The fourth season of the Todd Whitten era at Sam Houston State came to a bitterly disappointing end Saturday evening. At the same time, it was a fitting end.
The 2008 season was a microcosm of Whitten’s tenure at SHSU.
— A potentially explosive offense that looked unstoppable depending upon the week, and sometimes from series to series within a game.
— A bend-but-don’t-break defense that too often snapped when it mattered most.
— An ultraconservative special teams strategy that gave up more game-changing plays than it ever tried to produce.
— An inability to win the big game, whether it was an outstanding effort that came up just short (Central Arkansas) or a disheartening no-show performance (McNeese State).
Whitten’s overall record at SHSU is 20-22, with a 13-13 mark in the SLC. Nine of those 13 conference losses and five of the wins have been by 8 points or less, including four setbacks this season. Those close calls show that more often than not, the Bearkats have fielded a competitive team under Whitten. But they also show a disturbing ability to be not quite good enough.
I’m not a statistics or polling expert, but I understand the concept of using statistical samples to prognosticate long-term trends and anticipated results. After four seasons under Whitten’s leadership, SHSU is a sub-.500 program. The Bearkats have consistently failed to beat the top programs in the Southland Conference, and have lost numerous games to teams they shouldn’t — most recently two home losses in overtime to finish the season, including a blown 21-point lead that allowed Texas State to celebrate a conference championship on the Bowers Stadium turf.
Based on those results, we have a more focused picture of what probably lies ahead for SHSU should Whitten remain the head coach. The Bearkats will continue to be a middle-of-the-pack SLC program. There’s little evidence to suggest SHSU will close the gap currently held by traditional power McNeese State and impressive newcomer Central Arkansas. We can expect a team that has some winning seasons mixed with some losing seasons depending upon the outcome of regular nail-biters against the rest of the SLC, and possibly an occasional season where everything falls into place and the Bearkats make some noise on the national landscape.
The decision to fire a head coach is never cut and dried. SHSU director of athletics Bobby Williams has numerous factors to consider. Some of them, such as on-field results are out in the open for all to see and draw their own conclusions, but many more involve issues that Joe Public will never know or fully understand.
The decision will not be easy, but the choices are clear.
If you think Whitten is capable of improving and building SHSU into a program that regularly competes for the SLC championship and national playoff appearances, keep him.
If you don't believe Whitten is the right man to lead SHSU’s program to the next level, it’s time to let him go.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Gundy's rant finally makes sense
Winning a national championship might not be enough to help Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy ever live down the, “I’m a man! I’m 40!” post-game rant he famously delivered a little more than one year ago.
But after watching his now 8th-ranked Cowboys travel to Missouri and knock off the then No. 3 Tigers last weekend, it all makes sense. What Gundy knew then, and college football fans across the country are learning this season, is OSU has a super-talented quarterback in Zac Robinson.
Personnel decisions are always tough, and the Cowboys had a quarterback controversy last season. The talented but erratic upperclassman was Bobby Reid. The young, unproven, potential superstar was Robinson.
Gundy made his choice, and today it’s obvious he made the right call. What made it so difficult, though, was that Reid was by all accounts, and in his coach’s opinion, the epitome of a student athlete. He was role model to his teammates in the classroom, graduating in less than four years. He never once found himself on the wrong side of the law. He was polite and well spoken.
Reid was also a good quarterback, but Robinson was better.
Imagine how difficult it must have been for Gundy to take the ball away from a young man he considered the most prized, high-profile recruit of his tenure in Stillwater. The decision had nothing to do with Reid, and everything to do with Robinson. It all finally made sense to me Saturday night after watching Robinson pass for 215 yards and rush for another 34, leading the Cowboys to a 28-23 victory over Mizzou.
Consider all of the above factors, and put yourself in Gundy’s shoes one year ago when he learned that a local newspaper columnist wrote a story insinuating that Reid was bench for being a sissy momma’s boy.
Reid was benched because Robinson was better and that’s all there was to it. It wasn’t an easy decision, but in hindsight, it was the right one.
During his tirade, Gundy described Reid as a kid who had “done everything right,” but that point, and almost everything else of substance he said, was overlooked because of how he said it. I’m sure, or at least I hope, that if Gundy had it to do all over again, his post-game reaction would have been handled in a more professional manner.
If Gundy and the Cowboys can continue winning, football fans will have plenty of good memories to replace a one-minute sound bite. And hopefully Gundy will become known as a good, 41-year-old coach.
But after watching his now 8th-ranked Cowboys travel to Missouri and knock off the then No. 3 Tigers last weekend, it all makes sense. What Gundy knew then, and college football fans across the country are learning this season, is OSU has a super-talented quarterback in Zac Robinson.
Personnel decisions are always tough, and the Cowboys had a quarterback controversy last season. The talented but erratic upperclassman was Bobby Reid. The young, unproven, potential superstar was Robinson.
Gundy made his choice, and today it’s obvious he made the right call. What made it so difficult, though, was that Reid was by all accounts, and in his coach’s opinion, the epitome of a student athlete. He was role model to his teammates in the classroom, graduating in less than four years. He never once found himself on the wrong side of the law. He was polite and well spoken.
Reid was also a good quarterback, but Robinson was better.
Imagine how difficult it must have been for Gundy to take the ball away from a young man he considered the most prized, high-profile recruit of his tenure in Stillwater. The decision had nothing to do with Reid, and everything to do with Robinson. It all finally made sense to me Saturday night after watching Robinson pass for 215 yards and rush for another 34, leading the Cowboys to a 28-23 victory over Mizzou.
Consider all of the above factors, and put yourself in Gundy’s shoes one year ago when he learned that a local newspaper columnist wrote a story insinuating that Reid was bench for being a sissy momma’s boy.
Reid was benched because Robinson was better and that’s all there was to it. It wasn’t an easy decision, but in hindsight, it was the right one.
During his tirade, Gundy described Reid as a kid who had “done everything right,” but that point, and almost everything else of substance he said, was overlooked because of how he said it. I’m sure, or at least I hope, that if Gundy had it to do all over again, his post-game reaction would have been handled in a more professional manner.
If Gundy and the Cowboys can continue winning, football fans will have plenty of good memories to replace a one-minute sound bite. And hopefully Gundy will become known as a good, 41-year-old coach.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
BEARKAT FOOTBALL: Not-so-special kickoffs killed the Kats
If you are reading this column, it means the sun did come up Sunday morning. Despite the anguish and pure anger expressed by many over the past 24 hours, the “Chicken Little” syndrome appears to be wearing off as it becomes clear that the sky, in fact, is not falling.
Saturday night’s 48-46 loss at Central Arkansas was bitterly disappointing, but it was just one loss. In the same way that a victory over the Bears would have assured the Kats of nothing, the loss did not seal the season’s fate. In fact, with McNeese State’s surprising home loss to Texas State, the Southland Conference race is wide open now that all eight teams have played a game.
Adding to the frustration of the UCA setback was the wasted effort of an offense that complied more than 500 yards. The Kats are really, really good on offense — maybe the most balanced and potent team SHSU has put together in recent memory. Turnovers and other self-inflicted miscues have been the biggest obstacles the Kats have faced this season. With the remaining schedule, Rhett Bomar, James Aston, Justin Wells and the rest of SHSU’s playmakers should be able to score at least 35 points a game against every SLC opponent.
And none of that will matter if the Kats can’t stop the other team. Yes, SHSU’s defense gave up a lot of points against UCA. Yes, we again watched a third-and-long turn into a 60-yard touchdown (happened twice against Kansas, and proved to be the game-winner for the Bears).
But there is a bigger problem. Coaches and commentators love to say that in order to win in football a team must be good in all three phases — offense, defense and special teams.
Right now, SHSU’s special teams have not been very special. The glaring weakness that could drag this season down with it is kickoff coverage.
I don’t have a seat inside the coaches meetings, the film room or the practice field, so I don’t know where the problem starts. Is it the kicker? Is it the coverage? Is it the coaching? I don’t have an answer.
What I do know is the Bearkats are not very good at covering kickoffs. UCA’s average starting field position Saturday night was its own 46-yard line. That statistic is slightly skewed by two first-quarter fumbles deep in SHSU territory, but coach Todd Whitten and his staff were so worried about a big return they decided their best option was to kick it high and short — around the 30 — and yield a short return, or simply kick it out of bounds. Either way, UCA was starting most of its drives within a few feet of the 40-yard line.
SHSU’s defense could not be expected to contain an offense as potent as UCA’s when quarterback Nathan Brown had a short field to work with on every drive. UCA coach Clint Conque said before and after the game that he thought the kicking game would be the difference when his team faced the Kats.
He was right, and it’s safe to assume that every other coach in the SLC knows the same thing.
Saturday night, both teams scored six touchdowns and kicked two field goals, yet SHSU finished with 160 more yards on offense. Why? Because the Kats had to drive the ball 20 yards further (on average) for each of it’s eight scoring drives due to starting field position.
SHSU knew this coming week would be huge, but it’s even bigger now that both the Bearkats and Cowboys will be facing the threat of a 0-2 start in the SLC. For the first time this season, the Kats must deal with some on-field adversity and come through in a must-win situation.
Hopefully the players and coaches have the competitive spirit, drive and determination to make the necessary changes, improve their performance and get the job done rather than give up on the season as some of its most vocal “supporters” seemed to have done since Saturday night.
Saturday night’s 48-46 loss at Central Arkansas was bitterly disappointing, but it was just one loss. In the same way that a victory over the Bears would have assured the Kats of nothing, the loss did not seal the season’s fate. In fact, with McNeese State’s surprising home loss to Texas State, the Southland Conference race is wide open now that all eight teams have played a game.
Adding to the frustration of the UCA setback was the wasted effort of an offense that complied more than 500 yards. The Kats are really, really good on offense — maybe the most balanced and potent team SHSU has put together in recent memory. Turnovers and other self-inflicted miscues have been the biggest obstacles the Kats have faced this season. With the remaining schedule, Rhett Bomar, James Aston, Justin Wells and the rest of SHSU’s playmakers should be able to score at least 35 points a game against every SLC opponent.
And none of that will matter if the Kats can’t stop the other team. Yes, SHSU’s defense gave up a lot of points against UCA. Yes, we again watched a third-and-long turn into a 60-yard touchdown (happened twice against Kansas, and proved to be the game-winner for the Bears).
But there is a bigger problem. Coaches and commentators love to say that in order to win in football a team must be good in all three phases — offense, defense and special teams.
Right now, SHSU’s special teams have not been very special. The glaring weakness that could drag this season down with it is kickoff coverage.
I don’t have a seat inside the coaches meetings, the film room or the practice field, so I don’t know where the problem starts. Is it the kicker? Is it the coverage? Is it the coaching? I don’t have an answer.
What I do know is the Bearkats are not very good at covering kickoffs. UCA’s average starting field position Saturday night was its own 46-yard line. That statistic is slightly skewed by two first-quarter fumbles deep in SHSU territory, but coach Todd Whitten and his staff were so worried about a big return they decided their best option was to kick it high and short — around the 30 — and yield a short return, or simply kick it out of bounds. Either way, UCA was starting most of its drives within a few feet of the 40-yard line.
SHSU’s defense could not be expected to contain an offense as potent as UCA’s when quarterback Nathan Brown had a short field to work with on every drive. UCA coach Clint Conque said before and after the game that he thought the kicking game would be the difference when his team faced the Kats.
He was right, and it’s safe to assume that every other coach in the SLC knows the same thing.
Saturday night, both teams scored six touchdowns and kicked two field goals, yet SHSU finished with 160 more yards on offense. Why? Because the Kats had to drive the ball 20 yards further (on average) for each of it’s eight scoring drives due to starting field position.
SHSU knew this coming week would be huge, but it’s even bigger now that both the Bearkats and Cowboys will be facing the threat of a 0-2 start in the SLC. For the first time this season, the Kats must deal with some on-field adversity and come through in a must-win situation.
Hopefully the players and coaches have the competitive spirit, drive and determination to make the necessary changes, improve their performance and get the job done rather than give up on the season as some of its most vocal “supporters” seemed to have done since Saturday night.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
BEARKAT FOOTBALL: It’s not all about Bomar
The 2001 season was special for Sam Houston State, and it started on a steamy, wet night in Monroe, La. The Bearkats were opening the season against Louisiana-Monroe — a former Southland Conference rival that made the move to Division I-A — and it was a game SHSU knew it could win.
Early in the third quarter with the Kats leading, quarterback Josh McCown was moments away from taking the field. McCown had transferred to SHSU after three less-than-stellar seasons at SMU. His skills were obvious, and with a talented roster around him, the feeling within the program as the season started was one of great optimism.
But winning was going to take more than McCown. Everyone on the team would have to give their best if the Kats wanted to reach their stated goal of making the national playoffs.
And I mean everyone.
As McCown paced the sideline, he noticed one of the team managers doing his part to help the team by keeping the game balls dry. With a towel in his hand, the young man wiped off a ball, but it wasn’t good enough. McCown grabbed the towel and proceeded to show the manager what needed to be done.
“You have to get these balls dry,” McCown barked while showing the manager how to use every ounce of his muscle to rub the moisture out of the ball, not simply wipe it off the surface. “Your job is just as important as everyone else on this team,” McCown said, pointing a finger sternly toward the manager’s chest.
Fast forward seven seasons, and SHSU has another talented transfer quarterback running the show for a team that again carries playoff expectations.
Rhett Bomar is every bit as good a McCown and 2004 quarterback Dustin Long. He might be better. Before suffering a season ending knee injury in 2007, Bomar passed for 2,209 yards, rushed for 406 and accounted for 17 touchdowns in less than nine full games. Any concerns as to whether or not he has fully recovered were answered last week when he led the Bearkats to seven first-half touchdowns in a 58-14 win over East Central Oklahoma.
