Post Vacation Musings

There is nothing like being up a few thousand feet on a mountain with a 24 inch blanket of fresh powder in front of you. Well, in front, but well below you as the pitch is quite severe.

My oldest son is starting to piss me off. He is almost 11. It has nothing to do with his behavior (he is a pain, but not too much) or his school work (he is a model student), but he gets so good at things so quick. There is not a video game that he can't kick my ass at within a week, but that is, you know, technology and I am suppose to be outclassed by the younger generation. The latest manifestation is on the slopes. Last year, Son of Tilam #1 was a very tentative snow boarder. He had boarded for a year or so, but was just finding his legs. Something happened in the last year. Now he is hitting grind rails, jumps and even on the difficult slopes, it is all I can do to keep up.

(I have heard that a snowboard is easier then skis, which is what I ride. Even though I have not tried a board, I don't buy that. They are different, for sure, but I am not willing to brush off riding a snowboard as "easier.")

Thank God, I can still kick his butt at foosball - for now.

Maurice Clarett. Another self-absorbed blowhard bites the dust. Repeat after me: do you want to Supersize that?

Seriously, Clarett was a wasted talent. There is no doubt in my mind the kid had the goods once. And yes, he screwed up. But the lesson here is how NOT to react. Instead of admitting the mistake and trying to shore up his image, he tries to sue his way through. I would blame his advisors, but how does he react to his poor showing in the 40s? He quits.

You know, there are alot of jerks in professional sports, but there are few quitters. Would I draft him? You bet. But it would be late and I would sure have a heart to heart with the guy fast.

John Chaney calling a "hit" on an opposing player? Wow. I am surprised. Call me naive, but Chaney seemed like a classier act than that. I am trying to practice what I preach, though and not judge the guy's career by a stupid (and I mean really stupid) mistake. Take a deep breath John, take the rest of the year off. Come back in 2005-06 for one more year, then leave. If you cannot control yourself at your age, you are setting yourself up for a career tarnishing moment. Don't let that happen.

NCAA Hoops. There is nothing much to say right now. This weekend has the marquee match-up of Duke v. UNC at Chapel Hill. I have turned my attention to seeding projections, bubble teams and general Tournament stuff. At this writing, Joe Lunardi's Bracketology has a wild Conference Bid breakdown (Bracketology is dynamic, so it may change):

Big East - 8
Big 12 - 6
ACC - 5
SEC - 5

Eight for the Big East? Okay, BC, UConn, Syracuse, Pitt and Villanova. But he goes on to add ND, Georgetown and West Virginia, I guess under the theory that a winning conference record gets you into the Dance. The ACC sends UNC, Duke, Wake, GT and Maryland. But Lunardi is no fluke, Jerry Palm of collegerpi.com has similar results. I guess the ACC is strong, but only on the backs of a few teams.

My biggest disappointment this year is GT. Title game last year, second round exit this year. With the same team. UConn lost their two top guys and clearly struggled this year with chemistry, role playing and leadership, but they are peaking at the right time. GT is taking the opposite path.

This past week marked the 164th consecutive week that Duke was in the AP Top 25. They have been in every Top 25 poll since preseason 1996-97. It is the fifth longest streak ever and the longest active streak. The longest streak ever was UCLA's 221 consecutive appearances from 1966 to 1980. Whether you like 'em or hate 'em, Duke is a consistently excellent team. Hats off to Coach K and the program.