Remembering a great

The Miami Heat retired a jersey for the first time last night. Alonzo Mourning's number will never be worn again by a Heat player. While most of his career was spent in Miami, my memories of Zo are from his early playing days in Charlotte. He was only there 3 years, but it was when I was in high school and one of the biggest Hornets fans around. In those 2 years I probably saw him play live 40 or so times, and they were great. Watching him team up with Larry Johnson is a fond memory from my adolescence. Zo and LJ were the biggest reasons that Charlotte had a great playoff run during those years. I remember walking into the Charlotte Coliseum for that first playoff game. You could feel the energy as soon as you were through the doors. I remember being there when Zo hit the last second shot from the top of the key and the place went wild. While the Hornets were in town for a few years after Zo and LJ left, those will always be the glory years to me. I will always tell the stories from those games and look upon those days with joy.

A missed weekend

Sorry for the late post today. I was out of town this weekend and had to spend the day catching up on what went down. It looks like I missed some great stuff. I love the Michigan State was able to topple the number 1 seed. They're a top team that was entering their conference tourney hoping to get a number 1 seed. It looks like they've played up to that. I'm not surprised Villanova beat Pitt, I called that on Saturday. Pitt just wasn't able to put any team away in this tournament. I think that comes down to coaching, so I hoped he learned something this year and is able to teach his kids how to win by next year. Carolina and UConn are no surprise, they've been dominating all tournament. I'm looking forward to the weekend.

I'm also sorry I missed Tiger's return to the winner's circle. He loves Bay Hill, and it wasn't the strongest field, but he came from behind and won. We knew his passion was still there, but his putter was there this week too. I think it's good news for golf and sets up some great story lines heading into the Master's in a couple of weeks.

I'm back in town and staying up to date now. See you tomorrow!

Great Eight

Last night the final eight teams in the NCAA were determined. In the final eight are all four number one seeds, two number two seeds and two number three seeds. This is very unusual for the tournament. The weirdest thing about the round of sixteen to me was the amount of blowouts.

All of the number one seeds, except Pitt have been winning convincingly. Pitt has struggled in every game so far, but has kept finding a way to win. That makes me nervous for them. Starting now, they are going to be playing opponents that can close out tight games. I'm not sure they've faced that yet. on the other side, Louisville looked very impressive with it's press. I think if anyone is going to beat them, it will be a team that plays at least 8, but probably 10, guys, all of whom can pass that ball. I didn't see that from Michigan State, so it'll be interesting to see that game play out and if MSU can survive their turnovers. Moving down, UConn has been hard to play with. They have an inside presence like no other, but I think they can be beat if you match up well with the rest of the team. I personally don't like their coach, so I would love to see Mizzou win, but we'll see. And then there's UNC. I think Hansborough- Griffin will be a great match up, but I think Lawson will be too much for Oklahoma to handle.

When you have nothing but high seeds like this, I don't think there can be anymore upsets. I just hope, for college basketball sake, the games stop being blowouts and are good, solid games to watch. So who's my adjusted Final Four? I'll go with Louisville, Mizzou, Villanova and UNC. See you Monday!

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A little rant and golf

I have to start out today with a rant about sports coverage in the media. I'll start with CBS and the NCAA Tourney. I think it's crazy that on a day where there are only four games, that they schedule 2 at a time. Yes, I know they want them in prime time, but what's the point if you can only see one of the games anyway? Are they afraid the stands won't fill up? Most of the fans travel to see their teams play, so it's not like they're coming after work to the game, they had to take time off just to get there. If you have one venue start the games at 3, and the other venue start the games at 7:30, all the games get to be on tv all over the country. Of course not everyone will get to see their team play, but they don't get to when two games are on at once either.

OK, now I'll move to ESPN. When I was growing up and I would wake up to ESPN, I would see at least the scores, if not highlights, of every game played the previous night. Now I realize it's hard to fit everything in, but when you give Mel Kiper Jr and Todd McShay 10 minutes of every Sportscenter hour to say their draft board hasn't changed and to yell at each other over a draft that is a month away instead of showing scores, I think that's crazy. I'm not talking about wanting to see spring training scores either, but NBA games, some with playoff implications seem to get looked over. If there is a big change or something happens or when the draft is a week out, give them the face time, but until then, give them once or twice a week, max. And to the guys at PTI, I love your show, but Tony K, you gotta stop seeming like American Idol is paying you to be there spokesperson every week. It's nice when you guys drift away from sports occasionally, but give up pushing American Idol as what to watch over the NCAA tourney, COME ON!

