Son of Bracket Musings

The more I look at the Tournament S-curve, the AP poll and the RPI list, the stranger it becomes. But I am not sure what is strange exactly. Given the "new" RPI gives alot of weight to road wins and kills you for home losses, what does this say?

1. Kansas got the shaft. I was wondering how UConn got to be a 2 seed and why - despite being ranked 13/14 in the AP/Coaches' Polls - most of the Expert Brackets I have seen (mine included) had UConn over Kansas. Four of KU's non-tournament losses came on the road and they played in a much deeper conference then Illinois or UNC. And their loss in the Big 12 was to OSU, another underranked team according to the RPI.

2. Washington is in way over their head. With only 2 teams in the AP Poll, how does the PAC 10 get a 1 seed? To my point above, the Big 12 deserved a #1 seed - to either Kansas or OSU.

3. Louisville got no respect. Blame it on the weak non-conference schedule and the (even) weaker CUSA. The Big East will lend more credibility to Louisville next year.

Finally, one last list. Jeff Saragin's Pure Points Predictor:

1. UNC
2. Duke
3. Illinois
4. OSU
5. Louisville
6. Wake
7. Florida
8. Washington
9. Oklahoma
10. Kentucky
11. Michigan State
12. Kansas
13. UConn
14. GT
15. Alabama
16. Villanova

(BTW, Gonzaga is ranked 35 in Saragin's Pure Points.) I would note that the difference between numbers 1 and 16 in Saragin's PP is 11.12 points, with the difference betwen 1 and 2 being 4.34! In other words, it's UNC's title to lose.

The polls and Saragin's PP each take into account the whole year. The Tournament Committee seem to really look at the last 10 games.

As always, it will be fun to watch.

More Bracket Musings

Using the S-curve ranking, here are the top 16 teams in order:

1. Illinois
2. UNC
3. Duke
4. Washington
5. Wake
6. Kentucky
7. UConn
8. OSU
9. Arizona
10. Kansas
11. Oklahoma
12. Gonzaga
13. Louisville
14. Syracuse
15. Florida
16. Boston College

There might have been some flipping with Syracuse and Florida because of the bracket location, but compare that to the final AP poll.

1. Illinois
2. UNC
3. Duke
4. Louisville
5. Wake
6. OSU
7. Kentucky
8. Washington
9. Arizona
10. Gonzaga
11. Syracuse
12. Kansas
13. UConn
14. BC
15. Michigan State
16. Florida

The thing that jumps out at you is that the conference tournaments made a difference in the major conferences. Dick Vitale has said that the two snubs are Miami-Ohio and Notre Dame. I think his reasoning is sound, but look at the tournament performance of Notre Dame and Miami-Ohio and you get an understanding of the Committee.

Second, is that the Committee seems to weight the second half much more. "What have you done for me lately?" The polls are more forgiving in that regard I think. Witness BC and UConn. The Committee seemed to forget the UConn-UMass game in December. (As has all of the Husky Faithful.)

Finally, the RPI? (I used Sportline RPI.)

1. Kansas
2. Illinois
3. Duke
4. OSU
5. UNC
6. Wake
7. Washington
8. BC
9. Arizona
10. Kentucky
11. Louisville
12. UConn
13. Gonzaga
14. Villanova
15. Oklahoma
16. Wisconsin

She no matter that much. If it did, OSU would be a much higher seed. We will see how the RPI stands as a predictor. What it does say is that BC is a sleeper and UConn and UNC will have their hands full with Kansas.

More observations to come.

Bracketology

Okay, Phil's 4 (or 5 depending on whose account you read) foot par miss was on 16. Shit happens. Vijay's was a choke, but Phil's was a missed put. Time will tell though. One tournament does not tell the who story.

My quick take on the brackets:

The toughest bracket is Syracuse. My thought is you match seeds until you get to "one of these things is not like the others." At the 3 seed, you have Kansas (Syracuse), Oklahoma (Austin), Arizona (Chicago) and Gonzaga (Albuquerque). Kansas is head and shoulders above the rest.

The easiest? I am not sure, the rule of thumb is that Duke ALWAYS gets the easiest bracket, but with Kentucky, Oklahoma and Syracuse as the 2, 3 and 4 seed, I am not sure. I would still say that Austin is easier than Albuquerque because of Georgia Tech as a tough 5 seed.

First #1 to fall? Washington. The Huskies look to face GT to get to the Elite 8. Ouch.

My Elite 8? Illinois, Oklahoma State, GT, Wake, UNC, UConn, Duke and Kentucky. My Final Four are Illinois, Wake, UConn and Kentucky. I still see Illinois winning it all.

Cinderellas? I would say St. Mary's, but they will have a very touch time getting past OSU. West Virginia is hot, but needs to get through Wake. NC State can go deep, especially if UConn plays like it did against Syracuse. But I would look toward a New Mexico or UCLA. New Mexico has Villanova and Florida and UCLA has Texas Tech and Gonzaga, but I do not think this is a year of Cinderellas.

Of course, they all still have to play the game...

Phil, Criminals, Bracketology, and the 2-putt rule

4 footer for par and retain the lead. Stand over it. Eye the line. Smooth takeaway, smooth stroke. YIPE! Missed it.
3 footer for par and extend the playoff. Stand over it. Eye the line. Smooth takeaway, smooth stroke. YIPE! Missed it.

What is Phil and vijay. They had their putts to win or extend tournaments. They missed them. Now, I LOVE to see vijay lose, I hate that chauvanistic bastard. I root against him all the time. Time to jump on the Paddy wagon. However, Phil did choke. He had that putt for the lead. And he yipped it out. You can call it "choking", you can call it "the yips", you can call it whatever. But that yipped putt ranks right up there with his US Open debacle last year. Okay, maybe I jumped the gun, but how that Tiger seems to be back, will we see the old or new Phil? At the Ford, it was the old Phil. Time will tell. And MAJOR sympathy goes out to Geoff (or is it Joe) Ogilvie, whose drive on 18 landed in a divot, thus essentially ending his bid for a birdie on 18 to tie for the lead. I've got to believe that we need to change that to be a free drop. It's SO tough for even the pros to hit from a lie like that, they should get a drop.

Ryan Moore's accomplishments are incredible, and should not be trivialized in any way, but the road to the PGA is littered with dominant amateurs, guys who romped through the field time and time again, only to collapse under the pressure of the big time. As with Phil's 2005 mental makeup, the verdict is still out, stay tuned bat fans.

Score one for the Atlanta PD and FBI. After leaving a lone female deputy to escort a 6'1" 200lb criminal to court (you can guess the rest: stolen gun, shot deputy, slain judge/stenographer/customs agent), they tracked him down to an apt where he had an apparent hostage and brought him to justice. Surrendered without a fight. Now the hostage is telling a detailed account of how she saved the man - I cannot go into this in too much detail, as I have not read the entire account, and my cynical nature lingers on the fact that she might be an acquaintance who was just harboring him until he could get out, but now they are conspiring to make her look like the "angel" and have her time in the limelight and make money. Not sure. Just skeptical I guess. I find it odd that a rapist, murderer, and escaped convict would go into an apt and take a shower, wash up. She claimed that they "bonded" so much that she offered to help him get a new escape vehicle, and offered him money to help him out. Things that make you go "hmmmmm"... Personally, I hope he fries.

No comment on Mike Tice. Now, of course, the issue of why the Vikings have issues becomes a tad bit clearer...

Bracketology...UCONN (my alma mater) a #2 seed. Deserved, IMHO. Washington a #1 seed? I'm not convinced, but Wake Forest can rectify that possible error with a beat down in Albuquerque if the #'s 1 and 2 meet in that region. Georgia Tech a #5 seed with a record of 19-11?! First #1 to go down? I believe it will be Illinois. Not sure why, but they will be the first to exit. If things hold true to form, they will have to come up against (well, not QUITE to form) Nevada then BC, I don't see the challengers to Washington to be stronger than those in the Chicago regional. However, I'm guessing here. HOWEVER, Duke better watch out for Syracuse, and UNC better watch out for Florida. Lowest seed to advance out of the first round - ie UPSET special? ODU will upset Michigan State or New Mexico will upset 'Nova. That's what the heart says. What the money says in the office pool might be different. Let TILAM fan the flames of debate!

Every year, around this time, many of the nicer golf courses aerate and sand the greens. This makes putting roughly equivalent to putting on bumpy gravel. I hate it. They don't break true, they don't roll smooth, they don't hold, you name it. So golfers invoke the "2 putt rule". This says that from anyplace on the green, due to the condition of the course, you only count 2 putts, nothing more. Well, on hole #4 yesterday it saved my bacon. About an 80 foot putt for birder turned into a tap in for par even though the green was in horrible condition and the putt ended up 12 feet from the hole! HeHeHe. However, on #12, I got the shaft, when a perfectly struck 12 foot birdie putt got hung up in the sand and stopped 3 inches short of the hole. In normal green conditions, the putt on 4 rolled an addition 9-10 feet, and the birdie putt goes in. But it evens out, and the golf gods are sated. Final verdict - 2 over par 74, including a titantic 325 yard blast on the 18th hole. 2 other 300 yard howitzer blasts as well. Looks like Thew is finding his rhythm with the big dog. Thank you Titleist. Thew patiently awaits Tilam's golf excursion to his hometown for the first annual Tilam whoopin...

Tiger, Ryan, the ACC & Steriods - All at Once

GOLF:
Tiger makes an excellent run and you are already to say Phil choked? Not so fast. Granted it looked like the days of old, but I don’t see Phil just fading to the “Best Player Only to Win One Major” status anytime soon.

I think 2005 might be an interesting golf year for another reason: Ryan Moore. Last year Moore busted Tiger’s amateur accomplishments: NCAA Champion; US Amateur; US Public Links; World Amateur and Western Amateur. All in one year. The best amateur year since Bobby Jones' Grand Slam in 1930. I have become pretty cynical about the young, new McGolfers coming from Leadbetter U, which seems to excel more at PR than golf nowadays. Moore is different. Here’s hoping he lives up to expectations.

