Weekly Update

Once again, fairly slow week in the sports world. On top of that, I have not really had time to put together a "feature" type piece in a while, as the j-o-b has kept me fairly busy. So I'll probably just ramble for a bit today about the NFL Draft and the NBA Playoffs. We're off and running...

A regular reader from the west coast asked me to post an NFL Mock Draft. Ha. I have regular readers on the west coast. Fine, he's one of my best friends, but still...he reads...and he lives out west...so there ya go. Anyway, I am not capable of generating a mock draft without combining knowledge and info from other writers' mock drafts. Basically, I would inadvertently copy the opinions of people who have done research and talked to people. To be real honest, I do not know enough about evaluating future NFL talent to even give it a shot. The NBA Draft is different, as many of the players are guys I have followed for multiple seasons. That does not mean I know a darn thing, but I can at least make an educated guess.

Still, there are a few things I can predict about this Saturday's draft. First, the opening round will last far too long. That is a given. Second, someone will plummet down the draft board and Mel Kiper Jr will have a conniption that so many teams pass on him. Seriously, Mel Kiper Jr is the man. He basically created a career slot for himself and is basically the first guy to have followed the draft with such thorough knowledge. The following are my real thoughts:

• Vince Young will dictate the draft. If he goes early, a lot of teams will be scrambling to pick a player they did not think would fall to them. If he stays on the board a while and get bypassed by teams who do not want a QB, then other players will go higher. The effect is that a team picking 8-14 will not get the player they wanted because he would have been taken in a spot Young could have filled.
• I do not like calling people out I do not know, but in this case, it is not just my opinion, my friends and I agree: do not draft Jimmy Williams, DB, Va Tech. He is an attitude problem waiting to happen. Fast, yes. Talented, for sure. A selfish, trash-talking, ego problem: without a doubt.
• Manny Lawson could be a first round sleeper in the right system. Just saying. Props to NC State.
• LenDale White will have a similar effect as Young, but later in the first round. He is so good, I just cannot see him dropping as far as some people claim he will.
• Finally, the Panthers pick. I have no clue. Last year, I was dying to get a hold of Derrick Johnson, the LB from Texas. He was surprisingly available when Carolina picked, but the Panthers went with Thomas Davis instead. With an obvious need at DB, I could see Carolina going with Tye Hill, Ashton Youboty, or Jonathon Joseph if they fell this low. Richard Marshall and Ko Simpson are also DB possibilities. Of course, an offensive lineman would be nice as well, in the mold of Eric Winston or Marcus McNeill. Finally, a running back will most likely be taken at some point, but I just cannot see the Panthers suddenly deciding to change from their typical draft day policy of not taking a RB this early. However, if LenDale White is available, I'd love to see him moving to Charlotte. Same for Laurence Maroney. All that being said, the best available player will be taken...my money is on someone not on my list.

Moving to the NBA Playoffs, which I managed to never get around to picking online. I'll run it down real quick and then comment.

Eastern Conference
First Round - Pistons, Heat, Nets, Cavs
Conference Semis - Pistons, Heat
Conference Finals - Pistons

Western Conference
First Round - Spurs, Suns, Clippers, Mavs
Conference Semis - Spurs, Clippers
Conference Finals - Spurs

Spurs over Pistons in seven games

Wow, way to go out on a limb. In all honesty, the only teams with a chance to win the whole thing in my mind are the Pistons, Heat, Spurs, & Mavs. The Spurs/Mavs winner just needs to get lucky and not have to play Phoenix in the conference finals. Both are better than Phoenix without Amare. I contend that if Denver had Nene, they would be stronger as well. I do think the Heat will respond to the criticism of their cohesion, but Detroit is just too good to bet against. I basically picked the Spurs in the finals because I want them to win again. Kiss it.

