I suppose bandwagon jumping is a tendency of most fans. I've been a die hard fan of my big four (IU, Reds, Colts, Pacers) all my life without wavering. I limit my personal betrayals to the players that play for my teams. I have been known to curse and cheer a guy within one at bat, and in general, nothing I say about any player in the aftermath of a loss can be counted as a true glimpse into my feelings about that player. My mini-rant after Monday's Reds' game is probably as good an example of that as anything. My support for players waxes and wanes, but my support for my teams is never in question.
Jeff Keppinger has now had one bad game and two good ones. When he's hot, I'll love him. When he's cold, I'll hate him. It will take a lot for a player like that to get on my permanent good side. Still, I'm sorry I buried him on Monday. His minor league numbers don't scream 'future star', but he certainly came through the last two days.
Corey Patterson will get no such apology from me despite his solo home run on Wednesday. I have zero use for leadoff men with decent power and terrible, terrible OB%. Norris Hopper at the very least and eventually Jay Bruce should be manning CF for the Reds. As it stands, we'll get treated to lots of awesome solo shots and even more 0-4 games from good ol' Corey.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Johnny Franchise
Not to be too giddy over one start, but never in my life has a Reds pitcher had so electric a debut as rookie Johnny Cueto had today. Peppering the zone with 96 mph heaters, he held the Diamondbacks to 1 hit (a home run), no walks and 10 Ks in 7 innings. No Reds pitcher has struck out 10 in his debut since 1900. The Reds haven't really developed a homegrown starter since Tom freaking Browning. This team may have serious problems, but maybe, just maybe starting pitching won't be one of them for too much longer. I was laughing out loud with glee for most of the game. The really amazing part? Dusty pulled him before he hit the 100 pitch mark.
Wonders may never cease.
Demond Sanders: Amazing performance. Dusty compared it to the way Fernando Valenzuela broke onto the scene to dominate out of nowhere. It was good enough to warrant a little hyperbole. I'm proud of Dusty for pulling him, but you know deep down he wanted to see if the kid could go the distance.
Wonders may never cease.
Demond Sanders: Amazing performance. Dusty compared it to the way Fernando Valenzuela broke onto the scene to dominate out of nowhere. It was good enough to warrant a little hyperbole. I'm proud of Dusty for pulling him, but you know deep down he wanted to see if the kid could go the distance.
An Open letter to Coach Crean
Wow, great job yesterday at the press conference. I think we are all certainly excited for where the program will head under your guidance. I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome you to the IU family to let you know everything you need to get along in Hoosierland:
1. Don't cheat. I know some people are cynical and suggest that fans will back anyone who wins, and that may be true in places like the New England, but it doesn't fly in Hoosierland. We all want to win, but we want to follow the rules even more. Kelvin Sampson won. Ask around though and see how popular he is around these parts right now. Please, above all else: don't cheat.
2. Win the Big Ten. Not the crappy tournament that no one cares about. Win the Big Ten regular season title. That's what we care about around here. Winning Big Ten titles ensures that we can rub it in the face of Boiler, Buckeye and any other random fan we may know. Turn the Big Ten into our personal sandbox, and we'll love you for it.
3. Recruit players from Indiana, especially jump shooters. I'll be honest. Most Hoosier fans love the 2 guard over all other positions. Between Jimmy Chitwood, Steve Alford, and Reggie Miller, the smooth stroke from the three point line is what we are looking for. Get a couple of bonafide Hoosier sharp shooters, and we'll be good with that.
4. Don't ever say "Pro-style Offense" even if you run one. We won't take kindly. Also, make sure your team shoots at least 70% from the free throw line. We HATE it when a team can't shoot free throws. Say things like box out and screen a lot. We love it when coaches talk about screens and box outs.
5. Beat Purdue. Crush Notre Dame. Don't dream of losing to any of the following teams under any circumstances ever: Butler, ISU, Ball State. Don't even play IUPUI, IPFW, Valpo, or any other in-state collection of initials. Most Hoosier fans root for those teams the way someone might have a favorite minor league club. We like them, but we don't want to see the Yankees play them.
6. Plant us in the Sweet 16 regularly. Winning the tourney is a crap shoot. Don't get me wrong, you'd better a hang a banner at some point, but to keep the heat off, just get us to the second week every year, and we'll be pacified...for a while.
7. Be judicious in how you play the Knight card. If you do it too much, you'll aggravate one faction. If you don't pay him any homage, you'll never get the support of high school coaches and some ex-players that is necessary to have harmony. Good luck with that.
8. You have two seasons before we seriously expect results, but we had better start seeing improvement by the end of year two.
Do this, and you can retire as a minor deity in Indiana. Fail, and...hey, who am I kidding? You aren't going fail. You married Jim Harbaugh's sister. You're the man!
Best of luck,
Deshawn Zombie,
Member, Hoosier Nation since 1976.
1. Don't cheat. I know some people are cynical and suggest that fans will back anyone who wins, and that may be true in places like the New England, but it doesn't fly in Hoosierland. We all want to win, but we want to follow the rules even more. Kelvin Sampson won. Ask around though and see how popular he is around these parts right now. Please, above all else: don't cheat.
2. Win the Big Ten. Not the crappy tournament that no one cares about. Win the Big Ten regular season title. That's what we care about around here. Winning Big Ten titles ensures that we can rub it in the face of Boiler, Buckeye and any other random fan we may know. Turn the Big Ten into our personal sandbox, and we'll love you for it.