NCAA HOOPS:
Since I am quick to point out my great predictions, allow me to say that I was wrong about the ACC this year. I was sucked in by ESPN in thinking that this was the year the league showed its strength. In my defense, In addition to UNC, Wake and Duke, GT was a Final Four lock in my mind with Maryland and NC State legitimate. Quite frankly, now they are a 4 bid league with a 5th (NC State) needing to depend on a couple of mid-major tournaments going as predicted to ensure an at-large is not taken. But they will add BC next year...

Overall, I am not that enamored at the major conferences this year (though I do not weep when the mid-majors do not get bids.) The Big East should get 6 bids (UConn, BC, Syracuse, ‘Nova, Pitt and WVU), but what the heck happened to ND at the end? Hell, what happened to BC? (They became an ACC team a little early.-Ed.)

Ouch, that was cold.

The Big 12 also looks for 6 bids, but Texas and Iowa State do not inspire me. I would much rather see Indiana in than NC State, ND, Texas or ISU. All in all, I hear alot of analyst "justification" to give the bids to the majors.

A TOTH (Tip of the Hat)
I saw Willie Randolph on the Hot Seat the other day. What a class act. Guys like Randolph were the precursors to the 1996-2000 Yankees. Good guys, class act, putting team first. He had plenty of opportunity to grandstand, but the guy just would not take the bait. Just shows that the Managers job came to him 3 years too late.

NFL:
A head coach scalping tickets. What can you say?

MLB & STEROIDS:
A politician using the headlines to score points and grandstand! UNHEARD OF! Of course, it is a witch hunt. Of course, nothing good can come from it. If it REALLY mattered, you would see Olympic athletes, football players, Ahnold and some bodybuilder friends.

But the only thing that really matters is that the cameras are running.

Just a little crowing...

Just a little crowing here...TIGER looked nearly like the Tiger of old last weekend in staring down Phil. Solid shots, he looked "in the Tiger zone". And that birdie in 17 was center cut! Once again, as much as I hate to say it, Phil blinked in the face of pressure and adversity - by missing a 4 footer (but making the 3 foot combacker) in the heat of battle, he once again looked like the Phil of old, making that one bad shot that took him out of the lead/contention. And he actually declined an interview on the way to the scorer's tent, which is very unlike Phil, but he was pretty miffed. It'll be interesting to see how he reacts after this - now that Tiger is on his way back (predicted HERE by Thew), will Phil return to HIS old form as well? Or will he continue to be the golfer he's been of late. Can he weather the competition now that Eldrick seems to have returned (mostly, it's a long road remember) to his old form? When Tiger was down, Phil was up...when Tiger is back up, whither Phil?

The UCONN women made a strong statement yesterday against Rutgers in the Big East championship game. Solid offense, solid defense, a lunatic named Auriemma stalking the sidelines, they might be poised to make a run deep into March. Perhaps they are getting their mojo back, unlike the UCONN men, who are arguably the hottest team in college hoops and have had their train on the tracks for several weeks now. Credit Marcus Williams for his floor leadership at the point, perhaps Charlie Villenueva for actually realizing that he can be a force at both ends of the court. Now that Rashad Anderson is cleared to play again, can they get even better? I predict at least a Sweet 16 for the Huskies, something I would NOT have predicted 4 weeks ago. And I'm a UCONN graduate. Regardless of how the UCONN men do this year, next year they are going to be SCARY good. Boone, Williams, Gay - big man, point guard, scorer...

In yet another incident of Congress solving the issue of the moment, they are issuing subpoenas to Canseco, McGwire, Giambi, and others to come testify about steroids in baseball. How else to gain good faction with the American public than to fix the national pasttime. Who gives a crap about our deficit, high taxes, government corruption - "if we fix baseball, they'll forget about the rest of it". They should stick to making our country safer and more fiscally responsible and let baseball take care of baseball. Don't they have anything better to do with their time?!

Cinderella congratulations: OAKLAND, who got a 3 pointer with less than 2 seconds on the clock to upset Oral Roberts.

Thew gets busy too

Work. Kids. Life changes. Home Improvements. With a "honey-do" list as long as my rap sheet, it'll never end. Siiiiigh...

Lessee, what's been happening. Oh yeah, Clarett. Asswipe. Ooooo, STUPID asswipe. I have rarely in my life hoped for someone to fail miserably, but he made the list. And it's happening. Justice is done. Cripes, as long as you have a slim jim at the 40 yard line, even Tilam would beat a 4.72! That's good for 3rd place in a race with a pregnant woman. Tom Friend from ESPN the Magazine wrote a sympathetic article...another asswipe who is coddling the first one. I got it, let's enable excuses for Clarett so that he can get drafted ahead of some other good quality guy. PUHLEEZE... Yes, Clarett is a wasted talent, but he wasted it himself, no one else wasted it for him. No sympathy here.

John Chaney, you can take the man out of the ghetto... And you know what, this will be his legacy, NOT his coaching record. What a shame. What an idiot. Is this what we've come down to in sports society today? Is this what it means to "take matters into our own hands"? How can a man like Chaney, which a history of class, dignity, and discipline, order a "hit" on an opposing player? Take my word, we are going to see more fights in other sports as players solve differences using their fists instead of their talent - punching a guy in the face is far better than scoring 50 on him. Who needs hockey fights, just turn on your local sporting event.

Kobe is gonna pay off the chick who accused him of sexual assault. Wow, looks like he IS like Shaq, only Shaq has the brains to handle his business on the low-low. Shaq has the brains...never thought I'd say that.

Vivian Stringer and Rutgers - you are the class of the Big East. The UCONN women are beatable, but never underestimate them. But a hearty congratulations to the Scarlet Knights on their Big East title.

Vikings traded Randy Moss to GUESS WHO, the Raiders. That's a place where Randy can be Randy and stink it up on the field and be immature and leave early and dog it on off plays and act like an idiot and...well, you get the drift.

I THOROUGHLY enjoyed the Andersen Match Play golf tournament. Toms was incredible, plunking his approach shots an average of 5'5" from the stick on the back nine on Sunday. Poor DiMarco never had a chance, and even though he didn't play THAT great, Toms was da man. What a tournament, what a format, what a bonanza for golfers and golf fans. And speaking of golfers, Thew posted a 1 over par 73 last Saturday. No, no mulligans. Yes, for 18 holes at a regulation course. Missed an 8 footer for par out of the sand trap on the 17th hole. ARGH!

College Football scandal time! WOO! University of Colorado football players sexually assaulted female trainers, thousands of dollars from coach Gary Barnett's camp were funneled into a slush fund, typical Colorado day. Kudo's to Steve Spurrier at USC for dismissing one of his thugs, the leading rusher no less; for a violation of team rules. WAY TO GO STEVE!

MLB is back in town. WOO WOO! March madness arrives soon after championship week. WOO WOO WOO! Spring comes, hope dawns eternal. Yankees-Boston again. Will Beltran prove he's worth the money? Pedro too? Steroid testing going to have any teeth? Will Jason Giambi be a player worth even 100K a year, since he sucked so bad last year even when he played? Ken Giffey Jr hurt, say it isn't so! Oh wait, the guy with the gimpiest legs in baseball is "recovering" from yet another leg injury (torn hammy). Talk about talent unfulfilled. How will the Big Unit do in the Bronx? Hey, did you notice that the SF Giants trainer is named Conte? How ironic! The Red Sox are insulting A-Rod, saying he's "not a Yankee". Before a pitch is even thrown! I do think that A-Rod needs a little lesson in "being a Yankee", but he'll learn.

Oh, and THIS one is rich! New York attorney Kerry Konrad won the right in an eBay auction to name Boston's FleetCenter for a day. For his $2,325, Konrad wanted to honor the New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter. But, on Friday, FleetCenter officials rejected the name, which Konrad hoped would add to the 25-year rivalry he has had with his former college classmates who are Boston Red Sox fans. "We decided that all the names had to be rated G, and this name was determined to be obscene and vulgar," said Richard A. Krezwick, president and chief executive of the FleetCenter. I tell ya, there is NO BETTER RIVALRY in sports than Yankees-Red Sox.

Countdown to May 19th for TILAM. Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith is out. Watch for him to twitch more as the date approaches. :)

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.

Personal Guilt

I have not posted in a while. Traveling for work, down with a cold, vacation next week (so posting will continue to be light). This combined with several direct requests from NCAA D1 Hoops coaches PLEADING for me NOT to mention their team as a Hot Top 10. Of course, there is that one e-mailer, tracked back to Champaign-Urbana, who suggest that the whole Big 10 except Illinois should be in the Hot Top 10. Like I said - worse than a SI cover.

Traveling around the sports world, I do see that things are settling down in college hoops. The Illini are still unbeaten and will remain so for the regular season and Big Ten Tournament. Wake and UNC are the class of the ACC (sorry Duke - at least for now - you can prove me wrong this weekend). In the Big East, the Syracuse - BC game will show alot on how that division stacks up. Kentucky and Florida in the SEC. Florida? Yep, they are playing some good ball and are generally under the radar.

Overall, I still see Illinois as the favorite. I just hope they do not go soft in the Big 10. The level of competition gives the ACC a big edge this year.

On a side note, it is a crime that Ryan Gomes is in Providence. Can you imagine this guy on UConn or Syracuse or Pitt? Or Duke or UNC? How about Michigan State? Kentucky? OSU? If Gomes does not go in the Top 10 in the draft (really the Top 5) there is no justice in this world.

Jose Canseco. The guy is a total tool. Always was and always will be.

But spring training is here. The long awaited battle begins. Buster Olney of ESPN has Yankees, Red Sox as number 1 and 2 to start off the year. While that does not seem right to me, I can't say why. As for me, I am temporarily pulling for the Washington Nationals, even though they should have been named the Greys (yep, I know the Greys were from Pittsburgh, but...).

Well, that is it for now. I will be back in a week.