In Bomar, SHSU has a quarterback that is capable of leading the Kats back to the playoffs, but he can’t be expected to do it alone. If the 2008 season is going to be special, it’s going to take outstanding effort from the entire team.
A quarterback is only as good as the offensive line that protects him and the wide receivers that catch his throws. And no matter how many touchdowns and field goals the offense produces, it doesn’t matter if the defense can’t hold the opponent to fewer points.
Bomar will continue to be the focus of fans and opposing coaching staffs every week because he’s a household name, he’s an amazing talent and he plays the highest-profile position on the field.
The difference between a good season and a great season in 2008 will not be the performance of Bomar. The “X” factor is everyone else on the team.
Team managers — that means you, too.
Early in the third quarter with the Kats leading, quarterback Josh McCown was moments away from taking the field. McCown had transferred to SHSU after three less-than-stellar seasons at SMU. His skills were obvious, and with a talented roster around him, the feeling within the program as the season started was one of great optimism.
But winning was going to take more than McCown. Everyone on the team would have to give their best if the Kats wanted to reach their stated goal of making the national playoffs.
And I mean everyone.
As McCown paced the sideline, he noticed one of the team managers doing his part to help the team by keeping the game balls dry. With a towel in his hand, the young man wiped off a ball, but it wasn’t good enough. McCown grabbed the towel and proceeded to show the manager what needed to be done.
“You have to get these balls dry,” McCown barked while showing the manager how to use every ounce of his muscle to rub the moisture out of the ball, not simply wipe it off the surface. “Your job is just as important as everyone else on this team,” McCown said, pointing a finger sternly toward the manager’s chest.
Fast forward seven seasons, and SHSU has another talented transfer quarterback running the show for a team that again carries playoff expectations.
Rhett Bomar is every bit as good a McCown and 2004 quarterback Dustin Long. He might be better. Before suffering a season ending knee injury in 2007, Bomar passed for 2,209 yards, rushed for 406 and accounted for 17 touchdowns in less than nine full games. Any concerns as to whether or not he has fully recovered were answered last week when he led the Bearkats to seven first-half touchdowns in a 58-14 win over East Central Oklahoma.
In Bomar, SHSU has a quarterback that is capable of leading the Kats back to the playoffs, but he can’t be expected to do it alone. If the 2008 season is going to be special, it’s going to take outstanding effort from the entire team.
A quarterback is only as good as the offensive line that protects him and the wide receivers that catch his throws. And no matter how many touchdowns and field goals the offense produces, it doesn’t matter if the defense can’t hold the opponent to fewer points.
Bomar will continue to be the focus of fans and opposing coaching staffs every week because he’s a household name, he’s an amazing talent and he plays the highest-profile position on the field.
The difference between a good season and a great season in 2008 will not be the performance of Bomar. The “X” factor is everyone else on the team.
Team managers — that means you, too.
Monday, August 25, 2008
The Olympics done right, and U.S. Open late night
A few final thoughts on the Summer Olympics and others news from the sports world as we wait for the final days of the college football offseason to expire.
U.S.A. BASKETBALL BACK ON TOP
If you didn’t get to watch the men’s basketball gold medal game, you missed an amazing display of basketball at its highest level. Spain played great, but when it mattered most, the United States was better, pulling out a 118-107 victory.
I was like a lot of people who had lost interest in watching the Dream Team. After embarrassing performances at the 2002 and 2006 World Championships as well as a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics, it appeared the professional players did not care about representing their country. But this version of the U.S. National Team, we were told, was different. Not that I had anyway of knowing for sure since NBC didn’t seem to care enough about men’s basketball to air it in primetime, but seeing the scores and reading the stories revealed a U.S. squad that was beating foreigners in a manner most Americans had come to expect.
So, Saturday night I set my DVR for the 1:30 a.m. tipoff, and when I watched the game Sunday afternoon was impressed with what I saw.
First, the level of international play has come a long way since 1992 when the original Dream Team was able to sleepwalk its way to a gold medal, winning every game by more than 30 points. The Spanish team was loaded with NBA players. Usually a Dream Team victory by less than 20 points is more a result of poor play by the U.S., but that wasn’t the case Sunday. The original Dream Team spread the basketball gospel to the world, and over the past 16 years we’ve seen more foreigners enter the NBA and become impact players. At the same time, international teams have been hard at work, aiming to catch the Americans.
Over the past eight years, it was clear the world had caught up to the U.S.A., and national teams like Spain, Argentina and Greece appeared to have passed us by. We first realized it in 2004. We finally decided to do something about it in 2006, and now it appears the United States has reasserted itself as the dominant basketball nation in the world.
So, what made the difference? Watching the fourth quarter of the gold medal game, it was obvious. The U.S. players cared.
There were Michael Redd and Carlos Boozer, having not taken their warm-ups off all game, looking no different than the high school or college kid who sits at the end of the bench, jumping up and down with every made basket, screaming in support of their teammates and racing off the bench to celebrate and encourage at every timeout.
There were Kobe Bryant, Lebron James and Dwayne Wade — arguably the three best basketball players in the world today —jumping, hugging and racing around the court like high schoolers who had just won a state championship. This wasn’t about contract extensions, signing bonuses or shoe sales. This was grown men, expressing the childlike joy of playing and winning that first drew them to the game.
There was Carmelo Anthony, too nervous to sit in his chair, watching each possession from his hand and knees, pounding his fist on the court, again looking more like a kid on the Princeton bench during the closing minutes of an NCAA tournament game than a millionaire celebrity.
As a member of the 2004 Olympic team and the leading scorer on the 2006 World Championship team, Anthony had been adamant that this team would restore the United State’s place on top of the basketball world. His tears as the national anthem played after receiving his gold medal said all that needed to be about how much the Olympic experience meant to him.
BOLT DOES IT THE RIGHT WAY IN 200
Last week I expressed my admiration and frustration with Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt after he coasted to victory and still set a new world record in the 100-meter final.
Today, I’m going to say “thank you” Mr. Lightning Bolt. Thank you for giving your all in the 200-meter final. Michael Johnson’s 12-year-old world record would still stand today if Bolt had not gone full throttle from the starting blocks to the finish line. As television replays showed, Bolt knew he had the race won with 50 meters to go. But as the strain started to show on his face, his eyes darted quickly between the clock and the finish line. He knew the chance to make history was in front of him, and his pushed is body to its limit in order to make it happen.
That is what we expect to see from the world’s best athletes, and doing it on the biggest stage makes it that much more special.
TENNIS — DON’T FORGET ABOUT U.S. OPEN
The Olympics are done, but there are still plenty of great, live, late-night sports to watch on TV over the next few weeks. The U.S. Open tennis tournament started Monday. Any good tennis fans could tell you that late night matches at the U.S. Open are broadcast every night on the USA cable network.
Something about playing at night, in front of a rowdy crowd with a national TV audience brings out the best in the players. Some of the greatest matches over the past decade at the U.S. Open have been played in the first four rounds — on a weeknight, with the first serve coming sometime after 8 p.m. CDT, and the final shot being struck close to or after midnight.
Monday night’s first-round match between No. 9 seed James Blake and 19-year-old rising American player Donald Young looked like it would be a snoozer after Blake won the opening set 6-1. But Young showed flashes that he might someday be a special player. His combination of raw speed, quickness, touch, power and shot-making were on display, and in the second set he added some consistency to the mix, leading to a 6-3 victory. Blake bounced back and cruised through the third set (6-1) and appeared to have broken Young’s spirit, leading the fourth set 2-0. He was two points from a 3-0 lead when Young rallied to win the game, and a funny thing happened: the crowd turned on Blake. It wasn’t so much that they started to cheer against Blake (normally a fan favorite), it was more a case of pulling for the underdog, exhorting Young to keep fighting, extend the match and give the spectators their own late-night classic memories. Young responded, breaking Blake’s serve twice to comeback and win the fourth set 6-4.
In the fifth set, both men gave the fans what they wanted. The rallies were intense. Go-for-broke winners were flying from both sides of the court. It wasn’t quite at the level of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s fifth set at the 2008 Wimbledon final, but under the lights with a raucous New York crowd, it was just as good to watch on TV. In the end, with the set tied at 4 the veteran Blake found a way to break Young and claimed the final set 6-4. The crowd thanked Young for his efforts with a champion’s ovation as he walked off center court, then stayed to help Blake celebrate his hard-fought decision.
For the next two weeks, the U.S. Open will be on USA each night. Blake-Young was not a fluke. It’s what tennis fans have come to expect, more often than not, every year during the last week of August and first week of September. If you’ve never checked it out, I encourage you to do so.
U.S.A. BASKETBALL BACK ON TOP
If you didn’t get to watch the men’s basketball gold medal game, you missed an amazing display of basketball at its highest level. Spain played great, but when it mattered most, the United States was better, pulling out a 118-107 victory.
I was like a lot of people who had lost interest in watching the Dream Team. After embarrassing performances at the 2002 and 2006 World Championships as well as a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics, it appeared the professional players did not care about representing their country. But this version of the U.S. National Team, we were told, was different. Not that I had anyway of knowing for sure since NBC didn’t seem to care enough about men’s basketball to air it in primetime, but seeing the scores and reading the stories revealed a U.S. squad that was beating foreigners in a manner most Americans had come to expect.
So, Saturday night I set my DVR for the 1:30 a.m. tipoff, and when I watched the game Sunday afternoon was impressed with what I saw.
First, the level of international play has come a long way since 1992 when the original Dream Team was able to sleepwalk its way to a gold medal, winning every game by more than 30 points. The Spanish team was loaded with NBA players. Usually a Dream Team victory by less than 20 points is more a result of poor play by the U.S., but that wasn’t the case Sunday. The original Dream Team spread the basketball gospel to the world, and over the past 16 years we’ve seen more foreigners enter the NBA and become impact players. At the same time, international teams have been hard at work, aiming to catch the Americans.
Over the past eight years, it was clear the world had caught up to the U.S.A., and national teams like Spain, Argentina and Greece appeared to have passed us by. We first realized it in 2004. We finally decided to do something about it in 2006, and now it appears the United States has reasserted itself as the dominant basketball nation in the world.
So, what made the difference? Watching the fourth quarter of the gold medal game, it was obvious. The U.S. players cared.
There were Michael Redd and Carlos Boozer, having not taken their warm-ups off all game, looking no different than the high school or college kid who sits at the end of the bench, jumping up and down with every made basket, screaming in support of their teammates and racing off the bench to celebrate and encourage at every timeout.
There were Kobe Bryant, Lebron James and Dwayne Wade — arguably the three best basketball players in the world today —jumping, hugging and racing around the court like high schoolers who had just won a state championship. This wasn’t about contract extensions, signing bonuses or shoe sales. This was grown men, expressing the childlike joy of playing and winning that first drew them to the game.
There was Carmelo Anthony, too nervous to sit in his chair, watching each possession from his hand and knees, pounding his fist on the court, again looking more like a kid on the Princeton bench during the closing minutes of an NCAA tournament game than a millionaire celebrity.
As a member of the 2004 Olympic team and the leading scorer on the 2006 World Championship team, Anthony had been adamant that this team would restore the United State’s place on top of the basketball world. His tears as the national anthem played after receiving his gold medal said all that needed to be about how much the Olympic experience meant to him.
BOLT DOES IT THE RIGHT WAY IN 200
Last week I expressed my admiration and frustration with Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt after he coasted to victory and still set a new world record in the 100-meter final.
Today, I’m going to say “thank you” Mr. Lightning Bolt. Thank you for giving your all in the 200-meter final. Michael Johnson’s 12-year-old world record would still stand today if Bolt had not gone full throttle from the starting blocks to the finish line. As television replays showed, Bolt knew he had the race won with 50 meters to go. But as the strain started to show on his face, his eyes darted quickly between the clock and the finish line. He knew the chance to make history was in front of him, and his pushed is body to its limit in order to make it happen.
That is what we expect to see from the world’s best athletes, and doing it on the biggest stage makes it that much more special.
TENNIS — DON’T FORGET ABOUT U.S. OPEN
The Olympics are done, but there are still plenty of great, live, late-night sports to watch on TV over the next few weeks. The U.S. Open tennis tournament started Monday. Any good tennis fans could tell you that late night matches at the U.S. Open are broadcast every night on the USA cable network.
Something about playing at night, in front of a rowdy crowd with a national TV audience brings out the best in the players. Some of the greatest matches over the past decade at the U.S. Open have been played in the first four rounds — on a weeknight, with the first serve coming sometime after 8 p.m. CDT, and the final shot being struck close to or after midnight.
Monday night’s first-round match between No. 9 seed James Blake and 19-year-old rising American player Donald Young looked like it would be a snoozer after Blake won the opening set 6-1. But Young showed flashes that he might someday be a special player. His combination of raw speed, quickness, touch, power and shot-making were on display, and in the second set he added some consistency to the mix, leading to a 6-3 victory. Blake bounced back and cruised through the third set (6-1) and appeared to have broken Young’s spirit, leading the fourth set 2-0. He was two points from a 3-0 lead when Young rallied to win the game, and a funny thing happened: the crowd turned on Blake. It wasn’t so much that they started to cheer against Blake (normally a fan favorite), it was more a case of pulling for the underdog, exhorting Young to keep fighting, extend the match and give the spectators their own late-night classic memories. Young responded, breaking Blake’s serve twice to comeback and win the fourth set 6-4.