Ok, now I can move on to some actual sports talk. Tiger Woods is playing the PGA event at Bay Hill this week. It's a course he has performed well at his entire career and probably a smart place for him to make his third start since knee surgery just 2 weeks before Augusta. In his last start he looked good, except for barely missing a dozen or so putts. If he makes some of those lipped out puts, he's in the hunt for the event and it's a whole other story. Tiger had a good opening round today at Bay Hill and looks poised to stay in the running for this tournament. I, for one, am glad to see Tiger back on the course. I have to admit, that I didn't really watch golf for last half of last year. The sport is just more fun with him playing. I apologize to all the die hard fans that watch every week no matter who's playing and to Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia and Vijay Singh. They're all great golfers and I like seeing them hit those amazing shots, but they're not Tiger. I think everyone should be happy he's back, especially the way the economy is going. Golf needs ratings to be as high as ever if companies are going to continue making deals for sponsorship and ads during these times, and that means Tiger. I'm betting the Masters will have one of it's highest ratings ever if Tiger is on the leaderboard going into Saturday and Sunday, because the world will want to know if he's made his full comeback and we can all start talking about him winning all 4 majors in one year and stop talking about his knee and a comeback. Welcome back Tiger, we missed you.

A general day

I'm not sure what to write today. I wasn't expecting to write about college basketball until tomorrow, but it came out yesterday that UConn might have some recruiting violations coming out soon. While most of the talking heads on ESPN have been talking about it being a distraction for the rest of the tournament, I'm wondering if it is true and UConn isn't allowed in the tournament, even for a year, how many of there players will leave for the NBA this year instead of staying for the next couple of years. The future of the program could be in real trouble, depending on the sanctions the NCAA imposes if it's true.

Also yesterday, LeBron led the Cavs to their 58th win of the season. That's the most ever for a Cavs team. If your memory is short, you might not think that is a big deal, but if you remember the 80's, and before, you remember that Brad Doughetry and Mark Price combined to make some very strong Cavs teams that probablt would have been championship team if not for The Bad Boys of Detroit and MJ in Chicago.

In the NFL yesterday, Mangini told the media he has given Favre an open invitation to training camp. Not as a player but as an observer and mentor. I admit, on first thought it seems like an ok idea. You have a hall of famer giving young QB's advice on how to play the game and handle being an NFL QB. But when you look closer, he brings several negatives too. One is a media circus that's going to be constantly asking him if he will play again or stay retired. Being asked those questions constantly around to underachieving QB's could spur him into playing again, something no one wants to see. I think it's a mistake. You employ a QB coach, if you have any confidence in him, let him work and let Favre stay at home.

Curt Schilling

OK, it's time to put basketball aside for a day and for me to do my first baseball post of the year. Curt Schilling announced his retirement yesterday. Schilling ended with his career with 216 wins and a 3.46 ERA. The Hall Of Fame debate has begun, and I am on the side of him getting in. His regular season numbers may be average when compared to the other great pitchers from the same era (Greg Maddux, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, Roger Clemens, John Smoltz, Tom Glavine), but his postseasons put him over the edge. Without Schilling, Boston would still be suffering the curse of the Bambino. He has 3 World Series rings and one World Series MVP, not to mention the grit to pitch through the bloody sock in 04. That's probably what he'll be remembered for most, and I'm betting there will be a picture of that sock in his display in Cooperstown. I have no doubt he will make it in. It'll depend on who else is on the ballot if he gets in the first vote or not, but he will make it. I think the other 6 pitchers I mentioned above will make it too. I'd vote for them all. The game will miss him.

