Fresh off a tough OT loss at LMU last night the 'Niners square off with the undefeated Wildcats of Kentucky tomorrow at Noon in Lexington.
Much was written about the tough schedule before the season but four top-7 teams? LBSU goes to Cameron next week for their last "tune-up" before Big West play.
Not that stopping John Wall or Eric Bledsoe will be an easy task for Ware and Gilling but the real mismatch is in the paint with 6-foot, 9-inch Patrick Patterson and 6-foot, 11-inch DeMarcus Cousins.
T.J. Robinson has picked up right where he left off the second half of last season. He is a double-double machine but he and Eugene Phelps will have their hands full down low with these two all afternoon.
Much more to come from the road and the arena...
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
The Cleveland Conundrum
The Browns got their man.
Mike Holmgren is coming to the mistake by the lake hoping to turn the downtrodden franchise around.
It won't be easy. Like all struggling teams it comes down to QB play.
Derek Anderson's Pro Bowl year earned him a large contract and Notre Dame product Brady Quinn was supposed to be the savior.
Neither has done much of anything the past few years except throw interceptions and lose games.
The details of Holmgren's deal are not yet official but early reports had it for as long as ten years and as inflated as $50 million.
The most interesting part of the equation is the future of first-year head coach Eric Mangini.
Browns owner Randy Lerner was moved by the young "Mangenius" in the offseason after he was fired by the Jets this past offseason.
After starting 1-11 Cleveland shocked Pittsburgh on a bitterly cold Thursday night a week and a half ago then ran past Kansas City and into the record books yesterday.
A two-game winning streak amidst a three win campaign is hardly something to highlight in your resume but the sentiment is that the Browns play had at least propped the door open for Mangini to have a case for another year.
But enter Holmgren, the long time Packers and Seahawks head-man who won a Super Bowl with this guy named Brett Favre running the show.
When he took the job today he brought up head coach Cam Cameron's firing in Miami when Bill Parcells assumed the same role he is taking up in Cleveland, as a football "czar" of sorts.
While not fully endorsing the move, just the mere mention of it can't bode well for Mangini.
Parcells cleaned house in South Beach upon arriving and in his first year took a one-win team the season before and made it into a playoff squad.
There is no doubt Holmgren will want his guy in there sooner rather than later and would certainly love nothing more than making that "worst to relevant" splash just like Parcells.
Lerner intimated early in the process that the coaching decision would be about winning and not about money.
But his current coach signed a four year, $15.6 million deal 11 months ago.
He would be owed almost 12 million dollars still if he gets fired.
If the Browns lose out Mangini would pocket $5.2 million per win in Cleveland.
Maybe the New York tabloids were on to something with that "Mangenius" moniker.
Mike Holmgren is coming to the mistake by the lake hoping to turn the downtrodden franchise around.
It won't be easy. Like all struggling teams it comes down to QB play.
Derek Anderson's Pro Bowl year earned him a large contract and Notre Dame product Brady Quinn was supposed to be the savior.
Neither has done much of anything the past few years except throw interceptions and lose games.
The details of Holmgren's deal are not yet official but early reports had it for as long as ten years and as inflated as $50 million.
The most interesting part of the equation is the future of first-year head coach Eric Mangini.
Browns owner Randy Lerner was moved by the young "Mangenius" in the offseason after he was fired by the Jets this past offseason.
After starting 1-11 Cleveland shocked Pittsburgh on a bitterly cold Thursday night a week and a half ago then ran past Kansas City and into the record books yesterday.
A two-game winning streak amidst a three win campaign is hardly something to highlight in your resume but the sentiment is that the Browns play had at least propped the door open for Mangini to have a case for another year.
But enter Holmgren, the long time Packers and Seahawks head-man who won a Super Bowl with this guy named Brett Favre running the show.
When he took the job today he brought up head coach Cam Cameron's firing in Miami when Bill Parcells assumed the same role he is taking up in Cleveland, as a football "czar" of sorts.
While not fully endorsing the move, just the mere mention of it can't bode well for Mangini.
Parcells cleaned house in South Beach upon arriving and in his first year took a one-win team the season before and made it into a playoff squad.
There is no doubt Holmgren will want his guy in there sooner rather than later and would certainly love nothing more than making that "worst to relevant" splash just like Parcells.
