ROCK, CHALK, JUSTICE
Entering Monday night’s championship game, I was torn over who I was pulling for. My bracket was already busted after UCLA lost to Memphis, so I had no rooting interest as far as that goes. The truth is I’ve hated Kansas since I was a kid, mostly because of one game. The best Indiana team of my lifetime was the 1992-93 squad. That Hoosiers’ team, led by Wooden Award winner Calbert Cheaney as well as Greg Graham and Damon Bailey, was 31-3 and was the #1 team for just about the entire season. But, IU fell in the Elite 8 to 2-seed Kansas 83-77. That’s not the only reason I hate Kansas. In back-to-back seasons in 1997 and 1998, I picked the top-seeded Jayhawks to win the National Championship. In ’97, they fell to eventual Champion Arizona in the Sweet 16 and followed that up with a stunning 2nd round loss to Rhode Island in 1998. I haven’t picked them to advance past the Final Four since. I hated Bill Self, and Roy Williams before him, who had all the talent in the world for years, but zero banners to show for it in Lawrence. I hated “Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk” because it was dumb and made no sense. I hated that ’88 Kansas team, one of the worst teams to ever win a National Championship. I hated Nick Collison and Rex Walters, and Drew Gooden’s weird neck-hair patch. I hated that their football team went to a BCS game despite beating nobody with a pulse all season. I hated the fact that their Jayhawk logo at midcourt took up 90% of the floor at Allen Fieldhouse.
Past Kansas teams hurt my bracket, and their halfcourt logo hurts my eyes
But, I was rooting for Kansas on Monday night.
Why? Because I don’t root for coaches like John Calipari, who makes Bob Huggins look like Pope Benedict XVI. I don’t root for teams that play in mid-major leagues (by choice) and cry about not getting any respect. I don’t root for teams that don’t discipline their players and let the prisoners run the asylum. I don’t root for teams that have Joey Dorsey, Shawn Taggart, Robert Dozier, and Hashim Bailey, people that have incited riots and abused women, on their roster. I don’t root for teams that have a “proud” tradition of cheating (see 1985’s vacated Final Four).
For some reason around this time of year, all of the ugliness gets swept under the rug. Nobody mentions the fact that 7 of the 13 players on Memphis’ roster had been either arrested or involved in some sort of incident in the past two seasons. I heard about how great it was that John Calipari took two non-BCS teams to the Final Four. What I didn’t hear was that his Final Four appearance with UMass in 1996 was nullified by the NCAA because of improper benefits given to Marcus Camby by sports agents – something Calipari supposedly knew nothing about. Nothing was said about Memphis’ top recruiting target Tyreke Evans sitting in the driver’s seat during a drive-by shooting resulting in the death of a teenager earlier this year. Not a word about senior reserve guard Andre Allen, who failed a drug test and was suspended prior to the Final Four. That's funny, because Allen wasn’t suspended after soliciting a prostitute in 2005. Nobody acknowledged chicken-hawk William Wesley, who has strong ties to NBA agents and sneaker companies, and has mysteriously lured several top prospects to Memphis. Instead, all the headlines talked about Memphis’ “gutty” performance against UCLA, and how they “overcame adversity” by silencing the doubters.
Stud prospect Tyreke Evans could continue the Memphis "tradition" next season
So when Chris Douglas-Roberts (possibly one of the lone good guys on the Tigers’ roster) missed free throw after free throw down the stretch, I smiled. When Derrick Rose blew his defensive assignment, and Mario Chalmers hit one of the biggest shots in NCAA Championship game history, I cheered. When sophomore forward Pierre Niles sat slumped on the bench as confetti and streamers fell around him, I laughed. It was sweet, poetic justice for Memphis to blow that nine-point lead in just two minutes and twelve seconds. Kansas’ come-from-behind win saved the world from articles spewing praise upon scumbag Calipari and his band of thugs. That I am very grateful for.