I'm out, picture me rollin'

NHL, random thoughts

I'm going to post NHL playoffs picks because I know nothing about most of the teams. After moving to SC, I lost OLN and have seen only select Hurricanes games on Fox Sports Net. Therefore, my hockey knowledge is very limited. Also, keep in mind that the NHL re-seeds teams for the conference semi-finals, meaing that the highest remaining seed will always play the lowest remaining seed. This means that traditional brackets do not always apply; in fact, most years at least one conference has an upset that forces re-seeding. Without further adieu (or any clue):

Eastern Conference:
Senators over Lightning, Canes over Canadiens, Devils over Rangers, and Sabres over Flyers
Sabres over Senators, Devils over Canes
Devils over Sabres

Western Conference:
Wings over Oilers, Stars over Avs, Flames over Ducks, Sharks over Predators
Wings over Sharks, Flames over Stars
Wings over Flames

Stanley Cup Finals: Wings over Devils in 6

That was exciting. Random thoughts:

• Braves are banged up, but finally showing signs of life. I'm so glad I changed my pick from the Red Sox to the Yankees, that sure is looking brilliant right now...but it is early. What's up with Oakland & the LAA Angels: .500 record thus far? Gooooo Rockies. Albert Pujols will soon have a shrine at my house, he is so sick.
• Vince McMahon has gone overboard with the "God" angle on RAW. It's really not even that funny. On the other hand, the Umaga character is catching on simply because Estrada is such a good mic man; Mickie James/Trish Stratus is the best angle ever for the women's divison, Shelton Benjamin is improving, I love Edge's character because it draws so much heat, I hate Rob Van Dam, and the Spirit Squad continues to trip me out.
• I do not think I would want the number one pick in the NBA Draft this year. Too many negatives to almost every player available. I do love the draft though, so I'll probably write about it a lot in the next two months. I also love the NBA playoffs, they are so competitive and entertaining. This year will be especially solid with the superstars involved (LeBron, DWade, 'Melo, Vince, the Suns, Duncan, Shaq, the Pistons, Artest, Sam Cassell, etc.).
• NC State will soon be producing t-shirts that read "got coach?"

That's all for today. Things are kind of slow right now with two post-seasons about to kick off and the initial excitement of MLB wearing down. The NFL Draft is being overhyped by ESPN as usual, but I will watch the actual draft. More on it next week probably. Also, a Barry Bonds rant and something about NBA players coming up. I know, get hype. Hope everyone is doing well, holla holla holla.

Last NC State Thoughts

So this is my last comment until State hires a coach. I think part of the problem now that Calipari has turned the Wolfpack down is that a number of potential candidates are not only taken by new positions at other schools, but some have also re-upped their deals to stay put. I am speaking of coaches at mid-majors schools have been talked about a few weeks back, decided they either did not like the jobs available or simply were passed over, and have signed contract extensions. Coaches on this list include Dana Altman (Creighton), Rob Jeter (Wisc-Mil), Tom Pecora (Hofstra), Mark Fox (Nevada), Jaime Dixon (Pitt), & Jay Wright (Villanova). It is quite possible that some of these guys would have been interested in the NC State job had they known it was going to become available.

Another group are those already hired to new jobs, such as Kelvin Sampson (IU), Greg McDermott (Iowa St), Mick Cronin (Cincy), and Mike Anderson (Mizzou). It is possible that all of these candidates would have chosen to be the head coach at NC State over their new job, with the exception of Kelvin Sampson (though I personally do not see Indiana's situation being too much better at this point).

The final guy that fits in this group is Andy Kennedy, the former interim coach at Cincinnati who is now the head coach at Ole Miss. He played at NC State, so his candidacy would have been a no-brainer. But, Kennedy took the head job at Ole Miss ten days before Sendek left State.

The point here is the candidate pool could have been much deeper had people known Sendek was leaving. While it is true that Herb was not popular, I admire the administration itself for not giving in to the fans and just firing the guy. But, the somewhat late departure in terms of the coaching carousel has limited the options for State following Barnes and Calipari declining. Had Sendek left earlier or simply been fired, coaches would have been lining up for the job. Not necessarily the Barnes and Caliparis of the world, but certainly the Andy Kennedys, Mike Andersons, and maybe even Jaime Dixon.

FYI: I finally saw Billy Gillispie's name mentioned as a candidate (on PackPride.com). About dang time. Dear NC State: Hire John Brady and you will win fans; hire Billy Gillispie and you will win games and fans. Not a tough decision.

Duke Lax & NC State Coaching

A couple of things to hit up today. I will go for the serious one first, then we’ll get on to something more fun. So first up is the Duke lacrosse “scandal.”