Today's "impatient with people rant"

You know, you have to be COMPLETELY crazy to cut off your daughter's arms and kill her. Yep, that's what Dana Schlosser did, and the judge committed her to a loony bin...she's been diagnosed as manic depressive. But I have an even BETTER idea to help her and save the taxpayers money - when asked about her heinous crime, "She's stated over and over that she wishes she'd been allowed to go with her daughter," Dr. ***** said. GIVE HER THIS LAST WISH! Let her jump off a bridge, in fronna truck, cut her wrists, but a cap in her temple, just LET HER KILL HERSELF! God I HATE child killers - I'm sorry she's nuts, but we should just allow her to off herself and save ourselves the cost of medical attention...

In Oregon, of course, the treehuggin' ex-Blockbuster video IDIOT who tried to lure women to his home for sex and a hangin contacted the potential victims/partners via instant messenger. During the conversations, HE USED HIS REAL NAME! So of COURSE the police were going to catch him! I have an idea for this sharp knife - let him hump his hand for, say, 10 minutes, then string him up...see if he's REALLY serious about all this comin' and goin'.

More sports stories:

The NHL players offered a salary cap, but the NHL rejected it because it was apparently too high. The players offered $52 mil, the owners never went north of $40 mil. Score one for the change in philosophical differences, which is good, but score one for a failure of this season, which I CANNOT believe they will play. However, I'm cautiously optimistic for next year...

Yankees screwed up: GM Brian Cashman says that the Yanks removed the word "steroids" from Jason Giambi's contract, believing they were protected by broader language regarding drugs. WHAT? Cashman, you are a MORON! I can't believe that he did this, was there anyone in baseball who did NOT suspect that Giambi was on the sauce? I bet old King George is pulling out his hair! hehe

I gotta tell ya, I KNOW that what Jose Canseco is saying is probably true. What I can't believe is that he feels the need to drop dime on his old pals in baseball and tattle on their steroid use. The late Ken Caminiti at least didn't finger anyone ELSE in his confession, why does Canseco feel the need to rat out Palmiero, Giambi, McGwire, Rodriguez, et al? I think I know why...money. The book of "I took steroids to be a great baseball player" would have sold 2 copies (including the one purchased by his mother) if it would just have been a self confession, not a blabbering tell all about the big names in baseball. Oh, and by the way, test Sammy Sosa too...

Transsexual golfers will be allowed to play in the Women's British Open. Siiiiigh...

Okay, that's enough, my brain is full...

The Pack Follows...

Having broken the PC of the NFL, I am now finding all sorts of criticism of the Philly coaching. John Donovan of SI gives Andy Reid a 'D' in the Super Bowl report card. (Caveat: Donovan seem to just trash the Eagles and praise the Pats. I thought the game was closer than that.)

Now, Dr. Z gives the Philly coaching staff both barrels. I don't always agree with Dr. Z, but the guy does know his stuff.

John Clayton at ESPN has some questions, too. And he sums up McNabb's performance: 357 yards in the air and three TDs. But Clayton soft pedals this as just that "kind of day for the Eagles." That kind of day? Are you kidding me? It's the Super Bowl forchissakes! Donovan does a good job of pointing out (which I forgot) that the Eagles screwed the pooch at the end of the first half also.

The fact is that the Patriots played their game. Solid, conservative, very few major errors. But as the opponent, you should know that you will probably not be out of the game against the Patriots, they just did not have that sort of firepower. And the Eagles were never out of the game, but played it like a regular season match. Oh, well.

Remember the definition of Second Place: the Number 1 Loser.

The PC of the NFL

The political correctness of the NFL is on display in all the reviews of the Super Bowl performances. The PC I speak of has nothing to do with race (in this case the "victim" is Donovan McNabb), but with management. To wit: though shall not have anything but respect for the coaches.

The Philly coaches lost that game. I cannot agree more with Thew about clock management. But clock management was not an issue with McNabb, the coaches did not seem to have a clue. Onside kick? While you can justify it,...nah, it was stupid. Have Akers bang it into the seats, give the ball to the Pats on the 20. The fact is, the Pats are programmed for mistake free ball at that point, which means the run. Three and out and Philly has the ball on their 35 or better with 46 seconds left. At least four plays to get it to the Pats 45.

With Akers' leg, you have a chance. At that point in the game, that is what you want.

Further, after the change in possession, on your 4, you best have the sequence of 3 or 4 plays called already. A huddle on second down? How can you blame McNabb? Donovan did not have his best game, but neither did Brady. Both defenses played really well, but the Pats secondary was really soft at that point and Philly has an excellent receiving corp. If I am an Eagles fan, I would be considering gathering the pitchforks.

The Eagles were lucky to be in it at that point. The Pats were uncharacteristically sloppy, but that is the result of the injuries. Despite all that, I would give the edge (if only slight) to Brady over center and NE on the defensive side. Philly relied too much on the big play and did not seem to get the idea that the NE secondary was really soft underneath.

The players on each team made plenty of mistakes: players do that and it is especially noticeable in the Super Bowl. But the coaches need to lead. The Eagles looked confused and tentative the closer it got to the end of the game. The players reflected that. The Pats coaches looked more confident as the game progressed. The players reflected that.

Say the unsayable: Andy Reid and his staff screwed the pooch.

Musings on and after the "Big Game"

Poise. Experience. Nothing showed how much MORE Of that New England had than the last quarter. Philly played a great game, but truthfully, their decisions in the final period will be second guessed for months...

Hurry up and do what? They didn't start to use the hurry up offense, well, pretty much at all. With 6 minutes to go and down by 10 points, DON'T HUDDLE! Now, I'm not a fan of Cris Collinsworth, but I have to agree with him and Joe and Troy - this is not a time and place to take lightly and take your time. The Eagles wasted just about 4 mins to score a TD that they needed to score in no more than half that time. I haven't read EVERY article, but I'm just not sure about their reasoning in that - maybe to keep things in an even keel, to keep guys relaxed about the situation? That is NO time to coddle NFL players, it's the Super Bowl, it is time to step up. Just baffling...

Onside Kick?! Why? If you are looking to get a STOP on defense, which is a more realistic situation than recovering an onside kick, then pin 'em deep in their own territory. *I* would have kicked it deep, then planned on a punt from maybe the Pats' 30 yard line, maybe set up a return for field position. Andy Reid really screwed the pooch on this one imho. Onside kicks are SO tough to recover, and having the Pats punt from their 20 yard line would only require the Eagles to gain maybe 30 yards in 45 seconds, not 65. HUGE difference. With Akers' foot, 55 and under is legitimate, my goodness, they managed their final chance(s) like rookies...

The experience and poise of the "old champ" rose to the top in this one. I'm not sure the Pats were the better team, but they are the winner, and deservedly so. Not to REALLY disparage the Eagles, they are a talented team which should be back to the big stage at least once more. But they let too many things slip away because of a lack of concentration, whatever. But you HAVE to bandy about the word "Dynasty" here, the Pats are entering Dallas/Pittsburgh/SF territory. That is a testient to the Coach and his merry band of TEAM players. And in Thew's world, they are the favorite to do it again next year.

But look for Philly and Pittsburgh to challenged once again. Goodbye Indy, yer history...

In other news...

In Chicago, an appellate court ruled Thursday that a woman who accused Michael Jordan of reneging on a promise to pay her $5 million to keep quiet about an affair presented sufficient facts to pursue her case in court. Well, Well, looks like Kobe IS, in fact, the next Michael Jordan.

I am somewhat cynically suspicious of this... For Dany Heatley, moving on with his life will mean being on probation for three years. He pleaded guilty to second-degree vehicular homicide and misdemeanor driving charges. Prosecutors dropped a first-degree vehicular homicide charge that could have sent the 24-year-old Heatley to jail for 20 years in large part because the Snyder family of Elmira, Ontario, vigorously opposed a jail term. Hmmm, I am cynical about the Snyders being SO forgiving and magnanimous...are there really people like that in the world? I know I'm not one of them...and I wonder if there is something in this that we don't see. You know what I'm implying.

Think about it...

I don't really make this stuff up...

Well, TILAM was right on the spirit of my movie desires, but not quite on the ball: if no one dies in a flurry of blood and bodyparts, or if a female megastar doesn't get naked in the firsts 10 mins, why bother to finish watching? Head for the bar...

My children are slightly older than Tilam's so my 13 year old has a different view on movies - anything PG-13 is legal too (and I cannot say "NO" anymore). So, here are MY responses and updates to the Top 10 movies:

Anything with Anne Hathaway all made up is high on the list. And she's of legal age, so no comments.
Anything with Hilary Duff will contain wonderful singing, MAJOR teen angst hankie moments, dialogue so syrupy that you are going to have to brush your teeth halfway through, and at least 1 MOMENT where you realize that the light has gone on and the move will come together and she will succeed. But I like her.
Frankie Muniz is a great young actor, I hope he breaks out of the "cody banks" and "malcom in the middle" mold.
Miracle was an incredible movie.
White Chicks is predictable with the black/white humor, but the Wayans brothers are a hoot, and it's a laugh a minute.
Shrek 2 is good, I'm almost done with it - just 30 more minutes on the lifecycle and I'll have seen it.
My kids HATED Napoleon Dynamite. I haven't seen it, not sure why.
National Treasure gets 3 thumbs up.
Haven't seen "The Incredibles".

Wild Sorority Girls from the Planet Playtex, Amazon Mars Babes, and AvP are good old fashioned wholesome movies and I recommend them with 2 thumbs up...oh, and any move that feature Neve Campbell and Denise Richards in a hot love scene too.

Where has Amanda Bynes been lately? Lindsay Lohan is growing up, complete with the smoking bad girl persona. Hollywood corruption, too bad.

Okay, on to other rants and notables:

US District Judge William Augustus Bootle, who issued an historic edict in 1961 to allow black students into the University of GA, died yesterday in his home at the ripe old age of 102. He will (or should) go down as a landmark human being in the fight racism, and his courage will live on forever.

BBL

My Top 10 Movies List with a Twist

I am sick of the Top 10 Movies list. I have three kids (kids, not young adults), so Mrs. Tilam and I are confined in our movie palette. I can not opine on Sideways, because I did not see it. (Thew has a different constraint: unless it is rated "G" for Gratuitous Gutwrenching Gorefest, with a body count in excess of 25 and a minimum 500 gallons of stage blood, it does not make the cut.)