3. Recruit players from Indiana, especially jump shooters. I'll be honest. Most Hoosier fans love the 2 guard over all other positions. Between Jimmy Chitwood, Steve Alford, and Reggie Miller, the smooth stroke from the three point line is what we are looking for. Get a couple of bonafide Hoosier sharp shooters, and we'll be good with that.
4. Don't ever say "Pro-style Offense" even if you run one. We won't take kindly. Also, make sure your team shoots at least 70% from the free throw line. We HATE it when a team can't shoot free throws. Say things like box out and screen a lot. We love it when coaches talk about screens and box outs.
5. Beat Purdue. Crush Notre Dame. Don't dream of losing to any of the following teams under any circumstances ever: Butler, ISU, Ball State. Don't even play IUPUI, IPFW, Valpo, or any other in-state collection of initials. Most Hoosier fans root for those teams the way someone might have a favorite minor league club. We like them, but we don't want to see the Yankees play them.
6. Plant us in the Sweet 16 regularly. Winning the tourney is a crap shoot. Don't get me wrong, you'd better a hang a banner at some point, but to keep the heat off, just get us to the second week every year, and we'll be pacified...for a while.
7. Be judicious in how you play the Knight card. If you do it too much, you'll aggravate one faction. If you don't pay him any homage, you'll never get the support of high school coaches and some ex-players that is necessary to have harmony. Good luck with that.
8. You have two seasons before we seriously expect results, but we had better start seeing improvement by the end of year two.
Do this, and you can retire as a minor deity in Indiana. Fail, and...hey, who am I kidding? You aren't going fail. You married Jim Harbaugh's sister. You're the man!
Best of luck,
Deshawn Zombie,
Member, Hoosier Nation since 1976.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Slipping it past us
Now that I'm done basking in the glow of Tom Crean's press conference (did you ever think you'd see the day when a coach of IU tried to sell his fit in the program based on his relationship to an ex-COLT?), I noticed the NFL passed some rule changes. One of the most important ones got no press at all:
Coaches can now defer a decision on the opening coin toss. This is similar to the college rule. Previously, the winner of the coin toss could only choose to receive or kick off.
This is wonderful. I always thought that winning the toss was a serious disadvantage, especially at home. In the Dome, the crowd would be amped up from the pregame stuff, but if the Colts got the ball first, they had to calm back down. It seemed to make more sense to have that energy channeled into a solid scream during a defensive possession, but the coach never had that option before. I also think that few exchanges are as devastating in a football game than the two consecutive possessions to end the first half and start the second. It will be interesting to see what Dungy elects to do when the Colts win the toss. I hope he elects to defer.
UPDATE: There's been some confusion on this rule, so here's a link to the OLD rule. Here's how it played out:
Colts win the toss to start a game. No matter what they chose (Kick, Receive, or endzone), the Patriots would get the choice to start the second half. Even if the Colts chose to kick off, the Patriots would STILL get the choice to start the second half. If a coach chose to kick first, the other team would get the ball to start the game, and then have the opportunity to chose the ball AGAIN to start the second half. There was NO ability to defer under the old rule. No NFL team ever chose to kick under the old rule (except in a couple of OT games with wind, but that wasn't a pregame choice). There was no advantage to kicking off first, because you still didn't get the ball to start the 2nd half, unless the other coach also inexplicably wanted to kick off.
New Rule: Colts win the toss. They can choose to Kick, Receive, end zone, or defer to the second half to choose. If the Colts deferred, the Patriots would then chose Kick, Receive, or end zone. NO MATTER WHAT THEY CHOOSE, the Colts now get the option to choose for the second half.
Read the original rule carefully, then read the bold italicized statement in the original post above.
Coaches can now defer a decision on the opening coin toss. This is similar to the college rule. Previously, the winner of the coin toss could only choose to receive or kick off.
This is wonderful. I always thought that winning the toss was a serious disadvantage, especially at home. In the Dome, the crowd would be amped up from the pregame stuff, but if the Colts got the ball first, they had to calm back down. It seemed to make more sense to have that energy channeled into a solid scream during a defensive possession, but the coach never had that option before. I also think that few exchanges are as devastating in a football game than the two consecutive possessions to end the first half and start the second. It will be interesting to see what Dungy elects to do when the Colts win the toss. I hope he elects to defer.
UPDATE: There's been some confusion on this rule, so here's a link to the OLD rule. Here's how it played out:
Colts win the toss to start a game. No matter what they chose (Kick, Receive, or endzone), the Patriots would get the choice to start the second half. Even if the Colts chose to kick off, the Patriots would STILL get the choice to start the second half. If a coach chose to kick first, the other team would get the ball to start the game, and then have the opportunity to chose the ball AGAIN to start the second half. There was NO ability to defer under the old rule. No NFL team ever chose to kick under the old rule (except in a couple of OT games with wind, but that wasn't a pregame choice). There was no advantage to kicking off first, because you still didn't get the ball to start the 2nd half, unless the other coach also inexplicably wanted to kick off.
New Rule: Colts win the toss. They can choose to Kick, Receive, end zone, or defer to the second half to choose. If the Colts deferred, the Patriots would then chose Kick, Receive, or end zone. NO MATTER WHAT THEY CHOOSE, the Colts now get the option to choose for the second half.
Read the original rule carefully, then read the bold italicized statement in the original post above.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Crean and Crimson
Okay, so Indiana's new coach looks like a huge dork, but he did manage to marry an aerobics instructor. And better yet she's Jim Harbaugh's sister. Yes, there is always a Colts connection.
It's Crean!
The search for the next coach of Indiana Men's Basketball may be over. Tuesday featured wide ranging coaching rumors for the Hoosiers from Brad Brownell of Wright State to an aging Lon Kruger of UNLV. It appears that Indiana's embattled AD Rick Greenspan has decided on 42 year old Tom Crean, coach of the Marquette Golden Eagles of the Big East Conference.
