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      Your Sunday college hoops primer

      March 13, 2011 /

      There are four interesting games today, but the only team probably playing for an NCAA tournament bid is Dayton in the Atlantic 10 Final. ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi has Richmond safely in as a #10 seed, but if the 22-12 Flyers can pull the upset, that means one of the teams on the bubble won’t get a bid…Duke and North Carolina square off for the third time this season after splitting the first two meetings. Lunardi has both teams slated for a #2 seed, so the winner has a shot at a #1 seed assuming the committee isn’t sold on having two Big East teams (Pitt and Notre Dame) who lost early in the Big East Championship as #1 seeds. Pitt’s resume shapes up better than Notre Dame’s, and I’d wager that the winner of the Duke/UNC game (especially if it’s Duke) gets a #1 seed instead of the Irish…Florida and Kentucky are both slated for #3 seeds, so the SEC won’t have a huge impact on the seeding, though the Gators could potentially move to a #2 seed if the committee doesn’t give their three bad losses (Jacksonville, South Carolina, Mississippi State) much weight. Florida is 11-2 against the RPI Top 50 — that’s impressive…Lunardi has Penn State as a #12 seed and given the Nittany Lions’ nice run in the Big Ten tourney, they should be in. Ohio State will be a #1 seed win or lose.

      Be sure to check back tomorrow morning for my annual March Madness column, where I use a variety of statistics to help readers fill out their brackets.

      College Basketball, External Sports, March Madness

      As promised, Goodell, Pash cut salaries to $1 during lockout

      March 13, 2011 /

      According to SI.com, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and league general counsel Jeff Pash have cut their salaries to $1 during the lockout. Goodell makes roughly $10 million a year plus bonuses, while Pash earns nearly $5 million.

      Goodell also has asked the league’s compensation committee to delay any bonus payments to him until there is a deal with the players’ union.

      Also taking cuts will be all league personnel at the New York headquarters, NFL Films in Mount Laurel, N.J., and at NFL Network and NFL.com in Culver City, Calif. For now, salaries for those league employees will be reduced by 12 percent, an amount equal to two weeks’ pay.

      If the work stoppage continues into August, salary reductions for management-level employees will range from 25 percent for executive vice presidents to 20 percent for senior VPS and 15 percent for VPs. Directors will take a 10 percent cut and managers will be reduced by 5 percent.

      Seeing as how Goodell and Pash make $15 million between them, something tells me they’re not going to be hurting with a $1 salary. But at least they’re men of their word. Goodell told fans that he would cut his salary to $1 for the length of the lockout and here he is on Day 1 slicing his pay.

      Then again, who cares about Goodell and Pash’s salaries? Get the freaking new CBA signed so there’s a season next year.

      External Sports, NFL

      Conflicting reports on the health of Johan Santana

      March 13, 2011 /

      The Bergen Record is reporting that Johan Santana’s shoulder has not been progressing as the Mets have hoped and the club now believes that they’ll be lucky if he pitches at all in 2011.

      But according to Rotoworld.com, the paper might have misguided information.

      The source told Steve Popper and Bob Klapisch that the team is concerned enough that they could halt Santana’s rehab if his light throwing doesn’t go well, which would wipe out the previous timetable of a return in late June/early July. However, Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen has scoffed at the report, saying Santana’s progress actually “has been great,” and “he’s right on time, if not maybe a step or two ahead of that.” Mets GM Sandy Alderson also chimed in, saying “there’s nothing wrong” with Santana’s rehab. It appears the report might be misguided, but the reality is that if Santana does return for the second half this season, no one is sure just how effective he’ll be.

      Interesting. Teams aren’t always truthful when it comes to injuries but Warthen is pretty convincing with his words. Then again, it doesn’t do the Mets any good to shed doubt about the injury progress of one of their players when he still has months to go in his recovery. If he winds up being out for the season then so be it. But if he still has a ways to go, why not just stay positive until they know more?

      Either way, Rotoworld hits the nail on the head: Even if Santana does return at some point this season, who knows how effective his shoulder will allow him to be.

      External Sports, MLB

      The NFL lockout affects more than just players and owners

      March 12, 2011 /

      Assistant coaches and lower personnel people may lose their jobs over this.