In the fifth set, both men gave the fans what they wanted. The rallies were intense. Go-for-broke winners were flying from both sides of the court. It wasn’t quite at the level of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s fifth set at the 2008 Wimbledon final, but under the lights with a raucous New York crowd, it was just as good to watch on TV. In the end, with the set tied at 4 the veteran Blake found a way to break Young and claimed the final set 6-4. The crowd thanked Young for his efforts with a champion’s ovation as he walked off center court, then stayed to help Blake celebrate his hard-fought decision.
For the next two weeks, the U.S. Open will be on USA each night. Blake-Young was not a fluke. It’s what tennis fans have come to expect, more often than not, every year during the last week of August and first week of September. If you’ve never checked it out, I encourage you to do so.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
BEARKAT FOOTBALL: Success in 2008 means Kats become contenders
There’s a buzz in the air surrounding the Sam Houston State University football program. The potential for 2008 to be a championship season is very real. Unlike the title-wining teams of 2001 and 2004 when the Kats were bringing back talent and adding a well-known transfer quarterback to the mix, this year’s team has more question as the season opener against East Central Oklahoma approaches.
• This time, the high-profile transfer QB is entering his third season with the program, but can Rhett Bomar come back from the knee injury that ended last season early, and will he perform this season at a level equal to or higher than what he showed in 2007?
• All-SLC running back Chris Poullard will miss the 2008 season while addressing some academic issues, so the question is can the Kats find someone (or several someones) capable of filling the void?
• Can the offensive line — having already lost preseason all-SLC selection John Dirk for the season — open holes for the running game and provide Bomar enough time to execute the passing game?
• Can a wide receiver corps that has been consistently inconsistent since 2005, continue to build on the improvement it showed in the second half of last season and help carry the offense to championship heights in 2008?
• Can anyone on the defensive front other than Chris Brown pressure the opposing quarterback on a regular basis?
• Will a change in the base defensive formation result in a unit that isn’t forced to live by a bend-but-don’t-break philosophy?
• Was the five-game winning streak to close out the end of the 2007 season a sign of a team maturing and laying the foundation for even bigger things in 2008?
The answer to these questions will become clear as the season unfolds, but sitting here today, one week before the start of the season, all of the reports from the offseason — out of spring practice, summer voluntary workouts and three weeks of preseason camp — give Bearkat fans reason to believe the answer to all of the above could be “yes.”
Which leaves one big unanswered question, one that has been lingering in the mind of many since 2005: Do Todd Whitten and his coaching staff have what it takes to lead the Bearkats to a championship and build SHSU into a perennial playoff program?
Whitten is 16-16 in three season, having improved his record each year, from 3-7 to 6-5 to 7-4. The Kats are 4-0 against Division II opponents, 0-5 against Division I FBS programs, and 12-11 against fellow Division I FCS squads — including three definitive victories over archrival Stephen F. Austin (which has to be worth something).
From a distance, the numbers don’t appear to set off any alarms, but a deeper look reveals a disturbing trend. Against the best FCS competition — most notably Southland Conference foes McNeese State and Central Arkansas — Whitten is winless.
SHSU opens conference play Oct. 11 against UCA in Conway, Ark. The following Saturday, the Cowboys come from Lake Charles, La., to Bowers Stadium. It’s an oversimplification to say the fate of the entire season will be decided in the course of eight days. The Kats have several challenging nonconference FCS games (Prairie View A&M and Gardner Webb). Conference road games at Northwestern State and Nicholls State are anything but guaranteed wins, and home games against SFA, Southeastern Louisiana and Texas State-San Marcos will be challenging as well.
But the truth is what the Bearkats do on the second and third Saturdays in October will be major factors in whether or not this season is considered a success.
If the Kats can sweep UCA and McNeese, a spot in the playoffs and the SLC title will be theirs for the taking if they take care of business in the final five games. A 2-0 start to conference play would also give SHSU some wiggle room should they drop a conference game (trips to Natchitoches and Thibodeaux are likely suspects) down the stretch.
If the Kats split those two key games, their playoff and SLC championship hopes will stay alive. They’ll need a finishing kick equal to last season’s, but there will still be plenty to play for.
If the Kats are swept, as they have been each of the past two seasons, their playoff chances will be on life support, setting the stage for another five-game winning streak to finish the year, another season with an overall winning record and absolutely nothing to show for it.
So, enjoy next Thursday’s season opener. Have fun watching the Prairie View A&M game. If you can, hit the road and cheer on the Kats when the play at Kansas, and head over to North Carolina as they take on Gardner Webb.
But mark your calendar on Oct. 11 and Oct. 18, because by the time the sun rises on Sunday, Oct. 19, the college football world will know if the 2008 Bearkats are a contender or a pretender.
• This time, the high-profile transfer QB is entering his third season with the program, but can Rhett Bomar come back from the knee injury that ended last season early, and will he perform this season at a level equal to or higher than what he showed in 2007?
• All-SLC running back Chris Poullard will miss the 2008 season while addressing some academic issues, so the question is can the Kats find someone (or several someones) capable of filling the void?
• Can the offensive line — having already lost preseason all-SLC selection John Dirk for the season — open holes for the running game and provide Bomar enough time to execute the passing game?
• Can a wide receiver corps that has been consistently inconsistent since 2005, continue to build on the improvement it showed in the second half of last season and help carry the offense to championship heights in 2008?
• Can anyone on the defensive front other than Chris Brown pressure the opposing quarterback on a regular basis?
• Will a change in the base defensive formation result in a unit that isn’t forced to live by a bend-but-don’t-break philosophy?
• Was the five-game winning streak to close out the end of the 2007 season a sign of a team maturing and laying the foundation for even bigger things in 2008?
The answer to these questions will become clear as the season unfolds, but sitting here today, one week before the start of the season, all of the reports from the offseason — out of spring practice, summer voluntary workouts and three weeks of preseason camp — give Bearkat fans reason to believe the answer to all of the above could be “yes.”
Which leaves one big unanswered question, one that has been lingering in the mind of many since 2005: Do Todd Whitten and his coaching staff have what it takes to lead the Bearkats to a championship and build SHSU into a perennial playoff program?
Whitten is 16-16 in three season, having improved his record each year, from 3-7 to 6-5 to 7-4. The Kats are 4-0 against Division II opponents, 0-5 against Division I FBS programs, and 12-11 against fellow Division I FCS squads — including three definitive victories over archrival Stephen F. Austin (which has to be worth something).
From a distance, the numbers don’t appear to set off any alarms, but a deeper look reveals a disturbing trend. Against the best FCS competition — most notably Southland Conference foes McNeese State and Central Arkansas — Whitten is winless.
SHSU opens conference play Oct. 11 against UCA in Conway, Ark. The following Saturday, the Cowboys come from Lake Charles, La., to Bowers Stadium. It’s an oversimplification to say the fate of the entire season will be decided in the course of eight days. The Kats have several challenging nonconference FCS games (Prairie View A&M and Gardner Webb). Conference road games at Northwestern State and Nicholls State are anything but guaranteed wins, and home games against SFA, Southeastern Louisiana and Texas State-San Marcos will be challenging as well.
But the truth is what the Bearkats do on the second and third Saturdays in October will be major factors in whether or not this season is considered a success.
If the Kats can sweep UCA and McNeese, a spot in the playoffs and the SLC title will be theirs for the taking if they take care of business in the final five games. A 2-0 start to conference play would also give SHSU some wiggle room should they drop a conference game (trips to Natchitoches and Thibodeaux are likely suspects) down the stretch.
If the Kats split those two key games, their playoff and SLC championship hopes will stay alive. They’ll need a finishing kick equal to last season’s, but there will still be plenty to play for.
If the Kats are swept, as they have been each of the past two seasons, their playoff chances will be on life support, setting the stage for another five-game winning streak to finish the year, another season with an overall winning record and absolutely nothing to show for it.
So, enjoy next Thursday’s season opener. Have fun watching the Prairie View A&M game. If you can, hit the road and cheer on the Kats when the play at Kansas, and head over to North Carolina as they take on Gardner Webb.
But mark your calendar on Oct. 11 and Oct. 18, because by the time the sun rises on Sunday, Oct. 19, the college football world will know if the 2008 Bearkats are a contender or a pretender.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
World's Fastest Man isn't even trying — and that's too bad
I feel safe saying that I’ve watched more track and field over the past 15 years than the average sports fan. Nothing in the sport is more impressive to me that the raw speed and power of a world-class 100-meter race, and Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt is the most impressive sprinter I’ve ever watched.
I’m going to call him Insane Bolt from now on.
I had not seen Bolt run before watching the opening round of the 100 meters during late-night Olympic coverage on Friday. He sprinted 50 meters, and then jogged to the finish line in 9.92 seconds.
Insane.
He did the same thing in the quarterfinals (sprinting 60 meters) and again in the semifinals (going hard for a full 70 meters), so it should not have come as a surprise when he stopped running full speed after 85 meters in the finals and cruised across the finish line while beating on his chest, winning the gold and breaking his own world record in the process. When you consider the fact Bolt, also the favorite to win the 200 meters, only started running the 100 this year, his accomplishments are even more amazing.
Or should I say, insane.
The reason it doesn’t look like he’s trying is because he’s not, which has to be even more demoralizing to his opponents. He is supremely confident and not afraid to show it, and that is a huge part of track and field — gamesmanship. While his competitors come to the starting blocks with cold stares and quiet looks of determination, Bolt bounces to the music blaring through the stadium. During the race, while the competition musters every ounce of strength and energy that a lifetime of training has provided, the 21-year-old Bolt appears to effortlessly pull in front and then, almost mocking his opponents, slows down and peers from side to side in search of his nearest competition.
"I didn't come here to break the world record because I already was the world-record holder," Bolt said. "I came here to win."
Fair enough, but here is my only complaint: there is a time and place to “shut it down.” It’s fine in the prelims, where it serves several purposes — saving energy and letting your competition know that you have more where that came from. But the Olympics final is not the place to showboat. Save it for after the finish line (where he continued to bask in his own glory, and I have no problem with it).
Bolt is so young and so talented that he clearly does not appreciate the gift he has been given. Out of respect to his competitors, to all of the Olympic champions that preceded him, and to everyone else who can only dream of having his ability, Bolt has a responsibility to give his best effort on the world’s biggest stage.
The day will come, much sooner than Bolt can imagine right now, when he will no longer take his speed for granted. We know he can run faster than the 9.69 seconds he recorded Saturday night, but will we ever get to see it? The 2008 Olympics were probably just a coming out party for Bolt, but nothing in life is guaranteed. I would hate to think the world would never get to see what he is capable of when giving his best effort.
I’m going to call him Insane Bolt from now on.
I had not seen Bolt run before watching the opening round of the 100 meters during late-night Olympic coverage on Friday. He sprinted 50 meters, and then jogged to the finish line in 9.92 seconds.
Insane.
He did the same thing in the quarterfinals (sprinting 60 meters) and again in the semifinals (going hard for a full 70 meters), so it should not have come as a surprise when he stopped running full speed after 85 meters in the finals and cruised across the finish line while beating on his chest, winning the gold and breaking his own world record in the process. When you consider the fact Bolt, also the favorite to win the 200 meters, only started running the 100 this year, his accomplishments are even more amazing.
Or should I say, insane.
The reason it doesn’t look like he’s trying is because he’s not, which has to be even more demoralizing to his opponents. He is supremely confident and not afraid to show it, and that is a huge part of track and field — gamesmanship. While his competitors come to the starting blocks with cold stares and quiet looks of determination, Bolt bounces to the music blaring through the stadium. During the race, while the competition musters every ounce of strength and energy that a lifetime of training has provided, the 21-year-old Bolt appears to effortlessly pull in front and then, almost mocking his opponents, slows down and peers from side to side in search of his nearest competition.
"I didn't come here to break the world record because I already was the world-record holder," Bolt said. "I came here to win."
Fair enough, but here is my only complaint: there is a time and place to “shut it down.” It’s fine in the prelims, where it serves several purposes — saving energy and letting your competition know that you have more where that came from. But the Olympics final is not the place to showboat. Save it for after the finish line (where he continued to bask in his own glory, and I have no problem with it).
Bolt is so young and so talented that he clearly does not appreciate the gift he has been given. Out of respect to his competitors, to all of the Olympic champions that preceded him, and to everyone else who can only dream of having his ability, Bolt has a responsibility to give his best effort on the world’s biggest stage.
The day will come, much sooner than Bolt can imagine right now, when he will no longer take his speed for granted. We know he can run faster than the 9.69 seconds he recorded Saturday night, but will we ever get to see it? The 2008 Olympics were probably just a coming out party for Bolt, but nothing in life is guaranteed. I would hate to think the world would never get to see what he is capable of when giving his best effort.
Olympics provide a rare August sporting treat
Normally, August is my least favorite sports month of the year. College sports are dormant. Professional baseball is grinding along, the excitement of the September pennant races still on the horizon. Pro, college and high school football are going through the worst portion of the season: training camp. Coaches pray each day will pass without a major injury, and players quickly grown weary of beating up on the fellow teammates, while fans must suffer through the final days of the offseason by reading practice reports and discussing intrasquad scrimmages.
Good thing 2008 is an Olympic year.
I don’t remember the 2004 Olympics in Athens providing as much excitement as the first week of the Beijing games have. As of Saturday night, two storylines have developed that reminded me what makes that Olympics so much fun as a spectator — the honor of watching world-class athletes perform at their best, and thrill of cheering for the red, white and blue.