Base on early fan reaction Crean's hiring may pull off the difficult feat of uniting a fractured fanbase in Bloomington. Crean has coached for nine seasons at Marquette, overseeing their impressive ascent from Conference USA to the Big East in 2005. In that span of time he uncovered a hidden gem in Dwyane Wade and nabbed Richmond's Dominic James. His teams have qualified for five NCAA tournaments highlighted by a Final Four appearance in 2003.
Sorry Purdue fans, it looks like your time on top will be oh so short-lived.
More on this as it develops. . .
DZ COMMENTS: Considering the Lon Krueger rumors earlier today...
I couldn't be happier.
But wait, are we sure Dakich isn't still available?
Base on early fan reaction Crean's hiring may pull off the difficult feat of uniting a fractured fanbase in Bloomington. Crean has coached for nine seasons at Marquette, overseeing their impressive ascent from Conference USA to the Big East in 2005. In that span of time he uncovered a hidden gem in Dwyane Wade and nabbed Richmond's Dominic James. His teams have qualified for five NCAA tournaments highlighted by a Final Four appearance in 2003.
Sorry Purdue fans, it looks like your time on top will be oh so short-lived.
More on this as it develops. . .
DZ COMMENTS: Considering the Lon Krueger rumors earlier today...
I couldn't be happier.
But wait, are we sure Dakich isn't still available?
IU Hires Dakich
In a stunning move, the IU administration has reversed course and hired Dan Dakich as head basketball coach. He was signed for for 2.5 million dollars. AD Rick Greenspan said, "It's clear that as a second tier program, Dan is the best coach we can get. He'll do a great job competing for recruits with IPFW and Valparaiso. With a little luck, we'll be NIT worthy in no time. Now Indiana can boast two of the top D2 caliber coaches in the Big Ten. His excellent job in holding the IU players together during the past month is the chief reason we hired him."
Demond and I have discussed this hire at length and are genuinely pleased with it. Dakich can bring the same level of excellence to IU that he brought to Bowling Green. His first move was to boot players of the team. That's the kind of leadership we need at IU. Fewer players, more 6 AM runs.
Links:
From the "I never ever ever get tired of it" file:
The Sports Guy made my day with this note in his mailbag:
Q: I just got back from San Diego and I was with both of my brothers at the Oceanside Harbor eating lunch. My oldest brother comes back to the table and tells us we each owe him $50. He saw Junior Seau at the bar and paid the cocktail waitress to give him 18 beers and one empty shot glass. We paid him. -- Casey, Bend, Ore.
SG: (Hanging my head in shame.)
Demond and I have discussed this hire at length and are genuinely pleased with it. Dakich can bring the same level of excellence to IU that he brought to Bowling Green. His first move was to boot players of the team. That's the kind of leadership we need at IU. Fewer players, more 6 AM runs.
Links:
From the "I never ever ever get tired of it" file:
The Sports Guy made my day with this note in his mailbag:
Q: I just got back from San Diego and I was with both of my brothers at the Oceanside Harbor eating lunch. My oldest brother comes back to the table and tells us we each owe him $50. He saw Junior Seau at the bar and paid the cocktail waitress to give him 18 beers and one empty shot glass. We paid him. -- Casey, Bend, Ore.
SG: (Hanging my head in shame.)
I wish I knew that guy's name so I could chip in some green too.
Also, check out this gem about the Jaguars. I swear they are the funniest team in the AFC. Troy Williamson to the rescuuuuuuue!
Monday, March 31, 2008
It's compensatory pick day!
The Colts were awarded three sixth round compensatory draft picks by the NFL today. Pretty nice. I love getting draft picks for losing average players.
Last year the Colts fared a little better, receiving third, fourth, and fifth round picks. I would have guessed that we would have gotten similar picks this year. But perhaps the fact that Dom Rhodes played very little for the Raiders in 2007 didn't help. Or maybe, just maybe they thought Edgerrin James was a tougher free agency loss.
DZ Comments: Why do I hear Adam Sandler's voice when I read that headline? Stop looking at me schwaaaaaan.
Last year the Colts fared a little better, receiving third, fourth, and fifth round picks. I would have guessed that we would have gotten similar picks this year. But perhaps the fact that Dom Rhodes played very little for the Raiders in 2007 didn't help. Or maybe, just maybe they thought Edgerrin James was a tougher free agency loss.
DZ Comments: Why do I hear Adam Sandler's voice when I read that headline? Stop looking at me schwaaaaaan.
New day, same story
Three hits? I waited 6 months for the same team that is utterly incapable of generating offense as last year. The Reds 4-2 loss was exactly the same crap they pulled last year. Corey Patterson is the worst possible solution at lead off. Keppinger has 3 month wonder written all over him. The Reds biggest problem is that the only guys who get on base are the same guys who can drive in the runs. I realize it's just one game, but the only bright spot I could see was the Cubs and Brewers bullpens imploding at the same time.
It's gonna be a long summer in the Central.
It's gonna be a long summer in the Central.
Madden-riffic
The NFL has announced that the Colts and Bears will play the first Sunday night game of the 08-09 season in Lucas Oil Stadium.
Now all we have to do is survive until September 4th. Thank God for baseball.
Links:
Ok, you have to realize how bored I am watch the Tigers Royals while I wait out rain delays. That'll explain why I link up this utterly bizzarre article. Don't read it if you are easily offended. It is among the weirdest things I've ever read.