The big news out of the D-Piece is no DNA evidence was found matching any of the forty-six white players on the team. Supposedly three of these guys were involved in sexually assaulting the exotic dancer, who was black, at a party a month ago. Link to this development is below:

http://www.newsobserver.com/100/story/427546.html

Now, let’s just be frank about this. America, the Durham community, the press, the school, and the students have chosen to go a certain route on this story. Race. The dancer is black, the players are white, and it’s a racial issue. Immediately the race card comes up. This is precisely why America cannot bury its racial stereotypes, prejudices, and hate. It is always an issue.

I do not care what color anyone is; if there is no evidence to even charge someone, much less three someones, then no case exists. The lack of a case has nothing to do with race. The reactions of the community and the nation do. The students at NC Central and the press instantly highlighted the incident as a hate crime and anything other than forty-six guilty verdicts with 15-20 years in prison was going to be a racist outcome. And that in itself is a racist reaction. As one of my favorite professors, an African-American said many times, racism works both ways.

The protesting and rallying against the lacrosse team was quite humorous. All of these people who claimed race and class issues and said the players were so judgmental were in fact hypocrites. They jumped to conclusions, as did a large part of the press, that these were bad white guys who hate black people and low class people. Also, and I am applying a stereotype myself here, you have to question the background and story from the alleged victim. Her credibility and police record were not too strong coming in, but this was not highlighted until far too long into the story.

It seems to me that everyone involved is guilty of some racism, stereotyping, and borderline hate.

The point here is first, people jumped to conclusions. Second, many people passed judgment based on what they thought happened or was presented without having any real evidence. Third, the American people are their own worst enemy when it comes to bridging racial gaps. Actions of high-class, snobbish white guy athletes and the black community and the protesters at Duke and the media all add up to reinforcing America’s stereotypes of each group. This is sad.

On a related note, as I wrote a few weeks ago, this incident at least calls attention to the excessive partying by athletes (and regular students) at colleges across the country. These are the types of situations that pop up every few months in the form of hazing incidents, excessive drinking, strippers, racism, and sometimes death. Until people learn to take responsibility for themselves, it will continue. College is not a free pass to be a complete moron, whether you play a sport or not. I don’t think administration alone is responsible; individuals must take responsibility and learn how to have fun without harming others.


Now, on to fun stuff. NC State still needs a coach. John Calipari is the targeted candidate now, but there are other candidates out there. Let’s take a look at some of them:

Julius Hodge: recent graduate of the basketball program and recently shot in a drive-by in Denver where he “plays” for the NBA’s Nuggets. Let’s be honest: gunshots to Julius’ legs had to break them in half since they were about as thick as a needle before. So he could come back and coach his alma mater. After all, no one at State has ever been as “hooongry” as Hodge. “We hooongry man.”

Chris Corchiani: such passion for the program and he knows everything. Just watch him at games, he already works officials (even when State is down by 20) as well as Coach K. He could bring back Rodney Monroe, Chris Washburn, Lorenzo Charles, and Damon Thornton as his staff. Plus, his real estate group could acquire the naming rights for the RBC Center.

Jeremy Hyatt: former beauty queen slash basketball player slash student. Before there was Josh Boone, Kris Lang, Charlie Villeneuva, Shelden Williams, or Adam Morrison’s mustache, college basketball had the prototype for aesthetically-challenged basketball players. Ok fine, he was an ugly dude; but he was a nice kid, I’ll give him that.

Mr. and Mrs. Wuf: the tandem NC State mascot(s). In a ground-breaking move, State could become the first school to apply the Title IX rule to its coaching staff. A male and female coach would be a positive step. Besides, someone has to communicate with Andrew Brackman to figure out why he insists on playing like he wears panties half the time (Aside: I like the way Brackman plays when he is giving effort. Problem is he gives effort about 4 minutes per game).

Pat Summit: imagining her screaming at Coach K and Roy makes me smile. I really think it could work if guys gave her a chance. But she might make players cry…not just at State, but anywhere. She sure is a good coach though.

Jessica Alba: the one hire that might convert me to pulling for the Wolfpack. Nnnnnn Cccccc Sttaaaaatte… N C State!

Chuck Amato: if he coached the Wolfpack basketball team to a fourth place finish, they’d throw a parade. I’m sure his shades would prove useful inside the Corchiani Center too.


