Monday, March 31, 2008
Updating the Brackets
It's a pretty predictable Final 4, which means no one got it right becuase everyone tried to outsmart themselves and not pick all the No. 1 seeds (prime example, myself, who on March 4 unequivocally named UNC, Kansas, Memphis and UCLA the best four teams in the country but still picked Tennessee to win the East).
Regardless, we have some pools to update. In the from-the-beginning pool I'm currently clinging to a one-point lead over Esau (242 to 241), with Joe coming in at 215 and Maxipriest at 179). Esau has UNC to win, I have Kansas, so ostensibly the winner of that game will decide the pool.
In the re-do as of the Sweet 16 pool (scoring 1-2-4-6), we have
Snoop - 7 points for Sweet 16 - 6 points for Elite 8 = 13 points total
EJ - 5 - 6 = 11 points
Budds - 5 - 4 = 9 points
Joe - 5 - 4 = 9 points
Snoop and Joe have UNC over Texas, which eliminates Joe
Budds has UNC over UCLA
And I have Kansas over UCLA
Regardless, we have some pools to update. In the from-the-beginning pool I'm currently clinging to a one-point lead over Esau (242 to 241), with Joe coming in at 215 and Maxipriest at 179). Esau has UNC to win, I have Kansas, so ostensibly the winner of that game will decide the pool.
In the re-do as of the Sweet 16 pool (scoring 1-2-4-6), we have
Snoop - 7 points for Sweet 16 - 6 points for Elite 8 = 13 points total
EJ - 5 - 6 = 11 points
Budds - 5 - 4 = 9 points
Joe - 5 - 4 = 9 points
Snoop and Joe have UNC over Texas, which eliminates Joe
Budds has UNC over UCLA
And I have Kansas over UCLA
Monday, March 24, 2008
From 64 to 16
Missives from the greatest weekend in sports:
My Best Hit: Davidson over Georgetown. I got a couple of others – Nova over Clemson, W. Kentucky over Drake, Siena over Vandy, but cancelled those out by picking Oral Roberts over Pitt, St. Joe’s over Oklahoma and Temple over Michigan State – but I was feeling good yesterday when Davidson clipped Georgetown. While we’re here, Stephen Curry has clearly been the best player in the tourney so far, going for 70 points (55 in the second halves) so far. He reminds me so much of J.J. Redick – a great shooter who has the ability to drive around you if you crowd him.
My Biggest Miss: USC to the Elite 8. I kind of fell for USC after watching them play in the Pac-10 tournament, and got nailed when Bill Walker rolled over them in the first round. This also cleared the way for Wisconsin, which is better than I gave it credit for. In fact, the Big 10 has not laid the egg I expected. Which brings me to …
My Biggest Surprise: Michigan State. I don’t think anyone is that surprised to see Villanova in the Sweet 16 (for the third time in four years) and the Western Kentucky and San Diego upsets were not complete shockers (particularly after UConn’s A.J. Price went down), but I really did think Temple would beat Michigan State. And I was pretty certain Pitt would as well. Tom Izzo has clearly earned his place as one of the country’s best tourney coaches, and I’m the idiot who keeps ignoring that.
Best Game: Easter cut into my TV watching yesterday, but the best game of the first three days was Drake and Western Kentucky. Take away the buzzer beater and it was still a great game – tons of scoring, running, clutch shots. And that last shot was pretty sweet.
Bad Draws: Gonzaga, which deserved a No. 7 seed (and maybe better) but got stuck playing a Davidson team that is much better than a No. 10; this should have been a second-round should have been a second-round game. Also Butler, which is probably the best mid-major team but got stuck against the best No. 2 seed (Tennessee) in the second round; this should have been a Sweet 16 game.
Good Draws: Kansas, which has a relatively easy road to the Final 4, probably the easiest of the top seeds (because Xavier can test UCLA). Oklahoma, which should have been a 10 seed and should have lost in the first round, but drew a St. Joe’s squad that probably should have been in the NIT (and don’t think Zona State and Va. Tech don’t agree). Of course, St. Joe’s beat Xavier twice down the stretch and I have Xavier going to the Elite 8, so it’s fair to argue against me on this one.