I've also refiled some stuff on the main page. I'm in the process of updating some of the articles to include 2007 stats. Basically if you have any interest in the Vince Young Files or the old Eyes in the Backfield pieces, then check their new index pages.
Now all we have to do is survive until September 4th. Thank God for baseball.
Links:
Ok, you have to realize how bored I am watch the Tigers Royals while I wait out rain delays. That'll explain why I link up this utterly bizzarre article. Don't read it if you are easily offended. It is among the weirdest things I've ever read.
I've also refiled some stuff on the main page. I'm in the process of updating some of the articles to include 2007 stats. Basically if you have any interest in the Vince Young Files or the old Eyes in the Backfield pieces, then check their new index pages.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Tony Bennett is on the clock
Basketball posts are what happen when your team doesn't have a first round draft pick and they don't play a meaningful game for another five months. Relax, it'll be over soon.
As an IU fan I've been following their search for a head coach pretty closely. One thing you need to understand: IU does not have any money. Most major programs get the majority of their revenue from their football programs. See? I mentioned football. Money is the big reason why we are seeing the success of schools like Florida and Texas who aren't traditional basketball powers. I don't need to tell you that Indiana doesn't squeeze much green from its football program. To compound the issue they are still paying considerable sums to former coaches like Gerry Dinardo, Mike Davis, and Kelvin Sampson. Also they spent two million dollars on a new scoreboard for Assembly Hall.
The cash crunch pretty much eliminates the dream candidates like Bruce Pearl, John Calipari, and Rick Pitino. Dream is the operative word. This leaves the up and comers like Tony Bennett of Wazzu, Sean Miller of Xavier, Jamie Dixon of Pitt, and several others. Gary Parrish of CBS is reporting that Indiana has told Bennett the job is his if he can make up his mind within 24 hours.
Don't know much about Tony Bennett? He's the the son of former (Final Four in 2000) Wisconsin coach Dick Bennett and brother of former Indiana Women's coach Kathi Bennett. He starred at Wisconsin Green Bay as a guard and holds the NCAA record as the most accurate three-point shooter with a .497 percentage. He was an assistant under his dad for four years at Washington State. After his father's retirement, Tony took over the reins and has led the Cougars to back to back tournament appearances. The Cougars were knocked out in the Sweet Sixteen this year by UNC.
This doesn't sound like much of a resume unless you know a little about the feat that the Bennetts have pulled off at Washington State. WSU is arguably the most remote Division I program in the nation. It is nestled against Idaho on the eastern border of Washington. The Cougars are historically one of the worst basketball programs in DI. Before Tony Bennett, Wazzu had been to the NCAA tournament just four times in its less-than-storied history (1941, 1980, 1983, 1994).
The knocks on Bennett are obvious. He's only 38 years old and has been a head coach for just two years. He coaches a slow-tempo style that would fit in all too well in the Big Ten. The upside is that he has successfully recruited in about the most difficult place imaginable. His starting five is from Wisconsin, Hawaii, a transfer from Tulane, Australia, and Texas. He has players contributing off the bench from Serbia and Colorado.
You can't blame Indiana fans for expecting AD Rick Greenspan to screw up this hire. The goodwill he built up by the fantastic hiring of Terry Hoeppner has since been diminished by hiring of Bill "Division III" Lynch. The ugly end to the Kelvin Sampson era should have spelled the end to Greenspan's time in Bloomington. But here we are again. The program has been to one Sweet Sixteen in 14 years, but flirted with relevance this year. A great hire could save Indiana Basketball, but it feels as if one more bad decision could doom it.
UPDATE: Tony Bennett has turned down the Indiana job to stay at Washington "effing" State. Unbelievable how far the the Indiana program has fallen in the past fifteen years. To paraphrase Jackie Chiles: This is the most public yet of Indiana's many humiliations. I'm shocked, angry, and depressed.
DZ COMMENTS: It could be worse. We could be dialing up Zeke on the phone.
DZ: Just a note that the Harrison article is finished.
As an IU fan I've been following their search for a head coach pretty closely. One thing you need to understand: IU does not have any money. Most major programs get the majority of their revenue from their football programs. See? I mentioned football. Money is the big reason why we are seeing the success of schools like Florida and Texas who aren't traditional basketball powers. I don't need to tell you that Indiana doesn't squeeze much green from its football program. To compound the issue they are still paying considerable sums to former coaches like Gerry Dinardo, Mike Davis, and Kelvin Sampson. Also they spent two million dollars on a new scoreboard for Assembly Hall.
The cash crunch pretty much eliminates the dream candidates like Bruce Pearl, John Calipari, and Rick Pitino. Dream is the operative word. This leaves the up and comers like Tony Bennett of Wazzu, Sean Miller of Xavier, Jamie Dixon of Pitt, and several others. Gary Parrish of CBS is reporting that Indiana has told Bennett the job is his if he can make up his mind within 24 hours.
Don't know much about Tony Bennett? He's the the son of former (Final Four in 2000) Wisconsin coach Dick Bennett and brother of former Indiana Women's coach Kathi Bennett. He starred at Wisconsin Green Bay as a guard and holds the NCAA record as the most accurate three-point shooter with a .497 percentage. He was an assistant under his dad for four years at Washington State. After his father's retirement, Tony took over the reins and has led the Cougars to back to back tournament appearances. The Cougars were knocked out in the Sweet Sixteen this year by UNC.
This doesn't sound like much of a resume unless you know a little about the feat that the Bennetts have pulled off at Washington State. WSU is arguably the most remote Division I program in the nation. It is nestled against Idaho on the eastern border of Washington. The Cougars are historically one of the worst basketball programs in DI. Before Tony Bennett, Wazzu had been to the NCAA tournament just four times in its less-than-storied history (1941, 1980, 1983, 1994).