I may hold a grudge against Kansas for knocking out by beloved Hoosiers, busting my brackets two years in a row, and sporting a ridiculously large red-and-blue bird in the middle of the floor. But, Bill Self seems like a genuinely good guy. To my knowledge Mario Chalmers, Brandon Rush, Sherron Collins, and Darrell Arthur, haven’t gotten a parking ticket, much less been arrested before. There’s a reason why Cincinnati never won a title under Bob Huggins, none of Eddie Sutton’s 800+ wins have come in a National Championship game, SMU’s athletic program has crumbled to the ground, UNLV choked in 1991, and Michigan fell short in 1992 and 1993.
Cheaters never win.
Scumbags like John Calipari and his morally-bankrupt Tigers don’t either.
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Chalmers scored a title for Kansas, and more importantly, a win for the good guys
SHOOTING THE REST OF THE SPORTS WORLD:
Swish: Johnny Cueto
The Cincinnati Reds were the sexy Wild Card pick in the National League this year because of their improved lineup and the top-half of their rotation. Not a lot of people outside the Reds organization knew who Johnny Cueto was…until now. The 21-year old has given up just three runs and six hits in his first two starts (1-0) while striking out 18 batters in 13 1/3 innings pitched. He doesn’t have blow-you-away velocity – his fastball tops out in the mid 90’s - but he has great command and can attack both sides of the plate. When it is working for him, the slider is devastating and can be his go-to pitch. Unlike most prospects his age, Cueto also has developed an effective change-up which keeps hitters honest. Aaron Harang is one of the more underrated pitchers in baseball, Bronson Arroyo should have a bounce-back season, and Josh Fogg is a solid #3. If the Reds can continue to get this kind of production from Cueto, and anything out of Edison Volquez, they could contend for the pennant.
Straight dealin', homey
Brick: North Carolina
17 Final Fours and just four championships… The Tar Heels were the most dominant team in college basketball all year long but they fell short of a title after getting embarrassed by Kansas 84-66 in the National Semifinals. What really irks me about the performance is that the Jayhawks came in as the least impressive of the Final Four teams, having only beaten a 16, 12, 10, and 8 seed to leisurely walk into San Antonio. 10-seed Davidson took KU right down to the wire in the Elite 8 and seemingly put together a flawless blueprint to beat Kansas:
1) Pressure their guards – aka don’t let them get to the basket with ease
2) Deny entry passes to their bigs and prevent them from throwing alley-oops to every player on the team
3) Get back in transition – by doing so, Kansas has to go in their half-court offense where they basically stand around until the shot clock hits 5 seconds and then shoot a bad three-pointer.
Really, how hard is that? Tell me, is Davidson more athletic than North Carolina? Apparently so, because the Wildcats were able to get up and down the floor with Kansas and make them play a half-court game. Outside of that stretch in the 2nd half when the Tar Heels cut it to five, Kansas dictated the pace the entire game. I respect Roy Williams and he certainly is one of the better head coaches in America, but to get blatantly out-coached by Bill Self, and only have one title with all the talented teams he had at Kansas and has had at North Carolina - with players like Tyler Hansborough, Paul Pierce, Kirk Hinrich, Drew Gooden, Nick Collison, Raef LaFrentz, and Jacque Vaughn - is a joke.
Much like the Colts, the one championship is nice...but there should've been more
Air Ball: The Final Four
Remember all the hype about how “great” it was that all four one-seeds were heading to the Final Four? The two epic heavyweight battles combined for about 20 minutes of good basketball – the first 15 minutes of Memphis/UCLA and the 5 minute stretch where Carolina made their desperation run against Kansas. Outside of that, both games were snoozers. Kansas jumped out to a 500-0 40-12 lead, prompting the lovable Billy Packer to say “it’s over” with SEVEN minutes left. Meanwhile, Memphis was in control the whole game and their athletes were clearly too much for the offensively-challenged Bruins to contend with. Since 1999, only three games (Oklahoma State/Georgia Tech ’04, UConn/Duke ’04, and Ohio State/Georgetown ’07) have been decided by less than nine points. The average margin of victory in Final Four games since ’99 is 12.9 points. While Memphis/Kansas played a wildly entertaining Championship game, that didn’t change the fact that this was the fourth straight awful Final Four. If you take 2004 out of the equation, there have been a total of three games – Kansas/Syracuse ’03, Illinois/North Carolina ’05, Memphis/Kansas ’08 (all title games) – that have even been worth watching.