So, in revolt, I am publishing my Top 10 Family Movies of 2004.

10. Princess Diaries 2 - Not particularly my favorite, but aces with the whole family.
9. A Cinderella Story - I have got to admit it, I love anything with Hillary Duff. Along with great messages, she plays the type of girl you would want your daughter to be.
8. Agent Cody Banks 2 - Gadgets and Frankie Muniz, enough said.
7. The Prince and Me - Another feel good movie for the family.
6. Racing Stripes - Quite probably one (or ten) too many fart/poop jokes, but everyone was laughing a lot. Again, great messages.
5. Miracle - I was a junior in HS when this happen and skied at Lake Placid the following winter. Lots of memories and a great - true - story to boot. (And the kids liked it a lot.)
4. Shrek 2 - I like this one much more than the original in every way. Can't wait for Shrek 3.
3. Napoleon Dynamite - Surprise! The kids really liked this lovable loser. I just love that this was a guy that could win (and I'd cheer) then get beat up (and I'd cheer). See the movie and you would know what I mean.
2. National Treasure - Went with the whole family, including Grandpa and Grandma Tilam and everyone loved it. No mixed messages, giving up a few billion $, because it is right. The DaVinci Code for the pre-teen crowd.
1. The Incredibles - Nothing more need to be said.

My disappointments:

3. Shark's Tale - What a drag.
2. Thunderbirds - Kids loved it, I kept thinking that the 1960s puppets were more alive than the cast.
1. No boy-coming-of-age plots. Between Duff, Bynes, Hathaway and Lohan, there are enough feel good girl movies to fill a multiplex. The only boy centric movies are action oriented (Cody Banks) or cartoons. I am sure that plays to the audience, but a strong movie about a boy winning the affections of a girl from the boys point of view would be a nice change. Of course, Duff, Bynes, Hathaway and Lohan show the guy doing the right thing, but the audience really does not get that point of view. (A Cinderella Story might be the exception - Austin's character comes through stronger than most.) Chivalry centric plots are great for boys, but since my boys will be more likely to be wrestling with puberty than beheading Orcs in the coming years, something to entertain along those lines would be worth the price of admission.

It's Not the Men's Professional Golf Association...

Women in pro sports. Seems to me to be simple: Pro sports should be open to anyone who can play at a pro level. Period.

I do not have any issue what race, creed or sex suits up, if they can cut it, then more power to them. If Annika can complete from the same tees as the men, then she should be allowed to play. If Michele continues to need sponsor exemptions to play for two days, then she should be gone. (And she will be - a publicity stunt only works if she competes. It won't if she continues to stink up the joint.)

Of course in hockey, football, even golf, women will continue to be the exception rather than the rule, but in competitions that rely more on skill than strength (shooting, pool, poker) women have been competing and winning.

I think this is a bit over blown. Men and women are different mentally, as well as physically. Scientific American has a really interesting article on the cognitive differences between women and men. The upshot for the purposes of this post is that there are very few things men and women can compete in where one sex does not have a biological advantage. So get over it.

I hope Annika or Michele wins a men's tournament. But not because I want a girl to win, I just think it would be some great golf.

A dynasty only equaled by my dominance over Tilam on the golf course

Faced with the (yes, I used this word) juggernaut that is the Patriots football team, i can no longer stand in the face of the hurricane. They are good. SCARY good. Many of you readers will know how much i hate to agree with Tilam, but that team is going to be tough to beat. I admit that i predicted Big Ben over Brady - at the time the Steelers looked solid and the Pats looked like they had chinks in their armor. Tilam was gracious enough to prepare the crow i ate with a little basil and white wine sauce. But even though i claim a little victory (that's all we husbands can claim ever) over my prediction of Philly in the Super Bowl, i still must acknowledge the Pats and toss out the word "dynasty", at least for a few years...

HOWEVER, i must make a point. I have a team that the Pats cannot defeat, not without major sacrifices and efforts from their players. This opponent has killed dynasties galore, decimated even the sports' champions aside from the losers, slain many a team destined for greatness. The salary cap. Team finances. We are the ACCOUNTANTS, you must fear us! The Pats COULD be a dynasty, even in the mold of the 4 Super Bowl winning Steelers and Cowboys, the 49ers, but ONLY if they defeat the salary cap monster and keep the squad together. Of course, as Tilam points out...

Bill Belichick is quite possibly one of the top 1 coaches in the game right now. If ANYONE can defeat the salary cap monster with the people he has, it's him. Now, Tilam hates to bandy about superlatives like the weatherman, but he still tosses out "the greatest coach of all time". Hmmm. That's a serious point. Greatest of all time? I'm not going to argue that. Halas. Noll. Shula. Walsh. Others. I'm not going to debate this one...BUT, what i will agree with is the fact that NO ONE in the game right now can make a team greater than the sum of its parts better than Belichick. NOBODY. Not Parcells, nobody. Makes one wonder WHO was the real skill coach in the Parcells stable...

Current Musings...

Plaxico Buress is pissed he's not getting the ball more often and says he's probably not going to be with the Steelers next season. Hey Plax, you MORON, take a look in New England and see what the "team first" attitude will get you. Oh, sorry, that's a VICTORY AGAINST THE STEELERS and another trip to the Super Bowl.

Arkansas lost to LSU when a last minute shot was ruled a 2 pointer instead of a 3 pointer, forcing overtime. I trust the officials made the right call, I didn't see it. BUT, here's an interesting coincidence - the crew chief for the game was Tom Eades, an official whom Frank Broyles once publicly berated severely at Bud Walton arena, in 2003. Hmmm...

Doug Menkeyvich (I'm spelling that name phoenetically, forget it) is trying to keep the last out WS ball. Wow, so much for the "team" concept. He originally wanted it for "his retirement fund", now he wants it for sentimental value. I call bullshit...

Tiger won the Buick. Tiger finished 2nd or 3rd a few weeks ago. So far so good. :)

Just in case you wonder what the NHL players are doing, look at the NHL.com page under "everyone is getting injured and having surgery", and you'll see stars like Forsberg and Richards named. hehehe

Angela Ruggiero, the 2004 Kazmaier Award winner as the top player in NCAA women's hockey, will play the female first non-goalie game as a member of the Tulsa Oilers in the CHL. She's a defender, and will suit up on Jan 28. GOOD LUCK Angela. But I wonder, what will the Oiler goalie do if she's roughed up, which she can expect as a defender...since the goalie is her BROTHER? :) Stay tuned...

Tilam, i conclude with this question: what is your opinion on the women competing in the men's game? Michelle Wie, Annika, Angela Ruggiero, Manon Rheaume? Legitimate or pub stunt?

Superlative Comments

I reread the post below and feel compelled to explain that I do not issue superlatives lightly. (Unlike the local weatherman: you know - the second "Storm of the Century" this month.) I basically feel that to do so diminishes compliments when they are truly deserved.

I was on the phone with a professional acquaintance and fellow Yankee fan and his comment summed it up for me. He said (remember this is no Boston sports lover) that the Patriots remind him of the Yankees of the late 90s.

True. A bunch of guys who are all very good (some are All Pro), but they elevate their level of play together. I think the analogy breaks down at the coaching level (Torre v. Belichick), but you can make the argument that even then it works because of the inherent differences in the roll of the baseball manager v. football coach. But I think it was more of a comment about player personnel. Brady = Jeter? Harrison = Williams? O'Neill = Seymour?

There have been some dominant teams Packers in the 60's, 70's Steelers, Dallas in the 90's. And great players leading teams Montana's 49ers and Elway's Broncos. And now the Brady Patriots of the 00's. Their time will pass, but not for a while.

Crowing

Since I am right so few times, I will again point out that I called the NFL playoffs in mid-December. I feel bad for Big Ben, but somehow I think he might have a chance to win a AFC Championship again. But...next season will make or break him. His numbers dropped drastically late in the season and the playoffs, but that is just splitting hairs. A rookie season is always tough mentally and physically, and I think the late season just took its toll. I am not sure if it was his thumb or his head, but the guys definitely has the good to be a good quarterback.

Tom Brady is a great quarterback. Not in the sense that his statistics wow you, ala Peyton Manning's, but the guy just wins. 8 win playoff streak, 1 shy of Bart Starr and ahead of everyone else? Unconscious. It is fun to watch a guy like Manning light it up, but if you are a fan, it is more fun to watch your team hoist the VL Trophy.

Bill Belichick is becoming the greatest coach of all time. There is still a ways to go, but damn, between his years with Parcells and the G-Men and now with the Patriots, he is putting up some scary numbers - in a time when the talent in the game is greater and more wide spread then ever. Next year he loses his Boys - Weis and Crennel - and we will see how much of an impact that has. How much you want to bet little?

Now For Something a Bit Different

One of my favorite sport stories involved Ilie Nastase, the Rumanian tennis player. I read that Nastase could swear profusely in the local language of wherever he was playing tennis. It made communicating his feelings to the official and line judges that much simpler.

How considerate. But wait, here I am about to play a tournament in Budapest and I just don't know how to express myself. How do you say %#@@!%* in Hungarian? Or Rumanian? Or Hebrew?

Now you can find out: The Swearsaurus. Or "Your Guide to Swearing in 165 Languages."

Let's hear it for cultural diversity.

Musings II

Ah, life is back to normal. Vijay and Ernie as #1 and #2 at the Sony. Els was unconscious on Sunday, and it was too bad he did not score better Saturday.

I was also pleased to see Charles Howell tied for 3rd. I would like to see the young guns play better. Howell, Justin Rose, Adam Scott, Aaron Baddeley and (though I always think of him as older) Sergio Garcia could form the basis of some great rivalries in the future. I think that all these guys got game, it is just a matter of keeping the game for 72 holes.

As an odd follow-up to the Darryl thread below, Peter King of SI gives several reasons why he has not voted for Art Monk to be admitted into the football HoF. (Scroll down to the bottom of the article, but read the whole thing if you have time. I don't always agree with King, but I think he is one of the brighter lights in the sports writers' chandelier.) Basically, he takes Thew's good, but not good enough approach.