Good to be 3: All No. 1s and all No. 3s are still alive, with No. 2s Georgetown and Duke gone. The only other popular Final 4 pick to be upended so far is Pitt, meaning we have a good chance of a lot of favorites playing into April.
Sweet 16 Bracket?: OK, the Sportsmeat tourney pool has been a bit of a bust, but does anyone have any interest in trying to re-run a pool from the Sweet 16 on? If so, I’ll make it happen. If not, I’ll just call it a day.
My Best Hit: Davidson over Georgetown. I got a couple of others – Nova over Clemson, W. Kentucky over Drake, Siena over Vandy, but cancelled those out by picking Oral Roberts over Pitt, St. Joe’s over Oklahoma and Temple over Michigan State – but I was feeling good yesterday when Davidson clipped Georgetown. While we’re here, Stephen Curry has clearly been the best player in the tourney so far, going for 70 points (55 in the second halves) so far. He reminds me so much of J.J. Redick – a great shooter who has the ability to drive around you if you crowd him.
My Biggest Miss: USC to the Elite 8. I kind of fell for USC after watching them play in the Pac-10 tournament, and got nailed when Bill Walker rolled over them in the first round. This also cleared the way for Wisconsin, which is better than I gave it credit for. In fact, the Big 10 has not laid the egg I expected. Which brings me to …
My Biggest Surprise: Michigan State. I don’t think anyone is that surprised to see Villanova in the Sweet 16 (for the third time in four years) and the Western Kentucky and San Diego upsets were not complete shockers (particularly after UConn’s A.J. Price went down), but I really did think Temple would beat Michigan State. And I was pretty certain Pitt would as well. Tom Izzo has clearly earned his place as one of the country’s best tourney coaches, and I’m the idiot who keeps ignoring that.
Best Game: Easter cut into my TV watching yesterday, but the best game of the first three days was Drake and Western Kentucky. Take away the buzzer beater and it was still a great game – tons of scoring, running, clutch shots. And that last shot was pretty sweet.
Bad Draws: Gonzaga, which deserved a No. 7 seed (and maybe better) but got stuck playing a Davidson team that is much better than a No. 10; this should have been a second-round should have been a second-round game. Also Butler, which is probably the best mid-major team but got stuck against the best No. 2 seed (Tennessee) in the second round; this should have been a Sweet 16 game.
Good Draws: Kansas, which has a relatively easy road to the Final 4, probably the easiest of the top seeds (because Xavier can test UCLA). Oklahoma, which should have been a 10 seed and should have lost in the first round, but drew a St. Joe’s squad that probably should have been in the NIT (and don’t think Zona State and Va. Tech don’t agree). Of course, St. Joe’s beat Xavier twice down the stretch and I have Xavier going to the Elite 8, so it’s fair to argue against me on this one.
Good to be 3: All No. 1s and all No. 3s are still alive, with No. 2s Georgetown and Duke gone. The only other popular Final 4 pick to be upended so far is Pitt, meaning we have a good chance of a lot of favorites playing into April.
Sweet 16 Bracket?: OK, the Sportsmeat tourney pool has been a bit of a bust, but does anyone have any interest in trying to re-run a pool from the Sweet 16 on? If so, I’ll make it happen. If not, I’ll just call it a day.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
I Must Be Working Late ...
... because the following quote from the ESPN article about the Dodgers leaving Dodgertown made me laugh until I ... stopped.
"In an era when spring training has become big business, this complex was more like baseball's petting zoo, where players were encouraged to chat with fans and sign their balls."
And yes, I am in my 30s....
(Incidentally, the residents of Dodgertown are gonna feel awful silly from now on when they tell people where they are from...)
Be sure to participate in the Sportsmeat Bracket Challenge (the "SpoBraCha")! See instructions in EJ's post below.
And yes, I am in my 30s....
(Incidentally, the residents of Dodgertown are gonna feel awful silly from now on when they tell people where they are from...)
Be sure to participate in the Sportsmeat Bracket Challenge (the "SpoBraCha")! See instructions in EJ's post below.
