six BCS leagues. Pre-season expectations and hype aside, I just do not think Notre Dame can survive its brutal schedule unscathed. Home games with Penn St, Michigan, and UCLA combined with trips to East Lansing and sunny So-Cal is just so tough.

The National Championship picture is cloudier this season than many in recent memory. Good teams galore, but all with major faults. There is no 2001 Miami, 1996 Nebraska, 2004/2005 USC in this bunch. Looking at the schedules, Texas, Ohio St, Notre Dame, Southern Cal, Auburn, West Virginia and Florida St all have a shot to go undefeated. They could each lose two games as well. Let's look at each quickly:

• Texas: Can afford loss to Ohio St. Season decided on last two weeks in October with back-to-back trips to Nebraska and Texas Tech. Rematch with the Cornhuskers in the Big 12 Championship for a BCS berth.
• Ohio St: Can afford loss at Texas. I think they'll go undefeated in the Big Ten, so 11-1 is looking good for OSU.
• Notre Dame: I'm not sure who they will lose to, but I just have a feeling they'll drop a game before losing at USC. 10-2 and a BCS berth.
• USC: There is just no loss on this schedule. Last three games are all at home versus Oregon, Cal, and Notre Dame. I really think they could run the table again.
• Auburn: I honestly think they are the best team, but the SEC is like the NFL Junior. There has to be a loss somewhere in there for the Tigers.
• West VA: Favorable schedule, yes. Talent, yes. Experience...not really. I may regret doubting them, but I just cannot see this team going undefeated. All the pressure is on them this year, the bull's eye on their back. Somewhere, a loss will occur. BCS, yes; Nat'l Title, no.
• Florida St: As I am typing this, FSU leads Miami 13-10. My thought coming into tonight was "if FSU wins at Miami, they might play for the title." Road games at NC State and Maryland are ahead, along with home matchups featuring Clemson, BC, and Florida. Of course, the ACC Championship game would be a stop on the road to the title game as well. I'm going to say FSU does not go undefeated or play for the national title; but I'm telling you, they are going to be really good and it would not surprise me if they made a run.

What does all of this mean? I have no clue what is going to happen this year.

Rose Bowl: Ohio St vs USC
Orange Bowl: Florida St vs West Virginia
Sugar Bowl: Notre Dame vs LSU
Fiesta Bowl: TCU vs Iowa

BCS Championship: Auburn vs Texas

Fantasy Football

Last night commenced the fifth season of Phi Alpha Gamma Fantasy Football. We have expanded to ten teams this year, up from a paltry eight last season. We also upgraded this year to Stat Tracker and a trophy to the winner. The Blue Team is officially the unofficial home for all league commentary and analysis as of this point forward. League members, feel free to use the comments function on my blog to post your thoughts.

Our championship history is as follows:

2002 champ: Kev
2003 champ: Mean Steve
2004 champ: I was the blind squirrel who found the nut. Thanks Corey Dillon.
2005 champ: Mean Steve, now a two-time champion. I was the blind squirrel still searching for any kind of nut. Thanks Corey Dillon (he's starting this week...oh wait, just kidding), Fat Jamal Lewis, TO, Baltimore's D, Todd Heap of crap, and my number 2 & 3 WRs (I had none).

With that, Phi Alpha will have a four team playoff for the title this year in weeks 15 & 16. The early line is on Grandpa winning due to his aged wisdom. Over/under on number of times a reference to male sexuality is made on our league message board: 3,457,929. I'll take the over, thanks.

Now, since it is my blog, others can look at my team on here. I think it could be fun for casual readers to make fun of my team and its losing this year, so have at it.

Today is the morning after the draft. I feel like someone who went out last night, had a great time, got "totally wasted dude," and is now looking at the pictures from the previous evenings adventure. I have one of those, "man, why did I do that?" faces on right now. Last night's draft seemed ok about 10:30pm. Now, twelve hours later, it looks like I was drunk while drafting. Please people, don't drink and draft.

Without further adieu, the 2006 Hokie Thugs:

QBs: Culpepper, Plummer
RBs: LT, Reuben Droughns, Jamal Lewis
WRs: TO, Marvin Harrison, Javon Walker, David Givens, Eric Moulds
TE: Shockey
K: Shayne Graham
Def: Baltimore, Denver

Yikes. Draft notes:

• Larry Johnson went first overall to Bloman
• Reggie Bush went in the second round to Andizzle
• Mean Steve & Bloman already made 3,000 homo references or so. And we're off...
• Neil Rackers went in round 5 to NY Matt. Bloman almost jumped off a bridge.
• Carly Patterson re-entered our lives on Fox's new show "Celebrity Duets." Somehow, she advanced, even though she sings like a dying ostrich. Chris Jericho of wrestling and Fozzy fame was eliminated. What's that abooot? But Carly was looking strong as usual.
• Easy E's team is named "Reginald Vel Johnson." This is great because it simultaneously keeps alive Carl Winslow and Vel in our hearts. "Hey boooo"
• Both Zach Hilton (UNC alum) and Karl Hankton (Panthers' special teams ace) were drafted.

There you have it. I'll try and post league updates sporadically to keep everyone in the loop who is not in this league. As I stated, please feel free to post comments on the blog.

Nickelback's thought of the day: "I like your pants around your feet..."

