A win is a win

John Mania Volume Two didn’t have quite the dominant performance many of us were looking for (and expecting) in the season opener last night. Nonetheless, JMV2 pulled out an ugly victory over the “Dirty Birds” by a (somewhat deceiving) final of 46-44.
It was truly a tale of two halves, but the Mania never trailed after taking a 5-3 lead early. After dropping 30 with the aid of hitting seven or eight three-pointers in the first half, JMV2 came out quickly in the second half, getting the ball to the basket for strong lay-ups against a tough 2-3 zone. Once the lead reached 19 for the second time in the half, the team seemed to flip into cruise control – a mistake against a streaky shooting Dirty Birds squad.
JMV2 fell in love with the trey-ball and went cold while getting lazy defensively as the Dirty Birds made three after three to cut the lead down to only three points near the two-minute mark. That was the closest they got until the buzzer-beating lay-up brought them within two in the end. An ugly win, but a win nonetheless.
A few observations:
-Little Guy hadn’t touched a ball in a few months. I’m pretty sure he hit two three balls. Rain.
-The Homeless Man is a machine. Somewhere around 10 points. I guess his scraggly hair and beard give opponents the impression he’s a scrub. Wrong answer.
-Some good additions to the squad this year. We’ve got more height, more quickness and a little more offensive firepower.
-I played well. I just hope the team isn’t counting on that every week. I’m not that good all the time.
-We shoot free throws like the Cincinnati Bearcats. It almost cost us down the stretch.
-We’re 1-0. I realize no one’s done it since IU back in the 70s, but this team’s got the potential for perfection.
-And, because I am so (un)original, I’ve decided to start a one-armed embrace count, a la Mark Titus. The count after our first game: a whopping one. Granted, the Dirty Birds only had six players. I trust there will be more to come.

Now on to things of legitimate concern.

- I don’t generally do this, but I’ll begin with the Winter X Games in a little place called Aspen. “A place where the beer flows like wine. Where beautiful women instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano.” Lloyd’s got room for one more if you still wanna go…

But seriously. Hats off to Shaun White. I would never even imagine doing half of the tricks he does. Or half of the tricks any of those guys do. Especially when there’s the possibility of what happens here at the :30 mark.

So what does he do after that? He could walk away and get ready for the Olympics in Vancouver. But he doesn’t do that. Instead, he goes out and wins gold. And he doesn’t just go out and do a solid run with some good tricks. No. He decides to go right back to the trick almost ended him earlier that day. I think it’s called a “Double McTwist 1260.” What a stud. A tip of the Tennent’s to Mr. White’s moxy.

- Big win for the Bearcats this weekend. For a team that has little to no offensive firepower in the halfcourt, dropping 92 in a conference win is large. I realize Providence doesn’t exactly play tough defense, but it’s something for this team to explode offensively like that. Especially considering the lack of contribution by Yancy.
Cashmere Wright was HUGE. 9-11 from the field, including 3-4 from three-point range to finish with 24 big points. The prospect of he and Jaquon Parker in the backcourt is one that I like. A lot.

If Cashmere (1) and Jaquon (44) can play like they have as of late, the Cincy backcourt can be dangerous. (photo, cincinnati.com)

- But Cash also served as a microcosm of this Cincy team – he did a lot of stuff well but was a pitiful 3-7 from the line. The team was an abysmal 20-41. That’s good for 48.8%. They shot 57.7% from the field. Logically, can someone please explain to me why the wide open shot 15 feet from the hoop is tougher than contested shots anywhere else on the court? The free throw shooting is going to catch up with them. It already cost them a potential statement win over a Xavier team that’s in the RPI top 25.

- This Cincinnati team still has a good chance to make the tournament, though. I just got finished reading ESPN’s first Bubble Watch. The Bearcats are on there, 41st in the RPI with their SOS at 40. Not too shabby. But they’ve lost to three other bubble teams (L’Ville, Seton Hall, St. John’s). Two of those three they have no excuse for losing. But the great play of Vanderbilt and Maryland are making those two non-conference wins in Maui look a lot better. Throw in the fact that they’ve lost very close games to three probable tourney teams: Gonzaga (by two in OT), Xavier (by four in double OT) and Pitt (by three). They still get chances to knock of “lock” teams in Syracuse, West Virginia and Georgetown. They could pad that resume in those games, and it’d go a long way to get a second win over ND this week in South Bend.

- Speaking of the NCAAs, there’s a legitimate possibility that three of last year’s Final Four teams could be left out of the tournament. Louisville, UConn and North Carolina all are in jeopardy of making an appearance in the NIT instead of the Big Dance.
UConn and Louisville are playing right now and the Cardinals look good with a 48-34 lead at the half. But they’ve made a habit of losing big leads this season (see: loss to WVU this weekend, loss to ‘Nova earlier this season). We’ll see if the Huskies can continue that trend. A win tonight would go a long way for both squads. **The Ville is now up 63-45 – they make a lot of 3’s.**
UNC looks terrible. They got spanked at home by Virginia last night and have a 2-4 conference record. I think they’re going to be just like the ‘07 Florida squad – lose all your big names after the national title and miss the tourney the next season.

- Of course, all this bubble talk would be meaningless if the NCAA expands to a 96-team tournament. That would make the college basketball season about as exciting as the majority of the football bowl season. But at least every team would have a chance…unlike football. But I still don’t want to see it. A 96-team is a terrible idea.

- Rhode Island has a higher RPI than Xavier? I don’t exactly follow the Rams all that closely, but I find that hard to justify. Especially since the Muskies have a SOS of 12.

- Big bounce back win for Mizzou this weekend against OK State. They handled the Cowboys after they went in to the “Octagon of Doom” in Manhattan and knocked off K-State earlier in the week. Mizzou was in control for basically the entire game, forced a ton of turnovers, capitalized on those turnovers and established the pace they wanted from the tip to the final buzzer.

- This guy thinks the Reds are going to finish second in the Central Division this year. I just have a hard time taking predictions that have teams winning 85.5 games seriously. I always kept track of wins and losses with whole numbers.

- Do people think Tiger’s a sex addict just because he did all that sleeping around while he was married? Apparently Derek Jeter would be a sex addict, too. If her were married.

- I wish I had the cahones to answer exam questions like these guys…especially the very first one. But, here’s one of my favorites (without being sexist, of course):

It's such a simple solution.