SWIMMING
Michael Phelps can now be considered the greatest Olympic athlete in the history of the modern games. Winning eight gold medals in eight events takes a little bit of luck, and Phelps got that when the USA pulled off an impossible comeback in the final 25 meters of the 4x100 freestyle relay to edge France. His victory in the 100-meter butterfly — his seventh gold and the only event in which he did not set a world record — was even more spectacular, and might not have been awarded in previous decades when timing devices could not detect a difference of .01 seconds.
Phelps went to Beijing with what many considered an impossible goal. Olympic glory is magnified because the opportunity only presents itself once every four years. The World Series, the Super Bowl and NBA Finals are held every year, giving players in those sports the chance to claim supremacy every 12 months. For some Olympic athletes, a lifetime of training is followed by just one shot at Olympic gold.
The fact that Phelps was able to win eight gold medals at one Olympic games is amazing. It has never been done before and probably will never happen again. Phelps, 23, could still be one of the world’s best swimmers when the 2012 games come to London, and he would only be 31 years old in 2016. If he is still around, he will probably end his career with more than 20 Olympic gold medals, but the odds of him winning eight or more again are virtually impossible.
I hope everyone can appreciate just how special his achievement this past week was.
GYMNASTICS
Gymnastics may be the ultimate “Olympic sport," under the definition of “a sport that the general public has no interest in for 3 years and 11 months yet everyone suddenly becomes an expert on when the Olympics arrive.”
While Phelps and other swimmers can maintain their world-class status for more than a decade, the lifespan of a world-class gymnast is short. Sixteen is supposed to be the minimum age, and by the time a young woman is 20, the physical pounding and natural maturing of the body is usually too much to overcome. So, for Nastia Liukin, 18, and Shawn Johnson, 16, everything they have worked for in their short-lived lives was on the line Thursday afternoon. Two girls — friends and roommates — had the same goal, and both knew that their own success would mean their friend’s failure.
Where a little girl finds the desire to hurl herself through the air, twisting and contorting her body in ways that don’t seem humanly possible, is beyond me. Where they find the courage to actually put their body through the physical punishment required to master those skills is even more amazing. So, as I sat watching Liukin and Johnson prepare to do their floor exercise, the final event of the all-around competition, I found myself cheering for them. I wasn’t fired up the way TV cameras captured Bela Karolyi inside the NBC studios, but I was on the edge of my seat, pumping my fist and exhorting them to stick every landing.
Part of it was national pride, wanting to see the two American girls finish on top. But the other part of me was cheering for them simply to succeed because they deserved it. Most of us will never know what it takes to have a chance at being the best at anything. Liukin and Johnson were at the Olympics because they had earned it, but now they still had to execute when it mattered most. One mistake, and a lifetime of work would come up short.
Liukin and Johnson both gave flawless performances. With the pressure at its highest, they both met the challenge. Because it was a competition, there had to be a winner, and Liukin took the Olympic gold, while Johnson, the 2007 world champion, had to settle for the silver.
But on that night, there were no losers.
Good thing 2008 is an Olympic year.
I don’t remember the 2004 Olympics in Athens providing as much excitement as the first week of the Beijing games have. As of Saturday night, two storylines have developed that reminded me what makes that Olympics so much fun as a spectator — the honor of watching world-class athletes perform at their best, and thrill of cheering for the red, white and blue.
SWIMMING
Michael Phelps can now be considered the greatest Olympic athlete in the history of the modern games. Winning eight gold medals in eight events takes a little bit of luck, and Phelps got that when the USA pulled off an impossible comeback in the final 25 meters of the 4x100 freestyle relay to edge France. His victory in the 100-meter butterfly — his seventh gold and the only event in which he did not set a world record — was even more spectacular, and might not have been awarded in previous decades when timing devices could not detect a difference of .01 seconds.
Phelps went to Beijing with what many considered an impossible goal. Olympic glory is magnified because the opportunity only presents itself once every four years. The World Series, the Super Bowl and NBA Finals are held every year, giving players in those sports the chance to claim supremacy every 12 months. For some Olympic athletes, a lifetime of training is followed by just one shot at Olympic gold.
The fact that Phelps was able to win eight gold medals at one Olympic games is amazing. It has never been done before and probably will never happen again. Phelps, 23, could still be one of the world’s best swimmers when the 2012 games come to London, and he would only be 31 years old in 2016. If he is still around, he will probably end his career with more than 20 Olympic gold medals, but the odds of him winning eight or more again are virtually impossible.
I hope everyone can appreciate just how special his achievement this past week was.
GYMNASTICS
Gymnastics may be the ultimate “Olympic sport," under the definition of “a sport that the general public has no interest in for 3 years and 11 months yet everyone suddenly becomes an expert on when the Olympics arrive.”
While Phelps and other swimmers can maintain their world-class status for more than a decade, the lifespan of a world-class gymnast is short. Sixteen is supposed to be the minimum age, and by the time a young woman is 20, the physical pounding and natural maturing of the body is usually too much to overcome. So, for Nastia Liukin, 18, and Shawn Johnson, 16, everything they have worked for in their short-lived lives was on the line Thursday afternoon. Two girls — friends and roommates — had the same goal, and both knew that their own success would mean their friend’s failure.
Where a little girl finds the desire to hurl herself through the air, twisting and contorting her body in ways that don’t seem humanly possible, is beyond me. Where they find the courage to actually put their body through the physical punishment required to master those skills is even more amazing. So, as I sat watching Liukin and Johnson prepare to do their floor exercise, the final event of the all-around competition, I found myself cheering for them. I wasn’t fired up the way TV cameras captured Bela Karolyi inside the NBC studios, but I was on the edge of my seat, pumping my fist and exhorting them to stick every landing.
Part of it was national pride, wanting to see the two American girls finish on top. But the other part of me was cheering for them simply to succeed because they deserved it. Most of us will never know what it takes to have a chance at being the best at anything. Liukin and Johnson were at the Olympics because they had earned it, but now they still had to execute when it mattered most. One mistake, and a lifetime of work would come up short.
Liukin and Johnson both gave flawless performances. With the pressure at its highest, they both met the challenge. Because it was a competition, there had to be a winner, and Liukin took the Olympic gold, while Johnson, the 2007 world champion, had to settle for the silver.
But on that night, there were no losers.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
It's official: Tiger Woods is too good
I'm done watching golf.
What's the point? After watching Tiger Woods in the third round of the 108th U.S. Open, I've officially seen it all. I'm having a hard time writing about it. How do you describe something you've never seen before? How do you compare a person or his accomplishments when no one has ever done anything comparable?
Tiger Woods is the greatest golf player the world has ever seen. That statement was not preceded with "has the potential to be," or "might be someday if..." It's official. Jack Nicklaus, who previously held that title, has been saying it for years, and what Woods is doing this week at Torrey Pines is simply adding to his legend. His back nine Saturday was a microcosm of his career to date.
• His 70-foot, right-to-left swinging, so fast downhill that it could roll 150 feet off the green putt for eagle on the 13th hole was a once-in-a-career shot for most professional players.
• His one-hop-into-the-cup birdie chip on the 17th hole out of grass so long that it could have been transplanted from the uncut yard of a year-old abandoned house was a never-in-a-lifetime shot for most people who have ever picked up a set of clubs and played a round.
• By the time Woods’ eagle putt was tracking toward the cup on the 18th hole, I was screaming in disbelief at the television. When the ball dropped, giving Tiger a one-shot lead heading into Sunday's final round, I mumbled a few unprintable words and stormed out of the living room.
Here's my problem: Tiger Woods is too good. It's not fair. If you've ever played the game — or like most of us, tried and usually failed — you understand how seemingly impossible it is to accomplish the things Woods makes look ordinary.
Woods is so good, he's doing a disservice to himself and the other great players of this generation. Writers and TV commentators who help educate the masses have lost the necessary perspective, because Woods' greatness has blurred their vision. Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh should go down in the history of golf as all-time greats, but between them they possess barely a handful of major championships. Younger players such as Sergio Garcia and Adam Scott are still searching for their first major. In fact, Woods is making greatness look so easy, many novice golf fans think winning a major championship is no big deal.
Conventional wisdom dictates that greatness in golf is measured by winning major championships. If others are not winning majors, they must not be great. At the same time, Tiger makes winning one appear so ordinary, that conventional wisdom says doing so must not be very difficult after all. Right?
Wrong.
Conventional wisdom in golf is dead. Tiger hunted it down and killed it.
From now on, there is Tiger, and there is everyone else. When watching golf, understand that some of the greatest players in the history of the game are currently playing. Watch them, cheer for them, appreciate their greatness and be amazed by what they can do.
Then, look at Tiger. Watch what he does and how he does it. Call your friends when he does something you've never seen and didn't think was possible. Scream at the television as if you were standing in the gallery behind the green. Watch it all, and know how lucky you are to witness the career of the greatest golfer the planet has ever seen.
I've never been a Tiger fan (he's clearly doing OK without my support), but I have always appreciated his unique abilities and marveled at his accomplishments. Woods might not be my favorite player, but that doesn't mean I didn't have goose bumps watching him charge up the leaderboard Saturday evening.
Tiger Woods is the greatest golfer the world has ever seen. So, I lied. I will keep watching golf. As impossible as it may seem, Tiger Woods has not done it all... yet.
What's the point? After watching Tiger Woods in the third round of the 108th U.S. Open, I've officially seen it all. I'm having a hard time writing about it. How do you describe something you've never seen before? How do you compare a person or his accomplishments when no one has ever done anything comparable?
Tiger Woods is the greatest golf player the world has ever seen. That statement was not preceded with "has the potential to be," or "might be someday if..." It's official. Jack Nicklaus, who previously held that title, has been saying it for years, and what Woods is doing this week at Torrey Pines is simply adding to his legend. His back nine Saturday was a microcosm of his career to date.
• His 70-foot, right-to-left swinging, so fast downhill that it could roll 150 feet off the green putt for eagle on the 13th hole was a once-in-a-career shot for most professional players.
• His one-hop-into-the-cup birdie chip on the 17th hole out of grass so long that it could have been transplanted from the uncut yard of a year-old abandoned house was a never-in-a-lifetime shot for most people who have ever picked up a set of clubs and played a round.
• By the time Woods’ eagle putt was tracking toward the cup on the 18th hole, I was screaming in disbelief at the television. When the ball dropped, giving Tiger a one-shot lead heading into Sunday's final round, I mumbled a few unprintable words and stormed out of the living room.
Here's my problem: Tiger Woods is too good. It's not fair. If you've ever played the game — or like most of us, tried and usually failed — you understand how seemingly impossible it is to accomplish the things Woods makes look ordinary.
Woods is so good, he's doing a disservice to himself and the other great players of this generation. Writers and TV commentators who help educate the masses have lost the necessary perspective, because Woods' greatness has blurred their vision. Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh should go down in the history of golf as all-time greats, but between them they possess barely a handful of major championships. Younger players such as Sergio Garcia and Adam Scott are still searching for their first major. In fact, Woods is making greatness look so easy, many novice golf fans think winning a major championship is no big deal.
Conventional wisdom dictates that greatness in golf is measured by winning major championships. If others are not winning majors, they must not be great. At the same time, Tiger makes winning one appear so ordinary, that conventional wisdom says doing so must not be very difficult after all. Right?
Wrong.
Conventional wisdom in golf is dead. Tiger hunted it down and killed it.
From now on, there is Tiger, and there is everyone else. When watching golf, understand that some of the greatest players in the history of the game are currently playing. Watch them, cheer for them, appreciate their greatness and be amazed by what they can do.
Then, look at Tiger. Watch what he does and how he does it. Call your friends when he does something you've never seen and didn't think was possible. Scream at the television as if you were standing in the gallery behind the green. Watch it all, and know how lucky you are to witness the career of the greatest golfer the planet has ever seen.
I've never been a Tiger fan (he's clearly doing OK without my support), but I have always appreciated his unique abilities and marveled at his accomplishments. Woods might not be my favorite player, but that doesn't mean I didn't have goose bumps watching him charge up the leaderboard Saturday evening.
Tiger Woods is the greatest golfer the world has ever seen. So, I lied. I will keep watching golf. As impossible as it may seem, Tiger Woods has not done it all... yet.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Early exodus for NBA is hurting college hoops
College basketball is as exciting as it ever has been, capped off this year with one of the most thrilling national championship games in NCAA tournament history.
The National Basketball Association’s rule that prohibits high school graduates from entering the NBA draft has, without a doubt, given a boost to the college game. Texas freshman Kevin Durant and Kansas State’s Michael Beasley, the last two national player of the year winners, would probably have been in the pros if not for the rule change. Greg Oden — the No. 1 pick of the 2007 draft — and Mike Conley led Ohio State to the championship game last season as freshmen before bolting for the NBA.
The 2008 crop of college freshmen that have entered the draft will all be sporting new suits and million-dollar contracts on draft night. Beasley, UCLA’s Kevin Love, Memphis point guard Derrick Rose, USC sensation O.J. Mayo, Indiana’s Eric Gordon and Arizona’s Jerryd Bayless all appear to be instant-impact players at the next level. Their short-lived presence on campus has helped raised the quality of play and generated a new level of interest in the college game.
But all is not well with college basketball.
The NCAA should not be the minor league of professional basketball, but because there is no legitimate training ground for young prospects, their best chance at becoming multi-millionaire athlete is to attend college.
Young men who do not have the desire or academic skills necessary to succeed as a college student find themselves relegated to supposed institutions of higher learning. In a worst-case scenario, a “student athlete” could take and pass 12 hours (four classes) of freshman-level electives in the fall semester of their first year, then completely blow off classes in the spring to focus on the conference season, the NCAA tournament and pre-draft camps.
At the same time, universities have compromised their academic integrity in order to be competitive in the highly lucrative world of major Division I athletics. Memphis University made a lot of money this year thanks to Rose, and the reality is that if Memphis had passed on Rose, knowing he would likely be one-and-done, another elite program would gladly have given him a short-term home.
