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      Under Brady Hoke, the focus is now clear again in Ann Arbor: Beat Ohio State.

      March 18, 2011 /

      Whether you’re a Michigan fan that despised what Rich Rodriguez did to the program or one of the few who thought he would eventually right the ship, you have to at least appreciate what new head coach Brady Hoke is trying to do in Ann Arbor.

      He’s trying to find a kicker? Well, yeah. He’s trying to find a kicker. He’s also trying to make it as seamless a transition as possible for quarterback Denard Robinson, who is currently learning Al Borges’ pro-style offense after running RichRod’s spread option for the past couple of years. Hoke needs to fix the mess that Rodriguez left him on defense as well.

      But above all that, Hoke’s focus is simple: Beat Ohio State.

      The Buckeyes are currently in a hell of their own making. Unlike their rivals in Ann Arbor, they have the players on both sides of the ball to win Big Ten championships. It’s just that some of those players decided it was a okay to trade memorabilia for free tattoos and, along with their head coach Jim Tressel, will be suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season.

      But Hoke’s message has nothing to do with kicking an enemy while it’s down. Despite the hatred, the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry has always been about mutual respect. (The latest example of that was in Friday’s Detroit Free Press when Hoke referred to Tressel as “a good man.”) Hoke doesn’t want to just take advantage of the Buckeyes’ predicament: he wants to beat Ohio State because that’s what Michigan coaches have to do. It should be priority No. 1 and if that happens, then everything else should fall into place.

      Among other things, that’s something Rodriguez never fully grasped. He never beat Ohio State or Michigan State, which is unacceptable in the eyes of Wolverine fans. You’re not going to beat OSU every year, but you damn better well make it a focus regardless.

      While reading this NBC Sports article, I found it interesting that Hoke has two clocks near his office at Schembechler Hall. One of the clocks is ticking down the time until Michigan plays Michigan State again. The other clock ticks down the time until the Wolverines face the Buckeyes. In between the two clocks is a red number that goes up every day. That number represents the days it has been since Michigan last beat Ohio State, which is now more than 2,600 and counting.

      It’s going to take some time for Hoke to turn things around in Ann Arbor but at least the man has his priorities straight.

      College Football, External Sports

      Should Brandon Belt crack the Giants’ Opening Day lineup?

      March 18, 2011 /

      Giants’ first baseman Brandon Belt is the 26th ranked player on MLB.com writer Jonathan Mayo’s Top 50 Prospects List for 2011.

      If there are 25 prospects having a better spring than Belt, then I need my eyes checked.

      Belt went 3-for-4 with an RBI double and a solo home run in a win over the White Sox on Wednesday. It was his second dinger of the spring and he’s now hitting .302 with 10 RBI over 43 at bats. The kid is absolutely tearing the cover off the ball and making the Giants’ decision about whether or not he should break camp with the big league club.

      But there are a couple of problems.

      Problem I: Aaron Rowand
      Rowand still has two years left on his ridiculous contract and if Belt makes the Opening Day roster, he’ll force Aubrey Huff to move into an already crowded outfield. The Giants would likely either have to eat Rowand’s contract and/or bend over and take less value in a trade, neither of which they seem ready to do.

      Problem II & III: Nate Schierholtz and Travis Ishikawa
      Both are out of minor league options and one can make a case that both deserve a roster spot. Schierholtz has a cannon attached to his right arm and is a left-handed bat, while Ishikawa plays an outstanding first base and proved to be a nice bat off the bench last year. Teams would probably be more interested in trading for Schierholtz than either Rowand or Ishikawa, but if the Giants were to keep Belt then they would need to part with at least one other player. (Thus, Belt, Schierholtz, Rowand and Ishikawa are all fighting for two roster spots.)

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, MLB

      Friday’s March Madness TV schedule for all time zones

      March 18, 2011 /
      ETCTMTPTMATCHUPCHANNEL
      12:1511:1510:159:15(13) Oakland vs. (4) TexasCBS
      12:4011:4010:409:40(9) Tennessee vs. (8) MichigantruTV
      1:4012:4011:4010:40(15) Akron vs. (2) Notre DameTBS
      2:101:1012:1011:10(9) Villanova vs. (8) George MasonTNT
      2:451:4512:4511:45(12) Memphis vs. (5) ArizonaCBS
      3:102:101:1012:10(16) Hampton vs. (1) DuketruTV
      4:103:102:101:10(10) Florida State vs. (7) Texas A&MTBS
      4:403:402:401:40(16) UT-San Antonio at (1) Ohio St.TNT
      6:505:504:503:50(16) Boston University vs. (1) KansasTBS
      7:156:155:154:15(15) Long Island vs. (2) UNCCBS
      7:206:205:204:20(14) St. Peter’s vs. (3) PurdueTNT
      7:276:275:274:27(11) Marquette vs. (6) XaviertruTV
      9:208:207:206:20(9) Illinois vs. (8) UNLVTBS
      9:458:457:456:45(10) Georgia vs. (7) WashingtonCBS
      9:508:507:506:50(11) VCU at (6) GeorgetownTNT
      9:578:577:576:57(14) Indiana State vs. (3) SyracusetruTV