In all seriousness, I hope NC State hires a coach the administration, fans, and players all respect. It is a good program and deserves success. Calipari is a step up from a recruiting standpoint, bringing NBA experience and collegiate success that Sendek did not have. I still contend Sendek to be a better game coach, but in today’s college game, talent is preferred.

If Calipari declines, John Brady (LSU), Karl Hobbs (George Washington), Frank Haith (Miami) are all candidates. I wouldn't be shocked if they made a run at Paul Hewill from Georgia Tech, but his contract is lengthy with a significant buyout clause. Billy Gilispie, head coach at Texas A&M, should be a candidate, but no one has mentioned him. I also saw Mike Brey (?!?) and Jeff Capel's names (prior to Oklahoma hiring Capel). Trust me, interview Gilispie if Coach Cal declines.

My money is still on John Brady personally, even as Calipari flirts with this decision. No matter what anyone says, coaching at State in the ACC is still preferred over coaching LSU in the SEC. FYI though: Brady previosuly had very little tournament success, having been upset multiple times and appearing in only one Sweet 16 (where the 4th-seeded Tigers were upset by 8-seed Wisconsin) before their Final Four run this season. Interesting, that sounds a lot like a guy that used to coach at State…what was his name again…

MLB 2006 "Guesses"

So I guess it is about time I actually posted my Major League Baseball picks for this season. Allow me to forewarn everyone: these are actually guesses. In a weird way, I find professional sports very difficult to pick. Maybe it is because the seasons are so long, especially baseball, and injuries have more time to creep up or devastate a good team. In general, I think everyone has a sense of who is going to be competitive and who just stinks. But, choosing between these competitive teams is tough. And, I know I will be wrong, so that helps.

I’ll put it like this: seven AL teams have a chance, six NL teams have a chance, and each league will have one surprise team to make a division race interesting. With that being said, here are the teams that will compete:

AL East: NY, Boston, Toronto; AL Central: Minnesota, Chicago; AL West: Oakland, Anaheim; Surprise: either the Detroit Tigers or Minnesota Twins

NL East: Atlanta, NY; NL Central: St. Louis, Houston, Milwaukee; NL West: whatever .500 ballclub wins this debacle of a division; Surprise: Philly? Washington? Chicago? Cubs baby.

Discussion:

The AL East is possibly the deepest division in baseball, as Tampa Bay and Baltimore are at least marginally competitive teams. The Blue Jays improved significantly in the off-season, but the key areas for Toronto are Vernon Wells and Lyle Overbay. Wells has to have an MVP-candidate season for the Jays to contend and Overbay must be an RBI machine. I’m a huge fan of Overbay personally, but I’m just not sure this team is quite ready yet. Add in the fact that come the July 31st trade deadline, the Yankees and Red Sox will go acquire whatever each needs for the stretch run while Toronto will have to be more frugal. Therefore, Boston and the Yanks are still at the top. If Papalbon can close for Boston, they should be fine. It is also disconcerting for New York to be counting on solid years from Aaron Small, Chien-Ming Wang, Jaret Wright, and Shawn Chacon. Yikes. That being said, the Yankees will still win the division because I could be their fifth starter, have an ERA of 6.50, and still win 12 games because my run support would be 8.2 runs/gm.

The AL Central could be interesting if Detroit plays well for even half a season. I felt like the Tigers’ pitching was actually pretty solid entering the season, but they just don’t have the bats. Somewhat similar to Kansas City’s feel-good story a few years back. Minnesota is also capable because they have such good pitching. Chicago and Cleveland are both very solid. Hopefully we’ll have a neck-and-neck race between them down to the final week of the season.

The AL West has two great teams and two not-so-great teams. Oakland and Anaheim will battle all year long as Seattle and Texas struggle.

AL Picks: Yankees, Indians, A’s, White Sox (Wild Card)

The NL East is pretty solid as well, much like its AL counterpart. I’m not sold on Philadelphia, plus I hate the Phillies. The Nats are decent, but young. I think they can compete if Nick Johnson hits 35 HRs and drives in 125 or so. Add former Virginia star 3B Ryan Zimmerman to the mix of Johnson, Jose Guillen, and Left Field Soriano and Washington will hang around much like last season. The Metropolitans upgraded significantly, but they are old at key postions (starting pitching and closer Billy Wagner mainly). The Mets will be very, very good. And I see Atlanta struggling when Jeff Francoeur is hitting .240 in June before he hurts his shoulder and is out for the season. But, the Braves will win the division because…well, that’s what the Braves do. They also choke in the playoffs and surely will suck everyone in to believing this could be the year after winning 90+ regular season games. They will then proceed to rip everyone’s heart out, step on it, push it around in the dirt, poop on it, and break it piece by piece. I hate the Braves. And by hate, I mean love them to the point of hating them. Chop chop.