Monday, March 17, 2008
It's Madness All Right
Ok. We have a tournament pool to set up for the Sportsmeat faithful and more casual meaters. If I did this thing right, most of you should get an email to join the pool. If I didn't, go to http://sportsmeat.mayhem.sportsline.com and let's see what happens. If it helps, the ID is "Sportsmeat" and the Password is "Helmet" -- as in my go-to poster after saying stupid crap during Sportsmeat the Radio Show (the precursor to Sportsmeat the Blog).
To induce people to pick upsets (because what fun is a tourney pool with no upsets) the pool rewards upset picks with bonus points (this is particularly true in the opneing rounds - a breakdown of the rules is available on the site). I'll post updates on the Sportsmeat site as the tourney wears on.
If anyone cannot get on for any reason, let me know. I think I need to invite you and either a) don't have your email address (Dave Law, I'm looking in your direction) or b) have the wrong email address.
To induce people to pick upsets (because what fun is a tourney pool with no upsets) the pool rewards upset picks with bonus points (this is particularly true in the opneing rounds - a breakdown of the rules is available on the site). I'll post updates on the Sportsmeat site as the tourney wears on.
If anyone cannot get on for any reason, let me know. I think I need to invite you and either a) don't have your email address (Dave Law, I'm looking in your direction) or b) have the wrong email address.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Haile Yeah
Haile Gebrselassie’s recently decided to forgo the marathon in the Summer Olympics that never should have been. Gebrselassie’s is but the latest in a series of moves from athletes and entertainers—Steven Spielberg recently dropped out of his role as artistic adviser due to China’s involvement in Darfur—who are concerned with the poor air quality in Beijing and/or China’s dubious history on human rights.
There is a large segment of the population that does not believe politics should play a role in selecting cities for the Olympics. Even taking this argument into consideration, Beijing’s status as one of the most polluted cities in the world should have given the IOC some pause. Gebrselassie suffers from exercise-induced asthma, as does tennis’ world No. 1 Justine Henin, who is also considering skipping the Games for health reasons.
Also, in my eyes, it is impossible to overlook the human rights considerations. A popular argument is that it is best to work toward incremental change, and that such change is best effected from the inside. By that reasoning, holding the Olympics in Beijing draws attention to China’s record on human rights in a way that could put pressure on the country to alter its current course. I sincerely hope that is true. But more likely, the IOC bestowing the Olympics on Beijing will reinforce China’s belief that what they are doing—and the manner in which they conduct affairs—is OK. Simple logic tells you not to reward bad behavior.
Handing out Olympic bids is not a political action. This is not about China’s standing as a communist country. And certainly there is an argument to be made that nearly every nation has some political downside (many others would oppose Russia for its crackdown on press freedoms or the U.S. based on scandals such as Abu Ghraib or Blackwater). But the dual demerits of poor air quality and a poor record on human rights seem an incurable black stain in China’s case. A more prudent stance for the IOC would have been to tell China why they were out of the running, that changes need to be made before it can be considered for an Olympic bid in the future. Perhaps that is not the IOC’s place. Perhaps it should be.
Understandably, the Chinese people decried Speilberg’s actions, as they did those of the singer Bjork after she chanted “Tibet” at the end of a recent concert. If any athletes follow her lead at the Olympics, they will earn the eternal enmity of the Chinese people. They will also earn my absolute respect.
There is a large segment of the population that does not believe politics should play a role in selecting cities for the Olympics. Even taking this argument into consideration, Beijing’s status as one of the most polluted cities in the world should have given the IOC some pause. Gebrselassie suffers from exercise-induced asthma, as does tennis’ world No. 1 Justine Henin, who is also considering skipping the Games for health reasons.
Also, in my eyes, it is impossible to overlook the human rights considerations. A popular argument is that it is best to work toward incremental change, and that such change is best effected from the inside. By that reasoning, holding the Olympics in Beijing draws attention to China’s record on human rights in a way that could put pressure on the country to alter its current course. I sincerely hope that is true. But more likely, the IOC bestowing the Olympics on Beijing will reinforce China’s belief that what they are doing—and the manner in which they conduct affairs—is OK. Simple logic tells you not to reward bad behavior.