Whew, let's roll

So when you sign up to work in the sports industry, you also sign up to move around frequently. But seriously, I had no idea it'd be like this. To summarize my last six weeks, I've:

• been offered jobs with two companies
• weighed possibilities at five different NCAA D-I institutions
• accepted a job with ISP Sports at Virginia Tech
• lived in a hotel for eight days
• worked approx 52.6 hours/week
  
• lived alone in a 4/5 bedroom house with no cable for four weeks
• watched my entire year's movie quota in two weeks (I think I've seen ten movies or so since moving to here, the best of which I had seen before," Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle"; lewd, perverse, full of mary jane, vulgar, and stupid. But daggum, I LOL watching that flick and I never LOL. I don't even use the acronym LOL, I hate it. )
  
• moved back to a hotel for three more days (M-W this week)
• lived with a co-worker for two days (Th-F this week)
• moved into a condo (Sat, August 19th, or else I may kill someone)

Other than that, nothing has been going on. So I live in Blacksburg, Virginia now, which is "near" Roanoke, VA. Quick thoughts on B-burg: decent weather right now, but it will be very cold in the winter b/c it is really in the mountains. The town is very collegiate, with restrictions on building heights and corporate stores (no Wal-Mart, Target, Home Depot) & drive thrus. Christiansburg is an adjoining town with all the restaurant chains and shopping destinations. Blacksburg is incredibly hilly, which makes sense in the mountains, but makes jogging (soft J) quite difficult at times. The views around here of the Blue Ridge/Appalachian Mountains are found on post cards. The people are very friendly in general, the food is decent, the tea is still sweet, and the VT Hokies are THE attraction in the surrounding area. The only negative are 1) Bojangles is 30 minutes away; 2) There is not a hip-hop station, period. As in none. In Clemson, they had one, but white people ran it, so it sucked. But Blacksburg has none. Makes the name of the town kind of ironic, huh? 3) I get Comcast Sports out of DC/Maryland instead of Fox Sports South. No Turner South. So even when I get cable, it will not include much of the Atlanta Braves (good thing?). I'm also highly concerned about my NFL games in the fall. I'm afraid it'll be back to my childhood roots of seeing Redskins games...which means limited viewing of the Panthers. This could be catastrophic.

But enough about my life, seeing as I don't usually tell you, the reader, anything about me, the writer/rambler. The past six weeks in sports have been rather boring actually, and I have missed a great deal of it due to the lack of cable tv. Quick highlights: NBA Draft was fun; World Cup stunk for the US, but congrats to Italy;great pennant races in MLB, Braves notwithstanding; Maurice Clarett is officially the dumbest former marquee collegiate athlete/saddest story of the sports season; Floyd Landis won the Tour de France, but he cheated, but he claims not to have cheated, but he got fired anyway and got stripped of his title; Tiger Woods won another major, like that's surprising; and finally, NFL Training camps started.

My thoughts are as follows: the Braves have serious long-term problems still and this style of baseball (poor pitching, low on-base percentage, no speed) will be the doom of their success; Maurice Clarett's story is just really, really sad, and Rhino, you were always correct about Clarett being an idiot, even though he was pretty dang good at Ohio State and the Buckeyes still have a ring; Floyd Landis' doping allegations are a huge deal in the cycling world and further the negative stereotypes of American athletes around the world, as well as the negative image of the sport of cycling as a whole; Tiger Woods is the friggin' man and the story of him winning after his father's death, along with his emotion because of it, might be the best sports story of the summer; and finally, I could care less about NFL training camp/preseason football. Call me when the regular season starts.

Looking ahead, I see some writing about college football (shocking) and predictions for both the NFL and NCAA in the near future. I promise to be more diligent in posting until the college season begins. I know my time will be sparse, but I enjoy doing this blog thing, so I'll try to budget that at least once a week. Hope everyone out there is doing well. Shouts to BigBalla on his new j-o-b; the newest member of the Phi Alpha family: SPIT; and to the boo for helping me move seventeen times.

Ya'll behave. It ain't a hit 'til Nate Dogg spit...

I apologize

Sorry about not posting in over a month. Give me about one more week for things to settle down. We'll see about getting something up soon. Peace.

Omaha pain

There is a first time for everything. And tonight, June 26th, I am experiencing a first. Tonight is the first time that a University of North Carolina team that I follow has lost a national championship game in my lifetime. So that probably would make tonight's loss in the championship game of the College World Series the most painful Carolina loss of my life. And it is. But not in the normal "Carolina loss" way; somehow, it sucks much worse.

The first time Carolina lost a game that eliminated them from championship contention that I remember was in the 1987 NCAA Basketball Tournament (an elite eight loss to Syracuse). But the first loss that really hurt was in the 1991 Final Four, when the Heels lost to a Kansas Jayhawks team coached by Roy Williams. As a youngster, I naively assumed that making the Final Four meant my team would win the Final Four (typical spoiled Tar Heel fan). Every year since then, with exceptions of 1993 & 2005 championships, every basketball season has ended prematurely in the eyes of this fan. 1998 was probably the worst year, with 1994 close behind. Every lost NCAA Tournament game should have been won; one more game was there to be played. Every early round elimination in baseball was too early. It's not that Carolina should have won the title every year. Instead, I just wanted the Tar Heels to still be playing, to have one more game.

This year's College World Series loss is completely different. Either way, the season ended tonight. Win or lose, everyone goes home. Now, the loss is painful not because there's not one more game; it is painful because it hurts. And I'm not a player, just a fan and alum.