The NBA had to do something. The allure of young prospects was too much for any team to resist. Let’s be honest; there’s not a general manager interested in keeping his job that would be willing to pass on the next LeBron James, Kobe Bryant or Kevin Garnett. Unfortunately, the result was too many instances (Deshawn Stevenson, Al Jefferson and Tyson Chandler come to mind) of teams investing millions in teenagers only to see them finally blossom in their mid-20s with a different franchise.
The NBA has every right to set its own eligibility requirements. If it says a player has to be out of high school for at least a year, then so be it. Clearly, there are some 18-year-olds who are capable of playing and contributing at the professional level. But many star high school players, despite what they are told by family, friends and other less reputable sources looking to profit from a young man’s skill, are not physically prepared for the 82-game grind against grown men in the world’s top professional basketball league. And all of them — even guys like James, Bryant and Garnett — would benefit from a few years of physical and mental maturity.
News surfaced during the Final Four of the NBA and NCAA working on a deal that could increase the waiting period for high school graduates to two years before being eligible for the NBA draft. On the surface, it sounds like a good plan, but in reality it only makes the problem worse.
The NBA and NCAA would be better served to focus its energy on creating a system similar to the one presented to high school baseball prospects.
If a high school player is chosen in the draft, he can turn pro, which usually means several years of developing their skills in the minor leagues. But, if a player decides to accept a college scholarship, they are not eligible to re-enter the draft until after their third year in college.
The problem for high school basketball players is the lack of a true minor league basketball system. The NBA’s developmental league has the potential to serve as a minor league if some changes are made.
A better solution might be to offer high school players an option. For example, if the NBA wants to stick with its current one-year waiting period, give those young men who don’t want to attend college a place to play — the NBDL — where they can make a modest living for a year and develop their skills 24 hours a day. For those who choose to attend college, institute a two-year minimum rule —similar to the three-year plan in baseball — that does not allow a college player to be eligible for the draft until after their second year in college.
It’s not a perfect solution, but the current rule — no matter how well its intention — is making a mockery of the college game.
The National Basketball Association’s rule that prohibits high school graduates from entering the NBA draft has, without a doubt, given a boost to the college game. Texas freshman Kevin Durant and Kansas State’s Michael Beasley, the last two national player of the year winners, would probably have been in the pros if not for the rule change. Greg Oden — the No. 1 pick of the 2007 draft — and Mike Conley led Ohio State to the championship game last season as freshmen before bolting for the NBA.
The 2008 crop of college freshmen that have entered the draft will all be sporting new suits and million-dollar contracts on draft night. Beasley, UCLA’s Kevin Love, Memphis point guard Derrick Rose, USC sensation O.J. Mayo, Indiana’s Eric Gordon and Arizona’s Jerryd Bayless all appear to be instant-impact players at the next level. Their short-lived presence on campus has helped raised the quality of play and generated a new level of interest in the college game.
But all is not well with college basketball.
The NCAA should not be the minor league of professional basketball, but because there is no legitimate training ground for young prospects, their best chance at becoming multi-millionaire athlete is to attend college.
Young men who do not have the desire or academic skills necessary to succeed as a college student find themselves relegated to supposed institutions of higher learning. In a worst-case scenario, a “student athlete” could take and pass 12 hours (four classes) of freshman-level electives in the fall semester of their first year, then completely blow off classes in the spring to focus on the conference season, the NCAA tournament and pre-draft camps.
At the same time, universities have compromised their academic integrity in order to be competitive in the highly lucrative world of major Division I athletics. Memphis University made a lot of money this year thanks to Rose, and the reality is that if Memphis had passed on Rose, knowing he would likely be one-and-done, another elite program would gladly have given him a short-term home.
The NBA had to do something. The allure of young prospects was too much for any team to resist. Let’s be honest; there’s not a general manager interested in keeping his job that would be willing to pass on the next LeBron James, Kobe Bryant or Kevin Garnett. Unfortunately, the result was too many instances (Deshawn Stevenson, Al Jefferson and Tyson Chandler come to mind) of teams investing millions in teenagers only to see them finally blossom in their mid-20s with a different franchise.
The NBA has every right to set its own eligibility requirements. If it says a player has to be out of high school for at least a year, then so be it. Clearly, there are some 18-year-olds who are capable of playing and contributing at the professional level. But many star high school players, despite what they are told by family, friends and other less reputable sources looking to profit from a young man’s skill, are not physically prepared for the 82-game grind against grown men in the world’s top professional basketball league. And all of them — even guys like James, Bryant and Garnett — would benefit from a few years of physical and mental maturity.
News surfaced during the Final Four of the NBA and NCAA working on a deal that could increase the waiting period for high school graduates to two years before being eligible for the NBA draft. On the surface, it sounds like a good plan, but in reality it only makes the problem worse.
The NBA and NCAA would be better served to focus its energy on creating a system similar to the one presented to high school baseball prospects.
If a high school player is chosen in the draft, he can turn pro, which usually means several years of developing their skills in the minor leagues. But, if a player decides to accept a college scholarship, they are not eligible to re-enter the draft until after their third year in college.
The problem for high school basketball players is the lack of a true minor league basketball system. The NBA’s developmental league has the potential to serve as a minor league if some changes are made.
A better solution might be to offer high school players an option. For example, if the NBA wants to stick with its current one-year waiting period, give those young men who don’t want to attend college a place to play — the NBDL — where they can make a modest living for a year and develop their skills 24 hours a day. For those who choose to attend college, institute a two-year minimum rule —similar to the three-year plan in baseball — that does not allow a college player to be eligible for the draft until after their second year in college.
It’s not a perfect solution, but the current rule — no matter how well its intention — is making a mockery of the college game.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Did Kansas win, or did Memphis lose?
A few thoughts the day after the NCAA Tournament championship game while cruising at 30,000 feet somewhere between Detroit and Washington, D.C....
I’m not sure that I will ever understand America’s fascination with failure. People seem to enjoy watching others come up short or make a mistake only to point fingers and criticize. Maybe it wouldn’t bother me so much when it comes to sports, except that Skip Bayless, Woody Paige and so many of the other screaming sports writers on television derive what can only be described as something just short of orgasmic joy from labeling a player as having “choked.” I can only assume that belittling young men with athletic abilities that a middle-aged white guy could never dream of having because the player might have been affected by the very real pressure of the moment makes them feel better.
Did Memphis get tight in the game’s closing minutes, with the national championship in its grasp? Without a doubt.
The Tigers made only one field goal in the final five minutes. All-American Chris Douglas-Roberts and sensational freshman Derrick Rose combined to miss four free throws in the final 75 seconds, all of which occurred as both nervously fell away from the charity stripe upon releasing the ball, seemingly fearing that their worst nightmare would come true before the ball ever reached the rim.
Coach John Calipari made arguably the biggest blunders, failing to call a timeout with 10.8 seconds left to communicate a gameplan, and as a result Memphis did not commit a foul to prevent the Jayhawks from attempting a game tying 3-pointer. Calipari said afterward that the Tigers were trying to commit a foul, but either his players didn’t know that was the plan or they did a terrible job of executing it.
For all of the mistakes Memphis made down the stretch, all it did was give Kansas an opportunity. The Jayhawks responded by making every crucial play necessary to win the game.
To say that Memphis choked away the championship is an insult to Kansas and everything it accomplished in overcoming a nine-point deficit with 2:12 left in the second half.
Let’s start with the most overlooked — yet most important — play of the rally. After cutting the lead to seven and calling timeout, Sherron Collins stole the ensuing inbounds pass, threw it to a teammate while falling out of bounds, then came back onto the court and waited behind the 3-point line until Russell Robinson passed it to him and he calmly buried a 3.
Fast forward 49 seconds to Darrell Arthur, whose twisting, off balance 8-foot jumper rolled around the rim, off the glass and in, cutting the Jayhawk’s deficit to only two points. With everything else that took place during the rest of the game, you might have missed that Arthur was KU’s leading scorer and rebounder with 20 points and 10 boards.
Then, after Rose made a clutch free throw to put Memphis up 63-60 with 10.8 seconds remaining, Collins exploded up court past Rose. Maybe the Tigers were going to try and foul him, but Collins made sure no one could touch him.
The burst of speed gave Collins enough space to make a hand off to Mario Chalmers, who calmly dribbled to the top of the key and sank a tightly contested game-tying 3-pointer that etched his name in championship game history next to North Carolina State’s Lorenzo Charles, Indiana’s Keith Smart and some guy from North Carolina named Michael Jordan.
Yes, Memphis made mental mistakes.
Yes, CD-R and Rose missed pressure-packed free throws.
But despite those errors, with the final seconds of the season ticking away and a championship on the line, Kansas still had to make a shot. With the opportunity for immortality in front of him, Chalmers accepted the challenge and came through.
The 2008 NCAA Championship game was one of the best ever — not because of a few mistakes, but thanks to fantastic performances by both teams.
That’s what I will remember.
I’m not sure that I will ever understand America’s fascination with failure. People seem to enjoy watching others come up short or make a mistake only to point fingers and criticize. Maybe it wouldn’t bother me so much when it comes to sports, except that Skip Bayless, Woody Paige and so many of the other screaming sports writers on television derive what can only be described as something just short of orgasmic joy from labeling a player as having “choked.” I can only assume that belittling young men with athletic abilities that a middle-aged white guy could never dream of having because the player might have been affected by the very real pressure of the moment makes them feel better.
Did Memphis get tight in the game’s closing minutes, with the national championship in its grasp? Without a doubt.
The Tigers made only one field goal in the final five minutes. All-American Chris Douglas-Roberts and sensational freshman Derrick Rose combined to miss four free throws in the final 75 seconds, all of which occurred as both nervously fell away from the charity stripe upon releasing the ball, seemingly fearing that their worst nightmare would come true before the ball ever reached the rim.
Coach John Calipari made arguably the biggest blunders, failing to call a timeout with 10.8 seconds left to communicate a gameplan, and as a result Memphis did not commit a foul to prevent the Jayhawks from attempting a game tying 3-pointer. Calipari said afterward that the Tigers were trying to commit a foul, but either his players didn’t know that was the plan or they did a terrible job of executing it.
For all of the mistakes Memphis made down the stretch, all it did was give Kansas an opportunity. The Jayhawks responded by making every crucial play necessary to win the game.
To say that Memphis choked away the championship is an insult to Kansas and everything it accomplished in overcoming a nine-point deficit with 2:12 left in the second half.
Let’s start with the most overlooked — yet most important — play of the rally. After cutting the lead to seven and calling timeout, Sherron Collins stole the ensuing inbounds pass, threw it to a teammate while falling out of bounds, then came back onto the court and waited behind the 3-point line until Russell Robinson passed it to him and he calmly buried a 3.
Fast forward 49 seconds to Darrell Arthur, whose twisting, off balance 8-foot jumper rolled around the rim, off the glass and in, cutting the Jayhawk’s deficit to only two points. With everything else that took place during the rest of the game, you might have missed that Arthur was KU’s leading scorer and rebounder with 20 points and 10 boards.
Then, after Rose made a clutch free throw to put Memphis up 63-60 with 10.8 seconds remaining, Collins exploded up court past Rose. Maybe the Tigers were going to try and foul him, but Collins made sure no one could touch him.
The burst of speed gave Collins enough space to make a hand off to Mario Chalmers, who calmly dribbled to the top of the key and sank a tightly contested game-tying 3-pointer that etched his name in championship game history next to North Carolina State’s Lorenzo Charles, Indiana’s Keith Smart and some guy from North Carolina named Michael Jordan.
Yes, Memphis made mental mistakes.
Yes, CD-R and Rose missed pressure-packed free throws.
But despite those errors, with the final seconds of the season ticking away and a championship on the line, Kansas still had to make a shot. With the opportunity for immortality in front of him, Chalmers accepted the challenge and came through.
The 2008 NCAA Championship game was one of the best ever — not because of a few mistakes, but thanks to fantastic performances by both teams.
That’s what I will remember.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Tournament time already full of surprises
Some thoughts that came to mind while standing at the printer in my office, making sure the boss doesn’t catch me running out copies of my NCAA Tournament bracket…
• What an amazing story the Georgia Bulldogs are. After winning just four games during three months of Southeastern Conference action and a total of two games in the previous seven weeks, Georgia entered the SEC tournament as the 12th-place team in the 12-team tournament. Four days and four victories later, the Dawgs are dancing.
How could you not cheer for Georgia (Hogs’ fans excluded) in Sunday’s championship game? Having played and won twice on Saturday, Georgia jumped out to an adrenaline-fueled, double-digit lead and held it until the final 10 minutes. As the Razorbacks trimmed the deficit to a handful of points, you could sense the dream slipping away as it appeared Georgia’s players had understandably run out of gas.
But the clutch shooting never ran out. When the Dawgs hit in the final 90 seconds to build an eight-point lead, Arkansas was forced to call a timeout. It was the final momentum-swinging moment, the type of situation that players usually greet with chest thumping, primal screaming and celebratory hugs. Instead, for the first time all day, the Dawgs looked like dogs, slowly drudging back to the bench like Uga searching for shade on a steamy summer day.
“Cinderella” is not a role schools from high-major conferences often get to play, but for Georgia, the slipper was a perfect fit. In fact, Georgia’s run through the SEC tournament is more impressive because of the competition. When Coppin State or UT-Arlington come from the bottom of the bracket in their mid-major conferences to earn the tournament title, they don’t have to knock off four teams that are currently or have spent time ranked in the Top 25 during the season.