Here's a thought. Limit the membership of the HoF to the Top 100 players. You vote someone in, then someone ELSE has to come out.

Mid-January Musings

Can we just say that a Hot Top 10 is a misnomer? Really, it is a Hot Top 3; a Middle Top 4 and Everyone Else.

1. Illinois - I said it before: Run. The. Table.
2. Kansas - How sweet would a National Title Game be between Kansas and Illinois? Coach Self would have much to be proud of.
3. Wake - One loss. To Illinois.

4, 5, 6, 7. UNC, OSU, Syracuse, Duke. In that order. The best of the rest. Duke might not be in here if not for a weak (for Duke) schedule. Only Michigan State and Oklahoma are "quality" wins for Duke. UNC loses to Wake (forget the brain fart in November). OSU's only loss is to Gonzaga when Gonzaga was hot. And Syracuse's only loss is to OSU.

Everyone else. That way it looks, only Kentucky might seem to be able to break the respectable ranks. UConn? Come back when the team is baked. GT? Ouch. One team to watch is BC. They have been quietly playing some outstanding ball.

Schedules for the rest of the year could hurt some teams. Illinois for one. Losing a game in the Big 10 would be a big upset. (Hear that Wisconsin?) But the Big 10 does not have the depth to prepare Illinois for March Madness. You can't say the same for Wake, UNC and the ACC. An all ACC Final Four? I would weep like a baby, but it could happen. (Dickie V. would be insufferable.)

I have been looking for a Hot Top 10 team that is not in the Top 10, but it has been difficult. Gonzaga was there, but no more. Everytime I am ready to back a team, they end up losing. (Remember your remark about the Hot Top 10 being worse than a SI cover? Well, yes, but...) No doubt things will change.

I never thought I would say this, but I really felt for Peyton Manning. His teammates let him down. Except for the last second INT, he played superb. (When he played - 22 minutes Indy vs. 38 minutes NE TOP. Wow. And don't give me any of that 69.3 QB rating BS, that last second, meaningless INT had a 15 point effect!) I cannot say the same for the rest of Indy's O. Not simply the two fumbles, but the drops, etc. NOT to take anything away from NE. There were the better team, no ifs ands or buts. NE's defense was suburb, and I hope they can keep it up against Pittsburgh. (I expect they will.)

But Manning deserved a better performance from his Boys than he got.

BTW, I am reviewing my 12.13 post, I quote:

"The AFC seems to be loaded and there are 4 teams that seem to be the class of the league - New England, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis and Philadelphia. It is hard for me to envision a Super Bowl that is not NE v. Philly. Ben RoethIfreakingcantspellhisname is still too green to get past the title game and NE owns the Colts - something Peyton Manning has yet to come close to changing."

I am half way there...

Ugh. Lemme tell ya, there were some lousy calls this weekend by the zebras. The Philly fumble that was reversed, the pass interference call by Indy, they just really like to hear themselves blow that whistle.

Some observations from the weekend:

Randy Moss just doesn't get it...his lack of focus cost the Vikings an almost sure touchdown on that fake field goal. It's scary to think what that guy would do to the league if he actually CARED about his team and the game. Good thing D Mac committed a major gaff on the other side, running out the clock on a pass over the middle.

Until the Vikings get a pass rush (whatever happened to Chris Hovan?) and their d-backs play within 10 yards of the receivers, they'll never win an important game. And the refs were very twitchy with the whistles, but I can't argue with the THREE interference penalties.

Daunte Culpepper threw 2 int. Bleah.

And 1 LUCKY fumble bounce right into the hands of an Eagles receiver.

Pittsburgh should NOT be in the AFC championship game. The Jets kicker is looking for a job after this season. Pittsburgh looked nervous in that game, the Jets loose and pumped. The better team won, but the wrong team too.

If I were Pittsburgh, I'd be soiling my undies at the prospect of facing the Pats. They looked DOMINANT against Indy (someone send Peyton Manning a bushel of bananas for the NE monkey on his back). That team is scary; if the Steelers play against them the way they played against the Jets, game over.

The Falcons looked tough. Vick looked good. Damm, I hate them.

The championship games are going to be EXCITING, with a capital "WOO!".

Vijay Singh won the Sony. SHIT! Michelle Wie missed the cut. No surprise there.

Busy day at work today...gotta run.

Was it a Blue Moon last night?

I was right...about Randy Moss. The same old million dollar athlete with the five cent head. And that's from a Vikings fan. But wait, I think he DOES get it to a degree. When asked about his 10K fine (predicted by me) he said "ain't nuthin but 10 grand. what's 10 grand to me? ain't *bleep*". So he dumps the money into the NFL coffers and laughs in their face, as I stated. It was worth it to him to give the Green Bay fans something back. He also said "next time I might shake my *bleep*". ROFL. Does the NFL really think he's going to do it? Of course he won't. He's just trying to talk smack and get a rise out of people. And from the looks of the article on ESPN.com, he succeeded.

Michelle Wie is 9 shots back of the lead, and probably needs to go red to the tune of 5 under or so to get back to even par and make the cut. I like Michelle Wie. She's humble, optimistic, but truthfully, I think that overpowering the shorter LPGA courses with her game is nothing like the men's tracks. 500 yard par 4's? You never see those on the LPGA tour - not that you should, or not that you won't in the future, just that you don't now, and Michelle, even with her game, isn't used to that. She's handling all the pub and scrutiny with grace, but at this moment she's in over her head. PLUS, she doesn't deserve an exemption based on the fact that she's won absolutely nothing on the LPGA tour. Two words...Annika. We're hopeful for her, but truthfully, she's just fan draw.

Vijay was his usual mysoginistic(sp) self. After the flak he took for disparaging Annika, he said the same type of anti-female comment again yesterday, but has learned to make it better..."it was hard hitting every shot - the drive, the approach, the putt was difficult. it's tough for the boys over here, you know? going to be tough for a girl here, too" I officially hate Vijay. I will officially root for him to plunk his every shot in the hazard. To 3 jack. To chunk his chips. He's SUCH a damm chauvanist. EVERY golfer who's played with Michelle (and Annika) have had great things to say about them, what has he done? Ignored them, rooted against them openly, and been a general all around asshole.

In the STUPID ASSHOLE athlete department. Sorry, assholes, plural. "The U.S. Soccer Federation said Thursday it will start to recruit a replacement team for next month's World Cup qualifier if a players union dispute is not quickly resolved." WHAT THE HELL?! Soccer in this country ranks only slightly above hockey, if even that, and on the world's MOST IMPORTANT soccer tournament, they are considering striking?! You are kidding me...oh my gosh, selfish assholedness among all paid athletes is an epidemic.

But you already knew that...

Exception proves the rule...

Ahhh, but you make an assumption based on only 95% of the cases. The simple truth, IMHO, is that people are treated not as anonymous accuseds but are looked upon and treated based on "who they are". I do agree that the legal rules "apply to them", but I do NOT believe that the legal rules are enforced in the same way nor are they looked upon with the same "eye of scrutiny" based on the accused's social status. However, if you concede that even a SINGLE person escaped true justice because of their status, then my point is made. Regardless of how you slice it, "beyond a reasonable doubt" also applies to my contention - you cannot state your point absolutely because there is a single known exception. And it follows that where there is ONE exception, there are more.

Poor Ol' Skeptical Me...
So Mark Thatcher bought a military helicoptor for an attempted coup in Guinea. After a short while he began to suspect it was going to used in a military exercise. But does he come forward then? Nope. But he got nabbed, and can wash his hands in a nice little plea bargain. Why am I skeptical just a tad? History. He was scrutinized by Britain's Parliament in 1994 over reports that he was involved in arms sales to Saudi Arabia and Iraq while his mother was prime minister -- allegations he denied, AP reported. Things that make you go "Hmmmmm"

And from the quality "our security communication system has been upgraded since 9/11". A British Airways flight with 239 passengers flying from London's Heathrow airport to New York was turned around in mid-flight after a passenger flying on a French passport was found to be on the U.S. no-fly list. Why was he allowed on the plane? U.S. government sources said the passenger was placed on the no-fly list in late December, but that British Airways did not have the latest no-fly list. WHAT THE HELL? Why didn't they have the list? "...a U.S. government official told CNN the method of distributing the list changed recently, and may have resulted in the lapse." OMG! Yet another breakdown in security communication. siiiigh...

MLB's new steroid policy...an improvement.

In the "holy smokes that's going to have a ton of ramifications" department...A divided U.S. Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that federal judges no longer have to abide by controversial 18-year-old mandatory sentencing guidelines, saying that the consideration of factors not presented to jurors violates a defendant’s right to a fair trial. Hmmm...this is a BIG ripple in the legal pond. If the judge chooses to use the sentencing guidelines to impose a longer sentence, an appeals court could overturn the sentence if it determines the application was unreasonable. This applies to TWO cases that are in front of the court atm. Oh crap, I don't like this initially.

No sports rants today. Count your blessings. I'm completely discombobulated about college hoops. So many good teams, so many upsets, I'm not sure I'd be willing to put my neck on that guillotine by picking a top 10.

Dopey?

Thew, Thew, Thew. You mistake equality of means with equality of ends.

Just because a few high profile sports celebrities get off the hook, that does not mean the legal rules do not apply to them. John Q. Public would be back on the job, if he posted bail. With a felony charge, bail tends to be much higher, so if you are upset that Lewis has the pocket change to post bail but you don't; that is a different rant.

That fact is OJ can get off because he can afford to hire lawyers who understand all the rules and use them to OJ's maximum advantage. LeRoy from the 'Hood does 10-20 on a 2nd degree plea bargain, 'cause all he gots is an overworked public defender. Johnny "If the Gloves Don't Fit You Must Acquit" Cochran, could get LeRoy off the hook, too - if LeRoy had the WAM to pay JC.