Playoff Race

The NBA season is coming to a close. Everyday another team realizes it won't make the playoffs. I think the west is set. The Suns are the only ones that have a chance to change the current playoff grouping, but being 3 games back with 12 to play might be more than they can handle. Even if Dallas only plays .500 ball down the stretch, the Suns would have to win 9 of 12. If Dallas were to win more than that, which seems likely, the Suns basically need to win out. Considering they've already won 5 in a row, making it a 17 game win streak seems unlikely. Had they been playing this way all season, they'd probably be in, but alas. I think the more important race is between Dallas, Portland and Utah to not face the Lakers in the first round, they're separated by a game and a half,

In the east, there are still several things that could change. Seven of the teams are set. The Bobcats are one and a half games behind Chicago and the Bucks are 2 games back. The Bulls and Bucks have 11 games left and the Bobcats 12. I think the 2 game difference will be too much for the Bucks to overcome, especially with the Bulls playing well. The Bobcats have a chance, but I think it's a small one. They were blown out on the road by Indiana in their last game and have eight road games left. I think Chicago could win 8 of 11, which means the Bobcats need to win 9 of 12 to tie, which the Bobcats win on head to head games. The key could be when the Bobcats play the Bulls in the last week of the season. I should also mention that this is a race to lose to Cleveland in the first round. The Cavs will be the number one seed and they've only lost one game at home.

Sweet Sixteen

It Seems my prediction about no seed higher than 5 making it to the final four might just come true, as Arizona is the only team to make it to the sweet sixteen that's higher than a 5. And they're only getting there because they are coming out of the weakest 4-5 teams, Wake and Utah. You've already heard me rant on Wake, so I won't do that again. I think Arizona might be pumped up after hearing all week that they were the team that shouldn't be in. I'm sure they used that in the locker room.

Aside from Arizona making it as a 12 seed, I think the biggest surprise is that Pitt is struggling against every opponent. They were the only number 1 to struggle the full game in round 1, and then they had a single digit win in round 2. I think OSU is a good team, that might should have been seeded lower, but it still isn't giving me hope that they'll play well enough for a championship.

There should be some good games this weekend as Carolina and UConn get tested for the first time, and we have 4 games pitting a 2-3 match-up. It will be interesting to see if Pitt continues to struggle going against higher seeds, facing number 4 Xavier, and if Arizona can continue it's Cinderella run against Louisville. Enjoy, and come back tomorrow as I talk about something other than college basketball for a change.

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NCAA round one

Let's face it, there were some good games in round one. We had overtimes, buzzer beaters, missed buzzer beaters. But with all those great games, there weren't a ton of upsets, surprisingly. Pitt hung on, meaning only 1 of the top 16 teams in the tourney fell, which I warned you about Wake. So I'm guessing that while not many people picked Cleveland State to win most of us still have at least 14 of our sweet sixteen intact. Three of the number one teams dominated, which we expect, but this is shaping up to be a good tournament, and I would be surprised if they dominated all the way through to the final four. I'm still thinking no more the 2 of them will make it there. I'm not sure anyone higher than a 5 seed will make it to the final four this year, that would shock me, but that doesn't mean there aren't some great games going on. So turn the tv on and enjoy.

MVP

There has been a lot of talk about the three man race for the NBA MVP going on recently. I think the first thing you have to figure out in who you think the MVP is, is what MVP means to you. Some people think the MVP has to play on a winning team, which I agree with in basketball. Basketball is a sport where one player can make a huge difference, and while one player may not carry you to the championship, one player can make you a winning team. Other people think it should be the player that is most important to his team, and others think it should be the best player in the league.

If we were going with the player most important to his team, I would have to go with Dwayne Wade. Without him, before or after the trade, Miami is out of the playoff race. and that's saying something in the east, where Washington is the only team really out of the race. I think if you take LeBron off Cleveland or Kobe off LA, they both still make the playoffs. But that's not the way I pick an MVP, so we move on.

Let's compare the players numbers, which isn't all telling either. Every team plays a different style and so the players have different numbers possible. For example, a guy scoring 20 a game for the Bobcats, the lowest scoring NBA team, can't compare to a guy averaging 20 a game for the Suns or Warriors. OK, back to the big 3. Wade is scoring the most with 29.9 a game, followed by Lebron with 28.7 a game and Kobe with 27.8 a game. I think this needs to be qualified though. Wade has to do a higher percentage of his teams scoring, because his help isn't as good, but also LeBron and especially Kobe can routinely sit out all or part of the 4th quarter. That's why Kobe is playing 2 less minutes a game than Wade. So basically, points are even, so let's move on to rebounds.