      College Basketball, External Sports, March Madness

      Bracket Update: Thursday Night

      March 17, 2011 /
      Butler Bulldogs Matt Howard (C, left) celebrates with teammates after scoring the game winning shot against Old Dominion Monarchs in their second round NCAA tournament basketball game in Washington, March 17, 2011. REUTERS/Molly Riley (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

      The tournament opened with a bang, as the first five games were decided by just fifteen points, and four of those games — Butler/Old Dominion, Temple/Penn St., Kentucky/Princeton and the upset of the day, Louisville/Morehead St. — were decided by two points or less.

      Unfortunately, the rest of the day’s action wasn’t so exciting. Richmond upended Vanderbilt in a three-point nailbiter, and Michigan State’s furious comeback made UCLA sweat a little bit, but other than a late run by Utah St. (against K-State), the rest of the day’s games were snoozers.

      My bracket picks started off strong, but a 1-3 record in the night games — losing Michigan St., Utah St. and St. John’s — spoiled an otherwise fine first day.

      So far, Sagarin and Pomeroy ratings are faring as expected. Not counting the First Four, Sagarin is 7-2 (78%) in games where the favorite had a 2+ point advantage, and is 12-4 (75%) overall. Pomeroy’s favorites that were 65% or greater are 6-1 (86%), while his straight picks are 11-5 (69%). (Both systems were 3-1 in the First Four, losing the USC game.)

      I lost two Sweet Sixteen teams (Louisville and St. John’s, who seemed unaware that they had a game against Gonzaga today), but the goal throughout the first two days is not to lose any Elite Eight or Final Four teams, and so far, so good.

      Maybe the best thing about the first Thursday of the tournament is that we get to wake up and do it again tomorrow. I’m planning to spend the day with my good friend LaRusso at a few different locales in Orange County, so I’ll be tweeting from the road.

      College Basketball, External Sports, March Madness

      NCAA denies OSU’s appeal for suspended players, Jim Tressel also chooses to serve five-game ban

      March 17, 2011 /
      Ohio State University head football coach Jim Tressel speaks during a news conference in Columbus, Ohio, March 8, 2011. Tressel was fined $250,000 and suspended for two games for violating NCAA rules, according to reports. REUTERS/Jay LaPrete (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL HEADSHOT)

      Ohio State coach Jim Tressel will no long have to worry about the public asking him why he received lesser punishment then the five Buckeye players involved in “Tattoogate.” That’s because now he too will serve a five-game suspension.

      On Thursday night, the NCAA finalized its ruling that OSU players Terrelle Pryor, DeVier Posey, Daniel Herron, Mike Adams and Solomon Thomas will be suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season after swapping memorabilia for free tattoos with a parlor owner in Columbus. Ohio State had appealed the suspension on behalf of the players, but the NCAA upheld the punishment.

      Despite being handed a two-game suspension in a separate investigation by the university, Tressel decided that he too would serve a five-game ban along with his players.

      “Like my players, I am very sorry for the mistakes I made. I request of the university that my sanctions now include five games so that the players and I can handle this adversity together,” Tressel read in a statement. “Throughout this entire situation, my players and I have committed ourselves to facing our mistakes and growing from them; we can only successfully do this together. I spoke with athletic director [Gene] Smith, and our student-athletes involved, and told them that my mistakes need to share the same game sanctions.”

      It’s a pretty slick move by Tressel. He would have never been able to live down why he only served a two-game suspension for lying to the NCAA and to the university while his players served a five-game ban for committing a similar infraction. Granted, it doesn’t change the fact that he made a poor decision and embarrassed the program, but his decision will no doubt win the respect of his players and OSU fans (or at least some of them).

      I’m sure Tressel truly does feel bad about what he did. Everyone makes mistakes and as long as they’re willing to (eventually) own up to them and seek to rectify the situation the best they can, what more can you ask of them? (Besides not committing the infraction, that is.) I’m not excusing what he did but there are good guys in the college football coaching ranks, and there are bad guys. Tressel is a good guy.

      College Football, External Sports

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