Swish: Patrick Ewing
Ewing was elected into the 2008 Basketball Hall of Fame this week along with Hakeem Olajuwon, Adrian Dantley and Dick Vitale, among others. Though he never won an NBA Championship, he was an 11-time All-Star, won the Naismith as well as Rookie of the Year Awards, and is the Knicks’ all-time leader in points, rebounds, blocks and steals. Ewing never played with another Hall of Famer, in fact, he didn’t even have a perennial All-Star on his roster. That’s why I laugh when people try to argue that Walt Frazier, Earl Monroe, Willis Reed, or even Bill Bradley were better Knicks than Patrick was. If Ewing played with THREE other Hall of Famers, imagine how many titles he would’ve won? (and how many assists would Frazier have kicking to Gerald Wilkins, John Starks, and Chris Childs?) For the last few years of his career, Knicks fans did everything they could to run Ewing out of town. In 2001, they got their wish and the Knicks have won just two playoff games since. The once proud franchise is now a laughingstock and everything that Ewing built during his career has crumbled to the ground. His posters still hang in my old bedroom at my parent's house in Connecticut and his jersey, a gift for my 11th birthday, still hangs in my closet. He's been a part of some of my best and worst sports memories, but even when he failed, I never blamed him. I always promised myself that I would be there the day that Patrick got inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. I'm proud to say that my dad and I will be taking the trip to Springfield in September to congratulate the greatest Knick ever, and to cheer Patrick Ewing one last time.
Everyone has a Mickey Mantle, Patrick Ewing is mine
Brick: NASCAR Officials
Ryan Newman, who finished 4th at Texas Motor Speedway last weekend, got docked 25 points after his car failed a postrace inspection. Newman’s #12 Dodge was found to be too high, an adjustment that could provide additional downforce to his car. Newman’s car owner Roger Penske was also docked 25 owner points and crew chief Roy McCauley was fined $25,000 and put on probation to the end of the season. So, let me get this straight. Newman commits an intentional infraction and gets a slap on the wrist, and Carl Edwards' oil cap falls off and he basically gets the equivalent of a felony punishment? Edwards’ #99 car failed a postrace inspection last month in Las Vegas when it was found that the lid from his oil tank fell off. Edwards was docked 100 points, including the 10 additional bonus points that go towards the Chase for winning in Vegas. Owner Jack Roush was docked 100 owner points and crew chief Bob Osbourne was fined $100,000 and suspended for SIX races. Most drivers agreed that at Vegas, not having an oil lid would provide a minimal advantage at best (allows air to escape inside the car). If NASCAR officials want to be the Gestapo about these postrace inspections, then that is perfectly fine with me. But, they have to be consistent with the penalties they levy out. You can’t lay down a harsher penalty for a similar infraction just because Edwards won the race and Newman finished 4th. It’s not right.