Lebron leads this category with 7.6 a game, followed by Kobe with 5.4 and Wade with 5.1. This is a decent sized discrepancy, but it should be. Lebron plays forward while the other 2 play guard, so he should be winning this category. Ok, onto assists. Wade has 7.6, followed by Lebron 7.3 a game, while Kobe has 4.9. So Kobe clearly falls off a bit here. If it was Wade that fell off, I'd blame it on the lack of talent around him but it's Kobe, so I have to assume something else. Kobe plays with a better point guard and back-up point guard than either Wade or Lebron. I know this applies to Wade more than Lebron. Before you start yelling at me, I know Mo Williams was an all-star for Cleveland. But I still think Fisher does a better job of running the LA offense and Kobe isn't needed to start the offense the way the other 2 are.

Ok, I have one more area to talk about. The much debated, who do you want to take the last shot in a close game. Most people I've heard say Kobe, and I think I agree. This has been the hardest thing for me in picking my MVP. It seems like that should make the order Kobe, Wade, and then Lebron for my voting, but I just can't get there. I'm voting for who I think is the best player.

And I have to go with...LeBron James. He is a play maker for himself and everyone else on the team. He is the only nightly triple double threat in the NBA besides Chris Paul. He can score with Kobe and Wade. He'll guard any position, even center when Cleveland has gone really small. He's got to be the most athletic player in the league. If this were last year, I'd knock his jump shot, but I can't do that this year. He's simply the best player in the league.

Final Four

By my count, which could be totally wrong, there are 90 hours from the time the NCAA tournament brackets are announced until the tip-off of the first game. Of those 90 hours, approximately 90 are filled with professionals doing a break down of every game telling you how and why no one knows who will win. I don't know either, but since it's only a couple of hours until the first tip-off, I thought it was my turn to write about the tourney.

This years tourney is a bit different than more recent years, because I don't think there is a dominant team. There are good teams, but no great teams. Here's my argument for that, all the teams have at least 4 losses. We normally have at least one team coming in with 0 or 1 loss. This year, the tournament is more wide open, and yet most pundits are still picking 2 or 3 top seeds to make the final four. While it's hard to pick against number one's, I think you're just as safe picking any of the top 5 seeds. Of course, I still have 2 number 1 seeds in my final four, and both of them get to the championship.

I think there are some teams to be careful of. Wake Forest has been inconsistent all year, so they could lose the first round or dominate all the way to the championship. My estimate, is they will fall somewhere in the middle of that. I think Clemson, Arizona State and Purdue are the lower seeds that have a good chance to make some noise. As always, you have to be careful of teams with and outstanding player, so Maryland could be a good pick to do well too.

Ok, now for my predictions. In the Final Four, I have Louisville meeting Memphis, and Villanova meeting Carolina. Then I have Carolina beating Louisville for the title. I'm assuming Carolina will be healthy for the run, but that's an assumption that could come back to bite me. Have fun with your brackets and the tournament.

The all 35+ team

With all the talk about the resurgence of a dominating Shaq, I thought it was time to put together an all 35 and over team. I was a little surprised when I started researching to find only 17 active players over 35, and that's including Marcus Camby who is a week away from his 35th birthday. Six of the players who are actually active come from the Spurs and Suns, and they're all good players. Ok, so onto the team:

C- Shaq, age 37 Suns
PF- Marcus Camby, age 35 on March 22 Clips
SF- Grant Hill, age 36 Suns
SG- Jason Kidd, age 35 Mavs
PG- Steve Nash, age 35 Suns
Sixth man- Michael Finley, age 36 Spurs
Bench- Kurt Thomas, age 36 Spurs
Bench- Bruce Bowen, age 37 Spurs
Bench- Brent Barry, age 37 Rockets
Bench- Dikembe Mutombo, age 42 Rockets

I struggled some putting Kidd and Nash in the starting lineup together, but I couldn't start Finley over Kidd and I was putting Nash over Kidd. I also moved Camby to PF because I couldn't start Kurt Thomas. He's playing well this year, but just doesn't seem like a solid starter. So this is over half of the players in the NBA that are over 35. Most of the others are players that had decent careers, but that aren't contributing anymore, like Juwan Howard, Eric Snow, Bobby Jackson and Kevin Ollie. There will be some good, active additions to this team next fall, like Rasheed Wallace. But this is it for now, not too bad a team, but one that would probably fight injuries and fatigue quite often.