It is indisputable that celebrities are dealt with kid gloves. Why? Because the simple truth is that most serious (murder other major felonies) criminal cases can't be won. That is a dirty little secret. The "beyond a reasonable doubt" standard is too high unless there is direct physical evidence connecting the defendant to the victim. I am shocked that Scott Peterson was convicted. (Peterson: Celebrity or Average Joe?) No prosecuter in his right mind wants to try Michael Jackson. Right or wrong, people generally assume guilt is someone is on trial. (This is a fact.) But actually proving Jackson's guilt to the correct legal standards would be difficult.

I would also list several celebrities that were made "examples." Martha Stewart and Michael Milken, for example. (I do not condone these people, but neither of these two committed the crime there were originally charged with.) Fame can also paint a target on you. Kobe Bryant - rapest or extortion victim? (A 1st degree asshole, no doubt.) Would those charges be brought against you or I? Probably not. Would you or I be in that room with her? Probably not. (For a host of reasons, one of which was that she would not give a rat's ass about us.)

I would like ONE example of a celebrity that got different legal result, BECAUSE THEY WERE A CELEBRITY, not simply because they have the ching to hire the top legal dogs. (Marion Berry. Okay, name two.) (Union Bosses. They are mobsters, not celebrities. Different dynamic.)

Desperation knows no bounds

Beltran to the Mets for $119 million. Pedro Martinez for $too much million. Possibly Sammy Sosa? Omar Minaya is really retooling the Mets for next year. Is he overpaying for talent? Sure. Will the talent pay off? Ask me in September 2005. But if you're a Mets fan (if there are any left), you've got to be happy with what they've done. Quite frankly, though, I think they are throwing money at the problem, possibly too much on not enough players (oh, the problem is that they've sucked). And they are pursuing Carlos Delgado too. Keep your eyes on this one - I wonder if Omar is operating "...the team according to King George...".

Today's speculation: Will Brett Fav-ruh retire? I'm a Vikings fan, but I hope not. That guy is a pleasure to watch. He's (only) 35, and still has a few good years left on the body. Come back Brett, so Minnesota can KICK YER BUTT again!

UCONN, my beloved Huskies, looked awful last night again Oklahoma. The Sooners made them look out of synch, unorganized, and exposed the MAJOR (and I mean MAJOR) flaw in Storrs; no point guard. Sure, they've got Rudy Gay to replace Ben Gordon, Josh Boone's numbers are similar to Emeka Okafor's as a soph, but who replaces Taliek Brown? They will tumble out of the top 20 I bet after last night. Ugly game, all in all.

Interesting article - they are already speculating on the bracket. UCONN gets a #4 see in the West. Are they in the top 16 teams in the country? Hmmmmmmm.

Randy Moss is likely getting fined for his little mooning incident in Green Bay. HAH! Like the fines of Joe Horn and TO, this is a slap on the wrist in terms of cost to Randy Moss, he'll gladly pay the fine as long as he got to moon the GB fans and win the game. Lemme tell you, the NFL is getting stupid. TO's sharpie incident, Horn's cell phone, and Moss' mooning are all funny in my mind. And all part of the smack talking that players do. I can't believe they are cracking down THAT much. Maybe the No Fun League would rather have Randy scream "you people in Green Bay are *@!%*#$^, and you #(^$*#@^ suck!". If you listened to the abuse, both PG and XXX rated, that many professional players have to endure, a little moon (not a REAL moon by the way) fun surely can't hurt their feelings. Classless? Not really. Poor taste? Well, there are other ways, but come on, give them a little leeway please. Sheesh...

NHL news...there is no NHL. But there IS an interesting story about a woman who was given permission to sue Madison Square Garden for getting hit by a puck during a Ranger game (no comments on the Rangers missing the net, it's too easy). I wonder, since she sued them last year, if she saw an opportunity to sue the MSG folks after the Brittany Cecil incident and the subsequent raising of the protection nets. It seems in 2002 she didn't sue them (or maybe think she had a cause to sue them), and the NY state supreme court dismissed her suit against the Rangers and the NHL, but she's still searching for cashola, so she's not pursuing the MSG. Tilam, should this be covered by "assumption of risk"?

...But DOPEY made you write that blog!

Hoo Hoo, thanks for my Monday morning laugh...

That discussion is concise and on the mark until your last statement. "...the important part is that we all are made to play by them..."

In the words of Johnny Mac, "YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!". We do NOT all play by the same rules, the legal field is NOT level by any means! The rich and the popular and the famous and the beautiful people do NOT play in the same STATE as we do. How do you explain atheletes who play in the next game even after comitting a crime (Lewis was caught arranging a drug deal, Furcal was caught on a DUI). And don't even get me started on Michael Jackson, that guy is afforded EVERY courtesy and benefit of the doubt because of his status; any other child molester (err, accused child molester) would NOT have gotten the silk glove treatment (pardon the pun) like this guy. The bottom line is that Mr John Q Public plays on one field, and the rich and famous people play on another, be they atheletes, movie stars, etc. Wow, you can't actually believe that we all get the same treatment in the US Justice system, do you? That's as scary as your contention that Jessica Simpson is very intelligent!

On another, actually surprising note, Brad and Jennifer are calling it quits...I'm genuinely disappointed, I like both of them. But personally, I'm targeting Rebecca Romijn as my celebrity crush, she's just awesome!

There's another "Bachelorette". Why should we care? Her engagement to Andrew Firestone ended after one of "the Bachelor" shows, what makes us think (or even care) that she's going to "find her soul mate" this time. Sheesh, enuf already. And to you people who enjoy watching this stuff - GET A LIFE!

Time to bask in the limelight...

Oh the phone I predicted that Jake Plummer wouldn't go anywhere in the playoffs this year. Score one for Thew.

Mmmm, this crow tastes good...

I disparaged my beloved Vikings, and they promptly went out and proved me wrong. Their prize? A date in Philly. Ick.

VIJAY LOST! Good. VIJAY CHOKED! Better. Tiger finished tied for 3rd, and excellent beginning to his comeback year.

Work beckons, gotta jet...

The Devil Made Me Do It

Thew, we are all capable of depravity. What varies are the trigger points - post-partum; sleep deprivation; bad grass; bad hair; a dirty look - the point is different for everyone.

What reverberates in this discussion is a fundamental philosophy of the legal system. What is the point? Is it there to rehabilitate? To enforce justice? (Ironically, the first legal system came from ancient Iraq.)

I think that the purpose is neither rehabilitation or justice. The purpose is to enforce the rules (how ever just or unjust) of the social contract of our society. The faithful enforcement of these rules is critical to the continuation of civil society. Whether the outcome achieves some notion of "justice" or "fairness" is irrelevant to the basic purpose - enforcing the rules.

Quite frankly, the rules have changed throughout history and were established by chiefs, warlords, tyrants, kings, queens, dictators, philosophers, legislatures, you name it - both good and bad. What has held things together is not what the rules are, but whether we all play by them or not. Even before Hammurabi, there were an unofficial rules of human interaction. The problem was that when enough people broke the rules, society broke down until a) the old order could be reestablished or b) a new set could be imposed. a or b could happen by consent or force.

In this way, life is like a card game. You need rules to establish how to play and win. And cheaters need to be dealt with whether they are disqualified or removed by a Derringer.

Life is not just or fair and neither are our laws. But that is not the important part. The important part is that we all are made to play by them.

THANK YOU ABC NEWS!!!

My rantings are validated!

On to the good stuff now though.

Drop it like a bad habit...

Straw-man was all hype. He was a good player on a team of good players, but he was surrounded by others who were at least as good, and had that supporting cast. Ryno did it all for the Cubbies, who was there to support him? Okay, Andre Dawson for a while, but Strawberry had a cast of good players around him to assist, Ryno did not. Shed your last tear Tilam, your next one for UCONN, who got schooled by BC. The HoF should be about PLAYERS, not people. But, in this day and age of "feeling good", it's not - now, they give a damm about the person - Strawman? Coke addict. Rose? He *gasp* bet on baseball. Is it right? Nope. The HoF should be about what happened between the foul lines, not what happened outside the stadium. The list of people who were less than moral in their conduct would, as you correctly state, encompass about half the current inductees. Oh, and NO racism here. Don't start that. Don't even give a little spark to a flame. Because if you say BLACK, you need to break down the white populace. Carter is a Brit? Fisk is a Scot? Hey, where are the Irishmen? WHY AREN'T THERE ANY UZBEKHISTANI'S IN THE HALL OF FAME. Enough, don't start me on blaming race for any of this. I'm a bit disappointed that you even flic'd that bic.

Ms Rai is clearly an incredibly beautiful woman. The MOST beautiful woman in the world? Hmmm, that's pretty subjective. Personally, I'd like to wrap her up in a little mazola corn oil and put THAT next to Jessica Simpson in crisco; sorry guys, that's "flip a coin city". Of course, as Tilam has stated, that's a no contest because of his claim that Jessica Simpson is in reality a brilliant young woman who "plays the dumb blonde" for pub and whatever else. Hmm, SOMEONE GIVE HER AN OSCAR, she's truly a master at her craft. PUHLEEZE, she's stupider than a stump, but MOG, she's gorgeous. But Ms Rai needs bigger boobs anyway, those little things aren't gonna fly. Paz Vega is a Penelope Cruz lookalike, that's her major plug so far. Give me Diane Lane, she'll do on a cold winter night. Wait, or Mrs Thew. Oh man, I'm in the doghouse again...

The insanity case is like aspirin - you can use it for a multitude of offenses. It's the cure all. I have a comment on Tilam's excellent question to Jeff - as a society the most heinous of crimes simply cannot be committed by sane people, we as a whole cling to that, and so it makes the insanity defense more palatable by the bleeding heart juries. I wonder, if I got caught j-walking could I use the temporary insanity defense? "OMG officer, you've GOT to believe, I was so eager to get across the street that my faculties simply took a lunch break, and I just HAD to run here, not using the crosswalk. I just couldn't think straight, it was an out of body urgency to cross the street!" The insanity defense seems to be the ONLY acceptable reason for some of these crimes that are committed by someone who a) seems completely normal, or b) are a little troubled but just COULDN'T commit that kind of crime. We do not understand nor do we wish to understand the depths of human depravity, and therefore we accept insanity almost eagerly, absolving people of their shortcomings. This is for another day though...