- This guy does an outstanding Morgan Freeman impression.

- I’ve got some schoolwork to do, so I will finish with this. CBS shot down a commercial for a gay male dating site. I’m sure it’ll raise a big stink. But, as Mo Egger said, “How many guys (raising my hand) are gonna screw with their buddies and sign them up for this?”

Altiora.

Devan Downey

Just snap reactions to Kentucky’s first loss of the season to Downey and the Gamecocks:
- Devan Downey and Deonta Vaughn could have been a dangerous backcourt back in Cincy.
- Downey missed 20 field goals. I was aware of it the entire time, even with his unbelievable performance. It made it ten times more exciting for me because he surprised me every time.
- Devan Downey is only 5′9″. How many guys that size can average over 30 points in one of college basketball’s best conferences?
- DeMarcus Cousins is good. I said his temper and laziness would hurt him once things got tougher in conference play. He has 11 double-doubles this season, with an absolutely dominant performance tonight. Oops. I take the laziness/temper comment back.
- Pat Forde makes a very good observation about those two:

“Cousins is like Downey, only in reverse. Both do things that defy their size. Downey’s ability to drive and score against players more than a foot taller is amazing. Cousins’ ability to spin, float and score at 6-foot-11, 260 pounds is similarly amazing.”

- I just saw at the bottom of Forde’s observation that S. Carolina shot 34% and only had six assists as a team. But they won. That’s as improbable as a 5′9″ guard absolutely dominating a game like this. So, when you look at it like that, it’s pretty likely.
- ESPN used a pun on its College Basketball homepage: “Number one goes Downey.” Ha. Clever.
- Can’t find a picture of it (mostly because I’m lazy), but the S. Carolina student section knows how to rush a floor. That celebration was legit.
- John Wall may have looked like a freshman at times tonight, but he still had the flashes of brilliance we’ve seen all season. Like that and-1 toward the end of the game. Kid’s the real deal.
- I said UK had a legitimate chance to go undefeated. I also said I really, really don’t like UK. If my believing in their ability means they lose, I believe they will win every game for the rest of my life.
- That was one hell of a game. And a hell of a double-header for ESPN tonight. I love college basketball.
That’s all.

Don’t answer your phone at this guy’s comedy show.

G’night. Altiora.

This is Awesome

Michael Jackson used some of the 1,500 inmates from this Filipino prison to dance in his music video for “Thriller”. As the that video could tell you, they were good. So it’s no surprise Jackson watched them during breaks during the filming for This Is It. So, after MJ’s passing, his choreogtapher, Travis Payne paid the inmates a visit and choreographed a piece from the film. This is pretty cool.

Filipino, Philippines: “Dancing Inmates” from Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC), a maximum security prison, were treated to a visit by Michael Jacksons long-time choreographer Travis Payne and some of his dancers.

more about “This is Awesome“, posted with vodpod

That’s all I’ve got today. Schoolwork to tend to.
Altiora.

John Mania: Volume Two

- It starts this weekend. Last year, John Mania rolled through the regular season, chalking up a perfect 4-0 record. Then, the playoffs rolled around. We were poised for a run deep into the tourney. Unfortunately, a random draw for a 4-0 team who missed the playoff meeting resulted in the toughest first round match-up possible. I can’t remember exactly what their team name was, but I do remember that it was a seven person team with six guys from the Missouri Club Basketball squad (and the seventh guy played on a traveling team with the other six – they had their own uniforms). Even with that significantly difficult draw and a mismatch at virtually every position, we played a heck of a game. Late in the second half, we even had a lead. Unfortunately, all of our best effort was not quite enough. We fell by two points, the first step on the way to an intramural title for them.
This season, we are looking for a repeat of the regular season. And after another perfect season, we are banking on a better draw in the playoffs. If that falls into place for us, Little Guy and I think we’ve assembled a squad that will make some noise come playoff time. I will keep you, my loyal readers, posted on the success of Volume Two.

- Jason Sobel thinks Tiger doesn’t enjoy golfing anymore. Thinks he might never come back. I disagree, but he makes quite a few compelling arguments defending his theory. His most compelling, in my mind:

“Think about it: If Woods loved the game, wouldn’t he seek solace from his damaged personal life in the familiar confines of a tournament? Wouldn’t he attempt to claim some sense of normalcy in an all-too-irregular life by getting back to the one thing he does better than anyone else?”

I know that, when everything else seems to be getting tougher and tougher, nothing helps me leave it all behind like 18 holes. I absolutely love golf. It is the most frustrating sport ever, but I can’t think of anything I enjoy more. The focus and concentration takes everything else off your mind, and what better escape than the beauty of a golf course?
I realize a tournament may be more hectic than that, but Sobel goes on to point out that Tiger doesn’t even tee it up when he’s on vacation. Sure, he’s the best player in the game. He works harder than anyone else in the game. But – and Sobel raises this same question – does that speak to his passion for the game or just his work ethic? “He’s a perfectionist in a sport in which perfection doesn’t exist,” says Sobel. How perfectly does that put it? If there’s anyone that wants nothing more than perfection, it’s Tiger. Don’t you think it’d be frustrating to spend your entire life striving for perfection, even though you know it’s impossible?
And, if Tiger doesn’t play the game because he loves it, where does his motivation come from? He already has enough money to live the rest of his life in the same extravagant fashion he does now, even with divorce settlements pending. The only thing I can think of is wanting to set the bar so high that he knows no one will ever even approach his records. Tiger’s proven that he wants to be the best. Once he passes Jack, no one will question that. And if no one can question his being the best, isn’t that about as close to perfection as you’ll get in golf?
Sobel even draws comparisons to Tiger and Andre Agassi:

“Like Woods, Agassi was raised to be a champion, practicing every single day under the watchful eye of a demanding father.”

This commercial is one of my favorites of all time. If Earl means everything he says at the beginning, then I don’t see the parallel between Agassi and Tiger.