Lerner intimated early in the process that the coaching decision would be about winning and not about money.
But his current coach signed a four year, $15.6 million deal 11 months ago.
He would be owed almost 12 million dollars still if he gets fired.
If the Browns lose out Mangini would pocket $5.2 million per win in Cleveland.
Maybe the New York tabloids were on to something with that "Mangenius" moniker.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
One more time for emphasis
The BCS system makes me sick.
College football pundits say we have the best two teams playing for it all in Alabama and Texas.
We'll never know.
The NCAA corporation loves the underdogs and Cinderella's when it comes to March Madness or the College World Series. George Mason and Fresno State anyone?
But TCU, Cincinnati and Boise State get to sit this one out. Sure they get to play for third, or fourth but wasn't this the doomsday scenario?
Five undefeated teams, all worthy of a title shot, that only goes to two? Has everyone gone soft.
It's totally unacceptable. No other sport demands perfection, and then when you get it from five teams, three are told "sorry, but you didn't play in a power conference." Not sure if anyone noticed but neither the Big 12 or SEC weren't exactly chalked full of great teams this year.
Worse the BCS bowl arrangement is in place for another FOUR years.
The NCAA should be embarrassed and ashamed. They continue to screw this up and line their pockets in the process.
Decide it on the field, not in an office somewhere, that's the purpose of athletics.
*****
UPDATE (Dec 9 - 11:22 PM) -- I like how this sounds...
College football pundits say we have the best two teams playing for it all in Alabama and Texas.
We'll never know.
The NCAA corporation loves the underdogs and Cinderella's when it comes to March Madness or the College World Series. George Mason and Fresno State anyone?
But TCU, Cincinnati and Boise State get to sit this one out. Sure they get to play for third, or fourth but wasn't this the doomsday scenario?
Five undefeated teams, all worthy of a title shot, that only goes to two? Has everyone gone soft.
It's totally unacceptable. No other sport demands perfection, and then when you get it from five teams, three are told "sorry, but you didn't play in a power conference." Not sure if anyone noticed but neither the Big 12 or SEC weren't exactly chalked full of great teams this year.
Worse the BCS bowl arrangement is in place for another FOUR years.
The NCAA should be embarrassed and ashamed. They continue to screw this up and line their pockets in the process.
Decide it on the field, not in an office somewhere, that's the purpose of athletics.
*****
UPDATE (Dec 9 - 11:22 PM) -- I like how this sounds...
Friday, December 4, 2009
God save your team
The stage is set for the ultimate opening match for the red, white and blue: a June 12th game with England.
60 years to the month of one of soccer's greatest upsets, the sides will meet again.
The USA's 1-0 upset against 500-1 odds in the 1950 World Cup ranks as one of the most surprising results the football world has ever seen.
The Yanks carried just one professional and barely belonged on the same pitch.
But they came out ahead.
In 189 days, facing far less of an uphill climb but still pitted against one of the Top-10 teams in the World, the Americans can taste victory again.
So ready the chants of "Nine-teen fif-ty" and when those get old, tales of 1776 will certainly do. Let's win another for the red, white and blue!
60 years to the month of one of soccer's greatest upsets, the sides will meet again.
The USA's 1-0 upset against 500-1 odds in the 1950 World Cup ranks as one of the most surprising results the football world has ever seen.
The Yanks carried just one professional and barely belonged on the same pitch.
But they came out ahead.
In 189 days, facing far less of an uphill climb but still pitted against one of the Top-10 teams in the World, the Americans can taste victory again.
So ready the chants of "Nine-teen fif-ty" and when those get old, tales of 1776 will certainly do. Let's win another for the red, white and blue!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Just stay away Nelly
Don Nelson is sick with pneumonia.
And while no one doubts the seriousness of his condition, the same cannot be said for his Warriors on the whole.
They got trounced 135-107 Tuesday night by an angry Nuggets team coming off a loss to a team that hadn't won since opening night.
They won at home the night before. They had eight guys. They still don't have their coach.
Say what you want about Golden State, you can have all your excuses.
This franchise has been propped up by them for more than 15 years.
One playoff appearance in 15 seasons, one championship since moving to the Bay Area in 1962.
And when you stink, year-after-year like the Warriors do, the culture of losing is all-encompassing.