Handing out Olympic bids is not a political action. This is not about China’s standing as a communist country. And certainly there is an argument to be made that nearly every nation has some political downside (many others would oppose Russia for its crackdown on press freedoms or the U.S. based on scandals such as Abu Ghraib or Blackwater). But the dual demerits of poor air quality and a poor record on human rights seem an incurable black stain in China’s case. A more prudent stance for the IOC would have been to tell China why they were out of the running, that changes need to be made before it can be considered for an Olympic bid in the future. Perhaps that is not the IOC’s place. Perhaps it should be.
Understandably, the Chinese people decried Speilberg’s actions, as they did those of the singer Bjork after she chanted “Tibet” at the end of a recent concert. If any athletes follow her lead at the Olympics, they will earn the eternal enmity of the Chinese people. They will also earn my absolute respect.
Friday, March 07, 2008
Shoulder-pad Feminism
When I heard Maureen Dowd talking about the role of "shoulder-pad feminism" in Hillary Clinton's resurgance, I immediately thought of Helen Hunt's inspirational title character in Quarterback Princess. Yes, I'm pathetic. But if you've seen the film, you understand. It's the story of a small-town girl with a dream to play football. And try as they might to squash that dream, the men of this story are powerless against the strong will and accurate arm of Tami Maida (had to look that one up -- Princess Vespa, incidentally, plays the sister; funny, she doesn't look Druish). It's A League of Their Own meets Remember the Titans before either of those existed. I highly recommend adding this to your Netflix queue. That goes for you, too, Hillary, if you're reading (and I know you are).Thursday, March 06, 2008
I'll Take "Things I Think That I Shouldn't Say Out Loud" For $2,000, Alex
Via Awful Announcing, the clip below is the winner of the Sportsmeat Award (the "Meaty") for Best Awkward Silence in a Sports Related Clip:
While I'm blatantly stealing from Awful Announcing, I might as well include this entertaining transcript from the Dan Patrick Show of Bruce Pearl discussing his full court press on Erin Andrews:
DP: [During the Memphis game], you can't be putting your hands on Erin Andrews at halftime, Coach.
BP: Erin is a terrific sideline reporter, she knows the game, but she's also very engaging. I actually called her and texted her back, and I apologized if in any way that was unprofessional.
DP: Is texting her an NCAA violation?
BP: No, she's not a prospect.
DP: Oh, yes, she is.
BP: She's way out of my league when it comes to that category.
DP: You're not even a mid-major?
BP: Absolutely not. I'm D-II.
DP: When is the last time you accidentally broke an NCAA rule?
BP: Probably sometime in this conversation.
And just 'cuz:
While I'm blatantly stealing from Awful Announcing, I might as well include this entertaining transcript from the Dan Patrick Show of Bruce Pearl discussing his full court press on Erin Andrews:
DP: [During the Memphis game], you can't be putting your hands on Erin Andrews at halftime, Coach.
BP: Erin is a terrific sideline reporter, she knows the game, but she's also very engaging. I actually called her and texted her back, and I apologized if in any way that was unprofessional.
DP: Is texting her an NCAA violation?
BP: No, she's not a prospect.
DP: Oh, yes, she is.
BP: She's way out of my league when it comes to that category.
DP: You're not even a mid-major?
BP: Absolutely not. I'm D-II.
DP: When is the last time you accidentally broke an NCAA rule?
BP: Probably sometime in this conversation.
And just 'cuz:
Labels: Awful Announcing, Awkward Silence, Bruce Pearl, Dan Patrick, Erin Andrews, Marathons, Racism
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Favre, Hoops, Mets, Jets
Quick hitters from the world of sports (a departure from our interlude into TV):
-) I feel like I should start with something about Brett Favre retiring, but I don’t have much interesting to say. I always thought this story by Peter King was kind of cool, and I have to say I’ve always really enjoyed watching him play. As to his place in the all-time greats, I’d put him sixth among quarterbacks I’ve seen – behind Montana, Brady, Manning, Marino and Elway and just ahead of Troy Aikman. Still, that’s a pretty good group.
-) I’m finally starting to get into college basketball and, at this point, I’d be surprised if the national champion came from outside these four teams: Kansas, Memphis, North Carolina and UCLA. I feel like they were essentially the favorites going into the season and still are. Duke, Texas, Tennessee and Stanford all have nice teams but lack the balance or the go-to player to win a title. (Given, Kansas also lacks a go-to guy but they are the deepest team in the field.)