Air Ball: Detroit Tigers
After adding Miguel Cabrera, Dontrelle Willis, and Edgar Renteria, and with a payroll ballooing past the Boston Red Sox, the Tigers were seen by many (including myself) to be a potential World Series team. Instead, Tuesday’s loss to Boston put the Tigers at 0-7. The Tigers vaunted lineup, which is regarded as the best in baseball, has scored a meager 15 runs in their first 7 games. Their starting pitching has sported a 9.32 ERA, and Willis looked absolutely lost in his first start (7 BB in 5 IP). Detroit’s bullpen without Fernando Rodney and Joel Zumaya is extremely weak, and the offense clearly misses Curtis Granderson. As good as that lineup is, Granderson is the guy that makes them go. Losing him is like taking away Kevin Youkilis from Boston or Chone Figgins from the Angels. Granderson is still a couple of weeks away with that broken hand, so it might be too little, too late. It’s only April, but the Tigers are in a brutal stretch as they continue their series at Fenway against the defending champion Red Sox, visit the surprising White Sox over the weekend, play a quick two-game set against Minnesota at home, then travel to Cleveland and Toronto. In the American League, with the Red Sox, Yankees, Indians, Angels as well as improved Seattle and Toronto squads, it’s likely going to take 90 wins to get into the playoffs. A disastrous opening month could doom the Tigers.
The Tigers have yet to wake up in 2008
The Shots Fantasy Update:
8th place, Fantasy NASCAR
Slow and steady wins the race. Since I am more concerned about preserving starts than I am gaining points, I treaded water once again this week with a so-so performance in the Samsung 500. Denny Hamlin secured a 5th place finish, and that’s really the only driver worth mentioning. On a side note, a friend of mine that lives in Dallas, and is a huge Jeff Gordon fan, was at the race at Texas Motor Speedway. Gordon finished dead last. Really, I could’ve scored zero points this week, but picturing him sitting in the stands to see his favorite driver score a DNF, puts a smile on my face. Sometimes I'm a jerk.
Robinson Cano & Co., Fantasy Baseball
Apparently week one didn’t count in my fantasy league, which sucks because it was a great opening week for my boys. Anyways, one of my late pickups Pat Burrell has been tearing ish up (.385/3/9 first week), and though my bullpen is an absolute disaster, my starting rotation has been solid with Fausto Carmona, Chris Young, and Livan Herandez all looking sharp.
Chuckie Three Stick-Up, Fantasy Golf
I’m still in last-place after missing the first two tournaments but I have a chance of climbing pretty soon. Adam Scott was my “A” Group guy last week, but after shooting an opening round 9-under (good for first place and 20 fantasy points), he withdrew on Friday. Maybe I’ll send him an e-mail letting him know that he totally <expletive> me with that maneuver. He better have been really hurt and/or hungover. I’m figuring that everyone and their mother is starting Tiger for the Masters this week, so I went with my guy Lefty instead. Also in my Masters grouping: Retief Goosen, Mike Weir, and Freddie Couples.
The Shots What to Watch this week:
The Masters – Thursday-Sunday
It's one of my favorite sporting events of the year and the official start of spring, The Masters never disappoints. I think this is the only sporting event that I actually enjoy hearing the sound of Jim Nantz’s voice.
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I like you in golf, hate you in basketball
Indiana at Philadelphia, Friday
Going into Wednesday, the Pacers trailed the Hawks by two games with four to play for the final playoff spot in the East. Friday’s matchup for the Blue and Gold will likely be the toughest test they have in their quest to win-out. The other three games include home dates with the Bobcats and Knicks, and a visit to D.C.
NY Yankees at Boston – Friday-Sunday
Is an explanation really necessary?
The Shots YouTube Clips this week:
Oh, oh, oh it’s magic! We are now capable of embedding video clips on XL 950.com!
Sports related -
This video reminds me of what Bloomington was like after IU beat Oklahoma to advance to the Championship game in 2002 (doesn't that seem like ancient history?). See, Ohio State and West Virginia, you don’t have to riot to celebrate your team’s success.
Non-sports related -
Movie trailer for Hillary in Tuzla – the epic tale of Hillary Clinton under sniper fire in Bosnia.
The Shots Chick Pick this week: Brooklyn Decker (Andy Roddick’s fiancé)
This one comes from Zac in Boston...
Do they really still call it the Sports Illustrated "Swimsuit" issue?
See you next week.
Listen to Derek as he hosts the Xtra Large Lunch, every weekday from noon to 1 PM on XL 950!
Shoot your own Shots in the mailbag: derek@XL950.com.