Jonathan Hovis will never put on a Carolina jersey again. Heck, the NCAA's leader in earned run average did not get drafted, so he may never put on any baseball jersey again. Chad Flack, the team's best hitter, made the last out. Mike Cavasinni is still standing on third base. Andrew Miller is wishing he had struck out one more hitter. Daniel Bard wants to stay in the game. And of course, Brian Steed is wishing he had taken his time and made his usual perfect throw to first base.

The season is over, as it was scheduled to be tonight. But this emptiness that accompanies the ending was not supposed to be here. There was supposed to be joy, a Gatorade bath for Mike Fox, and the hoisting of an NCAA Championship trophy. But here we are empty-handed, holding no trophies. Holding on, instead, to the wish for one more game. Holding on, instead, to a dream. Holding our hurt for every player, coach, and fellow fan.

And it hurts.

Hodge Podge

Where does a platypus learn a word like hodge podge? Anyway, the lack of recent updates combined with a ton going on in sports means a looooong blog of random stuff. So as I sit here enjoying a succulent KFC Famous Crispy Chicken Bowl, let's see what all comes up...

The NBA Finals & Stanley Cup Finals should lead off, but unfortunately, baseball's steroids scandal is stealing the spotlight. The FBI raid on pitcher Jason Grimsley's home has produced not only evidence against Grimsley, but names of other players who may be using Human Growth Hormone, an undetectable derivative of steroids. Apparently the FBI also asked Grimsley to wear a wire tap in effort to gather evidence on Barry Bonds. Wow. Issue number one here is the supposed "list of names" connected to HGH. Obviously, a number of players are sweating it out to see if they are named by Grimsley, as he has played with numerous MLB clubs over the years. However, the outrage by current players is over Grimsley violating the "Player's Code" in which players supposedly protect one another, protect information, and protect the game. This would include hook-ups/cheating on a spouse or girlfriend, drug habits, steroid use, etc. However, when you are facing prison time unless you talk to the feds, I'd say that code's regulationa may be altered. Nonetheless, I understand why some players feel the way the do; each should, however, put himself in Grimsley's shoes before passing judgement. Second, the FBI attempting to catch Barry Bonds specifically is pathetic. Don't elephant hunt, FBI. Don't try to pin it on him, lest he start crying again on his TV show...oh wait, that got cancelled. Still, going after Bonds specifically is a little over the top. Third, a point Jim Rome and I share (shocking, I know). The majority of players involved in steroids are more like Jason Grimsley, a journeyman who has bounced up and down between the majors and minors, playing for a ton of teams, than they are like Barry Bonds, the superstar Hall of Famer. I ask each of you, my (4) readers: what would you do? If you were Jason Grimsley and had played baseball all your life, the only job you'd ever had, would you at least consider using illegal performance enhancers? Though it is illegal and seen as cheating, I know my answer would have been a resounding "yes." We're talking about Grimsley's livelihood here, so I can empathize as to why he would use steroids. If you have a passion for something, you will do almost anything to continue doing what you love. Some, like Grimsley, just go a little too far.

Moving on to the NBA Finals...this is an even series. I have no personal preference or a conviction as to whether Dallas or Miami wins the series. I think Miami will win because I do not think the pressure will bother them. I also think Shaq & D-Wade will get some calls, especially at home. That being said, I think Dallas will win because they attack the rim and the glass as a team, and have clutch players in Josh Howard & Jason Terry. In the end, I think Dallas' athleticism will bother Miami enough to get the Mavericks the title, probably in 7 games.

The Carolina Hurricanes are two games away from their first Stanley Cup. I'm not saying much else here for fear of a jinx, but I will say that the Raleigh media is too quick to be talking a series victory, and the national media's doubt of the Oilers' ability to win a single game is ridiculous. Already in these playoffs, both the Canes & Oilers have rallied from 2-0 series deficits. I can't believe the press has not learned its lesson in declaring a series over, ignoring the fact that a team must actually win four games to clinch the series victory. Trust me, if I'm Edmonton's coach, I'm not letting my team ignore this.

Last major topic is the World Cup, which kicks off in Germany on Friday, June 9. Brazil is the odds-makers favorite, as usual, with Italy, Argentina, Germany, & the Czech Republic contenders behind them. My final four is England, Portugal, Brazil, and Spain, with Brazil defeating England in the final. I can't believe I'm banking on England, I should have learning my lesson on predictions (see below). The darkhorse, as discussed by my only soccer-loving friend and I a few weeks back, could be Portugal. The Portuguese were expected to perform well in '02, but went home before the elimination round (losing out to the US). We agreed they may be ready this time around. My grandfather passed away during the last World Cup, so I missed a lot of the matches; I'm looking forward to seeing more of it this time around. By the way, this is virtually the only soccer I watch, with an occasional exception with the Premier League.

Quick thoughts:

• Congrats to the hott-hitting Arizona Wildcats on yet another NCAA softball championship. No Jennie Finch, but a very...um...talented team nonetheless.
• Keeping with the collegiate theme, way to go Nebraska baseball. I pick them to win the entire baseball tournament, and they lose the first two games they play, being eliminated at home in the first round. To make matters worse, my debate was between Nebraska & Texas; the defending champion Longhorns also made an early exit, losing at home in the Austin regional. Great predictions, huh? Shows I know absolutely nothing, I should just quit.
  