-) The NBA MVP is clearly a two-man race at this point, between the two best players in the league (oddly enough, this doesn’t always happen). LeBron’s numbers are insane (30 points, 8 boards, 7.5 assists) and he is keeping a very mediocre team afloat, but my vote would still go to Kobe, who is both the Lakers’ best offensive and defensive player (and perhaps the league’s best).
-) We’ll have to work on a baseball preview pretty soon, but right now I’m a little wary of the Mets. If the season started tomorrow (and luckily there is still a month to go), 10 of the Mets’ 25-man roster wouldn’t be able to play. That’s not good. I love the (relatively) young nucleus of the team – Santana, Maine and Perez in the rotation and Wright, Reyes, Beltran in the field – but this team is relying on too many old players. And there is little depth in the minor leagues. If everything goes right, the Mets are the best team in the NL. But old players get hurt, and the Mets have a lot of old players.
-) NFL free agency always blows me away. People I have never heard of get huge contracts. And this time from the Jets. I hate Mangini. I hate the way this team is being run. Instead of devising a defense to meet his talent (DeWayne Robertson, Jonathan Vilma and Kerry Rhodes), Mangini kept his system and forced players into it. Now the Jets have dealt Vilma, a former Defensive Rookie of the Year, and are close to dealing Robertson, the former No. 4 overall pick, for essentially fourth-, fourth- and fifth-round draft picks. The Jets moves this offseason (adding Kris Jenkins, Damien Woody, Calvin Pace, Alan Faneca, etc.) will make them a better team this season, but I’m concerned about the financial repercussions down the road. Oh, and the Jets still have no game-breakers nor a set quarterback. It’s gonna be another long season.
-) I feel like I should start with something about Brett Favre retiring, but I don’t have much interesting to say. I always thought this story by Peter King was kind of cool, and I have to say I’ve always really enjoyed watching him play. As to his place in the all-time greats, I’d put him sixth among quarterbacks I’ve seen – behind Montana, Brady, Manning, Marino and Elway and just ahead of Troy Aikman. Still, that’s a pretty good group.
-) I’m finally starting to get into college basketball and, at this point, I’d be surprised if the national champion came from outside these four teams: Kansas, Memphis, North Carolina and UCLA. I feel like they were essentially the favorites going into the season and still are. Duke, Texas, Tennessee and Stanford all have nice teams but lack the balance or the go-to player to win a title. (Given, Kansas also lacks a go-to guy but they are the deepest team in the field.)
-) The NBA MVP is clearly a two-man race at this point, between the two best players in the league (oddly enough, this doesn’t always happen). LeBron’s numbers are insane (30 points, 8 boards, 7.5 assists) and he is keeping a very mediocre team afloat, but my vote would still go to Kobe, who is both the Lakers’ best offensive and defensive player (and perhaps the league’s best).
-) We’ll have to work on a baseball preview pretty soon, but right now I’m a little wary of the Mets. If the season started tomorrow (and luckily there is still a month to go), 10 of the Mets’ 25-man roster wouldn’t be able to play. That’s not good. I love the (relatively) young nucleus of the team – Santana, Maine and Perez in the rotation and Wright, Reyes, Beltran in the field – but this team is relying on too many old players. And there is little depth in the minor leagues. If everything goes right, the Mets are the best team in the NL. But old players get hurt, and the Mets have a lot of old players.
-) NFL free agency always blows me away. People I have never heard of get huge contracts. And this time from the Jets. I hate Mangini. I hate the way this team is being run. Instead of devising a defense to meet his talent (DeWayne Robertson, Jonathan Vilma and Kerry Rhodes), Mangini kept his system and forced players into it. Now the Jets have dealt Vilma, a former Defensive Rookie of the Year, and are close to dealing Robertson, the former No. 4 overall pick, for essentially fourth-, fourth- and fifth-round draft picks. The Jets moves this offseason (adding Kris Jenkins, Damien Woody, Calvin Pace, Alan Faneca, etc.) will make them a better team this season, but I’m concerned about the financial repercussions down the road. Oh, and the Jets still have no game-breakers nor a set quarterback. It’s gonna be another long season.