I would take issue with that Jeckyll and Hyde approach, as stated in the Dahmer case. Okay, so you're either Jeckyll or Hyde. Fair enough. But a TEMPORARY Hyde is one thing, as in the case of Yates, but a FULLTIME Hyde is different, as in the case of Dahmer? I'm sorry, I might be ignorant, but that's hypocritical to me. I'm sure that Tilam will edumacate me on this.

As an outside observer, I have to examine what is told about the case and draw my own conclusions, many times based on a subset of the whole of information known. I have to trust that people do their jobs and the at the court system does its job. If she is overturned, get a new trial and see what happens. Do it right, then count the eggs in the basket.

More Debate at protein wisdom

My Latest comments include:

"There are two issues that resonate with me as I wrestle with how I feel. First, I have an instinctive reaction against the criminal (Yates) as a victim. She was a victim of her doctors’; her husband; her religion – pretty much everything and everyone but her. To portray her as such always strikes me as a 1L argument. It can happen, but I am always skeptical when I hear that line of reasoning. (A professor said once, if you want to be a good lawyer, forget it; if you want to be a successful lawyer, make it part of the fiber of your being.)

Second, Bill from INDC uses the Jekyll & Hyde approach (I think the term “Temporary Insanity” dumbs down the real episode Mrs. Yates and others go through). To wit, the sweet demur, mousy Mrs. Yates was consumed by her alter ego, who went on a killing rampage. Bill makes a distinction between this instance and the Dahlmer case where he was always Mr. Hyde and therefore culpable, and the Jekyll and Hyde “case”, where Dr. Jekyll is not responsible for the actions of Mr. Hyde. (For you literary buffs, I know there were white powder potions involved, but allow me the basic metaphor.)

I buy the Jekyll and Hyde approach in theory, but can’t fathom it in practice. Part of it is the “crafty lawyer suspicion”, but part of it is my belief that if you are found not guilty, you are done, no stigma attached. Here are the keys to your car, have a nice life. I do not that society has or can have a way to deal with a Dr. Jekyll short of locking them up and throwing away the key, which seems unjust if you see the person as Dr. Jekyll, but quite just if all you see is a future Mr. Hyde.

If Yates is truly not guilty, then she should be set free. Free to go back to her home, her husband and her family. (Oops.) And after sometime, should she and Mr. Yates decide to have additional children…

I had better stop here."

The fact is that the Texas criminal statute does not allow for circumstances such as this one. Texas takes the Caesar at the Coliseum approach: thumbs up or thumbs down. (And in Texas "thumbs down" has the same effect.)

I could not have been on that jury. I have three kids 10, 8, and 6. Every time I think about it, I get sick to my stomach.

On a Serious Note

With the Yates case overturned, protein wisdom, (link to the left) one of my favorite blogs, veers into serious territory about Yates, murder and the insanity defense.

I did not follow the case closely enough to have a legal opinion, but I do believe as one of Jeff's commentors said, "the case hinged on whose experts you believed."

Jeff believes (I think I am summarizing this correctly) that Andrea Yates was insane at the time and should have been found not guilty by reason of insanity.

My question to him is, "Is there a crime so heinous that you would not accept insanity as defense?" I don't need specifics, it is just rhetorical.

The Yates case is a sad tragedy on many levels, not the least of which is the terror those children must have experienced in their last moments. But also includes the very real hell that Mrs. Yates will relive for the rest of her days - that internal movie replaying the scene over and over and over again.

Enough already, I eagerly await the next entry in Martha Stewart's Chronicles.

I Should Just Let it Go...

but I can't.

Sandberg - BA:.285 OBP:.344 SLG:.452 First Time Votes: 393
Strawberry - BA:.259 OBP:.307 SLG:.505 First Time Votes: 6

Sure, you can cut stats every which way, but c'mon. Allow me to give some perspective. I think Pete Rose should be in the HoF. I think Joe Jackson (BA:.356 OBP:.423 SLG:.517) should be in the HoF. No questions asked. Is the Hall the compilation of the greatest players or a popularity contest? Are we establishing a morals clause for admission?

If so, Ty Cobb - GONE. The Old Timers would lose half the membership. Barry Bonds? You need not apply. Would he have racked up those number if he were not juiced?

And here are all the inductees for the past 7 years:

Wade Boggs, Ryne Sandberg, Paul Molitor, Dennis Eckersley, Eddie Murray, Gary Carter, Ozzie Smith, Dave Winfield, Kirby Puckett, Carlton Fisk, Tony Perez, Nolan Ryan, George Brett, Robin Yount, Fourteen players. 4 blacks and 1 Hispanic and 9 whites. (What are you saying? Nothing. I report, you draw your own conclusions.)

BTW, CNN had a story the other day on "the most beautiful woman in the world" - Aishwarya Rai. (What! Not Mrs. Tilam? Clearly an oversight on CNN's part.) Now, that sort of designation is sure to spark some level of interest. It seems Ms. Rai, who is Indian, wants to start a film career in the US, but is forbidden to even kiss on screen by Indian tradition.

Hmmm. I figure that unless she can act like Meryl Streep (unlikely) or is content to roles that only require her to say, "Sir, you understand you get a free Slurpie with a fill-up of eight gallons or more" (also unlikely), the only chance of box office success is the vicarious thrill the 18 - 28 year old male crowd (Okay, maybe 78) will get from watching her get it on.

So some free advice Ms. Rai, there is plenty of eye candy (Paz Vega seems to be a recent favorite) available on screen, so you better be able to act - and you better be willing to lose the accent and the clothes. Otherwise, you would be well served to stay in Bollywood.

Have you ever seen a Straw(berry) in a Hurricane?

As they say in Japan, UGRY. That is what I can only describe about the debacle that was OU's efforts in the Orange Bowl. Spanked. By a better team, simple as that. Does this tarnish OU's image and program? Many might feel that way, but I don't. Everyone has a tough game here and there (read: Pitt against Bucknell), and everyone gets smoked by a clearly better and better prepared team (read: anyone vs the Vikings). The fact that it was in the national championship game magnifies it. But WOW, I haven't seen a performance like that from Trojans since my prom night. Oh, wait, TMI, sorry...

I have no earthly idea who this Oliver Williams guy is, but at least the blog that Tilam references makes sense. However, when he says "...i don't believe that family members, associates, etc should be tortured to get information..." I'd like to get some explanation on what he defines as an "associate". Then I might change my tune.

Let's continue on the Yankees discussion...you make some valid points. However, tradering a top farm prospect for a supposed proven veteran with a humongous salary doesn't sound like good business planning. I can look back into the annals of history and find quite a few Yankees farm prospects who have made it for other teams - and trades for "established players" who have not panned out for the Yankees (umm, Kevin Brown, Estabon Loiaza come to mind for ya?). Dropping a prospect for a proven veteran with an outrageous salary is questionable in many instances. HOWEVER, this argument is moot, and I must concede this point - King George does it because he CAN! How many other teams would be willing to trade a top catching prospect and a promising young pitcher for the Big Unit, and be able to AFFORD IT!?! King George can. And everyone hates him for it. The problem is that he can get away with it because he owns the Yankees, not the Montreal Expos. And for King George, life is good and full of opportunities, and worst of all, money is no object. :)

HoF voting...
Strawberry will never get in...okay, I'll shed a (crocodile) tear for his 6 votes. Boo Hoo. NEXT! Face it Tilam, he Straw man was a popular player for a popular team, the NY Mets, but he's not HoF material. He was a coke addict whose lifetime batting average is under .260 (his slugging pct is just a RRCH over .500 too), he never hit more than 39 HR's (ONLY 335 lifetime), and his appeal was based more on charisma than skill. Sure, he hit some HUGE home runs, but in the only 3 years he hit over 30 HR's he never topped more than 108 RBI's. Sorry not impressed. Also, how can you justify this on his 8 all star games. SINCE WHEN DO THE FANS PICK THE TEAMS BASED ON PERFORMANCE?! They picked him because he was popular, not because he was THAT good. And his what, 3 or 4 relapses into his nose candy addiction probably hurt his chances of getting more than 10 votes. This shows that the HoF voters, at least in THIS case, paid no attention to the hype and looked into his stats. No loss here.
Oh, but if you are clearly raging against the machine, you can post your dissention here. Have at it. Hell, call me and we'll have at it real time.
Boggs clearly received the proper amount of votes, he was a gamer. But one fact that caught my attention was this quote from King George "He is very deserving and I could not be happier for Wade, his wife Debbie and their family." WHAT? He's married? Whatever happened to the fallout from that published affair with, was it Margo Adams? How he stated that he was "addicted to sex"? What did I miss here?
Jim Rice not getting in is a travesty. Same with Steve Garvey, Lee Smith (all time saves leader?), and yes, Black Jack Morris.
The LAUGHABLE part is next year's 1st ballot eligibles: Albert Belle, Will Clark, Gary Gaetti and Orel Hershiser. Okay, Will the Thrill and Anal Hershiser MIGHT make it past 1 year, but ALBERT BELLE?! I tell you, it was be a sad day in the world if Belle gets more votes than the Straw-man.

USSee Ya'

During the halftime show last night, Auburn coach, Tommy Tuberville, was asked could Auburn have done better against USC than OU. He gave a very polite, politically correct answer. The truth: No Way.

USC showed they were head and shoulder above everyone this year. Jeff Saragin has USC a nearly 11 point favorite over Oklahoma, and a 10 point favorite over Auburn after the games. Jason White looked awful, but credit the USC defense. And Matt Leinart saw his NFL stock shoot up several million dollars.

I do not have a vested interest in either team, so it was simply painful to watch a team as good as OU be dismantled by a clearly superior team.

I say have USC play the 49ers. I'll take USC and give you the 6 points...

Things I Never Thought Could Happen

I can't believe it, but I find myself agreeing completely with Oliver Willis. For those of you not into political blogs, Oliver is a vocal liberal and very anti-Bush. I don't recall anything he has written that hasn't made my skin crawl.