In case you need to see it in words: “You don’t really instill anything into a child; you encourage the development of it.” Not only does it (at least somewhat) refute Sobel’s claims, but, in my mind, it’s a great way to look at parenthood.
J. Sobel thinks Tiger has lot his passion for the game. I don’t. I think he realizes the importance of his image, and his absence from the game has been widely viewed as an effort to get his life back in order. Once this six-week rehab thing is over, I think we see Tiger come back one tournament prior to The Masters. It’ll be an absolute zoo at the Shell-Houston Open that week. Then Tiger will still be the favorite the next week at Augusta National. Maybe it’s just because I don’t want to believe Tiger doesn’t wanna come back. Or maybe Sobel’s just being a cynic. Or maybe he’s right. I don’t think the latter is the case, and – even though I love golf with or without him – golf is better with Tiger.

- Speaking of golf, nothing gives me goosebumps quite like The Masters. The only thing that comes close is when the commercials start airing. Nothing gets me excited like hearing: “A Tradition Unlike Any Other.”
It’s very difficult to me to put the majesty of The Masters into words, so I will let Harry Connick, Jr. do it:

- One more golf-related thing. It’s stories like this that set this sport apart from any other.
You didn’t see Thierry Henry stop after he handed the ball down before scoring the clinching goal against Ireland a few weeks back to secure his team’s spot in the World Cup. You don’t see Kobe or LeBron turn to the referees and call a foul on them. No lineman flags himself for holding in football.
It is such an honorable sport, a gentleman’s game. So much so that I don’t think many golfers would be too shocked to hear this story. It’s what he should do. Golf is a game of honor. It doesn’t need referees because it has such honest participants. That, in my mind, is why golf is so much better than any other sport I’ve ever watched or participated in.

- That Mizzou/kU game tonight was anti-climactic, huh? Kansas was up by 20 points by halftime. It was relatively exciting for about-nine-and-a-half minutes, but miserable to watch for the next 10:30 and downright disgusting for the last 20 minutes. Mizzou forced 23 turnovers and only committed four of their own. Only three Jayhawks post double-digits. Mizzou gets up 11 more shots attempts. But the Tigers only shoot 27.9% while kU shoots 49% from the field. Kansas manages to have as many offensive rebounds as Mizzou has defensive rebounds en route to outrebounding the Tigers 53-28. All of this to improve their home winning streak to 54 games (11 straight over Mizzou) with an 84-65 shellacking of Mike Anderson’s squad.
Do I lose all hope for this team, though? Not at all. They forced a very good kU squad into 23 turnovers. They shut down an All-American point guard in Sherron Collins (six points on 2-11 shooting). They just shot the ball that bad tonight. Their pressure was largely ineffective, but there’s a ton to be said about homecourt advantage and the energy a team plays with. I think it’ll be a very different story when the Jayhawks come to Mizzou Arena. Last season’s Elite 8 team lost by more in Lawrence than this season’s team did, and many think that the 2010 edition of the Kansas Jayhawks are better than the 2009 edition (and they’re probably right). This is still a tournament team, and a very potentially dangerous one at that.

- Cincinnati isn’t a tournament team. It’s going to take an absolutely outstanding effort by this team down the stretch. An outstanding effort this team has yet to show they can put out. And I really do wonder if the coaching has a lot to do with it.
Take for instance this troubling stat I overlooked about the Cincy/UofL game on Sunday: Lance Stephenson (hands down the Bearcats’ best player) took only one shot in the final 35 minutes of the game. Even with that, he still was tied for the team lead with 12 points. He was one of the biggest reasons they jumped out to that 11-point first half lead. I doubt the Cardinal defense (that Rick Pitino even acknowledges as terrible) shut him down. You have to run plays to get him the ball. A good coach makes sure that happens.
Another observation: they made 10 three-point baskets. So, if we do the math, that’s 10 x 3. 10 x 3 = 30. So they scored 30 points from behind the arc and only managed 60 for the game. That’s tough to do.
Even with all the bad this team has shown, they’re still 4-4 in conference and in eighth place. They’ve played poorly but still have themselves in a position to make a run at the Dance. They’re a few big wins away. Those big wins won’t be easy and will require a better effort than we’ve seen out of this team in conference play thus far. I wonder if they have it in them. I sure hope so.

- I love LeBron James. The man’s a stud. A lot of people question who’s the better player between him and Kobe. I say no contest: LeBron. This season: almost 30 ppg, 7 rpg and almost 8 apg. Sick. Kobe’s got a far better supporting cast, but still takes almost 25% of his team’s shots. And his stats: 28, 5 and 4. So, not only does LeBron score more (which he has to), he gets his (less-talented) teammates to play at a higher level and crashes the boards with the best of them. I feel like I rest my case.
But if you disagree, think about this. The Big O averaged that triple-double back in the early sixties. I think that’s one of the most untouchable records in sport. LeBron makes me think it’s possible. The only person that’s going to flirt with it is LeBron. As Bill Simmons tells us, he has no ceiling. I apologize now for the length of this quote, but I think it says a lot:

“Unlike past seasons, he’s learning how to vacillate between MJ Mode and Magic Mode almost like he’s flipping a switch. In Portland, the Blazers singled him in the first half and he dropped 31 in MJ Mode. When they doubled him in the second half, he flipped the switch to Magic, found open shooters and finished with a ho-hum 41-10-8. You cannot plan for this guy anymore. He’s offensively amorphous.”

- Are you ready for months of the “Will Brett Favre retire” coverage? I don’t want to hear a second of it. He says immediately after the game that it’s “highly unlikely” he’ll return. But he needs to remove himself from the loss before he can say anything for sure. So if you need to remove yourself from the loss, why even bother saying it’s highly unlikely? You can make your own claims, but I say it’s because he loves the attention. He’s a great quarterback. One of the best. But I’m done with his games. It’s all about what Brett wants. He doesn’t worry that he’s leaving entire organizations hanging. That doesn’t sit well with me. I’m already done with the speculation.

- Why don’t we hear anything about Kurt Warner’s potential retirement? Because Warner goes about it in a much better way than Favre. Rick Reilly wrote a very good piece about Warner retiring. I agree with everything he says. I’m not a very religious person, but I truly admire Warner’s take on what he needs to leave the game:

“I pray that God takes away the desire in me to play this game,” he says. “I’ve loved it for so long. I need Him to take that away from me.”

-Butch Jones seems to have landed a pretty solid recruit to back up Z. Collaros. I said this program had legitimate staying power.
Apparently, Kater wasn’t high on many recruiting lists coming out of Div. VI in Michigan, but his performance at a Midwest Elite Camp opened some eyes:

“Cody turned in a performance that was not only worthy of the best dual threat QB prospect in Michigan, but a performance worthy of one of the best QB’s in the country.
Forget D-III, Cody was now looking at the Big 10.”