The knocks on Bennett are obvious. He's only 38 years old and has been a head coach for just two years. He coaches a slow-tempo style that would fit in all too well in the Big Ten. The upside is that he has successfully recruited in about the most difficult place imaginable. His starting five is from Wisconsin, Hawaii, a transfer from Tulane, Australia, and Texas. He has players contributing off the bench from Serbia and Colorado.
You can't blame Indiana fans for expecting AD Rick Greenspan to screw up this hire. The goodwill he built up by the fantastic hiring of Terry Hoeppner has since been diminished by hiring of Bill "Division III" Lynch. The ugly end to the Kelvin Sampson era should have spelled the end to Greenspan's time in Bloomington. But here we are again. The program has been to one Sweet Sixteen in 14 years, but flirted with relevance this year. A great hire could save Indiana Basketball, but it feels as if one more bad decision could doom it.
UPDATE: Tony Bennett has turned down the Indiana job to stay at Washington "effing" State. Unbelievable how far the the Indiana program has fallen in the past fifteen years. To paraphrase Jackie Chiles: This is the most public yet of Indiana's many humiliations. I'm shocked, angry, and depressed.
DZ COMMENTS: It could be worse. We could be dialing up Zeke on the phone.
DZ: Just a note that the Harrison article is finished.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
A New Article? No Way...
Well, I've gone and done it. I finally got around to writing a new article for the main page. As promised, I've started doing a comparison of 88 vs some of the other wideouts on the goofy ESPN Top 10 All Time list. As of now, the article just compares Harrison to Chris Carter. By the end of the weekend, I should get sections on Irvin and TO done as well. You also might enjoy checking out the discussion on the FO page as well.
It's amazing how the "Harrison is only great because of Manning" crowd has shown up. I'm about ready to lose it. The Pats fans want to dog Manning because he has Harrison and Wayne. NOW, some guy claims Wayne isn't even a top 10 wideout and Harrison is widely overrated because he gets to play with Peyton.
Let's be clear. Marvin Harrison has been a revelation at wide receiver for nearly a decade. He's made more impossible catches, crazy jukes, and clutch first down grabs than any man not named Rice. I've seen up close for all this time, and if you've watched him like we have, then you know that he is a man of incomparable skills.
(and yes this is all trumped up bluster. I know. But frick, what are we supposed to talk about? The Colts second round pick next month?)
UPDATE: Part two is also posted. Harrison is better than Irvin. Follow the original link and scroll down.
It's amazing how the "Harrison is only great because of Manning" crowd has shown up. I'm about ready to lose it. The Pats fans want to dog Manning because he has Harrison and Wayne. NOW, some guy claims Wayne isn't even a top 10 wideout and Harrison is widely overrated because he gets to play with Peyton.
Let's be clear. Marvin Harrison has been a revelation at wide receiver for nearly a decade. He's made more impossible catches, crazy jukes, and clutch first down grabs than any man not named Rice. I've seen up close for all this time, and if you've watched him like we have, then you know that he is a man of incomparable skills.
(and yes this is all trumped up bluster. I know. But frick, what are we supposed to talk about? The Colts second round pick next month?)
UPDATE: Part two is also posted. Harrison is better than Irvin. Follow the original link and scroll down.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
88 is 10th?
A panel of experts was commissioned by ESPN to select the 10 best WRs of all time, and the great Marvin Harrison came in at 10th. I don't have time to get into everything here, but how can anyone possibly rank Harrison behind Chris Carter and Michael Irvin? I'm not really sure how Harrison ranks behind T.O. either. This requires more analysis than I can give it at the moment. We'll try to get a response article with stats and cogent arguments up before the weekend is up. At first blush though, it seems ridiculous.
In happier news, the Boss is back through 2011. Aside from Manning staying healthy, nothing will go further toward making the Colts competitive than Bill Polian staying in the driver's seat.
Buster Olney needs to quit playing with my emotions.
Demond Sanders: I'm not sure we should even dignify this garbage journalism with a response, but here goes. I think the second spot is solidly up for grabs between Owens, Moss, and Harrison. Obviously many on the list are tough to compare because of the eras are so different, but certainly Chris Carter is flat out laughable. Irvin played in more or less the same era and his numbers are dwarfed by those of Harrison.
The headline on ESPN is appropriate: Out of sight. I think Marvin's absence last season has pushed him down at least five spots on this list and maybe more. I think in the end it will come down to how these three guys finish their HOF careers. Marvin is one championship up on both Owens and Moss. Can he get healthy and pad his lead?
In happier news, the Boss is back through 2011. Aside from Manning staying healthy, nothing will go further toward making the Colts competitive than Bill Polian staying in the driver's seat.
Buster Olney needs to quit playing with my emotions.
Demond Sanders: I'm not sure we should even dignify this garbage journalism with a response, but here goes. I think the second spot is solidly up for grabs between Owens, Moss, and Harrison. Obviously many on the list are tough to compare because of the eras are so different, but certainly Chris Carter is flat out laughable. Irvin played in more or less the same era and his numbers are dwarfed by those of Harrison.
The headline on ESPN is appropriate: Out of sight. I think Marvin's absence last season has pushed him down at least five spots on this list and maybe more. I think in the end it will come down to how these three guys finish their HOF careers. Marvin is one championship up on both Owens and Moss. Can he get healthy and pad his lead?
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Football links? It's about time...
Here are a couple of interesting ones to chew on:
Scouts Inc ranks the top 64 wideouts. Wayne, Harrison and AG are 5, 13, and 45 respectively. I'd get into analysing this more, but it was done by Scouts Inc., so it's not really worth getting into it.
