Sportsmeat

Yes, we’ve been pretty terrible bloggers lately, but we’re aces on Tuesdays. With this post we will have blogged every Tuesday in February. So at least we have that going for us, which is nice.

Anyway, I learned my lesson from football and will wait to start breaking down NCAA Tournament teams for at least another week. But we do have a pretty good take on the players’ resumes for the year. Thus, here is my pick for Player of the Year in each of the major conferences, along with my All-America team:

ACC
Sean Singletary, G, Virginia
The Cavs were picked as a middle-of-the-road team in the ACC, but Singletary has elevated them into the elite. UVA already has a first-round bye in the ACC Tournament and stands an excellent shot at the ACC title. It’s easy to make a case for Boston College F Jared Dudley, who leads the conference in scoring (19.6) and is second in rebounding (8.6), but he hasn’t come up big in the big situations like Singletary has. Moreover, Singletary’s prime numbers (18.6 points, 4.7 assists, 4.4 rebounds, 1.3 steals) are enough to offset his 40 percent shooting percentage.

Big 12
Kevin Durant, F, Texas
For me, the Big 12 Player of the Year race is pretty much the National Player of the Year race. Acie Law has been spectacular for Texas A&M. He takes over ballgames when they matter, having single-handedly outscored the Aggies’ opponents in the last four minutes of games this season, and has the makings of an NCAA Tournament star. Still, he has the misfortune of playing in the same conference as this year’s transcendent player—Durant. The one-and-done freshman leads the Big 12 with 24.7 points and 11.3 rebounds (three more than the second-best), shoots 48 percent from the floor and averages 1.9 blocks and 1.9 steals per game. Perhaps most importantly, he has the Longhorns in the Big 12 title hunt despite Texas losing all five starters from last season.

Big East
Jeff Green, F, Georgetown
This award was supposed to come down to a battle of centers between Pitt’s Aaron Gray and G’town’s Roy Hibbert, but it is Green who has been the best player on the league’s best team. At 13.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists, his numbers don’t do justice to his importance to the Hoyas on the floor. On a low-scoring team, he is an unselfish leader who also shoots 52 percent from the field. Honorable mention to the top stats guys, Syracuse’s Demetris Nichols and Marquette’s Dominic James, as well as Providence’s Herbert Hill.

Big Ten
Alando Tucker, G/F, Wisconsin
With all due respect to Ohio State freshmen Mike Conley and Greg Oden, as well as Michigan State’s Drew Neitzel, this might be the easiest call of any conference. Tucker is the undisputed leader of the Badgers, who would not make the NCAA Tournament without him. On a team not known for lighting up the scoreboard, Tucker averages 19.9 points per game while chipping in 5.4 rebounds and shooting 48 percent from the floor. The one knock on Tucker (and the one that could hurt the Badgers in the NCAAs)? He shoots just 65 percent from the foul line.

Pac-10
Darren Collison, G, UCLA
Collison wins along the same lines as Green in the Big East—as the most indispensable player on a team with legitimate Final 4 aspirations. Oregon G Aaron Brooks (18.5 points, 4.5 assists, 4.6 rebounds) looked to have this award sewn up just a few weeks ago, but Oregon has sputtered as UCLA has thrived, giving Collison the leg up. He replaced Jordan Farmar and has made the Bruins better, averaging 13 points and 6 assists, along with 2.3 rebounds, and has an assist-to-turnover margin of 2.1-to-1. He also shoots 51 percent from the floor, 79 percent from the foul line and 49 percent from behind the arc.

SEC
Joakim Noah, C, Florida
Had he stayed healthy all season, Tennessee G Chris Lofton would likely have won this award, and Alabama’s Richard Hendrix (15 points, 9 rebounds), Vanderbilt’s Derrick Byars (17 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists) and South Carolina’s Tre Kelley (19 points, 5 assists) certainly make strong cases, but it’s hard not to give this award to a Florida player. Which Florida player, however, is certainly more difficult—Al Horford (12.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.8 blocks, 60 percent shooting) and Noah (12.2 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.8 blocks, 61 percent shooting) have nearly identical stats, but it is Noah’s energy that makes the difference. He sets the tone for the Gators and his length and defense allow them to take risks on the perimeter.