If Butch can keep bringing in quality recruits, especially in the trenches on both sides of the ball, things could really be looking up for Bearcat football. He already orchestrated the same spread offense that made Brian Kelly so successful. And he helped turn Dan Lefevour into one of college football’s best QBs.
The upside is enormous for the future of Bearcat football. I just hope people don’t turn away after BK left and they got handled in the Sugar Bowl. The ‘Cats will be competing for a Big East title again this season.

- As for the Bengals, I have only one thing to say: Bob Bratkowski is still the offensive coordinator. That’s your first problem.

- Just the headline for this story is an oxymoron.

- Hate MTV’s “Jersey Shore”? Then enjoy these kids reenacting it.

- Because I mentioned the two above, I leave you with my favorite Kobe/LeBron puppet commercial.

Altiora.

I love Twitter

- I used to think it was stupid. Just a glorified facebook status. I’ve changed my mind. I absolutely love twitter. It’s always one of the first two or three sites I check whenever I get online. And it’s actually legitimately informative on several levels. And it can be really funny, too. So, Twitter, I apologize. I was too quick to judge you.

- Following Chad Ochocinco on twitter is fun, too. For all the crap he gets, he seems to be a genuinely good guy. He’ll tweet telling complete strangers to meet him at a restaurant and will treat them all to lunch or dinner. He tells you his xBox gamer tag so you can play Call of Duty with him on xBox Live.
And he’s doing one of the coolest things I’ve heard of an athlete doing in a long while. He gave eight or so fans a chance to go on a road trip with him to Miami. Then he’ll fly them back to their homes from Miami after the four-day trip. Everything’s on him. The only catch: they have to do volunteer work with him along the way. Absolutely awesome. Reach out to your fans and have them reach out to the less fortunate while you do the same. Hats off to you, Chad.

- As I sit here and enjoy Championship Sunday, I can’t help but think that the Jets might be better than I ever gave them credit for. But I’m sick of hearing about Mark Sanchez leading the way and his “poise” in the playoffs. Last week’s “poised” performance: 12/23 for 100 yards, a TD and an interception. The defense and the running game is the only reason NY is still here. I wouldn’t go as far as to say they win in spite of him, but it’s not all that far off. I think Pete Carroll was right last year when he questioned his decision to leave. But I guess it’s working for the Sanchise, eh? And he’s having himself a game today. Maybe I’m wrong. But his second TD under pressure…impressive.

- The only thing that sucks about football: the lack of action. They get a break between every single play. People say soccer is boring (I disagree with that) and football’s better. In soccer, there is ninety minutes of action. How is that boring? In football, there’s only 11 minutes of action.

- Good stuff with the Haiti telethon Friday night. The last total I heard was $57 million and counting. It’s amazing what celebrities can do when they come together for a cause. Hell, maybe Obama should just have a telethon to try and get the U.S. out of debt. Get George Clooney, Ellen, Stevie Wonder, Julia Roberts and all those other people manning the phone lines. Just a thought. But, in all seriousness, it was impressive to see them come together and work to help the people of Haiti. Absolutely tragic what happened down there and my heart goes out to them.
Roommate Swan and I thoroughly enjoyed Madonna’s musical performance. Thought she sounded kinda crappy, but the choir she had backing her up was the bee’s knees.

- And, that same night, Little Guy’s girlfriend brought over Clue for us to play. But it wasn’t just Clue – oh no…it was HARRY POTTER Clue. Bad ass? I do think so. The first time we played, we had a bunch of people over so we had to do teams. Little Guy and I won. It was Draco Malfoy with the Sleeping Drought in the Library. Unfortunately, Saturday night I was not so lucky. Swan made an accusation no one could prove wrong, so I booked it to the Dumbledore’s Office to make my final accusation. Of course, I was off by one card. Turns out it was Dolores Umbridge with Petrificus Totalus in the Library. I think I guessed Impedimenta instead. I was oh so close.
**For those of you who think I just wasted a minute or so of your life, I apologize. But, as I said way back in my second post, I talk about stupid stuff in my life that probably no one else cares about.**

- This University of Cincinnati basketball team is extraordinarily frustrating. They piss away the game against St. John’s, come back home and shut down Notre Dame for a big win. Then Yancy Gates continues to frustrate in a win over South Florida this week. The Bearcats’ big man played only 10 minutes and committed four fouls. Even so, they win virtually without him (and completely without Born Ready). But if they want to play with the big boys in the BE, they need him. After getting the win over the Bulls, they have a chance to put a good win on their tourney resume today at Freedom Hall against Louisville. They jump out to an 11-point lead early in the first half, squander it, trail by one at the half and then lose the game by eight. From what I heard when I was listening online, it seemed like the Bearcats were stagnant in the halfcourt. But they shoot over 40% from the field, including 50% from deep and lose? Yeah, because they let the Cards shoot 44% and commit 19 fouls. They need to figure a lot of things out if they don’t want to be an afterthought come March. 4-4 in the Big East isn’t going to do much, and their only notable wins out of conference are Vandy and Maryland – two teams that are looking good in their respective conferences right now, but also two teams that aren’t ranked and will probably drop quite a few as the play the better teams in league play. The UConn win is looking better after the Huskies took down a sliding Texas squad last night, but league wins against Rutgers and USF aren’t going to open many eyes. They need to get some statement wins as league play wears on. They get some good chances: Syracuse, at UConn, at West Virginia, Villanova and at G’Town. Play well and get a couple wins out of those five, along with winning the games you’re supposed to, and you have an argument on Selection Sunday.

- Because I mentioned them, how bad did Louisville get jobbed last week at Seton Hall. Some downright awful officiating to end the game. Inexcusable.

- Hey ‘Sheed…NOT UP IN HERE!