• I don’t have a problem with the 65 teams that are playing in the NCAA Tournament, but I have some serious questions for the selection committee about how the brackets were put together.
1. Why are six of the best mid-major teams in America facing each other — Drake vs. Western Kentucky, Gonzaga vs. Davidson and Butler vs. South Alabama — in three first-round games? All of these teams are good enough to win in the first round and would be a scary second-round opponent. Instead, half of this group will be one-and-done, leaving small-school haters saying, “I told you so.” Why not make No. 7 West Virginia see if it can handle South Alabama, while letting overrated Arizona try and slow down Butler?
2. Why is Butler a No. 7 seed to start with? The Bulldogs have been ranked in or near the top 10 by the coaches and Associated Press since December, yet the selection committee, in its infinite wisdom, ranks them no better than the 25th to 28th best team in the country? Other seeding concerns include East No. 6 Oklahoma (too high), West No. 2 Duke (too high), Midwest No. 3 Wisconsin (too low) and South No. 1 Memphis being forced to possibly play No. 2 Texas in Houston with a spot in the Final Four on the line.
3. Who did Bruce Pearl piss off on the selection committee? Tennessee, considered by many a legitimate No. 1 seed candidate, instead received the fourth No. 2 seed and will have to face North Carolina in the East Regional championship game — if they can get there. And that’s not a guarantee. The Vols have a potential second-round game against underrated Butler. If the Bulldogs are upset in the first round, Tennessee would face South Alabama. By the way, these games will be played in Birmingham. The only group that hates hearing “Rocky Top” more than the Florida Gators is the entire state of Alabama. No matter who the Vols face Sunday, their opponent will be very dangerous and the anti-UT crowd will be more than willing to cheer for the underdog.
• What an amazing story the Georgia Bulldogs are. After winning just four games during three months of Southeastern Conference action and a total of two games in the previous seven weeks, Georgia entered the SEC tournament as the 12th-place team in the 12-team tournament. Four days and four victories later, the Dawgs are dancing.
How could you not cheer for Georgia (Hogs’ fans excluded) in Sunday’s championship game? Having played and won twice on Saturday, Georgia jumped out to an adrenaline-fueled, double-digit lead and held it until the final 10 minutes. As the Razorbacks trimmed the deficit to a handful of points, you could sense the dream slipping away as it appeared Georgia’s players had understandably run out of gas.
But the clutch shooting never ran out. When the Dawgs hit in the final 90 seconds to build an eight-point lead, Arkansas was forced to call a timeout. It was the final momentum-swinging moment, the type of situation that players usually greet with chest thumping, primal screaming and celebratory hugs. Instead, for the first time all day, the Dawgs looked like dogs, slowly drudging back to the bench like Uga searching for shade on a steamy summer day.
“Cinderella” is not a role schools from high-major conferences often get to play, but for Georgia, the slipper was a perfect fit. In fact, Georgia’s run through the SEC tournament is more impressive because of the competition. When Coppin State or UT-Arlington come from the bottom of the bracket in their mid-major conferences to earn the tournament title, they don’t have to knock off four teams that are currently or have spent time ranked in the Top 25 during the season.
• I don’t have a problem with the 65 teams that are playing in the NCAA Tournament, but I have some serious questions for the selection committee about how the brackets were put together.
1. Why are six of the best mid-major teams in America facing each other — Drake vs. Western Kentucky, Gonzaga vs. Davidson and Butler vs. South Alabama — in three first-round games? All of these teams are good enough to win in the first round and would be a scary second-round opponent. Instead, half of this group will be one-and-done, leaving small-school haters saying, “I told you so.” Why not make No. 7 West Virginia see if it can handle South Alabama, while letting overrated Arizona try and slow down Butler?
2. Why is Butler a No. 7 seed to start with? The Bulldogs have been ranked in or near the top 10 by the coaches and Associated Press since December, yet the selection committee, in its infinite wisdom, ranks them no better than the 25th to 28th best team in the country? Other seeding concerns include East No. 6 Oklahoma (too high), West No. 2 Duke (too high), Midwest No. 3 Wisconsin (too low) and South No. 1 Memphis being forced to possibly play No. 2 Texas in Houston with a spot in the Final Four on the line.
3. Who did Bruce Pearl piss off on the selection committee? Tennessee, considered by many a legitimate No. 1 seed candidate, instead received the fourth No. 2 seed and will have to face North Carolina in the East Regional championship game — if they can get there. And that’s not a guarantee. The Vols have a potential second-round game against underrated Butler. If the Bulldogs are upset in the first round, Tennessee would face South Alabama. By the way, these games will be played in Birmingham. The only group that hates hearing “Rocky Top” more than the Florida Gators is the entire state of Alabama. No matter who the Vols face Sunday, their opponent will be very dangerous and the anti-UT crowd will be more than willing to cheer for the underdog.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Hope is on the Horizon for SHSU
Well, it was fun while it lasted.
For a few short weeks early in the college basketball season, it was nice to walk around with shoulders thrown back and chest puffed out. The Sam Houston State Bearkats were getting noticed on the national scene, and for a moment, it was exciting to think about what has always been impossible for any Southland squad to consider. An at-large big to the NCAA tournament was nothing more than a dream, but for the first time ever it was more than just a hallucination.
That dream ended when Southeastern Louisiana walked out of Johnson Coliseum with a victory over the Kats to start conference play, but there was no reason to panic. The Kats still had a championship caliber team, or so we thought. That hope has disappeared in recent weeks as two things became clear — Stephen F. Austin had the best team in the SLC, and Lamar continued to play extremely well and reaped the benefits of playing an unbalanced schedule.
In the aftermath of Thursday night's embarrassing loss at SFA, it would be very easy to harp on everything that is wrong with SHSU's basketball team. When the defense it bad, it's terrible. When the offense is bad, it's unwatchable. For most of the season, SHSU has played with a passion that has allowed the team to overcome its deficiencies. Against the Lumberjacks, that over-the-top effort was missing, and for the first time, the Kats simply looked like a bad Southland basketball team.
But there is hope.
Glory for mid-major programs dwells in the conference tournament. The reality is and always will be that the regular season counts for very little. In fact, now that the SLC has moved to a neutral site for the entire tournament, regular season success comes will no reward other than tournament seeding. And as Bearkat fans learned painfully in 2000 and again in 2007, being a higher seed guarantees you nothing in tournament play.
More often than not during the Bearkat basketball renaissance of the 21st century, the unpredictable nature of the conference tournament has been cause for concern, words of warning that can weigh heavy on teams that have accomplished much but will have nothing to show for it if they slip just once at the end of their season-long journey.
For the downtrodden, the underachievers, those teams yet to tap into their full potential, the conference tournament is about redemption. The fear of failure is replaced by the anticipation of a second chance at fulfilling your dreams. The fact that a fourth-place finish in the SLC has become a disappointing season to everyone associated with Bearkat basketball is a sign of just how good things are in Huntsville. It will be a nice change of pace knowing March Madness will cause someone besides the Bearkats to lose sleep.
Hope does spring eternal, and when the Kats take the floor at the Merrell Center in Katy for the first round of the conference tournament, it will be alive and well.
But right now, March 13 can't come soon enough.
For a few short weeks early in the college basketball season, it was nice to walk around with shoulders thrown back and chest puffed out. The Sam Houston State Bearkats were getting noticed on the national scene, and for a moment, it was exciting to think about what has always been impossible for any Southland squad to consider. An at-large big to the NCAA tournament was nothing more than a dream, but for the first time ever it was more than just a hallucination.
That dream ended when Southeastern Louisiana walked out of Johnson Coliseum with a victory over the Kats to start conference play, but there was no reason to panic. The Kats still had a championship caliber team, or so we thought. That hope has disappeared in recent weeks as two things became clear — Stephen F. Austin had the best team in the SLC, and Lamar continued to play extremely well and reaped the benefits of playing an unbalanced schedule.
In the aftermath of Thursday night's embarrassing loss at SFA, it would be very easy to harp on everything that is wrong with SHSU's basketball team. When the defense it bad, it's terrible. When the offense is bad, it's unwatchable. For most of the season, SHSU has played with a passion that has allowed the team to overcome its deficiencies. Against the Lumberjacks, that over-the-top effort was missing, and for the first time, the Kats simply looked like a bad Southland basketball team.
But there is hope.
Glory for mid-major programs dwells in the conference tournament. The reality is and always will be that the regular season counts for very little. In fact, now that the SLC has moved to a neutral site for the entire tournament, regular season success comes will no reward other than tournament seeding. And as Bearkat fans learned painfully in 2000 and again in 2007, being a higher seed guarantees you nothing in tournament play.
More often than not during the Bearkat basketball renaissance of the 21st century, the unpredictable nature of the conference tournament has been cause for concern, words of warning that can weigh heavy on teams that have accomplished much but will have nothing to show for it if they slip just once at the end of their season-long journey.
For the downtrodden, the underachievers, those teams yet to tap into their full potential, the conference tournament is about redemption. The fear of failure is replaced by the anticipation of a second chance at fulfilling your dreams. The fact that a fourth-place finish in the SLC has become a disappointing season to everyone associated with Bearkat basketball is a sign of just how good things are in Huntsville. It will be a nice change of pace knowing March Madness will cause someone besides the Bearkats to lose sleep.
Hope does spring eternal, and when the Kats take the floor at the Merrell Center in Katy for the first round of the conference tournament, it will be alive and well.
But right now, March 13 can't come soon enough.
Mavs should have traded for Artest (and other pro sports tidbits)
Some thoughts that came to mind while punishing myself and refusing to turn the channel during the final 10 minutes of Stephen F. Austin's thorough beat down of the Bearkats in Nacogdoches...
The NBA's Western Conference is so good, it almost makes professional basketball enjoyable to watch again.
How good? Right now it appears as if several teams that will not make the playoffs out of the West will probably finish with a record that would earn them home-court advantage in the first round if they played in the Eastern Conference.
The Dallas Mavericks landed Jason Kidd in a move they hope will finally carry them to an NBA championship, but I don't see it happening. Big men dominate the NBA. Shaq was king with the Lakers and helped Miami win a title as well (against the Mavericks no less). Tim Duncan has carried San Antonio to four titles. Ben Wallace struggles to score in a one-on-none fast break, but was a key piece in Detroit's recent championships.
Dallas has been as good as any team in the league over the past five years, but the Mavs have always had a glaring weakness in the post. Their best big man is Dirk Nowitzki, a 7-foot shooting guard who can't make clutch shots.
Dallas would have been better off trading for Ron Artest. Yes, he might be clinically insane, but he's also a really good basketball player. He's a tenacious defender and rebounder, and he plays with an attitude and swagger that Dallas could have used.
Don't be surprised to see the Mavs bounced from the playoffs in the first round again this season.
• • • •
I'm as much of a baseball fan as the next person, but I've never been a "baseball guy," so I have no idea why I keep thinking about the continuing steroid saga. But I do, so here's some more.
Whatever happened to a heart-felt apology? Is there something in the DNA of professional baseball players that prevents them from admitting they screwed up?
Paul Lo Duca said he's sorry for making an error in judgment.
Eric Gagne said he's sorry for causing a distraction.
Andy Pettitte said he's sorry, but insists he's not a cheater. (Tell that to the other guy who was injured and chose hard work over a chemically enhanced shortcut to get back on the field)
Roger Clemens isn't sorry for a damn thing, because he swears he didn't do anything.
It would be nice to hear someone, anyone, in baseball say: "I'm sorry I took performance-enhancing drugs."
• • • •
I'm not a "baseball guy," but I am "golf guy," and the World Match-Play Championship is one of the best tournaments of the year. Watching the 64 best players in the world go head-to-head for five days is a refreshing change of pace from the weekly grind on the PGA Tour.
But would someone please tell sports commentators that this is not the NCAA Tournament. There is a reason why Tiger Woods has lost in the first round of this tournament yet North Carolina and the other titans of college basketball never have and never will lose to Prairie View or any other No. 16 seed.
The NCAA Tournament is not the 64 best teams in all of college basketball. If it were, UAB (currently ranked 65th in the RPI) would be a No. 16 seed, via the play-in game, and might face Memphis in the first round. In case you missed it, the Tigers needed a last-second layup and free throw to beat the Blazers on Saturday night.
The NCAA Tournament is great because every Division I team in the country has a chance to make it.
The World Match-Play Championship is great for the exact opposite reason — because only the best are invited.
The NBA's Western Conference is so good, it almost makes professional basketball enjoyable to watch again.
How good? Right now it appears as if several teams that will not make the playoffs out of the West will probably finish with a record that would earn them home-court advantage in the first round if they played in the Eastern Conference.
The Dallas Mavericks landed Jason Kidd in a move they hope will finally carry them to an NBA championship, but I don't see it happening. Big men dominate the NBA. Shaq was king with the Lakers and helped Miami win a title as well (against the Mavericks no less). Tim Duncan has carried San Antonio to four titles. Ben Wallace struggles to score in a one-on-none fast break, but was a key piece in Detroit's recent championships.
Dallas has been as good as any team in the league over the past five years, but the Mavs have always had a glaring weakness in the post. Their best big man is Dirk Nowitzki, a 7-foot shooting guard who can't make clutch shots.
Dallas would have been better off trading for Ron Artest. Yes, he might be clinically insane, but he's also a really good basketball player. He's a tenacious defender and rebounder, and he plays with an attitude and swagger that Dallas could have used.
Don't be surprised to see the Mavs bounced from the playoffs in the first round again this season.
• • • •
I'm as much of a baseball fan as the next person, but I've never been a "baseball guy," so I have no idea why I keep thinking about the continuing steroid saga. But I do, so here's some more.