Don Banks discusses picking high in the draft, using the Colts as the idyllic scenario.
Some may wonder why we ignored Peyton's birthday yesterday. It's because Peyton doesn't have birthdays. He lives in a cryogenic tube in the offseason, and they thaw him out to play. He won't ever get older. He'll play for twenty more years at least.
Demond Sanders: I'll never understand the media's fascination with Steve Smith. To me it's all about on the field production. That's why to me it has to be Wayne, Moss, and TO (not necessarily in that order). Smith has played for seven seasons and has just one season with more than 100 catches and just one season with double digit touchdowns. Wayne on the other hand gets a little better every season. And say what you want about #81 and #81, but those a-holes know how to score.
DZ adds another link: Because it's easier than creating a whole new post just to say that the footballoutsiders have their AFC South offseason summary up. How boring is the Colts offseason? They spend more time talking about urinals than they do players we signed.
Hey, CBSsportsline has their offseason analysis up as well!
It's Pete Prisco, but we'll link it anyway.
Scouts Inc ranks the top 64 wideouts. Wayne, Harrison and AG are 5, 13, and 45 respectively. I'd get into analysing this more, but it was done by Scouts Inc., so it's not really worth getting into it.
Don Banks discusses picking high in the draft, using the Colts as the idyllic scenario.
Some may wonder why we ignored Peyton's birthday yesterday. It's because Peyton doesn't have birthdays. He lives in a cryogenic tube in the offseason, and they thaw him out to play. He won't ever get older. He'll play for twenty more years at least.
Demond Sanders: I'll never understand the media's fascination with Steve Smith. To me it's all about on the field production. That's why to me it has to be Wayne, Moss, and TO (not necessarily in that order). Smith has played for seven seasons and has just one season with more than 100 catches and just one season with double digit touchdowns. Wayne on the other hand gets a little better every season. And say what you want about #81 and #81, but those a-holes know how to score.
DZ adds another link: Because it's easier than creating a whole new post just to say that the footballoutsiders have their AFC South offseason summary up. How boring is the Colts offseason? They spend more time talking about urinals than they do players we signed.
Hey, CBSsportsline has their offseason analysis up as well!
It's Pete Prisco, but we'll link it anyway.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Weekend Wrap-up
Just a couple of thoughts from the sports weekend:
- Butler got hosed with their seed. They were clearly every bit the team that two seed Tennessee was. It was criminal that those two played a second round game. The committee should be ashamed. Great game, but it should have taken place in the Sweet 16.
- It was good to see Michigan St. and Wisconsin advance. Truth is that I expect MSU to beat Memphis. Memphis is embarrassing. I hate that team. They are artless.
- While no one was looking, the Pacers have gone and played themselves into contention. They'll have a tough go with the Hornets, but the rest of their schedule is very doable.
- Donnie Walsh is probably coming back; but it looks like Bird faces a demotion.
- The Tigers signing Miggy Cabrera to a long term deal is a great move. This kid is a beast and even if he does get off his conditioning program and blows up to look like ManRam, HE'LL STILL hit like ManRam, so where's the downside?
- The PGA finally figured out how to stop Tiger. Make the course so easy that everyone is 15 under par. Harder courses thin the field, easier courses make everyone play at his level. I realize that the wind/weather worked out to make that course in Miami play easy this week, but still. It's tough to go lower than everyone else when that means -20.
Links: Cold Hard Football Facts does their Colts offseason preview. There's nothing we don't already know, but it's always nice to read about football.
UPDATE: Ok, so no sooner is he back in, then we push him right out! Donnie Walsh is done with the Pacers. Bird is staying on. I'm not sure what impact this will have on the team moving forward but let's all just pause to say thanks:
For Reggie and Rik
For AD and DSquared
For the playoffs and the Finals
For Larry Brown and Larry Bird
For Mark and Slick
Donnie Walsh took pro-basketball in Indiana to the top and under his guidance we went from a franchise on the verge of implosion to a premiere franchise in the league for more than a decade.
Thanks Donnie. We'll miss you.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Guest Columnist
Some thoughts from Josh (as posted in the comments of the previous post):
The success of IU, Purdue, Butler is greatly impacted by the number of core kids from the state. When I say core, I mean key contributors. In 1994, under pressure to win, coach Knight moved away from his recruiting philosophy of having a core of Indiana kids and went after and landed three McDonald's All-Americans, with little or no Indiana ties, Neil Reed, Charlie Miller, and Andre Patterson. I was a freshmen with those guys and spent four years with them as an IU manager. The move didn't work.
IU has never really returned to Coach Knight's successful recruiting philosophy, (I'd like to see the 2002 roster, but wasn't the core Indiana/Midwest?) and has continued to look elsewhere for talent, going after the big names and not landing them and settling for decent talent from other states. Davis did it, Sampson was doing it. During these coaching changes, we've also seen three different styles or systems of basketball.
In the meantime, Purdue went through an orchestrated coaching change that passed the system and recruiting philosophy from Keady to Painter. There were some rough years for Purdue, but now they seem to have the ship righted and have a core of Indiana kids.
While IU was ignoring Indiana talent, Butler was reaping the benefits. The establishment of a system and the available Indiana players that fit the system well has seen them through some great years of basketball and three head coaches.
I tried to do some archiving and look at the rosters from all 3 of these schools for the last 20 years but I couldn't' dig anything up on the internet beyond the last few. I would love to look at that information and see what story it tells. I believe there is a formula for success there, and that Indiana has moved away from it.