- The Big 12 is going to be very, very fun to watch this year. Kansas is good as always, Texas, if it can get its swagger back, is very good, K-State is strong, Mizzou, OK State and even Oklahoma are showing a lot, too. It’s going to be an absolute log jam in the Big 12 this season. K-State knocks Texas from the top, then OK State goes into Manhattan and knocks of the Wildcats. Mizzou beats K-State at home then goes to Texas Tech and almost blows a quality win and loses to Oklahoma a week later. Eight teams in the league have records of 14-5 or better and even the four teams at the bottom are still giving the best teams tough games. Nebraska had a one-point halftime lead against Kansas. Colorado took Kansas State down to the wire. Texas A&M lost to Texas in overtime. Iowa State only lost to the Longhorns by seven. It’s going to exciting to watch this season unfold.

- Mizzou gets a quality win over a very good defensive team in Nebraska yesterday at Mizzou Arena. They won by 17 but the game was much closer than that. Nebraska slowed the game down for most of the first half and made it very difficult for the Tigers on offense. They didn’t turn the ball over and the shot around 45% for the game. And they lost by 17 points. Miguel Paul stepped up big off the bench for MU with 15 points. I still can’t bring myself to really like him, but more games like yesterday’s could change that. But a hard-fought win for the Tigers. They need to be a little sharper for Big Monday, though. A win in Lawrence tomorrow means that it’s Missouri with the longest home winning streak in the country. kU’s is at 53 right now, but Mizzou’s got theirs up to 31 now. I’m excited. Hopefully they don’t lay an egg like they did last year.

- Kentucky is that good. After being absent from the top spot since 2003 and being rendered a relatively normal program during that span, they should be #1 tomorrow when the polls come out. They absolutely manhandled Arkansas yesterday. Just demolished them. Take a look at the game flow from ESPN.com:

This puts the shellacking into perspective.

Everyone’s saying they’re definitely going to slip up at some point in conference play. I disagree. I think they have a legitimate shot at a perfect season. A very legitimate shot. I really, really do not like UK, so it pains me to say it, but they are that good. And they’re back on top.

- Duke bounces back in a big way after losing to NC State this week. Clemson is no push-over and they play well in Little John Coliseum, but the Blue Devils took the crowd out and were in control for much of the second half. They’ve finally got some inside presence to compliment their outside game. This Duke team has a chance to make some noise come March and April. Nolan Smith has scored in double digits in all but one game this season and I will stand by my assertion that John Scheyer is the best point guard in the nation. And you can never, ever sleep on a team coached by Mike Krzyzewski.

- Big win for Huggins’ Mountaineers over my main man and new favorite basketball player Mark Titus and the Ohio State Buckeyes. Two huge wins for the Big East with UConn and WVU getting the victories. I will always pull for the Mountaineers because I love Huggy Bear. West Virginia is another dangerous team to keep an eye on.

- If Chris “Birdman” Andersen doing a bird call doesn’t make you want to sleep on these mattresses, I am not sure what is wrong with you.

- We’ve been quoting The Hangover like crazy in my house since we got back from break. We especially love quoting Ken Jeong, who plays Leslie Chow. We especially enjoy these two scenes. But last night, we saw the deleted scenes of Mr. Chow. Rarely have I laughed harder. There are curse words and such, so click at your own risk…

- We also love Jay Sean’s hit single “Down.” And I love Hitch. And if you’ve ever seen Hitch, you know about the dancing “comfort zone.” Well, I also love the “comfort zone.” And Jay Sean “Down” is the absolute perfect song for the “comfort zone.” Check it out for yourself. The “comfort zone” comes at about the 1:27 mark in this video (but the whole thing is really funny and I recommend watching it):

Now click play on this video and stand up and start getting into the “comfort zone” and tell me the song and dance weren’t made for each other. They’re perfect.

- Now I’m going to go and enjoy the Saints/Vikings game. I’m taking the Saints to win it, 34-20. If they do win, I then project the first ever pick ‘em Super Bowl in history. But the oddsmakers in Vegas will probably change it over and over again for two weeks. Regardless, I really don’t want to see Brett Favre in the Super Bowl. Who Dat.

Altiora.

A New Look

I’m trying some new things with the blog to give all (three or four) of my readers some new eye candy.
I’ve changed the theme for the first time since I started TAC a few months back and threw together a new header with my primitive Photoshop skills. I’d give you a new post, but I’ve been fooling around with the new look all day, so I will leave you with two things.
-Like ninjas? Because this guy likes them a lot.
-I like Dennis Quaid (and Ellen) a lot more after seeing this:

I will be back with more soon.
Altiora.

Two posts in two days?!!?

Yeah…that’s right. Because I know you goobers won’t read this if I don’t. Don’t think I have forgotten January 2, 2010. You know, the day where I had ZERO views for a whole day. I’m still perturbed. But let’s not harp on the negative. Instead, why don’t we all enjoy my latest post! But it’ll be a few paragraphs before anything fun or funny…I’m angry with my Bearcats.

-I have stood by Mick Cronin for his entire tenure at Cincinnati. I’ve made plenty of excuses to my friends, defended Mick when they tore him down and held out hope for him. After the UConn game, I was excited. That win was only 15 days ago. Seems like 15 years. After underachieving to beat Rutgers by seven and winning against Cal State Bakersfield (why would you ever schedule this game in the middle of conference play?), the Bearcats drop two games to two teams that would be lucky to fight for a spot in the Big East tourney this season.
Both games, they make terrible decisions, turn the ball over far too much, and miss a lot of free throws. The only thing I can’t point my finger at Micky C. for is the free throws. I don’t care if Cashmere Wright is starting his first season at point or if L. Stephenson is a freshman. Even before “crunch time”, they are making terrible mistakes. Everyone else is, too. There has to be some point where a coach manages to get his team past that. Good coaching can prevent mental lapses out on the court. Look at John Calipari. He’s working with a freshman point guard and a very young team. They make mistakes that are characteristic of young players, but they don’t do it over and over again. They build off of their mistakes, learn from them and get better. Maybe that’s because Cal lets them stay in and work past it. Big brother makes a great point: Mick gives his players no chance to get into a rhythm. Make a mistake, sit on the bench. No chance to redeem yourself. No rhythm for your team.
I’m beginning to think he’s like the Ron Zook of college basketball: an A+ recruiter and a C+ (at best) coach. Thank God I went downtown to see Spring Awakening last night (which was outstanding) instead of watching that train wreck. I’m still holding out hope, but they need to get things on the right track if they want to make it to the Dance. They missed out on two chances to pad the BE record. Now they need to get the wins against tough teams and get some Ws in the BE Tourney. If not, no Big Dance. And anything less than that this season is a failure.