• FYI: Red Sox vs Yankees games were scheduled for ESPN Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday of this past week. Only a rainout Wednesday prevented all the games from taking place, with no national TV on Tuesday. My policy is that I refuse to watch the two teams play at all, unless they meet in the ALCS in October. The only reason I will watch then is because it is the post-season; otherwise, I have better things to do than watch the over-hyped "greatest rivalry in sports" (sorry Kev).
  
• Tony Kornheiser's "Penguin Dance" on PTI trips me out. But, my Penguin Walk outperforms his Penguin Dance any day. You don't want drama, Kornheiser...
• Three quick sad notes. First, RIP to Tiffany Soeurs, the student murdered in Clemson last week. My prayers go out to her family and friends. Needless to say, this tragedy has rocked my little college town, scaring people and causing a further black eye for the ACC and Clemson in general. Second, a girl I went to high school with died in a motorcycle wreck a while back. Prayers for her family as well. Third, one of the cats that lives under my house was run over and left alongside the road in my yard. That cuts my friend count in Clemson to 2 remaining felines. And yes, I am actually sad about it and do not mean this in a sarcastic fashion.
  

With that, I'm out. Leaving you with words of wisdom, courtesy of the rap group Project Pat, featuring Three 6 Mafia:

"She got a bubble gum cap wit a Gucci dats snappin', with some rhino legs and a booty dats flappin'...good googly moogly, that thang is juicy."

(Can that really be a song? Googly moogly? Are you kidding me? Better yet, did I just take two minutes to check the lyrics and type it? Good googly moogly yourself...)

2006 NCAA Baseball Predictions

Here is my NCAA Baseball bracket. I'll probably do a re-pick once we make it to Omaha in two weeks.

Regionals
Clemson, Arkansas, Notre Dame, Georgia Tech
Cal St Fullerton, Pepperdine, Carolina, Alabama
Rice, Houston, South Carolina, Florida St
Nebraska, Ole Miss, Oregon St, Texas

Super Regionals
Clemson, Georgia Tech
Cal St Fullerton, Pepperdine
Rice, South Carolina
Nebraska, Texas

College World Series
Nebraska over Clemson, 2 games to 1

Ok fine, I'm coping out. I admit to picking Cal St Fullerton initially, but refused to stick with it because I picked them last year and they choked. And it made me mad. So I switched to Nebraska, but I'm not convinced. I will officially say Nebraska over Texas, then over Clemson in the finals, but I'm pretty torn on the Nebraska/Texas possibility.

Notes:

• I only picked Carolina because I felt like it. I'm not, as stated in my last blog, high on the chances of this team.
• The bracket with South Carolina/Florida St/Georgia/Virginia is the toughest to pick because I've seen all those teams play in person and have seen them all play poorly. I'm counting on the Gamecocks coming around and playing to their potential.
• Ole Miss may be a sleeper team of sorts, as the Rebels have played very well as of late, winning the SEC Tournament. I really wanted to pick them to upset Nebraska...then somehow I ended up with Nebraska winning the whole darn thing. Wonderful.

That's it for now, I've been busy recently with numerous things, so the blog has slowed down considerably. Everyone have a good weekend and check out the college baseball series nearest to you.

I got nothing

Not much to say today, I just felt it necessary to post something. So we'll see where the road leads us...

Very disappointed that San Antonio lost. I realize I am the only person outside of the city of San Antonio that pulls for the Spurs, but I have been a huge fan since Sean Elliott & David Robinson came into the league. Obviously Tim Duncan helped reaffirm that loyalty. Either way, the better team won the series in my opinion. Dallas is so talented and is a terrible matchup for the Spurs. Despite horrible officiating, the Mavs pulled out a gutsy victory. I hope the Spurs go out in the offseason and pick up some serious athletes. Guys like Rasho Nesterovic, Robert Horry, Brent Barry, and Nazr Mohammed were useless in this series. Horry has clearly lost a step, and Barry never had one, but both might be worth keeping around for leadership and shooting. The other two, plus Van Exel, can go sign with the Knicks for 8 years/$64 million or something.

Staying in the NBA, the draft lottery was stimulating. Ok fine, that's an oxymoron, but I did watch it. Early feeling on the Bobcats (who are my favorite team, as the home team wins out immediately now; translation: I'd pull for the Bobcats over the Spurs, but that's the only team like that) is that the third pick in the draft is too high for who I want them to choose. Chief and I discussed how good Brandon Roy would look in a Charlotte uniform, but we doubt he will be chosen as high as third. Adam Morrison, Rudy Gay, or Andrea Bargnani each look more likely at this point. All three play small forward, while Roy is a shooting guard. It just seems like Gerald Wallace is better suited to play the three spot with his defensive prowess, athleticism, and inconsistent shooting stroke. None of the other three guys are quick enough to play the two spot, which means short-term that Felton and Knight could be the starting backcourt next season, and long-term that Wallace will be the shooting guard with Felton at the point. More on the NBA Draft in the next month, which will include a mock draft or two. Unlike the NFL Draft, I'll tackle this challenge.