Whatever happened to a heart-felt apology? Is there something in the DNA of professional baseball players that prevents them from admitting they screwed up?
Paul Lo Duca said he's sorry for making an error in judgment.
Eric Gagne said he's sorry for causing a distraction.
Andy Pettitte said he's sorry, but insists he's not a cheater. (Tell that to the other guy who was injured and chose hard work over a chemically enhanced shortcut to get back on the field)
Roger Clemens isn't sorry for a damn thing, because he swears he didn't do anything.
It would be nice to hear someone, anyone, in baseball say: "I'm sorry I took performance-enhancing drugs."
• • • •
I'm not a "baseball guy," but I am "golf guy," and the World Match-Play Championship is one of the best tournaments of the year. Watching the 64 best players in the world go head-to-head for five days is a refreshing change of pace from the weekly grind on the PGA Tour.
But would someone please tell sports commentators that this is not the NCAA Tournament. There is a reason why Tiger Woods has lost in the first round of this tournament yet North Carolina and the other titans of college basketball never have and never will lose to Prairie View or any other No. 16 seed.
The NCAA Tournament is not the 64 best teams in all of college basketball. If it were, UAB (currently ranked 65th in the RPI) would be a No. 16 seed, via the play-in game, and might face Memphis in the first round. In case you missed it, the Tigers needed a last-second layup and free throw to beat the Blazers on Saturday night.
The NCAA Tournament is great because every Division I team in the country has a chance to make it.
The World Match-Play Championship is great for the exact opposite reason — because only the best are invited.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Valentine's Day musings
The past few weeks have been busy, but I had some time to collect my sporting thoughts while standing in a long line with other husbands and boyfriends at the Hallmark store this week.
The New York Giants shocked the professional football world — as well as the sports gambling industry — by defeating the previously undefeated New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.
So, what did the game teach us?
• Eli Manning is a good quarterback. His playoff performances were clutch, a sign that maybe he has taken his game to the next level, and his game-winning drive was the defining moment of his young career. But, the youngest Manning is not an elite signal-caller yet, despite what some morons on television have said. Eli played four good games in a row. Elite QBs do it all season, year after year. Manning has taken the first steps, but he has a long way to go.
• New England had better team even though the Giants took home the shiny, silver football. No team in the history of professional football had ever complied an 18-0 record. Despite losing the final game, the 2007 Patriots should be in the conversation for greatest teams of all time.
• Sean Salisbury is a moron, and he is on television. The talking head from ESPN said with a straight face that Manning is now an elite QB because he won a Super Bowl, and the Patriots can’t be considered one of the greatest teams of all time. The theory goes that former players make good commentators because they have a unique insight and special knowledge of the game. If that’s true, how does Salisbury still have a job?
• The 1972 Dolphins are a pathetic group of elderly men. Mercury Morris actually admitted to crying when Plexico Burress caught the game-winning touchdown, thus ensuring that he and his Dolphin teammates would remain the only team to go undefeated and win the Super Bowl in NFL History. What the Dolphins did 35 years ago was an amazing accomplishment, but I still think the 2007 Patriots were a better team.
• Karma really does come back to bite people in the butt, and it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy than Bill Bellicick.
••••
I believe Roger Clemens used performance-enhancing drugs. I don’t believe it can be proven in a court of law, and I’m not sure that it changes my opinion that he’s the greatest pitcher of this generation and one of the greatest of all time.
At some point, a person has to trust their gut instinct, and mine says Clemens is guilty. Nothing Brian McNamee or Andy Pettitte said factors into my decision. I believe Clemens was one of hundreds if not thousands of players who lived and worked in a culture where winning at all cost was expected and the use of illegal drugs was accepted. It does not appear that steroid use was an ethical issue for most players. The few who have admitted guilt have not expressed remorse, instead saying they did it to help their team.
I believe the players, the owners, the agents, the general managers, the commissioner and the fans are to blame for allowing it to happen, which is why I felt conflicted this week watching Clemens sit before Congress and argue his innocence. The fatal flaw of the Mitchell Report was its inability to give a complete accounting of the steroid era. So, while Clemens — guilty or not — has his image suffer permanent damage, untold hundreds of others are getting a free pass.
The New York Giants shocked the professional football world — as well as the sports gambling industry — by defeating the previously undefeated New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.
So, what did the game teach us?
• Eli Manning is a good quarterback. His playoff performances were clutch, a sign that maybe he has taken his game to the next level, and his game-winning drive was the defining moment of his young career. But, the youngest Manning is not an elite signal-caller yet, despite what some morons on television have said. Eli played four good games in a row. Elite QBs do it all season, year after year. Manning has taken the first steps, but he has a long way to go.
• New England had better team even though the Giants took home the shiny, silver football. No team in the history of professional football had ever complied an 18-0 record. Despite losing the final game, the 2007 Patriots should be in the conversation for greatest teams of all time.
• Sean Salisbury is a moron, and he is on television. The talking head from ESPN said with a straight face that Manning is now an elite QB because he won a Super Bowl, and the Patriots can’t be considered one of the greatest teams of all time. The theory goes that former players make good commentators because they have a unique insight and special knowledge of the game. If that’s true, how does Salisbury still have a job?
• The 1972 Dolphins are a pathetic group of elderly men. Mercury Morris actually admitted to crying when Plexico Burress caught the game-winning touchdown, thus ensuring that he and his Dolphin teammates would remain the only team to go undefeated and win the Super Bowl in NFL History. What the Dolphins did 35 years ago was an amazing accomplishment, but I still think the 2007 Patriots were a better team.
• Karma really does come back to bite people in the butt, and it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy than Bill Bellicick.
••••
I believe Roger Clemens used performance-enhancing drugs. I don’t believe it can be proven in a court of law, and I’m not sure that it changes my opinion that he’s the greatest pitcher of this generation and one of the greatest of all time.
At some point, a person has to trust their gut instinct, and mine says Clemens is guilty. Nothing Brian McNamee or Andy Pettitte said factors into my decision. I believe Clemens was one of hundreds if not thousands of players who lived and worked in a culture where winning at all cost was expected and the use of illegal drugs was accepted. It does not appear that steroid use was an ethical issue for most players. The few who have admitted guilt have not expressed remorse, instead saying they did it to help their team.
I believe the players, the owners, the agents, the general managers, the commissioner and the fans are to blame for allowing it to happen, which is why I felt conflicted this week watching Clemens sit before Congress and argue his innocence. The fatal flaw of the Mitchell Report was its inability to give a complete accounting of the steroid era. So, while Clemens — guilty or not — has his image suffer permanent damage, untold hundreds of others are getting a free pass.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Time for Bright to shine
The best start in school history since joining Division I had Sam Houston State basketball fans feeling good about the start of Southland Conference play and the potential of another trip to the NCAA Tournament under head coach Bob Marlin. Following a 2-2 start against SLC foes, the unbridled optimism has been replaced by many with tempered concerns.
The difference between perfection and impending panic is slim. SHSU's three losses are by a total of seven points and two overtime periods on the road. Assuming Saturday's defensive performance at Lamar was an exception to the rule, the Kats have proven to be an excellent defensive team. As long as that trend continues, the Kats can expect to win more than their share of conference games (and fans can continue to keep the Maalox in hand).
To say that Thursday night's showdown with rival Stephen F. Austin — which has its own legitimate conference title aspirations — is a "must-win" game is probably too dramatic. While a victory at home would pull the Kats into a tie with SFA at 3-2 in SLC action, there is still way too much basketball left to be played for Thursday's outcome to define the season.
But this much we do know. Sam Houston State is a different team than the one that started the season 10-0. The loss of James Barrett's presence in the post is huge; bigger than most people realized. The Kats don't miss Barrett's eight points and four rebounds per game as much as they miss his attitude. The Brooklyn native was New York tough. Much like former Bearkats Jay Oliphant and Wilder Auguste, Barrett was an undersized post player who excelled at doing the dirty work. Without him, center John Gardiner is the only established force on the inside. Lamar exploited that weakness over the weekend, and once Gardiner was in foul trouble, the Kats didn't have enough to answer with.
The good news is that a struggling offense may be rounding into form. Lost in the disappointment of the overtime defeat in Beaumont is the fact SHSU has shot 46 percent, 55 percent and 51 percent from the field in the last three halves of basketball, dating back to the final 20 minutes of a 64-49 win at McNeese State on Jan. 17.
The one glaring concern is senior Ryan Bright's pair of five-point games in conference play. It's almost impossible to criticize a guy who's averaging a double-double for the season (10.7 points and 11.2 rebounds per game), and with everything else he brings to the table, Bright's inexplicable career-long struggle from the free throw line can be forgiven.
The SFA game isn't a must-win contest, but it is a major statement game — for the Bearkats and Bright. It's time for Bright to take his game to the next level and keep it there for the next eight weeks. And it's a reasonable request because his career body of work is evidence that he's capable of more.
As a team, the 2007-08 Bearkats have an identity on defense. They're quick, they pressure the perimeter, they scrape and claw for everything they get on the inside and crash the boards hard, beating opponents by an average of 7.4 rebounds per game.
The offense is still undefined. If the Kats can find the scoring to supplement its defense, this could become the special season everyone was hoping for. Bright has shown before that he can be an offensive force, and this team needs him now more than ever.
Thursday night would be the perfect setting — at home, in front of rowdy crowd against SFA in an "important" game — for Bright to put his stamp on this his senior season.
The difference between perfection and impending panic is slim. SHSU's three losses are by a total of seven points and two overtime periods on the road. Assuming Saturday's defensive performance at Lamar was an exception to the rule, the Kats have proven to be an excellent defensive team. As long as that trend continues, the Kats can expect to win more than their share of conference games (and fans can continue to keep the Maalox in hand).
To say that Thursday night's showdown with rival Stephen F. Austin — which has its own legitimate conference title aspirations — is a "must-win" game is probably too dramatic. While a victory at home would pull the Kats into a tie with SFA at 3-2 in SLC action, there is still way too much basketball left to be played for Thursday's outcome to define the season.
But this much we do know. Sam Houston State is a different team than the one that started the season 10-0. The loss of James Barrett's presence in the post is huge; bigger than most people realized. The Kats don't miss Barrett's eight points and four rebounds per game as much as they miss his attitude. The Brooklyn native was New York tough. Much like former Bearkats Jay Oliphant and Wilder Auguste, Barrett was an undersized post player who excelled at doing the dirty work. Without him, center John Gardiner is the only established force on the inside. Lamar exploited that weakness over the weekend, and once Gardiner was in foul trouble, the Kats didn't have enough to answer with.
The good news is that a struggling offense may be rounding into form. Lost in the disappointment of the overtime defeat in Beaumont is the fact SHSU has shot 46 percent, 55 percent and 51 percent from the field in the last three halves of basketball, dating back to the final 20 minutes of a 64-49 win at McNeese State on Jan. 17.
The one glaring concern is senior Ryan Bright's pair of five-point games in conference play. It's almost impossible to criticize a guy who's averaging a double-double for the season (10.7 points and 11.2 rebounds per game), and with everything else he brings to the table, Bright's inexplicable career-long struggle from the free throw line can be forgiven.
The SFA game isn't a must-win contest, but it is a major statement game — for the Bearkats and Bright. It's time for Bright to take his game to the next level and keep it there for the next eight weeks. And it's a reasonable request because his career body of work is evidence that he's capable of more.
As a team, the 2007-08 Bearkats have an identity on defense. They're quick, they pressure the perimeter, they scrape and claw for everything they get on the inside and crash the boards hard, beating opponents by an average of 7.4 rebounds per game.
The offense is still undefined. If the Kats can find the scoring to supplement its defense, this could become the special season everyone was hoping for. Bright has shown before that he can be an offensive force, and this team needs him now more than ever.
Thursday night would be the perfect setting — at home, in front of rowdy crowd against SFA in an "important" game — for Bright to put his stamp on this his senior season.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Who is to blame for the steroid era? Everyone in baseball
Finally, someone besides the players is taking some heat for the steroid era in baseball. During Tuesday’s Congressional hearing, San Francisco Giants owner Peter Magowan and general manager Brian Sabean were hammered for either allowing or not knowing what was obvious — that for years Barry Bonds was using steroids and his personal trainer, Brian Anderson, was bringing the illegal drugs into their clubhouse.
So far, the post-Mitchell Report era of baseball has been nothing short of a witch-hunt against the players, and it’s not fair.
ESPN analyst Steve Phillips said he didn’t think Magowan or Sabean should be punished for what they did or didn’t do during that time. That’s right, the man who was general manager of the New York Mets during the heart of the steroid era — the same New York Mets whose clubhouse assistant, Kirk Radomski, is one of the star witnesses in the Mitchell Report and self-admitted drug kingpin of MLB — doesn’t think the executives should be punished.
Shocking.
Although I don’t agree with his reasoning, I completely agree with Phillips’ conclusion. Punishing individuals for their role in the steroid scandal is wrong.
The Mitchell Report named almost 100 current and former players using only two sources. Can we honestly believe it did anything more than scrape the surface? Ken Caminiti once estimated more than half of all pro baseball players were juicing. At the time, players and journalists scoffed. The truth probably lies somewhere in between, which means hundreds who are just as guilty will never be tarred and feathered the way Roger Clemens and Bonds are now.
The truth is, everyone in baseball is guilty for the steroid era.
Players did it to make more money.
Owners ignored it to make more money.
General managers ignored it because winning games and selling tickets helped them keep their jobs.
Players who didn’t do it are guilty for looking the other way and claiming ignorance.
The media is guilty of not looking further into the dark corners of baseball.