-Big win for Mizzou last night. After Big 12 home teams had been 114-1 this season, Texas and Kansas fend off upset bids from Iowa State and Nebraska, and Mizzou defeats a pesky Texas Tech team in OT. And what a game it was. Mizzou pisses away an eight-point lead with 1:10 to go. Inexcusable. I credit Tech for fighting to the finish and making big play after big play to keep their foot in the door when Mizzou tried to slam it shut. That being said, Mizzou came about as close to blowing it as they possibly could.
But they got the win. Impressive showing by a somewhat young squad. Especially considering they lost one senior leader in Z. Taylor to fouls in regulation and the undisputed team leader when JT Tiller fouled out in OT. After all the momentum was in Tech’s corner, the Tigers came out and got the first four points of the extra period and fought of a great effort, especially by the Red Raiders’ John Roberson (25 points, all after halftime), to get the win. And how about M. Denmon showing up with 20 points? I think this team has a lot of bright spots. Should be fun to watch them down the stretch.

Now that I’ve given you my thoughts on my two favorite teams, I will touch on a few other things.
-John Wall gets all the pub, but John Scheyer is as solid a point guard as you’re going to find in college basketball. Jay Bilas has him on his Midseason All-America Team, and deservedly so. Scheyer isn’t even a true point guard, but he leads the nation with a 4.8 : 1 assist to turnover ratio. He’s hitting 46% from the field, along with 41% from three-land and 91% from the line. It’s about time Johnny gets some attention.
-Here’s a great read on some college basketball you probably didn’t know about.
-Mark Titus has now made me an Ohio State basketball fan.

My highlights: :57, 1:20, 1:25, 1:50-2:15, 2:25-2:30, 2:42, 3:03…to name a few.

Altiora.

The NCAA is stupid.

So is USC, but I will touch on that momentarily. The NCAA’s rules regarding coaches is absolutely ridiculous. If there are any rules at all. Some hires are legitimate, but far too many leave programs and players in shambles with nowhere to go. I don’t care what a coach has proven – and in Kiffin’s case, that’s next to nothing. The fact that the NCAA has no restrictions whatsoever on coaches jumping from school to school while keeping all the restrictions on the players is regrettable, to say the least.
The NCAA is supposed to help its student-athletes. Instead, they let their coaches do whatever they want after making empty promises to the kids they’re supposed to be looking out for. I understand the fact that coaches have the right to do what’s best for themselves and their family. But why don’t the kids have the same freedom to do so? If a student-athlete is having a tough time at a school and wants to transfer, the NCAA makes him or her sit out a year in almost every case. For coaches, they get the big pay-day, have their new employer pay the buy-out on their contracts and get straight to work as if nothing happened. Something has to be done about it. But, knowing the NCAA, it’s unlikely.
And, as for USC’s hiring: What are they thinking? Maybe it’s because they reportedly got turned down by the likes of Jack Del Rio and Steve Sarkisian, among others. But what does Kiffin really bring to the table? He was a great recruiter and an impressive assistant coach. But that was under Pete Carroll. Pete Carroll is as good as there is in college football. Say what you want about him running up the score and all that sportsmanship stuff, but he’s an unbelievable college coach. Kiffin’s head coaching resume? 5-15 in less than two seasons with the Raiders. 7-6 at Tennessee with his marquee game being a two-point loss to Alabama. So that’s 12-21 with absolutely no impressive wins whatsoever.
ESPN’s Pat Forde puts it into legitimate perspective as he points out how Kiffin has done nothing. Just a bit here:

“Paris Hilton has paid more dues than Lane Kiffin.
Kiffin comes across as a guy who was born on third base and acts as if he hit a triple — but given the way people have thrown good jobs and big money at him, it’s hard to blame him for thinking he’s the next Knute Rockne.”

But, hey, let’s wish him the best at USC, eh? He’s assembling an all-star coaching staff – the only thing he’s legitimately done well in his head coaching career. He knows the terrain. He was an unbelievable recruiter before and he has the cream of the crop to recruit in California, as well as a top-tier program. There’s reason to believe he could be successful. It’s just a shame he never got to really “embrace the traditions” at UT…

Now let’s move on to the NFL. Peyton Manning wins the MVP. Hats off to him, but what a freaking joke. He had a great season and led his team to a 14-2 regular season record and top seed in the AFC. That’s good enough most years. And Drew Brees had a brilliant year in New Orleans, too, doing the same thing in the NFC. But how can anyone justify the fact that Chris Johnson didn’t get a vote? He was ten times more deserving than both Manning and Brees.
How many quarterbacks have had really good seasons and led their teams to the playoffs? You couldn’t count them, but I will name at least ten (past and present): Manning, Brees, Brady, Romo, Rivers, Young, Marino, Montana, Theisman, Favre (yes, I group him with the “past” because he is old), Aikman. That’s ten names just off the top of my head.
Now, let’s do a quick count of the NFL’s 2000-yard rushers: O.J. Simpson, Eric Dickerson, Barry Sanders, Terrell Davis, Jamal Lewis and Chris Johnson. That’s only six. Ever. In the history of football. I could not care less if Chris Johnson’s Titans didn’t make the post-season. How does he not win the MVP? Even worse, how does he get zero MVP votes? People are way too obsessed with QBs nowadays. I understand they are the glamour boys of the NFL, but there is a lot more to football than the man under center. Chris Johnson deserved the MVP, and the fact that he got no consideration whatsoever is laughable.
But CJ did get some recognition, winning the AP Offensive Player of the Year in a landslide. 38.5 out of the 50 votes (who is the douche that split his vote?). How does someone who wins the Offensive POY by such a margin get no votes for MVP? It makes absolutely no sense. It’s like Toby Gerhart winning the award for the nation’s best college RB but Mark Ingram winning the Heisman. It’s stupid.
I’m over Adrian Peterson. Consider me on the CJ train.