All-Americans
G Sean Singletary, Virginia
G Acie Law, Texas A&M
F Alando Tucker, Wisconsin
F Kevin Durant, Texas
C Nick Fazekas, Nevada (20.9 points, 11.4 rebounds, 59 percent shooting percentage)

National Player of the Year: Kevin Durant, Texas

ESPN does this not infrequently, so yes, I’m blatantly stealing from them—the gist is that they take a team and say how they could make it better. This is not a WFAN listener suggestion-type thing, where you solve all a team’s problems by trading Al Jefferson and Delonte West for Dwyane Wade and Shaq, but a legitimate way to make a team at least a little bit better.

And since I (a) read about the Knicks every day and (b) find them fascinating in a car-wreck kind of way, here it goes:

Start David Lee
This is a pretty easy suggestion, actually, yet Isiah seems inexplicably against it. In general, I’ve never understood why you wouldn’t just start your five best players. The bigger issue here, however, is this: If the Knicks plan to build an offense around Eddy Curry, which seems the case, he needs a good partner in the frontcourt. Lee, unlike Channing Frye, offsets Curry’s weaknesses. The big issue is that Curry is a lousy rebounder; Lee is an excellent one. Moreover, Lee doesn’t need a lot of touches, which is a good thing since Curry will get most of them. Plus, going big at the 4 and 5 allows the Knicks to go small and leave Q Richardson (one of their five best players, unlike Jarred Jeffries) at the 3, Jamal Crawford at the 2 and Marbury at the point.

Cut Steve Francis
This was a dumb trade to start, and keeping an unhappy Francis around is not going to help matters. Plus, he just doesn’t fit. He and Marbury really are too similar—essentially, both can score and neither makes his teammates better. But Marbury is the better player, so he stays. I know it sucks to eat Francis’s salary, but the Knicks have to admit a few mistakes if they are going to move forward.

Acquire a Real Backup Point Guard
The funny thing about the Francis trade (nauseating, perhaps, if you’re a Knicks fan) is that the Knicks could have used the same pieces to get Earl Watson, a legit point guard and team guy who would be perfect playing 20 minutes a game at the point. I have no idea if Watson is still available, but maybe Brevin Knight is. Or someone to the effect where they will distribute the ball, play a little D and be happy with 15 minutes a game. This person would be one of three reserves, along with Jeffries (Q could always slide to the 2 to spell Crawford in such cases) and Frye (offense off the bench). Then, if you need energy, bring in Nate Robinson (who is definitely NOT a point guard) or Renaldo Balkman, and if you need fouls, bring in Jerome James. But these three—Robinson, Balkman, James—should be complementary parts, not part of the regular rotation (though I think Balkman could become one in the future).

Conclusion
The Knicks are not going to become a championship team with the players on the current roster. It’s just not going to happen. But they can be a solid playoff contender in the East, and then hope they get lucky in the draft or in free agency. Or, if the Knicks ever have a first-round pick again, maybe David Stern will rig the ping pong balls to bounce their way. If not that, have Clyde suit up.

On Feb. 14 each year, I think of a special lady that most Sportsmeaters knew pretty well not too long ago. In the interests of anonymity, I'll use a single initial: D., our dear fraternity chef, whose barely-heated chicken patties and greasy fries kept dozens of young men running to the bathroom for the better part of their last three years of college. D., who answered our plea for more vegetables with an assortment of beer-battered, deep-fried carrots, cauliflower and broccoli. D., who never heard a joke too crass to re-tell. D., whose flirtations were both hilarious and revolting. D., a woman the likes of which I never knew before college and haven't met since.