Speaking of challenges, my college baseball bracket will not happen. I forgot I will not see a computer until Tuesday at the earliest, with little time to generate a bracket anyway. Oh well. On a related note, Carolina sure looked atrocious dropping two straight to become the first team eliminated from the ACC Baseball Tournament in Jacksonville. I am a huge fan of watching the tournament online for free on the ACC website, but watching my team blow leads two days in a row is no fun. This team is no different from every team we've had since my first year in school: talented with NO baseball IQ. As my roommate and I noticed a while back, Coach Fox's teams don't steal bases, bunt, or move runners over. They also throw to the wrong base, make stupid errors, and fail to limit the chances for the opposing team. Basically, lack of fundamentals and smart play on the field; that is the weakness. And every year, it costs Carolina in the ACC and NCAA tournaments. I would be ecstatic if the Tar Heels made it to Omaha, but I just don't like their chances right now.

The Red Sox were on ESPN three days this week, twice against the Yankees, once against the Devil Rays. As researched last season, it is always the Yankees and/or Red Sox on TV it seems. But next week, we get a fresh, upstart Detroit Tigers squad...oops, we get the Yankees playing a fresh, upstart Detroit Tigers squad. Awesome. My ESPN rant is nearing, I've almost had it with the monopolistic total-sports network.

Finally, tune in to auto racing this weekend. Not only is the Coca-Cola 600 going on in Charlotte (Concord), NC, but it is also the one day of the year people care about Indy racing, as the Indy 500 will take place Sunday as well. I'm liking Tony Kanaan at Indy and Jimmie Johnson at Charlotte. Either way, give racing a shot on Sunday, as it may be the best racing day of the year.

On that note, I'm out. Enjoy a safe and fun Memorial Day weekend. Hey, I'm on it.

MC Hammer, Kermit the Frog, & Shakira: Who ya kickin' out of the hot tub?

Going with random small paragraphs today, as most of what this week's thoughts are unrelated. Thus, no theme and no need for organization. Ride wit it...

Turner South is now owned by Fox Sports, so that means most of my Atlanta Braves watching is affected. Not real sure what the theme of this network is, as the "My South" campaign features individuals reading what "My South" is to them in a spoken word performance setting. Most of the featured individuals are African-American, which I assume is meant to tap into the large population of this demographic in Atlanta and many other southern cities that carry the network. However, billboard commercials advertising the network (meaning spots run right before returning to the program/game) also feature Tiffani-Amber Thiessen; nothing like southern girls from Long Beach, CA. The musical commercials this season are Travis Tritt, who was on the last year or two as well, and MC freakin' Hammer. Quite a change from Baby of the Big Tymers, Da Birdman, who was the hi-hop artist last year. My point is: who is Turner South targeting? I'm not sure they have any clue.

On a somewhat related note, Ron Gant is the new color commentator. One friend and I agree he is pretty good, but a little less talk of his playing career in the present tense would help...as in Ron, you're retired, remember?

Moving to music really quickly...Shakira's new "Hips Don't Lie" is a catchy song, but mainly for a reason not involving her. The loop at the beginning and end of the track is from Lord Tariq & Peter Gunz mid-nineties single "Deja Vu," which I loved (confession: I own the CD, and remember buying it at American Fare, a precursor to Wal-Mart, along with a Queen Latifa album...review that one Kev). Her actual singing in the song is lacking; I enjoy the spanish part, but her high notes in English are tough to stomach. Honestly, she songs like a female Kermit the Frog. But the video is nice, I enjoy the Latin dance, the beats, and Shakira is pretty good looking.

Moving to sports, the NBA Playoffs are hot right now. Tune in just to watch the TNT Studio show, with Ernie Johnson Jr, Kenny the Jet Smith, and Sir Charles Barkley. High comedy. Also, no one has pointed out the fact that Phoenix claimed Tim Thomas off waivers from Chicago after he was put on the inactive list for refusing to play for the Bulls. So we have Alonzo Mourning, who refused to play for Toronto, and Tim Thomas, who refused to play for Chicago, both making a difference for playoff teams after playing the "you don't have any authority" card on their former teams. In an upcoming NBA column, this will be addressed further, but I have a huge problem with the league's lack of authority over players. They argue seemingly every call (see: Pistons, Detroit), blame losing on their coaches (see: Knicks, New York), and when unhappy demand and receive a trade or release. The NBA must do away with this selfishness and inmates running the asylum mentality if it is ever to compete with America's top sports.

Great story running on ESPN.com right now under the "E-Ticket" heading about a group of guys who have played basketball every Saturday morning for the last thirty-five years. Trust me, it's a lot more interesting than it sounds. If you have thirty minutes, click on the link:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=saturdaygame

Clemson may have become the Mullet Capital of America in my time living here. I love it.

College baseball is winding up its regular season, with the national tournament on the horizon. I have been challenged to put together a Field of 64 for this tournament as well, which will most likely make an appearance here at some point. Get hype. It is one of my sports dreams to not only attend the College World Series in Omaha, but also to see collegiate baseball become a big deal in American sports. So start the grassroots campaign.

WWE Vengence in Charlotte on June 25th...who's in?

I've had enough for today. Do me a favor and spread the word on The Blue Team if you enjoy it, as I'd eventually like to allow comments and have some reader interaction going on. What a concept, sounds like a real blog instead of me ranting and raving all the time. Feedback is still welcome and, as always, thanks for reading.

Lemme be ya manager...

Weekend Wrap-up

NBA, Bonds, Braves, Applebees in today's docket.