How about the college basketball so far this week? Two great games on Big Monday and then two more classics for Super Tuesday. All highlighted by some big time games for big time players. College basketball is the bee’s knees, the cat’s meow, the crème de la crème…it’s the best thing ever. I love every minute of the college basketball season.
-Let’s start on Monday in Freedom Hall. The unranked Louisville Cardinals open up a 17-point advantage over #4 Villanova in the first half. Scottie Reynolds and the Wildcats fight all the way back, and do so quickly enough that they never trail after the 14 minute mark. Reynolds goes 9-10 from the field, including 5-5 from behind the arc, en route to a game-high 36 points and a 4-0 conference start for ‘Nova.
The downside about this game? 67 fouls and 94 free throws. I don’t care how physical a game may be, there is no chance in hell that there should be 67 fouls called. That’s an average of just under 17 fouls per team, per half. Some referees need to get over themselves. No one is there to watch you. Even so, what a game.
-After ESPN finally got away from the ‘Nova/UofL game an hour late (thanks to the aforementioned foul situation), it went to Norman to watch the slugfest between in-state rivals Oklahoma and OK State. After OU jumped out to an 8-0 lead, the Cowboys rallied back and it was as close as possible all throughout the game. After overtime, OU finally came out on top, 62-57. Still, you have to wonder what would’ve happened if James Anderson hadn’t been injured in the second half. Even with his limited playing time, the Big 12’s leading scorer still posted a game-high 18 points. But that’s all speculation. In the end, the Sooners got the win behind Willy Warren’s 15 points and, more notably, Tiny Gallons 13 points and 18 boards. And check out “Tiny.” I haven’t seen this in years…

-We move ahead to Tuesday, when Purdue looked to avoid dropping its second straight as it hosted Ohio State. It was a tale of two halves and, more specifically, two players. The first half belonged to the Boilermakers’ Robbie Hummel. Hummel tied a school-record with eight three-pointers and dropped 29 in the first half – as much as the entire Buckeyes squad scored. But OSU had an answer for Hummel in the second half. His name is Evan Turner. The junior guard dismantled Purdue’s vaunted defense for 23 second-half points on his way to a career-high 32, putting the Buckeyes on his back to cap off a dramatic come-from-behind win in Mackey Arena. The kid is good. Really good. Ohio State is a different team with him on the floor.
-Speaking of kids who are really good: John Wall is two years younger than me. I feel like a failure. The nightcap of Super Tuesday had Wall and the second-ranked, undefeated Kentucky Wildcats paying a visit to Florida. Only the second real road game of the season for a young UK squad. It showed early, as Florida was all over the place, flustering Kentucky and jumping out to an early 7-0 lead. Florida held on to the lead for a lot of the half, but UK finally took over toward the end of the first 20 minutes. Florida fought back hard in the second half and had multiple chances to take the lead, but Kentucky never let it happen. They took control late with a quick spurt to put the game away to stay perfect at 17-0.
A lot of people question this UK squad’s lack of experience. I hate UK a lot…a whole lot. But, after watching them, it’s easy to see they are legit. John Wall is scary good. 19 points and 6 assists last night, and he couldn’t hit an outside shot to save his life. Even so, he’s got 17 or more in the last three. And, especially when he’s hitting, how good of an inside-outside combo are he and Patrick Patterson? It’s scary to think about. And, as they proved last night, they are a well-rounded team with a lot of scoring threats. Eric Bledsoe led the way with 25 points, and three other Wildcat starters scored in double figures. UK is scary good. How good? A perfect season after a brutal non-conference slate and after SEC play isn’t out of the question…not by a long shot.
-I hate kU, but this little showing at practice last week was pretty cool.

The Bengals kept Zim. Thank God. That’s the first step toward continuing the success they had this season. As a Cincinnati sports fan, I’m always skeptical. But I still can’t help but be excited for next season, especially if they make some key additions on the offensive side of the ball.
The guys over at WDR give us a checklist of what they WhoDeys need to do this off-season. It seems pretty simple and obvious, but it’s pretty much spot on.

I’m about done with this whole Conan O’Brien/Jay Leno saga. Leno is an attention whore douche bag who realized what a horrible decision he made last year, so now he’s whining. The worst thing is that the NBC executives are giving in. I don’t watch a whole lot of late night TV, but I have watched enough to know that Conan is funny and Jay Leno is not. NBC is making a terrible mistake.
But really, in the grand scheme of things, how ridiculous is this. Craig Ferguson put it perfectly:

“At the end of the day, it’s a bunch of middle-aged white guys arguing about who will get X-million dollars — who gives a shit?”

I wish I had something funny to leave you with, but I’ve got nothing really. So I will go with something that we were quoting for most of our two weeks abroad.

Altiora.

I am back.

Brussels and Amsterdam were absolutely amazing. Went way too fast and I’m already missing it, but I am excited to get back home and get ready for CoMo later this week. I guess I could give you some highlights from my travels, but you can ask me any questions you have and I will respond. That way, I know what you want to hear about. In the meantime, here are some of the cooler photos from my journey:

Grand Place during the Light Show.

The Atomium in Brussels

One of Amsterdam's many canals frozen over after a lot of winter weather.

