Month: February 2008 (Page 11 of 30)

Memphis “America’s Team”

Last week John Calipari said his Memphis team is the closest college team to being “America’s Team.” This week he is complaining that the media is picking on them. ” We feel like the media doesn’t think we should lose a game in Conference USA, while no one criticizes Duke for losing to Wake Forest.”

If you don’t want the heat then keep your mouth shut. I like John Calipari. He is a terrific coach and a great promoter. He has the opportunity to do at Memphis what Tark did at UNLV. However, he needs to win and win big if he is going to be so outspoken. Furthermore, we’re still waiting for a decision on one of his player’s striking a fan after the UAB game. I guess that one punch is ok for a member of America’s Team.

Meanwhile his team will be tested with a road game against Tulane and then the toughest game left on his schedule, #2 Tennessee. It is a game that matches two of the best in the business. Should be a great game.

Down on Tobacco Road, Coach K stirred things up with Roy Williams on his weekly press conference. When asked about injuries he stated “that we don’t talk about injuries as an excuse like some teams and coaches do.” When Williams heard this he snapped back and added fuel to the fire. I can’t wait for the rematch.

Speaking of coaches sounding off, Kansas State Coach Frank Martin was a little defensive when asked about the chance of Michael Beasley being named Player of the Year. “If Michael played at one of those basketball schools, this wouldn’t even be a discussion.” I couldn’t agree more! His numbers don’t lie. To say that Tyler Hansborough or Kevin Love deserve it is ludicrous. He leads the country in rebounding and is fourth in scoring. He shoots a higher percentage from the field and three than either of the other two. Additionally, his supporting cast isn’t as good as the ones at UCLA and North Carolina.

Beasley wins hands down!!!

Top 10 Sports Rituals

FOX Sports’ FunHouse lists the Top 10 Sports Rituals.

9. Chicago Bulls’ opening introductions
The Bulls were quite the spectacle during the 1990s, winning six NBA championships in a period of eight years. And on their home court, the show started before the opening tip-off. The Bulls were the first NBA team to dim the arena lights during the introduction of the starting lineup and a spotlight was used to illuminate each player as he stepped onto the planks. When the team moved to the United Center, it added laser lights and fireworks to the pre-game festivities. Bulls players took the court in the following order: small forward, power forward, center, point guard, and shooting guard. Scottie Pippen would be the first player introduced, while Michael Jordan was last. Other teams were quick to follow suit, shutting off the house lights for the opening introductions.

Great opening. And how about the Worm in a Bulls’ uni, huh?

NFL Offseason Odds & Ends: 2/20/08

– Browns’ GM Phil Savage says the team is closing in on a new three-year contract with quarterback Derek Anderson. D.A. originally stated that he was looking for a contract in the six to seven-year range.

– The Falcons are reportedly gauging other teams’ interest in cornerback DeAngelo Hall. Hall will become a free agent in 2009.

– The Panthers tagged offensive tackle Jordan Gross, who was supposed to garner plenty of interest on the free agent market.

– The Colts franchise tagged tight end Dallas Clark. There were some rumblings that Indy might go after recently released Alge Crumpler, but that doesn’t make much sense now that they’ve tagged Clark.

– Dallas will reportedly allow left tackle Flozell Adams to hit the free agent market, which would leave Pat McQuistan and James Battle to protect Tony Romo’s blindside.

Roller Coaster Continues For Sampson

Coach Kelvin Sampson has had a great week on the court. Tonight his Hoosiers beat Purdue, 77-68, to move into a first place tie in the Big Ten. This comes on the heels of their thrashing of Michigan State this weekend. DJ White continued to stake his claim on the player of the year award in the Big 10. He scored 19 points and added 12 rebounds, while freshman Eric Gordon contributed 22 points.

Menawhile Indiana AD Greenspan continues his investigation. In other words he is waiting for the lawyers to get back with him to see if Indiana can dismiss Sampson without any monetary setbacks.

Watching the student body at the game it was clear they are behind Sampson. Holding signs listing all of Bob Knight’s transgressions (choking players, throwing chairs and just plain rude behavior) it seems strange that Sampson will be dismissed for making a couple of extra phone calls. Ask any coach in America and they will tell you off the record that this rule is broken by everybody. Oh and by the way, the NCAA has made text messaging illegal. Since that is the most common way for young people to communicate it only makes sense that the NCAA would prohibit it. Personally, I would like to see the budget and salaries for all of the policy wonks at the NCAA.

Great story about HS wrestler

SPORTSbyBROOKS.com (via The Orange County Register) has an inspirational story about a high school wrestler named Cullen Fitzgibbons. The young man went 0-28 on the mat this year, but that’s not the real story. The real story is how Cullen didn’t let Down syndrome keep him off the mats.

Even before Cullen was diagnosed with the disease, he had medical problems from the start. He was born with a hole in his heart, which required open-heart surgery before he even turned 1 year old. His mother Dana recalled the pre-surgery blood work: “I remember him screaming – horrible screaming – for hours. It was heart-wrenching.”

His medical & mental condition didn’t help his education, as teacher & schools resisted putting Cullen into normal classrooms: “In eighth grade, Dana discovered, they were still asking her son to trace his name and connect the dots in class.”

Now a senior at Los Alamitos High, Fitzgibbons finished 0-28 on the mat, including a gut-wrenching one-point loss in his final match. But in no way is Cullen seen as a loser – especially by his high school classmates:

“Who does the wrestling team carry atop their shoulders into the annual pep rally? Cullen. Who do the cheerleaders rush to hug first? Cullen. Who do the fans cheer loudest for – even in defeat? Cullen.”

It’s nice to step away from Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee’s bickering to read a real sports story.

« Older posts Newer posts »