The NL Central will be fun. St. Louis will win the division because the Cards are still the best team in the NL, have a great pitching staff, and have some kid named Pujols. But I like the Cubs’ chances of having a decent season. It almost helps to have Prior and Wood on the DL already, as there is little optimism or increased pressure. Carlos Zambrano is good enough to carry the staff and will do it as the bona fide number one starter this year. Milwaukee is solid, but young, and lacks the pitching depth. Houston should never be as good as they are, but somehow they find a way to be around the wild card race in September. Pittsburgh and Cincinnati are two cities responsible for ESPN deciding to donate a week of coverage to the NFL releasing its schedule last week. Ridiculous. As in, maybe the dumbest thing ESPN has ever done outside of Barry Bonds. There is an NFL Network that covers this “event” each year. But I’m sure people in SteelTown and Cincy tuned in. I obviously did not.

The NL West should be disqualified. That being said, the Braves will likely lose to some sorry team out of this division in October , so I’m probably just bitter. Let’s just say the teams in the NL West all have flaws and end it there. I’m going with a shocker pick here because it is fun.

NL Picks: Atlanta, St. Louis, Colorado, Chicago (Wild Card)

Post-season Picks/Awards

AL MVP: A-Rod, Eric Chavez, Big Papi, Travis Hafner
AL Cy Young: Johan Santana, Huston Street, Jeremy Bonderman, Randy Johnson
AL Rookie of the Year: Francisco Liriano, Ian Kisler

NL MVP: Albert Pujols…Albert Pujols…Albert Pujols…
NL Cy Young: Carlos Zambrano, Roy Oswalt, Jason Schmidt, Tim Hudson
NL Rookie of the Year: Ryan Zimmerman, Prince Fielder

Oakland over White Sox as Frank Thomas hits .413 in the series
Yankees over Cleveland because Randy Johnson scares Cleveland’s kids

Yankees over Oakland because I don’t want to jinx Oakland

St. Louis over Colorado after Pujols hits 6 home runs in the series
Chicago over Atlanta after Zambrano shuts down the Braves twice

Albert Pujols

Yankees over Al & the gang in six games because 9 Yankee hitters > Albert Pujols. But just barely.

How precious life is...

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncw/news/story?id=2400335

and the commentary...

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncw/columns/story?columnist=wojnarowski_adrian&id=2399580

Just briefly, pray for the Dixon family and for families like their's. Somehow they went from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows in three weeks. Their tragedy is crushing, but there are plenty of similar stories that do not happen to individuals as high-profile. Nonetheless, it is a tragedy.

I actually followed the Dixon story after Army made the conference final. I saw the highlights of their thrilling victory and Coach Dixon being carried around the court by the cadets. The sheer joy of the cadets in winning that game was so evident in that moment, it almost brought tears to the eyes.

In the days and weeks following, I saw a SportsCenter piece on Maggie and Jaime Dixon, who coaches the Pitt men's team. They were on ESPN's Cold Pizza and were having so much fun.

Now, the family mourns a death that came far too soon. Thankfully, God is in control and this is somehow part of a perfect will. It doesn't make sense and really is not supposed to.

I guess Maggie Dixon is coaching a team in heaven now.

Who's Got the Herb?

North Carolina State University is searching for a new men’s basketball coach. In case you did not hear, Herb Sendek has left the Wolfpack program to become the head coach at Arizona State University. Yes, they actually have a basketball team there. To answer 311’s famous question “Who’s got the Herb?” the answer is now the Arizona State Sun Devils do.

Anyone who follows ACC basketball or lives in the area knows how much the majority of NC State fans wanted Sendek to leave. I have defended him for years now, which makes sense seeing as I don paraphernalia of the light blue team that played a large role in forcing his exit. Short aside: people forget Herb led NC State to four consecutive wins over Carolina during the 2002 and 2003 seasons. In fact, my first game at the Dean Dome was a shocking upset of Jamison, Carter, et al during the 1998 season. That loss was the last until the Utah loss in the Final Four by one of the best teams the Tar Heels have had.