First, NBA. Kobe and the Lakers are done for the season after being blown out by Phoenix on Saturday night. I am still drinking the "Kobe is the best player in the NBA" juice, but I am quite confused by his non-shooting performance in the second half. I think this stubborness will continue holding him back and making people question his intentions. I too may question his intentions at times, but his talent is unmatched. If the Cavs win two games against Detroit, I will be shocked. The Spurs/Mavs series is already looking good and Suns/Clippers will be fun to watch. Don't really care about the Nets/Heat unless Vince Carter and D-Wade get into a classic duel.

Second, Barry Bonds has 713 home runs. Not that ESPN has covered it or anything. In other news, a kid in Mongolia picked his nose. Awesome.

Third, the not so Hot-lanta Braves. I'm feeling an entire blog devoted to the Braves coming up soon, but I'll touch briefly on things for now. Obviously the team is disappointing, sitting in third place behind the Phillies and waaaaay behind the Mets. Yes, it is early, but the struggles thus far will continue to be struggles for the entire season unless something drastically changes. I personally do not like the makeup of the batting order, as no true leadoff hitter and very streaky guys batting five and six hole lead to what is going on right now. As a team, the Braves are 14th in walks (101), lead the league in strikeouts (242), and are 13th in on-base percentage (.324). Add those three stats up and you get horrendous plate-discipline and a lack of quality at-bats. The pitching has been bad in key spots, but in general, the bats are to blame for the extended slump.

Finally, Applebee's uber-enunciating singing guys have a new commercial spot. This time, "The Applebee's Guys" are covering an old song by Bobby Darrin called "Mack the Knife," altering the lyrics to fit the new Steakhouse Sensations. I would say if the goal of Applebee's ad campaign is to make songs stick in your head or have people recognize the commercials, then they have succeeded. However, death threats and general annoyance seem to be packaged in as well. I don't know anyone who really wanted to see the dang singing fishermen ads again. Therefore, shout-outs to Foote, Cone, & Belding of Chicago, the ad agency who created this monster. And don't worry, there are more ads to come.

With that, I'm out. Soooo sit right back enjoy this tale, a tale of a tasty shrimp...

Derby Picks

Kentucky Derby Trifecta:
1) Point Determined
2) Barbaro
3) Cause to Believe

I know nothing about horse racing and have watched no coverage. But, the blind squirrel does find the nut occassionally, correct?

Updated Post-Race Results:
Don't have to worry about me gambling on horse racing anytime soon. Point Determined fought traffic all day and never got near the front, finishing ninth. Cause For Belief caused nothing to happen, coming in thirteenth. But, Barbaro went off the last quarter-mile or so, winning by seven links. Just before the final turn, I saw him moving up quick and said aloud in (to no one) in my best Stephen A Smith voice, "it's ooo-vah" because it was, indeed, over. Dominant performance, maybe this horse will actually pull off the Triple Crown since I've never seen it happen.

But the best part of the race took place afterwards during NBC's coverage. The interview with the winning jockey was nearly indistinguishable, as I have little clue what he said. Then, when showing the crowd reaction, we had the pleasure of hearing a very clear, "oh sh*t!" from one onlooker. I mean very clear. I laughed, LOL-ed if you will.

And my life has reached a low point, as I spent at least seven minutes today writing about horse racing. Sigh.

Found: NC State Coach

"In two-plus seasons with the Vancouver/Memphis Grizzlies, Lowe led the team to back-to-back franchise-best records of 23-59 in both 2000-01 and 2001-02."
- Article on PackPride.com

And that pretty much sums it up. But before I get to bashing NC State like any Carolina fan would do, let's attempt to look at the reality of the now-filled NC State coaching position.

Obviously Sidney Lowe was not choice numero uno of the NC State administration or its fans. Yes, everyone will say, "Sidney was always a candidate," "Lowe has a solid resume," and "He has the potential to be better than anyone already offered the job." It is even possible that people will forget in ten years that Lowe was not the first choice, or even the eighth choice, for the job.

However, the present time shows us that Lowe was an afterthought, offered the job solely because of his ties to the school and because he would not further embarrass his alma mater by turning them down. Candidates turned the job down for varying reasons: money, the fan pressure, unrealistic expectations, etc. Here is where my optimism begins.

Lowe could be given slightly more leeway by the fans due to his status as a cherished alumnus. It is possible that the expectations, though unchanged, will be met with more patience. It is true that Lowe could become the perfect coach for this position, but it will surely take some time. His on-court coaching abilities must be fairly solid considering his work in the NBA as both a head coach and an assistant. Certainly, Lowe can sell a kid on the mantra, "I know what it takes to develop you into an NBA-quality player." Hopefully that advantage will help overshadow some of the challenges he will face.

There are glaring drawbacks to hiring Sidney Lowe. He has lost head coaching jobs twice in the NBA, first with Minnesota, then with the Grizzlies. In his defense, both teams were less than five years old when he coached them. This would be similar to saying Bernie Bickerstaff is a terrible coach based only on his work with the Bobcats, which is unfair considering the players on expansion teams. Nonetheless, it is still disconcerting when one of the major feathers in the cap of Lowe is the above quote, bragging on his record of 23 wins, 59 losses. Ouch.