Now then…I’ve had these thoughts brewing for over a week now, so I am going to go ahead and give you my final analysis on the end of the college football season.
–Mizzou lost to a Navy team that is not as bad as a lot of people would like to think. Sure, they looked horrible after Danario’s TD, but Navy’s a good squad. That being said, I wonder about next year. Gabbert’s good. I don’t doubt that. The running game gets D-Wash and De’Vion Moore back, but they were largely ineffective for most of the season. With Spoon and D. Alexander NFL-bound, who do the Tigers look to on both sides of the ball? It will be interesting to see.
–I missed a lot of the bowls, considering I left for Europe on the 27th, but I caught some highlights and watched a few before I left.
The Wyoming/Fresno St. match-up in the season’s first bowl game was a classic. 2 OTs and a big win for former Mizzou O-coordinator Dave Christensen. A big turn-around for him and the Cowboys, as they finished 7-6 for their first winning season since ‘04.
The bowl Cincy almost fell to turned out to be a good game. Pitt came out on top in the Meineke Car Care Bowl thanks to a late field goal in a hard-fought win over UNC.
Northwestern blew another golden opportunity at a bowl win. Granted, Auburn basically handed them the game down the stretch, but it’s brutal to miss two field goals in the closing seconds and then try a trick play in overtime before losing by three. All after pissing away their chance to end their bowl losing streak last season against my Tigers in the Alamo Bowl.
Texas Tech came out on top after a ton of adversity. It isn’t easy to play in a bowl game only a week after your head coach is fired amid a whirlwind of controversy. Then your starting QB goes down. And the Red Raiders still hung in there and came back before edging Michigan State 41-31.
How about the ‘nads showed by Idaho coach Robb Akey in the Humanitarian Bowl? Goes for two with :02 on the clock to knock of Bowling Green. I love the call even if it is an essentially meaningless bowl game (like all of them but one, but that’s another story). He would catch a ton of crap if he blew it, but he did it anyway. But don’t let the loss overshadow how good BGSU wideout Freddie Barnes is. Got to see him in person, and he’s the real deal. If you don’t believe me, I think his NCAA-record 155 receptions this year speaks for itself. That’s after the senior only had 143 in his first three seasons. Not too shabby.
Impressive win for Nebraska in the shutout win over Arizona. 33 points was the most their offense managed since beating Louisiana-Lafayette 55-0 back in mid-September. The Holiday Bowl win gave the Huskers their first 10-win season since 2003. I think Nebraska football is very close to being back.
–The first ever non-national title game with two perfect teams lived up to its billing. I still think this was the BCS keeping both of these teams from proving anything against the “big boys,” but it was the perfect way to do so. The game didn’t disappoint. Hard-fought classic that came down to the final seconds. Some trickery by Boise St. and the Broncos turning the table on the Horned Frogs by making the big defensive plays. All-around good stuff.
–Terrelle Pryor stepping up in the Rose Bowl was a shocker to me. I knew Ohio State’s defense would have a tough task stopping Oregon’s offense, and they did a good job of it, but I never expected TP to help them as much as he did. A big win for the Buckeyes, to say the least.
–Lots of credit to Garrett Gilbert for the BCS National Title Game. Couldn’t have imagined a tougher scenario to come in, and his coaches hurt him with the play calls in the first half. But a lot of good things came when he got the chance to work in the second half. It’s still a shame we couldn’t see that game with Colt McCoy. A lot of things left to wonder about as a result.
But still credit Alabama. They are a very good team and are extremely deserving of a national title. Last year, there was a lot of talk about Utah and their credibility for a share of the title. This year, Boise went undefeated. But no one is questioning ‘Bama because they are that good. I’m not saying it’s right, but they deserve almost all of the credit they’re getting.
–Lastly, let me touch on the Sugar Bowl. Cincinnati is good. Florida is better. There’s no denying that. There was little that said otherwise going into the game. And then Florida was clicking on all cylinders while Cincinnati got off to a slow start and never recovered. I understand that. Cincy is far from being a elite college football program. That’s why I don’t mind this blowout as much. The Bearcats were dominated by a bigger, faster, better and more talented Gator team. No denying it. No way to deny it. That’s all I have on the Sugar Bowl.
That game doesn’t take away from what UC did this season. 12-0 is special.

This video is all pictures, but I like the song better. So I’m posting it, too.

The margin for error is so small in college football that an undefeated regular season is something special. You can ask anyone. Even if people want to downplay Cincinnati’s competition, a 12-0 regular season is an accomplishment. Especially considering you had a potential Heisman QB go down midway through the season in what was the toughest game up to that point. No team has ever gone undefeated when starting more than one quarterback. Even with one, it’s tough. I think that says a lot about this team and the potential this Cincinnati program has. I’m excited for the future of Bearcat football. And I am grateful to all of the people who brought it to the heights no one ever thought possible.
Now, we look ahead. Cincinnati has done what it’s done the last three years behind, with all due respect, relative “nobodies” on their roster. Cincinnati isn’t getting the same recruits as a Florida, USC, Ohio State, Alabama, or even West Virginia has gotten. They don’t have the history of programs to lure recruits like Florida State, Miami or Michigan. What they have is a bunch of self-made players and a program that has begun building with smaller, slower and less talented players than a lot of people they’ve faced.
It is for that reason that I don’t think Cincinnati is going to be just a flash-in-the-pan program. They’re already getting some respect in the “Way-too-early Top 25.” I think, if Butch Jones can do his thing, this program has staying power. Brian Kelly laid the foundation – fan base, attention (nationally and locally), money and facilities. Butch Jones has the chance to build on that.

Even with BK, T. Pike and Party Mardy gone, I still expect many more celebrations like this for UC football.

–This is getting long and I’m about done with typing, so I will only briefly touch on the end to the Bengals season. I was very much excited for this year’s team. I thought, even with all the weaknesses we’d seen the past six to seven weeks, they had a chance to at least give me something to cheer about. And they did…for half a quarter.
They lost to a good Jets team with a superior game plan. The fact that Bob Bratkowski can’t make Carson Palmer look better than Mark Sanchez is a joke. Even with the best defense in the league, a good offensive game plan behind a very good running game and a good defense should’ve been enough for the win. Maybe, with Ced Benson running wild, a play action pass would’ve been a good call. But I’m no Bob Bratkowski, so I don’t know if that’d be a good idea. Unbelievable.
Step one this off-season: Fire Brat.
Step two: keep Mike Zimmer.
Step three: get Carson and Ochocinco some help in the passing game.
Step four: be ready for a much tougher schedule next season. That means more depth on defense. You could tell they were running out of gas.
Step five: I don’t really know. I just have four steps right now. But I think they’re all good ones.

–Now, courtesy of my sister, I leave you with a few laughs…spelling bee style.
–First, how awkward is this kid? Especially from an aspiring journalist’s point of view, this may be the worst and most uncomfortable interview ever. Kudos to this chick for (mostly) keeping it together.

–And now, this kid’s not awkward. Just an unfortunate, yet hilarious, miscommunication. Everyone was thinking it, and I love that he said it. A very good line at the :45 mark.

Altiora.

Amsterdam is a blast.

I’d love to give you a big fat post about my time in Amsterdam thus far, but I’m napping this afternoon before dinner and some bevvies precede our trip to The Ice Bar. I am, in a word, excited.
Went to the original Heineken Brewery yesterday for the “Heineken Experience.” It was a blast. We spent almost three hours there. Easily some of the most fun I’ve had on the trip. Check out a little preview of it here. I’ll have more when I can upload pictures from my camera (or off other people’s facebooks).
Only three more days here in Nederland, so I’m hoping to make the most of it. Hope you all are living it up back in the States.
And this is exciting. My excitement cannot be put into words.

Hoping to have another post up soon after my return to the USA. Until then…
Altiora.