So why have I defended Sendek? This is where State fans typically get all upset, so hear me out. He rebuilt a program in shambles following its NCAA penalties stemming from Coach Valvano’s tenure and the Les Robinson era of participating in the ACC Tournament play-in game (aka the Les Robinson Invitational). He graduated players, he stayed out of NCAA trouble, and eventually put State in the Big Dance five consecutive years. I think he’s smart, a likable guy, a solid coach. Most schools would gladly take him.

But Coach Sendek failed to “play to the fans” enough to appease the red and black. “Play to the fans” means making them laugh, being witty, playing up-tempo, recruiting sick athletes, wearing pink. Basically, being trendy. Coach Sendek has never been interested in appeasing anyone; he is too smart for that. And not in the “I’m Bobby Knight, I don’t give a sh*t about anyone” way, but in more of an “I’m not here to be anything cool or hip; I’m just a near-genius dork who happens to be a good basketball coach” way.

In short, Coach Sendek got fired for being himself. He was not a super-popular hire from the beginning, but things were eased by State’s magical ACC Tournament run in 1997 and eventually by NCAA Tournament appearances. The alumni base was not particularly united by Sendek, as many preferred a flamboyant, bubbly personality a la Jimmy V. Trust me, I know Wolfpack Club members and have attended many an NC State event; that’s what a lot of people wanted in 1996 when Sendek was hired and still desire today.

So without looking back too much more, look at where this discourse has gotten us. Sendek was eventually worn down by the pressure and the expectations. He left for more money and more appreciation, both of which he will receive. He also left for a warmer climate and hotter girls. Although I’ve never bought into the notion that State has “zero hot girls” as some Carolina grads might say, they certainly are not in Arizona St’s class (ASU is known for a plethora of hotties).

On the other hand, State is coachless and the majority of its fans could not be happier. Tom Burleson, former Wolfpack center on its best team (1974 NCAA Champions) went as far as to go on a local sports talk show and make it known that “former Wolfpack players” were united in wanting a new coach. To his credit, Athletic Director Lee Fowler has held the wolves at bay the past few years as they tried to tear down Sendek. This includes the general alumni base, some former players, and the local media who love to attack Sendek. In contrast, the administration has been very patient and supportive of Coach Sendek, rolling his contract over each season recently.

What is wrong with this picture? The perception of the program.

NC State has the ability to play with Duke and Carolina in every sport every season. The problem is, they have not done it consistently. Yet, many big money boosters think they have an equal tradition. This is simply untrue. There have been many, many down years for the Wolfpack, making their two championships seem more like flashes in the pan than part of a legacy. The longest running period of tradition for State is found in the waning years of the old Southern Conference and at the onset of the ACC. Everett Case and company dominated the league and changed basketball in the south forever.

Trouble has plagued the program since then. The 1974 squad that claimed the NCAA title had been banned from the tournament the season before because of NCAA probation. More penalties would follow in the late seventies. The 1983 team eventually would be investigated as well. Most of the penalties that occurred under Valvano were charged to his teams following their magical NCAA run. The reason Coach V was run out of town was the black cloud surrounding the program from an NCAA investigation and eventual penalties. The point of bringing in Les Robinson and Herb Sendek was to run a clean program that would also remain competitive. This took a while, but became reality under Sendek.

My point is this. NC State fans are clearly unhappy playing third dog in the triangle area. Anyone would be and should be. Obviously the school wants to win the ACC every year and compete for the national title; any school that does not should fold its program. A healthy jealousy is not a bad thing, as it should be State’s goal to have equal success and build equal tradition. However, running off a quality coach is not the way to do this.

The result of the public unhappiness and bashing of Sendek that eventually led to him leaving is that the NC State fanbase has now developed a reputation. Unless you are one of six or seven traditional elite programs in America, you simply cannot run off a good coach and appear to be anything but ungrateful, misguided, and impossible to please.

This is clearly a trend with State because of the pressure Coach Chuck Amato and the football program has been under. Somehow the school went from throwing a parade after finishing fourth in the ACC and winning the Gator Bowl to wanting a new coach at the end of this past season. Fourth?!? The common factor hear is the same fanbase is unhappy with its level of success in two major sports where it has little prior tradition to point to as a precedent.