The second drawback is no collegiate head coaching experience. Duh. Lowe has never recruited a player to college, never given a speech as a head coach to alumni asking for donations, never dealt with players declaring for the NBA Draft, never coached in the NCAA or NIT tournaments, and never coached against Duke or Carolina. Hmm, that pretty much speaks for itself. However, recruiting success will depend as much on who Lowe hires on his staff as it will on Lowe himself. Think of recruiting like a major league bullpen: you have to have middle reliever, specialists to get the ball to the closer. The assistants will make the initial contacts, observe players, form relationships, and then pass them on to the closer, Lowe. Sidney Lowe will certainly need experienced assistants who have pre-existing relationships with recruits and AAU coaches in order to make the transition as smooth as possible.

The final drawback is the job itself. Coaching NC State is not a position that lends itself to learning on the job. Expectations are still high, Carolina and Duke are still really good, and the Wolfpack still play in the ACC. Already, State's team next season is not expected to be as talented as this past year's team that underachieved to a 10-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Recruits for this coming season may be released from their letters-of-intent, and already the top recruit for 2007 has rescinded his verbal commitment. Just because a new face is involved does not mean the demands and responsibilities of being the head coach of the NC State Wolfpack have changed.

My opinion is that of a wait-and-see attitude. Lowe will be very passionate about NC State, both on the floor and in his recruiting. In time, he may very well be the perfect man for the job. For now, it is hard to say that NC State did a good job of handling his hiring. He should have been a candidate from the beginning in some capacity, even if he was not the first choice. I do not think that Lowe, at this point, is a better coach than Herb Sendek. In fact, being a supporter of Sendek, it will take a great deal of success to prove to me that State is better off without him. However, I will admit that because of the situation created by the Raleigh-area media and some (a lot) of the NC State fanbase, Sendek probably needed to leave because no one was happy. It remains to be seen who will have the last laugh.

Who knows, the NC State fanbase may change its ways a little bit after getting punched in the stomach. Thus far, I have heard few people remorseful about the situation, saying instead that Athletic Director Lee Fowler is an idiot and should be fired for "botching" the search. Hmm... hate the coach, run him off, and then get mad at the AD for not hiring who you want...but it's not the fans who are the problem. Riiight. Hopefully the fans will chill out a little bit and support Lowe and the program no matter what...or at least until the first time they get blown out by a certain shade of blue. Again. Just like the good ole days, huh?

NBA, NHL, NFL Draft

The NBA Playoffs are captivating this season. Kobe, LeBron, Chauncey, Arenas, Dirk, & the Clippers are now must-see TV. If I had DVR still, I'd be setting it to record nearly every game on TV. I know, the NBA has declined in popularity in recent years. NASCAR, MLB, and the NFL have each grown. But mark my words: the NBA is on its ways back. In ten years, it could very well be back to the level it was in the late eighties, early nineties. I firmly believe that to be possible. But, the future aside, tune in to the playoffs in the present and watch the drama. And, scroll on down and read my feature on Kobe below this entry.

People have been quick to count the Suns out after Kobe's game four winner. I figured I should hold off writing about Kobe's greatness until the Lakers advanced, but I do not think his greatness is necessarily contingent on one series at this point. But, it would help. I am very surprised at the Kings' success against San Antonio. Artest has been great, but Bonzi Wells is the real deal right now. Double-doubles all of a sudden for the former Ball State star. The Clippers and Mavs both looked dominant, but that's easy to do when your opponents give in as easily as Denver and Memphis did.

In the east, Detroit is expending just enough energy to win and will probably finish off the Bucks in game five. The Heat are in a battle with the deep, athletic Bulls. I still think Miami will win, mainly because they have a guy who can take a game over. But, it may take seven games to do so. I have seen none of the Indiana vs New Jersey series because it has been televised mostly on NBA TV. Apparently it has been a good series, but I have seen none of it. Finally, LeBron James and Gilbert Arenas are going back and forth, both doing their best to raise their games and lead their teams to victory. Captivating television for sure.

The "other" playoffs, the NHL, are also going strong. Already, Detroit and Dallas, the top two seeds in the west, are hitting the driving range for the summer, as their seasons were ended courtesy of Edmonton and Colorado respectively. San Jose has also advanced out west, with Calgary and Anaheim playing a deciding game seven Wednesday night. In the east, my Hurricanes advanced with an exciting 2-1 OT victory last night, eliminating Montreal. The Senators and Devils had already moved on while the Sabres blew out the Flyers last night to finish the series. I have seen only the Hurricanes' series, as OLN is not part of my cable package. I need civilization so I can get a decent cable hookup going soon, as losing out on post-season sports is killing me. But, at least I have Turner South (Bravos baby).

Finally, some quick NFL Draft thoughts. Passing on Reggie Bush is being blown up by the media, but it seems that NFL teams are not as high on the guy. After all, no one offered a great deal to either New Orleans or Houston in order to get the guy. One would think that if NFL Scouts thought he was truly a can't-miss prospect that people would have been falling over themselves to acquire him. It just seems that fans and the media are infatuated with him because he is more familiar than Mario Williams. Me? I've been driving the Reggie Bush Bus of Infatuation for three years now.

On the flip side, I did not realize Mario Williams was so new to most of the nation. Being an ACC fan, especially knowing Carolina had to prepare for Williams in the yearly matchup with the Wolfpack, I just assumed he was more well-known to people than it turned out. Obviously my "center of the universe is Chapel Hill" problem reared its head there. My only question in this situation is whether Mario Williams will impact a football game enough to garner the number one pick, especially when taken over Bush. Julius Peppers is the comparison most people make for many reasons. However, on the field in college, Peppers was clearly a dominant player. Williams showed flashes of being that type of player, but did not do it consistently. If you gave me Peppers coming out of college or Reggie Bush coming out of college, I'd have taken Bush. That being said, I think Peppers may have been a more productive prospect than Williams.