      Businesses across America may suffer greatly.

      Lives may be affected.

      The NFL lockout is more than just millionaires fighting with billionaires over revenue. If there’s no season next year, consider how much money hotels, restaurants and shops will lose when teams and tourists don’t come to town for 17-plus weeks throughout the fall and winter. We’re already in the middle of an economic struggle, why must everyone suffer more?

      Look, I get it. I know the NFL is a business, too. In fact, I know that it’s a business first and a game second. I wish it weren’t, but that’s just reality. The owners are running a business and they want to make as much profit as possible. In that regard, I don’t think they should have to open their financial books to the players. Hey, it’s their business, right? That said, how can the owners ask the players to take a paycut when they’re not willing to provide intricate details as to why?

      But the bigger picture has obviously been lost here. If you don’t think the NFL has an big impact on people, think again. I’ve got a friend who served this fine country overseas and last April he woke up in the middle of the night just to watch the first round of the NFL draft. Think about that for a second: the NFL draft, not the Super Bowl, the playoffs or even an important regular season game, provided a brief distraction for a man, a soldier, half a world away fighting in a war. That’s how much the NFL can affect someone.

      As it stands now, nobody will have the opportunity to enjoy the draft, or free agency, or possibly even the season because grown men can’t compromise. How ridiculous. How absurd. How unnecessary.

      If I knew we had it in us, I would love to see every fan boycott the NFL if this lockout lasted until September. I would love to hit the owners’ wallet hard and for the players to actually feel the impact of what’s going on here. But that won’t happen. We love our football and we’ll be back once these greedy SOBs come to an agreement. It’s sad, but it’s also reality.

      So we wait on you, owners and players. We wait on you to figure out the best way to divvy up our money. Shame on you. Shame on you for not understanding what kind of effect you have on us.

      External Sports, NFL

      Your Saturday college hoops primer

      March 12, 2011 /

      ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has both UTEP and Memphis in his list of the Next Four Out (NFO), so the C-USA Championship (in El Paso) is basically a play-in game for these two teams, who are both better defensively than they are offensively…Lunardi has Clemson as a #12 seed, so a win against North Carolina would ensure a bid for the Tigers. They have a great defense so a blowout isn’t likely…Lunardi has Alabama on his list of First Four Out (FFO), so the Crimson Tide will be desperate for a win against Kentucky. Bama’s defense is near-elite, but Kentucky is far better offensively…Michigan/Ohio St. is a rivalry game, but the Wolverines need a good showing to solidify its place in the tournament. They’re currently slated for a #12 seed, so they are no sure thing…Lunardi has Virginia Tech on his list of the Last Four In (LFI), so if they are embarrassed against Duke (who will be seeking revenge for their recent loss in Blacksburg), they may find themselves on the outside looking in come tournament time…Both Florida and Vanderbilt are in the Top 15 in offensive efficiency, so this SEC semifinal should be a fun game to watch. Both teams are safely in the tournament, but this is a good chance to see a couple of potential Sweet Sixteen/Elite Eight teams in action…Lunardi has Richmond as an #11 seed, while Temple is safely in as a #7 seed…Lunardi has Michigan State as his last team in, as the Spartans have played themselves onto the bubble with a fine performance against Purdue yesterday. They caught a break when Penn State beat Wisconsin, and a MSU win today will likely seal an NCAA tourney bid for Tom Izzo’s club. Conversely, Penn State is on Lunardi’s NFO list, so the Nittany Lions are just as desperate for a win…Lunardi projects Kansas to be a #1 seed while he has Texas as a #2 seed. But the Longhorns beat the Jayhawks in Lawrence, so Kansas will be looking for revenge…Washington is an advanced metrics darling despite the 10 losses. Lunardi has them as a #9 seed, and a win against Arizona would indicate that the Huskies will be a very live dog (pun intended) come tourney time…Unfortunately, the BYU/SDSU matchup is only available on the Mountain West Network. It seems like the conference should do whatever it can to get this game on national television…Kemba Walker is arguably the hottest player in the country, but the Huskies are playing their fifth game in as many days. Both teams are coming off overtime wins in the semis.

      I’ll be tweeting throughout the day @fantasytips. It should be a fun one.

      College Basketball, External Sports, March Madness

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