I will be the first to admit North Carolina’s fanbase did something very similar in running off Matt Doherty. For a fanbase that considers great basketball its birthright, it sure did not handle things with the utmost dignity. When things get bad somewhere, anywhere, people tend to panic and cry more than usual. Power struggles ensue and someone ultimately loses out. North Carolina, Indiana, and UCLA have all done this recently.

The key difference is that a higher standard is the precedent at each of those three schools than at NC State. Coach Sendek and whomever the new coach turns out to be are being asked to do something unprecedented at NC State: have prolonged (and legal) excellence. Coach Sendek was well on his way to doing so in my opinion, but apparently wasn’t “Jimmy V” enough to survive.

Jimmy V was actually a friend of my family’s. My aunt and uncle were extremely close with he and his wife, Pam, and their daughters. My cousin was best friends with one of their daughters. We hung out as kids, my parents got to know Jim and Pam. I wore Jimmy V Basketball Camp t-shirts as a kid (insert O-face here). He was funny and personable. I’m telling you this not to drop names, but to show that I honestly knew the guy a little bit and have a positive recollection of him as a person.

But Jimmy V cheated. At least his staff did while he toiled in entertainment and other activities, failing to keep the reins tight. I mean, he got Chris Washburn into school. He had a player call himself “amphibious” instead of “ambidextrous” (Charles Shackleford I believe). Somehow, a large number of old-time Wolfpackers believe Jimmy V walked on water and compare everyone to him. Living in the past of your program, especially when you have a skewed view of how strong that past was and have a history of NCAA violations, is not healthy for a program looking to move forward.

My question is two-fold. First, who will the next coach be? Will NC State capitalize on the allure of the ACC and coaching on Tobacco Road and make the big splash they are looking for? Obviously the university is willing to shell out the cash to compete, which is a positive. Second, will the new coach eventually experience the same treatment as Sendek? Roy Williams was seen as the prodigal son, coming home to lead “God’s Team” back to the promised land. But Kelvin Sampson and Ben Howland have been given wait-and-see attitudes from Indiana and UCLA. Surely the new coach at State will be given the same attitude.

In summary, I think the NC State alumni base, especially its older players and donors, have a skewed view of how storied it tradition is. David Thompson doesn’t mean a hill of beans to today’s recruits. Neither do Chris Corchiani or Lorenzo Charles. The average recruit might even say, “NC State…yeah, they’re the ones who won a national title off an airball aren’t they?” I do admire the desire to succeed and the aggressiveness of the department. However, building a winner is not as easy when your fans are so impatient and impossible to please.

I sincerely hope NC State hires a good coach and has some success. I just hope this coach receives better treatment than his predecessor. Who knows? Maybe Herb Sendek was next season’s Billy Donovan, poised to end past tournament frustrations with a run to the national title. If that was the case, thanks for leaving Herb. After all, it’s not like I really want to see such a tradition born at Moo U.

Final Bore part deux

So much for the Final Four being saved by a terrific national title game. On Monday, I blamed nearly everyone possible for screwing up the Final Four. The upsets, the natural letdown from last season, lack of talent, too much parity, etc. But I failed in two areas.

Blame UCONN, Duke, Texas, Memphis, and Villanova for losing. Mostly UCONN and Duke. A matchup between those two would have been so much fun to watch with it all on the line.

But, mostly blame the national champions. Blame the Florida Gators for totally screwing up the Final Four.

Florida played so daggum well the entire tournament. I really thought Georgetown had a good shot to beat them. I also was wary of Villanova just becauase the Wildcats were so relentless. But seriously, when Florida played well this season, they were one of the best teams easily. Probably right behind UCONN, Duke, and maybe Villanova. However, Florida also played horrible in the middle of the SEC season, costing itself a higher seed. And besides, it's Florida; they always choke, right?

But to Coach Billy Donovan's credit, they did not choke this year. He righted the ship and guided a team with a unified ego (as opposed to a team with individual egos) to the promised land. Congratulations to the University of Florida on a much-deserved national championship.

The Tar Heels are no longer defending national champions. When is Late Night with Roy?