Ok enough of that. The Panthers took DeAngelo Williams in the first round, proving me to be exactly what I claimed to be: an idiot with no clue about the NFL Draft. In discussing the pick with friends, I have expressed concern over his size and running style fitting into the Panthers' offense. They have each defended the pick, stating that the Panthers need a gamebreaker, a back with explosive abilities. They may well be correct, as it seems this pick and the signing of Keyshawn Johnson are signs that the overly-conservative offensive days are numbered. Fact is the Panthers will probably not win the Super Bowl sitting on the ball and the addition of Williams will help add to the explosiveness of the offense. I have nothing against Williams, I think I was just higher on Maroney or White. Oh well, got to trust the Panthers front office I guess.

Quickly, I loved the Jeff King pick late. Solid blocking TE with excellent hands from what I've seen. Now if they'd just sign David Noel...Richard Marshall is an exciting player, but I only remember seeing him a few times in live action. He certainly has a ton of confidence. Hopefully he will not only be a solid DB, but also a dangerous return man. Finally, drafting Will Montgomery (C from Va Tech) may also be a good move. He is "just a football player," which translates as "he tries real hard and has the proper nasty lineman attitude."

Wrapping things up here, tune in to the NBA Playoffs and, if you have OLN, the NHL Playoffs as well. This is why everyone should have multiple TVs for optimal viewing purposes. Got to maximize your sports. Play on playas...

The Best

I really did not want to write anything today. For numerous reasons. But, one man left me no choice. That man is Kobe. Not Kobe Bryant. Just Kobe.

Certain special athletes reach the point where one name is all that is necessary. Michael Jordan is one of those, which is even more remarkable seeing as he has a common first name. But Kobe is a name that no one I know possesses. But has there ever been an athlete to reach one-name status in such a negative way as Bryant?

Kobe is synonymous with terms like “selfish,” “spoiled,” “a team cancer,” “accused rapist,” and “overrated.” But now, today, I am re-naming Kobe. Or should I say re-defining Kobe.

As someone who hated Kobe’s game and attitude before it was cool to do so, then took up for Kobe when everyone hated him, I feel it is my job to clue everyone in before the new trend takes off. So get ready, the Kobe love is on the horizon (if it hasn’t already arrived).

Kobe is now synonymous with “team player.” Ok, maybe that is a bit of a stretch, but he is at least helping make his teammates better. Luke Walton, Sasha Vujacic, Kwame Brown (!), and my main man, Smushie Parker, are all playing the best basketball of their storied NBA careers. And by storied, I mean a kiddie book about caterpillars. Lamar Odom, Brian Cook, and Devean George are contributing as well. The point is Kobe’s greatness is raising the level of his teammates’ play, forcing them to believe in themselves and the team.

Kobe is also synonymous with “clutch.” This is nothing new, but people generally have said, “Kobe is clutch, but…” filling in the " …" portion with one of those above-mentioned synonyms on the negative side. Now, he is simply clutch, period. Big shots, big steals, key passes; he is doing it all in crunch time.

Kobe is next synonymous with “complete player.” His defensive abilities have always been strong, but he has not always chosen to apply these abilities. Not to be confused with Ron Artest, of course, but Kobe’s defense is solid on the ball and his help-side instincts are excellent. Watch any Lakers game and you’ll find him free-lancing off the ball for steals. He rebounds well for a guard, taking advantage of his size and quickness. Finally, Kobe has become a terric passer. Yes, of the basketball. He sets up his teammates to better succeed, but also recognizes the correct pass to make as opposed to just giving up the ball.

Lastly, Kobe is synonymous with “hands-down, bar none, the best player in the NBA today, period.” There has been great debate over Kobe’s greatness for many years, as his negative descriptions have overshadowed his talent. People refused to acknowledge just how great Kobe was because no one wanted him to be the best. With this rebirth, Kobe’s talent is now complimented by his public persona. The guy who credits his teammates, shares the ball, takes over in the clutch, and wins is easy for the fans to admire and for the media to anoint as “the best.” The fact that Steve Nash is reported to be awarded his second straight MVP award is hilarious. Who votes for this stuff? The only debate was Kobe or LeBron, as Nash should have been a very distant third at best. In my opinion, Kobe deserved the award before these playoffs began. Now, there is little question, as punctuated by his dunk over Nash in game 2.

In all honesty, Kobe does not need the MVP award. His not winning has further motivated him, much as Barkley (’93) and Malone (’97) winning over His Airness did for Michael. I’m not stupid enough to think he is going to carry the Lakers to the NBA Title this season. They could conceivably choke away the series against Phoenix and make me look like a moron within the week. But, the redefinition of Kobe has at least begun in full, winning over the fans and the media.

All in all, Kobe Bryant is raising his game and changing his image. It has been a work-in-progress since his trial, with a conscious effort by his marketing and PR people to make him enduring to the general public once again. His floor game has taken a longer time to evolve, with the old labels sticking around for a while. Now that everything is lining up, he has become the game’s best player and one of its most respected. Kobe will never be Michael, nor should he try to be. He has instead finally realized that he need only be Kobe. Used to, that was not enough. Now? Being Kobe means simply being The Best.