Last week the Warriors beat the Mavericks with six players. Three played all 48 minutes. It had been more than 50 years since either of those things happened and they managed both on the same night.
They had nine guys the next night for a loss to the Spurs, just eight suited up at the Pepsi Center last night.
When there is nothing to play for guys take a little more liberty in returning. The bench doesn't seem all that bad, the training table that uncomfortable, that couch too cozy.
When you don't play defense, you'll never win consistently but if you stick around long enough you will win sometimes.
So that brings us back to Nelson.
Back with the Warriors after a successful stint from 1988-1995 that included four playoff appearances and a pair of 50-win seasons, Nelly peaked with the Warriors "We Believe" first-round shocker over Dallas in 2007.
Instead of riding off into the sunset with about the closest thing his "smallball" philosophy will ever bring him to a championship, soon-to-be-undermined Chris Mullin and the ownership team led by Chris Cohan brought him back and it's been downhill ever since.
The team won 48 games the next season and should have been a shoo-in to make the playoffs but were two games short in a stacked western conference.
Things have only unraveled since. Asked why he was still coaching 69-year old Don Nelson said last year, "cold hard cash, baby."
But there's one very other significant reason to stay court side for Nelly. In his infinite hubris he is chasing Lenny Wilkens all-time coaching wins total of 1332.
After Monday night's win Nelson is just 17 short at 1315.
That's right, despite being sidelined for the last five games, Nelly still gets credit for wins while acting coach Keith Smart roams the sidelines.
So it seems Nelly has found the perfect solution. He can get paid and win games while sitting out. Sounds like the rest of his players.
So get better coach and cheers to catching Lenny since everyone knows how much you love a cold one.
But don't hurry back, no one else is. You are still owed almost 12 million through next spring and if you can collect those dollars and those wins while home in bed I'm sure you will.
Just be sure to tell your young team when you come back to "just win, baby" and try and leave out the part about the cold hard cash.
And while no one doubts the seriousness of his condition, the same cannot be said for his Warriors on the whole.
They got trounced 135-107 Tuesday night by an angry Nuggets team coming off a loss to a team that hadn't won since opening night.
They won at home the night before. They had eight guys. They still don't have their coach.
Say what you want about Golden State, you can have all your excuses.
This franchise has been propped up by them for more than 15 years.
One playoff appearance in 15 seasons, one championship since moving to the Bay Area in 1962.
And when you stink, year-after-year like the Warriors do, the culture of losing is all-encompassing.
Last week the Warriors beat the Mavericks with six players. Three played all 48 minutes. It had been more than 50 years since either of those things happened and they managed both on the same night.
They had nine guys the next night for a loss to the Spurs, just eight suited up at the Pepsi Center last night.
When there is nothing to play for guys take a little more liberty in returning. The bench doesn't seem all that bad, the training table that uncomfortable, that couch too cozy.
When you don't play defense, you'll never win consistently but if you stick around long enough you will win sometimes.
So that brings us back to Nelson.
Back with the Warriors after a successful stint from 1988-1995 that included four playoff appearances and a pair of 50-win seasons, Nelly peaked with the Warriors "We Believe" first-round shocker over Dallas in 2007.
Instead of riding off into the sunset with about the closest thing his "smallball" philosophy will ever bring him to a championship, soon-to-be-undermined Chris Mullin and the ownership team led by Chris Cohan brought him back and it's been downhill ever since.
The team won 48 games the next season and should have been a shoo-in to make the playoffs but were two games short in a stacked western conference.
Things have only unraveled since. Asked why he was still coaching 69-year old Don Nelson said last year, "cold hard cash, baby."
But there's one very other significant reason to stay court side for Nelly. In his infinite hubris he is chasing Lenny Wilkens all-time coaching wins total of 1332.
After Monday night's win Nelson is just 17 short at 1315.
That's right, despite being sidelined for the last five games, Nelly still gets credit for wins while acting coach Keith Smart roams the sidelines.
So it seems Nelly has found the perfect solution. He can get paid and win games while sitting out. Sounds like the rest of his players.
So get better coach and cheers to catching Lenny since everyone knows how much you love a cold one.
But don't hurry back, no one else is. You are still owed almost 12 million through next spring and if you can collect those dollars and those wins while home in bed I'm sure you will.
Just be sure to tell your young team when you come back to "just win, baby" and try and leave out the part about the cold hard cash.
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