And the fans don’t have much to complain about either. With rumors swirling for more than a decade, millions flocked to the ballpark to watch home runs sail out of the park at a record pace.
Apparently, ignorance truly is bliss.
So far, the post-Mitchell Report era of baseball has been nothing short of a witch-hunt against the players, and it’s not fair.
ESPN analyst Steve Phillips said he didn’t think Magowan or Sabean should be punished for what they did or didn’t do during that time. That’s right, the man who was general manager of the New York Mets during the heart of the steroid era — the same New York Mets whose clubhouse assistant, Kirk Radomski, is one of the star witnesses in the Mitchell Report and self-admitted drug kingpin of MLB — doesn’t think the executives should be punished.
Shocking.
Although I don’t agree with his reasoning, I completely agree with Phillips’ conclusion. Punishing individuals for their role in the steroid scandal is wrong.
The Mitchell Report named almost 100 current and former players using only two sources. Can we honestly believe it did anything more than scrape the surface? Ken Caminiti once estimated more than half of all pro baseball players were juicing. At the time, players and journalists scoffed. The truth probably lies somewhere in between, which means hundreds who are just as guilty will never be tarred and feathered the way Roger Clemens and Bonds are now.
The truth is, everyone in baseball is guilty for the steroid era.
Players did it to make more money.
Owners ignored it to make more money.
General managers ignored it because winning games and selling tickets helped them keep their jobs.
Players who didn’t do it are guilty for looking the other way and claiming ignorance.
The media is guilty of not looking further into the dark corners of baseball.
And the fans don’t have much to complain about either. With rumors swirling for more than a decade, millions flocked to the ballpark to watch home runs sail out of the park at a record pace.
Apparently, ignorance truly is bliss.
Al Sharpton: fighting racial injustice where it really matters — the PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is in Palm Spring, Calif., this week for the Bob Hope Celebrity Classic. The Golf Channel’s lead commentator, Kelly Tilghman, is not. Professional golf and Palm Springs rarely make waves on the civil rights radar, but thanks to the good Rev. All Sharpton, these strangers have crossed paths.
Two weeks ago as the PGA Tour was opening it’s season in Hawaii, Tilghman, during a joking exchange with co-host Nick Faldo about how the next generation of tour pros could catch up with Tiger Woods, said the younger players on the PGA Tour should lynch Tiger Woods in a back alley.
Considering the fact Woods is one of the only African-American men on the PGA Tour, and considering the disgraceful and embarrassing history between lynching and black men in American history, Tilghman’s words were poorly chosen. And she knew it.
Tilghman apologized on the air. She called Woods to personally say she was sorry. When reporters contacted the Woods’ camp for a comment, Tiger’s people said it was a non-issue. Golf Channel executives agreed, saying there would be no action taken.
Until Sharpton stepped up to the tee box and unleashed this drive: "If I got on this show and said I wanted to put some Jewish-American in a gas chamber, I don't care what context I said it in, the entire Jewish community would have the right to say I should be put off this show or my radio show if I said it there," Sharpton told CNN. "Or if I said I wanted to see a woman raped. This is an insult to all blacks. Lynching is not murder in general; it is not assault in general. It is a specific racial term."
Sharpton then compared Tilghamn’s remarks to those made by radio show host Don Imus last year about the Rutgers University women’s basketball team.
It seems now would be an appropriate time to yell, “Fore!” as Sharpton’s shot sailed wildy off course.
Sharpton comparing Tilghman to Imus is ironic, seeing how Sharpton himself has become little more than the shock-jock of the civil right’s movement, launching outrageous sound bites that draw more attention to him than the issues. Most people with common sense have stopped listening to anything Rev. Al has to say, which sadly undermines his efforts to help everyday people who have suffered true injustice and need a strong voice.
Too bad Sharpton has decided to waste his power and influence on something as trivial as the misplaced words of a professional golf commentator. Tiger's a big boy, Al. He can take care of himself.
The real cowards here are the Golf Channel executives who caved under Sharpton’s pressure and suspended Tilghman. Thankfully they weren’t stupid enough to follow Sharpton’s advice and fire her, but that’s hardly an endorsement of their competence or leadership.
Two weeks ago as the PGA Tour was opening it’s season in Hawaii, Tilghman, during a joking exchange with co-host Nick Faldo about how the next generation of tour pros could catch up with Tiger Woods, said the younger players on the PGA Tour should lynch Tiger Woods in a back alley.
Considering the fact Woods is one of the only African-American men on the PGA Tour, and considering the disgraceful and embarrassing history between lynching and black men in American history, Tilghman’s words were poorly chosen. And she knew it.
Tilghman apologized on the air. She called Woods to personally say she was sorry. When reporters contacted the Woods’ camp for a comment, Tiger’s people said it was a non-issue. Golf Channel executives agreed, saying there would be no action taken.
Until Sharpton stepped up to the tee box and unleashed this drive: "If I got on this show and said I wanted to put some Jewish-American in a gas chamber, I don't care what context I said it in, the entire Jewish community would have the right to say I should be put off this show or my radio show if I said it there," Sharpton told CNN. "Or if I said I wanted to see a woman raped. This is an insult to all blacks. Lynching is not murder in general; it is not assault in general. It is a specific racial term."
Sharpton then compared Tilghamn’s remarks to those made by radio show host Don Imus last year about the Rutgers University women’s basketball team.
It seems now would be an appropriate time to yell, “Fore!” as Sharpton’s shot sailed wildy off course.
Sharpton comparing Tilghman to Imus is ironic, seeing how Sharpton himself has become little more than the shock-jock of the civil right’s movement, launching outrageous sound bites that draw more attention to him than the issues. Most people with common sense have stopped listening to anything Rev. Al has to say, which sadly undermines his efforts to help everyday people who have suffered true injustice and need a strong voice.
Too bad Sharpton has decided to waste his power and influence on something as trivial as the misplaced words of a professional golf commentator. Tiger's a big boy, Al. He can take care of himself.
The real cowards here are the Golf Channel executives who caved under Sharpton’s pressure and suspended Tilghman. Thankfully they weren’t stupid enough to follow Sharpton’s advice and fire her, but that’s hardly an endorsement of their competence or leadership.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
BCS a bust once again
The college football season is over, and folks down in Baton Rouge are likely still celebrating more than a day after embarrassing Ohio State. After watching Les Miles take the most talented team in the country and do everything in his power to prevent the Tigers from winning a national championship during the regular season, The Hat looked like a coach anyone would be proud to have on their sideline Monday night.
The 2007 college football season was the most unpredictable anyone can remember, and it’s only fitting that the Bowl Championship Series had possibly its worst showing since it first marred the college football landscape in 1998. The Rose Bowl stunk. Sugar Bowl was rotten. Fiesta Bowl was a bust. Orange Bowl was watchable, even though Kansas — despite winning — didn’t deserve to be there.
The “championship” game only proved what most of us already knew:
• Ohio State is overrated. The Buckeyes were rewarded by the BCS for playing in a weak Big 10 Conference and for rolling through an even softer non-conference schedule.
• The SEC is better than the Big 10. OSU faced real adversity twice this season — against Illinois and LSU — and both times the Buckeyes crumbled. LSU was pushed to its limit almost every week during SEC action. The Tigers need late-game heroics to beat Florida, Auburn and Alabama. Twice they were taken to triple overtime. Do you really think a 10-0 first quarter deficit Monday night had the Tigers worried?
• The BCS doesn’t work, and FBC conferences need a playoff system. University of Georgia president Michael Adams, at the risk of looking like a sore loser, came out Monday advocating an eight-team playoff. His is only the first domino, and many more will need to fall before something changes.
• I don’t care if Roger Clemens used steroids, and, frankly, I don’t care if he’s lying about it now. Professional baseball over the past 20 years will forever be known as the Steroid Era. Everyone who played, whether they used performance-enhancing drugs or not, will have that shadow cast over their legacy. What bothers me is the old-school baseball writers who are now playing judge, jury and executioner with players’ legacies without looking in the mirror. If they had been doing their job as journalists and reporters, steroid use in baseball would have been exposed years ago. With the unique clubhouse access available to them, baseball’s writers either knew about it and said nothing, or were grossly negligent if they were unaware. At the very least, they heard the rumors and are just as guilty as the team executives that turned a blind eye.
• Speaking of bitter old men, I never have, and probably never will, understand baseball Hall of Fame voters. What did Goose Gossage do during the past 12 months to make him HOF worthy? After eight years of not having what it takes, suddenly Goose is good enough?
• Big-time Division I football is the only sport where it’s acceptable for people to argue: “they’re not even the best team in the conference, so they don’t deserve to play for the national title? Why not? Basketball allows every single conference champion, as well as with more than 30 others teams who didn’t finish first in their league, play for the championship. Along the way, March Madness has become the greatest sporting event in America. The College World Series, along with its regional and super regional rounds, provides a similar format that is just as exciting for college baseball followers.
Missouri, West Virginia, USC and Georgia all have better football teams than Ohio State this season, as did Kansas, Virginia Tech and Oklahoma. Throw in LSU, and that sounds like a pretty great — and simple — playoff.
The 2007 college football season was the most unpredictable anyone can remember, and it’s only fitting that the Bowl Championship Series had possibly its worst showing since it first marred the college football landscape in 1998. The Rose Bowl stunk. Sugar Bowl was rotten. Fiesta Bowl was a bust. Orange Bowl was watchable, even though Kansas — despite winning — didn’t deserve to be there.
The “championship” game only proved what most of us already knew:
• Ohio State is overrated. The Buckeyes were rewarded by the BCS for playing in a weak Big 10 Conference and for rolling through an even softer non-conference schedule.
• The SEC is better than the Big 10. OSU faced real adversity twice this season — against Illinois and LSU — and both times the Buckeyes crumbled. LSU was pushed to its limit almost every week during SEC action. The Tigers need late-game heroics to beat Florida, Auburn and Alabama. Twice they were taken to triple overtime. Do you really think a 10-0 first quarter deficit Monday night had the Tigers worried?
• The BCS doesn’t work, and FBC conferences need a playoff system. University of Georgia president Michael Adams, at the risk of looking like a sore loser, came out Monday advocating an eight-team playoff. His is only the first domino, and many more will need to fall before something changes.
• I don’t care if Roger Clemens used steroids, and, frankly, I don’t care if he’s lying about it now. Professional baseball over the past 20 years will forever be known as the Steroid Era. Everyone who played, whether they used performance-enhancing drugs or not, will have that shadow cast over their legacy. What bothers me is the old-school baseball writers who are now playing judge, jury and executioner with players’ legacies without looking in the mirror. If they had been doing their job as journalists and reporters, steroid use in baseball would have been exposed years ago. With the unique clubhouse access available to them, baseball’s writers either knew about it and said nothing, or were grossly negligent if they were unaware. At the very least, they heard the rumors and are just as guilty as the team executives that turned a blind eye.
• Speaking of bitter old men, I never have, and probably never will, understand baseball Hall of Fame voters. What did Goose Gossage do during the past 12 months to make him HOF worthy? After eight years of not having what it takes, suddenly Goose is good enough?
• Big-time Division I football is the only sport where it’s acceptable for people to argue: “they’re not even the best team in the conference, so they don’t deserve to play for the national title? Why not? Basketball allows every single conference champion, as well as with more than 30 others teams who didn’t finish first in their league, play for the championship. Along the way, March Madness has become the greatest sporting event in America. The College World Series, along with its regional and super regional rounds, provides a similar format that is just as exciting for college baseball followers.
Missouri, West Virginia, USC and Georgia all have better football teams than Ohio State this season, as did Kansas, Virginia Tech and Oklahoma. Throw in LSU, and that sounds like a pretty great — and simple — playoff.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Welcome
For anyone who eventually stumbles across this, welcome! Chances are if you have found this, you already know me, but on the off chance you don't, glad to meet ya.
Here's a quick rundown about me and my writing. I love sports and I love writing. I received a journalism degree from Sam Houston State University and started my professional career combining my two favorite things as a sports writer. I'm no longer in journalism (a blessing from God), but I do miss sports writing, especially column writing. I plan to use this forum as an outlet for my love of sports writing.
You probabaly (hopefully) won't find this space filled with daily diary entries or smarmy, smart ass comments that so many other online writers thrive on. My goal is to write newspaper style sports columns — or at least my version of one — because it's something I love to do, and right now this is my only outlet.
Often the topic will be SHSU athletics, which I enjoy keeping up with as a graduate and a former beat writer. I live in Alabama now, so AU (Auburn) and UA (Alabama) will probably get some run (to all my friends back in Texas... if you think UT and A&M fans can be annoying, consider yourself lucky that you don't have to listen to Crimson Tide and Tiger fans 365 days a year). The wide world of sports in general is fair game as well.
Take care — BL
Here's a quick rundown about me and my writing. I love sports and I love writing. I received a journalism degree from Sam Houston State University and started my professional career combining my two favorite things as a sports writer. I'm no longer in journalism (a blessing from God), but I do miss sports writing, especially column writing. I plan to use this forum as an outlet for my love of sports writing.
You probabaly (hopefully) won't find this space filled with daily diary entries or smarmy, smart ass comments that so many other online writers thrive on. My goal is to write newspaper style sports columns — or at least my version of one — because it's something I love to do, and right now this is my only outlet.
Often the topic will be SHSU athletics, which I enjoy keeping up with as a graduate and a former beat writer. I live in Alabama now, so AU (Auburn) and UA (Alabama) will probably get some run (to all my friends back in Texas... if you think UT and A&M fans can be annoying, consider yourself lucky that you don't have to listen to Crimson Tide and Tiger fans 365 days a year). The wide world of sports in general is fair game as well.
Take care — BL
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