Final Bore

When wrestling fans attend a live event, they are often treated to a sub-par match or two. Sometimes the participants are not talented mat technicians, meaning they just are not good wrestlers. Sometimes they are capable of putting on a better match, but for some reason, fail to do so. Either way, smart wrestling fans know just what to do: "booooooorrrr---iiiiinnngggggg, booooorrrr--iiinnnggg..." Just chant "bor-ing" and the match will end quickly.

I tried this technique Saturday night during the men's Final Four. Much to my dismay, it did not work. Was it the teams involved? Or did they just under perform? The answer is "si, senor."

I'll take "Final Four letdown" for $200 please, Alex. One of the least-anticipated Final Four Saturdays in recent memory was punctuated by horrendous play on the part of George Mason and LSU. Combine tight, poor-shooting, sloppy basketball by the losers with great defense by the winners and that is precisely what you get: a letdown.

Remember, I believe I forewarned everyone that more early upsets lead to poorer quality games later on in the tournament. I could not believe how many so-called experts thought this was "the best tournament in history." Apparently one great Cinderella run + lots of upsets + low shooting percentages + weaker talent = "the best tournament ever". I was also accurate in predicting an inevitable letdown by this tournament as a whole coming off the best ever set of Elite Eight games in history last season. The level of play last year was higher, the talent was at least more polished, and the names mattered. Not so this year.

I'm not tooting my horn, because Lord knows I'm wrong about most everything I predict. But the big picture is something I think I actually grasp. I'm just failing to understand why mainstream writers/analysts are not seeing it the same way. Thoughts anyone?

Moving on to the women's Final Four. Yes, they have one of those too. My excitement on women's college basketball has waned considerably following this weekend. Yes, the Lady Heels lost and that was sad. But the game has a total of 43 turnovers. The point guard for Maryland had 12 by herself, and her team won. I'll pay to watch my cousins play ball any day over that.

So here is the scene: I came back from the beach a little early, timing my trip just right to roll into Wild Wing Cafe in Anderson, SC to see the second half of the UNC/Maryland game and hopefully Wrestlemania. No Wrestlemania, which was apparently not that good, but I did stay to eat and watch the game.

To my left was a couple who I would have placed as freshmen in college. I was proven wrong when the scrawny dude (yes, I have the right to say scrawny in this case) attempted to order a hard drink and was denied (Sunday law in South Carolina). But this guy was straight out of the Hollister Spring Catalogue. His perfectly tussled hair, his matching denim jacket and jeans with pre-produced tears/holes/frays, and his cute kids-size large t-shirt completed the look. Sitting cross-legged (woman style), he stroked the hand of his surprisingly cute companion. Together, they weighed a combined 215lbs, max.

To my right was a couple straight out of Walhalla, Pickens, Anderson, or Pendleton. Racing t-shirts...local racing, that is, not NASCAR. Probably tipping the scales at a combined 600lbs or so. They probably raise cattle...as in they have 3 kids.

Somehow in front of me were to Carolina Law School grads. Hell really has frozen over, Tar Heels everywhere apparently turned out to watch the Lady Heels in the Final Four. Everything went great until the guy asked me if I had watched the men's games on Saturday night.

"Worst Final Four games I've seen," he declared.

"Actually," I started, "the Marquette vs Kansas game three years ago was the worst I've seen...Marquette just didn't come to play-"

"Yeah, I went to Marquette for undergrad, it was horrible," said the guy.

What are the odds I'd end up bashing Marquette to an alum during the women's Final Four at a Wild Wing Cafe in Anderson, SC? You just can't make up stuff like that.

Pray that tonight's national title game turns out to be great. By the way, I'm tied in my office pool entering tonight's game. No points could be earned to break the tie after last weekend, so my buddy and I are settling the pool based on the championship game spread we picked three weeks ago. Problem is we both had a Duke vs UCONN final, not UCLA vs Florida. I have 154, he has 160. Anything 156 or lower, I win. That is the extent of my interest tonight.

The pick: Florida 74
UCLA 62

A first for The Blue Team: column coming on NC State later this week. Get out your Wolfpack finger signs and nWo t-shirts...

Also, the baseball predictions will be here eventually. I'm not reading anyone else's, so it'll just be me guessing.

Kid Rock rocks Clemson's Littlejohn Coliseum Thursday night. I have to go, the humor will be off the charts. 'Cause I wanna be a cow-boy ba-by...