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      Wolverines rooting for the Spartans?

      April 6, 2009 /

      ESPN’s Mark Schlabach discusses how the poor economy has Michigan fans rooting for their biggest intrastate rival.

      Michigan State knows it will be representing more than its school when it plays North Carolina in the NCAA championship game Monday night at Ford Field in Detroit.

      The Spartans will also be representing a state and region that have been battered by the country’s poor economy, climbing unemployment rates and crumbling auto industry.

      “There are a lot of cities right now that have problems,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. “But this is ours. This is our big city in the state. So that’s why I think it’s a little more meaningful for those of us that are from around here.”

      Believe it or not, the Spartans’ surprising run to the NCAA championship game is even meaningful for the sports fans who seem to hate them most.

      Even in Ann Arbor, where University of Michigan fans only seem to dislike Ohio State more than Michigan State, it seems most of the Wolverines are rooting for the Spartans to beat the Tar Heels on Monday night.

      “The first four times Michigan State went to the Final Four, you usually had the crowd here rooting against the Spartans,” said Ron Dreslinski of Ann Arbor, who sat at the bar in The Blue Leprechaun on South University Avenue on Sunday. “This is really the first time you have Michigan people rooting for them. I think it’s because the game is being played in Detroit. They’re kind of the underdog, too, which makes it easier.”

      The poor economy in Michigan is a big reason why Michigan fans are rooting for State, but it also helps that Michigan’s most hated rival is Ohio State, not Michigan State. Plus, outside of Duke, UConn and North Carolina are the most universally disliked basketball programs in the country. Add it all up and you have Wolverines rooting for Spartans.

      What is this world coming to?

      College Basketball, Humor

      NBA playoff picture clearing up

      April 6, 2009 /

      There’s a pretty good chance that the current top eight teams in each conference will be the same 16 teams that make the playoffs. According to John Hollinger’s playoff odds, the Charlotte Bobcats have a 4.5% chance and the Indiana Pacers have a 1.1% chance to earn a spot. The Bobcats are four games back of the Bulls and the Pistons with five games to play, so they essentially have to win out or go 4-1 and hope either Chicago or Detroit has a complete meltdown. The Pacers are five games back, so their margin for error is even slimmer.

      In the West, the Suns’ recent play (2-4 over their last six) has whittled their playoff chances down to 1.2%. Last night’s game in Dallas was pretty much a must-win, but the Suns lost by 24 points. There is a logjam amongst the likely playoff teams in the West; #3 San Antonio and #8 Dallas are separated by just 3.5 games, so we could see a serious shuffling of playoff matchups over the last week of the season.

      NBA

      Reggie Williams tasered, arrested on felony gun charge

      April 6, 2009 /

      Reggie Williams isn’t smart.

      Former Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Reggie Williams was arrested Sunday night on a felony drug charge in Houston, FOXSports.com has learned.

      Williams — a 2004 first-round draft choice who played the past five seasons in Jacksonville — was charged with possession of a controlled substance that police believe is cocaine following an altercation at a Houston nightclub.

      Police spokesman Victor Senties said Williams was tasered during a confrontation with two off-duty officers working security at the Open City Bar and Lounge.

      “Mr. Williams was at the front door area causing some sort of altercation,” Senties said. “A witness alerted one of the officers to it. The officer went over and asked Mr. Williams several times to leave. He refused. At one point, the officer attempted to escort him out of club. Mr. Williams pushed the officer and almost knocked him down. At that point, the other officer came over to try and assist. Again, Mr. Williams was very combative. One (officer) had to deploy a (taser) to get into custody.”

      Senties said the drug charges stem from a “little baggy” that was in Williams’ possession when he was being booked into jail.

      What unbelievable timing this asshat has. He became a free agent at the end of the 2008 season and instead of trying to resurrect his career in another city, he gets busted for DWI and possession of .97 grams of marijuana in February, and then arrested and tasered on a felony gun charge in April.

      Wow, momma Williams must be so proud.

      NFL

      Top 9 Reasons to go to Opening Day

      April 6, 2009 /

      THE LOVE OF SPORTS compiled a list of nine reasons to go to Opening Day and here is their top 5:

      5. Be with 40,000 other screaming baseball lovers, some hysterically drunk
      Nothing says baseball more clearly than when the fan next to me starts singing a slurred, mangled version of “Take My Ballgame Out to Me” … in the fourth inning.

      4. If the game is rained/snowed out, I can get a ticket for a more meaningful, late-season game
      This only works about 25% of the time, since it presumes I can convince a ticket agent that not only will this be my only chance to use my rain check, but also that I can’t make it through the long Chicago winter without going to at least one baseball game.

      3. Early season games practically guarantee the beer will be cold
      In fact, it’s so cold that sometimes I wish my beer were hot chocolate.

      2. Renew my love for outdoor food
      I’ve come to realize why I only think about getting a nachos machine in April, just before I realize I have way too many hot dogs in my freezer.

      1. Show everyone at work how “indispensable” I am
      This hope is always dashed the next day when I ask “So, did anything exciting happen yesterday?” and the response is “Oh, you weren’t here?”

      There are few things in sports that are more exciting than Opening Day. Granted, Mother Nature looks like she’s going to be an absolute bitch this year, because games are being canceled already (it’s actually snowing in Chicago). But hey, with the NCAA National Championship Game on tonight and baseball being played somewhere today, it’s a good day to be alive…

      MLB

      Report: Xavier’s Sean Miller rejects Arizona’s offer

      April 6, 2009 /

      The University of Arizona can’t catch a break. First, Tim Floyd turns them down and now Sean Miller has (reportedly) decided to stay in Cincinnati.

      Xavier’s Miller met with Arizona athletic director Jim Livengood on Sunday about the Wildcats’ open head coaching job but rejected the school’s offer later that night, according to multiple media reports.

      Xavier AD Mike Bobinski told ESPN.com’s Andy Katz that he expected to speak with Miller late Sunday or early Monday. He wrote in a text message: “Nothing firm at this moment, but I remain very optimistic that Sean Miller will continue as our head basketball coach at Xavier.”

      Miller “has a potential Final Four team coming back next season, loves where he lives, has security and is paid well and has the best job in his league, yet has to decide whether or not this is the right job for him to explore,” Calipari said earlier Sunday.

      So who’s next for Arizona? I’m sure the Wildcats would like an established guy in his 40’s (or early 50’s) who could guide the program for the next 10-15 years, but those coaches are hard to come by. Tim Floyd (55) elected to stay with USC, and now Miller (40) has as well.

      Monday afternoon update: Sean Miller has accepted the Arizona job.

      College Basketball, News, Rumors & Gossip

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