But he leaves out a very important point in his clarification - OBL firmly believes that if you are not a fundamentalist Muslim, you should be dead. Period. End of story. No room for compromise, no room for negotiation, no room to address "why do they hate us so." Until he is dead - until his top lieutenants are dead - he will continue to kill innocent people. Because to him NOONE IS INNOCENT. We are all guilty of heresy and crimes against Allah because of our mere existence. We are animals and have no more right to life that a mongrel dog. That is his view.

Get him, Mr. President, whatever it takes.

Oil as A Renewable Resource

Matthew Yglesias has an interesting recent post on Jared Diamond's Collapse. In it he talks about the "energy crisis" as follows:

"Prima facie, then, there's a real question about how sustainable a form of civilization based on such fuel sources is over the long term. Technological improvements (easier fuel-extraction, more efficient fuel use, enhanced reliance on "new" renewables like wind and solar) may save us, but they also may not. People have a tendency to forget that wishing doesn't make technological progress happen."

He pooh-poohs other energy sources but misses a couple of points:

1. Oil is a renewable resource (in millions of years all the dead biomass on the earth today will be oil), I think there has been alot of recent debate as to how fast does it renew. That is, how much new oil is being created by the dead biomass of a million years prior? But I am willing to concede that we are consuming more than the earth is producing.

2. The real question is how much does each BTU cost to produce. Oil was around for a long time before it became a cost effective energy resource. As it becomes scarce, the cost will increase and make other sources of energy (solar, wind, nuclear) more cost effective.

Energy consumption is NOT a long term problem. The planet has plenty of means to supply it. Right now, oil, gas and coal are the cheapest to convert into the amount of BTUs needed to sustain world growth. As China and India become economic superpowers, they will a) compete for the scarce oil resources or b) turn to alternatives, as China is doing with nuclear power.

A sudden, radical shift in the common source of energy (in today's case oil) would cause some economic dislocation, but in the long term, energy production will no more be an issue than it is today.

I agree with Diamond: there is much to be concerned about, but energy production is not one of them.

41 Ain't Old (Ahem) & Strawberry Flambe

I do agree that this will be the last time we agree on the Hot Top 10.

Okay, fair question on the farm team. The question back at you is name ANYONE from the Yankee farm team that has panned out for another team. Nick J.? Shane S.? Drew Henson is still a question mark...for the Cowboys! My point isn't that King G. has depleted the Farm Teams, he has, but he has dealt them for "established" players. Known quantities. And, quite frankly, has traded on the Yankees reputation in the farm system to get those players. (Yankees have arguably the second best farm system and scouts behind Oakland.) I firmly disagree with the particulars of what the Yankees did, but not the way he did it. That makes some sense (even though I would not do it).

BTW, I am beginning to feel that all the pundits will look foolish when the Colts and Packers meet in the Super Bowl.

Boggs and Sandberg are in the HoF. Both deserve it. (Ironically, Boggs has a World Series ring - with the YANKEES!) But as I look at the voting I notice that Darryl Strawberry received less than 5% so he is no longer eligible for the Hall. I am shocked. The guy was a Rookie of the Year, NL Home Run Champ, has 4 World Series Rings and was an NL All-Star 8 seasons in a row. Clearly the guy had personal problems, but 6 votes in his first year and gone? He never gets a chance and Luis Aparicio is in? Or Phil Rizzuto for that matter? Maybe the guy is not HoF material, but 6 votes! Tom Henke got 6 votes in 2001! (Who? You know, the Canadian Goose? No, I don't know. My point exactly.)

He got screwed. I am raging (yes, raging) at the injustice.

I'm done.

Ad Nauseum

Okay, I'm going to start off the new year on dangerous ground...I'm going to set the point in the ground that my top 10 in college hoops is the same as Tilam's. Now, however, we start following college hoops in earnest, and much dissention will result. Stay tuned for the fireworks.

In the "I Love This PrimaDonna" Dept - Shaun Alexander of Seattle. Sure, he lost the rushing title by 1 yard, which is sumpthin kinda sucky. But, to say that Mike Holmgren "stabbed me in the back" by not calling his number at the goal line? Hmm, I'm sure that it was intentional on Holmgren's part...NOT! And his response when asked why he hasn't apologized to the team? "...he hadn't spoken to Holmgren and insisted there was no reason to apologize to him or teammates. They know him well enough, he explained, to realize he puts winning ahead of statistics." WHUT THE...?! This from a guy who just popped off at not winning the rushing title? "I wouldn't want to take any light away from this team and what we have accomplished." Um, you idiot, you just did...man, spoiled arrogant atheletes just don't get it...

I might, just MIGHT, pay attention to the Orange Bowl tonight. That is, if CSI is showing re-runs.

TILAM is so right about King George. Steinbrenner believes that putting a bunch of stars on the field will guarantee him a WS title, but that's apparently not the case. That will guarantee him wins and revenue, but yes, it takes a TEAM to win the world series (see: Boston). But he misses the farm system point; why do you see a bunch of unproven guys in the Yankee farm system? Because all their hot prospects have either been called up in the past or traded away for (busted) free agents. Name me the last Yankee farm system star who was pulled into the bigs? Nick Johnson? Brad Halsey maybe? Gone, and going. 'Nuff said.

My concern? Johnson is 41, 8-6 vs Boston lifetime, and his highest ERA against any opponent is 4.41. Oh, that opponent is the Red Sox. He got crappy run support last year in 'Zona, and can still bring the heat...but he's still an old guy. :)

The other pressing question is "why go after Beltran"? Oh well...

Welcome Back to Me

I don't know how the major bloggers do it. Some travel for work and family and - BAM - weeks go by without a post. A quick Hat Tip to all those guys and gals.

The Hot Top 10 is quickly becoming a bigger curse than the SI cover. But we will not be deterred! Conference play begins in earnest, so stay tuned.

1. Illinois. Sure they have lapses, but not big ones, not yet. And I will say the unsayable. These guys could run the table.
2. Kansas. Down 16, win in the end. Building character for the tough games at the Dance. Get ready for Kentucky.
3. UNC. Roy is back. Rest up for the 15th.
4. Duke. Okay. I admit it. They are playing well. But this is all a warm up to February 2-9th.
5. Wake. Mark your calendars for January 15th. Against UNC at home. ESPN notwithstanding, I think UNC is the better team.
6. Oklahoma State. The loss to Gonzaga was tough, but so is Gonzaga
7. Gonzaga. Okay, they had to appear once, and after next week, they might not again. The loss to Missouri hurt, but there is no denying that they played some great ball. Washington, GT, Oklahoma State.
8. GT. 2 point loss to Kansas is nothing to be ashamed of, but Gonzaga, maybe.
9. & 10. Kentucky and UConn. Powder puff schedules mask if they are truly HOT and how Hot they are. Of course, KU has Kansas coming up.

Mucho thanks to Thew and the lovely Mrs. Thew for their hospitality. A good time was had by all over drinks and sushi. I do not get to see Thew in person that much anymore, so this was a rare occasion. Of course, there is that golfing weekend scheduled in May, but that just means that one of our party will break a bone the week before and it will be postponed again.

I can not get up alot of bile for King George and the Big Deal. I have said over and over that George does not get it. He can get a group of guys to win a division; a division series and maybe even a championship series, but it takes a team to win the Series. I am not sure I agree with Thew on the decimation of the farm system, I guess those guys are unproven talent, while Johnson is a proven talent. I view Johnson the same way I view Mussina. He will get his wins and is unflappable - an important quality in New York. Who knows - he might have three years left in him.

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. What marketing rocket scientist thought of that? Geez. The lawyers will have a field day.

It is hard to disagree with Pats-Steelers and Packers-Eagles, but I would give the edge to the Pats. If I had balls, I would predict a Chargers-Pat championship game in the AFC, but I don't. Has there ever been a true rookie who has led his team to the Super Bowl? I give the edge to NE because of Belichick and his staff. I just don't see them screwing up. I do see Roethelisberger getting the yips. He was shaky down the stretch, but that was nothing compared to the playoffs.

More to come, but gotta jet.

Surviving the Insanity

Whew! The holidays are over...My inlaws, my parents, and my children have all returned to their normal dwellings, the asylum is quiet again. What a great visit - I've got great inlaws, wonderful parents, and incredible children. We played Xbox, computer games, and as unbelievable as it sounds, golf.

Ok, enough chit-chat. On to the good stuff...

Once again, the Vikings started off hot then cooled off to roughly absolute zero. And for their lack of effort, they get the Pack again, arguable one of the hotter teams in the NFL. Looks like Mike Tice is going fishing soon. The Vikes' defense is arguably the worst in the league, softer than Anna Nicole Smith's bootay. I've seen them play, and they play with fear, no confidence, and little intelligence.

AFC: Steelers vs Pats in championship, edge to Pittsburgh
NFC: Packers vs Eagles in championship, edge to Philly

Anyone who believes that Dikembe Mutumbo's flying elbows are "accidental", even in the case of LeBron, is smoking something wacky. That guy has been throwin and mowin 'em down with the humerous bone for years. Time to fine...

Latrell Spreewell will be the demise of the T-Wolves this year...unless he's traded.

King George is a MORON for trading Javier Vasquez in the Randy Johnson deal. But, you can't fault his commitment to winning immediately. Unfortunately, he's depleted the Yankee farm system (not to mention trading 2 prospects to 'Zona in this deal), and will have nothing to offer anyone else in the next few years except some high priced talent. That being said, I like the Yankees' starting rotation (or potential, depending on if this deal goes through). I sure hope that the Big Unit's 8-6 record vs the Red Sox gets better tho...

An interesting article complete with predictions from Ron Sirak. Adam Scott will not win the Masters, nor Darren Clarke the PGA. He leaves Ernie Els off the Major list, which I don't think he should do. The Big Easy will take on this year. Tiger will win (at least) one as well. I think Sergio will win the British Open, that will be his breakthrough. Aside from that, the golf muses have not spoken to me.

That's enough for now, I'm still cleaning out my email inbox after being out for a couple of weeks...