Indiana doesn't need a big name magician of a basketball coach. I'm not sure if one would want to come here anyway. It just needs someone who has a developed system of success (Butler, Wisconsin, even the Colts operate by this philosophy) and knows how to assemble a core of Indiana/Midwest kids that fit the system. Even when IU was winning this year, it wasn't as enjoyable to watch as Butler and Purdue were (and currently are, since they are both still playing.)
Let me know if you are able to dig up any of this information and what story it tells.
DZ comments: It's surprising how long that info takes to find online. A trip to the library would probably yield faster results. I've found that a lot of info before 1999 gets sketchy in most sports. On the surface, your theory sounds probable. I think most of IUs problems have been caused by the pro-Knight faction that insisted on burying Mike Davis. For some reason, he was frozen out by the HS coaches in Indiana that had been loyal to Knight. The knock on him wasn't that he didn't try to recruit in state, but that he couldn't LAND any of the recruits in state. As for the '02 roster, the key players were Jeffries (Bloomington), Coverdale (Noblesville), Fife (Michigan). I believe they were the only real midwestern guys on the roster. A couple were from Georgia, and Newton was from NC. The bottom line is if three guys (Sean May, Greg Oden, Mike Conley) had gone to Indiana, we wouldn't be having this conversation. It's going to take a guy who can land the top Hoosier stars without cheating.
If you come up with any more research let us know; I count your opinion highly on Hoosier bball.
The real question is should we be rooting for the Boilers today? I'm having a hard time with it. It would help the Big 10, but... I'll just content myself to root for the Bulldogs tomorrow.
I'll let you all guess what Demond's answer to this question is. I doubt it would be printable.
The success of IU, Purdue, Butler is greatly impacted by the number of core kids from the state. When I say core, I mean key contributors. In 1994, under pressure to win, coach Knight moved away from his recruiting philosophy of having a core of Indiana kids and went after and landed three McDonald's All-Americans, with little or no Indiana ties, Neil Reed, Charlie Miller, and Andre Patterson. I was a freshmen with those guys and spent four years with them as an IU manager. The move didn't work.
IU has never really returned to Coach Knight's successful recruiting philosophy, (I'd like to see the 2002 roster, but wasn't the core Indiana/Midwest?) and has continued to look elsewhere for talent, going after the big names and not landing them and settling for decent talent from other states. Davis did it, Sampson was doing it. During these coaching changes, we've also seen three different styles or systems of basketball.
In the meantime, Purdue went through an orchestrated coaching change that passed the system and recruiting philosophy from Keady to Painter. There were some rough years for Purdue, but now they seem to have the ship righted and have a core of Indiana kids.
While IU was ignoring Indiana talent, Butler was reaping the benefits. The establishment of a system and the available Indiana players that fit the system well has seen them through some great years of basketball and three head coaches.
I tried to do some archiving and look at the rosters from all 3 of these schools for the last 20 years but I couldn't' dig anything up on the internet beyond the last few. I would love to look at that information and see what story it tells. I believe there is a formula for success there, and that Indiana has moved away from it.
Indiana doesn't need a big name magician of a basketball coach. I'm not sure if one would want to come here anyway. It just needs someone who has a developed system of success (Butler, Wisconsin, even the Colts operate by this philosophy) and knows how to assemble a core of Indiana/Midwest kids that fit the system. Even when IU was winning this year, it wasn't as enjoyable to watch as Butler and Purdue were (and currently are, since they are both still playing.)
Let me know if you are able to dig up any of this information and what story it tells.
DZ comments: It's surprising how long that info takes to find online. A trip to the library would probably yield faster results. I've found that a lot of info before 1999 gets sketchy in most sports. On the surface, your theory sounds probable. I think most of IUs problems have been caused by the pro-Knight faction that insisted on burying Mike Davis. For some reason, he was frozen out by the HS coaches in Indiana that had been loyal to Knight. The knock on him wasn't that he didn't try to recruit in state, but that he couldn't LAND any of the recruits in state. As for the '02 roster, the key players were Jeffries (Bloomington), Coverdale (Noblesville), Fife (Michigan). I believe they were the only real midwestern guys on the roster. A couple were from Georgia, and Newton was from NC. The bottom line is if three guys (Sean May, Greg Oden, Mike Conley) had gone to Indiana, we wouldn't be having this conversation. It's going to take a guy who can land the top Hoosier stars without cheating.
If you come up with any more research let us know; I count your opinion highly on Hoosier bball.
The real question is should we be rooting for the Boilers today? I'm having a hard time with it. It would help the Big 10, but... I'll just content myself to root for the Bulldogs tomorrow.
I'll let you all guess what Demond's answer to this question is. I doubt it would be printable.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Not with a bang
Dan Dakich's ridiculous tenure as head coach of Indiana is mercifully over. After his team continued it's abject failure to adjust on defense (Dannyboy claimed he was going to 'tweak' the Hoosiers D when took over. He tweaked it up about 10 more ppg. Moron). Other than DJ White and Basset who played like gladiators till the end, this is a team that had clearly given up on its coach. They gave up better than 60% shooting in the second half, mostly from sheer confusion.
I don't know what was wrong with Eric Gordon. If he wasn't healthy (missing those free throws was inexplicable), then he shouldn't have played at all. He absolutely killed this team with his inability to shoot. He obviously isn't the same player he was early in the year. He couldn't hit anything.
All in all it was a fittingly embarrassing end to this train wreck of a season.