But why on Valentine's Day? Did I have a crush on D.? Oh God no. But it was on Valentine's Day that D. had the idea to do something special for ol' SAE. She baked (bought?) a heart-shaped cake, and iced upon it a very special message. She started with "Happy" in large cursive, but realizing she needed to be brief, with just a narrow space below, she decided to abbreviate. And that is how our dessert for the night came to read "Happy V.D." Not exactly the sentiment you want to see three hours before a date party, but there it is. Happy V.D., boys.

Does Isiah Thomas deserve to have a book written about his business acumen? Does he deserve two books? No, and hell no. But he does deserve to keep his job as coach of the Knicks. At 22-29, the Knicks are much improved. Eddy Curry has evolved from a player with potential to a legitimate star (albeit a star who blocks about one shot per week). Stephon Marbury has seen his stats decline but has not whined much about it (lately, or at least not publicly). David Lee is making a case for the Sixth Man award (why isn't he starting again?). And in the awful Atlantic, the Knicks' playoff hopes could remain realistic through March at least.

Yes, every silver lining for the Knicks has a cloud, and the recent SI piece about Dolan and Thomas confirmed every Knick fan's worst fears about the long-term prospects for this franchise. And yes, Thomas' contributions to the team's cap hell are inexcusable. But in the interest of short-term sanity, and keeping Curry moving in the right direction, Isiah must stay. Wow, it's not fun to type that.

Pitchers and catchers report in nine days.


+2 pride points to the 'Meater who comes up with the best John Amaechi-related comment to this post.

Since the Super Bowl ended, pretty much all the talk has been about Peyton Manning and his place in football history. I long ago gave up trying to quantify how good Otto Graham, Sammy Baugh, John Unitas, etc., were, but I can evaluate the quarterbacks I’ve seen. So, with no further adieu, here are the 10 best QBs I’ve ever seen:

1. Joe Montana; 2. Dan Marino; 3. John Elway; 4. Peyton Manning; 5. Brett Favre; 6. Tom Brady; 7. Troy Aikman; 8. Jim Kelly; 9. Steve Young; 10. Warren Moon.

The tough calls here were between Marino and Elway for No. 2, and the Nos. 4-6 on Manning, Brady and Favre. I feel like I should go with Elway for the two Super Bowl rings, but I just remember Marino so well. The guy was unreal—the quick release, the balls he threw on a line—and he never did have much of a running game or a defense.

As to the others: I went with Manning at No. 4 because of his two MVPs and the fact that he’ll hold every record when he’s done—and how often is it that a total team player also sets the records? Favre was amazing for a six-year stretch, winning three MVPs and a Super Bowl. But all the INTs he’s thrown over the years definitely hurt him and, I think, when it’s all said and done, I’ll probably have Brady ahead of him. Brady at No. 6 is largely the result of him only being a full-time starter for five years. Given, he’s won three Super Bowls, which is why he got to No. 6, but I think he needs to sustain his level for a few more years to rise higher. Getting him a few receivers would help.

Thoughts? Did I leave anyone obvious out (Ken O’Brien perhaps, maybe Bubby Brister)?

Big Thunder's near-perfect call (Colts 30, Bears 17) helped to earn him 17 of a possible 19 points (the Grammys aren't until next Sunday) in the Super Bowl Pride Point Challenge and pushed him up to third place. Other participants were close behind: Budds 16, Snoop 14, EJ 13, Dave Law 8, and Maxipriest 7.

With these scores added to the tally, here's one final look at the football season Pride Point standings:

Budds ............... 159

E.J. ................. 142

Big Thunder ........ 133

Snoop ............... 129

Dave Law ........... 127

Maxipriest .......... 126

Big Grille ............. 61

Y.A. Shoes ........... 59

Joey D. .............. 32

Foamdust ............. 2

Maxipriest could move up to a tie with Dave Law if James Blunt wins two or more Grammys. Otherwise, the standings are final.

... You have to give so much credit to the Colts’ game plan for last night’s win. Throughout the last two weeks, I kept reading about how Urlacher made the Bears’ defense go because he was able to get so deep in the two-deep zone and take away the middle of the field. The Colt’s conceded that and passed beneath Urlacher. The result was 10 tackles for Urlacher and 13 for Lance Briggs, but also 10 catches for Joseph Addai (for a mere 65 yards, but still), 24 first downs (to 11 for the Bears), 81 plays (to 49 for the Bears) and a Colts’ offense that held the ball for 38 minutes. Moreover, the Colts had an astonishing 42 rushes and 25 pass completions, allowing them to completely control the game.

-) I guess I’m OK with Peyton Manning getting the MVP, but that’s largely because everyone on the Colts played well without anyone standing out. Addai has 10 catches, Dominic Rhodes rushes for 113 yards, the Colts’ dimeback (Hayden) returns an INT for a touchdown (a backbreaker and an awful, awful throw by Rex Grossman) and Bob Sanders gets a pick. The Colts’ defense, overall, was terrific. I can’t ever remember a defense turning it around from regular season to postseason like that.

-) The Bears have some real concern heading into next season. Thomas Jones (unquestionably the Bears’ MVP last night) is not going to be happy platooning with Cedric Benson for another year, and Benson is getting paid a lot of money to be a backup. Something has to give there (of course, this could depend on the severity of Benson’s knee injury).

Also, Grossman was terrible last night—and it’s not the first time this season. I’ve been one of the few who thought Lovie Smith did the right thing by leaving him as the starter. It’s his first full year as a starter, and if you benched him this year, you were essentially writing Grossman off. But maybe they should. A lot of first-time starters in similar situations have played pretty well—Chad Pennington, Tom Brady, Philip Rivers, Tony Romo—and Grossman simply did not. Maybe he will mature, but the Bears have to be worried.

-) Who would have thought that, in the two biggest football games of the year, a team would return the opening kickoff for a touchdown—and lose by double digits? Weird.

Budds and I were emailing recently (and by recently, I mean today) when the topic came up of how the sports world would fare in a fight with Serena Williams. Budds' supposition is that Serena could take any female athlete of the non-boxing variety (ie, not Laila Ali). I think he's right, so then I thought of what men she could take. Certainly me, but that's not much of an accomplishment. Probably most kickers. Channing Frye? Maybe. Peter McNeeley? Almost definitely. But the most interesting test is golf.

Here's what we came up with:
Tiger. She'd stand a fighting chance (so to speak)
Mickelson. While I think Mickelson could take her out with a man boob to the chin, Budds thinks this would be largely one-sided in Serena's favor.
Ernie. Probably too soft.
Vijay. Budds thinks Singh's lankiness could work against him, but he is pretty nasty and would likely fight dirty.
Davis Love III. This would get ugly. You could give Davis his three-wood and he'd still get handled.
John Daly. Budds made a good point here. Daly would probably have the upper hand off the bat, but then run short of breath.

Anyway, who else do you think could take Serena? Or vice versa?

As a very wise man once sang, "You gotta have cheese for the summerhouse piece on South Beach." And you gotta have 'meat to get Pride Point treats from your Super Bowl couch seat. Or something like that. Without any more intro babble...

The game:

Indianapolis –7 Chicago O/U 48.5

Big Thunder’s call is Colts 30, Bears 17, Colts to win and cover, 1 point under the over/under.
E.J. picks a score of Colts 27, Bears 21, Colts win, Bears cover, and the under on the over/under.
And Budds predicts Colts 24, Bears 13, Colts win, Colts cover, and the under, just like Thunder.

The peripherals:

Berrian receiving yards vs. Tiger Woods final round score
Addai longest rush yds vs. Josh McRoberts points + rebounds
Manning TD passes vs. James Blunt Grammy wins [for the record, he has five nominations]
Coin Toss - heads vs. tails
And team that calls the first timeout

Big Thunder takes Berrian, McRoberts, Peyton, tails and Colts.
E.J. goes with Berrian, McRoberts, James Blunt, heads and Colts
And Budds says Berrian, McRoberts, Manning, tails and Bears.

Five points each for the three "game" picks (winner, cover, over/under) and one point each for the five fun ones.