Demond Sanders: It's been a memorable couple of weeks as a fan of the Indiana Hoosiers. This season was an unmitigated disaster mainly because it started with such potential. There's nothing quite like starting a season 24-4 and finishing it 25-8. DJ White deserved much better than this. Part of what makes the college game great is that is is played by 20 year old kids who (mostly) play for free because they love it. But when things go wrong you are left with players who have the maturity of a 20 year old.
The larger problem as you suggest was the coach. If the Hoosiers could play a lick of defense they would have won the last three games going away. Also, it is a pet peeve of mine when coaches don't play guys regularly the entire season (DeAndre Thomas) and then lean on them for one game in the tournament. To answer your poll question I put a small hole in the drywall after kicking the space heater.
I don't know what was wrong with Eric Gordon. If he wasn't healthy (missing those free throws was inexplicable), then he shouldn't have played at all. He absolutely killed this team with his inability to shoot. He obviously isn't the same player he was early in the year. He couldn't hit anything.
All in all it was a fittingly embarrassing end to this train wreck of a season.
Demond Sanders: It's been a memorable couple of weeks as a fan of the Indiana Hoosiers. This season was an unmitigated disaster mainly because it started with such potential. There's nothing quite like starting a season 24-4 and finishing it 25-8. DJ White deserved much better than this. Part of what makes the college game great is that is is played by 20 year old kids who (mostly) play for free because they love it. But when things go wrong you are left with players who have the maturity of a 20 year old.
The larger problem as you suggest was the coach. If the Hoosiers could play a lick of defense they would have won the last three games going away. Also, it is a pet peeve of mine when coaches don't play guys regularly the entire season (DeAndre Thomas) and then lean on them for one game in the tournament. To answer your poll question I put a small hole in the drywall after kicking the space heater.
Tampa Two
Well day two has been better than day one. The WKU/Drake game was wonderful as the committee looked liked fools for slotting Drake so high. The second game in Tampa also has now gone into overtime, making it far and away the hot site of the round.
Butler looked like world beaters, winning a tough game in the backyard of their opponent. I wouldn't be surprised to see them take Tennessee down on Sunday. The only really disturbing news of the day was JC's announcement that the Pats are pursuing Pac-man Jones. I think that if that team gets any more evil, a vortex will form around F-borough and swallow the universe whole. Seriously, has any team ever gone from 'classy model franchise' to 'cess pool of all that's wrong with sports and indeed American society itself' faster than the Pats?
So far the Big Ten and the Hoosier state are 3-0 apiece. No pressure guys.
Butler looked like world beaters, winning a tough game in the backyard of their opponent. I wouldn't be surprised to see them take Tennessee down on Sunday. The only really disturbing news of the day was JC's announcement that the Pats are pursuing Pac-man Jones. I think that if that team gets any more evil, a vortex will form around F-borough and swallow the universe whole. Seriously, has any team ever gone from 'classy model franchise' to 'cess pool of all that's wrong with sports and indeed American society itself' faster than the Pats?
So far the Big Ten and the Hoosier state are 3-0 apiece. No pressure guys.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Written in Chalk
How boring was the first afternoon of the best two day event in sports? I'm actually watching the Golf Channel to see how Tiger Woods finishes up his first round at Doral. That tells you two things:
There were no buzzers to beat (and only two games all day were even vaguely close though the favorite won both and the underdog never had the ball with a chance to tie in the last minute)
and
Tiger Woods is the single most compelling figure in sports.
(1st day update: Big Ten 2-0. So far so good.)
Session 3: I think all of our hearts broke a little watching Duke slip through, which takes a little of the thrill out of what was finally a truly great game. The Big 12 pulled through a couple of minor upsets, but the form keeps holding for most of the tourney. Heck, half way through Lost and even it's obvious tonight (seriously? That was your big..."we're gonna kill one of these characters!" moment? Try shooting somebody who matters next time. At least when the X-Files pulled that crap they gave all three Lone Gunmen at once). We need some drama before bed time.
Session 4: This just seals it. Four weak finishes and no upsets. Lovely. When Duke beats a 14 by one in the only good game all day, it's time to pack it in and regroup. Here's hoping for better things tomorrow.
Big Ten 3-0, State of Indiana 2-0. Let's up those numbers tomorrow.
Link: This montage of Larry Legend is jaw dropping. Unfortunately, they don't preserve the original game audio, so you might as well watch with the sound down. He makes plays on this are stunning. I don't remember most of Larry's best years, and I saw all of Jordan's. I don't remember Jordan being this...impossible.
There were no buzzers to beat (and only two games all day were even vaguely close though the favorite won both and the underdog never had the ball with a chance to tie in the last minute)
and
Tiger Woods is the single most compelling figure in sports.
(1st day update: Big Ten 2-0. So far so good.)
Session 3: I think all of our hearts broke a little watching Duke slip through, which takes a little of the thrill out of what was finally a truly great game. The Big 12 pulled through a couple of minor upsets, but the form keeps holding for most of the tourney. Heck, half way through Lost and even it's obvious tonight (seriously? That was your big..."we're gonna kill one of these characters!" moment? Try shooting somebody who matters next time. At least when the X-Files pulled that crap they gave all three Lone Gunmen at once). We need some drama before bed time.
Session 4: This just seals it. Four weak finishes and no upsets. Lovely. When Duke beats a 14 by one in the only good game all day, it's time to pack it in and regroup. Here's hoping for better things tomorrow.
Big Ten 3-0, State of Indiana 2-0. Let's up those numbers tomorrow.
Link: This montage of Larry Legend is jaw dropping. Unfortunately, they don't preserve the original game audio, so you might as well watch with the sound down. He makes plays on this are stunning. I don't remember most of Larry's best years, and I saw all of Jordan's. I don't remember Jordan being this...impossible.
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